#he’s been to the upside down twice AT LEAST and lived

[krunchycrispy]

Jim Hopper is an absolute chad, pass it on

#stranger things #st4 spoilers #(?) #jim hopper #I’m taking no arguments #He protected El from many demigorgons at THE GATE #he’s been to the upside down twice AT LEAST and lived #he’s infiltrated a high tech lab and lived from a blast that turns people into goop #he’s managed to escape the most secure prison in all of Russia and he only got caught because a faulty guy betrayed them #st3 spoilers #st2 spoilers

[crookedkryptonitebeliever]

Yandere coworker (part 9)

Tw: afab reader, non con touching, non con kissing, violence, cyprus mad n yelling

Masterlists, part 1, part 10

It's been a little over a month now. You barely get to sleep at your own apartment anymore ever since you got that fever.

Because Cyprus kept stealing your stuff and blackmailing you with it, you've never missed a night of sleeping at his place. It's like you're living there now, your pyjamas are Cyprus's large clothes and you've been wearing the same few outfits to work over and over, thanks to the free washing services downstairs.

Once or twice, he lets you visit your home just to pack up your skincare, soaps and whatever you need. He already bought you a new toothbrush earlier on in this relationship. Cyprus wouldn't allow you to take your gaming consoles though, he said he didn't want it to "clog up" his apartment.

It's... Nice. You didn't have to worry about what to eat. The bills are paid for. Your rent was also paid for despite barely living there anymore, you had no idea how Cyprus managed to transfer the accounts to his without you knowing. It didn't seem to put too much pressure on him, he was still as cool as a cucumber. You wonder how much he earns in a month.

You didn't have to deal with that creep back at your apartment, but you knew that he was lurking around, watching you and Cyprus during the rare visits. However, as long as that hunk of a man is next to you, he wouldn't dare to approach. That's a plus, at least.

You just had to get used to Cyprus's molester tendencies. It doesn't matter how hostile you would be with him, he would always try to seize every possible opportunity to touch you.

He would pull you into the staircase during lunch, just to make out with you until your legs grow weak and your head goes blank. Cyprus said it helps with his insatiable urge to smoke, you think it's at least helping him, so you're somewhat okay with this treatment. Totally not because you're secretly enjoying the attention and experiences he's giving you.

You managed to convince yourself that being with Cyprus isn't all that bad. He cooks, he cleans, he defends you from Jane, he prepares a cup of your favourite drink every morning and delivers it to your desk, he clocks you out and helps you greatly with your phone addiction.

He sets a limit where you can only use your phone for a grand total of two hours per day. Just to text your friends and family, but he made you delete all social media off your digital slab. Which caused a massive meltdown on your part, where you would cry and flail, and spit and hiss. But Cyprus was unmoving, he's determined to rid you of his modern curse.

Most of your time is filled with doing something else, visiting the beach, and the park, going on motorbike rides with Cyprus, having his tongue shoved down your throat, watching his violent boxing matches, eating at restaurants, talking, and visiting places that you always see on social media, but never been to (Ie., the zoo, the aquarium, carnivals and some other trending venues). You would come back dead exhausted from the day's activities, and you're astonished at how he never seems to run out of energy or date ideas.

You could cry, sob, beg, and struggle, yet he wouldn't allow you to rot in his bed or yours. There must be a destination to go to every day, after work. He would sling your entire body over his shoulder if he had to, it wasn't a fun experience being hung upside down while your legs helplessly flail around.

His lifestyle was completely different than yours, it's almost as if he's living in the 80s- sometimes even completely forgetting to bring his phone with him. That is unfathomable to you, forgetting your phone is just like forgetting your vision, how anyone could live without it, you couldn't understand.

It would be a lie to say that you never had any fun. You would start off teary-eyed and throwing a tantrum because all you wanted to do was take a nap or play your videogames after a long day of work, but in the end, you would be laughing gleefully with cotton candy in one hand, and a stuffed animal in another. You would collapse immediately upon coming back to his place, allowing you to have a complete, 8 hours of sleep a day without fail.

As it turns out, Cyprus only uses his gadgets for work or for research on where to go, or date ideas. Not even for navigation, he used old-fashioned paper maps for that. His screen time is unbelievably low, you wonder if he's actually a modern man or someone from the pre-smartphone era.

Cyprus began to have a "candy drawer" at work, where he would offer sweet treats to nobody but you.

You think he's using that as a substitute for smoking during hours when he couldn't assault your mouth with his, putting actual work into quitting his habit. It's almost admirable, you just wish that he didn't rope you into it as well. You missed your phone badly.

From there, you found out that his favorite candies are mostly cinnamon-flavoured or chewy liquorice sticks. Oddly enough, you couldn't taste whatever he ate when you and he mashed kissers. There is a faint hint of cinnamon, but the licorice isn't there. There was a moderately intense scent of mint, though.

Now everyone in the office knows that you and Cyprus are a pair. Even those from other departments and floors knew not to steal you away from him. Because he once caught someone from marketing flirting with you, he was then let go a few days later. You and your coworkers knew he had something to do with it since he kept entering his supervisor's office with a stack of papers.

You took a peek at them once, their account balances, supposedly serving as evidence that his rival was embezzling company funds with the help of someone in Finance.

There was a new hire that tried to make moves on you. Cyprus made it very clear that you were his by interrupting the conversation with a passionate kiss on your lips. He then barked at the newbie to leave you alone. It's now a must to tell all newcomers about your relationship with Cyprus, and why he isn't to be messed with.

It's very different from the usual, stoic, and professional Cyprus the office once knew. On all matters relating to work or otherwise, he still maintains that frosty, quiet, and monotonous exterior. But when it comes to you? The message is clear: Do not touch his woman. Even looking at you wrongly will cause him to try and sabotage their career.

Your coworkers used that new feature to their advantage. If they wanted to find him for something (Ie., regarding the annual financial report, discuss an error from his side, politics, etc.), all they needed to do was find you and exchange a couple of words. Cyprus will then appear to manifest out of thin air to possessively protect his territory.

They knew not to abuse it too much, though. A man tried to summon him through you one time too many, he came back from lunch late, with an eye swollen shut, a bloody nose, some teeth knocked out of his mouth and bruises all over his body. When quizzed about what happened, he refused to say anything to anyone and refused to press charges on his anonymous assailant. He avoided your gaze and ran away whenever you tried talking to him. Shortly after, he transferred departments and you never saw him around again.

You still didn't know what he said to Jane to make her deathly afraid of him. To this date, she hasn't tried anything with you; allowing you to go home at 5 pm sharp and holding her tongue whenever you made a mistake.

You have come to know a lot about him since he likes talking; sharing about himself and knowing more about you. Unfortunately, Cyprus remarked how embarrassing it is that you have nothing to say about yourself except to describe what you see online. And you didn't realize what you did until he pointed it out, which kept you up at night reflecting on your life so far.

He has friends that he would regularly talk about, they were who you would think Cyprus would associate with: Loud, brash, and sharing a mutual hatred for work and their superiors.

You couldn't remember the names of his closest friends, maybe it's because you believed that this relationship between him and you wouldn't last long. However, you do know he has three best friends, all male.

Today, he's bringing you to meet them in the same pub where you first ate dinner with him. Of course, you didn't want to go. He had to drag you into his car, hissing and spitting as usual. You felt insulted that he would be nonchalant, carrying you without being visibly affected by your hits. As if you're his inanimate suitcase.

When the car starts moving, you would turn docile. Not wanting him to crash or injure yourself by jumping out. He would always have a victorious grin on his face, knowing that he won once again.

You're nervous because you already don't like Cyprus. You couldn't imagine dealing with three more, it might just cause a blood vessel in your forehead to pop. Your boyfriend tried reassuring you by rubbing your thigh while he drove. No matter how you press against the door to try and get away from his grabby hands, he will always reach you.

Reaching the pub, he parked in a spot but told you to wait in the car for a while. It didn't take long until the deafening noises of motorbikes made you shut your ears with your hands. You peered out the window to see three, black and sleek motorcycles pull up around Cyprus's cars. Their drivers all wore leather jackets with customized helmets, and a feminine figure was behind each one, which you assume was his buddies' girlfriends.

They excitedly hopped off their vehicles and started knocking on Cyprus's windows. You cower deeper into your seat in fear as Cyprus rolls them down.

"What the hell, Cy? Just got out of work or something?" One of his friends stuck his arm into the window and pressed on the honk, making you wince at the sudden loudness.

"Yeah, what's with the car? We always come here with our bikes!" Another one slapped the top of Cyprus's car.

"Don't tell us you agreed to work overtime!" The last one jabbed Cyprus in the head, causing your boyfriend to jab his friend's head back.

"Oh my god! Is that her? She's so cute!" The women gushed at you as they took off their helmets. "Hi! What's your name?" You squirmed uncomfortably when they all jutted their hands inside the car to squeeze your cheeks, stroke your hair, and tickle your chin. You felt so violated, already at the brink of tears as their girlfriends continued taking turns petting you.

"Get the fuck away from my car, all of you!" Roared Cyprus, he was so loud that your ear temporarily rang. You couldn't imagine what it was like for his friends that are right next to him.

They backed off, but it didn't seem like they were surprised or upset. Instead, they were giggling and smiling at each other. Is it normal for Cyprus to lose his temper like this?

He stormed out of his car and started yelling at his friends and their partners. "What the fuck is wrong with all of you? I told you all to behave, look at what you did to my girl!" Cyprus marched up to your door, glowering at the women in the process.

He opened the door and cupped your cheeks, wiping away the tears that you didn't know were falling from your eyes.

"Aw... We're sorry." The women had a guilty and sympathetic look on their faces. The men awkwardly looked away and scratched the back of their heads.

"Give me a moment to talk to them, doll." He murmured, tenderly kissing you on the forehead before turning around to scowl at his friends.

All six of them already knew where Cyprus wanted them to go, it was like watching a dog herding sheep into a secluded place.

You watched Cyprus yell at them harshly while their gazes were downcast, it seemed like the girlfriends got more scolding than the men. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion when you spotted that it almost seemed like they were trying to stifle a laugh while being torn a new one by Cyprus. Are they not afraid of him? Do they not respect him, or is this just their dynamic?

He stomped back to you once he was done flaming their asses, while the rest went into the pub.

Cyprus sighed as he shook his head in disapproval, he unbuckled your belt and held onto your hand.

"Come on, let's go in."

__

You're seated next to your boyfriend at a large table, and one of the girlfriends excitedly takes the chair beside you. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her as he hooked his arm around your waist, pulling you close to him.

Now that you had a closer look, you noticed that the women wore beautiful and stylish clothes, had long, healthy hair, had long, acrylic nails on, and their thick makeup looked like it was applied by a professional.

The first ten minutes were spent catching up between the men and their partners, joking around. You were too intimidated to participate, opting to anxiously grip your pint of beer and pretending to drink, so you wouldn't need to speak. All that anger and rage from Cyprus evaporated, he is much more playful and animated now, yet equally as loud as his friends.

You had to jam your fingers into your ear canal to bear with the explosive environment.

"Oh, what about this cutie right here? We didn't even catch your name, and we made you cry. Poor thing." Dread washed over you as the girl next to you suddenly brought all seven pairs of eyes on you.

You took a deep breath as everyone fell silent, waiting for your response. Eventually, you stammered your name.

There was a beat of silence, followed by one of the men cheering excitedly, and then all of them joined in, boisterously welcoming you into the circle.

You took a deep breath and exhaled, this is going to be a long night...

Each of them fought to ask you questions about yourself, cutting each other off and speaking at the same time. You couldn't tell who was saying what, and what was being said. It is just one big cacophony of voices.

Only when you brought your palms to your ears, Cyprus shouted one more time to shut everyone up.

"I told you all to fucking behave! We're leaving if you all can't stop acting like animals!" He berated.

You looked around, there were patrons throwing glances your way, but most of them didn't care. It didn't make the situation any less awkward for you.

"Aww... We're sorry." The woman next to you had her hand hovering over your head, about to patronizingly stroke your hair as if you were a leashed pet, but Cyprus slapped it away and glared at her.

She merely rolled her eyes at Cyprus and huffed, dramatically flopping onto her man's chest. Her boyfriend gave numerous kisses on the 'injured' hand as she mock sobbed.

Cyprus spoke for you, basic information about how you and he met. A simple description of your personality, but he did emphasize 'shy' more than twice. You wonder what their definition of 'Shy' meant.

The conversation revolved around you now, but you didn't say a word. Too afraid that you might excite them too much again. It was humiliating to be hiding under Cyprus's jacket while clinging onto him, but they were genuinely scary.

The woman next to you tried to touch you discretely, having her thigh brush yours, her fingers grazing your knee, her stocking-clad feet gently rubbing your calf up and down. Driving you closer and closer to Cyprus until you're positively pressed up against him.

Whenever you looked back at her, she would have this gleeful smile. Well, all the girlfriends had this same look on them whenever you paid them any attention. It's as if they're overcome by cuteness aggression, since they're mildly gyrating in their seats as soon as you made eye contact.

There was a point where they chatted amongst themselves while Cyprus took a couple of sips from his beer. You tugged on his shirt to catch his attention.

"Yes, princess?" He cooed, craning his neck down so he could hear you.

You told him that you want to go home. You don't like his friends, especially their overly friendly partners.

He frowned. He opened his mouth to say something, but one of his friends decided to pipe up.

"Hey! Share with the class, what the hell are you two talking about?"

"She speaks!? We have got to hear it!"

"Come on, Cy! Let us in!"

He slammed his fist on the table, silencing everyone once again and causing a bit of their beers to spill.

"That's it." He growled, rising up from his seat and holding you tight. "We're leaving."

All six of them began whining loudly, pawing at Cyprus and yourself, begging you both to stay.

"You all can fuck off to hell." He spat, whipping out enough cash to cover the beers for you and him.

"Come on, doll. We're going home."

He stared at you, waiting for you to lead the way.

However, you thought about it. Maybe they meant well; just a little too eager to know you. Maybe you could get more information about him through his friends, perhaps you could act like the opposite of his type.

#yandere #yandere x reader #yandere oc #yandere male #yandere concept #tw yandere #yandere x you #yandere oc x reader #male yandere oc x reader #oc cyprus #male yandere x reader #yandere x female reader #female reader #tw afab reader #male yandere #male yandere oc

[superums]

42 songs — 42! miles morales x reader

spidey!reader. angst, no happy ending. for general audiences. (cannon) character death. reader is a but of a loser here. some fluff. reader has a (loving) mom. gender neautral reader. no pronouns. no y/n. childhood friends to crushes to enemies. jeff is a father figure to the reader

color coded text: miles. you/spidey. your mom. jeff.

inspired by: 24 songs by playboi carti

pre-spidey headcannons

crime is off the charts in this universe, every other day there's a riot, a robbery, accidental killings, purposeful killings, people on the news begging for help, bombings, and general terrorist attacks caused by mutated mad scientists and victims of freak accidents

in the daytime, you can sort of ignore the turmoil the city is in since everyone feels safer when the sun is out. At night time there's a curfew for teenagers and even some young adults because of all the crime that happens.

you feel uneasy a lot of the time because of the political climate but the crush you have on your mom's best friend's son, miles morales, makes you forget about it even if it's just a bit.

you've had a crush on him ever since you could remember; you couldn't even remember when it started.

for the longest time you wanted to confess to him but every time you tried to he would always get distracted by the pretty girls at school.

your hands were sweating as you held onto your backpack strap with two tickets for the museum. you found miles alone in a classroom putting things in his backpack.

"hey, miles." you saw him turn in your direction before smiling a bit. getting closer to where you stood a few feet in front of him you felt a little shiver go up your spine as you saw miles' big brown eyes look directly into yours.

"yeah?" his accent made your heart race a little. looking down at your shoes you began to ask. "y-yeah i was wondering if..." the sound of ruffling pom poms in the door cut you off.

"hey miles are you still coming?" michelle jones stood at the door waving at the boy with her two friends behind her. "uh... yeah im comin, my fault." miles continued getting his things together before walking past you. "can this wait? i gotta get ready for practice?" he said as he walked past you to join the three cheerleaders.

your embarrassment never left you as you watched him leave you in the dust. "yeah... my fault." you muttered to yourself as he left the class room to join the cheerleaders.

you ended up going to the museum by yourself (not wanting to waste any money), little did you know you were going to get bit by a radioactive spider at the vending machine

post spidey & cannon event headcanons

being spidey is not easy in universe 42. the crime was bad before but now it the gotten worse. during your second week of being spidey you had to fight villains that other spidermen would shiver at the green goblin, the sandman, and many more.

after 4 months you've been beaten down, almost died a few times, even almost got your secret identity exposed at least twice but you always get back up because you love your city and everything who lives in it—it's just too bad your new york doesn't feel the same about you.

The people of your new york really like jonah jameson and respect his opinion so when he talked bad about you the public opinion of spidey quickly soured.

you work with the police aka hang criminals upside down with your webs and leave a little note as you swing away when you hear the sirens coming towards you.

you struggle to balance your school life with your spidey life so you end up isolating yourself like all the spidey’s before you have. so now you only interact with miles in passing. when you do have the time to actually talk to him your spidey senses pull you in another direction

your parents worry about you a lot, at first they thought you were fine because your grades were good and you had a few friends but now you sometimes walk with a limp and sometimes your friends (miles specifically) come by to check up on you it's just too bad you're never there

every blunder you made as spidey would always met with a loud rant from jonah jameson. like when you got knocked out by rhino slamming his head into yours multiple times or when you accidentally let the green goblin blow up an entire block because you were getting pestered by protesters who were trying to rip your mask off

speaking of blunders your mom calls you sometimes when you're fighting crime because she's scared about if you're safe and you always try to calm her down but it never works because there's always screaming and explosions going on in the back

most of the time you end you hanging up abruptly because you have to stop the villain or else more people get hurt but you always make sure to face time her when you get away from the chaos so she doesn't get too scared about you

almost a year after becoming spidey you were invited to jeff’s promotional party and your mom stressed that you be there. You haven’t been able to make it to outings recently—canceling at the last minute, not showing up without a warning or leaving early without a trace, it was starting to feel like you were only someone she could talk to on the phone and never in person.

and throw in the fact that the morales family have been friends with your family for years, almost like a second home and none of them have seen you not even miles— it was starting to worry everyone.

when the morales family invited yours to jeffs promotion party your mother practically begged you to come

when you got to the party you and your mom had an argument about your latest disappearances. she brought up how your school was calling her about missing school ans how you were flaking out on her and while you tried to argue that you had more than just her to worry about, your argument immediately fell flat when she asked you ‘like what?’

after congratulating jeff on his promotion you left to sit under the water tower and watch the streets of new york. you knew you couldn't keep lying to your mom forever, she was worried about you and you just wanted to keep her safe. looking out to the city you didn't notice the foot steps coming from behind you.

“you aint gon say hi to me?” a familiar voice said from the right of you. turning your head you saw miles leaning on one of the metal rods that held the tower up. “you were busy with everyone else. i thought you’d be too busy to talk to me.”

“you coulda still came to say hey or sum’ you're like a ghost now.” miles looked down at you causing you to shake your head before looking ahead. “tuh… anyway, i heard you made the basketball team.” you changed the subject as you turned your head around, not being able to see the bashful look on his face. “”yeah it was easy.” “i bet. you're like good at everything.”

the boy looked at his feet trying not to smile when he heard your praise. “also! i noticed your new hairstyle. it's really good on you….” you messed with your fingers a little before turning back to him. “yeah?” the boy would be blushing if his melanin allowed it.

you stayed at the tower for most of the gathering. your mom even coming to get you so you could watch jeff blow out his candles. after that though you had to leave the sounds of police sirens started to go off as the sun began to set, you had to go back to your job.

cannon event & 'cannon event'

as you work to keep the city safe there's always something you can't stop and that is death. unfortunately, you can't save everyone even if you try to. believe me you tried everything but nothing could stop him slipping through your fingers

it was a cold winter when it happened, everyone getting ready for winter break the christmas lights were beginning to be put on display it was almost perfect until norman osborne broke out of jail

if was like he wouldn't go down. it didn't natter what you did—final blow after final blow the man would get back up and destroy even more buildings.

you tried your best to keep everyone safe, multitasking between saving people and knocking down the green goblin. your bones were screaming as you swung across the city, webbing buildings together, destroying rubble before it could hit the civilians below, you did all you know.

but that wasn't enough.

your web couldn't stop the tip of the daily bugle antenna from hitting him. you almost moved in slow motion; jumping off of green goblins glider to chase after the rod.

the man you've seen all your life stood still, paralyzed with fear. your webbing got sloppy after hours of fighting, your left web missed, the other right one ran out of fluid—you couldn't stop the antenna from hitting jeff.

the green goblin laughed maniacally as he flew off into the snowy sky, leaving you shivering holding the man you saw as a father figure.

"spidey...." his voice was weak, the tip of the bar was lodged into his heart, he wasn't going to make it. "i'm sorry..." your voice was weak as you held onto him, you heard his slowing heartbeat above the chaotic city.

"im sorry... i'm sorry" you sung apologies to him as you saw the life draining from his body. "spidey... i was growing to like you." jeff started, looking directly into your mask where your eyes would be. "i know i don't got much time..." he heaved once. twice. thee times.

"but please, don't lose yourself cus a' me." his blinking started to slow down. holding him tighter your couldn't handle this. "please, please stay with me. the paramedics are almost here!" your begged the man who just gave you a sad smile. "remember.... with great power comes great responsibility."

the man stopped breathing in your arms. you almost screamed into the sky if it wasn't for the sirens getting closer. "freeze spidey!" you heard them cock their guns, they were going to shoot you. "w-wait you dont understand!" you tried to explain through tears but you knew you had to go.

a gun-shot from your right made you leave before you could get a word out, a few of them hit you but not enough to be anything fatal

you ran to your house and practically tire your shit off of you. you cried for days, and didn't go to school for at-least three. your mom didn't know why you were so upset but didn't budge, seeing g how depressed you were

spidey didn't show up for a while. almost disappearing entirely besides a few sightings. though the press around the hero in the mask got worse

“Spidey? More like spider menace! look around you New York—that fraudulent freak trying to call themselves a hero is a danger to our livelihoods!” a booming voice echoed through the snowy streets of new york. “The green goblin, the lizard all of them—this is all their fault!” “spidey has brought nothing but uncertainty and harm to this city!”

news reporters seemed to go on and on about you on every channel, every jumbotron, and street corner—spidey was the topic of discussion. they're a killer, a sorry excuse for a hero. who are they? where are they?

*the sinking feeling in your stomach never disappeared as you saw miles at school. he was darker, less talkative, more angry—you cant help but think it's your fault.

you almost quit being spidey but you knew the people needed you even if they acted like they didn't. the robberies, rampaging villaians everyone needed you.

you went back to fighting crime even acter you saw the headlines on the billboards calling you a murderer, a fraud.

in less than a month a new face was making noise on the news. the press called him the prowler. he's been stealing money from museums and the daily bugle; anything he can get his hands on.

his LED mask was the only thing they got as he sped away on his bike.

the prowler began to leave messages 'bring me spidey.' and a simple spider drawing with a red X over it. he wanted you dead, and you knew he wouldn't stop until he had it.

in hindsight it was like dejavu. you're back where you started. fighting on a building in the snow.

"i've been waiting on you spidey." you bearly escaped his claws. stream came from your mouth as you jumped back from him."who are you?!" you knew you were being played with but you couldn't help it. the masked man laughed before swiping at you again.your other cuts from him stung, his claws were full of poison.

"you ruined my life." he managed to punch you, poisonous gas exploded in your face from the impact. "you got me all wrong!" you fought back, bearly noticing you began to crack his mask. "you'll pay for what you did to me." he bunched your face repeatedly.

"no!" bringing your leg up you managed to kick him in his face, knocking him back. getting on-top of him you repeatedly hit him in his face. you didn't even notice the familiar brown eyes being unveiled to you until it was too late.

you froze in place when you saw his face. miles. he knocked you off of him again, smirking, he began to laugh. "this'll be the last face you see, spidey."

"miles?" you felt like throwing up all over again, looking at the boy you've loved for almost all your life talk down to you. you were almost living the worst day of your life all over again.

#42 ​miles x reader #miles g morales x reader #earth 42 miles x reader #earth 42 miles morales x reader #prowler miles x reader #atsv headcanons #atsv x reader #atsv imagines #miles morales x reader #miles morales x black!reader #spiderverse x reader #miles morales headcanons

[strawheart-pirate]

Drought

Portgas D. Ace x gn!Reader

Words: 2268 CW: Alabasta Setting (spoiler-free), SFW, dehydrated Reader, mention of robbery, passing out, lizard, bonfire, food, talks and cuddles

You were in the middle of the desert in Alabasta. Your water bottle was empty, you were robbed, on the edge of passing out and now a sand storm is coming your way. Could this day get any worse?

Empty. Not a single drop fell on your lips as you lifted your head and turned your open bottle upside down above you. You were on your way to your home in Nanohana but you doubted that you would make it. Every step forward felt like too much, the sweat pouring down your face like a river. The march to Alubarna was familiar since you walked this route twice a week for work without problem, but today was different. Bandits crossed your path halfway and since you forgot to take your weapons with you, they stripped you off your water. Mostly. This last bottle was the only one you could protect before they left your bruised body behind.

Just five more miles. It’s not that far. You tried to convince yourself, but you stumbled and fell into the burning hot sand. You lifted your gaze, slamming your fists into the sand, as tears streamed down your face. Ugly sobs escaped your throat as you thought about your grandma. If you won’t come home today, how will she make it? She was a strong woman but her age was noticeable in her actions, so you helped her. You two shared home and salary ever since your parents died and your bond was strong. She will be worried by now, since the sun was about to set in almost two hours.

You got up with determination. There must be some way to make it. Your body was gathering all the last strength he could find to send your feet forward. Slowly but surely, step by step, regardless of how much your legs we’re shaking. You would make it out of here, your grandma needs you and you won’t let her down. In the distance, the outlines of the city slowly got noticeable and you smiled. You started to walk faster, the joy fueling your system when suddenly everything turned black around you and you fell to the ground.

Cold. As your conscience was back, you could feel the cold, hard ground beneath your back. That was not right. You opened your eyes and sat up quickly to look at your surroundings, leaving your head a bit dizzy. You were in a small but spacious cave with just one exit and in front of you was a small, crackling bonfire, which illuminated the stony walls. It was dark outside. Just how long have I been out cold? I need to get going before my kidnappers return. Gladly you realized, that you were alone with no trace of another living thing and so you stood up and slowly walked towards the entrance without making too much sound.

You were just a few steps away from freedom when you came eye to eye with a big purple lizard. Startled you covered your mouth with your hands and stopped breathing. Not a single movement was giving you away and after minutes that felt like hours, the lizard laid down right in front of the entrance, their back facing you. You exhaled the air you’ve been holding. Crap! Just a moment earlier and you would have been out of here.

You sighed and sat back down, resting your back on the stony wall across the exit as you watched the crackling fire. Whoever brought you here, friend or foe, you would handle them, when they get here. But you could at least enjoy the warmth of the fire and soothe your bruises. You inspected every scratch on your body but found none of them bleeding. As you searched your pockets for any leftover food, you were not lucky and your stomach growled loudly in disapproval.

“Thank you!” the hushed words picked your interest and as you looked towards the entrance, you saw a small flame jumping over the relaxed reptile.

A flame can jump? You wiped your eyes and blinked a few times, but you were not hallucinating things. As the flame hit the ground, it turned into a man and your face shifted into a surprised frown.

“Ah, you’re awake! Finally!” the man said as he stripped off his black coat decorated with red flames and his scarf. Beside he wore combat boots, black shorts and had an orange hat on his head. With a grin on his freckled face, he offered you his hand. “I’m Ace.”

You stared at the hand dumbfounded but quickly gained your posture back. “Who are you?”

“Huh?” he tilted his head to the side and retreated his hand. “I said I’m Ace. Are you dumb?”

“I’m not dumb, you dimwit!” you roared and got into a fighting position. “Are you friend or foe?”

Your body hurt, but you needed to be able to fight back in case he was a bandit or worse, a slave trader. As you waited for his answer, he eyed you from head to toe and broke into laughter.

“What?” you asked, not fooled by his antics.

“You’re hilarious.” He spit out between his laughter.

“I’m not! I will fight you if you dare lay your hands on me!” you cracked your knuckles to strengthen your argument.

“Calm down, I won’t harm you.” His laughter subsided. He sat down at the fire and opened his backpack. “I was out to restock. Bet you’re hungry.”

Your stomach growled at his words and you admitted defeat. You took a seat at the fire across from him and let out a sigh.

“Water?” he asked and offered you a blue bottle.

You grabbed the water bottle and sniffed its contents first. No smell. That was good. You let a few single drops fall onto your finger and licked them off. No taste, either. You were 90% sure this was water, and that was enough for your dehydrated self. You gulped down half the bottle in a rush. A smile appeared on your face and you enjoyed the refreshing feeling of the liquid slowly fueling your body with new power. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He said and grabbed one of the skewers. “Food?” A perfectly barbequed piece of meat was offered to you and you exchanged the bottle for the skewer. As you were hesitant, he grabbed your hand that held the meat, brought it to his mouth and took a bite himself, chewed and swallowed. “It’s not poisoned. I swear.”

You blushed a little at his words, since he recognized your concern right away, and retorted your hand. The first bite was still a bit hesitant, but you soon devoured the tasty meat. It was delicious and outstandingly juicy. “It’s perfect.” You said between bites.

“I’m glad you like it.” He answered and you two enjoyed your meal in a peaceful silence.

You sat back fully stuffed. “Dare to tell me your intentions now?”

“Hm? … Oh, I’m sorry, I have none.” Ace said and laid down on his side, eyeing you from the distance.

“None? Why would you pick up a random unconscious person in the desert if you don't get any benefit from it?”

“As you said, because you were unconscious. I was on my way to Nanohana when I came across you. When I picked you up, a sandstorm surprised us and we took shelter in this cave.”

“…is this a ‘Noble hero saving the damsel in distress’-thing and now I shall praise you? Offer you my heart and soul in exchange? What do I owe you, huh?” You just couldn't figure this man out.

“What?! No, nothing! You are strange.” Ace stuttered, totally taken aback by your words, and added in a low voice. “Although a genuine ‘thank you’ would be nice.”

You buried your head on your knees as you thought about your situation. Ace seemed to be trustworthy and he saved you from certain death, which was a fact. Maybe you should trust him. He was the reason you might make it back to your grandma.

“I’m sorry. Thanks for picking me up, Ace.” You said and bowed your head.

“Ahh, no problem.” A slight red painted on Ace cheeks at your words. “Why were you out in the desert so poorly equipped anyway?”

“I was on the way home from Alubarna when bandits robbed me halfway. I carried on but something knocked me out just before I reached Nanohana.”

“Maybe one of those giant scorpions hit you. They were madly running through the desert, moments before the sandstorm raged.”

“That would make sense. It’s common knowledge that they go batshit crazy right before a storm. They are a natural indication of storms.” You sighed and got up. “Anyway, I need to leave now. My grandma will be terribly worried by now. Thanks again for everything.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.” Ace said and stood up, too.

“Oh, now you show me your true colors, huh?”

He rolled his eyes and walked past you to the entrance. You followed him until he stopped right in front of the giant lizard.

“Lizzy!” Ace called and the purple giant lizard turned around. You dodged when her huge leg was about to hit you.

“Good girl.” Ace said and patted her leg, which made her happy. “As you can see, it’s dark outside and the sand storm has obliterated any trace of the path. If you go now, there’s a good chance you’ll get stuck in quicksand.”

Your gaze wandered over every grain of sand in the landscape. He was right. No sign of a path and the moon was behind clouds. “Damn it!” Frustrated you went back inside and paced around the fire. There was no way you were going to make it to town alive tonight. Frustrated you slumped down across from the entrance once again. Might at least get some sleep until the sun comes up and I can finally go home. You thought and tried to make yourself as comfortable as possible.

Ace followed you after he left some meat for his lizard. He laid down next to his backpack and put his head on top of his rolled-up coat, shutting his eyes. “Lizzy will guard us, so you can rest assured.”

“Okay.”

“As I said, I’m also on my way to Nanohana. We could keep each other company.”

“I’ll think about it… Ace?”

“Hm?”

“My name’s Y/N.”

“Oh, changed your mind? Am I not the bad guy anymore?” he asked in a cocky tone.

“Don’t get too full of yourself, you’re still a dimwit. Just an acceptable dimwit.” A sly smile spread on your face.

“Thank you for your kind words, your highness.” You both chuckled. “Sweet dreams, Y/N.” Ace said and you heard him shifting.

“Night, Ace.” You said and tried to be comfortable.

Not only your position, but your whole day made you restless and sleep was out of the question. You thought about the bandits, your grandmother, your near-death experience and the man who had saved you. Could this day have been worse? Possibly. You could have been raped, traded as a slave or be even dead. Oh what irony. You snorted. Most bad luck and most good luck happened to you in just one day. You hoped your grandma was okay and got some sleep. Tomorrow you will be with her again and laugh about what happened today. You would tell her about your savior. Your anger and doubt towards him had long since faded and been replaced by gratitude and trust. You had to admit that he was handsome as you thought of his…

“Hey” Ace interrupted your thoughts. He stood right in front of you, his coat in his hands.

“What?” you opened your eyes, looking questioningly at him.

“You’re shaking. Let me sleep beside you.” He said and waited for your approval.

You were about to question his action, when you noticed the strong trembling of your body. Maybe it was the cold or your exhaustion, given all the things that happened today, or maybe it was both, but your body didn't stop. You looked up at him and nodded.

He laid down silently, one arm above his head as a silent offer to lay your head on his bare chest.

You accepted his invitation and moaned a bit as you made contact with his warm skin. When you stopped squirming, he spread the coat above you and wrapped his arm around you.

“You’re half naked, how can you not be cold?”

Ace chuckled. “I’ll show you.” He lifted his finger and a flame appeared on top of it.

You gasped and your eyes sparkled with fascination. “Wow. Is this a real flame?”

“Yeah. I ate the Mera Mera no mi, so I’m basically all flames.” He explained and changed the form of the flame into different shapes.

“Awesome. Does the heat in the desert still affect you even though you are literally on fire?”

“Unfortunately, it does.” He yawned and with a single motion, the flame was gone. “After all I’m still human. You’re in for sleep?”

“I’m in.” Your answer more a mumble than anything else as you shut your eyes and snuggled closer.

Ace adjusted his grip around you and a blissful smile was on his lips. As you struggled where to put your hand, he gripped your wrist and put it onto his chest, resting his hand on top of yours. It felt strange at first, considering how intimate the position was. But the warmth radiating from him wrapped you in a cozy blanket and his trained muscles under your fingers promised protection. The last thing you heard was your name, falling softly from his lips as the slow rise and fall of his chest rocked you to sleep.

All content unless otherwise stated belongs to: ©Strawheart-pirate. Please do not copy / modify / translate / repost my writing, banners or art on other platforms. Comments, reblogs or likes are highly appreciated!

#portgas d ace #portgas ace x reader #portgas ace x you #gn reader #one piece #one piece fanfiction #one piece oneshots #strawheart-pirate.writing

[enhaheeseung]

Sicko - lee. Heeseung

♡ Pairing: pervert heeseung x fem reader! ♡

Warnings!: smut, male masturbation, use of sex toys, eavesdropping. Proceed with caution, mdni!

Note: I think I went too far this time.

WC : 2,610

Masterlist

»»»

Lee heeseung was an ordinary college student going through life as any other person would.

And a good person without a doubt, Anyone who met him had nothing but good things to say about him. His grades were above average, so were his looks, and in everyone's eyes, he was the definition of perfect.

He’s the type of guy you'd let date your daughter. So sweet, caring, and considerate, you'd think he was an angel cause he had absolutely zero flaws.

The true definition of a gentleman.

But though all the above was true word for word, he did have just one flaw.

A big one at that.

Thanks to you, he had one flaw or maybe multiple flaws but nevertheless, a flaw it was.

A flaw that would muddy up his perfect reputation and make people look at him differently.

It all started when you became his roommate the first day he laid his eyes on you. It turned his world upside down and his mind into a lust filled raging mess.

And the thing was, you did absolutely nothing to make him feel all the unholy things he felt when it came to you.

It was all him.

You didn't flirt with him. You didn't wear revealing clothes.

As a matter of fact, if he didn't know any better, he'd say you didn't even know he existed, but he definitely noticed your existence.

And he didn't just notice you. He watched you all the time.

He'd wake up early just so he could see you leave your room in your sleep shorts. He loved looking at your smooth sexy legs stride into the kitchen, and he lived to watch you reach the top cabinet for the cereal box (that he put there on purpose) just to get a small flash of your torso and lower back. The sight never failed to make his cock throb.

The whole while you ate breakfast, he watched you from the living room, slyly palming his hard-on through his pajamas.

He's never been so jealous of a spoon before. He hated that spoon with a passion.

That should be my cock in her mouth instead of that stupid spoon. He thought to himself.

And oddly enough, he was just as envious of the cereal he wished you'd slurp on his dick just like that.

And last but not least. He despised the milk he had a better white that you could swallow.

When you stood up, so did he. He took quick steps to the kitchen, pretending he was grabbing a bowl, but it was really just so he could walk past you.

Instead of going around the table, he made it a point to squeeze by you as he shamelessly grazed your ass with his boner.

"Sorry," he mutters with a shy half smile.

He was not sorry one bit, to say the least.

"You're good," you reply innocently, completely oblivious and unaware of what he had just done.

"I'm more than good." He whispers to himself. Biting his lip as he watched you walk back to your room.

He waited till the coast was clear to grab the spoon you used out of the sink and didn't think twice before sticking it inside his mouth. He swirled his tongue around it until it was completely clean. "Y/n," he groans breathlessly while closing his eyes, relishing in the idea that your saliva was dancing on his tongue. At this point, his erection was almost painful. He was as hard as a rock, and he knew nothing would make it go away until he released to the thought of you.

»»»

The rest of the day he spent locked in his room, searching online for toys to pleasure himself with. One thing certainly caught his eye.

A sex doll, and before he knew it, he was clicking the buy now option.

But in the meantime, his right hand would have to do.

»»»

Late at night, you decide to leave your room and watch a movie. Everything you did was usually at night to avoid heeseung, not cause you didn't want to be around him, but it was just awkward, so unbelievably awkward, especially when you felt his eyes on you 24/7. He always looked like he wanted something but every time you looked in his direction, he snapped his head away from you, pretending he was doing anything but staring at you.

Finally, after weeks he said something. Even though it was just a small “sorry” when he bumped into you, it was still something.

Maybe he was just shy.

You decided to invite him to watch the movie with you, hoping you could build some type of relationship with him. He seemed nice enough.

He was always polite around you. Whenever he ordered food, he asked if you wanted anything, and he didn't even ask you to pay. He always let you use the shower first when you both bumped into each other's schedules, and he even bought you a cute little elephant plushie as a welcoming gift.

But lately, he's just been very quiet, and you thought you were the reason why (well, you were but not for the reason you thought.) So you were going to step out of your comfort zone to see if you could get him to at least talk and leave his room for more than ten minutes.

You went to knock on his door, but before you could, you heard a strange sound causing you to stop mid-way through your knock.

You pressed your ear against the door to get a better listen.

And you wished you hadn't.

You didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the sound you heard sounded pained, but apparently, you mistook his sounds of pleasure for pain.

Heeseung was just nearing his end. Little did he know you were outside his door to hear it all. "Fuck," he moaned, pressing his head into his pillows while raising his hips to fuck up into his right hand.

Just a little bit more, he thought as he continued to buck his hips off his mattress. He imagined his hand was your pussy instead, but he knew your pussy would feel so much better wrapped around his cock than his hand, so much warmer, so much tighter, and so so much wetter.

His moans increased in pitch, and soon after, long hot white ropes of cum painted his hand and stomach. "Oh, shit," he whimpered while his legs shook and his toes curled from the absolute bliss that ravished his whole entire body.

He took short breaths as he continued to play with himself, stroking out his last few droplets of cum.

After he came down from his state of bliss, he felt nasty. His body was covered in sweat and cum, and his sheets were soaked. He huffed out a shallow breath before getting up to take a shower.

The sounds had died down, but you were still outside his door, completely mortified by what you heard. Your hand was still in mid-knock when he twisted his door knob revealing you.

His face morphed into confusion. He wondered why you'd be in front of his door and especially this late at night. Technically it wasn't late for you. You were always up at this time. He just didn't know it, and that's why when he opened his door, he was shirtless with a black towel hung loosely around his hips.

"What are you doing here?" He whispers for god only knows what reason probably caused he felt like you had caught him.

Which you did. But you weren’t going to let him know that, especially cause you stayed to listen.

"I was just gonna see if you were awake. I'm watching a movie and was wondering if you wanted to join me" to your surprise, after everything you just seen and heard, you did a perfect job at pretending like it didn't have any effect on you whatsoever.

However, you were dying inside.

Heeseung let out a relieved sigh. He thought you might have heard and maybe you'd tell him to keep it down, but luckily that wasn't the case. You just wanted to watch a movie.

Wait.

She wants to watch a movie?

And she wants me to join?

The widest smile grew on his face at the realization, and he'd be a fool to say no. "Of course! I'd love to join you, but as you can see, I'm getting ready to take a shower," he chuckles, pointing to his sweat-covered chest.

With how much he was sweating, you would have thought he had just gotten out of the shower.

That must have been one intense session…

"I'm all sweaty," he adds playfully.

You zoned out for two seconds, taking a quick peek at his body.

Which went completely unnoticed by him.

"I-i can wait for you if- if you want?" You stutter out.

"Really?! Okay! I'll be quick."

And quick, he was.

Too quick for your liking cause you didn't even get to calm down from the first assault, and he was attacking you yet again with his sleeveless top and wet hair accompanied by a pair of loose basketball shorts that made his print rather visible and the cherry on top was the smell of his body wash when he sat down next to you.

Your body shivers, and now you're all too aware of everything he does, like the way his Adam's apple bobbed up and down when he drank the bottle of water he got from the fridge and when he offered you one, you couldn't deny it cause your body was completely on fire your mind was in a frenzy a heeseung frenzy you hadn't thought about him in any inappropriate manner as a matter of fact you didn't really think about him at all.

But now it dawned on you, yes, you were roommates with a guy, a guy named lee heeseung, a guy that has guyly needs and touches himself as guys do, and a guy you just found out you had feelings for after catching him tending to said needs.

You were stiff throughout the whole movie, and you became a statue when he rested his arm on the back of the sofa. He shifted a tad bit closer to you, and now you were completely fossilized.

You were just about to thank your lucky stars cause the movie was almost finished, but before you could begin your ceremony, heeseung just had to stretch, and you couldn't help but look at him when you noticed movement in the corner of your left eye his shirt rose up slightly giving you a full view of the waistband to his Calvin Klein boxers.

Great. Just great.

Another image that will be stained in your memory for some time to come.

He noticed you looking at him and gave you an innocent smile. He had no idea you had been drooling over him for the past hour and a half. "I'm tired," he laughs bashfully, feeling guilty that he was falling asleep on you.

"It’s okay, I am too," you giggle before turning back to the tv.

Finally, it was over. The credits were rolling by. You looked to your left, and heeseung was fast asleep. He looked like a cute giant baby curled up on the sofa. You didn't want to disturb him, so you grabbed a blanket from the other room and placed it over his sleeping figure. "Goodnight, heeseung," you whisper before going to your room. You shut off your lamp, sighing loudly. "What is my problem?" You grumble thinking about earlier events and how you felt so terrible for basically eye fucking him and eavesdropping, but it was impossible not to. "Get a grip," you told yourself before closing your eyes and joining heeseung in dreamland.

»»»

Heeseung woke up the next day looking around at the unfamiliar setting before realizing he had fallen asleep during the movie. "Shit," he sighs, feeling disappointed that he fell asleep on you.

He laid back down, resting his eyes for a bit. A loud knock on the door startled him, and now he was wide awake.

He tosses his covers to the side and opens his door seeing a huge box sitting on the ground at first. He's confused, wondering if you ordered something, but he quickly remembered that the package was for him when he saw where it was from.

Thank god for one-day delivery, he thought to himself as he took the large box to his room.

He's never been so impatient before. He practically ripped the box open, revealing his life-like toy.

He opened the smaller package inside the box, taking out the bottle of lube he had bought to accompany him.

He pulled down his shorts and squeezed a decent-sized amount of lube in his palm, slowly stroking his semi-hard cock.

A thought crossed his mind before he continued. He went inside his bedside drawer and pulled out a bottle of the same perfume that you wore. (The one he made a special trip to the mall to get) so he could spray it on his pillow every night before bed.

He spritzed some on his chest as well as his pillows and resumed his activities.

He quickly finished undressing and laid down on his side. He positioned the doll on its side, rubbing his length back and forth on the doll's slit before slowly easing his cock in.

He inhaled deeply, getting a strong whiff of your perfume, that mixed with the feeling of the doll wrapped around his cock was just a little too heavenly.

He thrusts his hips lazily. After all, it was still morning, and he had just woken up.

This is how he imagined having morning sex with you would be like.

He'd hold your waist carefully and bury his head in the crook of your neck, sucking on your skin gently.

He'd whisper sweet nothings in your ear while he buried himself in you deeper he'd fill you up with his cock and thrust his hips into you, and with every passionate yet deep stroke, he would bring you both closer to heaven.

Just the thought of waking up next to you and having lazy morning sex had him close to his end.

"Y/n, you feel so fucking good," his hips stutter, and he releases a shaky breath. "So wet for me," he whispers in his groggy morning voice. He bites down on his lip to conceal his moans. The last thing he needed was to wake you up and have you hear the sinful act he's committing.

"Fuck baby, just like that, oh, y/n, you're gonna make me cum," he grunted while clutching onto the hips of the doll. He shoved his face into his pillow to muffle his loud moans and grunts of your name while he released himself inside the doll.

He took another deep inhale of your perfume, whimpering softly as he continued to thrust his hips. After a few more strokes, he was too sensitive to go on any longer.

He released the doll from his grip, laying on his back to catch his breath, and god, that was so amazing, by far the best orgasm he's ever had at the back of his mind though he still knows that you'd give him the best orgasm of his life, but he could only dream.

He sighs deeply after finally catching his breath. The doll could never ever compare to you, but it was the next best thing, so it would have to do.

For now.

»»»

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Thank you so much for reading. I hope you all enjoy sorry for any typos/errors, and as always, enjoy your day/night💜

#enhypen heeseung smut #heeseung smut #enhypen smut #enhypen heeseung #enhypen #heeseung #lee heeseung #enha heeseung #engene #enhypen hard hours #enhaheeseung

[apuckishwit]

platonic stobin and/or any flavor of steddie prompt: Robin might be nosy, but at least she isn't getting caught staring with binoculars around her neck, [insert child's name in italics here].

(Dustin was my first thought but I can see any of them. Except maybe Will; I doubt he'd get caught >:)! )

It's a damn near perfect day.

The sun is shining, warm enough to swim without it being too hot. No one is dying, no one's injured, there are no nightmarish beasts bursting out of the Upside Down (there never will be again and isn't that something Robin feared she'd die before she saw?). No, they're actually having a pleasant day at the quarry, just her, Steve, Eddie, Nancy, Jonathan, and Argyle.

"Grownups only, shitheads," Steve had announced when Nancy brought up the idea last week at the Hellfire game night being hosted at his house.

"You're not inviting Hopper and Joyce!" Mike had protested.

"I said grownups, not parents. There's a difference," Steve had fired back smoothly.

"I am at least twice as mature as Argyle," Dustin had squawked.

"Cancelled out by the fact that you annoy me at least three times as much," Steve had said, accepting a somewhat off-target fist bump from Argyle and a mumbled, 'righteous, thanks dude.'

Even Max had been unable to wheedle anything more than a promise to host a pool party at his house before the summer weather broke for good. Eventually, the kids had subsided and the six of them spent the next week planning the perfect day out.

Just a chance to really sit back and revel in the fact that they have their lives back. That they made it through the horrors lurking underneath Hawkins, that they've really beaten it. That Vecna/Henry Creel/One is fucking dead and despite his best efforts, he didn't take any of them with him. A chance to celebrate the fact that they can be stupid kids again for a little while before the ordinary, everyday problems of adulthood start creeping in again.

It's been perfect, so far. The quarry is surprisingly deserted, only a few other groups staked out on the thin strip of beach and all of them far enough apart not to bother each other. There's good food, courtesy of Steve, good beer, courtesy of Jonathan, and though Eddie and Argyle haven't said anything, she fully expects there to be good weed later. They've been crashing in and out of the water for a few hours, and now she and Steve are stretched out on the beach blankets they've spread out, shooting the shit about customers they've had to deal with in Family Video lately and sort of idly discussing what they're going to do when Keith inevitably gets tired of them and Robin's parents start making noises about her going to college after her year off to "process the tragedy of the earthquakes."

Steve's answers are getting slower and slower to come, a full belly, the warm sun, and a run of late shifts this week so he could be free in the mornings to take Max to physical therapy all conspiring against him. She's unsurprised when his voice eventually fades to a soft snore, and she glances over at him fondly, reaching over to ruffle one hand through his hair and laughing when he makes a grumpy, discontented noise before settling again.

She's about to dig around in her bag for the book she's been reading when Eddie comes bounding up out of the water, flipping the bird at Jonathan and Argyle, who are laughing hysterically while Nancy watches on, perched on one of the anchored platforms the city had built around the quarry a couple years ago.

Robin tries very hard (and fails very hard) not to notice how good the other girl looks in her purple and green two-piece.

Eddie opens his mouth as if he's going to call out to them, but snaps it shut abruptly when he catches sight of Steve. It's become one of their unspoken rules--you announce yourself loudly when you're coming up behind Nancy; no sudden, quick movements around Eddie; absolutely nothing resembling a clock chime around Max and Lucas. And if Steve's feeling relaxed enough to fall asleep, you do not wake him up unless it's an emergency.

Eddie slows his steps as he approaches, a quiet look of adoration flashing across his expressive face before he seems to remember she's there and quickly schools his features. It's getting harder and harder to pretend she doesn't notice them, doesn't notice the answering way Steve's eyes just follow Eddie whenever he's not looking. She's promised herself she's not going to say anything until Steve does...Eddie had come out to the group soon after they defeated Vecna, but she knows better than anyone that this is something Steve has to figure out for himself. She has a whole stack of pamphlets and articles about bisexuality on standby, but that's as far as she's letting herself go until Steve broaches the topic.

Although, if they don't get their heads out of their asses by Christmas, she may have to reevaluate. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't getting a little impatient.

"Hey," Eddie says softly, dropping down onto the blanket on Steve's other side, far enough away that he won't drip any of the icy quarry water onto Steve's skin.

"Hey yourself," she answers. "Get tired of being drowned every thirty seconds?"

"Argyle's a dirty cheater," Eddie declares hotly. "That chill, super cool vibe is a front I'm telling you, but no one believes me."

"Mmhmm," she says with a smirk, that softens into an affectionate smile when Steve stirs and turns over at the sound of Eddie's voice, curling onto his side facing Eddie, all without ever waking up.

Eddie's face goes soft and adoring again, almost gooey, and Robin is biting her tongue so hard she's tasting blood. She flicks her sunglasses down over her eyes and pretends to be finding the bushes and trees just off to their side very fascinating so she doesn't have to watch the sickening, ridiculous pining going on two feet away from her. Jesus Christ, at this rate she won't even be mad if Steve gets a boyfriend before she gets a girlfriend.

it is as she's pointedly scanning the treeline that she catches a flicker of movement--too obvious and large to be an animal. She freezes for a split-second, adrenaline flooding her system, and she is opening her mouth to yell out a warning, getting ready to leap to her feet, when a flash of color registers and resolves itself into Dustin Henderson's familiar trucker cap.

The little shit ducks further behind a large bush, and Robin narrows her eyes. He's facing her, Eddie, and Steve, and who knows how long he's been there. She turns to face the water again, taking advantage of the sunglasses to keep her eyes on the spot where Henderson's hiding. Sure enough, after a few seconds, his head pops back up cautiously, something raised to his face.

Oh for pity's sake.

"Hey, I'm gonna run up to the cars and grab some more sunscreen," she says, and jumps to her feet without waiting for an answer.

It's takes her several minutes to work her way out of Henderson's sight and then double back around, and her outfit (a bathing suit, a pair of cutoffs she's pretty sure belong to Steve, and flipflops) isn't really the best for tramping around in trees and brush, but it's worth it when she's able to sneak around behind Henderson and clap a hand down on his shoulder.

He jumps about a foot in the air.

He screams like a girl.

And really?

Robin might be nosy, but at least she's not getting caught staring with binoculars around her neck.

"Robin! Hi! Wow, fancy, uh, fancy meeting you here," Dustin says, one hand pressed dramatically to his chest. God, he really might as well be Eddie's child.

"Whatcha doing, Henderson?" she drawls, crossing her arms over her chest.

Dustin sputters for a second before drawing himself up and planting his hands on his hips. "I...am, am birdwatching. Obviously." He sniffs, a bitchy look settling on his face and Robin has to bite the inside of her cheek not to laugh.

He might as well be Steve's child, too.

"Uh huh." She stares at him, unblinkingly.

He holds her gaze for a good thirty seconds before finally cracking. "Ugh, fine. I was just..."

"Spying?" she supplies helpfully.

"Observing."

She raised an eyebrow. "Observing what, exactly?" She's pretty sure she knows, but she's gonna make him say it, damn it.

She likes Dustin. She likes all the kids (well, okay, sometimes Mike Wheeler gets on her nerves, but he's got a good heart under all the teenage angst...and it's not like he doesn't have a shit ton of reasons to be moody. They all do.) but she'll be the first to admit that she doesn't have near the patience for them that Steve does (and he really does, despite his constant bitching about it).

Dustin's face does a weird little scrunch--one that she has frequently observed on her best friend's face when he's trying to articulate something complicated, Jesus Christ--and then his shoulders slump. "I just thought it was weird that Steve didn't want us tagging along. And then El said maybe you guys all just wanted some privacy, and like...I know Nancy and Jonathan called it quits, so Lucas and I were wondering if maybe Steve was gonna shoot one more shot with her, which, I know you know would be a terrible idea. They care about each other, sure, fine, but I mean...we all watched that shitshow in the RV, you know?" He pauses, out of breath, and Robin keeps her face utterly blank.

She and Dustin don't have a great deal in common, but one trait they do is a tendency to overshare in the face of silence.

"I just don't understand why you and Steve won't just give yourselves a chance!" he blurts out finally. "You two are, like, creepily in tune with each other! You'd be so good together!"

Yup. This again.

"You are weirdly invested in Steve's love life, little dude," she says mildly.

"I am not!" Dustin protests.

Robin levels an unimpressed look at the binculars. Dustin blushes. Finally, though, his face falls, something a little vulnerable entering his expression.

"I just want him to be happy," he mumbles, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. "I mean, you too, obviously...and I know you don't, like, owe him anything if you're not interested. I just...don't understand why you're not interested."

And damn it, sometimes the way this kid and her best friend bicker makes it easy to forget how much they really love each other.

She's still not really ready for the group at large to know about her. She knows in her head that no one will have a problem with it--they'd all accepted Eddie. They've accepted the kind of weird 'we're just seeing what develops' vibe Jonathan and Argyle have going on. If she's not misreading things, Will is going to have something to say soon, and El and Max are already trying to subtly let him know they've got his back. She knows these people are safe. It's just...hard. She's going to tell them. Soon. She just needs a little more time.

"Look, Dustin, that's really sweet. But I need you to understand that Steve and I are just friends, okay? We are never going to be more than friends, and we're both happy with that, okay? You need to butt out."

Dustin nods, but she doesn't miss the slightly mutinous look on his face. He really can't stand not to be right. Oh for...

Oh.

Oh wait...

Steve will be pissed. But if it gets Dustin off this fixation on her and Steve dating...

And oh, it might even provide the push Steve needs without her having to break her self-imposed promise not to interfere.

Fuck it. She's gonna lose her mind if she has to watch anymore of this pining.

"Besides, Steve's got his eye on someone else," she says, like it's obvious. Like she can't believe Dustin hasn't noticed.

Dustin takes the bait. "What?! Who?! Shit, he's not shooting his shot with Nance again, is he?"

Robin laughs. "No. No, I can definitely assure you he's not looking at Nancy."

"Then who? Ugh, not another random girl from town? I thought he gave up on that."

"Sorry Henderson, best friend secret privileges. Figure it out. He is not being subtle."

And with that, she swings around and starts marching back to the path that will lead her back to the beach.

"Robin! Robin! Come on, you can't just leave me hanging! Who? Robin!"

Ah well...even if Dustin doesn't bull his way into snapping the tension that's been building between Steve and Eddie, it'll still be hilarious to watch. Serves the little shit right for spying.

"ROBIN!"

#steddie #steve harrington #robin buckley #platonic soulmates stobin #stranger things #stranger things fic #eddie munson #fic prompt #my writing

[jasntodds]

Caving In [Book 1 End]

Pairing: Gar Logan x Fem!Powered!Reader, Jason Todd x Fem!Powered!Reader

Words: 15,158

Chapter Warnings: Swearing, angst, canon violence, blood, mentions of injuries (bruising, being shot with a tranquilizer), canon character death, fluff, mentions of torture, mentions of being brainwashed

Summary: ❝Tell me Atlas: What is heavier, The world or its people’s hearts?❞ You never expected your life to end up this way, turned upside down by an infamous Gotham villain. It’s been a living hell, every single day, until Dick Grayson brings you to Titans tower where you meet Gar Logan and Jason Todd.

A/N: Uh, hi!! It’s the last chapter of book 1 and I just wanna say a very big thank you to all of you who’ve been reading 😭 Your comments have literally kept me posting and have meant so much to me!! I really hope you guys like this chapter!! I will have chapter 1 of book 2 up in 2 weeks and then weekly after that!! lol There’s a longer author’s note at the end about this book and book 2!! You can add yourself to the tag list below, ask me to be tagged, or you can follow my library blog @jasntoddslibrary​ and turn on notifications if you prefer that!!

series masterlist | masterlist | tag list

The women and you go back to the tower. Donna and Dawn explain what the man told them. They’re planning something, that’s more of the information they got from the guy they “spoke” to. So, the only option, at the moment is to wait and try to come up with a plan to storm CADMUS before they can execute their plan. But, you’ll still need more help because Donna, Dawn, and you don’t have nearly enough power or resources to get you all in and out of CADMUS alive, so you’re all back to waiting.

You spend a lot of the time in the training room throwing knives as you wait. Waiting has to be the worst part of this whole thing. The longer you wait, the more Gar is in danger. Donna and Dawn tried to reassure you that if CADMUS is planning something, that means Gar is at least alive. Sure, that’s good, of course it is but what are they doing to him while he’s alive? As someone who’s been tortured twice, you know that it’s a hell of a lot easier wanting to be dead than tortured. Gar is strong but it’s not fair. It shouldn’t have been him.

After a few hours, you take a break and head to the kitchen, hoping for an update from Donna and Dawn, but as you walk in, the elevator doors open revealing Jason. A rush of relief floods you as a warm smile splits your face with the sight of him. You waste no time in walking up to him just as he exits the elevator. Jason can’t help the smile that comes to his face as he sees you. He can’t even believe how much he’s missed you. It’s been a week. But, you wrap your arms around his neck and he feels warm again. The hollow feeling in his chest starts to fill with adoration as he wraps his arms around your waist. Jason Todd is not much of a hugger but he’d take a hug from you any day.

“Miss me?” Jason quips as you pull away, his eyes landing on the bruise on your cheek. It looks a lot worse in person.

“Eh, a little.” You shrug one of your shoulders, looking to the ground and back to him. “Thank you for coming, Jay.”

“Yeah,” Jason’s eyes look up and back to you. “You’d do the same for me, so would Gar.”

“You came.” Donna states as she comes around the hall, Dawn on her right.

“I’m here for Gar.” Jason’s tone switches and he’s, rightfully, still a little bitter about what happened.

“Thank you for coming, Jason.” Dawn offers him a kind smile and Jason just nods, looking back to you.

“Well, I’m gonna go fill him in.” You give the women a gentle smile. "Unless...there's an update?"

"No," Dawn shakes her head sadly. "You can fill him in."

You let out a sigh, nodding your head and chewing the inside of your cheek. You grab Jason's hand and tug him along with you, passing past the women, and head to the training room. Jason catches you still limping slightly and he figured the fight with CADMUS was bad but you clearly got hurt. He kind of gets why you were so insistent that night with Deathstroke. It’s different seeing each other injured at the hands of someone, now that you know each other.

You take a seat on the floor and Jason follows your lead, just as you both did that night just a few months before. You extend your legs in front of you while Jason extends his left leg, his right leg bent up and his foot planted on the floor. Both of your hands rest on the floor behind you.

It feels a little weird being back. The tower is feels empty, sure, but it’s kind of like it’s haunted. A cruel reminder of everything Jason isn’t, of everything he could have been but failed at being. It’s not reassuring or comforting or welcoming, but he looks at you, and he’s glad he came, if only for a night or two.

“Spill your guts.” Jason grins at you because of course, he remembers what he told you that night.

“Ha-ha, you’re hilarious.” Your eyes widen before your sad smile drops. “Well, CADMUS attacked and we did not stand a chance.” You let out a dry laugh. “Like, they just kept coming in. Gar transformed and uh, we were in the kitchen so I started grabbing knives, got a few of them.”

“Good.” Jason scoffs.

“Yeah, but uh, they shot me with a tranquilizer?” You roll your eyes. “I don’t really remember much. Just, Gar in front of me and not a tiger anymore. I woke up and they were gone. I called you, then Dick, then Kory. Then everyone else, but Donna was the only one that called back. She showed up a few hours later. Then she got a call from Rachel saying she was in danger or something so we went to this diner? Bruce showed up?”

“Why the fuck was Bruce there?”

“I have no fucking idea? He set it up, I guess? I have no idea. So, uh, Dick got himself arrested.”

Jason lets out a booming laugh. “No shit? Goody fucking toe-shoes Dicky Grayson got arrested?”

“Yep! So, Rachel wanted to rescue Dick first and I wanted to rescue Gar first.”

“Why the fuck would you rescue Dick? He put himself there.”

“That’s what me and Donna said!” You yell dramatically. “So, we argued about it and she made me really mad so I punched her in the face.”

Jason has a smile of disbelief crossing his lips. He would never hit Rachel outside of sparring, especially after she almost killed him but he’s surprised you did. He knows she must have really gotten under your skin if you’re the one throwing punches first. And, he is very curious what exactly Rachel could have said that finally got you to snap especially since you said you aren’t normally the one to throw punches.

“Over Gar and Dick?” Jason questions with the nod of his head.

“Well, I--no, like there was more to it. I don’t know. She was throwing shit in my face and I said she was a wounded puppy.” You start explaining, Jason unable to control his laughter. He knows it’s true but he would have killed to have seen the look on Rachel’s face. “So, she said that I was because I was mad about the stuff that happened with you and this was after she tried to tell me what I was going to do, save Dick and not Gar.” You roll your eyes as Jason’s laughter subsides and it clicks.

The last straw for you was a comment about him? He knows he means something to you because you’ve said it a thousand times and you make it so obvious, even Jason can’t miss it. But, he didn’t think you’d still be fighting over him when he’s not around. It means more to him than he’ll ever say.

“You punched her because she called you a wounded puppy?” Jason raises his brows.

“Well….” Your eyes look to the side and then up, as if to be in thought before you land back on Jason who has one of his devious smirks. “Yeah, I guess. Like, she was so…” You scrunch your nose as you shake your head. “She also implied I was self-absorbed.” Jason’s face scrunches and he swears you’re one of the least self-absorbed people he’s ever met. Has Rachel not met the rest of the Titans? “And then!” You say dramatically. “She kept going after I punched her. She said that Gar deserves better and that you left me and for 'Deathstroke’s daughter'." You mock the way Rachel said. “It was so fucking stupid.”

“That’s fucking shitty. Who the fuck does she think she is? She chose Dick over Gar but he deserves better than you? There’s no one better than you.” The comment leaves Jason’s lips so quickly he barely even catches he said it. You eye him carefully but choose to brush over the comment. It’s not right to dig into that right now.

“I mean, she has a point and I told her that.” You let out a laugh. “It’s true, I’m not delusional enough to think otherwise but, that’s not the point. It’s not her fucking business.” You shake your head. “And you left for your own reasons and it was shitty to say like you weren’t even there.” Your brows raise as your eyes go wide. “So, her and Kory went to break Dick out of prison, I guess and we came here to come up with a plan to save Gar, Conner, and Krypto. That’s what ya missed.”

“Shit, fuck Rachel. She's not even worth it.” Jason lets out a huff. He really did miss a lot. “You guys think of a plan?”

You shake your head. “Donna and Dawn have the blueprints to CADMUS but they haven’t figured out how we’re going to break in and then out without getting ourselves killed.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they have security up the ass.” Jason sighs. “Could Trojan Horse it.”

You let out a laugh. “Yeah? And how do you suggest we pull that off?”

“I have no fucking idea.” Jason laughs with you. “It’s better than nothing.” Jason leans forward slightly, extending his arm dramatically.

“Right, but we don’t wanna die tonight.” You shake your head. “I don’t know, we’ll figure it out though.” You suck in a breath.

You furrow your brows with the shake of your head and talking about Gar, the lack of plan, it’s making things a little too heavy. There’s the guilt of it all and the trauma still haunting the back of your head because of Jerry and Deathstroke. You feel like Gar might be going through worse right now and it’s a little much. You’ve had nothing to do for two days now besides think about it. You’re tired of thinking. And you’re tired of the guilt wrapping itself around your bones like barbed wire. A distraction would be nice right about now.

“Can we…talk about something else? Just been thinking about what they could be doing to Gar and it’s just…” You look at Jason and you don’t have to say it. He knows.

Jason’s worried about you. When Dick brought Rose back, you had a nightmare, that’s why you ended up in Gar’s room. You were weird, you said it was too much that brought everything back that you had went through. It made it all real again. Gar just got kidnapped and you’re worried he’s being tortured. Jason can only imagine the hell you’re putting yourself through because of it and the hell your own mind is putting you through bringing all of that shit back up again. So, he’s worried you’ll be the next one on the ledge.

“How’re you and Gar? Well, before this shit happened.” Jason asks, picking a topic he thinks might cheer you up. Maybe you’ll have a story, something fun that happened.

“Um…” You look down and back to him, shrugging a shoulder. That’s not what you want to talk about either but you’ll go along with it for now. “Like, we’re…friends.” You nod at him and Jason’s brows furrow.

He thought for sure one of you would say something to each other, especially with you being alone here. He expected Gar to say something, not necessarily you. But that does explain, kind of, the lucky comment from earlier.

“Did you pussy out of--”

“Shut up.” You groan. “No,” You shake your head, eyes narrowing at him. “I…I don’t know.” You chew the inside of your cheek and you don’t know how to explain you and Gar aren’t a thing because you chose Jason. That it’s him and it always has been. Jason just had this thing blow up with Rose and Gar is in trouble. Having some discussion about that, does not seem very fair. And Jason is watching you with a brow knitted inward, knowing something is going on. It can’t be that complicated of an answer. So, you pick a different direction that isn’t a lie, really. “I don’t think we’d work and I’m not gonna do that to him or me.”

“Why not?” Jason asks. “That you wouldn’t work?”

He’s confused. The two of you were fine, seemed like you might go for something when he left and now, nothing. It seems a little weird to him and he thinks you would work. Why wouldn’t you? And he hates that a part of him might even be relieved by it. It might be a little selfish, but it’s true.

“Gar is ya know, Gar. It’s like…nothing can ever keep him down. He’s always happy and kind and fun. Always and I am not those things, which is fine. It’s not me. But, because of that, even as friends, sometimes I feel a bit like a burden to him.”

It’s not a lie because it’s true. You know Gar isn’t making you feel like a burden, but you feel that way anyway. You’re really different and that’s fine and great, it’s one of the reasons you work as friends. He mellows you out. But, it is one of the reasons you know you like Jason more. On top of your feelings for Jason, it wouldn’t be fair to try and see where it goes with Gar if you’ll always feel like a burden to him. It’s not fair to either of you.

Jason shakes his head. “You’re not a burden.” His words are slow and he still has a look of confusion.

He still has no idea why that change happened in the last week and not...any other time before that. The only thing that happened in that time, aside from the attack, was the stuff with him and the other Titans. And maybe he’s actively convincing himself that is just a coincidence. 

“Yeah, but it feels that way because it feels like he’s sorted through all of his trauma and then I still have this shit I didn’t deal with. And I can’t…do that with him because he talks and that’s great, right? It works for him and it helps me but….I also sometimes can’t talk about it. You get it and I know you do. I’m reckless and despite what we learned from Deathstroke, I gotta feeling that’s not always gonna stop me from doing something insane later. It’s…I feel like he wants to fix me but not that it’s anything that he’s doing or saying or anything like that. It’s a me problem, not a Gar problem, like, maybe he thinks sorting out my shit will make me better in a way that I’m not meant to be. It happened and I think I’m permanently fucked up from it. I know he is not trying to fix me but I feel that way anyway. I don’t know, feel a bit like damaged goods.”

Jason gets it. His entire life he’s felt like damaged goods but he’s looking at you with a deep bruise you’re only wearing because you’d go to war for people you care about. That’s not someone who’s just damaged goods. And Jason swears he’ll do everything in his power to make sure you know that.

“You’re not damaged goods.” Jason states and he doesn’t have his signature smirk. “Going through that shit doesn’t make you damaged or some shit. You’re still you.”

“Mmm.” You hum and you gain this sad smile, dodging his eyes. “Yeah, but, uh, it-it, uh it feels like it anyway.”

“Not to me.” Jason shrugs and he said it on purpose. It doesn’t matter to him what you go through or that you’ll always be reckless, always looking for the next thrill because he’ll always do the same. You’re not damaged goods, not to him.

Your face softens and your stomach flips. That’s why it’s always been him. You don’t feel damaged with him. “That’s awfully nice of you, Jay.”

Jason gives you a cheeky grin. “I can be nice.”

You let out a laugh and you swear everything is a little bit better with him around. “Yeah, you can be.” You offer him a thankful smile. “Thanks for coming.”

“You and me.” Jason repeats what you normally say to him and you swear your heart is about to burst into flames.

“You and me.” You let out a sigh, looking down and then back to him. It’s enough about you. “Seriously, you okay about Rose? I know you really liked her.”

Jason knows Rose is going to be a sore spot for a little while. He just feels so betrayed. He doesn’t know what he did to deserve it or why she wouldn’t have just told him. Had she just told him, maybe he wouldn’t have been nearly as mad or upset about it. So, it sucks but he knows he’ll be fine. He has been with every other person that’s betrayed him and mistreated him. He’s used to it.

Jason nods. “Yeah, I’ll be alright. Just fucking sucks. Got me feeling a bit like damaged goods.” Jason lets out a laugh, an almost teasing grin tugging at his lips before it falls. “Ya know, like, I tried really hard with her. Taking her out, showing her that school I told you about, acts of service type shit.” Jason’s eyes widen. “And she treated me like shit, pushing me away, lying to me, using me. Sleeping with me and knowing she was fucking lying the whole damn time.” Jason grits his teeth getting angry about it all over again. “Nothing I did was fucking good enough even when I tried.”

You were hoping you were wrong about Rose. Truly, you didn’t even dislike her until the day they left. It was a bad day for everyone but you were right and you wish so badly you weren’t. Jason doesn’t deserve any of that. He’s already gone through too much shit, especially over the last two weeks.

“You don’t deserve it. You put in a lot of effort, you trusted her. That shit, that’s on her. She gets to live with what she did to you. She doesn’t deserve you. She gets to live with the fact she’s the one that fucked it all up, not you. You deserve so much fucking better, Jay. It was enough, she just fucking sucks.” You let out a scoff before looking back to him. “And you’re not damaged goods.” You give him a kind smile. “Not to me.” Jason could never be damaged goods to you.

Jason chuckles softly, his cheeks starting to tint a faint shade of pink, his heart throbbing into his vocal cords. “Thanks.” Jason smiles softly at you and it should have been you he left with. “You’re good at that.”

Your brows furrow. “Good at what?”

“Knowing what to say.”

Your cheeks start to burn. “Just being honest with you.” You rub your eye, wincing from the pain.

Jason scoots closer to you, you keep your hands firmly on the ground, watching him with suspicion. Jason reaches forward, turning your head as he holds your chin to get a look at the bruise and your skin is on fire, tingling under his touch. Your heart is in your throat and your breath is caught right at the base of your throat. This is new. And Jason just wants to look at it, make sure your cheek isn’t broken. He’s been a hit a time or several there and it’s always unpleasant. And this bruise looks really deep, he tells himself he’s just making sure you’re actually okay. Physically. But it gets his blood warming with the idea another person caused it.

“What’d they hit you with?” Jason’s voice is lower this time, dropping his hand.

“Butt of a gun, fucking assholes.” You scoff, your voice on the verge of breathy as you try to ignore the fire in your stomach. “Shit hurt.”

Jason chuckles softly, leaning back on his hands. “Yeah, that’ll do it.” He shakes his head. “Sure it’s not broke?”

You shrug. “I have no idea. Probably not, my face isn’t deformed or anything. Doesn’t hurt that bad.”

“Did you ice it?” Jason asks and you find it a little cute and very cute he’s asking about it.

“No,” You laugh and Jason groans. “I was icing my damn leg. That is the shit that hurts.”

“Yeah, what’s that about? You’re the one limping now.” Maybe he regrets leaving. Maybe he could have helped, in some way.

“That’s where I was shot with the tranquilizer.” You roll your eyes. “The bruise is like half the size of my thigh.”

Jason cringes at the thought of it. “Ouch.” Jason shakes his head. “You sure you’re alright?”

You smirk at him and he’s cute when he’s being protective. He should do it more often. “You trying to take care of me, Jay?” Maybe you’d let him if he offered. You take care of him.

Jason's cheeks shoot red as his eyes look to the ceiling and back to you, doing his best to ignore his heart in his ears. “Someone should.” Jason lets his words out sarcastically but of course he is. Always.

You suck on your teeth and you’re trying so hard not to give him the satisfaction of a genuine smile, but you can’t help it. You fucking missed him. “Yeah, same for you.” Your eyes widen at him as you rest your head on his knee. “I’m fine, thank you though. Honest, just hurts still. How’s your leg?”

“All good.” Jason smiles down at you and he swears that can’t possibly be comfortable. “Doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Good.” Your smile is soft and Jason swears the ache in his chest from Rose doesn’t hurt so much with you.

Jason debates in his head. He’s not gonna say anything, that is for certain. He thought Rose wouldn’t be like that. Rose went through some really horrible shit, her own dad cut out her eye. Jason kind of thought because of that, she’d get him…kind of like you do. He wouldn’t feel less than or not good enough because she’d get it. But, she…treated him like everyone else but worse because he really, really let her in ways he doesn’t normally. And she screwed him over anyway. Everything with them was actually fine at the tower but they get away from it all, from the Titans and people, it’s just them and then…she keeps lying to him and using him. You are not Rose, but, there is a part of him that thinks maybe the same exact shit would happen because why wouldn’t it?

But, his mind wanders back to you kissing him anyway. Maybe it’s an easy distraction from worrying about Gar. But, he thinks about it and his reasoning of not wanting you to die for him and ruining you like he ruins everyone. And you’re looking at him with soft eyes he doesn’t think he deserves it because he left. Because he turned you down. Because he tries to pushes you away, even if he isn’t very good at it. And he debates if any of that was ever the right decision. So, he decides that testing the waters a little, will ease his mind.

“So,” He furrows his brows and dodges yoru eyes for a second. “You and Gar, just…not gonna be a thing?”

You smirk at him, picking your head up and he’s got that coy look he gets when he’s trying to play something off and failing miserably. “Why? Does that pique your interest, Jay?” You’re back to the asking game and that feels comfortable. There’s no pressure in it.

Jason shrugs one shoulder. “Nope.” He tries his best to wipe the grin from his face but he can’t help it.

“Mhm, okay. Whatever you say, birdboy.” You lick your lips. “Nah, not gonna be a thing.” You want to mess with him a little. You’ve missed that a lot. “Kind of into someone else anyway.” You scrunch your nose and Jason snaps his eyes at you, a devious look in his eyes.

“Yeah? And who's that?” There's a teasing smirk on his face while his tone is taunting, as if knowing you’re not going to tell him or that you’ll have some bullshit answer just to mess with him.

You shrug dramatically. “We should join the others.” You have an uncontrollable smirk on your lips and Jason is ready to burst.

“You’re not gonna fucking tell me? Just gonna leave me hanging?” Jason chuckles, his eyes wide.

“We don’t always get what we want, Jason Todd.” You let a laugh fall from your lungs and Jason swears it should have been you.

“Yeah? And what do you want?” Jason cocks his head to the right, taunting you.

A part of you almost blurts it right out, get it out in the open despite better judgment. A part of you almost blurts out to see the look on his face. He’ll get flustered and red will creep from his cheeks down to his neck. His muted forest green eyes will suddenly be a shade closer to the northern lights and you’ll have a good laugh and maybe you’ll get what you want. But, you can’t bring yourself to do it. He just had that with Rose and is still hurt by it. You both have Gar to worry about it and you think it might be shitty if you show up to rescue him and you’ve had this inevitable conversation. And what if he’s fucking with you? Like always. What if, despite everything, he still doesn’t want you? You want him, and you swear you probably always will, but what if he still doesn’t want you? That’s gonna hurt, too. So, you shake your head and decides you’ll tell him but not now. You do, however, decide to have a different conversation.

“Okay, seriously,” You drop the smile and Jason leans forward slightly. “Been thinking about it a little, between worrying about Gar and stuff, the Titans leaving and shit.” You start and Jason is hanging onto every word. He has no idea where this is going. “I wanna go home.”

Jason freezes, the conversation taking a turn. Home? “Like Gotham?” His brows shoot up and he’s not even sure why he’s surprised. You always call Gotham home.

You nod your head softly, chewing the inside of your cheek. “Yeah, uh, I haven’t said anything to anyone. But, yeah. I miss it and honestly, I think it’s just….I like it here and everything. It’s just…I would like to go back and kind of figure out myself. Dick rescued me and I’ll always appreciate that and never forget it. He gave me a shot here and that’s awesome but, I was thrown into this and I think I just…need to go back and find a part of myself again.”

“What do you mean?”

Between everything that’s happened, being here is a lot. At the end of the day, this is the city Jerry bought you to and kept you locked away, tortured you. This is the city that gave you powers you don’t even want. This is the tower that saw you paranoid, waking up screaming from nightmares. Burning Gar. This is the city where you were kidnapped and nearly murdered by Deathstroke. This is the tower that was supposed to be safe, but was attacked anyway. There is so much hidden in these walls, beyond just you that’s impacted everything. You like to run when things get hard and things are really fucking hard right now. You want to go home, a place that you know like the back of your hand. Gotham is always going to be Gotham, but it’s where you’ve always felt the most comfortable and…somehow, safest. And Gotham holds parts of you that are not here. You believe that home is where the heart is but you left part of your heart in Gotham and you want that back.

“I will never be who I was before. But I would like to find some of those parts again. My mom is buried in Gotham. I was…happy there though. Despite fucking everything, I was still happy. And…I…I don’t know.”

“Are you not happy here?”

“No, I am but…it’s different. It might just be the trauma.” You let out a scoff. “But, I was happier there and I just…want to go home. So fucking much,” Your breath is shaky as your brows furrow. “So fucking much has happened in this city and….honestly, I only stayed because I couldn’t abandon Gar. I couldn’t leave him alone and I thought not running, for once, would be good but….” You look to the ground before pulling your legs to your chest, wrapping your arms around your legs and then looking back to Jason. “More shit just happened and…” You let out a breath. “I’m tired, Jay.”

You look tired. You aren’t smirking or grinning at him. Your eyes are dull and you literally look tired and sad. Jason’s chest aches looking at you and he worries a little bit more about you. The ghosts that roam the tower, do more than affect the original Titans. They affect everyone who lives here, on top of their own ghosts that want to follow and taunt them. If anyone in this place deserves to be happy, it would be you.

“Where would you go?” Jason questions and he knows you’re impulsive but he's got a feeling this is something you’ve been thinking about over the last week.

You shrug. “Figure it out.” You let out a broken laugh. “Did before and CPS can’t do shit now, so.” You let out a deep breath, tugging the sleeves of your hoodie over your hands.

Jason would be lying if the thought of asking you to come to Gotham with him didn’t cross his mind when you said you and Gar were a no-go. It was less than a split second but he knew he’d never be able to ask. There’d be no way he’d put that on you, going back to the shitshow of Gotham. But, if you want to do it anyway…

Jason pulls his other leg to his chest, resting his forearms on his knees. “Okay, are you really wanting to do it? Like, no bullshit or whatever. You wanna go back to Gotham?”

You nod. “Mhm. Too heavy here right now.” You dodge your stare to Jason’s hands, catching a glimpse of faint bruising on his knuckles.

Jason gives you an understanding nod. “Want me to talk to Bruce?" The words flow from his mouth like a gentle river, easy and smooth.

Your heart stops in your chest as you snap your eyes to Jason’s. “What? Talk…to Bruce?”

Jason nods. “Not letting your ass go back to the streets. If you’re fucking serious about going back to Gotham, I can talk to Bruce. I know you don’t like him, but it’s a roof over your head, a warm bed, food. In Gotham.”

You adore him. That’s the only thing that’s running through your head. It’s running over and over and over, on loop like a broken record. You adore him for everything he is and everything he isn’t. Asking Bruce, is something you never thought he would do. That is his thing. More so than even reading seems to be because that’s where he’s Robin. But, he offers anyway.

And he offers because he’ll always take care of you. And keep you safe. No matter what.

“You’d really do that?”

“Hell yeah.” Jason gives you a grin, the beating of his heart stutters. “Be more fun if you were there anyway.” Jason shrugs.

“Thank you, Jay.” You smile softly. “I’d really like that.”

“I’ll talk to him, sure he’ll be fine with it. You know he likes strays.” Jason gives you a cheeky grin and you let out a laugh, looking down and then back to him. Jason is relieved you’re okay with it. Maybe even a little thrilled.

“Yeah, when are you gonna start plucking strays? Bruce then Dick, you’re next Batboy.” You point a finger at him and you think he might be good at it, better than Bruce and Dick.

Jason lets out a groan, tilting his head back. “That's the meanest shit you’ve ever said to me.”

Your laugh booms off the walls and Jason’s heart nearly melts through his ribs. “I think it’s probably their best quality!”

Jason’s never felt this before. Not exactly the heart thundering and stuttering or the clammy hands or cheeks aching from smiling too much. But, the comfort he feels with you. The ease of how the conversation moves between you, how it goes from serious to banter to serious, so easily. He’s never had that with anyone before. You’re both worried about your best friend but with each other, you find your own way to deal with it and handle it rather than training yourselves into the ground while waiting. Jason has never felt so comfortable in a place he does not feel welcomed and it’s because of you. He is so sure of that.

Just then, Donna walks in, gathering yours and Jason’s attention.

“Kory and Rachel are here, we’re gonna try to come up with a plan.” Donna states.

“No Dick?” You ask and Donna shakes her head, a look of annoyance on her face.

“Do not say anything.” Donna warns and Jason gains a grin before getting to his feet. “Either of you, please.”

“I won’t, just asking.” You defend while Jason extends a hand to you.

“I don’t have shit to say to her.” Jason lets out a scoff.

You grab his hand and get to your feet. The two of you follow Donna to the kitchen where Dawn and Kory are standing at the center counter and Rachel is seated on the same countertop. Jason and you head to the opposite side of Kory while Donna stands between you and Dawn.

“You’re back.” Rachel states with confusion as she looks at Jason.

“Was told you guys needed the help.” Jason deadpans and he also doesn’t want to deal with Rachel right now.

“Okay, well, we have news about Dick.” Kory states before Rachel can respond.

Rachel and Kory go off to explain that Dick wasn’t in his cell. He must have escaped with the other prisoners or something. Again, you sit there thinking about how you were right and Rachel was wrong about this. Dick could handle himself. He went off to wallow in his own self-pity and now he’s free. It’s like you thought would happen. But, you listen anyway as they get to the weirder stuff about Dick writing on his cell walls that Jericho is alive.

“Well, one thing’s for sure. He’s clearly lost his mind.” Donna says.

“But, I keep having these dreams about Dick being killed by Deathstroke.” Rachel says as she’s seated with her legs crossed on the counter. “And they’re going away. We need to do something about that.”

Jason shifts his weight to his left leg as he crosses his arms. You watch his jaw clench and you know he wants to say something so you move a little closer to him, your arm resting against his. When he looks at you with a quirked brow, you offer him a faint but calm smile. It’s not worth it. You have Gar to worry about not Rachel’s dreams and Dick escaping prison. He’ll be fine.

“I believe you.” Donna says. “But we have bigger problems right now.” Donna flips the case of the iPad open, showing blueprints of the CADMUS building.

“Okay, what’s the plan?” Rachel lets out a sigh and you bite your tongue.

Now that Rachel got to do what she wanted, now she’s on board with saving Gar. You can feel your blood wanting to boil. It’s just so ridiculous and it’s not even like you can say anything because you’ll just argue again and you’re tired of arguing and fighting. So, you bite your tongue and Jason catches you stiffen next to him. It’s his turn to give you a nudge and shake his head. You grin at him and jerk your head toward the women where you stand Donna and Dawn, furthest away from Rachel so you can still see what’s going on.

"Well, the main CADMUS building closes at 9 and security drops down to 10. There's two at each gate and then six roaming inside." Kory explains.

"Okay, what about the lab?" Donna asks as she zooms in.

"Whole different story." Dawn says. "It's a twenty-four-hour operation and in the last week, they've doubled up the guard. Four six-hour shifts, 10 bodies around the clock. Sounds like that's where the party's at."

"Okay, well, let's crash it." Donna says.

"Finally." You let out a sigh.

"It's about damn time." Jason lets out a scoff.

"Oh, so we're just gonna break in CADMUS and get Conner and Gar out of there. Just the six of us?!" Rachel questions.

"Do you have a better idea?" You quip, unable to hold your tongue.

"We don't have a choice right now, okay?" Donna states. "But, between you and Kory, we have plenty of firepower. At least to get us through the front door."

"About that, I've got some bad news." Kory says, gaining everyone's attention. "My powers have vanished."

"Yeah, that tracks." You mutter and it's just one thing after the other here.

"What do you mean?" Donna asks.

"I don't know. I don't know what happened. But they're gone and I haven't been able to get them back." Kory states, frustration in her voice.

"Well, that's fucking great." Donna sighs. "What about you?" Donna asks Rachel.

"Fully loaded but I can't promise that I....won't go a little bit overboard." Rachel rushes her words slightly. "Um, things have been getting a little...dramatic."

Donna looks to you. "How about you?"

"All good and ready to go." You offer her a thumbs-up.

Just then, there's an alert on the iPad. Everyone who can see the iPad starts reading.

"A disturbance at Golden Gate Park. Units responding." Kory reads out loud. "People are injured. Reports of a wild animal."

"Phase two." Rachel states, her voice uneasy. Donna had texted Kory with updates on what they found out from the CADMUS guy and their lack of plan. "It's already begun."

The room falls silent for just a few seconds before everyone starts moving. Jason, Donna, and Dawn grab their suits, you grab a backpack and a change of clothes for Gar, while Kory, and Rachel head downstairs. It only takes you, Jason and the other women a few minutes to get ready and meet at the elevator. Jason hands you one of his helmets and you almost laugh as you take it from him. Of course, you're taking the bike.

"We'll follow you guys." Jason states, getting on the bike, kicking the kickstand up while you get on the back.

"You sure?" Donna asks, the other women already piling into the SUV.

"We'll be fine." You assure her, popping the helmet on, Jason doing the same and sliding down the face shield.

Donna doesn't say anything else before walking off to the SUV. Donna starts driving, moving past Jason and you.

"Hold on." Jason states and you grip his waist tightly before Jason shifts the bike into first and pulls the throttle.

Jason and you follow the SUV closely, keeping the drive silent despite the com system that’s also connected to the SUV. You're both on edge going into this. Gar is your friend. Neither of you want to hurt him. You know you will not do it, no matter what. He's a tiger. All of you together, should be able to stop him without any major problems. But, you’re worried anyway and Jason knows there's a chance you won't have a choice. Bruce trained him and Dick to be prepared if they get brainwashed. Bruce went over what can happened, what being brainwashed can make them do. It can be nearly impossible to stop someone. The last thing Jason wants to do is hurt his friend, again. But, if you're all given choice he knows he'll have to be the one to do it because he wouldn't let you. So, you both stay in your heads until the SUV comes to a sudden stop with an explosion, Jason almost running right into it as the bike swings sideways.

"What the fuck?" Jason yells out.

"Deathstroke. Get down!" They can hear Donna yell through your com systems.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" You groan, ducking into Jason as the sound of constant gunfire echoes around the alley.

Jason looks over at you and for a second, he thinks about leaving. He could get you both out of there completely unscathed. You're hidden behind the SUV and you're not too far into the alleyway. You could take another alley safely, get to Gar. Jason debates it, knowing that with Deathstroke's constant firing, none of you will be able to get close anyway. But, that's backing down and you're supposed to be a team. But, then he come back to you whose grip on him in nearly suffocating and he hears a yelp from in from of you. Jason peaks up to look inside the SUV, seeing Kory's the one who was just shot.

"We have to do something, Jay. We're literally sitting ducks." You yell over the gunfire.

"I know!" Jason yells back and he swears if it weren't for the whole Deathstroke dropping him from a skyscraper problem, he'd have a decision already and you'd both be fine. But, ever since, his head isn't in it and he can't think straight in these situations. The fear of it is almost paralyzing.

"Y/n, Jason, are you two okay?" Dawn yells over the gunfire.

"We're fine." You say back. "Besides the gunfire. What do we do?"

But then, someone jumps from a building and onto the roof the SUV, the gunfire coming to a halt. You and Jason look up to see some random person in a blue and black suit just standing there.

"Who the fuck is this freak now?" Jason sounds absolutely exasperated.

The two of you watch as he flips dramatically and effortlessly off the car.

"You can take the boy out of the circus but you can't take the circus out of the boy." You mutter and you hear Jason chuckle softly, looking back at you.

"Really?"

"He just flipped off the car to Deathstroke, I mean."

Of course, it's Dick. For some reason, that makes perfect sense in the world of insanity you're all currently living in. The two of you flip your face shields up, leaning up to watch through the back of the SUV. Dick starts fighting Deathstroke and holds his own just fine now. Everyone watching is stuck in a state of confusion watching this whole exchange happen. How did Dick even know where to find all of you?

"Who's been hit?" Dick asks.

"Kory." Rachel says.

"You take care of her. I'll take care of him. Jason, Y/n, you two get out of here and get to Gar and Conner. This is my fight." Dick says.

Jason looks back at you and he is not a fan of listening to Dick but, you are sitting ducks back here and at this rate, you'll never make to Gar. So, he puts down his face shield and you follow his lead, gripping his waist tightly before he swings the bike around and peels off in the opposite direction.

When you arrive at the carnival, it's absolute chaos when you get there. Some people are intrigued by a green tiger and others are seeking shelter by leaving or trying to hide out. The two of you spot injured people trying to flee as fast as they can. There’s a sense of unease as you make your way traveling in the direction of the screams. It’s just the two of you, knowing you have to face Gar, your best friend. That’s not something either of you really want to do, ever.

You and Jason spot Gar and Conner from a few yards away. Gar starts attacking Conner, latching onto his arm and Conner is completely unphased. The two of you have a sense of dread. Of course, you knew the report was true. Gar was attacking people but maybe you both had a little bit of hope it wouldn't be this bad. But, for Gar to attack Conner, shit is very not good. And Jason's jaw clenches because he's worried he's too far gone. Gar doesn't eat meat, he doesn't hurt people. And here he is attacking someone who's supposed to be his friend, according to you. And you watch as Conner throws Gar effortlessly twenty yards away and into one of the rides.

"You get Gar." Jason looks at you taking a few steps forward.

One of you is going to need to deal with Gar while the other handles Conner. You can’t solely focus on one of them until the other Titans show up. Jason at least has the experience. And you know about animals.

"Are you insane? He's half Superman." You groan. With Dick showing up and having the other Titans, surely the fight with Deahtstroke can’t take too long and they’ll be here soon.

"Yeah? The fuck you think he's gonna do? Just let Gar go? Not finish him off? You go and I'll distract him."

You shake your head and you hate the idea. You aren't sure how you’re supposed to unbrainwash him. No one exactly prepared you for any of this. And Jason going against Conner sounds terrible. Conner had no issues throwing Gar like a ragdoll and he's at least a tiger and a meta-human. Jason, while he might be Robin, is still just human.

"Look," Jason walks over to you, putting his hands on your shoulders. "Bruce said we need hear traumatic shit to pull us back. That's how he trained us." Jason explains and you want to know who the hell is letting Bruce Wayne train kids? Letting them relive their trauma. "Not sure if it'll fucking work because he should be listening to himself say all that but," Jason shrugs. "Worth a shot." Jason looks over to Conner and then back to you. "If shit gets messy, do something. I trained you, you'll be fine." Jason offers you a smirk that doesn't have the same snarkiness behind it.

"Not me I'm worried about."

"I'm--"

"Robin, yeah, yeah, yeah." You roll your eyes. "Don't do anything fucking stupid, Jay."

Jason gives you a grin, pulling his hands away as he starts walking backwards. "I never do anything stupid."

You nod your head, blinking your eyes slowly at him. He's gonna get his ass handed to him.

You reluctantly let Jason do his thing while you make your way over to Gar. You’re not willing to start telling him stories about the shit he's been through, not without trying something else. If hearing it from himself is supposed to work but not hearing it from you, maybe you telling him good things will work. The opposite.

"Gar?" You kneel down in front of him and you swear your mom is screaming at you from beyond the grave. Tigers are wild animals, not pets and they will eat you. But, this is Gar.

Gar growls at you, lifting his head weakly.

"It's me." You’re cautious. "I know you're in there." You avoid looking directly into his eyes, unsure of how his animal instincts work, especially right now. "Remember when Dick brought me to the tower? You were the first person I talked to and you were so excited because I was watching The Goonies?" You give him a smile. "You brought me pizza. And you, uh, you walked with me around the tower when I thought Jerry was there. Remember when we had a Nerf war against Dick and he got us back? Or that time Jason turned him blue? Or when I beat you at Mario Kart because I messed up your controller? Or when you showed me Resident Evil and you rambled about it for 2 hours.” You let out a soft laugh as you try to think of more things that have happened as quickly as possible.

You aren’t exactly sure what else you’re supposed to tell him, how many things you’re supposed to list. But, he has stopped growling at you.

“You've been there for me through almost every nightmare I've ever had and you were there for me when I completely lost it because of Deathstroke. You're the nicest person I've ever met and you're strong as fuck so I know you're in there somewhere." You scoot closer to him and cautiously and gently, put your hands on either side of his cheeks. The fur is soft under your hands. He growls again but you don't jerk away. "I'm not scared of you. And I know you won’t hurt me." You rest your forehead against his and in tiger form, it feels weird because his head is so much bigger than yours. But, it's soft and warm. "I know you’re in there and I believe in you."

You suck in a breath, closing your eyes. Despite the constant pessimism that seems to be intertwined in your blood, you’re positive this has to be working. He isn’t growling anymore and he’s not trying to eat you. Gar is in there somewhere then, Gar starts to transform back into human form. You can feel his face shift under your hands as you pull away, a gentle and relieved smile pulling at your lips. His eyes flicker at you as a sheepish smile comes to his face. You saved him.

"Hey." You smile widely at him and it's the softest smile you’ve ever given him.

"Thank you." Gar's eyes are tired as he lets out a breath. How did you know to do that?

"You don't have to thank me." You laugh softly. "Here." You pull the backpack off, handing it over. "Grabbed some clothes for you."

"Thank you." Gar lets out an awkward chuckle while you stand up and turn around so he can put the clothes on. He’s surprised you even thought to do that. That you were positive you would be able to get him back and he would need his clothes. Gar will be eternally grateful for you.

"Are you okay?" You ask, still with your back to him. You can't believe it worked and you’re so happy it did. The world is a cruel place, but Gar does not deserve that cruelty. 

"Uh..." Gar stutters. Okay? He knows he just hurt several people, he was brainwashed. He is physically in pain. "Yeah."

"Are you lying?" You question, sticking your hands in your hoodie pouch.

"Yeah." Gar clears his throat, walking up to your side. "Just, a little sore." Gar’s voice is low, a little rough and Gar? Not talking about something? That’s new and you do not like that. But, you won’t push because you still have other problems to deal with. That’s a Tower conversation.

You nod your head softly, brows knitting together. “You sure?”

Gar gives you a fake smile. “Yeah, uh, thank you.” Gar furrows his brows, nodding.

"Of course." You nudge him with your arm. "Come on, we should get over there. We can talk at the Tower if you want?"

Gar nods. "Yeah, thank you."

"You'd do the same for me." You interlock your arm with his and the two of you walk, unsteadily towards the other Titans.

"When did Dick get back?" Gar asks, seeing Dick stand near Conner as Rachel uses her powers to encompass them both.

"Love that you're just used to Rachel doing that." You state. "Uh.... twenty minutes ago, apparently. He saved our asses from Deathstroke."

"Deathstroke's back?" Gar groans. What has he missed since being with CADMUS?

"Assume they took care of him since everyone is here now." You shrug. "It's been a few days." You laugh softly. "I'm just glad you're...okay." You smile softly at him before looking back to the Titans, scanning over everyone.

Donna has her rope around Conner while Rachel is using her powers to hold Conner still so he can't move. Rachel has powers surrounding Dick, fully encompassing him. You’re positive you will never get used to that. Dawn, Hank, and Kory are standing behind them, watching. You can feel your heart in your throat until you spot Jason standing a little off to the side of Hank, holding his arm. You let out a breath at the sight of him.

"Jason's back?" Gar questions, seeming to have noticed him at the same time.

"He came back to help." You answer proudly.

"Got the whole team back together." Gar offers a genuine smile.

"Yeah," You feel a warmth in your chest with the idea of everyone sticking around, even if it won’t happen. "All to save you."

Rachel suddenly stops using her powers, releasing Dick and then Conner. Donna releases her rope and Conner seems to be back. He looks around for just a second in horror at the mess. But, then, he looks towards the CADMUS vehicles and starts walking fiercely towards them, you and Gar moving quickly out of his way and towards the others. CADMUS starts firing their guns at Conner which is just a waste since he's literally bulletproof. And none of the Titans are going to stop in to stop him. This is now Conner's fight.

"Nice to have you back, man." Jason gives Gar a nod as he approaches the both of you.

"Thanks for coming back."

"Don't mention it." Jason lets out a scoff, offering you a smile.

"You okay?" You ask, taking a quick glance over him.

"Yeah, all good." Jason nods at you, cocky grin dancing across his lips.

Everyone gathers around as Conner comes back. He stands in front of everyone, getting a better look at the damage caused before he puts the blame on himself. He says it wasn't him but he still did it. Donna is the first one to tell Conner that it's okay and everyone is just glad to have him back.

The people at the carnival then start to come out of hiding, cheering for the Titans. That's a bit surprising but it is kind of nice. Everyone collectively smiles and waves softly. You aren't sure how you feel about it. There's a lot of attention on all of you but it's nice the people appreciate it, rather than hating all of you. You feel a little too exposed but you smile anyway, trying to deal with it because that's what Titans do.

There's a little girl who points out her doll stuck on a ride. Dawn sees the little girl and grabs the doll before walking the doll back to the little girl. But then, everyone hears electricity cackle from above. One of the electric light displays starts to tilt towards Dawn. She rushes as many as she can away, telling everyone to get back before Donna runs and catches the piece of equipment before it falls onto the innocent civilians.

She holds it above her head as it electrocutes her. Every one of you watch in a state of horror, unsure what to do and if any of you can even help. She’s Wondergirl but that doesn’t mean she’s immune to electricity especially that much and for more than just a few seconds. But, there’s nothing any of you can do and after just twenty seconds, Donna goes limp and falls onto the beam.

Dick runs to her and holds her body in his arms. No one says a word, everyone just stands there and watches. How did that kill Wondergirl? Of all things, how? At a carnival? Your heart breaks with the sight and you really liked Donna. You looked up to Donna. Gar hangs his head and you reach down to hold his hand while Jason puts a hand on your shoulder. It's just not fair.

The team goes back to the tower, Hank carrying Donna's body. The tower feels emptier than it ever has before. It's darker than usual, completely silent. It feels like the Reaper is actively looming over the entire Tower, haunting every single one of you. You all lost one of your own tonight, and at a carnival. It wasn't Deathstroke or Dr. Light. Just a piece of electrical equipment that never should have fallen to begin with. And it was Donna. Wondergirl. The reality of it is too heavy for any of you to carry. So, the you all go your separate ways through the tower.

You go off to your room to change and figure you'll check on Gar right after. You’re sad about Donna, despite everything you looked up to her. And it's rough that of all Titans, she's the one killed. And saving people. It hurts through every part of your body and you’re tired of loss. But you focus on Gar because dealing with those feelings isn't something you really want to do. It hurts and when things hurt, you run from them. Avoid them. And Gar just went through something traumatic and now he has to deal with the loss of Donna who he knew a lot better than you did. You focus on your best friend because his feelings about everything just happened are far more important.

Apparently, Jason had the same idea because when you leave your room, Jason was already making his way to Gar's room. Rachel, though, is already leaving Gar's room by the time you join Jason.

"He's not in there." Rachel lets out a sigh.

"Training room?" Jason questions, looking to you.

"Probably." You sigh and the three of you let your bitterness go between each other to find Gar.

The three of you head to the training room where you find Gar sitting alone on one of the benches with his head hung. The three of you pause, your hearts aching for your friend but then move forward. Rachel sits to Gar's left while you sit on his right, Jason standing in front of you. You and Rachel wrap your arms around Gar to hug him while Jason rests his hand on Gar's shoulder. Gar basically collapses into you and Rachel and you both hug him tighter, squeezing him against you to try to offer some type of comfort to the gentle boy who deserved better.

Gar's let out a whimpered cry, Jason giving Gar's shoulder a squeeze and he didn't think he'd see his friend like this. Jason doesn't let people see him as anything less than strong and sturdy, besides you. But, he admires Gar in a way because Gar doesn't really either but he puts on a smile instead of relentless sarcasm. He smiles and then offers kindness and help to others instead of collapsing. There's something admirable in that but he's crying now, breaking and it hurts Jason to see his friend like this.

"It's my fault." Gar lets out a soft whimper.

"It's not your fault." Rachel says quickly.

"None of this is your fault." You assure right after.

"I was the one brainwashed and that got Donna killed." Gar whines while you and Rachel pull away, Jason taking a knee in front of you.

"But, that's not your fault. That's what CADMUS did." Rachel says, her words slow.

"Yeah, that's on CADMUS. Not you." You state.

"CADMUS got her fucking killed, not you, man." Jason assures him.

"But she died because I didn't call Bruce about Conner."

"Look, I said it then and I'm gonna say it again, you did what you thought was best. None of this is on you." You state, getting a look of confusion between Jason and Rachel. Call Bruce? "Bruce probably wouldn't have showed up in time anyway and all this shit would have happened. Not on you."

"Yeah..." Rachel nods in agreement, unsure of what any of that means but is certain none of this could possibly be Gar's fault.

"It's not fair." Gar's voice is so small.

"It's not." Jason shakes his head. "It's fucking bullshit. But, that's not your fault." Jason lets out a sigh. Jason has no idea how to offer comfort to anyone besides you. One of the only people he’s ever been good with is you but, he does know that escapism is Gar’s thing. He likes movies and he likes video games. Jason can’t offer comforting words, but he can offer a movie. "Hey, man, why don't we go...watch one of your movies or something? Like we used to." Jason offers and the offer caches all three of you off guard but you and Rachel say nothing, instead you wait for Gar to talk.

"Not really feeling it, Jason." Gar lets out a huff.

"So?" You quip. "You like movies and you don't deserve to drown yourself in the guilt of everything that's not your fault."

"Exactly. I can make us popcorn and order from that pizza place you like." Rachel offers Gar a gentle smile and you let the anger for Rachel fade just a little. You’re not sure what was up Rachel's ass last night, but she does care about Gar and it's very obvious now.

"Come on, man." Jason groans and gives Gar a grin. "All of us getting along, watching something again?"

Gar lets out a weak laugh, you and Rachel smiling softly at each other. "Okay, okay, yeah." Gar nods with agreement.

Jason smiles proudly, getting to his feet and offering Gar his hand. Gar takes his hand and stands up.

"Uh, can you guys give us a second? We'll meet you out there."  Rachel asks, Sam snapping her attention to her.

Jason eyes the two of you suspiciously, not sure if leaving you both alone is the best thing to do but he nods anyway and Gar smiles softly, leaving with Jason.

"I wanted to talk to you." Rachel sucks in a breath.

With everything that's happened tonight, Rachel wants to get everything out in the open and squash everything. It's been bothering her a little bit since last night. Rachel never had many friends. This is the first time, she has more than one and it sucks fighting. Even if she knows her own feelings were valid, she knows yours were, too. So, she'd rather get it over with now rather than wait.

"I gathered." You nod your head.

"I'm sorry for what I said last night."

The apology catches you by surprise but you’re glad this is where this conversation is going. "Yeah...me, too." You swallow your pride and honestly, life is too fucking short. At the end of the day, you're in this together. You're Titans, together. Doesn't matter where you are or if you get along, you're in it together.

"I was...Dick is like an older brother and the dreams make everything feel so real and sometimes it is. Not having dreams about Gar, made me think he was okay. But, with Dick..."

"It felt like he really was in more danger?"

"Yeah, it was never that I was choosing between them or that I don't care about Gar."

"I know." You nod your head quickly. "I was just so mad about everything. I mean, I'm still dealing with Deathstroke shit and honestly, maybe I was a little...” You scrunch your nose. “Hurt that Jason left...with Rose. Then, getting attacked, not feeling good enough again. I took a lot of that out on you because I was still mad at you for Jason."

"I should have talked to him. I never meant for him to spiral like that. I didn't think the other Titans had stuff going on. It was just me and I thought it had to be him." Rachel admits and truly, she never dreamed Jason was in that bad of a headspace. Rachel can explode just like everyone else, but she’s not cruel.

"I just wish you would have listened to me at least. Jason, fine, I get that, but we're supposed to be friends so. I just...I was mad. And...." You pause. "Scared, honestly. Jason wasn't answering me, Gar was kidnapped and hurt. Those...they both mean a lot to me and it was a lot."

"We were both just scared for everyone."

"Yeah," You laugh softly. "I am...sorry I punched you. Especially hearing this side of it. Give you shit for not hearing Jason out only for me not to offer you that kindness. I'm sorry."

"Thank you." Rachel smiles softly. "I will apologize to him, too."

You smile kindly. "Thank you. He'll probably yell at you but I'm serious, just let him yell." You scrunch your nose. "He'll be fine after he yells." You laugh softly.

"I will." Rachel assures you.

"Hey, he's leaving anyway so...it won't be too bad."

Rachel's face falls. "He's leaving?"

You nod sadly. "Mhm, he's only here for Gar and then he's gone. Back to Gotham, back to Bruce."

"Are you okay? I know what I said but..." Rachel offers a sympathetic look.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." You give her a fake smile and you decide not to tell Rachel.

You’re willing to move on from everything, especially if she apologizes to Jason. You were both just stressed and scared and worried. It was a lot for the both of you. But a part of you is a little worried that if you tell Rachel, she might tell Gar before you can. You know you’re going to stay here for at least a little bit to make sure he's okay and you aren't sure when you'll tell him. You don't want Rachel thinking you’re withholding the information on purpose or Rachel accidentally letting it slip. So, you sit on it and assure Rachel you’re okay.

"We're all good and I know Gotham is his home."

"Okay, if you want to talk.." Rachel smiles softly.

"Thank you. I'm sorry again for all of that shit. Are we okay?"

Rachel leans forward, pulling you in for a hug and you freeze for a second. And then you hug Rachel back.

"Yeah, we're okay." Rachel pulls away and gets up, offering you her hand. "Let's see what movie Gar picked."

The two of you make your way to the living room where you see Gar and Jason seated on the couch, an open space between them. Dick is just walking in with two bowls of popcorn, Kory holding a few drinks. You and Rachel look between each other before giving the older Titans soft smiles and taking your rightful seats on either side of Gar. Conner and Krypto are next to join as Gar scrolls through the movies and lands on one he's seen a handful of times.

"What are we watching, Gar?" Dick asks, passing one of the bowls down the couch to younger Titans.

"Ready Player One." Gar offers a soft smile as clicks the movie, the room not knowing anything about it.

"Spielberg, come on guys." You look around.

"That explains absolutely fucking nothing." Jason chuckles with the shake of his head.

"It's a video game movie, kind of." Gar explains, clicking the movie.

"That makes sense." Kory laughs softly.

Gar turns on the movie with a soft smile and the room falls silent. Dick and Kory saw Jason and Gar walk in, plopping on the couch. When they asked what they were doing and Gar said watching a movie, they offered to join. Dick would join every once in a while anyway and he just lost his best friend tonight. It was more so Kory's idea but Dick went along with it. The four of you are still his responsibility and maybe this isn't such a bad idea.

"What's going on?" Hank asks about half an hour into the movie, Dawn right at his side as they see the living room filled with Titans.

"We're watching a movie." Kory offers him a smile. "A video game movie."

Gar offers Hank a smile, the indicator it was clearly his choice. Hank chuckles softly while Dawn reaches down for his hand and walks the two of them into the living room to join the group of you, picking up two of the only open spots left.

The room falls silent as the movie plays, the new Titans sharing a bowl of popcorn (and maybe tossing a piece to Krypto every now and again). Gar explains every movie reference that shows up to everyone who hasn’t seen it which is almost always Jason and Kory. All of you just let Gar explain it and hear him get excited again, and for that short time during the movie, the grief of losing Donna doesn’t hurt so much. For that two and a half hours, you all live in peace with each other and every one of you needed it.

Two days later, the entire team meets up at a private airport, everyone dressed in black. You’re all sending Donna off in a casket back to Themyscira and her people have come to take her back. To say it was depressing would be an understatement. It was hard for every single one of you. Despite any problems the Titans had, Donna meant a lot to all of you and it's agonizing officially saying goodbye. And that's when Rachel decided to tell everyone she'd be going with. She wants to try and resurrect her. Something in her believes she has the power to do it, or at the very least try. You find it admirable.

Bruce flew in to see Donna off, too. And Rose showed up at the tower the day before, wanting to try out being a Titan for a little bit until she figures out what she really wants to do. Especially with having Jericho's consciousness. That was a little awkward for Jason and you. But it was nice seeing Bruce show up and maybe he's not all too bad. He gave you a pair of gloves when he showed up, explaining Jason and Gar had called him with the idea. Made with zylon fibers. Not only was it nice of those boys, but it was really nice of Bruce to go out of his way to do that.

Everyone got to be Titans that night, too. There was an alert of a problem happening and everyone, one by one, got up from the table to get suited up (or changed) and head out to fight for the first time as a full team. It went off without a hitch, too. You were a large team and it felt so good to be out there, doing exactly what the Titans are supposed to be doing. Saving and protecting people who cannot do it themselves.

Jason and Bruce flew out the following day. Saying goodbye to Jason, this time, didn't hurt nearly as much. You knew you'd be back in Gotham soon enough and he wasn't leaving over horrible circumstances. He wasn't leaving because he felt like he had to anymore, as if it was forced on him. It was a little sad, but you both knew it was not permanent.

Within a few days, you get a call from Jason giving you the all good. Bruce said you’re welcome to stay as long as you like. You said you wanted to give it a little longer, to make sure Gar is okay especially with Rachel leaving. Dawn and Hank also were very clear on them not staying very long. So, you owe it to him to make sure he's okay before you take off, too. He won't be alone this time. He'll have Dick, Kory, Conner, and Krypto but you owe him.

Over the next month, you hang around Gar, making sure he’s okay. At first, it was his turn to suffer from nightmares about being brainwashed and killing the Titans. Those were rough nights but Gar is resilient and he talks. He talks through all of it then escapes into video games until he’s ready to talk again. The whole time you offer him the listening ear, and assure him that everything was CADMUS’s fault. The talking and video games and friendship helps. Gar picks himself up pretty quickly, swinging back into the routine of things and it helps that you’re all actually being Titans now. You’re actually accomplishing missions and working together which is making everyone feel useful for once.

And over that month of being there for Gar, you feel yourself deteriorating. It’s easy to avoid feelings and problems and trauma when you’re focused on someone or something else. But, Gar gets better and you get worse. It’s as if your flight or fight has been kicked into overdrive the whole time but now with things getting, somewhat back to normal, it’s crashing.

The nightmares are consistent and at this point, you swear you’ll never get a full night’s rest ever again. The paranoia is back, more so than it was even with Jerry. The attack on the tower made it feel not safe. Even with the other Titans around, it doesn’t feel safe anymore because that bubble was popped. You weren’t the one kidnapped that time, but it lingers in the depths of your mind anyway and you’re always waiting for something like that to happen again, looking over your shoulder. So, you don’t sleep for more than two to three hours and you train. You’re always found either with Gar or in the training room running yourself to the ground. And you know that with Gar doing okay, it’s time because you can’t live like this anymore and there’s a place for you Gotham.

The problem is that you definitely haven't told anyone. Every day, you swore you would do it. You'd get up the courage to do it. And instead, you'd train and avoid it. You'd dodge questions about Jason. You'd bury yourself in your scrapbook. The idea of telling them, wasn't a good one. You ran from the conversation but, you can't do that anymore and you know you can't. So, you find yourself in the display room, trying to muster up the courage to tell Dick and Gar.

Dick walks in and he's had a suspicion. He's seen that look before. He has worn that look when he decided to leave Gotham and go to Detroit. You’ve been a bit spacey lately, too and at first, he thought it was everything that happened. You’ve been the main person looking after Gar but he watched the security footage back. He knows you were attacked and fought just as hard. You lost Donna, too. But, as the days went by, something seemed off. Dick is a detective and since finally coming to clean about Jericho, his head is far more clear and he's picking up on a lot of things a lot better. You haven't done anything new to your room or asked for anything. You’ve picked up extra chores and then there’s the training. Dick just knows.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Dick asks, standing beside you, keeping his stare at the displays.

You turn your head, the sad smile growing as you nod. You aren't going to lie. You need to tell him and he figured it out but it hurts to confirm it anyway. "Yeah, I am."

Dick nods, his expression sad as he looks at you "Can I ask where?"

"You've gotten a little better at asking things, Dick Grayson." Your voice is soft but holds your signature sarcasm. You shake your head, sticking your hands in the pouch of your hoodie before sucking in a breath. "Gotham." You look to your shoes, knowing you can end the conversation here but decide to try not to run from this one thing. You owe Dick that much. "It's home, ya know?" You look up at Dick and he nods.

"Yeah," His voice is understanding as he puts his hands in his pockets. "But, it doesn't have to be."

"I know." You answer. "But..." You pause, looking back to the display columns. You love to give him shit because he makes it easy and he’s he oldest. He’s basically everyone’s older brother. But, you owe him the explanation because he has done a good job here, especially after confessing the stuff about Jericho. You never want him to think you leaving is because he failed or something. "Um...a-a lot happened here, this Tower, this city. It’s a lot for me and I don’t know if I can handle dealing with all of that here. Gotham though, it might be a mess, but it’s home. I was happy there.” You let out a scoff, chewing the inside of your cheek. “More shit just keeps happening here and I need to find that part of myself that can be happy despite the bullshit. I don’t think I can find that here. I left some of myself in Gotham and I just want to see if I can find some of that again, get over some of this shit. I don’t know.” You shrug your shoulders. “Gotham is home, probably always will be and I...wanna go home.”

"I understand." Dick's voice is quiet and he's sad to see your leave but he understands. Finding himself was the hardest thing he ever did but it was worth it. He doesn't like the idea of you going to Gotham, not with what Gotham does to people but if it's what you need to do, he can't stand in your way. "Where are you gonna stay?"

You give him a dry chuckle. "With Bruce and Jason." You shake your head again as you roll your eyes. "I understand the irony in that."

"Jason pull some strings?" Dick is a little relieved that you won’t be homeless in Gotham, not he ever thought Jason would let you.

"Mhm." You hum. You don't want to get into it. Dick does not want to hear about that one.

"Have you told Gar?"

You shake your head and the very mention of his name makes you want to run out of the display room and away from this conversation. "No. I will." You say quickly. "You just asked first."

"Tell him soon." Dick says. He has a lot to say but he doesn't want to sway your decision or guilt you about it. He took you in, took Rachel in, and he’s watching you both go off on your own to do your own thing. Maybe he’s a little proud, too.

"I will when we're done." You let out a deep breath. You turn to face him completely this time and you hate to admit, but you'll miss him. "Thank you for letting me be a Titan."

The corner of Dick's lips tugs into a sad smile. "You'll always have a place as a Titan, okay?"

You nod. "So, I can come back when I figure my shit out?" You hope one day you’ll want to. You do like being a Titan, using your powers for good. But for now, it’s not healthy for you.

"Of course." Dick smiles at you. "Go talk to Gar." Dick sucks in a breath and he's let so many people down. He's let you guys down and he won't do that again. "Hey, be careful, okay?"

"Because Jason." You state and the two of them actually worked out some of their shit while Jason was here. Dick actually apologized but you suspect that's what he means anyway because Dick will always think Jason is reckless and impulsive and a bad influence.

Dick shakes his head. "You two have that figured out." Dick lets out a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck and you raise a brow at him. "With Bruce."

You offer a singular, large nod. "I will, I see how you and Jason turned out. You don't have to worry. If...shit hits the fan though...I can call, right?"

"Of course. We'll all be there."

"Thank you. I'm gonna go talk to Gar." You turn to leave. "Hey," You turn back around. "Keep doing this, you're getting a lot better at it."

You head to Gar's room next, deciding to rip the band-aid off. You do feel a little better after talking with Dick. It didn't go terribly wrong which means it should be okay with Gar. You knock on his door quickly, before walking inside. Gar is sat on his couch playing Resident Evil and he looks over his shoulder quickly, offering you a kind smile. The guilt floods back into your blood like a dam's just broken. He looks so happy and content and you’re about to break this to him.

"Hey." You say quietly, taking a seat beside him.

"Hey." He offers you a smile, pausing his game. "What's up?"

"Um..." Your brows furrow as you tug your sleeves over your hands. The action does not go unnoticed and Gar knows something’s up. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Is everything okay?" Gar asks, hesitance in his voice.

"I-I, uh, I'm....leaving." You get the words out but it feels like your vocal cords are short-circuiting.

It's as if Gar can feel the last of his heart breaking. Everyone is leaving and he's gonna be left here. Sure, he has Dick and Conner and Kory and Krypto but...what about everyone else? His best friends?

"Why?" He asks, his voice cracking.

"I....I-I-I I just....I need to figure out who I am now. I'm....not...I'm not who I was before and..." You choke down the lump of guilt clogging on your throat. "I need to go back to Gotham and find me and....just figure out my fucking shit."

"Why can't you do that here?" He asks and he's so sad, you can see it in the way his eyes dodge yours

You shake your head, offering him full transparency. "I fucked up. I couldn't save Jason and me. I have these powers and they were fucking useless. I couldn't talk him out of it, hell, I went along with it. I never would have done that before. But...I felt like I had something to prove to myself. That I'm strong and I'm not as weak as Jerry made me feel but then I was dropped from a fucking skyscraper with my best friend and we almost died. And then........." You keep your eyes on him because if you’re going to do this, you owe him that. "CADMUS attacked and I couldn't save any of us, or myself." You scoff. "Then, Donna." You shake your head. "I just feel useless and not good enough and...scared. I'm so sick feeling that way and running myself right into the ground over it. I never had healthy coping mechanisms but..." You suck in a deep breath. "I don't sleep and I train all the time. I need to leave and get away from the this city, figure out who I am outside of a Titan because I was thrown into this. I chose it, but thrown into it and I need to just get away for a little bit. Gotham is a shitshow, but it's fucking home."

"Gotham?" Of course, it's Gotham. Where else would you go? But, it hurts anyway. That's literally across the country.

"I know." You nods softly. "It's....it is my home, Gar. I was born there and raised there for almost my entire life. My mom is buried there. I need to go back. It's....I always felt like I belonged there"

He nods, not knowing what else to say. He won't convince you to stay, it's not him. He respects you and your decision even though it hurts. Even though he's upset. It hurts. Everyone is leaving again.

"You're not useless." Gar gets out. "And you are good enough. I know you don't believe it but it's true."

You nod. "Yeah, it just doesn't feel like it and I need to not feel like this anymore."

"I understand." Gar offers a solemn nod.

"I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry." Gar forces a sad smile to his face. "It's what's best for you. If it's going to make you happy, it's the right thing to do."

"Thank you." You swear you have no idea what you did to deserve his friendship.

"Where are you gonna stay?"

You let out a soft laugh. "That's the irony. With fucking Bruce Wayne and Jason, of course."

"You're gonna live with Batman?" Gar's eyes widen and it makes you laugh.

"Mhm, can you believe it?"

"Do...do you think you'll see the Batcave?"

Your nose scrunches as you lets out a laugh. Of course, that's what Gar is interested in. "I hadn't thought about it, Gar."

"It's Batman's Manor." Gar's eyes are wide with excitement.

"If I see the Batcave, I'll let you know." You shake your head. "You could come visit and you're a Titan so like...maybe you'd convince Bruce to show you anyway."

"That'd be so cool." Gar beams.

"I kind of just wanna throw a Baterang."

"You would." Gar chuckles softly. "Jason though." Gar shakes his head and he's also kind of waiting to see when that's gonna happen. He's pretty sure everyone kind of is at this point.

"One of the free perks of living with Bruce Wayne." You state and Gar groans. "What?"

"Nothing." Gar shakes his head. You and Jason will figure it out. "When do you leave?"

You offer him a yikes expression before giving him an awkward smile. "Two days."

"You waited until now to tell me?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna try to work on that. I was scared." You shrug. "It seems easier not to tell you."

"You can always tell me things."

"I know." You let out a soft laugh. "Did...you wanna play some Mario Kart though? We have two days to still play." You’re ready to be done having the conversation. It’s not easy for either of you and you’d rather be enjoying the time you have left rather than talking about it.

Gar lets out a laugh, a toothy smile landing on his lips. "Okay, yeah, grab the controllers." Gar states, saving his game while you grab the controllers from the switch.

It's gonna be weird not having you around. But, Gar understands it's what's best for you. He'll never stand in your way just like he didn't with Rachel or Jason or anyone else that's left. If he's learned anything, it's that the Titans do come back together eventually. Gar has hope you'll be back so he'll enjoy your last two days like he has been.

The next two days go by in a blur and soon enough, it's time for you to leave. You look around your room with a backpack on your shoulders. You give the room a sad smile and you swear you'll be back one day. You do love being a Titan but you need to figure you out now. It's time and you'll be back one day. So, you walk towards the door and close it behind you.

You walk out into the kitchen where Dick, Kory, Gar, Conner, and Krypto are seated around. You offer them all a sad smile. Kory is the first to say goodbye, offering you a hug and telling you not to get into too much trouble. Conner is next, also offering a hug and saying it was nice getting to know you. You make him promise to send you Krypto updates. Gar is next and he wraps you in the tightest hug he's ever given you.

"You'll keep in touch right?" Gar pulls away, eyes sad but filled with hope.

"Of course." You laugh softly. "You're my best friend, always." You flash him a toothy smile

"Good because I'm really gonna miss you."

"I’m gonna miss you, too. I'm just a phone call and flight away." You assure him. "Come visit."

"Will do." Gar offers you a sheepish nod, stepping back so Dick can say goodbye.

Dick stands in front of you and offer you a handshake.

"So fucking professional. You know, you took me in for no reason at all."

"You were injured."

"Yeah, but you could have brought me to a hospital." You quip. "Thank you for everything you've done for me, Dick." This is the most sincere you’ve ever been with Dick. "Thank you for looking out for me and saving my life, more than once. One hundred points for you." A confident smile comes to your lips.

Dick lets out a laugh. "You were really keeping a point system?"

"Well, I was joking but you seemed so surprised, I needed to commit to the bit. So, congrats on your win."

"Thank you." Dick's eyes widen with sarcasm.

You close the distance between you and hug him. It catches Dick off guard but he hugs you back.

"Listen to Kory, don't get into too much trouble."

"Have no worry, Dickolas. I've grown." You say as you pull away.

"You have." Dick nods at you.

"Well, I'll be back and I'll keep in touch." You offer all of them a last smile before walking over to Gar and giving him one final and long hug. You'll miss him the most.

You pet Krypto and give him a kiss before you head to the elevator. Everyone heads to the hallway to watch you leave and the doors shut. This is it, you’re really going home. After over a year, you’re finally going back home and it might be a little bittersweet but you’re so happy. Gotham is a shit show but it will always be home. You miss it.

You exit the building and right outside, there stands Jason with his motorcycle, one helmet on the bike and the other in his hand. He gives you a wide grin. He didn't tell you he was coming. You were given the address for the private landing strip where Bruce would send his private jet to pick you up. You were okay with that actually, just some time to be alone. But now you’re looking at Jason you’re so relieved to see him.

"Miss me?" Jason quips as you get closer.

You scrunch your nose, shrugging your shoulder. "Nope, not even a little bit."

"Alright, fuck you." Jason chuckles, looking to the ground and then back to you. Maybe this has been the longest month of his life.

"I don't think Bruce would appreciate us joining the mile-high club in his jet." You quip, Jason gaining the devious smirk that makes fireworks explode through your heart.

"He doesn't have to know." Jason quips right back.

"No!" You shake your head, a booming laugh escaping your lips. "Shut the fuck up." You close the distance between you, bringing him into a hug and you didn't think he'd actually come just to fly back to Gotham. But, you’re so happy he did. "You didn't have to come. I could have flown alone." You pull away, the biggest smile Jason has ever seen splits your face.

Jason shrugs. "Yeah, but that's not very fun. Thought you'd like some company."

"Thank you, Jay."

"Anytime, babe." Jason hands you a helmet.

"Can't just take an Uber like a normal person?" You quip while the two of you get on the bike. You put the helmet on while Jason gets ready.

"Nope, this is faster." Jason taunts you, looking back at you.

"Okay, Fast and The Furious." You roll your eyes as Jason slides his face shield down.

"Ready to go home?" Jason asks, looking back at you.

"Hell yeah." You slide your own face shield down, wrapping your arms around him before Jason kicks it into first.

The city goes by in a blur as Jason zips between traffic and you have a smile under your helmet. Every piece of you that might have been second-guessing this decision washes away. You’re going home and having Jason be the one that's there, makes the whole experience a little bit better. And you’re so excited to get back to Gotham, see what it will bring you this time around. And Jason is thrilled to be bringing you back home. It'll just be the two of you in Gotham. No Titans, no Deathstroke. Just you. It's you and him.

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A/N: Book 1: Okay hi, so I know I skipped over quite a bit but this was already so long lmao and I didn’t wanna break it up. If y’all want an exert from anything I skipped over, just let me know!! Thank you guys again for reading. It truly means SO much to me 😭

Book 2: First of all, I get to the point EARLY in book 2, I promise!!!!! I literally have that already written lol Chapter 1 of book 2 will be out in 2 weeks!! I’ll try to stay posting on Wednesday/Thursdays!! Book 2 also follows canon pretty closely so look forward to that angst lol But, yeah I’ll be part with chapters in 2 weeks!! Thank you guys!! 😭

Tag list: @fairyofshampoo // @italiana-20 // @jasontoddsmentaldisorders // @purplerose291 // @lovelessamai  // @makaelaseresin // @lenidaslenchen // @mayfieldss // @ghostkingblake // @im-done-with-this-im-out // @velvetskies // @lilylovelyxo // @cryinghotmess // @yesimwriting // @vivian-555 // @anthemabby // @baebeepeach​

#gar logan #jason todd #gar logan x reader #garfield logan x reader #jason todd x reader #gar logan fanfic #gar logan fanfiction #jason todd fanfic #jason todd fanfiction #titans #titans fanfic #titans fanfiction #caving in

[so-long-soldier-writes]

His for Eternity

kai parker x reader | requested 

summary: alaric steals a gemini grimoire, summoning you and kai back to mystic falls. trying to get it back proves to be a challenge with a risk kai’s not willing to take. | heretic!kai x witch!reader

tags: hurt / comfort, smut, violence / blood, blood drinking, kidnapping / minor torture, eventual smut, blowjobs, vaginal sex, dom!kai but also soft!kai

word count: ~8.2k (lmao whoops)

a/n: I’m not sure if this is yandere enough, bc come to find I struggle with writing yandere for some reason. also, i am so sorry it took me forever to write & edit. but it was very fun to write :) i hope this finds the person who requested it, and i hope you like it!

“I don’t like being back here,” you mutter to your boyfriend, whilst stealing a fry off his plate. “We’re supposed to be on the run from these people, not strolling back into their town.”

“I know, but I just need that book back, and then we’ll be out before they even know we were here,” he whispers. 

You glance around the room, unconvinced. 

“I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you, princess.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about. You’re the one that Damon wants dead.”

“Let him try. In case he forgot, I’m a heretic now.”

“Trust me when I said he’s probably thought of a way around that,” you sigh. “Kai, is it really that important? I can’t live without you.”

“It’s not that it’s important, but it’s the fact that Alaric is the one that stole it. The only reasons he would go all the way to Portland just to steal one of my father’s grimoires is if he’s trying to bring Jo back, or if those twins survived somehow. I can’t have him stealing centuries worth of Gemini knowledge that could possibly take me down.”

You hate it, but know he’s right. Kai is the leader of a nearly extinct coven, but he is still the leader. If Alaric has access to any of the grimoires, he could do some serious damage. 

“Okay. I understand. What do you need me to do?”

He pops a fry into his mouth. “Sit tight and let me do all the dangerous stuff.”

“Kai.”

His teeth clench. He hates putting you in harm’s way. 

“Fine. If you could do a locator’s spell on the book. That would help.”

“Okay,” you give a small smile, “let’s go find this missing grimoire, shall we?”

Cloaked under a simple spell, the two of you make your way back to the motel just outside of town where you planned to stay for the duration of this trip. Kai hated the idea of staying in a motel, but you knew it would be the least conspicuous place to be in case anyone caught wind of your return.

Ever since the night of the wedding - aka the night of Jo’s death, aka the night Kai turned, aka the night Elena was cursed - the two of you have been on the run. It was a horrible day for you, having to watch the sister of the man you loved get married, while he was rotting away in another prison world. But then, right before her vows, he came back. In the blink of an eye, the wedding was turned upside down. Gentle cries turned to begs for mercy, but of course, none received it. They didn’t deserve it. You smiled as the members of the Gemini Coven died off one-by-one. You remember spitting in Joshua’s face when he pleaded for his life. 

Right after, you watched your boyfriend drink his father’s own blood to become immortal. You kissed him hard, then, and felt the blood of his enemies seep from his suit to your dress, seemingly binding you for eternity. The last thing Joshua saw were his two greatest regrets coming back together as one. There was nothing he could do to stop you. 

But despite Kai’s success in killing his coven, he almost died in the process. Well, almost died twice. He did die on purpose once to turn himself into a heretic - a species you didn’t know existed until Kai came back to life, craving blood. (When he initially stabbed himself, you let out a blood curdling scream that turned heads towards you. You had never felt more relieved than when he woke up, and he apologized profusely for scaring you.) Though after Damon learned of his payback curse on Elena, the older vampire almost took him out for good. A blood boiling spell muttered from your lips gave Kai just enough time to escape the man, and the two of you bolted from the massive crime scene. 

Since then, you and Kai have been exploring together. Damon nor Bonnie ever came after you, and they instead stayed in Mystic Falls, for reasons you don’t know, nor care to know. Alaric, on the other hand, is the one stirring the pot. And now, his actions have consequences, because Kai is back and determined to take what rightfully belongs to him. 

“Got a location.”

Your boyfriend finally stops pacing the room to look at the map. “I’m going.”

“Wait, Kai! Shouldn’t we, like, have a plan or something?”

“I do. Break in, take it, sneak out. He’ll never know.”

“Unless he’s there, wherever this is, right now.”

Kai hesitates. 

“Let me be a distraction.”

“No.”

“Let me cause a distraction.”

He stares at you. 

“What other options are there? None. I’ll just juju up something outside of the location and he’ll wonder what it is, giving you a little bit of time. He won’t even see me, just a cloud of dust.”

“Can you do that from here?”

“Well no, I have to be somewhat in the proximity.”

“Then no.”

“You’re not doing this without me. I’ll cloak myself.”

“And if you get distracted, you’ll be out in the open for anyone to see.”

“I won’t get distracted.”

“Princess,” he gives you a look that already tells you you’re not winning this argument, “you’re staying.”

“Then you better come back. Unharmed.”

“I promise. Just a quick in and out.”

“Be back in an hour or I will come looking for you.”

“Two.”

“No.”

“Fine. One hour. Don’t leave this room.”

“Be safe, Kai.”

◇◇◇◇

In one hour, he does come back. But not as he promised. 

Kai takes a deep breath before unlocking the motel door. He knows you’ll immediately sense something went wrong, even though the gash on his forehead has healed. Besides, he didn’t even get the stupid grimoire. 

“It’s me, princess,” he announces as he opens the door. 

You hurry over to him quickly. “Did everything go alright? Did you get the book?” You pause, noticing the signs: sweat beading on his forehead, a racing pulse. “Kai, what happened?”

“I didn’t get the book.”

“What. Happened?”

“The book is in Ric’s house,” he says slowly. “Unfortunately, so was Ric.” You sigh, full of worry, but he’s not finished. “And so was Damon.”

“You ran into Damon?!”

“And Bonnie.”

“Kai! Baby, you told me you wouldn’t get hurt! This shouldn’t’ve happened! Now they’re gonna come for you, angrier than ever. We should’ve never come back; we should’ve just-”

“I know, I know. Y/N, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for putting you in harm’s way, I’m sorry for-”

“Never mind that, are you hurt? Did they get to you, or just…?”

He hesitated for too long and you know that’s a yes.

“Where?”

“Damon plus a lamp, which he threw at my head. Then Bonnie held me down with magic when I was down and he decided his fist was a better weapon. Luckily something distracted us all long enough for me to escape.”

You take his head in your hands gently, kissing the spot where he got hit. It’s completely healed, yet you can tell exactly where it happened. 

“But as shitty as this is, I did learn something useful.”

“What?”

“The twins survived.”

“What?! Jo’s? How?”

“I have no idea, but in the midst of my screaming and their yelling, I heard a baby cry.”

“So what now? Are you gonna…”

“I don’t know. But something tells me Ric stole that book because those kids are producing magic that he doesn’t know how to control.” Kai then laughs, “you should’ve seen the look on their faces when that happened. I swear the blood drained from Ric’s face, it was priceless!” 

You try to laugh, but you’re too worried about the situation. Kai senses this and gives you a kiss on your cheek. 

“I’m okay, princess. It’s going to be okay. I should’ve listened to you about the plan.” 

“Just… can we stay here for the rest of the night?”

The clock reads seven. 

“I-,” he looks at your face, and knows he can’t say ‘no’ to it. Besides, he gave you a hell of a scare earlier and you deserve the comfort. “Alright.” His heart flutters when a huge smile takes over your face. You make grabby hands towards him, coaxing him to come next to you on the bed. 

“Thank you,” you mutter, successfully getting him to cuddle with you. You bury your face in his chest, arms wrapped around his waist, and a leg hooked with one of his. He couldn’t escape your grasp even if he wanted to. 

“I love you, princess.” He melts into your hold, eyes fluttering with exhaustion. 

“I love you, too.”

◇◇◇◇

“So Kai is back,” Damon slouches onto the couch, sighing deeply. 

“And back with a vengeance,” Ric sits opposite of him.

“Yeah, and he found out about the twins.”

“I know… there was nothing I could do, Bonnie. I’m cursing myself by the minute.”

“Do you think his girlfriend is here, too?”

“Definitely. He probably made her stay wherever they’re hiding out.”

“Unless she ditched him like a smart person would.”

“You didn’t see them at the wedding, Bon,” Damon, who witnessed the whole thing, sighs, “she would do anything for him.”

“What do you think made him come back?”

“That might be my fault,” Ric admits, raising a hand. 

“What did you do?”

“I may have gone to Portland and stolen a grimoire.”

“You did what?!” The witch stares at him. 

“I’m raising two Gemini twins without any living, sane, relatives, and I have no idea what I’m doing! I want to be prepared for when they start producing magic.”

“So you stole a grimoire from one of the most powerful covens in history?!”

“They’re all dead! What are they gonna do with them?!”

“Dead or not, Kai is still their leader. He can sense when a grimoire leaves its resting place. You put your daughters and all of us in danger.”

“I didn’t know that! Maybe if my Gemini born wife was still alive, I would. Oh wait, Kai killed her!”

“Alright, enough of the yelling,” Damon shushes, “we’ve already woken up Ric’s kids with it once.” He smirks in a way that’s playful, yet everyone knows it’s a jab.

“Man, if you don’t shut the fuck up, I will-”

“Where did you put the grimoire, Alaric? Maybe if we give it back, he will leave.”

“No! I’m using it. Kai doesn’t need it, he’s not raising kids. I-”

“It’s his family’s property.”

“And he hated his family.”

“But it’s still a powerful book that can be used as a weapon. So hatred aside, he will fight to get it back.”

“I-”

“If you don’t return it, you’re putting yourself, your daughters, Caroline’s, ours, the whole of Mystic Falls' lives in danger. He will kill anyone to stay in power, was the wedding not enough proof of that?! If you have a book that teaches you to raise Geminis, they will live long enough to see their twenty-second birthdays, and take his place. If you want your kids to survive, give that grimoire back right now and figure it out yourself.”

“Bonnie, I can’t have two magical kids running around the town untaught.”

“You’re making a huge mistake.”

“Hold on,” Damon interrupts again, “I have a plan. What if we just kill Kai?”

“He’s a heretic now. He can’t be killed.”

“Please, we said the same thing about the originals. There’s always something that’ll kill ‘em. Kai’s a normal vampire, just stake him in the heart. Done.”

“He’s a heretic, Damon,” Bonnie reiterates, “he’s got the advantage of magic.”

“Then we’ll kill Y/N.”

“She’s immortal. And a witch.”

“Something’s got to kill her.”

“Not something that we know of.”

“Then we’ll hurt her. Scare Kai out of Mystic Falls. She will only be freed once he promises to leave.”

“That sounds like playing with fire, Damon.”

“And yet, it’s our best plan.” He looks at Ric, then Bonnie. 

“Whatever, I’m in. Bonnie?”

The witch thinks about it. She doesn’t like the idea of hurting a female witch - she should be trying to make an ally out of you. 

“C’mon, Bonnie,” Damon urges, “he cursed Elena. Killed Jo. She stood by and let it all this happen. She’s just as guilty. Deserves every bit of this.”

“Okay. I’m in.”

◇◇◇◇

“‘Kay, we need a new plan for getting that grimoire back,” you say, grabbing a pen and a piece of paper.  Kai watches you from the edge of the bed in admiration.  “And since people know we’re here, it has to be good.”

“I’m still against any plan that could put you in harm’s way.”

“I know. Which is why I can cloak myself and draw out Ric, while you sneak back into his house. Similar to my first plan, but this one also involves a second distraction. Happening in the square, I’m going to spell up something gnarly that will for sure keep Bamon’s attention long enough for you to get in and get out.”

“Bamon?”

“It’s so much easier than saying ‘Bonnie and Damon’.”

He grins. “And you’ll be sure they won’t see you?”

“As long as everything goes according to plan, yes.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“I’ll bring a vervain grenade and toss it at them?” You suggest. 

“Not good enough, Y/N.”

“I’ll think of something. I promise.”

He sighs unhappily. “I’ll be fast.”

“I know you will.”

Unfortunately, the trio think of something, too. Unbeknownst to you, Bonnie’s done a locator spell, and is tracking your exact location. You successfully set up your traps before she finished it, but they know you’re in the town’s square. Kai is cloaked, so they don’t see him, and Bonnie can’t track two people at once, but they have a sneaking suspicion about where he is. They must act fast if they are to exact their revenge. 

Despite it still being the earlier hours of the morning, there’s a number of people in the square. Runners, mostly, and a few couples sipping coffee. Big enough of a crowd to cause a panic if something were to scare them. You mutter a fire spell onto the fountain, taking extra energy to put the two opposing elements into combat. People start to gasp and stare as the fire engulfs it, yet the water doesn’t give. In a matter of seconds, a child’s scream sets off the rest of her company. 

Once it causes a big enough scene, you duck from your hidden position and make off to Ric’s house. Even if Damon doesn’t care about the townspeople, some riled up screams will have him at least checking out what happened. And then Bonnie will get involved, probably talking about the situation with Caroline, so you expect to have at least a minute to distract Ric. 

Your plan for Ric is to conjure up a faceless shadow-y figure. You make it move and wave at him with your own body, cloaked from sight. Whether or not he thinks it’s a threat, he’ll at least be confused enough to take a closer look.

As soon as he sees it, he rushes towards it, shouting for it to stay away from his kids. Not the reaction you really expected, but one you’ll gladly take. You stand still, but step back when he starts getting close. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Kai sneak into his house behind him. 

But then everything goes wrong. 

The next time you step back, you bump into something large. You furrow your eyebrows and try again, a little to the left, but the wall is still there. You didn’t think you had moved that far; you were standing in the middle of the street. Alaric comes closer to you - too close - and you have to breathe deeply to not panic. Then, you feel magic fighting against your own. Distracted by Ric, you feel yourself weakened against your will. Ric’s grimace turns to a smirk when he realizes it’s just you behind the shadow. As fast as you can, you try to conjure up something new, but then a pair of hands grab your shoulders. 

“Yeah, no more of that. Good try though.” Damon. Dammit. “Where’s Kai?”

You say nothing. 

“Let’s try that again. Where is Kai?”

You stand as still as a statue, giving nothing, saying nothing. 

“Alright, we’ll find him ourselves. Bonnie?”

Immediately, the witch binds your wrists with a spell. You could have fought her off, but you were taken off guard. Ric then throws a bag over your head, before Damon slings you over his shoulder and races off. 

The sound of the back door slamming alerts Ric and Bonnie, and then dash into his house without a second thought. Ric nearly trips up the stairs to check on his kids, while Bonnie searches for where Ric said he hid the Gemini grimoire. One sighs in relief while the other is filled with dread. 

“The girls are okay,” says the relieved one. 

“The book is gone,” she says at the same time. 

For a second, they just stand there, evaluating how bad their mistake was to let Kai get a hold of the book again. As much as Bonnie just wanted to give it back, now he’s going to want revenge on Ric for taking it in the first place. And as soon as he realizes they’ve kidnapped his girl, too, she can tell things are only going to get uglier. 

“Okay, well, the important thing is that the girls are safe.”

Ric nods, “god, but what if he saw them? What if they saw him?”

“I don’t know, but he didn’t hurt them, so that’s all that matters.”

“I need that book back. I need to know how to raise them as Jo would’ve wanted me to. As her coven would’ve.”

“You mean raising them to kill each other in twenty years?”

“Not that,” Ric grimaces, “but training them to control their magic.”

Bonnie understands, but she also knows if Ric had that book any longer, the twins would not have survived today’s encounter with Kai. She decides not to say this, though, and focuses on the new bigger issue. “We need to find Damon. Kai will be after him soon.”

◇◇◇◇

Kai reaches the tree lining where you said you’d be. When you’re not there, he panics immediately. He rushes around the area, calls for you, but has no luck. Something went wrong, like he knew it would. Someone hurt you. Or worse, someone is currently hurting you. Anxiety bubbles in his stomach, threatening to make him sick. He curses, hitting himself repeatedly, and as hard as he can.

Suddenly, he feels your soft hand on his face, stroking his cheek. Shhh, you whisper, you’re okay.

He looks up, but you’re not there. Anger turns to sadness. Tears form in the corners of his eyes, spilling quickly. Even in your absence, you’re there for him. You never let him hurt himself. 

But now someone’s hurting you. And he’s going to make them pay. 

◇◇◇◇

It’s like a flip switches in his brain. You’ve softened him, made him vulnerable to emotions, unafraid to let himself feel. But the minute you’re gone - worse, in danger - the flip turns on and he recognizes his old behavior is out to play. What kept him alive; what sacrificed his sanity for survival. 

He wastes no time getting back to the hotel to do a locator’s spell. Sure, your kidnapper (Damon, probably) has you cloaked somehow, but his coven had ways around tricks like that. In fact, when he was trapped in 1994, he was there with all of the coven’s old grimoires, and could finally read them. You would let him siphon and help him practice the magic he was never taught. Then, in 2013, when the two of you were running from Mystic Falls, you stopped at his old house. All the grimoires you couldn’t access before, Kai now could as the leader. You did the same as you did in the prison world, now learning even more powerful spells. (The two of you would joke that Joshua Parker was yelling up at you from hell whenever you’d let him siphon. The whole reason he sent you to Kai’s prison world when you showed sympathy for the boy is so that he’d hunt you down for your magic and siphon you to death, over and over. Never did he expect the two of you to fall in love and become more powerful than he could ever imagine.)

The memory makes him smile, but also fuels his rage. He needs to find you. Kai spills a small vial of your blood to track you. You both have one of each others’ in case of emergency. A revelation spell and a locator spell at the same time is tough magic, but he is more than capable. It takes longer than he’d like; the revelation spell eats away at the captor’s magic so that a location can be found. If the captor senses their spell weakening, they can fight it. Kai can sense Bonnie’s attempts, but she is no match for an angry, sociopathic, powerful, coven leader who’s looking for the only person he’s ever loved. His eyes darken when the blood moves across the paper, signaling the spot where you’re being kept. He tucks a knife into his boot strap, just in case, before heading out with a vengeance. 

“Kai broke the cloaking spell. I don’t know how, but he’ll be here soon, I’m guessing.”

“How on earth could he have done that?” Damon throws his hands up, “I’ve barely gotten to do anything with her.”

“His magic is strong. He must know a spell that I don’t.”

“Coven spell, no doubt. If only you were part of the less useful coven, we’d be in the clear.”

“Let’s not ruin our half-working team-up with your bitchy comments. And don’t forget who’s saved your ass more times than you could probably count,” Bonnie snarks back. 

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry. Now, can we go back to torturing Y/N for all the shit she let happen to Elena? If Kai’s getting here soon, I need to get in a couple more punches.”

“Fine. I’ll be down in a second.”

Damon retreats to the dungeons immediately, while Bonnie texts Ric to make sure he’s at home. Last thing they need is for Kai to have a second chance at those twins because their father is feeling bloodthirsty. When he responds, she goes down to give you her own two cents. 

◇◇◇◇

It’s not long after that Kai reaches the Salvatore Boarding House. His stomach churns at the sight of it. He tests the entryway, but walks in with no give, letting him explore the seemingly uninhabited house. That, or they’re hiding somewhere. If the Salvatore house has a secret basement, Kai’s about to find out. He treads lightly, not wanting to let anyone know he’s there, and listening for anything that might be you. It’s eerie. There’s no screaming, no yelling, and no fighting. Almost like you’re gone. Like they found a way to… no, he can’t think like that. You’re alive. You’re just saving your strength. You’re immortal; they can’t kill you. Kai repeats this over and over in his head. Then, when he listens harder, he finally picks something up. The faintest rustling of chains far below catch his ear. He stiffens, then races around the top floor to find the basement door. 

At the sound of a vampire up ahead, Damon goes to confront it. His jaw tenses when he’s faced with Kai once more. 

“You,” he spits. 

“That all you can come up with, Damon? I thought in two years, you’d be able to come up with something better.”

“You’re not the one doing the talking here, I am.”

“Great. Good for you. Where’s Y/N?”

The man only smirks. 

“If you hurt her, I swear I’ll fucking kill you.”

“What’s this? Kai Parker showing affection? Nah. You said it yourself - you’re not capable of feeling those emotions.” Before Kai can answer, he continues. “Me, on the other hand, I am. And you’ve put my girlfriend in a coma and I can’t see her. So you’ll never see Y/N again if you don’t-”

“What? Bring her back? I already told you I can’t.”

“Leave.”

“What?”

“Leave town if you ever want to see her again. I never, ever want you in Mystic Falls again.”

“I’m not going anywhere without her.”

“Fine. Leave, and in two days’ time, I’ll drop her off outside the town border. You can come get her there and fuck off to wherever you want.”

“You’ve got to be crazy if you think I’d leave her with you. Where is she?”

“Somewhere safe.”

“Yeah, I doubt that.”

A new voice enters the room, “just promise you’ll leave, Kai. We’ll give her to you now if you promise you’ll never come back.”

“You guys act like I even want to be here. I don’t. We only came back because Alaric stole my family’s property. If your idiot friend had a couple more brain cells, none of this wouldn’t’ve happened.”

“Like I’m supposed to believe that. You were just bored,” Damon strikes back. 

“Actually, I was enjoying my time away from you people. And I didn’t want Y/N anywhere near you guys, either. But she wouldn’t let me come back alone, and I needed that book.” Kai shrugs. “Well, I’ve got the book. Give me my girl, and I will never bother you again.”

“Y’know what’s funny?”

Kai sighs with a roll of the eyes, not wanting to know, but knowing Damon will tell him anyway. 

“I want my girl, too. Yet you’ve put her in a magical coma.”

“Just my revenge for you crossing me. Which, by the way, I thought would be enough of a lesson for you to not do it again, Clearly, I’ve been mistaken.” He cocks his head. “Does BonBon here need a magical nap, too? Or maybe one of those twins that seem to have survived?”

“Do not touch those girls!” Bonnie snaps, taking a step forward. 

“Ooh, I’ve hit a nerve! Yeah, um, that could totally happen. Or I could just kill them. Children are weak. They can barely defend themselves. Trust me, I would know.” The woman is fuming, which is only encouraging Kai. “Especially now that I’m a heretic. They wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Alright, enough! Just get out.”

“I’ll be on my way shortly. Point me to your secret dungeon, will you?”

With the twins’ lives on the line, Damon knows he shouldn’t push Kai any further. Ric would never forgive him if something happened to them. Which is saying something, because Ric has forgiven Damon repeatedly for his shitty actions. However, that doesn’t mean Damon can’t taunt Kai about the shit he’s put you through in the span of just a couple hours. 

“I’ll bring you to her, but I understand if you’d want to leave her behind. She isn’t very pretty anymore.”

The threat has Kai’s heart racing. His comedic chat with the pair is officially over, and he’s now dead set on getting you out of wherever he’s keeping you. He’s down the stairs and yelling for you as soon as Damon opens the basement door. “Y/N? Are you down here?”

Another small rattle of chains is heard in the darkness. He flips on a light, and finally sees you at the end of the hallway. 

“Oh my god.” He races towards you, choking back a sob at your mangled state. Your hands, bound in chains above your head. Your exposed neck, bleeding from a bite wound, with blood seeping down your shirt. Your hair is matted and eyes are heavy. It takes you a second to recognize him. 

At first, you flinch, thinking the person beside you is your captor. “Don’t,” you mutter. 

Kai’s heart shatters. “It’s me, princess.”

Instantly, your demeanor changes. Your head lifts so you can look him in the eyes. “Kai?”

He puts his hands on your face. “Yes, baby, I’m here. I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.” He leans in to give you a quick kiss, but then pulls away to break the chains holding you still.

You reach for him the minute your hands are free, and immediately begin to sob. “You found me,” you repeat over and over, “how did you find me?”

“Couple spells. I’m sorry they took so long. Fuck, here, sit up.” 

As soon as you do, he bites his wrist and feeds you his blood. You drink willingly and feel yourself already starting to heal. 

“Awww, how touching. Kai’s learned how to show love.”

“Damon, get the hell out of here,” the man warns, already pissed. 

“This is my house. You get out.”

“She needs a moment to heal first. Since you hurt her!” 

The switch is turning back off, you can see it in Kai’s eyes. Not his humanity switch - he doesn’t even need that one - but something much more dangerous. 

“Kai,” you start to warn, just wanting to leave. 

Damon eggs him on, “oh please, it was deserved. Actually, she deserved a lot more, considering how she’s defended you through all the fucked up shit you’ve done.”

“Just let us go, Damon. We won’t come back,” you try to argue. 

“Yeah, that’s the plan. Except, I like my original plan over Bonnie’s. Kai, you leave, and in two days’ time, I’ll deliver her back to you. Because I haven’t quite gotten my revenge, and I need to take my anger out on someone.”

“There’s no way in hell that that’s happening.”

“Then I could just lock you both up. That would work.”

“You’re not getting either of us,” he insists. He throws one of your arms around his shoulders and begins to guide you out the door. You stumble a little from the way your heels were slightly off the ground in the way you were bound. 

Damon blocks the door. “Nice try.”

“Get out of the way, Damon.”

“Fine. Your funeral.”

Kai’s not sure what he means, but he doesn’t really care. He helps you up the stairs and towards the door. 

Unfortunately, the main exit is blocked by three huge men. When Kai makes an attempt to get close, they hiss at him, veins in their face turning purple. 

“Oh yeah. Like my little surprise?”

“What is this?” Kai asks through clenched teeth.

“Just an extra challenge for you to fight your way through. See, you could leave without her, and not have to fight three massive vampires compelled to kill you, or you could die at their hands trying to save a girl. Imagine that,” Damon snorts. Kai then realizes Bonnie has joined his side. “Big Bad Malachai Parker dies in the Salvatore house in an attempt to save a girl. That would be quite the headline, I can see it already.”

“What happened to the days you used to kill for sport?” Bonnie pipes up. 

“I would never hurt her, you idiots should know that by now. We’ve been through hell together. She would never abandon me, and I sure as hell won’t abandon her.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember your love story. Five years in the prison world together because she just had to piss off Joshua Parker. Was it worth it, Y/N? Talking back to his dear old daddy and getting stuck in the same hell? Because I wouldn’t be surprised if you secretly hate Kai for all the shit he’s pulled.”

Despite your abused state, you manage to straighten your posture to look him in the eye. “It was worth every second, Damon. I love Kai, and I would do it again and again to be with him.”

“That’s some blind devotion, I’d say.”

“Well what’s the difference between us and you and Elena? You both are a complete menace to the world, and yet continue to think your relationship is more valuable than anyone else’s life. I’d think you would agree with me, Bonnie.”

The girl hesitates to answer. Damon snaps, “don’t listen to her bullshit, Bonnie. She knows what to say to make you doubt yourself. Remember the wedding. Remember Elena. Your best friend, comatose, in a coffin. You’ll never see her again.” He smirks as he sees his manipulation working. “Go ahead, BonBon, show her she’s no match for your power. Do it for Elena. Do it for revenge.”

Revenge is the only word she needed to hear to suddenly fire a spell at you. It hits you square in the chest, knocking you off balance. Kai loses his grip on your shoulder at the unexpected move, and in that moment, Damon grabs you. His teeth threaten your neck on the side he’s not yet bitten. Any more blood loss and you might end up in a temporary coma. 

Kai’s eyes darken in pure rage and he shoots his own spell at Bonnie. It stuns her only for a second, but it’s long enough for him to push Damon off of you. You stumble out of the way as they tussle on the ground, both throwing punches like young boys rather than vampires. The method keeps Kai on top, though, more used to fighting this way. In one of his punches, Damon grabs his arm and bites down, but your boyfriend has become blind to pain and doesn’t even react. He pulls a knife from his bootstrap and doesn’t hesitate to plunge it into the man’s stomach. Damon releases a guttural scream of pain, seemingly waking Bonnie from a trance.

When she regains her bearings, she positions a spell to shoot at you. “Phasmatos I-”

Kai leaps up at the first syllable and attacks her. A punch hard enough to blacken the eye lands on her face. He then gains control of her head, locking it in his arm, while exposing her neck. “One more word,” he breathes heavily, out of breath, “and you’re dead.” He nips her skin, drawing a small bit of blood as a warning. 

“Kai,” Damon groans from the floor. “Don’t touch her.”

“You fucking hurt my girl. I told you not to do that.”

Under his grip, Bonnie sweats in fear. She holds back a whine.

Across from him, you hold onto the bookshelf to keep yourself on your feet. “Kai, don’t,” you mutter, coughing. 

He looks up at you, expressionless. “If I don’t hurt them, they’ll hurt you again.”

You look at Damon, rolling on the floor in pain. “I think they’ve learned their lesson this time. C’mon, baby, we have a chance to escape.”

“Princess, they need to pay for what they did to you.”

“And they are. Kai, you’ve beaten them. Beaten them at their own game. They thought they could take me from you? Wrong. Thought they could convince you to leave me? Wrong. Thought they could overpower us? Also wrong. We’re two of the strongest beings on this earth; they’re like ants compared to us. So let’s show them they can’t stop us, can’t control us, and get the fuck out of here. Let them wallow in their misery that you beat them not once, not twice, but three times. And let them think about how you protected me the entire time, despite whatever they think about me, or you, or our love. How’s that sound?”

Kai’s softened by your words, but his grip on Bonnie doesn’t let up. You smile at him, encouraging him to leave with you. Then, with a deep breath, he drops the witch to the ground and races towards the vampires guarding the door. Adrenaline rushes through him, making him able to kill them one-by-one with almost no fight. Their attempts to defend themselves are feeble and pointless. He strikes at their bodies, feeds on their blood, and throws them to the floor. 

When the last is bleeding out on the Salvatores’ expensive carpet, he finally looks up. Your boyfriend’s covered in blood and his eyes are black with rage, but you feel no fear. Instead, you rush towards him and collapse in his arms. The blood from his clothes drenches your own, and you smile at the parallel. 

“Kai,” you mutter.

“Yes, princess?”

“It’s just like the wedding. You, fighting for us. Me, so, so proud of you. Us, bound together in blood.” You pull away to kiss him deeply. “I love you so fucking much.”

“I love you, too, baby. Let me get you to safety, okay?”

You nod and let him pick you up bridal style. The last thing you see before he races off is the entryway, decorated in blood and fallen bodies. You lock eyes with both Bonnie and Damon, their faces full of anger and defeat. A smirk forms on your lips, and then you’re gone. 

◇◇◇◇

It’s nearly two days later that you wake up, your body exhausted from everything that happened. Your capabilities as an immortal witch unfortunately don’t include vampire-quick healing, so after Damon’s tricks and torture, you needed time to recover. 

Kai’s right there beside you, though, when you do open your eyes. He’s perched on a chair, watching you intently, with his knee bouncing at a rapid pace. The moment you come to your senses, he leans forward to cup your face in his hands. 

“Princess? How are you feeling?”

It takes you a second to reply, but after a yawn, you smile up at him. “Good. Nap was much needed. How long was I out?”

“Almost two days.”

“What?! Are we still in Mystic Falls? Has anyone come looking for us?”

“Shhh, it’s okay. Take a deep breath. Yes, we’re still here, but no, no one’s come. We’re safe.”

You listen to him and calm down a little, but your mind is still racing. “But isn’t Ric going to come for you? Or Damon? Or-?”

“No, baby, I think you scared them off,” he smirks, “reminding them that we’re two of the most powerful beings? That letting them live is a mercy? They won’t be bothering us anytime soon.”

“Well it’s the truth,” you relax, “you could’ve easily killed them, Kai. I’m proud of you that you didn’t.”

“I would have if you didn’t convince me otherwise,” he admits. 

“Don’t beat yourself up for it. I can see your improvements.”

The words are touching to him. So badly does he want to be good for you; more in control of his rage and less likely to make choices without thinking about them. You started encouraging the healthy behavior when you started dating, and have helped him with it ever since. The wedding was an exception of rightful anger, though. The Mystic Falls’ gang’s betrayal was severe, and you couldn’t blame your boyfriend for his outburst. But in smaller situations where a better option is available, Kai’s learning to take it instead of the more vicious route. 

“I, um, I was worried there for a second, Y/N.” You sit up straighter on the bed to give him your full attention. He licks his lips before continuing. “When I got to the house, it was completely silent. I was afraid they’d… I don’t know, found a way to, y’know… or hurt you so badly that you couldn’t get out, or escape, or…” 

“Hey, hey, baby, come here,” taking his hand, you guide him into the bed. He curls up beside you, head on your chest. “There’s no amount of hurt they could’ve done to me that you wouldn’t’ve been able to undo. Like I told them, they only got us because they caught me by surprise. But when it comes down to it, we will always win.” You run a hand through his hair and feel him relax. “This is why it was so quiet, Kai. I knew you’d find me, and I knew you’d give ‘em hell. Was just saving my strength so I could help in the end. That’s all.”

He presses a feather-light kiss to the exposed part of your chest. “Thank you for believing in me.”

“I always will. I trust you with my life, because I am yours.” Despite your boop on his nose, you hope to rile him up with the words. 

A moment later, he shifts. “Say that again.”

“I am yours, Kai.”

He swallows audibly hard. For a second, it’s silent, and you wonder what’s going through his head. Right when you open your mouth to speak, he jumps up to straddle your waist. 

“Hi,” you say, surprised. You can’t hold back the giggle, nor the blush, at seeing him on top of you. 

“Hi, princess.” Lips attach to your collarbone, kissing along it. A fluttering feeling begs for more and you dig your hands into his hair. He picks up on your needs immediately. Hands grip your sides as he starts to suck the skin until it’s purple. You buck your hips up into his, rolling your eyes in pleasure when he lets out a moan. Finally then does he kiss your lips. With a hunger, he kisses you deeply. He bites your lower lip and tastes the blood produced from it. 

“Kai!” You giggle.

He smiles down at you, a drop of your blood on his mouth. You swipe your finger along it, then let him suck it off. The fluttering grows, and your heart is thumping out of your chest. 

“I need you, Kai.”

He teases, “what was that?”

“I said I need you.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t hear you over your giggling, baby girl. What did you say?”

“Malachai! I need you to fuck me!”

His eyes darken and jaw tenses. You know you got to him. Whether it was the full name or the language you used, you’re not sure, but there’s no going back now. 

You breathe deeply as he moves his hand from your waist to your mouth, maintaining eye contact the whole time. He slips two fingers past your lips and nods for you to suck, then dips his fingers below your panties, finding your clit. Your eyes roll back in your head at the feeling, and you buck your hips again for more. 

“Who do you belong to, princess?”

“You.”

“Good girl.”

In one fell swoop, he uses his vampire speed to undress you. 

“C-can I?” You stutter, grabbing at his shirt. 

He nods. You waste no time pulling it over his head, then fumbling with his belt. Kai lets you shrug his pants down as far as you can, before he kicks them off himself and sends them to the floor. You make a grab for his visible bulge next, but miss as he sinks his body down onto yours, grinding into your leg. A quiet moan soon becomes vulgarly loud when he licks a stripe up from your navel to your breasts. In a frenzy to hold onto something, your hands find his hair again, fingers digging deep. He teases your nipples with his tongue, always loving the way they bounce. He does this every time you have sex, but you’re not complaining. His mouth upon your soft skin is a heavenly feeling. It relaxes both of you. 

But this isn’t the time for relaxing. You need him to fuck you. 

After a minute, you take charge. You suddenly flip him over so you’re on top, then waste no time stripping him of his boxers. As soon as he realizes what’s happening, Kai tries to fight. He tries to gain control again, but fails when you grab his cock in your hands. You spit on it and watch his head fall back on the pillow. Your victory is cut short when he sees the smirk on your lips. 

“I thought I owned you, princess.”

“I thought you did, too. But it was pretty easy to take over,” you challenge. 

“You’re playing with fire.”

“Come on, put me in my place, then.” 

You put your mouth on him the second he tries to sit up. 

“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath. 

Kai is rendered unable to fight you with your mouth around his cock. You start at the tip, teasing and sucking the slit, before taking him a little deeper each try. With one hand, you’re holding him down, while the other tugs on his balls. Used to his size, you only gag the first time that you take him fully. He moans every time your tongue runs along the thick vein on his underside, or whenever his head hits the back of your throat. 

It isn’t long before you can tell he’s close. Small tears escape the sides of his eyes and he’s a blubbering, begging mess. You debate making him wait to cum - making him fuck you first - but then his cock twitches and you know he’s not going to last that long. Besides, he’s a heretic. He’ll be hard again in two minutes tops. 

You pull off just for a minute. “Cum for me, Kai.” Then go right back to it, humming to send him over the edge. 

The vibration moves through him at the exact time he releases, shooting down your throat. He pants heavily when he’s finished, and you can’t help but to lean forward and kiss him. 

“I’m the only one that’ll ever get to fuck you,” you whisper against his lips. “Because I’m yours. Now show me how you feel about that, hm?”

Kai doesn’t know if he’s ever been more turned on in his life. He flips you onto your back immediately and holds you down by your shoulders. His tip teases your entrance, hardening again already. 

“I’m the only one that’s ever gonna fuck you, too. You’re mine. No one can look at you. No one can touch you. You’re all mine.” He slips into you without warning, making your eyes roll back in your head. “I’m never gonna let anyone hurt you again. Never gonna be away from me. You’re not gonna be two seconds out of my sight.” He’s pounding into you, finding a rhythm quickly. “Fuck, Y/N. I fucking love you.” Every emotion is seemingly pouring out of him, and you let him say what he needs to say. You love it, and love that he’s finding an outlet in you in this moment. “You’re so fucking sexy under me, and on top, and the other day, fighting for me without hesitation. Putting them in their places, and then letting them live with the fact that they lost. And you’re so hot when you’re covered in their blood. When your eyes are dark with rage. Everything you do is hot.” 

Underneath you, the hotel bed is shaking. Kai puts his arm under your neck, stabilizing you in the off-chance it breaks. His other hand finds your clit again, rubbing how he knows you like it. You can feel him deep inside, and even see a bulge in your stomach. He takes a break in his praise, leaving the only noises to be obscene sounds of sex. 

“I love you, Y/N,” he repeats, getting sloppy. His kisses are wet and messy all over your face. He’s close again, and you are too.

“I love you, too. Kai,” you moan out, “I fucking love you. I belong to you, and I always will.”

Kai repositions his body to try and gain back control. Being close to the edge seems to give his cock a mind of its own. In the midst of this, he hits a spot that sends pleasure throughout your body. A loud moan escapes your parted lips. He’s quick to press a kiss to them, silencing you. 

“I’m the only one that gets to hear you moan,” his breath hits your face at the proximity. You’re so close. “Cum for me, princess.”

That’s all you need to lose control. Your body shakes throughout your orgasm, and you would’ve moaned again if he weren’t kissing you. Your hands grip his shoulders, the sheets, his hair, anything that you can grab in the moment. They finally land on his waist, and you sigh heavily at the feeling of his soft skin under your fingers. 

Kai cums a second later, groaning into your mouth. He keeps his cock buried inside you as he fills you up, preventing any of it from spilling. Sweat beads at his forehead. He won’t be able to keep himself upright for much longer. As soon as he finishes, he collapses beside you, panting heavily. 

You feel his cum leaking out of you, and can’t help but to swipe a fingerful into your mouth. His eyes are on you the whole time, offering you a lopsided smile. 

“You’re perfect,” he praises. 

“I love you, Kai.”

“I love you.” He turns to you. Effects of his high are still there, but you can tell his mood has changed to something softer. “You’re mine, Y/N, but you’re also your own person. Like you taught me, people are something we love, not own.”

If it’s even possible for you to fall more in love with him, you just did. “I know. But it’s why we love each other so much that we belong to each other.”

He kisses you again, completely satiated. “Princess?”

“Mhm?”

“We’ve got each other. We’ve got this stupid Gemini book. What do you say we get the fuck out of Mystic Falls for good?”

“I’d like that very much. I’ll go anywhere with you, love.”

#also i included alaric bc i felt like he'd be involved #he's always in everyone's business #especially gemini business #malachai parker x reader #kai parker x reader #kai parker smut #hurt/comfort #tvd fanfiction #i have more backstory if anyone wants #this was fun #kind of yandere kai parker #im really bad at yandere #i tried

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

I just got a juvenile mexican black kingsnake, and, against all odds, given the species, we've had trouble getting him to eat. He's not in shed (which we know because he literally just shed like a few days ago and all feeding attempts since have still been unsuccessful, though he seems hungry).

He's very active, but only at night (according to some sources I've read mbks can sometimes switch between diurnal and nocturnal behavior so I think that's probably what's going on). We've tried feeding him both at night and during the day.

Part of the problem is that he's a bit skittish, and so he often freaks out and leaves at the sight of the tongs. We've tried our best to leave him alone and make sure he has a chance to calm down and adjust, but still no dice. (We didn't start trying to feed him until a solid week after I got him. All feeding attempts have been in his enclosure).

One of my concerns is that he might not recognize the frozen thawed pinkie as food, given that the pet store we got him from only fed live to their baby snakes.

Any tips or advice for things we could try? He hasn't started to loose weight or anything yet, but he's gone twice as long without food now than I've seen recommended for an MBK his age and as a first time snake owner I'm starting to get worried.

Sorry about your problem child! It's always so stressful when a new snake doesn't want to eat.

Are you leaving the food in his enclosure for a while? It's completely fine if a snake doesn't want to eat from the tongs, and in fact probably 90% of all the kingsnakes I've ever had preferred me just putting their food down for them and then leaving the room when they were small. You can leave f/t mice in the enclosure for a few hours with no issues at all.

One upside to your situation is that there's honestly not a lot of difference between live and f/t pinkies. There's not a lot of movement going on either way, so as long as you're making sure the food is warm, he should be able to recognize it no problem.

I encourage you to think about how you can make this as easy for him as possible! You're right to try feeding when he's active (kingsnakes are active whenever they damn well please, so don't worry about the timing), but a big suggestion I have for you is to try ditching the tongs for now. If they spook him, don't use 'em - genuinely, it's gross, but it might help him if you just use your hands to sit the mouse down in his enclosure for him to find (make sure to wash your hands afterwards, obviously). There's no law that says a snake has to eat from the tongs, and drop-feeding is a lot less scary for lots of baby colubrids especially. I drop-feed most of my colubrids until they're a couple years old and gain some confidence.

You said he seems hungry, but I'm going to ask you to do a quick husbandry check-in anyway. Make sure his warm side is set to around 85 F and he's got water to drink, and ensure his enclosure feels nice and cluttered. Feeling safe will help a snake's appetite; make sure he has at least two identical hides (at least one on either side) and his enclosure doesn't feel empty. Cardboard tubes and crumpled paper towels are good, cheap clutter. It's easy to over-offer when a new snake won't eat, but also make sure you're waiting at least five days between offering - too frequent and you could spook him.

I really think that he'll probably take it for you if you ditch the tongs for now and make sure he's given plenty of time to find it left in his enclosure. Try not to worry too much - if he's not losing weight, he's okay. There's fearmongering articles out there that say baby kingsnakes can only go a week without food before they start to starve; that's nonsense. I've spoken about my buddy Ed on here before, he's also an MBK and he was seriously sick when I got him, he was just a couple months old and he still went months without eating before he got really sick (he's fine now and a phenomenal eater, don't worry!). No healthy snake is going to starve themselves, especially if you're taking care to ensure your husbandry is appropriate.

#not a rating #kingsnakes #pet snake advice #snake feeding

[xxbottlecapx]

Another idea I had for a Steve has seizures snippet

Steve gets temporary amnesia because of a seizure. After trying to ask Eddie out on a date, Eddie gets to tell Steve that they are already dating. 

Steve was going to tear a hole in the rug if he didn’t stop pacing. 

Dustin had wanted to have a party at Steve’s house to celebrate the downfall of the upside down. From what Eddie has heard, the upside down tended to refuse to stay dead. He hoped that it would make an exception to the rule just this once. Eddie wouldn’t say it, but his greatest fear was that he would have to live through it again, which kind of made him feel like a bad person considering everyone else has dealt with it at least twice, but Eddie digresses. 

Anyways, Eddie knew about Steve’s anxiety over the party; or, better put, a small get together. 

Steve couldn’t handle the general ambiance of a loud and brightly lit party anymore unless he took some serious steps to bring accommodations along, which still made him nervous. 

Even so, he harbored extreme paranoia about having a seizure in public. What if someone that knew his parents saw and alerted them? That’s what Steve had told Eddie, at least. 

Fortunately for Dustin, the teenager truly had become Steve’s Achilles heel. Case in point: the second Dustin suggested it, Steve agreed to host a “Congrats, we didn’t die!” Celebration at his house. He even took the cover off the pool and had it professionally cleaned so that the teenagers could turn it in to a pool party, despite how hard it was for him to do so (Eddie had to calm him down multiple times during the process.) 

You would think that the party or the pool would be what was currently making him pace back and forth for the better half of the hour, or maybe his fear that he would have a seizure during the party (everyone knew about them, so it’s not like they wouldn’t know how to deal with it) no, it was none of the things you would expect your neurotic demon-killing boyfriend to get nervous over. It was honestly kind of refreshing. 

Steve made Pasta Con Patate. 

It was his Nonno Otis’ favorite recipe. Steve had a large hand-made cookbook from Otis, which was one of the only reasons Steve had ever learned how to cook. 

The problem was that Steve had never been allowed to share it with anyone. His father thought cooking was a disgraceful hobby for a man, and his mother wanted nothing to do with her Italian heritage, so openly making authentic Italian dishes was out of the question. 

Eddie and Robin were the only ones that Steve has openly cooked for so far (and, for some reason, Argyle. Which made sense upon further examination seeing as he was the least intimidating person that one could cook for. You could give the man a plate filled with stale almonds and he’d genuinely enjoy it. Indisputable fact: There was no possible way to disappoint Argyle.) 

After much encouragement from both Robin (Steve’s platonic soulmate) and Eddie (Steve’s boyfriend) Steve had finally gotten the courage to openly cook for the rest of the group. 

That isn’t to say that the others have never tried Steve’s food before. It’s just that Steve usually lied to them. 

Once, Steve made cantucci for one of Eddie’s DnD campaigns but made Eddie swear to tell the party that the lady in the trailer to his left had made it. 

Eddie was completely and utterly besotted with Steve so obviously he did it, though he didn’t want to. This was a trend that, months later, has still continued. 

“Sweetheart, if you keep stressing about this, you’re gonna cause an attack.” Eddie said as he sat a bowl of cheese tid-bits in the middle of the living room table. He walked back into the kitchen to grab some popcorn. 

“I know, I need to calm down.” Steve continued walking in the hallway, turning left then right, then speeding around the couch. His footsteps made a gentle thudding sound. “But what if they don’t like it?” He rubbed his shaking hands over his face. Eddie couldn’t tell if it was a nervous thing or a muscle spasm. 

“Well, first off, they will like it.” Eddie sat down the opened container of cookies, opening the plastic lid. In the crook of his elbow he awkwardly held two bags of lukewarm popcorn. 

“Second off, I put molding hot sauce in all the Oreos, so anything you make will taste ten times better in comparison.” 

This makes Steve finally stop pacing, taking his hands off his cheeks. 

“Please tell me you didn’t do that.” He said after a second. 

Eddie didn’t look him in the eye as he continued stocking the preordained snack table. “Have I ever lied to you, Stevie?”

Steve moved his trembling hands. “Oh my god,” he sighs, “go throw those away.” He picks up a vintage pillow and attempts to hit Eddie in the back of the head, making Eddie drop half of the Oreos. 

“I’m just!” Eddie ducked, scrambling behind the couch. “I’m just being helpful! I’m supporting my darling boyfriend!” Eddie clung to the couch and placed his hand over his heartbeat, dramatically leaning back until he was almost completing a backbend. “You can’t punish me for this!” 

“Eddie! Away!” Steve threw the pillow and successfully hit Eddie in the stomach. 

Eddie sprawled himself on the clean floor, giving out an exaggerated zombie noise in defeat before grabbing the Oreos and dashing madly towards the kitchen to hide them from Steve’s wasteful eyes. 

Fortunately for Eddie’s cookies, the doorbell rang before Steve could chase him down the corridor, and it immediately sent Steve into Host Mode. 

Joyce is here first. Punctual, as always, carrying a glass tray with her. 

Everyone had been tasked with bringing food along. Eddie thought it would make Steve less nervous if his pasta wasn’t the main course. The last thing Eddie wanted to do was make Steve so stressed that he had a bad seizure. 

Despite Eddie’s wish to continue watching Steve flutter around like a nervous butterfly, Eddie takes the large dish out of Joyce’s hands and puts it on the table in the dining room. She made chocolate babka and (Eddie had been told) Will and Jonathan made matzo ball soup. 

If the list in Eddie’s head was correct, Eleven was making sweet potato waffles, Mike supposedly just bought a tin of muffins from the store, Argyle was bringing mole, Dustin made vegan pudding, Nancy was in charge of drinks, Robin was bringing hotdogs, (he’s sure Murray was bringing vodka) and Max made dandelion salad. 

Eddie didn’t have to make food since he’s the one that made all the decorations (a large “congrats, you didn’t die!” paper banner hanging from the ceiling, a bunch of paper bats taped to the walls, and he was of course in charge of the movies and music.) 

On top of the excitement, the bubbling anxiety of what might happen if Steve overworked himself sat with striking clarity in Eddie’s gut. 

⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

“Look at his cute yellow sweater vest. Isn’t he adorable?” Eddie watched as Steve argued with Dustin about whether Grease was better than Star Wars. 

Robin rolled her eyes, standing to Eddie’s side. Half the kids were already in the pool so they had both retreated to the kitchen to hopefully sneak the Oreos back on the snack table without Steve seeing. 

“That’s my sweater vest.” She said. 

Eddie nodded, hands clinging to his heart. “And I love you for it dearly, I truly do.” 

“You’re disgustingly into him.” Robin grabbed four capri suns. 

“I’m not the one actively making a wedding planner with him.” Was Eddie’s come back. It was an overwhelmingly thorough wedding planner. He should know, he helped Steve pick out his wedding dress. 

This of course sends Robin off into a rant about the normalization of platonic marriage as she cuts off the tops of the Capri suns with scissors and pours the liquid into a red solo cup. 

From the hallway, they both hear a subtle bump, followed by a heavy thud.

A second later, Dustin yells. 

“Shit, he’s seizing again!” 

Eddie is running out of the kitchen and tripping over Robin before he can even process that he’s knocked her Capri sun abomination to the floor. 

Luckily, Dustin was probably the best person for Steve to seize around. Dustin had taken to wearing a large winter coat when they hung out together so that he could use it to cushion Steve’s head. 

Despite knowing that Steve would be just fine, it was never easy for Eddie to watch his head slam back, arms shaking, eyes rolling back in his skull. 

Everyone in the party was pretty well-trained in how to help Steve through his seizures when they happened. They’ve come a long way from the first time, which was probably the most traumatic seizure Steve had ever had, simply because of how poorly everyone had dealt with it.  

It had been a focal seizure (who knew there were different kinds) and all he had done was stop moving, eyes rolling back in his skull. Everyone had assumed he was getting Vecnaed and Steve had woken up with the entire party aggressively shaking him and yelling, his favorite song blaring in Max’s headphones. Steve’s postictal confusion (Dustin had taught everyone all the proper terms) only made it worse, leading to him having a panic attack, which triggered another seizure. 

All in all, a terrible way to react. Steve had explained to them later that he was not in fact dying, he just had seizures now (since Jonathan, Eddie knew, but Steve hadn’t said it because he didn’t want to make Jonathan feel guilty.) 

Despite the fact that they were all completely okay with helping Steve through his seizures, Steve himself hated it with a passion. 

Eddie had to comfort Steve on multiple occasions because Steve would get so embarrassed that he would start crying and isolate himself, which Eddie didn’t feel comfortable with especially when Steve had just seized. 

For a while, Steve had refused to leave the house after his first seizure in front of the party. He felt such a deep shame from it that Eddie and Robin hadn’t been able to get ahold of him for a week. 

Robin eventually had the bright idea to camp in front of Steve’s front door for three days (with Eddie leaving every once in a while to get provisions) before they were able to get Steve to let them inside. 

Eddie finds Dustin in the living room, Steve shaking on the floor, having a full-blown grand mal seizure on the carpet. 

Dustin’s sweater was already under Steve’s head, but Steve was large and Dustin was obviously having trouble turning Steve on his side. Robin grabs the small stopwatch from Eddie’s pocket and starts timing it. 

Eddie takes over, letting Robin and Dustin move the snack table so Steve couldn’t ram his arms against it. 

He very gently moves Steve to his side, tilting his head to open his airway, feeling the stiff tendons in his neck. 

You weren’t supposed to hold someone down during a seizure, so though it hurt Eddie to do so, he lets Steve thrash around, grabbing pillows from the couch and placing them around him. He wipes drool from Steve’s face more so for Steve’s benefit. 

The sliding glass door laid open and Eddie could see everyone in the pool watching, but the party knew it wasn’t good to overwhelm Steve so they stayed further away. Eventually they would make their way inside to check on him once he was awake and actually able to process their presence in a positive manner. 

“Its okay, Stevie. You’re safe.” Eddie said, siting near Steve’s head. Robin and Dustin took the couch, talking softly to Steve about some board game they wanted to introduce him to. 

It takes about three minutes and twenty seven seconds for Steve’s tremors to die down, his eyes opening. 

The second Eddie feels it’s safe to, he places his hands on Steve’s head. 

“Hey darling, you had a seizure.” He explained. 

Steve squints at him, eyes blurry. Confusion was pretty common after a seizure, so Eddie doesn’t question it when Steve makes a dazed grumbling sound. 

Robin walks into the kitchen to get Steve a bottle of water and some Tylenol. 

“You’re gonna have an insane headache. You hit your head on the way down.” Dustin pipes up, not getting closer. 

“Can you talk?” Eddie whispers. 

Steve clumsily grapples with Eddie’s arm, trying to pull him closer, so Eddie helps Steve sit up and holds him to his chest. 

After a few minutes, Steve opens his mouth a few times, cuddled into Eddie’s side. 

“Who- who’ryou?” He slurs. 

Eddie lifts his eyebrows, tucking Steve’s hair behind his ear. 

“I’m Eddie.” He says. Sometimes Steve wouldn’t be able to remember things immediately after a seizure. It didn’t happen often but it happened enough for him to not be concerned about it. 

“That’s Dustin, and the one bringing you water is Robin.” 

Steve slowly moves his head, wincing, to look around at them. Eddie supports Steve’s head with the sweaty palm of his hand. 

Eventually, Steve turns back to Eddie. 

“My head hurts.” He had a heavy lisp. 

“You can take painkillers when you’re more aware. I don’t want you choking.” Eddie clarified. 

“You are-“ Steve squinted his eyes as he faced Eddie. Steve inched closer, focusing on Eddie’s features. “So pretty.” 

A baffled chuckle leaves Eddie’s lips. 

“Thank you darling.” He says kindly, and then a second later; “Why are you crying?” 

There was one small tear on Steve’s face. Eddie wipes it off. 

“I’m so sad,” Steve sloppily buried his face in Eddie’s chest. Eddie wraps his arms around him tighter. Dustin was snickering on the couch. 

“Why?” 

“Because- I can’t date you, because- I’m straight.” Steve stuttered, acting like this was the worst possible thing in the entire world. 

Now Dustin was full on cackling so hard he had to wrap his arms around his stomach. Robin was loosing it in the corner where she held the water bottle and the painkillers. 

Eddie tried to hold himself together, nodding seriously at Steve. 

“Sweetheart,” Eddie says, “you are gay.” 

“I am?” Steve squeaks, his mood changing in less than a second. “Will you go out with me?” 

Eddie couldn’t contain his smile, ducking his head to hide in his hair. 

Eddie takes a deep breath. 

“I’m your boyfriend.” He informs. 

 It takes Steve a second to process what he’s saying. 

“You are? Holy fuck.” Steve turns his head, like he’s entirely beside himself in shock. The left side of his body wasn’t moving well, so his right arm came to clutch Eddie’s shirt. 

Then Steve winces, makes another grumbling sound before resting his forehead on Eddie’s shoulder. 

In an hour, Steve would drink his water and painkillers, begrudgingly let himself get checked on by the rest of the kids, and have the entire party enthusiastically fight over who gets his leftover pasta. 

Then Eddie would give him a dramatic rendition of Steve asking Eddie out before even remembering who he is, since Steve has no memory of it. Robin will gently tease him about his terrible taste in men, and Eddie will get to successfully cuddle with his boyfriend without a post-seizure meltdown, for once.  

Sources;

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526004/#_article-28844_s1_

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postictal_state

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3175608/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anterograde_amnesia. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd%27s_paresis 

https://youtu.be/dGSf3OeZrHY

https://youtu.be/xW7Bi6DoWGk

https://youtu.be/oA1uDzKBRqI

https://youtu.be/7N74EFyEhUA

https://youtu.be/rEyr4ahlj9Y

https://www.epilepsy.com/complications-risks/moods-behavior/stress-mood-and-seizures

https://www.epilepsy.com/what-is-epilepsy/seizure-triggers/over-counter-medications

https://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/about/first-aid.htm

https://www.peacehealth.org/medical-topics/id/ty7150spec

#steve harrington #steddie #steve x eddie #eddie munson #steveddie #eddie x steve #stranger things #eddie the freak munson #stranger things s4 #steve has brain damage #steve has seizures #robin buckley #dustin henderson #medical inaccuracies #probably #tonic-clonic seizure

[allmyocsarebritish]

Love letters - outreaching part 2

Pairing: Xavier X Reader

Warnings (?): mutual pining

A whole month later I'm finally happy with how this came out :')

💌

A whole month had passed since outreach day. A whole month since Ajax set you up. A whole month since meeting Xavier Thorpe.

The entire 31 days consisted of mutual pining and ranting to the gorgon about your "unrequited" affections. This was another one of those days.

"I just don't understand why he hasn't spoken to me" you whined at your friend, hanging upside down on his bed. It was technically against the rules to be in his dorm, delinquency only heightened by the fact it was currently nine minutes after curfew, but where was the harm if you weren't caught?

"Have you actually spoken to him?" Ajax offered, trying to be supportive though his patience had begun to wear thin. Xavier had sworn him to secrecy, threatening to set all of his drawings of the Hyde upon the gorgon if he told you about his feelings (albeit the artist wasn't actually aware it was reciprocated, but Ajax, being clueless, was not one to risk it.)

"Well, no..." You responded quietly "but that's not the point!"

"I mean.. it kinda is, Y/N" Ajax offered a small, sympathetic smile. From his own experience he was well aware of how hard it was to speak to someone you regarded so highly. "Listen, if it's bothering you that badly just treat him as you would any friend. I'm sure he's wondering why you're avoiding him, you know." (He absolutely was.)

"I'm not trying to avoid him, Jax! I just have no idea what to say without seeming like an absolute bloody idiot." You groaned, dragging your palms down your face.

"If you can't speak to him," He pondered thoughtfully. "What if you wrote what you were thinking?"

"What in the Romeo and Juliet kind of bollocks-" you started, cut off by the Gorgon's finger pressing to your lips.

"He's an artist, Y/N. He's into the romantic poetry shit."

The harder you considered Ajax's proposition, the more it began to make sense. The cogs whirred into action within your brain. This plan would take a shit ton of newfound confidence, though it would be substantially easier than talking face to face. And if it ended terribly, at least you shot your shot, and wouldn't need to live in regret of what could have been.

"Alright. I'll do it - but I'll need your help so you'd better have thought this through."

-

Xavier trudged across the quad, hands in the warm pockets of his prussian blue hoodie and white wired earbuds softly playing gentle melodies. His mind was deep in thought.

Deep in thoughts of you.

You infiltrated your way into his mind, sense of humour and charismatic charm overtaking his subconscious. At first he felt lighter than air, initially confident you felt the same way, but every minute you ignored him chains of doubt weighed down on his soul. Recalling the fast friendship you made at the Weathervane still managed to bring a slight flush of warmth to his cheeks, and jokes made at the expense of Tyler pulled a smile to the corners of his lips. He shook his head to clear those unwanted thoughts, trying to avoid all memory of you, and therefore his irritating crush.

This was futile however, and even more so when you came jogging over, breathless from the exertion. Xavier blinked twice: this was something he had fantasised for so long, and he was unaware if his delirious mind was further feeding these "delusions".

"Hey, Xav. I'm really, really sorry I haven't spoken to you since outreach day, but I hope this explains it all." You cringed at the fast pace of your words, barely audible due to the rapid speed of your voice.

Xavier nodded slowly in confusion as you thrust a white envelope into his hand. It was incredibly smooth and sealed with a red heart sticker, clearly given to you by Enid. On the front of the letter in black biro was his name, but before he had a chance to peel back the seal, you interrupted him.

"Hold on, don't read it in front of me haha. I couldn't cope." Your cheeks flushed, a pink tinge dusting across them as he offered you a confused frowning smile, placing the letter into his backpack.

"Okay, well, thank you, Y/N. I can't believe you're leaving me in suspense like this."

A smile drew across his face at your giggle in response.

-

The dorm was empty when Xavier returned at the end of the day. He had been unable to concentrate in his last lesson, too intrigued and confused about the letter. Closing the door behind him, he dropped his backpack, quickly retrieving your note and finally thumbing it open.

The paper was slightly crinkled and contained a lot of faded pencil, surface clearly broken by the amount of drafts you made. The clear amounts of effort you put into a note to him sent a spark of warmth flooding through his body, and butterflies began to form.

The letter was short, only written on A5 paper and still not filling the whole page, though it was evident that each word was carefully thought out.

Xavier

I wrote a letter for fear I could never tell this to your face. The truth is that, for the first time, I really enjoyed outreach day. Not because of the Weathervane (obviously) but because of you. It was as if as soon as we started talking everything clicked into place. I really like you, and I was hoping you'd join me next time in Jericho. Who knows, maybe we could hit the Weathervane and piss off Tyler again.

Lots of love (wow that's bold)

Y/N.

-

Ajax's phone buzzed in his pocket. Drawing down the notification, he was met with full block capitals from a certain artist.

"I THINK I GOT A DATE!"

#wednesday #netflix wednesday #wednesday addams #wednesday adams x reader #wednsday addams #xavier thorpe x reader #xavier thorpe #xavier thrope fanfic #xavier thrope imagine #percy hynes white #weathervane #netflix

[lance-space-mommy]

Best Friends Make the Best Lovers

Relationships were hard. Midoriya knew that the moment he was born. His father was absent before Midoriya was old enough to form a memory he could recollect of the man. Midoriya had a bad start, to say the least. He never gave up hope when it came to his father's return, but when he had someone as kind as Masaru Bakugo in his life, Father's Day didn’t feel as empty.

When things get good, Midoriya had to be prepared to lose it all. He lost everyone as soon as things were good. It was a recurring theme. When Midoriya turned four years old and no quirk arrived when he was nearing five years old, he was diagnosed quirkless. All of his friends, the remaining family he knew, all adults who were in his life, and the Bakugo family were gone faster than his father.

Things were less than good. Despite those that bully him and treated him like the scum of the earth, he had the unconditional love of his mother. Quirklessness was seen as this contagious disease, at least that is how people spoke about quirkless people. Midoriya got used to the feeling of being avoided and he became accustomed to humiliation.

As if the world was giving him a solid, Midoriya fell in love at the prime age of thirteen. He had been on those “talk with strangers” websites where you video-called random people. After many failed attempts, someone finally came along and appeared to be the missing piece he was desperately searching for.

This mystery person's name was Hayabusa Teru. He had beautiful electric pink eyes and his hair was a cotton candy blue. He seemed so amazed by meeting a quirkless person that he didn’t think twice about exchanging numbers. After all, quirkless people were rare.

After they took their conversation elsewhere, they got to know one another more. Teru was fourteen, about 13 months older than Midoriya. Neither minded, it kept things interesting and it was expected. There was something so exciting about meeting someone near your age that seemed like a genuine person.

Teru lived about thirty minutes away from Midoriya. Midoriya figured that was the case as he put on the setting “people near me”. The two clicked instantly. They’d continue to video call, text, and occasionally hang out.

Their friendship was strong and seemed unbreakable. That lasted for half a year before they started dating. A year later while Midoriya was sitting in class, he felt his phone buzz. Opening his phone he saw no notification so he let it rest.

What Midoriya didn’t know was that Teru had blocked him on all forms of social media. Midoriya was defeated. He gave up. Not even a week later, Bakugo told him to kill himself and he got turned down by his idol. Midoriya believed things couldn’t get worse, and surprisingly things didn’t.

Midoriya grabbed the attention of All Might and earned the quirk of ultimate power. It seemed that one person was enough to turn his entire world upside down.

Midoriya was now training and eating healthier. His mother was finally getting into the groove of things as Midoriya was finally pushing forward again and working on himself. As if things couldn’t have gotten better, Midoriya passed the entrance exam and got into UA. Midoriya was achieving his dream and focusing on himself for once.

Being a UA student, of course, was no cakewalk and it didn’t go without flaw, but Midoriya made it. Almost instantly, Midoriya fit right into the new setting. Midoriya made friends, was socializing, and had adults in his life that actually cared. Even better, he finally had father figures in his life that were a million times better than the one he gave up on.

Despite everyone seeming to go perfectly, there was something that had been bugging Midoriya. That was love. Midoriya found himself surrounded by amazing people that made him feel amazing. Part of him tried to shut out the idea of romance. He didn’t think he had the right to entertain the idea of a relationship when he needed to put all his focus into becoming the best hero.

No matter how hard he tried to focus solely on hero work and friendships, his heart was too big. He couldn’t help but be with his close group of friends and feel flustered half of the time their attention was on him. Hell, a large portion of his classmates managed to find a way to fluster him.

Iida was well-built, tall, respectful, and really fun to be around. He was protective, realistic, and probably Midoriya’s closest friend. Iida was very animated and was a whole show to Midoriya. Midoriya wanted to melt at the very thought of dating him.

Uraraka was beautiful. She moved with grace and radiated so much power with her determination that it left Midoriya breathless. She was determined to be a powerful her and support her family. She was smart, kind, extremely considerate, and inspiring. She got him all sorts of disheveled when she had him going.

Todoroki was perfection. He doesn’t understand social cues, making him awkward and intimidating. That meant Todoroki was always fluctuating between cute and hot. The two had been through a lot together, mentally and physically. Midoriya admired Todoroki and his development. Todoroki was a very caring person. Midoriya longed to be held in the warm yet cold touch of his best friend.

Then there was Kirishima, Kaminari, Bakugo, Sero, Momo, and Aoyama, and don’t even get him started on those outside of his class. They all had their own unique traits and were very entertaining. They all trusted his intuition and were fun to be around.

For a bit, he thought Monoma was fair game. It would take some work, but Midoriya was willing to put in the effort. The Monoma open his mouth during their joint training and Midoriya didn’t think he’d ever forgive Monoma for saying something so cruel about Bakugo.

Little did Midoriya know, that everyone he was interested in was absolutely head over heels for him. Bakugo would never admit to it, ever, but it was true. They all craved to see Midoriya blush. They all watched him carry on through the day with a relaxed smile. It brought them joy.

Aizawa seemed to have gotten a private message from Nezu as he checked his phone from his sleeping bag. Irritated about his nap being disturbed, he glared at his phone.

“Problem Child. You have a visitor,” announced Aizawa tiredly.

Midoriya raised a brow, confused as to who could be visiting. “Where do I go? Who is it?”

“I don’t know kid. I guess just go to Nezu’s office,” guessed Aizawa, immediately going back to slumber.

Midoriya checked the time and decided to leave his stuff in class. There were still about twenty minutes left and the visit shouldn’t be anything too major. Before he could even get out of his seat there was a knock on the door.

Iida jumped up, claiming his role as class representative. “I shall see who it is as Mister Aizawa is asleep!”

Midoriya smiled, getting up himself. “Well, I have to go anyways, Iida. You should’ve let me do it.”

“Oh! I didn’t realize that. Well, I’m already up so let me hold the door open for you!” offered Iida proudly as he reached for the handle.

Pulling open the door, Midoriya happily stood next to Iida. Looking directly at the person who had knocked, Midoriya felt like the air was knocked out of him.

Vibrant pink eyes. Cotton candy blue hair.

Midoriya felt his eyes widen, staring at the person who had ghosted him well over a year ago.

“Teru?”

The entire class felt their eyes widen that Midoriya knew the handsome teen. The boy looked down at Midoriya with an excited face.

“Izuku?”

The class found themselves fully invested the moment Midoriya’s first name was used.

Midoriya looked at the boy for a second longer before his shoulders sank a bit. “Glad to know you’re alive. Anyways I have a visitor to meet.”

“Izuku, I’m the visitor!” cheered Teru happily, looking at Midoriya for a response.

Midoriya seemed to close himself off. Taking a step back and crossing his arms, Midoriya grew suspicious. “How’d you find me?”

“I went to surprise you at your home but when I got there your mom said you stayed at the dorms in UA. So here I am,” explained Teru quickly.

Midoriya was not satisfied. Honestly, Midoriya was pissed, beyond pissed. What right did Teru have to come back a year after ghosting him only to act like they never stopped talking in the first place? Teru wasn’t going to get what he wanted. Midoriya was not going to give him what he wanted.

“You better have a good explanation as to why you suddenly want to surprise me,” demanded Midoriya, giving Teru a warning with irritation laced in his voice.

The rest of the group grew uneasy. Midoriya was almost never angry when it came to people. Majority of the time he’s angry when fighting a villain or when someone is messing with the people he cares about. This was different. This was very, very different.

Teru seemed surprised by the reaction, nervous himself. “What are you talking about Izuku? Can’t your boyfriend surprise you?”

Iida felt his glasses slip down his nose a bit as his jaw dropped. Tsuyu and Uraraka exchanged a glance, mortified at the reality of Midoriya having had a boyfriend this entire time. Bakugo was blowing up a fuse while Todoroki was still trying to process the fact that Midoriya was in a relationship.

Momo was disappointed but more fearful of the fact she had flirted with someone already in a relationship. Kirishima ignored the pain of missing his chance while Kaminari wasn’t subtle with his exaggerated crying. Sero slammed his face on the desk defeatedly, angry that someone like Teru had got to Midoriya first. Aoyama frowned, a little hurt as he had gotten his hopes up.

Midoriya's scoffing snapped them all out of their self-pity. “I haven’t seen, let alone heard from you in a year. What about that makes you think we are still dating?”

The group all felt themselves perk up. Midoriya was single and the douchebag before them was making an idiot of himself.

“Izuku! I— I had to-,” stammered Teru, unsure of what lies to spit out.

Cutting Teru off, Midoriya coldly snapped, “Midoriya. You call me Midoriya now.”

Teru felt his eyes widen, looking at the group of students watching with wide eyes. Midoriya felt the group's stares and headed out the door.

“Hall. Now.”

Teru didn’t hesitate, preferring some privacy. Midoriya turned to face Teru, visibly upset.

“Where were you? What were you doing that was so important that you couldn’t contact me for over a year?” shouted Midoriya, hissing at the bastard.

Teru, not having an excuse, lied, “I broke my phone and I couldn’t get a new one and my mom was-.”

Midoriya cut off Teru again by smacking him hard across the face. Teru snapped his gaze right back to Midoriya, genuinely shocked by the hit that landed on him.

“Don’t you dare utter another lie to me? Who do you think I am?” yelled Midoriya in disbelief. The anger diminished and hurt refiled the void, his eyes searching Teru’s face, trying to find anything that signaled Teru actually cared.

Teru hesitated to reach out, slightly scared of being smacked again. “Okay, I’m sorry, but. Look... I just... I needed a break from everything, including you.”

Midoriya laughed at that, disgusted with the insensitivity of Teru. “You never once said any of this was a problem. Not once had you even tried to explain that something was wrong or you wanted a break. You didn’t have to fucking ghost me!”

“I know and I’m sorry. I really miss you and I’m back. I’m here to stay. Let’s do this,” pleaded Teru, taking Midoriya's hand as he whispered, “I really like you.”

Midoriya looked at Teru with a disturbed expression. He couldn’t understand why Teru was going out of his way to do this. His withdrawn body language should have said enough. Besides, Midoriya had clearly proved he is not one to be messed with and is skeptical of believing anything Teru was saying.

Midoriya was filled with many emotions from the out-of-blue confession. He was embarrassed, appalled, and a bit sympathetic. It was clear to say Midoriya was nauseated as he shook his head in a pleading manner. “Please don’t do this. I can’t.”

“Can’t what? I said I like you,” backtracked Teru, slightly panicking as the upcoming rejection was settling in.

“I don’t trust you. Let me go Teru,” confessed Midoriya, his eyes locking with Teru’s.

The two stood, looking at each other with faces of distaste. Teru let out a breath and narrowed his eyes. “You really became stuck up,” spat Teru.

Midoriya smiled with a dangerous glint in his eyes as he laughed at the insult. “And you became a delusional asshole.”

The taller boy stepped off, backing away. Teru had to remind himself that he was in U.A. High and he was pushing his limits with a student there. His best odds were with him biting his tongue. Midoriya looked at Teru for a moment more before opening the door to the classroom.

“Leave before I report you,” threatened Midoriya before stepping inside. He didn’t bother to turn around and spare Teru a glance. There were no pleasantries for Midoriya to send Teru off with.

The rest of the class had been in a circle, all of them mumbling about something. With Midoriya’s voice distracting them from their conversation, they all turned their heads to face Midoriya. It was clear the group was happy to see him return. The sight made Midoriya’s heart warm.

Midoriya grinned at the class, waving. “Sorry about him! I really don’t know why he suddenly showed up!”

Todoroki walked over, standing before his friend. “So that guy isn’t your boyfriend?”

“No, things ended between us over a year ago. Honestly, I hate that he pulled a stunt like that,” whined Midoriya, complaining.

Iida nodded, understanding the anger Midoriya must have felt upon seeing his ex. “So, why’d he come back?”

Midoriya had to think about it for a second, frowning. “Actually... I don’t know. He acted like we never broke up. Technically we never did, but he was the one who had ghosted me. I guess he got lonely, saw I was doing amazing, and expected me to be waiting for him to come back.”

Wishing she had beaten up the guy when she had a chance, Uraraka gasped, “He ghosted you? What a jerk!”

“How long were you even together?” questioned Tsuyu, irritated by the information as well.

“About a year,” answered Midoriya casually, looking up at the group that was shooting him questions.

“Wow! Talk about cowardly!” shouted Kaminari, looking at Midoriya in disbelief.

Momo nodded, resting a worried hand on Midoriya’s shoulder. “That must’ve been really rough for you Midoriya. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we are glad you handled things the way you did.”

Bakugo raised a crackling hand and scoffed, “I would’ve handled it better damn nerd.”

Midoriya couldn’t help but laugh. Everyone was so protective and concerned that it turned him into a beautiful shade of pink. He was honored to be surrounded by people that had his back. They validated the part of him that he was trying to heal. He was grateful for his classmates.

Everyone melted at the sight of Midoriya glowing before them. Midoriya was a gift. He had an energy about him that just filled everyone up. There was something amazing about the way Midoriya brought the best out of people.

Aizawa woke up to everyone just surrounding Midoriya, using all the time they could to be around him. Aizawa grinned and sunk deeper into his sleeping bag. He’d ask about the situation and fill Nezu in about banning the visitor. For now, he’d rest easy knowing his students had everything covered.

Midoriya ends up getting a pile of Valentine's Day cards from people in the school. Each card came with a special batch of chocolate, all having their own special flavor to them. Midoriya realized he didn’t have to worry about choosing someone to love. It would happen naturally.

Midoriya happily handed everyone he had a silly crush on a bag of chocolates. Each bag was unique to the receiver. Todoroki got peppermint chocolates. Bakugo got spicey chocolate. Uraraka got chocolate mochi. Kirishima got strawberry chocolate. Momo got matcha chocolate. It was safe to say the entire class was impressed with the tasty treat.

It would be a while till Midoriya got into a relationship. No matter when it happens or who it is he ends up being with, he knew that his friends would treat him no different and still cherish their time with him. They were truly amazing.

Guess I managed to get everything back I lost and more.

#bnha fanfiction #dekubowl #mha fanfiction #izuku midoriya #midoriya izuku #boku no hero academia #mha #my hero academia #bnha #mha deku #bakugou katsuki #uraraka ochako #iida tenya #todoroki shouto #momo yaoyorozu #class 1a

[dimonds456]

What're your thoughts on what animal Luz's palisman will be?

Snake. Hands down.

First of all, snakes are a huge part of her character. Multiple times she's referencing them, letting them loose in school, ect.

In Thanks to Them, everyone was wearing shirts that were associated (at least lightly) with their palismen. What did Luz have?

Looks snake-shaped to me.

Not pictured in the screenshots, but she's with her palisman here. Little egg was listening to her shout "Who cares about the ripple effects [of his actions]? He was just a pawn in someone else's game! A-and he was never smart enough to realize it! If his friends and family knew about his mission, they would know that their lives would never have been in danger if it weren't for him!"

At this point, she's standing in her desk, and in the word "him," she gestures to herself. "They should hate his guts! And it would be better if he literally never existed!"

Little guy could hear all of that.

Luz spends so much time with this lil guy, wondering what it will be. Well, look at it. What creature does it remind you of?

A coiled snake.

In this episode alone, during Camila's flashback, snakes are mentioned TWICE.

Well, why so much about snakes?

Creative life force? Rebirth? Healing? These line up with Luz pretty well. Creative force is obvious, she wouldn't be where she was today if she didn't have loads and loads of creativity. Healing is her ability to help people, and if I'm right, rebirth will symbolize how she saves the Boiling Isles and they're freed from Belos' dictstorship and are able to start anew.

And, the final nail in the coffin? The thing that made people theorize it would be a snake before the show even began?

Look at the second line of 'H' in House. Look weird? That's because it looks like a staff, of which the owl- Owlbert- sits on top of. It's Eda's palisman.

Now, look at the 'L' in Owl.

Yep. It's an upside-down palisnam staff.

And what would be on top?

The 'S'. The snake.

I think the palisman is waiting for a specific time to hatch. Either Luz gets more confidence in herself (especially since she was about to stay in the human world for fear of messing things up worse), until she really needs her palisman, or just until they're alone. And once the snake hatches (or unfurls! That's another thing since the egg is so coil-shaped!), she'll be able to talk to it, and we can hear its voice.

idk i'm excited fhjgds

#the owl house #the owl house season 3 #toh #toh s3 #toh s3 spoilers #toh spoilers #owl house spoilers #luz noceda #toh theory #toh thanks to them #the owl house season three #the owl house s3 #toh season 3 #luz palisman #snake #snakes #dimond speaks

[writer-in-theory]

Piece By Piece

Summary: When Max calls for Hopper’s help one night, everything changes. Prompt: C1 - Jim Hopper as Billy’s Dad Pairing: Billy Hargrove & Jim Hopper, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington Rating: Teen Word Count: 3.3k Content Warnings: Child Abuse (Neil Hargrove is a piece of shit) Read On AO3: here A/N: This is my fifth fill for @billyhargrovebingo !! As always, huge thanks to @serenity-lattes and @lcvingprentjss for beta-ing and for coming up with the title. 

Billy Hargrove Bingo Masterlist

It was the middle of the night when Jim Hopper got the call.

When he’d given his phone number to everyone involved in the Upside Down business, he’d never actually expected anyone to need it. After all, the kids seemed to want to handle trouble on their own (as irritatingly dangerous as that was) and the teens weren’t likely to want to lean on the chief of police for help after he’d busted half of them for underage drinking at parties at least once before. His phone number had always been intended to be a failsafe, a way for them to contact him when shit had already gone down and they’d gotten themselves into trouble trying to fix it. 

Yet, at 2:38 in the morning on February 7th, 1985, Max Mayfield called Jim Hopper. He’d only met the girl briefly back in November—back then mostly distracted by the exorcism they were performing on Will Byers and the sudden reappearance of his magical daughter—but even then Jim would’ve described her as a spitfire. She never let any of the guys bother her and was never one to be overspoken and ignored. She was fearless in a way that not many adults were, and Jim could say he was thankful she and his daughter became such good friends if only because he knew she would look out for El. 

On the phone that night, however, she sounded like an entirely different person. The girl’s voice shook and she sounded breathless with fear. The instant she said that she needed his help, that her brother needed his help, Jim took off out of the house. Jim drove down the country roads at speeds he would never have dared touch before, because if fucking monsters from another world couldn’t strike that kind of fear in her then what could?

There weren’t too many police calls that would stick in Jim’s head forever, but that one would.

I think Neil’s gonna really kill Billy this time, Hopper. 

Even from outside, he could hear the shouting, eerily reminiscent of his own father’s voice. As Jim stepped up to the house, one hand over the gun on his hip, he had to remind himself that the old bastard had been dead for years. Good fucking riddance. Neil Hargrove wasn’t dead though and was instead seemingly trying to give his son that very fate Jim had avoided by signing up for the military straight after school. Jim had seen some fathers give warning smacks to their kids when they spoke out and had even told himself once or twice that the kid had probably done something to warrant it, but never before had he seen this kind of anger directed against a kid before. 

Jim Hopper wanted to kill Neil Hargrove. If he thought there was a way to get away with it, he might have considered it due to the amount of suffering he’d put his own son through that night. Billy was on the ground of the living room, knees tucked up to his chest and arms bent over his head to protect the most vulnerable parts of his body, not trying to fight back or defend himself despite his clear ability to fight based on how the Harrington boy had looked after that night in November. Neil was over him, a belt abandoned beside his ankle as he rained fists down over the boy. 

Jim nearly saw red at the sight—the cruel merciless grin Neil wore as he watched Billy lay there, practically responseless to the violence. 

“This is the Chief of Police, get on your goddamn knees!” Jim shouted, actually pulling the gun into his grasp when the other man seemed to consider his next moves for a second. “On your knees, Neil!”

It was nearly impossible to remain strictly professional after. If Neil had a few extra bruises by the time Powell and Callahan got there, then neither mentioned it.  Sure, it happened in the takedown. How did it feel, Neil, to be as vulnerable and powerless as you made your son? They did offer (or require) that they handle Neil from then on whether for Jim’s sake or Neil’s, leaving Jim to deal with the aftermath at the house on Cherry Lane.

The wife, Susan, had grabbed Max and gone outside, sobbing about how terrifying the experience had been. Max was yelling at her for not trying to stop it, and while the whole thing made Jim sick to his stomach he could almost understand why she didn’t put herself in front of those fists. It was clear Neil had been in a blind rage and was capable of literal murder if he’d had enough time. It wasn’t right, leaving the poor kid to deal with that kind of rage alone, but survival instincts were strange in even the best of conditions. 

The kid, Billy, had picked himself up by then, pointedly staring at his socked feet instead of at Jim. The image of him now was a far cry from the delinquent teenager who already had a number of speeding warnings and noise complaints from the music in his car. He could see the words in Billy’s file flashing up at him now: attitude, trouble with authority, flight risk. It made horrible sense now, seeing what nightmare he had to deal with at home. The kid didn’t even look surprised, more so closed-off, like he’d purposefully numbed himself to what was happening. 

Jim had to shake his head to clear it from the pictures of his own high school days when he’d used rebellion as a way to cover up all of the goddamn hurt. Far too many people had failed this kid already, leaving him to deal with this mess alone, but Jim knew he wouldn’t—couldn’t—add his name to that list. 

“C’mon, kid, we gotta get you checked out at the hospital,” Jim said, trying to look anywhere but at the bruised boy if only to spare him some dignity. “I’ll drive you.”

“I’m not going to a hospital,” Billy spoke then, voice harsh but eyes still downcast, focused on a red stain in the carpet that Jim was trying hard to avoid. 

“You’re pretty banged up, it’s the safe thing to do.”

“Never needed it before,” Billy fought again, the words searing into Jim’s brain and pulling out a wince. It was clear that this kind of route was going to go nowhere then. 

And maybe it was crazy but—

“Alright, but you can’t stay here. We gotta secure the scene.” Did they? Either way, Susan was taking Max to stay with a friend of theirs, and there was no way Billy could recover from this alone. “Come back to mine. I got a first aid kit and a safe place to land.”

“I don’t need your help, Sir,” Billy pushed back, but the moment he tried to walk back down a long hallway of doors—bedrooms?—he stumbled, catching himself with a hand on the wall. 

“C’mon, kid. At least let me get you somewhere safe. You got somewhere else in mind, tell me and I’ll drive you,” Jim tried again, willing his voice softer than he thought he could ever make it. 

Under any other circumstances, it’s clear Billy would’ve fought harder. Now, though, he looked worn down to the bone and like he might collapse if he had to stay on his feet any longer. So he just shrugged and walked to the front door, pulling on his boots and moving to stand by the passenger side of Jim’s car. 

The ride was awkward, to say the least. It felt a little like a bomb was tied to the roof of the car, threatening to detonate if either of them dared break the silence. Billy sat on the edge of his seat, pressed as far against the window as possible, arms around his middle like he was holding himself in. Even as they pulled up to the cabin (which, admittedly may not look like the safest place out in the middle of the woods), Billy held onto himself. He didn’t get out of the car until Jim did, following him into the cabin and standing in the middle like he didn’t know what to do with himself. 

“The first aid kit is in the bathroom on the left. If you need help—”

“I’ve got it,” Billy snapped, not unlike an injured animal biting the person who helps them because they’re cornered. 

The kid found the bathroom okay, shutting and locking the door, leaving Jim to get the bedroom set up with fresh sheets, and leaving some sweatpants and a t-shirt that could pass for pajamas folded on the bed. Jim’s back already hurt at the thought of sleeping in his armchair for the night, but it was worth it to ensure the kid had a safe place to land after such a horrific night.

Billy didn’t come out for another two hours, and when he did he went right to the bedroom, eyes watching Jim the whole way. When Jim didn’t move or say anything—he remembered this feeling too well, knew the wrong thing could set the kid’s recovery back years—Billy closed the bedroom door, disappearing behind that too.

Jim sighed and settled into the armchair for the night, already knowing he wouldn’t be getting any sleep. Instead, he watched TV at low volume and listened out for any sign that either of the kids in his house was having a nightmare. 

In the morning, before the sun was even up, footsteps woke Jim up. They were quiet, feather-light, and if it weren’t for his years in the military Jim might have missed them. When he turned around, Billy was standing by the front door, a hand gripped around the handle.

“You don’t have to go,” Jim offered, already knowing how this would end. Someone like Billy wouldn’t trust him immediately, as frustrating as it was. “There’s plenty of space if you need somewhere to land.”

“I don’t,” Billy answered, eyes watching the front door. “I’m not a fucking charity case.”

In moments Billy yanked open the door and hurried out, slamming it behind him. 

Trouble with authority. Flight risk.

Maybe it was better to let him go, to let Billy reach out for help when he was ready for it. Jim didn’t really know how to do any of this and had never really been given an instruction manual on how to help out lost kids, but he did know that letting Billy leave in the middle of winter was a bad idea.

“Billy,” Jim called, jogging down the dirt driveway to catch up with the kid. “Hey, I know you’re not a charity case, alright? But where are you gonna go?”

“I have a car,” Billy told him like that solved everything.

“This isn’t like California, you’ll freeze to death tonight if you sleep in that thing.” Jim involuntarily shivered at the thought of the kid actually spending the night out here alone in this kind of weather, Jim already freezing after just a few minutes exposed to it. “I’m not saying you have to stay forever, but look, kid—”

“Stop calling me that, I’m not a kid.”

“Until you’re 18, you are,” Jim corrected, rolling his eyes at the kid’s attitude. It was obvious now what it was—a defense mechanism, the prickled pines of a porcupine meant to keep others at a distance—but that didn’t make it any easier to deal with. “Billy, look. I don’t beg often, but please stay here until you have somewhere safe to land.”

Billy watched him for a moment, expression still guarded but at least not running away. Then, finally, he sighed. “You’re really not gonna give up, are you?”

“Not likely.”

Billy nodded then and followed Jim back into the house. It felt like a major victory, even though Jim knew there was still a long road ahead of them.

Billy stayed mostly distant for a week. 

Most of his time in the cabin was spent in his bedroom, door closed and not a sound emitting from the other side of it until it was time for dinner. El asked after him often, saying she could feel him hurting, but Jim couldn’t force him to socialize with them. He didn’t want to act even a little like Neil lest the kid never trusts him, so he trod lightly. He’d at least asked Jim if he could stay, stating that there wasn’t anywhere else in town he could go. He just needed until he graduated, Billy had said, as if Jim could ever kick him out so soon.

It was Steve Harrington who changed everything. 

Jim had never liked the Harrington boy, if only because he was the spitting image of Robert Harrington. He’d even acted just like him too—right down to the annual birthday party that nearly the entire Hawkins High population attended and usually resulted in several noise complaints from the other residents of Loch Nora. As far as Jim was concerned, the kid was arrogant, self-centered, and entitled in a way that no person should ever get to be.

The kids begged to differ, as they all liked to remind him whenever they saw El. Jim knew the kid had saved them on more than one occasion, but it was hard to reconcile that idea with who he knew the kid to be.

That self-centered, entitled teenager didn’t exist now, that much was clear just from the panic and determination on his face when he stood outside of Jim’s cabin.

“Where’s Billy?” Harrington demanded the second Jim opened the door.

Jim raised an eyebrow at the lack of greeting, wondering what could have the kid so panicked. Had Billy tried to pick another fight with him? Had Steve?

“Look, Harrington, he’s not h—”

“Bullshit!” Harrington shouted, then at least looked embarrassed as he added, “Uh, sir.”

When Jim didn’t say anything, the kid continued. “I know he’s here. I need to see him.”

“Nope, sorry, kid,” Jim answered, already starting to shut the door. Harrington was relentless though, throwing himself between the frame and the door to stop its movement. “You’re not starting a fight here.”

“I’m not—” Harrington started, cutting himself off and running a hand swiftly through his hair. “C’mon, Hop, I really need to see him.”

“Why?”

“Trust me, please.” Jim didn’t want to. He would never have trusted a Harrington with anything, much less the hurt boy he was sheltering. But Steve looked earnest now, brown eyes wide and pleading in a way that was quickly melting down whatever defenses Jim had constructed.

“He’s in his bedroom, first door on the left,” Jim relented, moving out of the way as Steve practically sprinted into the cabin. 

Steve knocked once, announcing it was him. Within seconds the door was opening, Billy flashing Jim a nervous look before Steve stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

And, well, Jim didn’t mean to listen in, he really didn’t. The thing was, the walls of the cabin were shoddily built and wildly thin, and it wasn’t like either boy was exactly trying to keep their voice low. Even so, Jim could only pick up bits and pieces of their conversation while he sat in his armchair, TV volume up in a lame attempt at giving them privacy.

“Are you okay? What happened? Did....”

“He found out, about this. Us. He....”

“Shit. What...”

“...here at this fuckin’ cabin in the woods.”

“...Could stay with me if...”

“Your parents, Stevie. I can’t...”

“...love...”

Oh, shit. 

Jim mashed the power button on the TV, mind racing with every thought that one word conjured in him. Love. Were Billy and the Harrington boy together? Was that why Neil had nearly killed his own son that night? Jim supposed it made sense, also explaining why Billy was still distrusting him. And yeah, it was a weird thought. Jim didn’t have any experience dealing with anything like this, but both boys were good kids and surely that meant all of this was okay too? It was just love, in the same way that he and Joyce were tip-toeing around each other. It was as simple as that. 

He walked over to the bedroom door, knocking against it twice with one knuckle on a finger. “Hey, kid?”

There was scrambling behind the door for a few seconds before Billy opened it, not making direct eye contact with Jim.

“I was gonna order pizza for dinner, what do you and Harrington like?” Jim asked, mentally wincing at the surprised look on Billy’s face. Did he really think Jim would respond badly to clearly overhearing all of this?

“Uh, whatever’s fine, sir,” Billy answered quickly, glancing back at where Steve was standing beside the bed, idly looking around the room like he wasn’t paying attention to the conversation.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Jim asked Billy, nodding his head toward the front door. Billy looked back at Steve one more time before following Jim, sitting down on the front step of the cabin.

“I can be out of here tonight,” Billy stated the second they sat down, pulling a startled grunt from Jim. “I just need to make a bag and—”

“What? I’m not kicking you out, kid. I meant it when I said you have a place here,” Jim told him. “I just need to know. You and Harrington. Is that why...?”

“Dad beat the shit outta me? Yeah,” Billy scoffed, wrapping his arms around his knees. “He went digging in my stuff and found a picture we’d taken together. You’re really not freaked out?”

“I won’t lie and say I know what I’m doing, but as long as you’re both happy, I’m all for it,” Jim responded, pulling out a cigarette and holding the box out for Billy. 

“Wait, really?”

“I’m not gonna kick you out because you found someone to love,” Jim returned, shrugging his shoulders. “You’ll be a part of this ragtag little family as long as you like. I mean it, Billy.”

It was silent for a long time after that. Jim didn’t really mind, leaving Billy to sit with his thoughts while they both burned through their cigarettes. It was only when Jim was stomping his out that Billy spoke up again, voice quieter than he’d ever heard it before.

“Thanks. I...thanks.”

It wasn’t many words, but Jim could hear through it. He could hear how hard it was for Billy to say, could hear the slight strangle around the words from the emotions the kid had forced back. He heard how much the offer meant, even when Billy had never made it clear before. 

None of this would be easy. Jim was learning as he went, and he suspected there was still a lot to learn about being a guardian for someone as hurt as Billy. It would be a long road ahead, but Jim was ready to drive it so long as Billy had the chance to recover in ways Jim had never gotten. 

“C’mon, let’s go get dinner for El and Harrington,” Jim finally said, standing up and digging his keys out of his jeans pocket. “Oh, and Billy?”

“Yeah?”

“If Harrington really is something to you, I have one rule in the house. Keep the door three inches open when he’s over.”

Billy grinned for the first time since Jim got that phone call, and it felt like the best victory Jim would ever have. 

#stranger things #billy hargrove #harringrove #steve harrington #jim hopper #jim hopper as billy's dad

[atimeofyourlife]

Whumptober day 17

rated: t | wc: 897 | prompt: Collar | Touch Aversion | “Leave me alone.” Steve's scars start to bother him after his mom sees them.

To start with, Steve's scars didn't bother him too much. Sure, they ached for a long while and he didn't like people touching them, but he didn't mind how they looked. The scars were proof of everything he had been through. They were proof that, despite everything he had been through, everything that the Upside Down had thrown at him over the years, he had survived. That he had come through the other side of it and lived to tell the tale. Metaphorically, at least. Too many NDA's with a shady government department that technically did not exist meant that he couldn't tell the tale to anyone who didn't already know of it.

But it changed when his parents finally decided to grace him with their presence. It was well over a year after the earthquake happened that they made their return to Hawkins. They called to check on the house, to ensure that there was no damage caused by the earthquake. To make sure that they wouldn't lose any money fixing it up. And they would hang up before Steve got a chance to mention that he had been injured during the earthquake and had been hospitalized over it. They cared more about their property than they did their son, and that was a fact of life that Steve had long since accepted.

When his parents got home, his mother's first words to him were about the scar on his neck from where he'd been strangled twice by the bat's tail and the vines in the Upside Down. But not about the fact he'd been injured. She was more concerned about how many people had seen the scar, and how bad it looked. About how much it would ruin the family's reputation and image to have a son that had such an unsightly scar on display at all times. About what people would assume about how Steve got the scar, and what it would imply about their parenting.

After that day, every morning Steve's choice of outfit was met with scrutiny. Subtle comments about 'maybe something with a bit more coverage, dear.' Or her adjusting the collars of Steve's polo shirts to cover as much of the scar as possible before he was allowed to leave the house. Bundles of new shirts appearing in Steve's room, solely made up of polo shirts and turtlenecks. Anything that was high enough to hide the worst of the scar. Then there were the mornings where she wouldn't even say anything to him, instead just approaching him and digging her fingers into his neck, harshly rubbing in various creams and oils and serums that all had claims of reducing the appearance of scars. Any attempt to pull away was met with a tug on the arm and  'hold still, Steven.'

The worst of it, though, was the comments she constantly made, both to and about him. She would tell him about how the scar made him ugly. He overheard her on the phone crying to a friend about how Steve now had nothing going for him. He wasn't smart, he'd been forced out of athletics by the multiple concussions, and now his looks were ruined. She got drunk, looked him in the eye, and told him that she would have been happier if he hadn't survived the injury, that having a dead son would have been better than having an ugly son. Constant reminders that she tied his worth to his looks. To her, the scars weren't a sign of his survival, they were a sign of him not caring.

Her words started to wear on him. Steve changed how he dressed, always choosing shirts that would hide the scar on his neck. Turtlenecks or polos buttoned right to the top, with the collar carefully arranged to cover up. The clothing his mother wanted him to wear. He made the choice for a few reasons, but mostly to stop her horrible comments any time she saw him and to stop the stares of other people whenever he was out in public. The stares hadn't really bothered him at first, knowing it was just basic human curiosity. But then he couldn't get it out of his head that everyone else was thinking exactly what his mother was saying. That everyone was judging him, and all they saw was an ugly boy with no potential. Or that everyone would jump to the wrong conclusion and assume that it was self-inflicted.

He also started to shy away from the touch. Any contact between someone else's hands and his bare skin reminding him too much of his mother forcing the various treatments onto the skin of his neck. Her touch rough and uncaring, about as far from motherly as anyone could get, not taking any notice of the pain and discomfort she was causing as she jabbed her pointed fingertips with sharp, manicured nails into the sensitive, delicate skin around the scar, further irritating the tissue that hadn't had chance to finish healing.

The change was noticed by his friends, his new aversion to touch and insistence on wearing clothing that had enough of a collar to hide his neck. But once he'd got into the habit it was too hard for him to break, even after his mother had left town again. Her cruel words echoing in his head for far too long.

#whumptober2023 #no.17 #touch aversion #collar #stranger things #fic #steve harrington #steve harrington has bad parents #steve harrington whump #atimeofyourwrites

[defrosted69]

My Emotional Panda

Lee Seoyeon X Reader

(I got this idea from a YouTube video and I decided to add my own twist to it)

Money.

They say that money is the root of all evil. But for some it's an escape to their life. Not everyone was given the opportunity to have a silver plater and a 5 course meal.

Some live off eating at least twice if they were lucky enough to.

And you, out of 8 billion people in the world where one of the unfortunate ones.

Of course you complained sometimes how life was unfair to you. The sight of children your age eating ice cream, pizza, and having cake on their birthday. Heck, You barely even had time to celebrate your own birthday.

Everyday was a hussle for you, whatever work it was you would do it.

Forget education, you couldn't afford to have one. Your own daily expenses wasn't even enough to keep you alive.

Let's not talk about your parents. It's not like you loath them but given you never met them in your entire life shows that they either didn't care for you or they couldn't properly raise you.

The only place you call home, the adaption center was burned to the ground by some mafia thugs.

It's like life is flickering you the middle finger everytime something good happens to you. That's when you realize that life and the world was unfair.

Kids your age should have been enjoying life, eating delicious food and having no care at all but life didn't give you any of that. Instead it gave you suffering and agony.

The days and nights you have to sleep on the dark street and even having to fight for a place to stay shows how hard life really is.

Adults should have been the one guiding young people and showing them the rights to their wrongs but why didn't you feel it.

Instead of hearing an apology or a word of empathy, you were spit with venomous words and even had to endure the physical assault they gave you.

If there was one positive thing that you were thankful for is your patience. No matter how annoying and stressful things escalate you remain calm and collected. Some may want that trait but for you it's a curse. All that emotion bottled up inside you will surely kill you emotionally.

But on a breezy afternoon, it seems faith and destiny weaved up a line that will change your life for the best.

With a growling stomach and no food in sight, you decided to put your chances on a nearby park hoping the ungrateful people who throw away their food in the trash be your dinner.

With your small wobbly legs, you pushed through your weak and fragile body checking every trash bin available.

The rustling sound and unbearable scent had no affect on you as you were a starving man to death. When desperate times arrive, Thouh shall make desperate measures.

But it's as if bad luck was implanted on your DNA that no food was in every trash bin you checked. You did a double check, triple check, turn every trash bin upside down but there wasn't any single sight of edible food.

You were frustrated and devastated. This wasn't on a normal basis but there are days where you just come up empty handed. And this day was the worse day as your stomach pain was beginning to get worse and worse.

Your wobbly weak legs couldn't lift your body anymore as your eyes searched for a place to rest your body.

It wasn't that long when you saw a wooden park bench as you sat there looking down on the ground.

Maybe it was your hunger kicking in as you could see the concrete floor in 4k as every particle was visible in your sight.

Your eyes were beginning to get heavy as you suddenly felt a strong urge to take a rest. Being a naive kid you are, you slowly laid your head on the wooden floor as you prepare yourself for a deep slumper.

"Heh, he fell asleep."

A voice and a soft pillow immediately woke you up as all of your senses were alerted.

You sprang up immediately as you looked to see where the voice came from.

"Geez, Did you really have to jump? My Mom always make Dad sleep in her legs. Hmph"

A small girl who's smaller than you pouted as you look at her in surprise.

Her attire is what you always see in big malls, the silver spoon kids as you call them.

"Wha-What do you want?"

There was a small shiver on your voice as the girl smirk at you.

"You have been digging trash cans since we arrived here. What are you a racoon? You're suppose to eat like a human like us. Give me your hand."

She extended her arms as she opened her hand hoping you would take hers. You have seen how people easily fake their trust and stab you in the back. It was mostly done by the adults but seeing someone your age doing something like this, it was skeptical.

You were hesitant but you slowly gave her your hand as she smiled and she suddenly pulled a wrapped burger on her pocket and gave it you hand.

Your eyes widen in suprise even though your hair has covered most of your eyes. Your facial expression showed that her act of kindness caught you by suprise.

"Don't tell my parents this but I bought you a burger hehehe~"

She happily smiled at you as you stare at the burger in awe. Without hesitation, your instinct kicked in as you ate the burger that was given to you.

Never in your life have you ever tasted such delicious and well made burger as a sudden rush of emotion ran through your body.

No one in your life has ever showed you kidness like this before as you didn't expect that it would come from a girl your age.

She could hear you sobbing as you ate the burger as she couldn't help but look at you with pity.

"So.. Mmghood...."

The sniffles made her irritated as she pulled out her handkerchief and grabbed your face. You saw her glare at you as you suddenly felt scared.

"Gosh, your crying so much. Here."

She gently wipes your tears away with her handkerchief and smiled afterwards seeing you stop crying. She sat up and gave you one last smile and said the words you will never forget.

"Never give up okay crybaby?"

Those few words immediately left a mark on your heart and mind. The very first person to show you kindness, was a girl.

Girl.

What was her name?

At least you should know her name right?

"Wha-What's your name?"

With a smile, she said

"Lee Seoyeon."

.

.

.

.

.

"Oi, wake up dude. The boss man is looking for you."

You woke up from a good nap as you rose up smiling after recalling a very good memory from the past.

Your co worker notice the visible smile you have as he couldn't help but smirk as he nudge you playfully.

"Oh my did our little precious Y/n got a very naughty dream? Tsk tsk such a bad boy~"

You could only sigh at him as you made your way to your boss office.

It's been 10 yrs since that memory occurred and by now your already a working employee on the same park you found her.

The first time you met her was also the last time you saw her as you visited this park everytime but she never came back.

Instead of seeing her, you were offered a job to clean the park CRs instead of stealing food and you took it. You didn't complain or anything as years go by and you were now a standard employee of the park.

Your boss office wasn't anything grand but his facial expression always had that stoic face. You can never tell what he is thinking.

"You called for me boss?"

"Ah, Yes, take a seat Y/n."

You wasted no time to take a seat near his table. He adjusted his glasses before he spoke.

"I'm giving you a new job which is something unique."

This made you raise your eyebrow at him as your boss wasn't the typical boss. He would often say his thoughts in riddles. And considering you can't understand riddles, you were confused.

"Ummm, boss what do you mean?"

"I want you to wear a bear costume to attract customers for the newly opened amusement park inside the park. And since your good in attracting people. Why not try on a suit?"

His request was questionable as you wanted to ask why but he suddenly pulled an odd looking bear suit which at first glance looks so weird.

"That's your outfit. Try it on."

It wasn't dusty nor smelled like dust so you tried it on and fit you perfectly well except that the bear looks HORRIFYING.

"Umm, Boss. You sure this is an outfit that could attract people? Looks like a suit for robbing a bank."

"....."

That silence alarmed you as you immediately asked.

"Wait, is it for robbing a bank?! For real?!"

"No of course not. Anyway you can leave my office now. Go. Shooo."

He was trying to get you off his office as you left wearing the costume. You were left with questions lingering on your head but you wondered what would the people's perspective of the bear be?

And that question was immediately answered as the following day, kids were crying and avoiding your gaze as you sighted.

"I know something was off with this costume"

Nonetheless you stood there not knowing what to do because every action you do makes everyone look at you with scared expression.

"Ah! Mr Bear. Can I take a picture with you?"

A woman's voice alarmed you as she looked at you in awe. Her eyes were sparkling brightly. All you can do was nod your head.

"Tihehehe, My members will be so jealous I got a picture with a cute bear."

Her sentence made you blush for some reason as it was your first time someone called you cute.

"Then again, she must be pertaining to the bear and not me... Oh well."

She wrapped her hands around your arm making you flinch a little at the sudden contact but immediately regain your composure.

With a quick snap of her phone, she managed to get at least 10 photos which amazed you.

She was wearing a mask but you could visibly see her eyes smiling at every photo you took.

"She's... Cute.."

That was the only thought that was in your mind as she suddenly lunged herself at you as she hugged you tight.

Her sudden action startled you as you accidentally hugged her back.

"So warm~~ Hehehe."

You were thankful that the huge bear mask covered your entire face because you were a blushing mess. Never could you have imagined that a cute girl would hug you tightly as if you were world.

It took a couple seconds before she let go of the hug as she said

"Thanks for recharging me Mr. Bear. I'll ser you around."

She left while waving at you as you could only wave back slowly. Your brain was still processing what happened.

"What... Just happened?"

That question lingered on your mind the entire day and it was stuck there for a while.

You had hoped that the bear costume would end but it turns out you have to wear the bear outfit for a while.

You had to bear with the crys and scared expression of every passer by but it all didn't matter as the small girl appeared every once a week.

In that short period of time, you managed to get to know her even though your reply was only a nod or a shake to the side. But her bright energy was everything for you.

Her husky voice while she laughs was music to yout ears. She would often manage to tease you making you a blushing mess.

She was very teasing but that was one of her charms. Even though the job was tiring, meeting her every week was all worth it.

But not all things are permanent.

While you were preparing to wear your suit, your boss came to you.

"Y/n, today's the last day you'll be wearing the costume. You'll have to go back to your original post after today."

"Oh, I see..."

When you first wore the costume, you have always wanted to hear those words from your boss but right now, they sounded so displeasing in your ears.

Maybe it was because you met someone who appreciate you and someone who made your heart race.

The weather didn't help the mood as the gray skies painted over the sky. It wasn't that long when it started raining. Instead of standing still outside, you went inside the carnival area where there was a huge shade covering a few people from the rain.

Though today was the last day, you had hoped to see the girl once again but considering the rain, she would probably wouldn't come.

Right?

That should have been the answer.

But something tells you she was waiting for you.

You ignored that thought because there was no way she would be standing there waiting for you in the rain.

There was no way.

.

.

.

.

"Ah, screw it."

Your gut feeling was telling you something was wrong. And it didn't ease you one bit as you rushed outside as you were immediately met with rain pouring from the sky.

You traced your step where you usually stand but you didn't find her there.

Heartbroken, you chuckled at your pathetic self.

"Of course she wouldn't be here. Who in the world would-"

Your eyes caught someone sitting on a wodden bench all soaked from the rain. You went closer to the person and Immediately covered her with your sign board.

"Mr. Bear?"

That husky voice was all to familiar with you. She looked up and your heart tore into thousand pieces. Her mask was gone and you could see her plump lips and cute nose. But her eyes looks so broken and defeated.

"I'm sorry I.. Waited for you here. I'm stupid I know.."

Her cheerfulness was gone and you felt an unusual vibe from her.

"Today is just.. Everything's just so wrong."

She clenched her fist as you could only stay quiet.

"Why.. Why did I have to make a mistake on the biggest stage of them all. Everyone's eyes are on me and it even dragged my members too. I hate it! I hate how my mistake damage the group. Why... Why.. Should I just quit?"

Quitting.

You felt that same way before. 10 years exactly. On the very same bench. That girl was what showed you that there was hope and right now, the girl infront of you needed hope.

You removed the bear head as her widen seeing your face for the first time.

"Never give up. Those words was said to me when I was on the verge of quiting life."

She stayed quiet as she listened to you.

"It sounds cringe but seeing you weekly and interact with me even if it was just a short period of time, made feel significant and wanted. So.. I might sound selfish but please don't give up."

The girl stayed quiet as you had hoped your words went through her. You were expecting a nod or a shake of the head but instead got

"Crybaby?"

Your eyes widen. That nickname was given to you by Lee Seoyeon. Your eyes met hers as you said

"Lee.. Seoyeon?"

She gasped as she suddenly lunged herself to you as you carefully caught her in your arms.

She began crying softly on your bear chest as you patted her head. As if on cue the rain suddenly stopped.

"Crybaby...."

You just let her cry on your chest as you thought that she must have it rough for the past 10 years.

It took a couple minutes before she regain herself as you helped her up and both of you sat on the bench.

"I didn't expect that you would be in this park all this time."

You chuckled at her and said

"I.. Never really left. I was... Well kinda waiting for you to come back and return you this. Give me your hand."

A sense of nostalgia made Seoyeon chuckle as she gave you her hand. You pulled out from your pocket the same handkerchief she used to wipe your tears.

"This is yours so I'm returning it to you."

She was amazed how it still looked the same like 10 years ago.

"Also, you told me before that your in a group. And I think they wouldn't be angry nor frustrated at you. People make mistakes and like the stories you said to me, it seems like the 9 of you are very close"

Seoyeon stayed quiet as a small smile appeared on her face. This was the first time you saw her smile without the mask and she was very pretty it made your heart race and make you blush.

"So Seoyeon, don't ever think of giving up because you have people there for you. Your members, family, friends and me. Like what you said to me. Never give up okay? You cute panda."

That last word was something Seoyeon didn't expect as she blushed a bright red. She couldn't believe that the guy she helped 10 years ago turned out to be a handsome person and a kind hearted one too.

"T-Thank you..."

"Y/n. Your crybaby. Hehehe."

Your bright smile washed away all that negative thoughts that swarmed her earlier. She suddenly felt motivated as she gave you a warm embrace.

"Thank you Y/n. Thank you."

You hugged her back but this time, not as Mr. Bear but as her crybaby.

It took a couple of minutes before she pulled away.

"I feel refreshed now. Thanks Y/n hehehe~"

She waved at you as you waved back at her. Once she was out of your sight, you searched your phone on what group Seoyeon was and saw the events of their group. An idea popped on your head.

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.

.

"Are you alright now Seoyeon?"

Her leader Searom asked as everyone was worried for her.

"I'm okay now Unnie. Hehehe~"

A hand patted her head as Gyuri, their ex member smiled.

"Good. Now slay the stage. I'll be watching at the backstage."

Seoyeon nodded as her mind was filled all about you. Starting from the words you said and how you changed for the good. A blush appeared on her face as she thought of you.

"Uhh, Seoyeon you have a gift from... Mr. Bear?"

Seoyeon widen her eyes as she grabbed the box that was handed to her by her manager. Her members were also curious on what that gift was as they leaned in close to her.

Seoyeon opened the box and it revealed a cake with the words

"You go and show them what you got Seoyeon."

Murmurs were visible but She didn't care. Her heart was racing to the max as butterflies were swirling on her stomach.

She closed the box as she faced her members with a look of determination.

"Let's show em what we got!"

That got them all hyped up as they were ready to tear the stadium down.

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.

.

You were back to your regular job at the park selling burgers along your co worker as your bear adventure has come to a close.

Though you saw articles about the success of Fromis_9 concert, the main attraction was how Seoyeon slayed the song and dance.

You always knew that she was a talented person and seeing postive comment about her just brightens up your mood.

Right now there was no visible person in sight which made you wonder why. It was the weekends so today, the park should be filled with people.

You got out of your food stand and looked around if there was something wrong. But you couldn't find anything wrong.

"Is today a holiday? The park should have been-"

"Crybaby~~"

A familiar voice broke your thought as Seoyeon lunged herself to you as you quickly caught her in your arms.

"Seoyeon what are you-"

You couldn't finish your sentence because Seoyeon leaned her face to your and gave you a quick peck on the lips.

Your brain went haywire and malfunctioned upon realizing what Seoyeon did.

All she could do was chuckle seeing your blushed face.

"Tihehehe, did I suprise you Y/n? Well that's a sign of how much I love you."

You didn't know what to say and when you finally spoke, the words that only came out of your mouth was

"Yes?"

Seoyeon giggled as she grabbed your hand and drag you away from the food stall with a smile.

"Come on, we have 10 years worth of dates that we need to catch up. Hehehe~"

Well maybe you weren't unfortunate after all, seeing how a girl like Lee Seoyeon fell for you and even become your girlfriend.

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.

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Sigh

Your co worker said as he couldn't help feel a little jealous of you.

"I wish I have a girlfriend like him."

He laid his head on one of the tables but a cute voice woke him up quickly.

"Umm. Are you okay?"

He immediately blushed seeing the girl talk to him.

"Uhh yes I'm okay."

Her cute giggle went straight to his heart as she reached out her hand to him and said

"I'm Baek Jiheon. Nice to meet you."

He didn't even hesitate to shake her hand as she said

"I'm Nam. Just call me Nam, ma'am what?"

He got confused by his own words as this made the girl chuckle and thought

"He's cute."

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#fromis 9 #fluff #kpop fanfic #lee seoyeon #girl groups #baek jiheon