#i probably shouldn’t tag this as shakespeare‚ huh?
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Hello to all 8 people in the Slings & Arrows fandom, please accept my humble offerings.
#slings and arrows#slings & arrows#i probably shouldn’t tag this as shakespeare‚ huh?#shakespeare adjacent#slings and arrows spoilers#geoffrey tennant#paul gross#anna conroy#susan coyne#ellen fanshaw#martha burns#original post#meme dump
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Heartland
Chapter: 3/8
Pairing: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson
Additional Characters: Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, Colin Wilkes, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Duke Thomas
Rating: T (for now)
Case Fic / Kid Fic
a03 link
The library has its benefits: no harassment from over-familiar family members, no Dick sexually frustrating him within an inch of his life, and, if he’s willing to be a little sentimental, he kind of does want to show it to the baby. She’s too young to appreciate it, probably, but it stirs something in him to share it with her all the same. He’s heard it’s never too early to get kids into reading - his parents sure as hell never tried, but Jason had read anything he could get his hands on, once he learned how. It had saved him, back then. Maybe it can do the same for her one day.
“Could’ve sworn Bruce had a Dr. Seuss anthology somewhere in here,” he says to her, combing over the shelves with his eyes. “Guess not. You up for something more sophisticated?”
She grunts, squeezing his shirt in her fist. “Alright,” he agrees, pulling Twelfth Night off the shelf. “Shakespeare it is. You’ve got taste, kid.”
***
(dick)
Venice is a nightclub that has gone by many names during its Gotham tenure, and just as many owners. Dick has been undercover here at least twice, back when the club was catering to the wealthier patrons of Little Italy. The current management clearly hasn’t bothered with maintaining that exclusivity - the building is now shabby and outdated, even for this neighborhood. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the real draw of Venice, which is the illegal casino in the back rooms beyond the VIP lounge. Through all the club’s owners, the casino has always been run by the Falcones, and always frequented by the city’s most morally flexible elected officials. In the past four nights that Dick’s been staking the place out, he’s seen five judges, two city council members, and even the new police commissioner slipping out the back door into the alley, stinking of gin and cigar smoke and patting their coat pockets with an air of satisfaction. It’s good intel to have, Barbara’s told him. Always helpful to keep the files updated on who’s being bought and by whom. None of that really makes him feel better about the fact that he’s been staking this place out for four nights and still hasn’t managed to pin down their actual target.
It’s embarrassing, is what it is. He’s Nightwing, for God’s sake. He’s taken down whole Russian mobs in Bludhaven, and now he’s being completely eluded by a third-string Falcone no one’s even heard of.
Oracle had ID’d the doer of the Torres/Howard murders in a matter of hours, true to her word, and the ballistics had predictably matched up with a few other murders that the police never bothered investigating. Susanna “Susie” Falcone, a second cousin once removed with a rap sheet that puts many of her relatives to shame. Her name must still have some pull in political circles, because she’s only done time once, in spite of being indicted almost a dozen times. Gotta love good old fashioned judicial corruption, Jason had said. No one had been able to argue, looking at the number of charges dismissed.
All in all, it was supposed to be a fairly simple tag-and-bag. Once they’d found her place of work - officially, the Venice nightclub, unofficially, the family casino - he’d been tasked to track her, question her, and then turn her in to the police. He’d chosen his stakeout perch well, on a hotel roof high above the alley, he’d followed her, unseen, and so far, she’s given him the slip every freaking time. The woman has vanished through every doorway from here to Robinson Park, as only the most enterprising criminal can. Were this a different kind of case, Dick might have been impressed.
Instead, he’s annoyed, and having to compromise - his vantage point is lower, closer but more exposed in the thin shadows of a third story construction platform right above the alley. He can see the door to the club without any difficulty, but the moment he moves, he’ll be open to attack.
He’ll just have to move fast. Fortunately, that’s what he’s best at.
There’s a soft motion behind him, almost quiet enough to escape his notice entirely. It’s Jason - Dick hadn’t expected him to actually turn up. No doubt he’s here to make sure they finally succeed in catching their mark tonight, but he’s been so adamant about not leaving Danielle with anyone except Dick that it’s still a surprise to see him. What’s equally surprising to Dick is that he was apparently hoping Jason would show, if the relief he feels at seeing him is anything to go by.
It’s a nice moment of solidarity, until Jason opens his mouth. “So, fourth night’s a charm, huh?”
Dick bristles. “What happened to not leaving the baby?” he retorts.
Jason bristles back, but doesn’t rise to the bait. It’s a little wrongfooting - a reminder that things are changing between them. Dick is used to the veneer of antagonism that hangs over his relationship with Jason, the unresolved tension they both pretend not to notice. They’d gotten into a pretty good groove when he was acting as Batman, staying out of each others’ way for the most part, and working together when necessary. Dick’s pretty sure Jason doesn’t actually harbor any murderous feelings towards him, just like he doesn’t actually hate Bruce, no matter what he says.
“The girls and Alfred ganged up on me,” Jason says, leaning back against the scaffolding. “Whatever. I needed to get the hell out of there anyways. I don’t know how you stand being around them all so much.”
Dick laughs. “They’re not as interested in me,” he admits. “I’m not the cool sibling.”
Jason doesn’t respond right away. It's hard for Dick to tell, when he’s wearing the helmet, but he thinks Jason is probably waiting to see if Dick is joking. It’s another way things have shifted between them - Jason’s holding back, not jumping straight to lashing out, like he used to. It should be a good thing - it is a good thing, but it’s throwing him off balance all the same. He feels like he's spent most of the past several days looking for Jason, even when Jason is right in front of him. He’s used to trying to find the Jason he knows - or knew - the Jason who was taken away from him. Now there’s a new Jason, a Jason he’s still getting to know. Dick can’t choose between them, can’t decide which one he wants to find every time he looks at him. Maybe that’s why he can’t seem to find his one lousy mafia shooter.
“Looks like the cops are covering up the ballistics report on Reynolds,” Jason says, after a moment. “Go figure.”
Dick frowns. “Just Reynolds?”
Jason grunts. “Hold on. What.”
Dick turns to look at him.
“Did you burp her?”
Oh, Dick realizes, he’s on the comm. Someone back at the Manor must have pinged him on a private line.
“Then get Alfred to do it.”
It’s curious that the ballistics on Cy Reynolds’ murder are the ones being suppressed, Dick thinks. He was the only one killed with a submachine gun - the bullets from most of the other crime scenes had come from a standard Beretta APX, and the object of his stakeout, Susie Falcone, had used a Glock on Danielle’s parents. The Glock matched a few other shootings, the Beretta matched none. None of that is particularly noteworthy - after all, Susie is a criminal, and Beretta shell casings are a dime a dozen at any mob shooting.
“Fine. I’ll check back in five. If you asswipes don’t pick up, I’m coming back there.” Jason makes an aggravated noise in the back of his throat, which Dick takes to mean he’s hung up.
“Everything OK?”
“Just peachy. By some cosmic fucking joke, I’m the only person in the family who can get the baby to take a damn bottle. I told her they just need to burp her, but I guess that’s too complicated a task for a family of genius detectives,” Jason grumbles. “I knew I shouldn’t have left her. Shit.”
“Jay, relax. She’s fine.” Dick can’t help but grin at him. It’s honestly sweet, the way Jason and the baby have gotten attached to each other. Dick likes to think he’s her second favorite, but it’s pretty hard to tell. No matter who’s holding her, she’s always looking at Jason, and Jason never stops looking at her.
“It’s fucking cold out here,” Jason says mulishly.
Dick raises an eyebrow. “I noticed. It’s April, not August. If you really want to go back, I’m not gonna stop you.”
“I don’t…” Jason sighs. “Look, I’m here, okay? You bungled this grade school op three nights in a row, so congrats, you triggered the bat buddy system. If I leave and you fuck it up again, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Dick supposes it’s his turn not to rise to the bait. “Fair enough,” he says easily, turning around to face the alleyway again. “What were you saying about the ballistics on Reynolds?”
“Oh, Oracle ran the bullets through Interpol. Turns out our ill-fated gang boss was offed by one of Carmine Falcone’s personal weapons. The record’s been scrubbed from US databases, but Babs had a hunch.” Jason sounds impressed.
“Been scrubbed meaning...there was a record,” Dick follows, “and some people might still remember, if they saw the bullets. Hence the coverup.”
“Yup. Hence the coverup.”
“Could explain what the commissioner was doing here the other night,” Dick muses.
Jason snorts derisively. “See, this is what I hate about the mafia. They’re so goddamn predictable. Kill the competition, pay off the cops, around and around forever. It’s so pedestrian.”
Dick laughs. “You’d rather deal with Clayface?”
“Fuck yes I would. Clayface has flair, you know? Anybody can be a mobster, shit.”
Jason has started shifting with agitation, or maybe impatience. Either way, their vantage spot isn’t hidden enough for him to be moving around. “Get low if you’re gonna be twitchy,” Dick tells him. “Or if you’re gonna have a cigarette, but I’d really rather you didn’t.”
“Lucky for you I quit then,” Jason says, crouching down next to him. “I’m not jonesing, I’m just fucking cold.”
“We could huddle together for warmth,” Dick jokes, grinning unabashedly when Jason’s helmet fixes him with a death glare. “Wait, you quit smoking? When?”
“When I started taking care of a baby, obviously.” Jason goes still, suddenly. “Is that her?”
The door to the alleyway opens, and they both tense - but it’s just a man, a bodyguard, by the looks of him. Close-cropped blonde hair, early 40s, used to throwing his weight around. Feeling there’s something familiar about him, Dick nudges Jason and motions for him to take a photo. Jason starts almost imperceptibly at the contact, but follows suit. They both hold perfectly still in the shadows as the man looks around, glances in a cursory way along the rooftops, and then sets off down the alley towards the street.
“I know him,” Jason mutters. “From Tim’s case files - he was with Intergang.”
Dick doesn’t say anything about Jason calling Tim by name, but it’s a welcome development. “Looks like he switched sides, if he’s hanging out here.”
“Wonderful,” Jason says. “All right, I’m gonna check on the kid again.”
Dick represses the urge to give him a shoulder squeeze, or ruffle his hair. It’d probably result in him getting shoved off the platform, but Jason’s being so....not different, because Dick’s always known that this Jason was still in him, somewhere. Always hoped, anyways. When Jason had been younger and acted like this, surly with his words but tender with his actions, Dick had always thought of him as cute. It’s like that now, too, except it’s not just cute, because Jason has several inches and at least two weight classes on him. It’s cute in a different way, an adult way. It’s cute in a way that makes Dick want to push harder against Jason’s armor, to catch as many glimpses of that side of him as he can. If he thinks about it too long, it’s cute in a way that makes him want, recklessly.
“Red Hood to Batgirl,” Jason says. He’s calling on the family line this time. “Give me an update.”
“You’re seriously a helicopter parent, you know that, Hood?” Steph laughs in Dick’s ear. “We figured it out. Well...Black Bat figured it out.”
Jason’s shoulders sag a little in relief. Cute, Dick thinks, involuntarily. He needs to get a grip. “About fucking time.”
“She prefers being propped up,” Cass says. “It helps her swallow.”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you earlier. And she likes her back straight.”
“You said none of that, actually,” Steph says. “You just told us to support her head. Which we have been, thank you very much.”
“You have her now?”
“Robin has her.”
Dick and Jason look at each other. Jason says, “What the fuck?”
“Right?” Steph sounds amused. “I was surprised too....his friend is here, that ginger kid? He’s the one that took her from the orphanage, right?”
“Batgirl, I swear to god, if anything happens to her - ”
“Oh, calm down, jeez,” Steph groans. “They’re being supervised, okay? It’s honestly precious, you would agree with me if you could see it. I’ll text the pictures to N.”
“Please do,” Dick says. Speaking of cute, in a way that’s much safer to think about.
“Go do your job now,” Cass tells them. “We’re handling it.”
“Yeah, what she said. Batgirls out.”
“Feel better?” Dick asks, after a moment.
“Don’t ask me that,” Jason grouses. “And show me those pictures when you get them.”
Dick grins. “Sure, Jay.”
“Ugh.”
Dick decides to change the subject, before Jason gets too antsy and tries to bail. “So how do you want to play this, when Susie shows?”
Jason points to a dumpster halfway down the alley. “We wait until she’s there. I’ll get the club door, put a taser on it to stop her getting back in or anyone else from coming out. You cut her off before she gets to the street, and we question her on the backside of the dumpster. I’ll take line of sight, since I’m packing.”
Dick nods. “So is she.”
“So is every goon in those back rooms, sure. That’s why we lock their asses in.”
“And if they come out the front?”
Jason spins a gun in his hand. “Rubber bullets do the job just fine if you know how to aim. Let me worry about the backup.”
Another thing that’s changed about Jason - or that hasn’t changed, depending on how far back Dick looks. He uses rubber bullets now, whenever he’s working a case with one of them. Supposedly it’s a stipulation from Bruce, but Jason didn’t use lethal force on the couple cases he and Dick worked together, either, back when Dick was wearing the cowl. Dick thinks Bruce just gave him an excuse - whatever bloodlust Jason was fueled by when he first came back to Gotham has long since dried up. There are still things that set him off - Barbara had informed them about a dead rapist in the Narrows just last month - but Bruce hadn’t even commented on it, besides the barest acknowledgment. Dick thinks he might be the only one that actually cares when Jason kills someone, anymore. And what’s really disturbing is that he’s not actually sure how much he cares. For instance, he knows Jason has a third gun, holstered under his jacket, loaded with live ammo. He could call Jason out on it, insist he ditch it or at the very least unload it.
He says nothing. Let me worry about the backup. If this mission ends in a massacre, Dick will only have himself to blame.
The door opens again, and out steps Susie Falcone.
She immediately looks around, staying still in the doorway for a minute or more. Dick is pretty sure she hasn’t seen him following her, but he’s familiar with the sensation of being watched. He and Jason both shrink further into the shadows, waiting for her to make a move.
The whole process takes about six seconds. The moment she gets a few paces into the alley, they drop down. Jason electrifies the door handle, and Dick outmaneuvers her easily, slapping his police-issue cuffs on her and kicking her gun aside, then spinning her into the wall behind the dumpster. She hits it with a grunt. By the time she’s glaring at him, Jason is at his side again.
“Nightwing and Red Hood?” she says. “Damn. Didn’t expect to see you fellas out here.”
She doesn’t seem scared of them. Dick guesses they’ll have backup coming their way soon.
“Hey, what do you know,” Jason says conversationally, picking up the gun and emptying the clip in one swift motion. “Nightwing, I do believe this is our Glock.”
“Not mine,” Susie objects. “Picked it up off the club floor.”
“Come on, Susie, you’re smarter than that.” Jason crosses his arms. “Look, I can appreciate a sensible weapon. The Berettas the rest of your family favors? Too flashy for me. I loved Sopranos as much as the next guy, but come on.”
Dick suppresses a laugh. “Thought you were a Sig man,” he says in an undertone. He hadn’t expected Jason to take the lead, but it’s working. Susie looks agitated at the mention of her family.
“Wow, stalker. Remind me to move safe houses,” Jason quips back. “Aw, look, she slipped your cuffs.”
There’s a taser in Susie’s newly freed hand, and Dick quickly sidesteps it, twists it out of her wrist and sends it clattering down the cobblestones of the alley. Jason sweeps her legs out from under her and knocks her down flat, maybe a little harder than Dick would’ve. Thankfully, she goes down without a fight.
“Let’s try this again,” Dick says, kneeling next to her and zip-tying her wrists. If he wasn’t sure before, he is now - she was expecting them. They won’t be alone for long. He throws a couple smoke pellets down to the ends of the alley, and clips a nearly invisible wireless mic to the shoelaces of her boot under the guise of patting her down.
“You’re obviously not surprised to see us, so just tell us what we want to know,” Jason tells her, squatting down. “I’ll be honest, I don’t really give a shit that you shot Big Mouth, but what did Linda Torres ever do to you?”
“Let me up,” Susie snarls.
“No. Talk, or I’ll give you a taste of that taser you tried to pull on us.”
“Hood,” Dick hisses.
“See? He knows I’ll do it. Save yourself the grief, Susie.” Jason points the barrel of his gun lazily at her temple.
Susie narrows her eyes. “Fine. The two of them robbed me, last September. Dumb motherfuckers didn’t know who they were messing with. But I let them live because the bitch was pregnant.”
Jason makes a noise of disbelief. “Oh, sure. You’re a real bleeding heart, is that it?”
“Like you’re any better,” Susie fires back.
“You said you waited on Linda because she was pregnant,” Dick says. “Why’d you wait to kill Big Mouth?”
Susie’s mouth twists. “Guess I just felt like it.” Dick doesn’t need to see the tension in her shoulders to know she’s lying.
“Strike two.” Jason clicks the safety off. “Who put the hits out?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Susie answers. “I’m dead if I talk, so pistol whip me if you want to. Here’s the God’s honest truth: I really didn’t need a reason to kill those assholes. I was out for ‘em anyways. But I’m not crazy enough to kill a baby, all right? I don’t need shit like that on my conscience.”
“Keep talking,” Jason growls. Dick hears the whoop of a siren a few blocks off. “Where’s the baby now?”
“Somewhere safe, I swear. If anybody comes for her, it won’t be me.”
Susie still thinks Danielle’s at the orphanage, then. That’s good for them, but potentially bad for all the other kids, Colin included. These guys clearly have no problem killing children, even if Susie won’t do it.
The sirens are getting closer. Someone inside must’ve called the cops. Dick motions to Jason, indicating they need to wrap things up.
“Who is coming for her,” Jason barks, every line of his body a threat. “You’ve got five seconds.”
“You don’t.” Susie looks triumphant. They can hear the shouts of police from behind the smoke. “But don’t worry, boys. You’ll find out who really runs this town soon enough.”
“Hood,” Dick mutters. “We need to go, cops in this neighborhood aren’t cape-friendly.”
Jason stands, visibly enraged, and for a moment Dick thinks he’ll shoot Susie anyways. He’s prepared to move - but then Jason pulls out his grapple, fires, and flies up onto the roof.
“Talk about a bleeding heart,” Susie says to Dick. “He have kids or something?”
Dick doesn’t like her tone of voice at all. She’s too relaxed, too unconcerned about being under arrest. She won’t stay in long.
“It’s Nightwing! Get your hands up!”
Dick obliges, ready to pull his escrima sticks.
Three police officers come through the smoke, weapons drawn. “You better have a damn good reason for being this far out of Bludhaven,” one of them shouts at Dick.
“Sure do!” Dick calls back. “Arrested a murderer for you, no need to thank me!”
“Shut up,” a different officer retorts. “Keep your hands up, pretty boy.”
“Oh, fuck this,” Jason mutters over the comm. “I’m throwing you an escape, we’ll recon on the library roof. Stop being so goddamn chatty.”
One smoke pellet later, Dick is three rooftops away and flying. He gets to the library before Jason, exhilarated as ever from a good run.
Jason drops down next to him after a minute or so, laughing when he gets a look at Dick’s smile. “Running from the cops still does it for you, huh?”
Dick elbows him, momentarily forgetting to keep his distance. “Doesn’t it for you?”
Surprisingly, Jason doesn’t move away. “Usually they’re shooting at me, so.”
Dick leans closer, testing. “So…yes?”
“You’re so annoying,” Jason says, but he lets Dick nudge his shoulder, bump their arms together. He’s so solid, Dick thinks. So big. More like Bruce than any of them.
“So, how fast do you think she’ll get out?” he asks, when Jason stays quiet.
“Fucking tomorrow, probably,” Jason sighs. “Next week if we’re lucky.”
“Sounds like she didn’t know about Danielle, at least.”
“She’s not the problem,” Jason says, shrugging Dick off and standing back up. “Falcones will blow up the whole orphanage if they get wind of it. We need to put them down first.”
“We need to find out who’s in charge,” Dick agrees. “I planted a mic on her shoe. In the laces. Hopefully she won’t find it for a few days.”
“Good thinking,” Jason nods. “You gonna keep patrolling?”
“Might as well,” Dick says, standing up next to him and stretching his arms over his head. “I’m still stiff from that stakeout, I need to move.”
Jason’s gone quiet again. Dick thinks he hears his breath catch, but the helmet muffles it enough that it could be a yawn.
“You’re going back to the manor?”
Jason groans. “Fuck my life, yes.”
“You miss her, huh.” Cute, his brain chants.
Jason doesn’t answer, but Dick has a feeling he’s getting the stink-eye.
“I miss her too,” Dick offers. “It’s okay.”
Jason sighs. “Dick…”
“It’s a good thing, Jay. You care about her! We all do,” Dick adds, seeing the rigidity in Jason’s posture. “I mean, you’re practically her parent right now. Of course you miss her.”
“...Don’t say it like that.” Jason’s voice is low, almost pained, and Dick knows he pushed too far. “Like…like I have a right to, okay, just. Don’t.”
“Jason, wait,” Dick starts, but he doesn’t get to finish. Without a backward glance, Jason fires off a line to the neighboring building, and then he’s gone.
***
(tim)
The docks are quiet, unsettlingly so, as Tim prowls around the towers of shipping containers, keeping to the deep shadows they cast along the chipped pavement. It’s overcast, so there’s no moonlight to expose him, but it’s also too dark to see which of the trucks and campers parked all over are occupied, which ones might suddenly turn their headlights on him and catch him out.
One truck in particular - an innocuous looking Isuzu with a stunningly weaponized interior, is the object of his search. The driver, Felipe, is one of Tim’s best informants within Intergang - or had been, prior to the upheaval. Tim’s reasonably sure that Felipe is too lowly a grunt to make an example of, but still, he’s concerned that he hasn’t heard from him in a few days.
As it turns out, he needn’t have worried. He finds Felipe a hundred yard away from his truck, taking a piss off the wharf. He lets himself into the passenger side of the truck, and immediately notes that it is packed. There’s hardly a spare inch in the back, and Tim has a tough time even getting into the passenger seat with all the bags, clothes, and blankets stuffed into it. He pushes the majority of it to the floor, and waits.
Felipe comes back a few moments later. He opens the door and starts, eyes going wide when he sees Tim, but Tim puts his finger to his lips and motions for Felipe to get in so they can talk.
“Red Robin,” Felipe says, once the door is closed. He looks even more shaken than usual. “What the fuck, man?”
Tim crosses his arms. “You tell me, Felipe. You’ve been dodging my calls for days, and now I find out you’re skipping town?”
“I ditched that phone, man. Boss Reynolds had my number in there, you know? Ditched it as soon as I heard about him. I wasn’t trying to ghost you, honest.”
“Relax,” Tim tells him. “I’m not mad. I’d dodge me, too. Just tell me what happened, and I’ll shadow you out of town. Make sure you’re not followed.”
“Shit, man,” Felipe sighs. “Okay, look. There’s shit I can’t tell you, not if I ever want to hench again. You gotta figure that all out yourself, yeah?”
Tim shrugs. “Fine.”
Felipe swallows. “It started last week when Boss Reynolds met with somebody - I don’t know his name, God as my witness, but from what I heard, ‘cause I was unloading some of that funky alien tech, and you know Boss Reynolds wanted to supervise that personally - anyways, this guy in a suit took a meeting with him, and it sounded like he was offering Boss Reynolds a job. Said he had a new operation, bigger than Intergang, bigger than anything Gotham’s seen in a while.”
“Did Reynolds believe him?”
“Nah, he told him to get lost. They had some words, and then everybody started pulling guns, and I went back to the ship so I didn’t get fuckin’ shot, but I didn’t hear anything after that. Next thing I saw, Boss Reynolds was calling his son up and telling him to demo some building down by the old boardwalk - a hotel, maybe. Guess he wanted to expand that way, I don’t know.”
“That was the old Falcone hotel,” Tim says, mostly just to see Felipe’s reaction. He isn’t disappointed - Felipe goes pale, and his eyes flash to the rosary hanging off his rearview mirror. Tim likes Felipe as an informant because he’s nosy, shockingly competent for a henchman, and because he really likes to gossip. He’s never held back on Tim before this.
“Few days later, one of ours, this merc named Tiberius, comes down to the warehouse and says he’s got something to show us. Takes out a fat fuckin’ folder full of pictures…man, it was some sick shit. Boss Reynolds, his wife, Reynolds Jr, and every fuckin’ guy under him. Kids, man. He just passed it around, made everyone look at it. Then he says, we can either be in the folder, or we can come meet the new boss.”
Felipe takes a shaky breath. “Obviously I go with Tiberius, like everyone else. I heard a couple guys stayed on the ship that was docked, thinking they’d wait ‘em out, but the new boss blew it up. Says we’re not in the tech business anymore, and anyone caught trying to smuggle it is gonna get tied to it and tossed in the harbor. You can imagine my concerns,” he says, gesturing to his truck. Tim estimates half or more of the weapons in it are salvaged from alien junk. Roy Harper would have a field day with the setup this guy’s made for himself.
“So that’s why you’re bailing,” Tim says, understanding. He can hardly blame the guy. “Why not just hide the truck somewhere?”
“Well…I did think about that,” Felipe admits. “Tiberius made us a pretty sweet pitch, once we went along with him. Not gonna lie, I was tempted. Tech is my thing, you know, but I can make a gun out of pretty much anything. I could see the possibilities, is what I’m saying, but that was before we met the new boss.”
Tim nods encouragingly. This is what he’s been waiting to hear.
“Listen, Red Robin - I know we’ve had our differences, but I respect you, man, you know that. You’ve been good to me, so I’m gonna give you some advice here. Stay the hell away from the new boss. Like, don’t even get involved. I’ve been henching for a while, and I’ve seen some messed up shit, but they are crazy. Está loca, you feel me? I’ve seen the hit list, and you’re right at the top of it. You and all the other capes. Half of Arkham, too. And they’re connected, like you wouldn’t believe. Shit, I’m already saying too much, man. You see the position I’m in here?”
“I do, Felipe,” Tim tells him. He hands over a stack of hundred dollar bills, their agreed-upon rate for information. “Where are you going?”
“You’re crazy too, if you think I’m telling you that,” Felipe scoffs.
Tim wasn’t expecting a straight answer anyways. “Fair enough. You heading out now?”
“Soon as you get the hell outta my car, yeah. You said you’d shadow me out?”
“I will,” Tim says. “From a distance. If you don’t see me, it means you’re clear to cross the bridge.”
“All right,” Felipe nods. “In that case, I hope I never see your ass again.”
Tim laughs, and climbs out of the truck.
He finds his own way out of the shipyard, pulls a bike out of a safe house, and catches up with Felipe’s GPS signal halfway to the Fashion District. Once he’s sure there’s no immediate threat, he calls Barbara.
“Red Robin to Oracle. I’m uploading a recording to the server.”
Barbara is in his ear at once. “You met with your informant?”
“He wouldn’t give me a name, but he let a couple things slip.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense,” she says.
“First, he flinched hard when I brought up the Falcone name.”
“Confirms what we already know,” Barbara says. “Good. There’s more?”
“There’s more.” Tim tries not to gloat. This is, after all, a serious situation. “He was being cagey about mentioning the leader’s gender, so I was already suspicious, but then said ‘está loca’ when he was trying to warn me.”
Barbara whistles. “Well,” she says, sounding satisfied. “That’ll certainly narrow it down.”
“Yep,” Tim says grimly. “Looks like the new head of the Falcone family is a woman.”
***
(jason)
When Jason was Robin, the library had always been his favorite room in the Manor. It had spoken easily to his idea of what wealth was - rich people had fancy cars, sure, and maybe pools and expensive wardrobes, but wealthy people had art collections, and gardens, and libraries. Jason had spent hours upon hours browsing the shelves, reading anything he could wrap his brain around (and plenty of things he couldn’t), suggesting additions to Alfred, and avoiding his schoolwork in favor of learning about more interesting things, like string theory, or cryptology, or chemical warfare.
That was then.
Now, the library is the only place he can get a minute of peace from the constant barrage of his obnoxious, nosy, boundaryless family members. They’ve been characteristically persistent in their curiosity about him, and about Danielle, who is now Dani, courtesy of Stephanie. This is a nickname family, she’d said, and Jason hadn’t known how to disagree. So now she’s Dani, and Jason is family, and that apparently means he is no longer entitled to any privacy, or personal space for that matter. The only person who hasn’t barged in on him is Bruce, which is almost worse, in a way, because it’s one thing when nobody seeks him out, and it’s quite another when everyone does and then Bruce...doesn’t. Not that he wants Bruce to come up and bother him, God. But he’s in the man’s house, he’s hearing him on the comm constantly either on patrol or down in the cave, and all the other Bat brats and even Alfred are buzzing around him like flies. It’s too much - it feels like before, except for Bruce’s conspicuous absence reminding him that it’s not.
Sharing a bathroom with Dick is another before experience that Jason didn’t need a repeat of. In some ways, it was worse when he was Robin - stripping and showering after patrol in the cave with Dick a few feet away from him is a memory he really wouldn’t have minded leaving back in the Pit - and in other ways, it’s worse now, because Dick is always freaking around. There’s no reprieve, he’s not flitting off to the Titans every week like he used to be. Jason hasn’t gone half a day without Dick getting in his space, drawing up close to him and making that earnest eye contact he’s so annoyingly good at; sometimes wet, sometimes half-naked, sometimes both. And what can Jason do? He’s not going to leave Dani, and he needs Dick to be there so he can get some sleep every once in a while, or patrol, or shower. It’s actually been pretty helpful to have him around, in that regard, but if he has to see the guy walking around with bedhead and nothing but a pair of boxer briefs on one more time, he’s going to fucking explode.
So, the library has its benefits: no harassment from over-familiar family members, no Dick sexually frustrating him within an inch of his life, and, if he’s willing to be a little sentimental, he kind of does want to show it to Dani. She’s too young to appreciate it, probably, but it stirs something in him to share it with her all the same. He’s heard it’s never too early to get kids into reading - his parents sure as hell never tried, but Jason had read anything he could get his hands on, once he learned how. It had saved him, back then. Maybe it can do the same for Dani one day.
“Could’ve sworn Bruce had a Dr. Seuss anthology somewhere in here,” he says to her, combing over the shelves with his eyes. “Guess not. You up for something more sophisticated?”
She grunts, squeezing his shirt in her fist. “Alright,” he agrees, pulling Twelfth Night off the shelf. “Shakespeare it is. You’ve got taste, kid.”
He wonders, not for the first time, what exactly he thinks he’s doing, playing at this whole parenting thing. The rational part of his brain knows that this is a case, that Dani is a victim, that Jason is protecting her because it’s his job. The emotional part of his brain has gone completely off the goddamn rails. Case in point: he’s here with her in the library, prepping her for early literacy like some kind of Crest Hill soccer mom wannabe. Like he’ll even be in her life when she starts doing her ABCs - God willing, she’ll be as far away from him as possible by the time that happens.
It’s fucking hard to think about. He never thought he’d get this attached to a person who can’t even burp on their own. It’s been over a week, and he still struggles with putting her down, with stepping away from her, even when he knows he’s coming right back. Steph and Damian have been wanting to hold her all the time, and Jason knows that they’re capable, knows he has no claim over Dani, doesn’t even mind either of them all that much under normal circumstances, and still, he can’t help feeling like something has reached inside and gripped at his heart every time he passes her over. Which is ridiculous, because she’s not his, he has no more claim over her than any other schmuck off the street. She’s just a kid with unbelievably bad luck, and he’s the idiot who followed Dick up the stairs instead of booking it out the door like a sensible person.
He settles down with her on the couch, propping her up on a couple of pillows, giving her foot a little squeeze. She squeals, smiling at him, and stuffs her fingers in her mouth. God, Jason didn’t know he could feel the way he feels whenever she smiles at him. It’s gonna kill him when he has to give her up.
“If music be the food of love, play on,” he reads, walking his fingers up her leg. “Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die.”
Dani watches him, chewing happily on her fingers. “‘O, it came over my ear like the sweet sound that breathes upon a bank of violets.’ That’s you, you know.” He pokes her in the cheek, grinning. If music be the food of love…but hell, he doesn’t think he’ll ever get enough of this. Especially when she’s all calm and engaging, the precious few minutes that he’s learned to appreciate in between finishing eating and being tired and cranky, when all she wants to do is look around at things, and all Jason wants to do, ever, is look at her.
The door to the library opens, and Jason goes from content to murderous in a fraction of a second. “What the fuck is it now,” he hisses, expecting Damian or maybe Tim, coming to nag him some more, and instead sees Damian’s friend Colin, who looks horrified to have intruded on him. Jason immediately feels like the world’s biggest ass.
“Sorry,” Colin whispers, mortified, and Jason waves a hand apologetically.
“My bad, I didn’t know it was you. Come in, it’s fine. She’s awake, you don’t need to whisper.”
Colin looks unsure, but soon nods and steps into the library, shutting the door firmly behind him.
Once inside, he dawdles by the nearest bookshelf, clearly at a loss. Jason probably should’ve just let him back out, because this is awkward. Should he keep reading to Dani? Talk to Colin? Ask him why he looks like someone just kicked him and stole his dog?
“You good?” he ventures, figuring he ought to at least attempt to be the adult in the room.
Colin glances at him over his shoulder, smiling tentatively. “Yeah, just bored. Damian’s sleeping, we had a rough patrol last night.”
“We?” Jason repeats, stunned. Bruce isn’t an exemplar of child welfare practices, sure, but letting Damian take other kids on crime-busting playdates? What the hell?
“Oh, I guess you don’t know,” Colin frowns. “I’m….uh, it’s probably easier if I just show you.”
He slides his jacket off, threadbare t-shirt hanging off his skinny frame. Jason tenses, not sure what to expect. When Colin’s arm starts to expand, his eyes widen. By the time his fist is as big around as Jason’s thigh, he thinks his eyebrows have probably disappeared into his hairline.
“Oh.” Jason has no idea how he’s supposed to react to this. Is Colin a meta? He’s pretty sure he would know if Colin was a meta. “How…?”
“Scarecrow,” Colin explains. Jason’s heart sinks. “He experimented on me with synthetic Venom. Batman saved me.”
Dani fusses, twisting her body and scrunching her face up. Jason sympathizes - this conversation is giving him gas, too. “Shit,” he says. Not the most articulate way of expressing his condolences, but Colin’s friends with Damian, so tact can’t be of great importance to him. “I didn’t know.”
Dani starts to cry, and Colin takes a couple steps forward, putting Jason’s hackles up at once. Stop it, he tells himself sternly. He might have fallen down a few pegs, but he’s not pathetic enough to square up against an abused fifth grader. He picks her up, rubbing her back, and then glances over at Colin. The kid’s gone shy, looking down at a point somewhere between Jason’s legs and the floor. Jason feels all the hostility bleed out of him, and he sighs.
“You can sit down.” He gestures to the couch, trying to sound nonthreatening. Dani burps, mouths at his shirt, and then gurgles and kicks her legs again. She leans back against his hold to stare at Colin, and Colin’s face splits into a huge grin. He tucks himself down into the cushions, keeping plenty of space between them, but Jason can sense from the inclination of his body that he wants to be closer. Well, if anyone has a right to be close to Dani, it’s the kid who rescued her in the first place.
“Here,” he offers, turning Dani around in his arms. His heart clenches, and he clamps down on his desire to flee. “You can hold her for a minute, if you want to. She likes you.”
Colin looks at him, eyes shining. “Really?”
Jason nods. “Go ahead. Honestly, you probably know a lot more about this shit than I do.”
Colin takes Dani from him carefully, smiling at her and laughing when she reaches forward to grab at his jacket zipper. A few seconds later, it’s in her mouth, along with most of her fist.
“Should I…?” Colin looks at Jason hesitantly.
“I mean…she’s had worse things in her mouth,” Jason tells him. A ringing endorsement of his child-minding abilities right there. “It’s fine, right? That’s how they build an immune system, or whatever.”
“Well, Alfred washed this for me last night,” Colin admits, looking embarrassed. “So it shouldn’t be too gross.”
Jason leans back against the couch cushions, crossing his arms. “Getting all the perks, huh?”
Colin shrugs, casting his eyes down again. “I like it here.”
Considering where Colin grew up, Jason supposes he can’t blame the kid. Still, he’s not quite wrapping his head around this sweet, genuinely nice kid being buddies with Damian. The demon brat isn’t exactly known for his winning personality, and Jason only knows vaguely how the two of them met, but what he’s heard doesn’t strike him as being particularly conducive to forging the lasting bonds of friendship.
Curiosity gets the better of him, and he decides to just ask. “Why’d you call Damian, the night you found her?”
Colin looks surprised. “I...don’t know,” he says, slowly. “I didn’t know who else to call? Damian’s my best friend, and he always knows what to do.”
Jason can’t keep the skeptical look off his face.
“And if he doesn’t, Bat….Bruce, I mean, definitely always knows what to do.”
Jason scrubs a hand over his face. Time to change the fucking subject. “How’d you two get hooked up, anyways?”
Dani turns her head to look at him, still eating Colin’s zipper. Sometimes, Jason gets the bizarre feeling that she can somehow tell when he’s about to blow a gasket. It’s probably a coincidence - she moves around a lot, and Jason has anger issues that flare up every ten minutes, so there’s bound to be some crossover - but it works, because it takes the fight right out of him every time.
“We worked a case together,” Colin says, holding Dani a little more securely against him. “About a year ago, I guess. Kids were disappearing from my orphanage, and from the shelters. I don’t think you were around.”
“I wasn’t,” Jason shakes his head. He and Roy had been busting a trafficking ring in Ibiza, and it had taken Jason over a month to get all the major players. “I heard about it a little, from Dick.”
Dick hadn’t given him too many details at the time - Jason had chalked it up to him having a few other things on his mind, but as Colin fills in the gaps, he starts to suspect Dick just didn’t want him going on a rampage. Which he absolutely would have - he still wants to, God. God. All those poor kids, just a stone’s throw from his old neighborhood. And of course the police had done jack shit - Zsasz is practically Black Mask’s pet, he probably paid them off to look the other way, not that most of them need the excuse - and Bruce was gone, and Jason was gone, and Dick was in over his head, and - fuck, it should never have fallen to Damian and Colin.
He waits for the fury to subside a little, not trusting what will come out of his mouth. Dani hums around her fist, blinking at him, and it helps. “Jesus,” he says, finally. “This fucking town.”
Colin’s mouth twists a little. “Yeah. But you were Robin, right? You probably saw worse things.”
Did he? Jason doesn’t remember. He doubts it, though. He can’t imagine he would’ve been satisfied with Bruce’s way of dealing with it.
“I wouldn’t have pulled my stroke, when I was Robin,” he muses. “Probably why Bruce never gave me a sword.”
No, Jason would’ve bisected the fucker. It still has appeal, though he thinks he would lean towards his favorite Sig rifle if he was taking care of it today. Headshots for the henchmen - anyone who signs on to that kind of operation, even in the most menial capacity, doesn’t deserve to breathe. Kneecaps and crotch shots for the spectators, to make sure they couldn’t get away. Gut shots for the kid-wranglers. And Zsasz....it’s tempting to want to draw it out, but Jason can feel the desire leaving him the longer he thinks about it. His imaginative tortures fade into a simple headshot, and even that isn’t satisfying. Fuck. He just can’t seem to hold onto his rage lately, even when he wants to. It’s all being replaced by some kind of anxiety, some kind of tenderness that aches, burning deep into him every time Dani looks at him, or touches him. Every time he thinks of her. Every time he feels Dick watching him with her, all warmth and affection.
Colin bounces her a little, making her laugh. Jason feels his revenge fantasy slip away.
“What’re you reading her?” Colin nods to the book still laying open in Jason’s lap.
Jason looks at it. “Oh, Twelfth Night. Shakespeare,” he adds, recalling that Colin is eleven, and likely not perusing great literature in his free time. “Figure it’s never too early to start her on the classics.”
Colin grins. “That’s cool,” he says. “Does she like it?”
“Beats me,” Jason shrugs.
“Read some?”
Jason raises his eyebrows.
Colin flushes. “Um. I mean, if you want…”
He decides to humor him. What the hell. “Sure, why not. ‘O spirit of love! How quick and fresh art thou, that, notwithstanding in thy capacity, receiveth as the sea.’”
Dani yawns widely, relinquishing her fist in a long string of drool. Jason laughs, and so does Colin. “Maybe jumping the gun a little,” he admits. “I don’t really know what kids are into these days.”
“Me either,” Colin says. “I think she liked it, though. See, she’s just sleepy.”
Jason feels a lump forming in his throat, and swallows hard against it.
“What does it mean? The part you were reading,” Colin asks.
“Um.” Jason doesn’t really know, he’s not exactly a literary scholar, but he’s always liked to work Shakespeare out on his own, finding meaning in the wordplay and running the metaphors through his mind until they line up in a satisfactory way. He doesn’t know if his interpretation is correct, exactly, but: “So this Duke, a guy called Orsino, is saying that he doesn’t want to be in love anymore. He’s talking about love and how everyone thinks it’s this wonderful thing, but the truth is that it actually just makes people miserable.”
Jason pauses, feeling like he just showed way too much of his hand. “Basically, he’s just complaining,” he finishes, uneasy.
Glancing at Colin out of the corner of his eye, he’s relieved to see that he’s occupied with Dani, and not paying attention to Jason at all. Thank fuck. If it’d been anyone else in the house sitting there, he’d be in for some horrible armchair psychology session, and he’d have to book it out the window and not return for several months.
“I think she wants you,” Colin says, as Dani ramps up her fussing. Jason takes her gratefully, holds her to his chest as she rubs her eyes and grumbles her displeasure at being passed around.
“All right, I hear you,” Jason murmurs, gently tugging her fists away from her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic, come on. It’s not so bad.” Like he’s one to talk.
And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, ever since pursue me, he thinks, rocking her tiny body into a comfortable position. Colin was only holding her for ten, maybe fifteen minutes, and Jason was sitting less than five feet away, but he missed her. God, what is happening to him?
“Damian didn’t want to bring her here, at first,” Colin says quietly. “But I think he’s glad that we did. He really likes her, you know.”
Jason doesn’t quite know how to feel about that. It’s sweet, on some level. And he’s well aware that Damian likes her, going by the amount of time he spends hovering in the hallway outside Jason’s room, not to mention the increasingly expensive toys that keep showing up among her things.
He looks down at her, dozing off. “Well, she’s pretty easy to like.”
Colin nods, looking pleased.
“Damian, on the other hand....”
Colin grins. “He’s not so bad.”
He’s really not. Like hell Jason will ever tell him that, though. “You have bizarre taste, kid.”
Colin blushes, hard, and Jason blinks. Well. That’s interesting, isn’t it? Or it will be, in a few years. He makes a note to ask Dick about it, later.
“Are you gonna adopt her?” Colin asks, bringing Jason’s amused thoughts to a screeching halt.
Automatically, he says, “No way.”
Colin looks wounded. “Why not?”
“Because I can’t,” Jason replies. “I’m the last person who should be a parent, trust me.”
“Doesn’t look that way to me.”
Doesn’t feel that way either - the thought floats up, unbidden, uninvited. He can’t. “She deserves better,” Jason says, heavily. “Even if….even I could handle it. She deserves better than this family.”
“But your family is - ”
“A death sentence.” He’s being harsh, but if Colin’s gonna be hanging around, he’ll find out for himself soon enough. “It’s fucking cursed, look. I couldn’t do that to any kid, especially her. You should get out too, while you still can.”
Colin looks angry, which surprises him. His hands are balled into fists, and Jason sees a tremor in them, a bulging that immediately sets off alarm bells in his head.
“Kid,” he says sharply. “Colin. If you’re gonna hulk out, take it outside. Alfred will have an honest-to-God stroke if you do it in here.”
A few deep breaths later, Colin looks normal again. “Sorry.” His voice is hoarse. “You’re wrong, though.”
Jason’s temper flares. “No offense, but I think I would know better than you,” he snaps. Dani grumbles sleepily in his arms, and he sighs out in frustration. “Trust me, okay? She’s better off. It never ends well, not in this family. I’m proof of that.”
But Colin shakes his head. “You don’t know,” he says. “My mom said the same thing, when she dropped me off at the orphanage. She gave the nuns a letter - she said I’d be better off with them than with her.”
Jason stills.
“It didn’t matter,” Colin continues. “Scarecrow still got me. Victor Zsasz still got me. Maybe they would have gotten me with her, too. Maybe I wouldn’t have been that much better off with her, but at least I would’ve been with her.” He sniffles, and Jason holds Dani a little tighter.
“I know she loved me.” His voice cracks. “I just wish...I wish I could’ve stayed with her. I wish she would have known that I never would’ve been better off away from her.”
He looks absolutely miserable, pitched forward and rubbing hard at his eyes. Jason is reminded painfully of how young Colin is, closer to Dani’s age than his own. He remembers being Colin’s age and younger, thinking the same thoughts about his own mother. How fiercely he’d guarded her, chased away the cops and the social workers, doing everything in his power not to be separated from her. Not that it mattered, in the end.
“Fuck,” he mutters. “Colin, I’m sorry. For the record, I actually kind of get where you’re coming from.”
Colin looks up at him.
“Wish I didn’t, but. That’s life.”
“You should adopt her,” Colin says again, softly.
Jason shakes his head. “Colin…”
“You’ll think about it.”
He exhales. “Sure, I’ll think about it.” Like he’ll be able to think about anything else after this.
“She needs you,” Colin insists stubbornly.
Jason doesn’t reply. He knows on some level Colin is right - Dani does need him right now. She needs someone, at least, someone who can take care of her and protect her. Someone who isn’t afraid to shed blood to keep her safe. Jason doesn’t relish the thought, but he’s certain this won’t end tidily. Mob cases never do. It’ll be messy, and bloody, and Bruce will have a shit fit, and Dick probably will too, and Jason will go back to Crime Alley and Dani will get shipped off to Witness Protection or something, and damn, does that hurt to think about.
He looks over at Colin, still hunched over on himself, vulnerability written into every line of his posture. He’s desperately in need of a hug, or some kind of affection, validation, maybe. Or that’s just Jason projecting, who the fuck knows. If Dick was here, he would know exactly what to do for him. Jason’s at a loss, unable to separate his young self from the damaged kid sitting next to him.
He adjusts his hold on Dani carefully, laying her down flat along his arm, while he works out what to say. Finally, he settles on, “Damian’s lucky to have you.”
Colin sits up a little straighter. He looks like he’s waiting for more, but he’s shit out of luck, because Jason has no idea what else he needs to hear. No idea what he could say that wouldn’t be completely insincere, anyways. We can be your family, Colin. Like hell. Bruce has enough kids lined up waiting to die for him, he’s not about to encourage another one to be turned into cannon fodder for the man’s principles.
“Uh, yeah,” Jason says, after a moment. “That’s all I got.”
Colin smiles wanly. “Thanks, anyways.”
Jason snorts. “Sure.”
“Can I hug you?”
Jason stares. “Can you…what? Me?”
“I won’t if you don’t want me to,” Colin adds, averting his eyes.
Jason can’t even remember the last time someone hugged him. He thinks Roy might’ve, some eight or nine months ago, after they’d narrowly survived a warehouse explosion. Jason’s whole body had been ringing from the blast, so he doesn’t exactly remember the sensation of it. And before that…?
He imagines Dick’s reaction, if he was here. He’d be disappointed in Jason, that’s for sure. Really, Jay? You can’t hug a child? It’s a fair argument, he has to admit. Jason’s fucked up personal space issues don’t really apply to children, or babies, clearly. Colin’s obviously attention-starved, and Jason’s already holding one kid. What’s another, really.
“Okay,” he relents. “Hit me.”
There’s a shuffling motion next to him, and then Colin is hugging his free arm, leaning his head against Jason’s shoulder. Jason can’t quite contain his surprise - it’s weird, as expected, but it’s not dramatically increasing his desire to bolt through the nearest exit like he’d thought it would. It’s a little funny, actually. He’s pretty sure both Bruce and Damian would lose their shit if they could see him right now. Dick, too, most likely, but to his credit, it would be a happy kind of shit-losing. Damian would probably try to gut him.
Are there cameras in the library? Jason can’t remember. He kind of hopes there aren’t, because if anyone else sees this, he will absolutely never live it down.
***
(dick)
“Wait, I think that’s him.” Dick leans forward to peer at Tim’s screen. He points to the familiar looking figure. “That guy. Do you have a clearer shot?”
Tim skips a few photos ahead, and zooms in. “Him?”
“Yes. That’s the guy. Jason said he recognized him from your surveillance files. He was at the club the night we caught Susie Falcone.”
“The fourth night, was it?” Tim asks, innocently.
“Don’t be mean, Timmy.”
“Just clarifying,” Tim grins. Dick raises an eyebrow. “Okay, okay. I don’t have a ton of intel on this guy, he’s really slippery. According to my informant, he goes by Tiberius - some kind of mercenary, Greek or Albanian national. I doubt that’s his real name.”
Dick nods, studying the photographs. Tim continues, “He came over with Intergang as an enforcer, I think. Might’ve been Reynolds’ personal bodyguard.”
“Could explain how Reynolds got taken out,” Dick says thoughtfully. “He’s on the Falcones’ payroll now, but he’s not family. Might be an easy target.”
Tim opens his mouth, about to reply, when there’s a choked-off sound of fury from the Batcave below them.
“Was that Damian? He’s up already?” Dick asks, glancing down towards Bruce’s computer. He hops over the ramp to see what the fuss is about. Tim follows close behind.
“Everything okay?” Dick asks, approaching the wall of screens. There’s nothing that jumps out at him as being particularly alarming; Bruce is looking at DNA analyses, and Damian is looking at the Manor surveillance, tapping furiously at his ear.
“Todd!” he hisses. “What do you think you’re doing? Colin is my friend!”
“Robin,” Oracle’s voice comes through the speaker. “No names on the comms. And Hood isn’t wearing his earpiece, so you’ll have to tell him in person.” She sounds amused. “Oracle out.”
Damian swears.
“Holy shit,” Tim says faintly. “Look at them.”
The screen that all the Manor surveillance feeds run to is showing just one room - the library, of all places, but Dick vaguely recalls it being some kind of sanctuary to Jason, years and years ago. It makes sense that he’d end up back there, and it makes sense that he’d have Dani with him. What Dick doesn’t expect to see is little Colin Wilkes, all five feet and change of him, snuggled up to Jason’s side and hugging him, wrapped around his arm like a gangly koala. Dick can’t help but notice that Jason’s bicep is about as big around as Colin’s head, which is certainly...something. He’s not quite ready to classify how he feels about that, so he refocuses on the hug itself, which is nothing short of charming.
Damian grinds his teeth audibly. “It’s still going.”
“Oh, man.” Dick can’t help the grin he feels creeping up the sides of his face. “Bruce, are you seeing this?”
“I am,” Bruce says, stiffly. He looks like he’s in pain. Dick fights the urge to roll his eyes.
“What’s wrong with you? Look how sweet they are!” he exclaims, gesturing. It’s adorable.
“It is not sweet,” Damian snarls, whirling on him. “Todd is a corruptive influence, and Colin is young and impressionable! Where is your concern for him?”
Tim coughs, and it sounds a little bit like “jealous”. Surprisingly, this does not diffuse Damian’s indignation.
“I don’t get it,” Dick says, stepping between them quickly to block Damian’s spinning kick. “I thought you and Jason were fine, Damian. You’ve been spending enough time in our - in his room lately. Where’s this coming from?”
“Incredibly, I don’t feel as concerned about Todd recruiting an infant onto the path of lawlessness,” Damian retorts. “Colin lacks paternal guidance in his life, as you know. Todd clearly senses it.”
“Jason is very paternal these days,” Tim agrees.
“I’m pretty sure it’s just a hug,” Dick says in exasperation. “No one’s recruiting anyone, Damian. And look, it’s over. Your friend is just a hugger, that’s all.”
“I must agree with Master Richard,” Alfred says from behind them. “Having been the recipient of many such embraces from young Master Colin myself.”
“See? I’ve gotten hugs from him too,” Dick tells Damian. “And I know you have, so don’t bother denying it. He’s probably gearing up the courage to get one from Bruce one of these days.”
Bruce looks slightly alarmed by the prospect. “He is?”
Damian looks conflicted. “He is?”
Dick casts his eyes heavenward. “Colin, I’m so sorry.”
Before he can say anything else, the Cave door opens below them, and Duke’s bike comes shooting in, whipping around into its parking spot in a move that would send Dick flying over the handlebars. Bruce takes about half a second to look impressed, and then clears the main screen to pull up their intel on the Falcone case.
“What’s up, guys,” Duke calls, pulling off his helmet and jogging up the steps. “I’ve got news. Where’s Jason?”
“Being hugged, in the library,” Dick tells him. “You just missed it.”
Duke looks nonplussed. “Damn. Wait, that’s not some kind of weird euphemism, is it? If it is, I don’t want to know.”
“It most certainly is not,” Damian says venomously.
“Cool. I tried to get him on the comm, but he didn’t respond. Should I go get him? He’ll want to hear this.”
“Damian will get him,” Bruce says.
Damian is…already on the elevator. Dick spares a thought for Jason. At least he’s holding Dani, so Damian won’t attack him outright.
“Your news?” Bruce prompts.
“Right,” Duke nods. “I’ve been all over City Hall records, and spent yesterday afternoon getting intel in the East End. I’ve got names and faces of most of the major players in this. They’re trying hard to front some distant nephew of Carmine Falcone as the head of the whole operation, but it wasn’t quite adding up. You said the new Falcone boss is a woman, right?” he asks Tim.
Tim nods affirmatively.
Duke looks triumphant. “Then I know who she is.”
***
#jaydick#in which there is so much plot all to justify the existence of 1 baby#low key this fic is my maternal love letter to colin wilkes#i miss him dc bring him back#my fics#heartlandverse
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She... Loves Me?
Notes: Sorry everyone! I know it's been a hot minute since I've updated. I had some major writer's block with this story. I needed to keep it at Adrien's POV while keeping with the timeline of the story (according to production order) and making everything make sense in the end. Now that I know where I'm going with this story, I did want to include a few tags, including one that may excite some of you.
IDENTITY REVEAL!
I won't say when it happens, but it will all make sense as the story progresses. Thanks for holding tight and I hope you enjoy the next few chapters. (Hint: Next chapter will be the Heart Hunter rewrite episode.)
Ao3
Chapter 8 – Growing
Seeing Marinette walk into school the next day brought a smile to Adrien’s face. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Nino to arrive. He wasn’t expecting her to arrive early, but he guessed her expulsion and few days off made her want to get back to school to see her friends again.
As she walked towards his direction, he noticed that she had a small white box grasped between her hands. From his position, he could see the subtle shyness in Marinette’s face, her eyes darting between him, the box, and the ground, but when she stood in front of him, the bright smile he had come to appreciate, prevailed.
“Marinette! I’m so happy to see you back.” Adrien couldn’t contain the giddiness in his voice. He reached out and slowly engulfed her in a hug, and thankfully, Marinette didn’t freeze or turn away from his gesture.
Marinette giggled at his excitement and hugged him back. “I’m glad to be back.” She said as she pulled back, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear in the process. She looked at him again and handed him the box. “Here. This is small considering what you’ve done for me, but I wanted to thank you for helping me and getting me back into school.”
“Marinette.” Adrien replied back with adoration and taking the box into his hands. He opened the box to see a small array of croissants, macrons, and danishes. “You didn’t have to do that. You’re my friend. I would do anything to help my friends.”
Marinette smiled, but he could see it was strained. She quickly looked down before looking back up to him shyly, tapping the box with her index finger. “And friends still treat their friends with treats. You deserve it.”
There was a twinge of guilt in his chest, but before he could answer, Alya arrived. She wrapped her arm around Marinette’s shoulders, bringing the bluenette back into cheerful territory.
“Girl, you’re here before us? Is this the start of a new Marinette?”
“Ha. Ha.” Marinette added sarcastically. “I thought I would try to get in early to see Ms. Bustier. I know you brought me the homework last night, but I wanted to ask her a few questions about the assignments I missed. And maybe even ask for an extension so I can get them done correctly. Especially with math. Looking over that last assignment... I was so confused!”
Adrien’s interest peaked. “If you need sumone to help you, Marinette, I can always lend cowculator. You can count on me.”
Marinette and Alya looked over to Adrien, their jaws opened in confusion.
“Did you- did you just offer to help me with not one, but three puns?”
Adrien’s grin reached his eyes. “And what if I did?”
Marinette groaned and then looked over at him before she let out a laugh. “You surprise me every day, Adrien.”
“Well, since you’re going to head inside, I’m just going to wait up for Nino here before going in. You waiting with me sunshine?”
"Actually, I’ll head in with Marinette. I have to talk to Ms. Bustier about something anyways.” He said to Alya before turning to Marinette. “But my offer still stands to help you with your homework, sans puns of course.”
“S-sure.” Marinette replied, unsure for a moment but then ultimately agreed. “I’ll let you know if I need help then. Thanks.”
They made their way into the school, the silence between them becoming somewhat tense. Adrien let out a sigh before breaking the tension with something that would brighten her day.
“So a few more people know that Lila lied.” He said casually. Marinette looked over to him as he continued, her jaw open in surprise. “I happened to hear our best friends coming through the doors and kind of planted a rouse to get her to spill?”
“Wait. You mean Alya and Nino know she lied?” Marinette said quietly, her eyes wide with shock.
“Not just them. I saw a few students lingering behind them eavesdropping. Of course, she made up a lie saying she lies when she’s upset or angry, but I would be surprised if anyone truly believes her lies now, or at least questions what she says before believing her completely.”
“I doubt it. But it would be nice if people did question her words. I’m surprised Alya didn’t mention it to me or call me last night.”
Adrien shrugged. “Maybe she thought your phone was taken away still? I’m not sure. But I guess we’ll see what happens.”
Marinette bit her lip. “I guess. We just have to stay vigilant. I just hope she doesn’t do anything to you since she might have trouble keeping anyone on her side now.”
Adrien stopped her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. It doesn’t matter what happens now. We’ll figure it out as we go along. But I’m always going to be on your side. Don’t forget that. Remember, if she says anything to you, anything at all, you tell me. And I’ll do the same if she says something to me.”
Marinette remained silent, but nodded her head to agree.
“We’re partners in crime, Marinette.” He gave her a wink. “Like... Ladybug and Chat Noir bringing down the villain.”
That got a laugh out of her. In response, Marinette lifted her fist up. “Then if we are a team, then we should rejoice as such. Pound it?”
Adrien smiled back, a real smile with a jovial laugh. He lifted his fist and pressed it against hers. “Pound it.”
----
“Alright, class.” Ms. Bustier announced as the class shuffled in. We are going to be in groups today to work on Shakespeare. Each group will choose and focus on one of his plays and will come up with the modern representation. It will be a one-page typed summary and you will have to act out a small part of the scene with the modern retelling.
Murmurs could be heard in the class and Ms. Bustier quickly shut it down.
“Now class. Go ahead and choose your partners. But all I ask is that you choose someone you have yet to work with. You have five minutes.”
The four teens looked towards each other and Alya smirked.
“Hey, Nino?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“Wanna partner together this time since I can’t partner with my bestie?”
Nino shrugged his shoulders and looked over to Adrien. “Sorry, dude. Rules are rules.”
“Hey, no worries, bro.” Adrien turned to Marinette. “Are you okay with working together?”
“Y-yeah. I have no problem with that.” She added shyly, yet she still finished with that dazzling smile.
Adrien smiled back and was about to say something when Ms. Bustier interrupted.
“Alright students, sit with your partners and we can get started...”
The rest of the day, Adrien and Marinette worked side by side, working on their summary and reiterating the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. Adrien had requested the scene – the romantic in him could not deny that scene was impactful – and Marinette ultimately agreed after he bombarded her with one too many puns to twist her arm.
He had never seen her smile or giggle so much. To say he didn’t enjoy it would be a lie, yet seeing her so free only made him happier and hopeful that their friendship was growing in a better way. She barely stuttered and had even thrown a few jokes back at him in return.
“I can’t believe you joke like this. You’re just as bad as my dad!” She finally said after his last pun.
“I’m just glad you’re enjoying it this time around. Especially seeing that last time I tried, I hurt you and we stopped talking for most of the day.”
Marinette slowed her carefree laughter down until it was strained and forced. She pursed her lips and scratched her cheek, looking away from him and back down to the notes. “Yeah.” She finally said and Adrien felt the shift in the atmosphere into something uncomfortable.
He probably shouldn’t have said much regarding that day.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”
“How are things going with the girl you love?” Marinette interrupted quickly.
To him, it felt like she didn’t want him to apologize for what happened. Seems like she still felt like there was nothing to apologize for. Yet, Adrien looked at Marinette with a befuddled expression. She didn’t look up from her tablet, continuing to write down notes as she waited for his response. He let out a sigh and decided to write down some notes of his own.
He wasn’t sure what was going on in her mind. If she really did like him, given the video confession, then why would she ask him about Ladybug? Wouldn’t that hurt her in asking and getting a response?
Then another thought struck him.
What if both he and Nino were wrong about Marinette’s confession? Maybe Marinette didn’t love him romantically and she was just being caring-Marinette and told him she loved him as a friend. She loved all her friends – she's said as much for as long as he had known her. If this was true, maybe it was a good thing that he hadn’t said anything to her about it yet. He wouldn’t have to break her heart if she actually tried to confess. That means there was nothing to confess.
So why did it bother him a little bit?
“Are things okay between you two?” Marinette questioned him, bringing him out of his thoughts. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Huh? Oh. Yeah. No. Everything is great.” He began. “She’s been stressed out lately, but her determination speaks for itself. She protected me the other day during a duel.” He sighed with a lovesick smile and didn’t see the hurt in her face. The fact that Ladybug saved him instead of grabbing onto the Peacock miraculous or going after Hawkmoth made him love her more. But there was a twinge of guilt that started to weigh him down as he thought about Ladybug in front of Marinette.
Why?
“She must be fierce to protect you.” She added, looking back at her notes to continue writing. “She also must have thick skin to have to deal with your puns.” She continued with an awkward chuckle.
“Hey! She... likes them. Most of the time.” He pouted as he rubbed his neck. “One day she’ll fall for them and she wouldn’t know what to do with me.”
“Then she’s a lucky gal.” She concluded. “Let’s get back to this project, okay?”
Adrien furrowed his brows and looked at Marinette one more time before going back to his notes.
“Yeah. Okay. Let’s finish this then.”
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Flower ask: also all of them. you get to suffer with me >:3€
oh darlin’ we’re in it now huh
Alisons: Sexuality?
homogay
Amaranth: Pronouns/Gender?
she/they | all gender will be shot on sight
Amaryllis: Birthday?
sept 23rd
Anemone: Favorite flower?
monkshood
Angelonia: Favorite t.v. show?
stranger things or ghost adventures
Arum-Lily: What’s the farthest you’d go for a stranger?
like? distance? a couple miles probably
Aster: What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little lifeIs rounded with a sleep.” William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Aubrieta: Favorite drink?
wild cherry capri sun
Baby’s Breath: Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?
ima change that to ‘kiss the last person u thought abt kissing’ bc YES
Balsam Fir: Have you ever been in love?
*jenna marbles voice* hell yeah!!
Baneberries: Favorite song?
waiting for the end - linkin park
Basket of Gold: Describe your family.
chaos
Beebalm: Do you have a best friend? Who is it?
i have too many to list !!! brandi, kasey, you, liz, ivy, nick , just to name a few!!
Begonia: Favorite color?
blue uwu
Bellflower: Favorite animal?
foxes !! and opossums
Bergenia: Are you a morning or night person?
night time babey
Black-Eyed Susan: If you could be any animal for a day, what would it be?
either a fox or an opossum or a raven, i think
Bloodroots: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
i wanted to be a vet !!!
Bluemink: What are your thoughts on children?
theyre ok as long as theyre not screaming and/or mine
Blazing Stars: What are you afraid of? Is there a reason why?
i don’t liike vomit bc. nastey (trauma i think) and i don’t like old ppl well. i dunno why? they’re just so old and fragile and helpless and sometimes they’re really mean and idk i think it’s like something to do w death or something LMAO idk. also i just hate the idea of becoming old and having to rely on other people ?? hhh
Borage: Give a random fact about your childhood.
i was bullied a lot
Bugleherb: How would you spend your last day on Earth?
realistically? probably playing dead by daylight with my girlfriend ADFSGRHYUTR
Buttercup: Relationship Status?
happily taken
Camelia: If you could visit anywhere, where would you want to go?
ireland, scotland, alaska, greece
Candytufts: When do you feel most loved?
whenever my friends or family tells me they love me but esp when u text me goodmorning or when we say our goodnights sorry im gay haha
Canna: Do you have any tattoos?
i have. uuuuhh 6
Canterbury Bells: Do you have any piercings?
no!!! i want some tho :(
California Poppy: Height?
i think im like. 5′5 or something? give or take an inch ?
Cardinal Flower: Do you believe in ghosts?
oh absolutely. my house is haunted as we speak
Carnation: What are you currently wearing?
bmth hoodie and pajama pants w foxes all over them. i just woke up lol
Catnip: Have you ever slept with a nightlight?
yeah i always keep one on in the bathroom
Chives: Who was the last person you hugged?
my sister bc she came home from college yesterday
Chrysanthemum: Who’s the last person you kissed?
ask me in like. a little over a month from now ;)
Cock’s Comb: Favorite font?
FONT??? the animal crossing font
Columbine: Are you tired?
oh absolutely
Common Boneset: What are you looking forward to?
thanksgiving, christmas, seeing my gf, magfest
Coneflower: Dream job?
idk if it’s a job but i just wanna own like. a ranch that takes in all sorts of animals and takes care of them
Crane’s-Bill: Introvert or extrovert?
introvert
Crocus: Have you ever been in love?
ooooh yeah
Crown Imperial: What’s the farthest you would go for someone you care about?
i mean. depends on what they want/need. distance wise? i’d travel the known universe for u
Cyclamen: Did you have a favorite stuffed animal as a child? What was it?
he was a plaid teddy bear his name was Stanley!!!! i miss him :( but now i have Little Moon God as my favourite stuffed animal
Daffodil: What’s your zodiac sign?
Libro
Dahlia: Have you done anything worth remembering?
Working in Yellowstone is something I’ll never forget
Daisy: What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?
well. hmm. i was gonna say flying to yellowstone but maybe driving to north carolina by myself bc driving long distances alone to places i haven’t been before gives me hella anxiety (i’m better now)
Daylily: What would you do if your parents didn’t like your partner(s)?
i don’t pay rent in this house to listen to their opinions lmao.
Dendrobium: Who is the last person that you said “I love you” to?
you, i think, when we said goodnight last night!!! EDIT: you this morning!!
False Goat’s Beard: What is something you are good at?
being bad at dead by daylight
Foxgloves: What’s something you’re bad at?
dead by daylight
Freesia: What are three good things that have happened in the past month?
(little over a month now but uhhh) GOT A UH ......GIRL.....FRIEND ...... GOT TO VISIT GIRLFRIEND ........ and got the windshield finally replaced in my car
Garden Cosmos: How was your day today?
i dont know! so far ive laid in bed now im at my computer answering this. not too bad. my shift is only 4 hours today.
Gardenia: Are you happy with where you’re at in your life?
for the most part, i’m pretty content, yeah
Gladiolus: What is something you hope to do in the next year or two?
MOVE OUT
Glory-of-the-Snow: What are ten things that make you happy/you’re grateful to have in your life?
my friends, my mom, my sisters, my girlfriend, my bastard dog
Heliotropium: What helps you calm down when you feel stressed?
metal
Hellebore: How do you show affection?
what does this mean. physically, i’m very affectionate, i just. don’t show it alot bc anxiety/i overthink. that and i constantly tell ppl i love them and what they mean to me
Hoary Stock: What are you proudest of?
whoever is reading this
Hollyhock: Describe your ideal day.
wake up next 2 a cute girl. take way too long to get up. go climb mountain w cute girl. vibe on mountain w cute girl. go to waffle house 2gether. gome home and vibe. play video games or watch a movies/tv w cute girl.
Hyacinth: What do you like to do in your free time?
i like to make art or play bideo jame
Hydrangea: How long have you known your best friend? How did you meet them?
oh gosh i dunno. the ones i’ve known the longest are kasey and brandi, and i’ve known them both around/over a decade i think. we met in middle/highschool!
Irises: Who can you talk to about (almost) everything?
you, ivy, liz
Laceleaf: How many friends do you have?
so many
Lantanas: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
idk man but i remember when you said u had a crush on me and then i posted a selfie and u were like ‘OH NO SHE’S CUTE” and like ??? idk i think that was definitely the first compliment to ever shock me LMAO
Larkspur: What do you think of yourself?
6.9/10
Lavender: What’s your favorite thing about yourself?
my tattoos
Leather Flower: What’s your least favorite thing about yourself?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGGViLwHEUk
Lilac: What’s something you liked to do as a child?
i liked to play zombies ate my neighbors on the sega genesis !!!!
Lily: Who was your best friend when you were a kid?
eliza !!!! we lost touch a few years after i moved away :(
Lily of the Incas: What is something you still feel guilty for?
ima be real everything makes me feel guilty
Lily of the Nile: What is something you feel guilty for that you shouldn’t feel guilty about?
aaaaaa the whole abi/moon incident
Lupine: What does your name mean? Why is that your name?
my name is fox. it means i like foxes
Marigold: Where did you grow up? Tell us about it.
northern virginia babey !!!! that place fucking sucks!!! but everyone who lives up there thinks they’re hot shit.
Morning Glory: What was your bedroom like growing up?
i had a bunkbed and i think the walls were pink
Mugworts: What was it like for you as a teenager? Did you enjoy your teenage years?
😬 i’m just gonna say i’m much happier now and i’m coping with life and shit a lot better
Norwegian Angelica: Tell us about your mom.
she’s sweet and funny and i love her so much!! she always does the Most for everyone, sometimes to the point where she isn’t concerned abt herself and i see where i get it from. but yeah my mom is great, my dad doesn’t deserve her
Onions: Tell about your dad.
source of a lot of trauma and why i have so many issues regarding men. i don’t wanna talk about him anymore LOL he doesn’t deserve the attention
Orchid: Tell about your grandparents.
my dad’s mom is becoming senile and i think she’s racist and queerphobic. my mom’s parents disowned her a few years ago so we don’t talk to them anymore
Pansy: What was your most memorable birthday? What made it be so memorable?
i dunno. i don’t try to remember my birthdays. whenever i can go to busch gardens for my birthday i usually have a lot of fun there.
Peony: What was your first job?
if you don’t wanna count working w my mom as a florist, target was my first job back in 2016. i found my name tag the other day , actually
Petunia: If you’re in a relationship, how did you meet your partner(s)? If you’re not in a relationship, how did you meet your crush/how do you hope to meet your future partner(s), if you want any?
WELL, i know you followed me on here first. and then twitter?? but we didn’t really start talking until stranger things 3 came out (thank u stranger things) PHYSICALLY, we didn’t meet until fursonacon (haha. i remember when u texted me that u got to the hotel and i came down to help n i saw u unloading yr car and it was then that my brain was like OH NOOOOOOOO and my heart was like OH YEEEEAAAAAAAH)
Pincushion: How do you deal with pain?
physical, mental, or emotional? i play a video game or listen to loud music
Pink: Where is home?[
somewhere in appalachia i can feel it in my stupid soul
Plantain Lilies: If you could go back in time, what is one thing you would stop/change?
idk man i’m pretty content w where i’m at now so
Prairie Gentian: Who is someone you look up to? Describe them.
chester bennington
Primrose: Describe your ideal life.
i have a waife and we have many great pets and we live in a log cabin in the mountains or in a nice victorian in a small town or something IDK but we’re happy and that’s all that matters
Rhodendron: What is something you used to believe in as a child?
God
Ricinus: Who’s the most important in your life?
my mom, me best friends, my girlfriend
Rose: What’s your favorite sound?
my girlfriend’s laugh because it’s THE cutest shit and then when she giggles??? oh my heart
Rosemallows: What’s your favorite memory?
oct 23rd, 2005, we brought Fat Boy Zack home !!!!
Sage: What’s your least favorite memory?
July 22nd, 2016. i was 2200 miles away
Snapdragon: At this moment, what do you want?
to be holding my girlfriend >:(
St. John’s Wort: Is it easy or difficult for you to express how you feel about things?
hhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Sunflower: What is something you don’t want to imagine life without?
those i hold dear
Sweet Pea: How much sleep did you get last night?
enough, i guess?
Tickseed: What’s your main reason to get up every morning?
my girlfriend
Touch-Me-Not: How do you feel about your current job?
it’s fucking BORING and TOO EASY and they don’t pay me ENOUGH but i can get away with so much shit there so ima still go, ima still go
Transvaal Daisy: What’s your favorite item of clothing?
all of the flannels currently in my possession
Tropical White Morning Glory: Describe your aesthetic.
mountains, woods, forests, cabins, autumn, cryptic, occult, victorian, edwardian
Tulip: What would be the best present to get you?
if someone gets me a gift i’m legally required to execute them
Vervain: What’s stressing you out most right now?
this 40hr workweek i got coming up
Wisteria: How many books have you read in the past few months? What were they called?
i have not read in So Long
Wolf’s Bane: Where do you want to be in life this time next year?
Moved out away from here lol, we’ll see
Yarrow: Do you know what vore is?
:/
Zinnia: Give a random fact about yourself.
i’m a furry
that was SO LONG im sorry i also put you through that but THANK YOU ENJOY READING ILU
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Uchitama 1 - 2 | Hatena 1 - 2 | Ankoku Hakaishin 1 - 2 | Infinite Dendrogram 1 | Hanako-kun 2 | In/Spectre 1 | ARP Backstage Pass 1 | A3 1
Rolled out one tag. I got pretty far behind, so I’ll catch up in the next few posts.
Uchitama 1
Ume and Shirai here.
I would assume this kid with the tiger on his shirt is called Tora, because I vaguely remember a “Tora” in the promotional material.
The sakura aesthetic is nice.
This switch between boy and cat forms is a bit…”weird” is the first word that came to mind, but “random” was the next.
Tora = Shirai and Ume is a character called Kuro, who we haven’t seen yet. (Had to google which roles they had.)
LOL, I like Beh already. A sleepyhead like him is perfect!
I just noticed, but Beh sometimes has a cleft palate (that little dent in the mouth).
Ume’s character isn’t too bad-looking, y’know. He’s a clumsy one though, so he doesn’t quite seem like the sort of character I’d gravitate to.
Seeing boys and girls act like cats and dogs makes me LOL.
Huh? Is cat-dog romance like your standard opposites attract romance…?
Hmm…thank goodness the mother cat wasn’t “made human”…
I’m used to Nora being a woman (see Noragami plus the Western general usage of the name “Nora”)…so this one being a guy (with nice eyes, to boot) is a bit disorienting.
Turns out the Tosa is a huge dog with a face like a pitbull.
I find this Momo-Bull romance just a bit weird still.
I got spoilt on this from the reviews, but Waiha = Hawaii.
That flash of Nora’s owner (?) was interesting!
Other notes: The narration seems to be done by the voice of Tama. Ume sounds like Ume, but it doesn’t feel like Ume because he’s playing against his normal type of character. Shirai doesn’t sound like Shirai though…it’s a completely different character to the types I’ve heard him do before (Ramuda and Io don’t sound like Tora, but Vino sounds similar to En because a lot of Ume characters are done in his usual, suave voice…Ramuda is Shirai doing a falsetto though so he’s hard to compare).
Hatena 1
This one got alright reviews, but I get the feeling I’m not going to like it, so lt’s get this over and done with.
Why is Kana the only one with the black hair…?
This OP is rather low budget compared to the others…
I fully expect Kana to go “It’s bitter…” and make a face when drinking the coff-yep. Thought so. Why do people think black coffee is the mark of a distinguished adult anyway? I don’t even like coffee, so I don’t get it at all.
The sentence in Japanese went something like “Makoto’s always been good”, so I don’t get why the word “egg” had to be introduced into the subs.
There’s an onigiri sale in the back, LOL.
The gates were fairly CGId…
The butler’s name is literally Jeeves Wodehouse, LOL.
Oh, Yumemi is blonde because of Maeve and Kana is brunette/black (?) haired because of Mamoru. Yumemi = dream seeing and Mamoru = protect.
Kana’s voice is annoying! That’s why I thought I wouldn’t like this.
Kana’s such a tsundere now that she knows Makoto is a boy, it’s annoying. I already knew such a detail from the reviews, so I’m not miffed at all.
I find it vaguely amusing that there were 3 different types of animation of a person popping their head into the attic.
Ema’s just a bit evil…Update: Nup, she just ships Kana x Makoto, that’s all.
The hardsubs weren’t encoded correctly on this episode, so they’re all blurry now. Still readable but blurry.
The pun is that the ka in Kana can be read hate in other cases.
More CG doors.
Why is Kana wearing the scarf, even after her bath in a towel???
This reminds me of Hayate the Combat Butler…
Maeve is foreign...that’s why she’s blonde. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh. (<- partially sarcastic)
Hmm…the fact you can’t tell what is and isn’t real is an interesting factor. However, the production values and the bog-standard romance being set up undercut that.
Magical girl transformation, eh? Reminds me of DN Angel or Magic Kaito, but also Phantom Thief Jeanne or something of the sort.
Hatena 2
I’m still trying to see if this is something to kick out…
This “scarf punches guy” business is getting old…I never got used to it in the old-school harems. I don’t know why it’s become a “classic” thing in anime.
This is meant to be for a boy’s perspective, so…I don’t get it. Okay, I’m dropping this.
Infinite Dendrogram 1
An isekai…oh, goody. (sarcastic) Then again, if I liked this I could try a new publisher out, so it’s win-win for me and the companies I go through to get there.
*the exposition rolls in about virtual reality* Oh great (sarcastic)…this is SAO all over again, isn’t it???
I saw HOTZIPANG in the credits list…now I’m really wary. HOTZIPANG were in the credits for Africa Salaryman and their animation production isn’t the best.
1st person cam…you suck, you know that?!
No. 13 (unlucky number)…Cheshire (Alice in Wonderland)…
Ray for Reiji makes sense, but…(consults Google-sensei) mukudori does mean “starling”, after all.
Yo…does Ray have to be blonde…? Is this some commentary on how having blonde hair is better than black hair, or am I thinking about this too much? (It’s my belief that Asians want to look European and vice versa – just look at their beauty standards! - so that’s where that comes from.)
Box? Looks like a bag to me.
Welp, just grabbing the kanji for mukudori via Wikipedia revealed the Embryo is a sword to me…*shrugs* No surprise there – as TV Tropes would say, heroes love swords (and redheads!).
So you can commit murder in Infinite Dendrogram??? (I’m joking partially, but Cheshire did say “you can do anything”…right?)
…and of course Ray drops into Altea from the sky. It’s been a cliché since No Game No Life.
“This is a game?” – Actually, I thought the same thing when I entered the website and game of TERA. Then again, this is basically trying to be SAO through and through, so I guess spouting that line is a prerequisite here.
How does anyone break both arms from running into someone…?
Well, at least this show looks nice. It’s doing its job on that front.
I was going to ask what a tian was, but the show answered it for me. Good job, show!
*Googles “dendrogram”* - “a tree diagram, especially one showing taxonomic relationships.” – Oh, so that’s why it’s called Infinite Dendrogram! (Y’know, it reminds me of studying about dendrites, which have the same appearance as a dendrogram...hence the shared origins of the words.)
Normally characters don’t jump into virtual worlds with thir brother…they’d do it with their cousin or crush or something…Hmm.
I was about to think you die in real life if you die in the game, but thank goodness this one is nowhere near as bad.
CGI bugs…of course…
That one still shot revealed a crack in this show’s visuals. I almost thought I could select it on the basis of the excellent visuals alone, but nope.
“…that…leaves a bad taste in my mouth!” – Not again, Ray…stop saying that line…
Again? I just told you in the last note not to!
Of course Ray gets the girl. I should’ve known…well she’s a sword but also a girl…?
The sentence ending -grizz is –kuma in Japanese.
I felt something special in my gut when the sword appeared, even though I’m complaining about this being like SAO, so I think it’s worth continuing.
A3 1
A3 is based on a mobile game so it looks a lot like those idol games, but it’s actually about acting according to the full name of Act! Addict! Actors!.
This kid’s eyes freak me out!
Considering this involves – according to the synopsis – a Mankai (full bloom) Company and this is called “spring and summer”, plus the metaphors from earlier, it makes sense the kiddo’s jumper says “spring” on it.
I thought the kid was singing, but turns out he’s reciting Shakespeare. I don’t know how popular the ol’ Shakie is in Japan, but I’ll take it.
Veludo Way = Broadway, apparently.
It should be Biro-do or Verodo, but not “Vedulo” like the subs say.
*sees a woman* - Oh great, so now this turns into an otome game…or, like i7’s Tsumugi, she’s an audience insert.
Someone encoded the video funny again…*sigh*
I bet the demolition guy is going to join the theatre, based on his looks. Update: According to the wiki, yes he does (as part of the Autumn troupe)! One of his hobbies is bubble wrap, which I can relate to immensely…and apparently he’s a yakuza…?
Masumi’s voice…is that Kaito Ishikawa? Update: No! It’s Shirai! I’m so surprised…it’s a very Io-sounding voice, though, so I guess I shouldn’t.
Masumi is one of those needy types who could easily fall into yandere territory…I don’t like him. I don’t like Sakuya either, though…
I know this from my recent experience, but hard work hardly works, Sakuya. Staying somewhere one year or ten years does diddly squat if you don’t have what other people are looking for. *tries not to cry*
I’m sorry guys, but even with the attack to the heart, I don’t give a s*** about you all. The troupe was just arguing to delay their deadlines and Furuichi (the demolition guy) has a point – the guys didn’t really prove themselves outside a brief but unimpressive stint from Sakuya.
ARP Backstage Pass 1
Hopefully this show is actually good, y’know? A3 just bombed…
Okayyyyyyyyyyy…from the one minute or so that I’ve seen, it looks like a Coldplay concert but with bishonen (good) and bad music (which is…uh, bad). That does not bode well for this show…also, the stage names are pretty obviously that. I mean, who cals their kid “Rage”? It’s probably Reiji (again, considring Infinite Dendrogram).
The cars from above almost look like Frogger…LOL.
Oh f*** me and my on-the-ball instincts! I guessed correctly again (Rage = Reiji)…and that’s bad news.
Wait, why is Shinji staring into space…?
There’s a kettle noisily going on in the background, so I can’t really tell what’s so awesome about this show without the music…I guess I’ll have to abort this mission until later…
Okay, so I listened to the piano bit thrice and couldn’t tell if there was a piano noise…That’s bad news. Update: Yep, listened to it again and there is no piano sound during the piano scene.
The rock music was…unexpected.
Wait, you mean the dude’s name is actually Daiya??? What???
Oh my gosh, these guys are hilarious! I know that’s dark considering they’re starving, but…LOL.
Idolmaster Side M taught me that career changes are actually pretty interesting when combined with idol anime and…this may be a band or something, but it sure works the same way.
That transition to Leon was terrible.
This appears to be Yokohama (Chinatown) and Hakone (the pirate ship).
Well, the show’s case would be helped if they had music in the right places, rather than music videos interspersed throughout.
Geesh this one is tough…some of the music is actually pretty good and the episode does get better when Rebel Cross appear (but Shinji is kinda boring, even though I thought I’d like him the most, and Leon’s singing was downright terrible), but the animation is terrible and I found myself going “But why should I care?!” multiple times in my head during the first half. The group do seem to have quite good synergy at the end and are generally entertaining, too.
Ankoku Hakaishin 1
I’ve ben calling this “Destructive God” or “Ankoku Haishin”, so this is A Destructive God Sits Next to Me. Update: It should be Hakaishin…actually.
Ooh, Natsuko Takahashi. This show’s in good hands.
Very Seki-kun.
Black Mouse Land, LOL.
“This is war!” – The word here is shoubu, which literally means “victory or defeat”, so it makes sense to change it to a more commonly used phrase.
“RIP Koyuki” – The grave said “Koyuki’s grave”…which isn’t that funny to be honest, so again, I get the decision to change it.
Hanadori still had the dog…?
“Things I Want to Forget” – Literally, the words on the page mean “black history”, which I think is funnier.
Oh, I bet Koyuki will plan the class trip…
“[T]he jerk in the next class over” – Does he have a name…?
I bet Koyuki has the worst grades in math of the trio.
Koyuki is deliberately designed like a cat, it seems.
You can see the broken window from earlier…LOL.
It’s Animal Crossing! On DS! (But what’s up with that rabbit with the fishnet stockings…?) Update: Do Japanese kids even use DSs these days? DSs must be cheap in comparison to their newfangled gaming laptops and Switches…
Is Tsukimiya Mamoru Miyano or something…? Update: Nup, Kimura. I seem to get those two confused quite a bit.
The “Muney” (sic) thing is because he (Hanadori) wrote the hyou in mokuhyou (aim, goal) wrong. By the way, Hanadori put an eyepatch on one of his banknotes.
That ending was actually kind of cute. I always prefer heartwarming comedies like these over mean-spirited ones (Osomatsu-san, Konosuba), so…yep, it’s in my wheelhouse!
I predicted the ending but the galactic reaction I got was…awesome!
In/Spectre 1
Why does this have so many names? In/Spectre, Kyokou Suiri , Inverted Reasoning (or was it Inverted Interface)…? Update: Inverted Inference. That’s the name on the manga covers.
Ooh, Saki is pretty classy-looking.
This is being framed like a romance, huh? I know this series is supernatural, but I’m not really here for the romance.
What’s the age gap? 17 (Kotoko) – 23 (Kuro)?
Lel, Harlequin novels. Those seem to be exclusive to the Western world (specifically the USA and its English-speaking country buddies), so it’s probably just romance novels in the original words. Update: I found Harlequin novels for Japan, but still, they’d be nowhere near as ubiquitous as they are elsewhere. Update 2: I kept thinking about it, so now I have an entire post with my findings. Turns out Japan does have and know about Harlequin novels (which do look like the one the samurai was holding), but they probably couldn’t state the name because of potential lawsuits or something.
Oh gosh, Potato-kun (Kuro) – yes, I think of him much like a normal harem lead – getting your hand chomped off to the arm is a bit stupid, y’know?
Whoa! Wht a crazy cliffhanger!
Whoo! This OP (? Or is this an ED?) is crazy cool. Kinda like low-budget Kekkai Sensen.
Well, this show is kinda losing me with the romance elements, but the supernatural part is great.
Hanako-kun 2
What’s Hakujoudai? Those will o wisps? Update: Seems so.
The explanation of Yousei-san has a voice like it’s coming across a radio…interesting.
The towel…I bet it’s the one from Senpai one of the students mntioned earlier.
The subbers spelt “brooch” wrong.
This new boy – which I thought was Minamoto at first (LOL?)…he has a traffic omamori as an earring and a staff/umbrella, so he’s probably an exorcist. Either that or a massive chuunibyou.
LOL, Castle in the Sky much? (Or is that Nausicaa?)
Nene is reading from a magazine called G Cinema.
The comedy is this is slowly getting better. That’s a good sign for this, but bad for Ankoku Hakaishin…
Seagull High????? (Kamome = seagull.)
Wait, Minamoto??? You mean Nene’s former love is an exorcist??? Update: Oops, that’s (Nene’s crush is) Kou’s older bro…but that’s spoilers.
“Kou” is written with the character for hikari, or in this case “Yorimitsu”.
The action scenes are pretty good in this…I guess I kind of took them for granted in ep. 1.
Oh, I guess I should’ve known that seal on Hanako’s face…there were more of them in his possession. Also, there’s an extra V in the subs for some reason.
The stairs remind me of Muzan’s “universe” near the end of Demon Slayer’s first season.
Oh, the events of this episode tell you why Nene does the next episode stuff.
The ED visuals remind me of Ranpo Kitan’s, and I love Ranpo Kitan’s.
Ankoku Hakaishin 2
Why is Koyuki eating with his teacher anyway? I thought he was the guy from the class next door until he started talking about kids.
“Miguel Whatever” makes me laugh every time.
The cat ears on Koyuki’s phone are cute.
Sumiso reminds me of Aikatsu girls…
Uchitama 2
Bull is an “ore-sama”, huh?
I didn’t think they would continue with the “Solitary King of Destruction” thing.
Bull as a chuunibyou ham is so entertaining, but when they try to play the Momo romance hand again…I start to lose my patience...
LOL, Petstagram…
…and now it’s a (reverse) HAREM!
“[M]ad dog”, LOL, what a turn of phrase.
Okayyyyyyyyy subbers, own up! Who put a dog pun in Bull’s talk?! (I’m referring to the “doggone it!”.)
*points at dog puns*- You didn’t, subbers! You’re still adding dog puns!
Wait, Bull’s singing?! This I didn’t expect!
Well…this decision is hard. Bull’s become greater than ever…but only in relation to his romance with Momo!
Aww…seeing Bull dejected makes me sad inside too.
Oh yeah! There we go! That intro landed its gag purrfectly…to use an intentional cat pun.
Why did I take to Bull so much? Well, if he weren’t a dog, I’d find him completely romanceable, even if he were a massive chuuni.
Oh, the pun is ippai (full). Then you unintentionally switch it to oppai (boobs).
What? Wow, I never thought I’d get Ume talking about cat and dog nipples. (That’s not a sentence I’m going to be able to match any time soon.)
Okayyyyyyyyy…that one segment was a massive weird non-sequitur. I have no idea how they’d represent that with cat and dog forms.
Oh, Petstagram! We actually get to see it!
This series is more prone to “mood swings” than Ankoku Hakaishin or even Hanako-kun…yikes.
No, no, no! Who is this guy??? Haven’t you heard of “stranger danger”?!
…Oh, so the guy was Tome, huh?
The ED! This aesthetic is too good!
ARGH! Okay, okay, Uchitama! You win! I was going to pick Ankoku Hakaishin because that’s more consistent in landing its laughs and Hanako-kun would’ve been a better choice because its aesthetic is more consistently there plus it has interesting ideas with its apparitions, but Ankoku Hakaishin is fairly interchangeable with Iruma-kun…basically, if Eizouken or Magia Record don’t work out, I can loo forward to switching in one or the other, but I’m going to stick with Uchitama because *gestures wildly at screen* just look at this manservice! Even if it’s actually for a dog, I cannot deny the manservice!
#simulcast commentary#uchitama#boku no tonari ni ankoku hakaishin ga imasu#a destructive god sits next to me#Hatena Illusion#In/Spectre#Inverted Inference#Kyokou Suiri#toilet-bound hanako-kun#jibaku shounen hanako kun#a3! season spring & summer#arp backstage pass#infinite dendrogram#Uchitama?! Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?#uchitama?! have you seen my tama?#Chesarka watches Uchitama
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50 QUESTION BOOK TAG FOR WORLD BOOK DAY
By me, Jess. I made this for world book day but then got depressed and didn’t post it on time lmao but here ya go kids be warned though it’s a long one. Also the numbers thing got fucked up and I couldn’t fix it. I got a lot of these questions from other tags I’ve seen and google so if something sounds familiar... that’s why.
Who or what sparked your love of literature?
Aw my parents fueled my book habit when I was a kid and took me to the bookstore all the time and since then all my teachers have always encouraged me and made me love books even more than I thought possible.
Do you have an ‘odd’ book habit? (page sniffing/never leaving the house with a book)
It’s true that I never go anywhere without a book. I got one in my backpack or purse or reading on my phone but it’s always there.
Do you have a book that you think has changed your life? How?
A lot of books and series have made significant impacts on my life (like I can’t picture elementary school without Percy Jackson being in my life) but like as a person I can’t think of any one book that has changed who I am. It’s been a team effort.
Which book have you reread most frequently?
I think I reread Hush Hush every year lmao idk why
You can meet any author and ask one question. What author would you chose and what question would you ask?
I’d want to meet Shakespeare and ask him if all his characters really were just that gay or if we’re all reading too much into it.
Best book published this year so far?
It’s only March but The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
Imagine you’ve started a book and don’t like it. Do you see the experience through to the bitter end, or are you able to talk away from it mid story?
I used to always finish what I started but now that I’m in college and have a mountain of a TBR I’ll just stop.
What book is top of your wish list/TBR pile?
Uhh A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos is on top rn
Favourite place to read?
My bed. Boring but a classic.
If you buy books, do you lend them out? Ever had a bad experience?
Of course. No all my friends respect my stuff and return them promptly.
What fictional character do you ship yourself with?
So many but I think Gansey and I from The Raven Cycle would make the best couple.
Weirdest thing you’ve used as a bookmark
I use whatever near me so I might have done something weirder but lately I’ve been using tissues because I have a tissue box by my bed and never real bookmarks. But I’ve used graded homework, a toy car, a crayon, earbuds, etc.
Favorite quality/qualities in a protagonist and antagonist
Wow this is s hard okay for protag I am a sucker for like stubborn, smartass with a martyr complex. Sad but true. Antags I love a good morally grey character or anti-villain. Tragic backstory but smart as hell. The worst (the best). Characters like the Darkling from The Grisha Trilogy, and Warner from the first Shatter Me book (I know he’s a good guy NOW but back then we all thought he was a sadistic and sexy villain).
Favorite genre and favorite book from that genre.
YA Urban Fantasy babyyy and that’d be City of Bones by Cassandra Clare or Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare:)
Best/worst movie adaptation in your eyes
Best: Harry Potter and The Hunger Games | Worst: Percy Jackson
Do you prefer reading your own books, or library books?
My own.
How do you choose your next book to read?
Literally whatever I’m feeling like at the moment.
Your favorite word.
I love many words but I have a soft spot for “lively” and “lilt”.
Book that got you hooked on reading/how you got hooked.
I’ve always been obsessed with reading but The Peter and the Starcatchers Series was like my shift from nicotine to heroine.
Opinion on dog-earing, margin writing, ect.
I only write in the margins of books I have to read for class/textbooks. And that’s for studying and active reading purposes. For any other situation: no.
Top 5 immediate to read in no order
A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos
A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
The Wicker King by K. Ancrum
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E Schwab
Most underrated book you’ve read
Definitely The Foxhole Court/ All for the Game series. Fairly small fanbase for some of THE most amazing books I’ve ever read. And the memes will have you in stitches.
What is the first book that catches your eye when you look at your bookshelf?
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell because of the exceedingly bright cover/spine haha
How do you arrange your books on your shelves?
LOL I do not have a system at all. I keep series and authors together and that’s it. Everything is placed where there is room.
You have the power to change a book’s ending. Which ending would you change and what would you make happen instead?
I’d change the end to Allegiant and SPOILERS SPOILERS not make Tris fucking die over her shitty ass brother. I know why she did it but like Veronica girl wyd with that. And I’d want the entirety of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins to be rewritten into a book that just focused on the domestic life of Finnick and Annie and no one dies.
Favourite book cover?
This is SO HARD. Either The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin or Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
Which book from your childhood has had the most impact on you?
My entire personality was shaped by the Maxmimum Ride series by James Patterson. For better and worse.
When reading, what do you value most: writing style, characters, plot, world building, pacing, etc?
Characters. I think all of those things are essential and as I read more and more, the pickier I get, but I find myself leaning towards being a fan of a book when I become obsessed with the characters. Like hey!! New friends!!! For my brain!!!
Do you prefer buying books or borrowing them from a library/friend?
Buying them even though I shouldn’t. It’s a real problem.
What books/sequels that are being published this year are you most excited for?
SO MANY OH MY GOD
Okay some of these already came out because it’s March right now but I’ll include them anyways.
SEQUELS/ SPIN-OFFS AND SHIT
The Wicked King by Holly Black; King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo; Dream by Natalia Jaster; Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare; The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare; Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco, Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater; Defy Me by Tahereh Mafi; The Shaw Confessions #3 by Michelle Hodkin
FIRST BOOKS
The Binding by Bridget Collins; Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan; The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi; A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer; Romanov by Nadine Brandes; The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen; The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh
Which fictional character would you want as a sidekick?
Percy Jackson because he’s my firstborn son and one of my favourite characters of all time. He is talented, smart, hilarious, an amazing friend, and the sweetest of boys (when he isn’t the sassiest of boys).
How many books have you read so far this year?
Only 15 I am so behind :(
What’s been your favourite read so far this year?
Oh man. Gotta be Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo :)
You’re stuck on an island with a suitcase big enough to hold five books. What books are they?
I probably shouldn’t cheat and say How to Build a Boat huh
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The King’s Men by Nora Sakovic
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
If you had to go out to dinner with any character who would it be and why? What would you talk about?
Will Herondale and we’d talk about books
Is there a book you have such a hatred for that you would throw it off of the highest tower knowing that the last copy of it will be destroyed so that not another living soul can read it or would you rather keep it and give it to someone else who might actually enjoy it?
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne or After by Anna Todd
Do you believe books make nice decoration?
I mean. I think they should be read before used as decor but I love showing off my books so I guess both. But I don’t believe in buying books for the purpose of decoration instead of reference or reading lol
Do you listen to music when you read? Or do you need complete silence?
I need silence or low amount of white noise. I used to read and listen to Taylor Swift when I was a kid but I can’t do it anymore.
Do you have a favorite book? If not are you in the group that believes there are too many great books out there to just choose one?
I tell people it’s City of Bones by Cassandra Clare but in all honesty no I don’t have a favourite.
Do you sleep with books under your pillow.
Nope
Do you go to the library or do you have a book buying addiction or are you one of those lucky people who is able to do both?
I do both. Mostly bookstore though.
Own any book inspired clothing?
Yes. Several items :)
Have you ever read a book in another language?
I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Tristan and Isolde, and Beauty and the Beast in French. And parts of Les Mis.
Strangest book you’ve ever read?
John Dies at the End by David Wong. Still not sure exactly what was going on.
Favourite type of non-fiction?
Memoirs babey
Favourite non-fiction?
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Favourite subject to read about?
History
Favourite book you’ve read in school?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Favourite work of Shakespeare?
Hamlet
Character you’d love as a mom or dad or guardian?
Hmm Sally Jackson, The Women of 300 Fox Way, or Tessa and Will (they totally count because The Last Hours Series)
I tag literally whoever wants to do this and @fangirl-daydreamer97 @acleeds12 @iviisastrawberry @221bdoom @bicycles-bees-bisexuals @betterthanapit @dippindots126 @vlctorvale
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Educating the Victim - Act VI, Chapter XIV
Pairing: -
Rating: Mature
Warnings/Tags: none for this chapter!
Read it on AO3! - Support us on Patreon!
Educating the Victim Masterpost
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CHAPTER 14: Tailor Made
Azure came back shortly after Marigold called her back. She handed her a box of muffins and sat down. "Alright, so. Let's talk. What's the verdict?"
“We’re doing it,” Rose said. Her eyes were still a little puffy. “I don’t like it... but there’s no way I’ll let this happen without me.”
“She also said you were right,” Marigold added.
Rose glared at her.
"Hah, well, I appreciate the validation. Marigold, listen dear, I refuse to let you go to Italy without sending you with a few bits of... current clothes."
"What's wrong with them?"
"Oh, honey. I'll take you out myself, I can get you a few things fitted."
“I’m taking it that my clothes are fine,” Rose said, “though I wouldn’t mind some direction as to what you think is appropriate.”
"You don't seem as hopeless as Marigold here."
Marigold was blushing deeply. "You'd better take me in your limo."
"That can be arranged. Go talk to Blue. She's on the third floor. The dear came with me at five."
Rose looked between them before fixating Azure.
“Before I go... could I talk to you?” she asked.
Marigold raised an eyebrow. “I’ll go find Blue.”
"Of course. If... anything I said was news, then I assume you must have a few questions," Azure said softly. "Fire at will."
“Well...” Rose swallowed heavily. “I didn’t know you were dating Roxy, let alone... engaged. I always suspected she was cheating on me, but she always just spoke about you as a friend.”
Azure frowned. "She was polyamorous while dating you. She dated me and a lot of other women."
Rose gave a short laugh. “Let’s not unpack this right here, right now,” she said, “though I suspect I may need a drink later. But... anyway. Do you really not know why she disappeared?”
"No idea." Azure's expression turned dark. "We'd had a stable week. She was at work a lot but that was normal. One morning, she wasn't next to me when I woke up."
Rose felt a strange twist in her chest.
“I... if I’d known you were dating, I would have told you,” she said. “I don’t know why she wouldn’t tell you, but she was running from me. Here.” She handed Azure the folder she’d brought.
Azure looked down. She took them, flicking through. "Marigold mentioned this, not in the greatest detail. I understand that you want this case to be brought back to court?"
“Yes. She ran before I could bring her to justice.” Rose grimaced. “On second thoughts, I can definitely see why she wouldn’t tell you. Did she abuse you as well?”
Azure paused. "Roxy was... difficult. I think we both did a lot we regret. I feel equally responsible for whatever she gave out."
“Huh.” Rose didn’t sound convinced. “I take it you never found a blog written by her about how she systematically planned to abuse you and ruin your self esteem and mental health. She... it might be a bit hard to read. She admits to wanting to push me to suicide in there.”
Azure gave a heavy breath. "You'll get to end it. Take her to court. I hope you know that I'll protect you in any way I can."
“I’ll... do my best not to let my emotions get the better of me,” Rose said. “Because... I thought I knew her, but I didn’t know her at all. Maybe she can be reasoned with. I doubt it, but you never know.”
"I understand your concerns. It's good to be level headed. I'm worried Marigold may get too submissive."
Rose gave a chortle. “Up until a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have thought I would ever hear anyone utter that sentence.”
"You don't know these women the way I do. Diamond's bark is worse than her bite."
“Well, she had me suspended and nearly fired, so forgive me if I don’t exactly take your word for it. Though she seems to have mellowed out a lot in the past month or so. Do you... know why?”
"Blue told me a thing or two. I'd ask her if you get the chance. Not my story to tell."
“Well,” Rose said, “I’m about to spend a good amount of time alone with her in Tuscany so I will probably get the chance. Speaking of which, do you have any, uh, tips for dealing with her?”
"Oh? Well. Marigold seems deadly terrified of dealing with her feelings, so she'll try and race time's arrow and march forward. If you remind her that the past exists and deserves acknowledgment... I think you'll find it'll be easier to play with her."
Rose sighed. “I don’t have any interest in playing with her,” she said, “or anyone for that matter, but I’ll keep it in mind.”
"Who knows? Might be a long trip. She's not actually that bad. But yes. Feel free to go home, I'll text you all the details."
“Okay. I have a lot of packing to do.” Rose got up. “Thank you, Azure,” she said, “and... sorry about Roxy. And everything that happened.”
"Me too, for you. I hope we can bring you justice."
“I appreciate it,” Rose said. “Feel free to keep those documents. I have enough copies to last me a lifetime. It may help clear up some things for you as well.”
"Alright. Have a good day and... good luck."
Azure watched Rose leave and then got up to find Marigold and Blue. She found them on the third floor.
“How have you been getting on?”
"The limo is on its way. I've tried to convince Ms Diamond that we don't in fact take it everywhere. She doesn't believe me."
“Well, obviously sometimes we take our private plane. Speaking of which, Marigold, that is yours for as long as you’re in Italy.” Azure smirked. “You ready?”
Marigold's jaw hung before she closed it. "Um, yes, of course. Where?"
“Downstairs. The chauffeur is waiting for us, I assume?” Azure shot Blue a smile.
"No, I mean... Where are we going?" Marigold followed her.
“Oh. My favourite tailor shop. They do such excellent suits there. And if we go now and I pay them enough, they can have it done this afternoon, so we shouldn’t delay.” Azure smiled. “Blue, darling, I’ll see you later.” She gave her fiancee a kiss before tugging Marigold along.
Marigold let herself be taken, trying to keep up with Azure. "All these years and you're still somehow faster than me when you're determined."
“I used to run competitively, you know. And was always very good at ignoring my pain and just getting on with it.” Azure stepped into the elevator. “Though it’s getting harder. There’s a reason I’m letting Blue run most of the company these days.”
"I could imagine." The doors closed. "You're sure I should... go?"
“To Italy? Well, you offered. Are you having second thoughts?”
"I suppose it's all really just hitting me right now." Marigold sighed.
Am I just agreeing because it's what I think Claire would have done?
“If it helps, you’re just about the only person I trust with this. You’re not trained, but you have personal stakes. Marina didn’t, and she’s too eager. In retrospect, it was a mistake sending her.” Azure sighed. “You know Roxy. So does Rose, even though she’s doubting herself a lot. Together, you can figure this out.”
"I'm glad you have faith in us."
“I don’t really have a choice. Or better options, really. No pressure, though.” Azure gave a wry smile and stepped towards the limo, holding the door open for Marigold, then sliding in after her.
Marigold couldn't really think of anything to add to that, so she followed her cue. "Oh! Now this is lovely."
“Isn’t it? Being rich has its perks.” Azure gave her chauffeur instructions and then leaned back. “So, you’re gonna be spending quite a bit of time with Rose, huh. Are you two close at all?”
"It's actually a bit awkward, still," Marigold admitted, looking around. "I don't think she's forgiven me, which is fair."
“You suspended her, huh? I won’t pry as to why, but there’s probably a reason why you haven’t fired her.” Azure’s smile fell. “She’s going to be a bit of a state, so be prepared for that. She didn’t know Roxy and I were dating. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t know about any of the others either.”
"It's good that I didn't and that she... wants to do this. I think she's got big stakes in it, too."
“Very much so. I never knew her well but I could feel it. She was struggling to hold it in earlier. Roxy really damaged her, I don’t even need to look at her documents to know that.” Azure looked at Marigold. “She’s still young. You might need to look after her.”
"I'll do my best. I'm not too sure she wants me of all people to look after her."
“Well, we’ll just have to see how it goes,” Azure said.
--
Aurora made it to school by quarter to eight. Marigold, despite being on the rota, was nowhere to be seen. The basket of muffins lay untouched.
She picked up her phone and dialled. Straight to voicemail. She gave a sigh.
"Marigold! Hey! Had a really nice time last night. Wondering where you are... um. Call me back when you get this."
She hung up and looked around the empty office.
Did something come up regarding the... Roxy thing? I’ll call her again later if she hasn’t shown up.
It made her heart ache, though. She’d been hoping to see Marigold today.
Instead, she went into the staff room for coffee.
The staff room was fairly populated at the hour. Lapis, thick wad of exercise books by her side, and Jasper stood by the coffee machine, drinking hers idly.
Lapis looked at Aurora. "Lost on your way to the office, then?"
Jasper gently knocked into her. "Be nice. How are you, kiddo?"
“I’m okay!” Aurora smiled at her. “It looks like the Principal isn’t in so I figured I’d come here. How are you?”
"Figures." Lapis rolled her eyes. "Yeah, just getting ready before homeroom. I helped Jasper make a PowerPoint. "
Jasper beamed. "I'm taking my class out on a trip to look at local rivers!"
“Oh, that sounds lovely!” Aurora said. “Do you have anything interesting today, Lapis?”
"Just my lower year classes. Not everyone is on study leave, but we're just wrapping up our Shakespeare units for all the key stage three year groups."
“Sounds good,” Aurora said. The kettle boiled. “Anyone want a drink?”
"We've got some. What are you planning to do all day if Diamond isn't here?" Jasper smiled.
“There’s a bunch of stuff that needs doing whether she’s here or not, and if anything, her not being here means I have more to do,” Aurora said. “She might still turn up, though.”
"Hope so. Hope it all doesn't give you too much trouble." Jasper nodded.
Lapis gave her a look. "I'm just more surprised you're so concerned. Aren't we trying to take her down?"
“Oh.” Aurora blushed. “Yeah, that was a thing, wasn’t it? But she’s had a bit of an... experience, at Pride, and she’s actually coming around to the whole thing. And... coming out, as well.”
"Oh man, is that so?" Jasper blinked.
"She did seem a little spacey. I wondered why she didn't yell at us." Lapis crossed her arms. "So... what? We went through all the trouble of forming the crystal gems and we're just going to trust her?"
“I’d... leave it up to Rose, to be honest.” Aurora looked around. “Where is she, anyway?”
"Also missing. Might need to call in a substitute." Jasper said, looking around.
Aurora frowned. “I’ll check the schedule, see what she has on today,” she said. “Anyone else we’re missing?”
"Nah, just them two from the looks of it. I'm sure the kids will report anyone else who mysteriously vanished." Lapis winked.
“Oh, for sure.” Aurora took her tea and sipped on it. “Regarding Marigold... I mean, Principal Diamond,” she corrected herself, blushing. “I wouldn’t really want to do anything just yet. The school year is almost over.”
"That's true. And she hasn't caused trouble since Pride," Jasper remarked.
"As if that's more than the bare minimum." Lapis gave a scoff.
Aurora avoided their gaze. “Well, I should be off,” she said, “nice seeing you.”
"Nice seeing you too. Don't be a stranger." Lapis gave a wave, but whether she was genuine was a mystery.
--
“And here we are!” Azure pushed open the door to a posh-looking tailor shop. “In you come, Marigold. We don’t have all day.”
Marigold tried her best to pace in, but stopped. Suits were scarcely targeted for women in such a way, but in here there were mannequins, all shaped with hips and curves that filled fabric exquisitely.
Marigold found herself licking her lips. It was borderline sexy.
Azure shot her a look. “Behave yourself, this is a professional environment.”
A young woman came out of a sideroom. “Azure!” she said. “I got your girlfriend’s call. Is this your friend?” She looked Marigold up and down, a smile on her lips.
“It is! Marigold, this is Ruth.”
Marigold swallowed, flustered. "Hello! I'm... amazed by your selection, honestly."
“Oh, that’s always good to hear!” Ruth gave her a bright smile. “So, what are you looking for?”
“Professional attire,” Azure said. “Something that will look good in a court of law, but won’t attract too much attention outside of it.” She turned to Marigold. “How does that sound? Do you have any requests?”
Marigold looked sheepish. "It would be nice if it could be... yellow."
Azure tutted. “Now, now, didn’t you hear me? Something that won’t attract attention.”
Ruth, on the other hand, smiled more broadly. “Not everyone can wear blue every day of their lives, Azure,” she said. “If you’re okay with it, we can go with a dark blazer – black or brown, perhaps, with a yellow patterned lining and yellow accents? With pants to match, how does that sound?”
"I'm happy to try on whatever you think will work. I'm... woefully unaware of how fashion actually works." Marigold swallowed.
Azure snickered. “As if you needed to state that,” she said, grinning at Marigold.
Ruth, on the other hand, was unfazed. “Fashion is subjective,” she said, “and while it’s good to be aware of what goes well with which occasions, you’re entirely free to dress in whichever way you like.”
“A dark outfit with yellow accents sounds great,” Azure said.
“Great!” Ruth beamed. “Let’s have a look at different fabric, and then I’ll measure you.”
Marigold found herself biting her lip as she stopped herself from smiling too wide. "Now this is exciting." She followed Ruth.
Azure tagged along, if only to ensure Marigold didn’t select anything too outrageous.
“A yellow tie, or bow tie might be nice,” she said. “Yellow buttons, possibly.”
“I was thinking of putting a yellow seam,” Ruth said. “Ah! Here we are.”
In front of them was a table with all kinds of different fabric samples, arranged neatly in little booklets. “I’m guessing money isn’t an issue, as usual,” Ruth said.
“Absolutely not. In fact, this is an extreme rush order – you’ll have to have it done by two to allow for any corrections,” Azure said. “Can you do it?”
“I can,” Ruth said. “I’ll send you the invoice later, then. Well, Marigold, seeing anything you like?”
Marigold's eyes flickered, looking at her options. All yellow. All good. "Hmm."
Azure took one fabric sample. “This one is good for the main fabric,” she said. It was rich and black, with very subtle pinstripes. “It’ll look good with anything you put on the inside.” She peeked over Marigold’s shoulder.
Marigold nodded. "Go on, then."
Azure quickly selected four different yellow fabrics: two patterned, two plain. “I’d recommend one of these. Which one’s your favourite?”
"The patterned ones are nice. Oh! I really like that one."
Azure gave her a sly grin. “I thought you might.”
“Is that decided, then?” Ruth said, smiling. “If you’re ready, you can come through so I can take your measurements.”
"Oh! Alright. I was at least aware of this part. I don't need to take anything off, do I?"
“Only your jacket.”
“I will sit down for a while,” Azure said, “you don’t need me for this part.”
"Alright!" Marigold followed Ruth and stripped out of her own old yellow blazer. "I've worn it for years. Feels... unworthy to be in here."
“It is a perfectly good blazer, if a little worn,” Ruth said. “We don’t just serve millionnaires in here.” She took out a measuring tape. “Are you and Azure close, then?”
"Very." Marigold shot Azure a look and then smiled. "I don't really let her treat me often. So this is all... quite an experience."
Ruth started taking the measurements, scribbling down numbers as she did so. “Raise your arms,” she said, reaching around Marigold’s chest. “Thanks. I’ve only worked here for a few years, but Azure is one of our most valued customers... and not just because she’s rich.”
Marigold found herself deeply blushing. Ruth smelt pleasant, and the touch was just gentle enough to drive her wild.
Would I have let myself think these thoughts a month ago?
“Please relax,” Ruth said sweetly as she reached around Marigold’s waist. “We’ll be done very soon. If I’m too far in your personal space, I’m happy to back off.”
"No, this is fine!" Marigold squeaked, biting her lip.
Back in the age of her repression, She figured that this incident would have ignited a hot hour in the bathrooms.
Control yourself!
Ruth smiled at her patiently. “Okay.” She reached around Marigold’s hips.
Azure watched from the sides, a knowing grin on her face as she caught Marigold’s eyes.
Marigold sent her a heated look back but fought the urge to yelp back at her. Soon, she felt Ruth back away and swallowed. "Will that be all?"
“Yes, thank you!” Ruth put away the measuring tape. “I will give Azure a ring when we’re done. You’ll be available to come in later to try it on, won’t you?”
“She most certainly will,” Azure said, holding the door open for Marigold. “Can I interest you in anything else, Marigold?”
"A cold shower."
Azure chuckled. “I can drive us back to the office, there’s showers there. Or maybe home to yours? You do have some packing to do.”
"Mine would be brilliant. I could make us tea before you vanish?"
“Oh, that would be lovely!” Azure beamed at Marigold. “Let’s go, then.”
--
An hour and half had passed. Still no sign or call back from Marigold. Aurora frowned. Even last time she'd informed her of not coming in far earlier. Marigold wasn't her problem but... the fact that she'd promised to be at school before vanishing filled Aurora with concern.
She dialled again. Voicemail.
"Hey, Mari. Still wondering where you are... if you're ill or not coming in, let me know and I'll... Mark you as absent. I... miss you, I guess. Let me know how things are when you can."
>> Act 6, Chapter 15
#steven universe#su fanfic#su yellow diamond#su blue diamond#bellow diamond#su yellow pearl#su rose quartz#su blue pearl#su human au#educating the victim#etv act 6#illustrated#animated
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Flawed (Part 2)
Chapters
Characters: Bucky Barnes x OC (Sofia)
Synopsis: Bucky meets a woman outside of Avengers Tower one day. Her skin is flawed down one side of her body and it draws his attention in. Future angst
Word Count: 1692
Warnings: Passing mention of Red Room
@mumbles411 @musicalninja @emilyevanston @mewsiex @smoothdogsgirl
If you’d like to be tagged just ask.
“Now you want to come into the Tower? Look, I’ve lost you several times, I don’t think I could take another.”
Steve glanced around as they crossed the marble tiled lobby. He knew Tony wasn’t there but that didn’t mean he wasn’t watching. Tony had taken Pepper on a reunion vacation and asked Steve to check in with Bruce at the Tower. Bruce was getting used to his reality again. He was happy to be around his lab but Tony didn’t want him alone all the time.
Bucky had no reason to think Sofia would be there. The line drawn between her and anything having to do with the Avengers was a distinct one. It had been two weeks since they’d met and he couldn’t find out anything about her. Vision had actually gotten sharp with Wanda when she’d asked about Sofia. Vision then spent the rest of the day apologizing.
“I know. And I will miss you. But...as the expert on waiting could you just back me up here?”
“Sure, pal. Sure.”
Steve shook his head as they entered the elevator. He asked the AI substituting for Friday to drop them at Bruce’s lab but he was out for the day. Steve saw something about a stone pulled up on a console and stopped to read the report. Bucky started to wander, he went to another computer and idly tapped in ‘Sofia’ in the search command.
“Sofia is currently on the gym level. Would you like me to get her?” The AI offered over the speaker. Steve jumped and Bucky scrambled away from the terminal.
“No, don’t get her. Shit!” Bucky almost yelled.
“There’s the ladies man I remember.” Steve started laughing and clapped Bucky on the shoulder. “What? She’s in the gym, Tony’s not here. If she’s that much on your mind go say hi.” Steve shrugged and went back to his reading.
“Will I be okay on my own. Like, will the building try to kill me?”
“You should be fine. Just watch for lasers and trip wires...I wish I was joking.”
Bucky re-entered the elevator and asked for the gym level. He tried to practice what he would say to her.
‘Hi, remember me? I killed your good friend’s family and now he hates me. I killed a lot of people actually.’ Bucky shook his head as the doors opened.
He walked out into an impressive fitness center. The air was warm and damp. He looked around and saw movement in a glassed in area.
Sofia’s body was gliding through the water of a huge swimming pool. She swam with determination, arms and legs moving fast. That’s where the leg muscles he’d noticed came from. She was a swimmer. He watched as she flipped in the water and he slipped into the room with the pool. She saw him when she turned her head to breathe.
Sofia startled a bit when she noticed someone watching her. She recognized the figure and stopped mid-stroke.
“Hey.”She smiled, bobbing in the water. “I never thought I’d see you again. I hoped, but damn does Tony hate you.”
“There’s definitely some history there. He didn't mention it?”
“He prefers to act as though you don't exist. Here.” She reached the edge of the pool and held a hand up. Bucky grasped it and she moved one foot to hoist herself out of the water. She grabbed a towel and started to dry off. Bucky finally had a chance to see the extent of her scarring. Her wet hair was held back with an elastic. The scars started just below her ear and ran along her arm. Her hip was deeply scarred and stuck out a bit more than the other.
He tried not to stare. He hated when people stared at his arm. He had pushed up the sleeve of his shirt when he entered the gym. Subconsciously he did it as a offering.
“Wow. That’s beautiful.” She breathed, the towel clasped to her chest. Her eyes ran over the vibranium arm. “Much nicer than mine.”
“I like yours, much more skin colored than mine.” He smirked.
“I will give you that. Can I touch it?”
Bucky held out his arm and she ran a fingertip over it. The sensation was startling. Just like when they shook hands. He loved the feel of her skin, even in that small gesture. He realized she was using her scarred hand. He flipped his hand over as she reached his palm and caressed her fingers.
“Does it hurt?”
“Sometimes. Most of the nerve endings got damaged, some were repaired. The Starks called in some fancy medical specialist and they fixed so I could have full feeling in my hands. My hip was the biggest issue. Does yours hurt?”
“No, it used to. But I had some amazing rehab.” Bucky smiled to himself, remembering all the care he’d received in Wakanda.
“Are we going to discuss our origin stories now? Or should we save that for our date?” She took her hand back and continued to dry herself.
“We have a date?”
-
“You’re going to dinner with her...tonight?” Steve cocked an eyebrow at Bucky.
Sofia had left Bucky to grab a quick shower and change. She was staying at the tower while her apartment was renovated. She was suspicious that the whole thing was a set up by Tony to get her living at the tower.
“Yeah, dinner and a movie.” Bucky was still trying to figure out how that happened.
“Uh-huh. Well, nice seeing you again. May I suggest you have sex since it will be the last thing you ever do?”
“Tony won’t know, if no one tells him.”
“Sure…” Bruce had returned and was leaning against a counter. “Make sure she hides her phone.”
“That’s a good point.” Steve nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “She has a Stark Industries phone.”
“Wait, he can spy on her?” Bucky put a hand up.
“Probably.” Bruce shrugged.
“It is Tony.” Steve added.
They turned as they heard footsteps approach. Sofia entered the room dressed in jeans and a flowing blouse. Her hair was loose and pushed over one side of her neck. She held a purse in one hand and was fastening a bracelet with her teeth on her arm. She noticed the men huddled.
“What? You all look like you’re planning a hit.” She stuck her tongue between her teeth.
“No, side note. Can you leave your phone here? You can take a loaner.” Bruce held out a cell phone. “I need to update yours.”
“Oh, um, sure.” Sofia took out her phone and handed it to Bruce. “Did Tony hack my phone, again?”
“Again?” Bucky raised an eyebrow at her.
“He takes protective uncle, big brother, male influence seriously.” Sofia grabbed Bucky’s hand and pulled him to the exit. “Come on, I’ll protect you if he finds out.”
That was something new, Bucky mused to himself as she pulled him out. Steve and Bruce watched them go with surprise.
“Did she just say she would protect him?” Bruce asked.
“Yeah. I like her. We share the same interests. So what’s this new thing Thor found?”
-
“Why did you say you’d protect me? You know I’m an Avenger right?” Bucky took a bite of his dinner and looked across the table at Sofia. She shrugged and swallowed her mouthful of pasta.
“So is Tony. Avengers shouldn’t fight. So I’ll take this one.” She smiled. “Plus I’m used to being the protected, not the protector.”
“Don’t tell Steve. He considers himself my protector. He may get jealous.”
“You two have an epic friendship. I mean, I haven’t researched it, but the history books in school painted a picture.”
“I was in your history books...that’s not weird, right?”
“No. I was more into Shakespeare and Mythology anyway. Drama class. Swimming competitions. Gym class when we did self defense.”
“Really?”
“All girls school. They wanted us able to incapacitate a person. I was a fan.”
Bucky has a flash of another academy. Of a red room. He inhaled deeply and cleared his head. Sofia was watching him, her head tilted as she chewed her food.
“Still, Tony could take you.” He smiled, it was a little off.
“He could not. Are you ready?”
They paid and decided to walk to the theater. Sofia wrapped her arm around his as they walked. Bucky could feel the press of her breast and his breathing caught.
They were working on this in therapy. He’d mentioned Sofia. The therapist had asked what he was most worried about with regards to dating. It had taken a while for him to admit, the whole intimate thing was terrifying him. For so long the only touches he received were violent. The halfway gentle ones happened in a situation where neither he, nor the girl, were themselves.
The Wakandan doctors had removed the Soldier as best they could. Removing the trigger words, but the programming was still there. What if the first time he let himself go, he hurt her?
“Hey, un-clench.” Bucky jumped as he felt a breath by his ear. He realized his flesh arm that Sofia held was tight, muscles standing out.
“At least it wasn’t the other arm.” He breathed out a laugh.
“Don’t get me wrong, the muscles are doing it for me. But you need to stay out of your head for tonight. Whatever I said at dinner that threw you, it’s done.” Bucky looked down at her. She pushed up and kissed him. A quick press of her lips to his.
“That’s what I get for staying out of my head?” He smiled and pushed a piece of her hair back as they approached the theater.
“Don't get any ideas. You won't get laid by going in the opposite direction and forgetting to think.�� Sofia grinned.
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