#ignore the 1/3 of a sleeve i need to sew on this sweater

[blunderpuff]

me: *feeling sad* me: what if... i started a new hobby...

#ignore the stuff on my desk waiting to be sewn #ignore the 1/3 of a sleeve i need to sew on this sweater #why are you looking at those mini charm pack pieces? don't look at that tiny quilt i'm trying to hand sew #don't look at the embroidery hoop over there either #don't! fucking! look! at my sketchbook! #okay but real talk: how hard is it REALLY to make a candle out of this strawberry mug i have? the mug is sooo hard to drink out of #but it's sooo cute and if i just... make it into a candle... it'll be ADORABLE #and while i'm at it... what if i make a little coffee-scented candle for my mom from the super cute 6oz espresso mug with the bear on it? #and the lesbian bunnies mug is kind of fragile so it would do well with being a lilac- or peony-scented candle right?

[z3llous]

Lost in the City

[ Sep 05, 2020 ]

Sanji x reader

Click . Click. Click. One foot after the other. Their shoes had hit the pavement in rapid succession. Around a corner, over a fence, up a building, and on the roof they went. His form trailed  behind them in haste.

Why? They didn't ask for this. Of all the people, why him? Just make it disappear. His existence haunted the deepest depths of their mind, blood pumping alarmingly fast at the sound of his laugh. They wished it would all just wash away.

He just wouldn't give up. Down the building and onto the sidewalk they dropped. As they began to run passed the sewing shop an idea crossed their mind.

"Pervert! He's following me! Help!" y/n yelled loudly in hopes of gaining the attention of some old friends.

Success. The older ladies of the shop raced out to help. They wouldn't let any harm come to their young friend.

---

It had started out as a small crush, easy to ignore. He never fawned over them, barely even looked their way. It was so simple to avoid those miniscule feelings. Keyword being "was".

Y/n was the Straw hat's artist. Their personal art was kept away from prying eyes. Until, he came along.

Early morning sun drifted over the quiet kitchen as their pencil shamelessly danced across paper, one stroke to the right, then a curve to the left. Vaguely aware of his presence, their attention was absorbed in their work.

Unknown to them Sanji had stopped prepping breakfast and was softly approaching. He leaned over their shoulder to see a masterpiece in the making. His hair caressed their ear. Y/n slowed down as realization had seeped in.

"The wispy lines make it look delicate, red ribbons add a nice pop of color, and the soft colorful shading really pulls it all together. It's probably your best work yet." Sanji said examining their work. His breath gently brushed  a strand of y/n's hair.

"Thanks." y/n answered as calmly as possible, refusing to show how flustered they were.

Sanji strode away at an even pace, unknowing of y/n's lingering gaze.

How dare he....

Y/n's face grew slightly warmer as they tried desperately to focus on the drawing.

---

Y/n slowed their speed enough to amusingly glance back at his suffering.

That broom has got to hurt

Hastily y/n took a left turn, rushing toward the bridge.

When they arrived here the crew was surprised to find that it was y/n's home Island.

Y/n wanted to take a small break from the crew and stay there for a month to study under a master artist. Luffy agreed, but decided to make a game out of it.

If y/n could avoid being touched by Sanji for a whole hour they could leave to study for a month.

Then why was Sanji, so determined? Well, they didn't mention it was only for a month.

Dust and dirt coated his shirt, hair disheveled, and yet his will untouched. He arose from the pavement. Left turn and to the bridge he ran. Y/n was a third of the way across.

---

Slash after slash. He couldn't get close enough to land a decent kick. He'd gotten himself into a fight with a skilled distant to mid range fighter.

Warm crimson dripped down as he panted leaning against a wall. He dropped to the floor desperately to avoid another shot. Failure. Yet another hit had landed. Aggressively the air was stolen from his lungs. His vision grew blurry and sound distant. He'd lost. A gun pointed to his head, it was over.

Blood splattered. Metal hit stone. A knife had embedded itself into the hand of the enemy. A familiar figure rushed in, blade in hand. The deed was done, and the body hit the floor.

"Sanji! Stay awake. I'll get Chopper. Everything will be alright." The shadowy figure said in an echoey voice before quickly disappearing from his sight.

He vision faded as a brown furry blob ran up to him.

Everything hurt. A light peaked in through the window blinding him. He turned his head to avoid the bright nuisance. The door creaked open and the little doctor walked in.

"Don't move around too much, you almost died. If you need anything or help going somewhere just ask." Chopper said as he checked for any reopened wounds.

"What happened? I know I lost." Sanji replied in a stained voice staring at the ceiling.

"Y/n was nearby and took him out. I was too weak after my fight to lift you, so they carried you too. Everyone else is busy and I'm still feeling weak, so y/n will be checking in on you." chopped answered before walking out of the room.

I need to thank them.

A knock came from the door.

"Come in." He said as clearly as he could muster.

Y/n walked in.

"Feelin alright? Need anything?" Y/n asked sitting down in the chair next to the bed.

"I'm doing pretty well for someone who almost died." He joked. "I could really use some water, if you don't mind." He added shortly after.

"Alright."

Y/n left for a moment and came back with a glass of water. His arms weren't in the best condition so y/n had to help him hold the glass.

Water dripped down his chin. Y/n carefully set the glass down. They leaned in and gently dabbed him dry with their sleeve.

Sanji's eye widened slightly and his view drifted to the floor.

"Thank you, for everything. I'd be dead if you hadn't stepped in..." He said quietly voice trailing off. His eye refused to meet theirs and remained glued to the floorboards below.

"It's not a problem." They said smiling. Their gaze traveled to his disheveled hair.

"Your hair is a bit messy. Do you mind if I tidy it up a bit?" Y/n asked finally gaining the attention of his avoidant gaze.

"N-No, go ahead." He said embarrassment filling him at the thought of how much of wreck he probably looked like.

Y/n left for a moment returning with a brush. Soft bristles stroked his hair. The brushing slowed wherever it got caught in a knot. They gently untangled his messy golden locks.

Warmth filled him and his heart fluttered at their whisper of a touch.

I might not have seen it clearly, but damn they looked so badass saving me back there.

---

He caught up to y/n quickly. They dodged his hand for the fifth time that day, sidestepping and shoving a large metal cart off the bridge.

They crossed the bridge as adrenaline slipped away. A lack of footsteps behind caused them to slow to a stop. He wasn't there.

Eyes traveled below to see a soggy Sanji washed ashore with the metal cart pinning him at the waist in such a way that he shouldn't be able get up. Guilt drifted in and so they made their way down.

Rough rocks crunch under their shoes as they cautiously walk up to him. Y/n squatted down to examine him better.

Slowly his head lifts to see them. The dust and dirt had washed away and in return a small scratch on his cheek filled its place. His arm outstretched to touch them, they were but an inch too far. It was clear that he was stuck.

Knowing their win was only a minute away y/n sat down before him. Bitter ticking drifted to his ears as they pulled out a pocket watch.

He couldn't win.

A coldness crawled through him and his heart cried for it to be a lie.

"Y/n, please don't go. Please..." His voice cracked.

They continued to silently hold up the watch  and stare off into the distance as time slowly slipped away from his grasp.

"Stay. Please. I can't lose you!" He cried out as he reached for them.

Tears began to slide down his face.

"Y/n, I love you! Please!" He pleaded, crying harder and reaching out for anything, his head down in despair.

Suddenly a softness made contact with his hand. Looking up, he couldn't believe his eyes. Sanji's hand was nestled into y/n's hair.

"3. 2. 1. Time is up, you win." Y/n said looking up and smiling at him from their now hunched over position.

Carefully the cart was lifted and set aside.

They pulled him up and held him close.

"It's alright, I'll stay." y/n said as Sanji clung on, his wet hair and clothes dripping all over them.

"Come on. Let's head back and get you all dried off." They said letting go.

Sanji lingered a few seconds longer before letting go.

---

The crew happily welcomed them back and the pair headed off to y/n's room to dry off.

Sanji sat on y/n's bed wearing an oversized sweater of theirs, bandage on his cheek. Y/n stood before him gently drying his hair off with a towel as he nuzzled his face into their chest. His hands gripped fistfuls of y/n's loose shirt.

"You alright?" y/n asked looking down to where his face was buried.

"I was so scared." He whispered.

Y/n tensed before wrapping their arms around him.

"I'm sorry...I was only leaving for a month." Y/n's voice escaped remorsefully as they rubbed his back.

He looked up, eyes wide.

"A month?!" He whispered loudly.

"Mmmhmm, I wasn't planning on leaving permanently...but I just couldn't leave a poor, crying,  baby boy behind. Wouldn't have been able focus on studying." They said quietly pulling him in close and placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

He buried his face into their neck to avoid their gaze.

"Aww, it's ok. I don't mind staying with. My. Precious. Baby. Boy." Y/n said closely to his ear, slowing the pace to say each word separately for emphasis.

He held them tightly and refused to raise his head.

Y/n's hand slid down to lightly trace the shape of his side. He shivered beneath their touch.

"Do you like that? Would you like more, my love?" y/n said teasing him.

He nodded still not looking up at them.

"Alright then, as you wish, darling. Stop me if I go too far." y/n said with a hint of underlying mischief.

Their finger traced down his side, to his hip, across his thigh, and stopped at his knee for a moment. They began to work back before sliding under the sweater. They slowed to see if he'd stop them and when he didn't an affectionate warmth filled them. His grip tightened and they continued, sliding their hand up his back.

"Sanji, please look at me." Y/n said gently, tracing hearts on his back.

He loosened his grip to look at them. Immense heat radiated from his face and ears, eyes half lidded.

"I love you with all my heart." Y/n said leaning in and stopping a miniscule distance from his lips and looking deeply into his eyes.

He froze before closing his eyes and crossing the distance between then.

Y/n's hand slid down from his back and gripped his thigh lifting the leg up as the other hand was lost in his hair.

Y/n gently pushed Sanji onto the mattress as their kiss reached its end. They couldn't help but loving gaze down at him. He looked so adorable beneath them.

They pulled up the sweater looking repeatedly at him, to check if he was alright with it. He tugged on their sleeve dazedly. Leaning in they left a trail of soft kisses all across his collar bone, down the center of his chest, and worked back up to his neck.

Sanji leaned in to their touch and slowly slipped into a sleepy haze.

"Are you tired?" Y/n asked ceasing another trail of kisses.

Sanji nodded and wrapped his arms around the neck, pulling their face closer to him.

"Alright, you can sleep with me tonight, my precious prince."y/n said placing one last kiss on his cheek.

The couple crawled under the covers. Y/n pulled his head to their chest wrapping their arms around and tangling their legs with his.

He slipped away into a sweet slumber, engulfed in their love.

#one piece #onepiece #onepiecexreader #sanji #sanji vinsmoke #black leg sanji #blackleg sanji #kuroashi no sanji #sanji x reader #vinsmoke sanji x reader #black leg sanji x reader #blackleg sanji x reader #sanji x y/n

[maxdark158]

Chapter 4!! WOOT! Check out the OG creator, @ozmav as the first day in her Damian Wayne fic is still canon in mine so far

tw for panic attacks

Characters are probably OOC because MLB is a kids show

Ps: I AM doing a partner fic to this from Damian’s POV and I AM doing a sequel to both of these, stay tuned

Angel in Gotham: Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Ao3

Demon in Gotham: Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Ao3

Fanart for AiG: Riddler ~ Joker thank you @thegreysman

Please tag me in any fanart you draw for this guys ^^

Enjoy!

oooOOOooo

Her hotel room was bland. There’s a creepy painting of two children in a bucket on the wall. The bed was stiff and the sheets are scratchy.

Marinette wasn’t sure when she got to her hotel room. She couldn’t remember walking in. She didn’t know what time it was or how long she stood outside in the first place. She was a puppet on strings. She didn’t know who was pulling them.

Distantly, she heard someone talking. She knew it had to be Tikki, nobody else was in her hotel room, but she didn’t have the energy to answer or to even fully listen.

Damian Wayne was Robin.

Of all things, she recognized his voice. He almost called her Angel during The Riddler incident too. She didn’t know why it clicked then, perhaps the similar wording?

It was easy to deduce the identities of Gotham’s other heroes after that.

Tim was obviously Red Robin. He complimented her ability to solve The Riddler’s riddles when he rescued her and was questioning her IQ as Tim after that. Jason clearly went easy on her during their spar, because Red Hood had many more skills than he showed then – not that Marinette cared about the spar now. Or anything else really.

Nightwing must be the brother she didn’t officially meet, though she did see him on her first day here at Wayne Enterprises. And Bruce Wayne was Batman. Marinette hadn’t met all the Gotham heroes or all the Waynes, but what she knew matched up.

She ignored the sheets, the bed, the painting, and the room for a moment. “Tikki,” her voice was hoarse – how long had it been since the goodbye? – “How did I figure out Damian was Robin when it took me so long to figure out Adrien was Chat?”

“I’m sorry Marinette,” Tikki’s voice sounded far away, muffled. “The magic of the miraculous must have tampered with your reasoning for Adrien. I assume that since you know it’s him now, there was no use of it anymore. You likely would have known Adrien was Chat from the beginning if it was never there.”

Tikki might have said something else, but she didn’t know. The ringing in her ears was louder than her kwami. The hotel room seemed to fade away, and she was trapped in the hollow darkness.

Marinette was a horrible person and friend.

Dread was ice water coursing through her body. It was freezing, she wasn’t sure if she had any real blood anymore.

It was her fault. It was her fault that she knew Damian was Robin, she has no right to know that he’s Robin when he’s clearly keeping it secret to protect himself and his family. Marinette didn’t deserve to know.

Guilt was the crushing weight chaining her to the ground. It got heavier and heavier. She struggled to stay upright.

Why did she have to be such a screw-up? She and Damian even discussed this, they talked about how friends didn’t have to tell each other everything. Marinette didn’t deserve to be his friend.

Sadness was mint in her mouth and wetness on her cheek. The wetness was real though, surrounding her and drowning her. She struggled in it, her movements sluggish under the pressure.

She betrayed his trust. She found out something he wasn’t comfortable with her knowing. Marinette was worse than Alya.

Her throat felt tight.

Marinette should have never tried to have friends again, not when she always screwed up. Damian didn’t deserve to have someone as awful as her as a friend.

Her lungs ached.

Damian deserved better.

She couldn’t breathe.

She wasn’t breathing.

Distantly, Marinette thought that she didn’t deserve to.

“Marinette, please calm down please,” the voice sounded desperate. “Marinette you’re having a panic attack and you aren’t breathing, please-”

She gasped for air as if she had been drowning. Her breaths were heavy, her body desperate to gain back the oxygen she deprived it of. Marinette tried to calm herself, she needed to stop herself from dissociating, from spiraling.

Deep breath.

She needed to focus.

Deep breath.

The sheets are scratchy. The fabric was clearly cheap, she often saved her allowance to try and afford better supplies when she designed.

Deep breath.

The bed was stiff. Marinette wished it had more pillows like hers at home. She wished it was soft, more relaxing. It was hard sleeping on it, but it was hard sleeping anyway.

Deep breath.

She could see the creepy painting of two children in a bucket on the wall. It was black and white except for the blue color of their shirts. Their eyes were wide in surprise or fear she didn’t know.

Deep breath.

Her hotel room is bland. The off-white color of the walls matched the off-white carpet and the off-white sheets. The furniture was also all white. It was a little bright, but it needed more color. More design to it.

Deep breath.

“Marinette?” Tikki asked.

Deep breath.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I’m sorry I-”

Tikki shook her head. “Are you alright?”

Marinette shook her head. She hadn’t had an attack that bad in years. Not since-

The memories came hurtling back, and she gripped the sheets as if they could save her. She didn’t want to remember don’t make her remember please don’t please-

Deep breath.

She was disassociating again. She needed to find a way to stay present.

“Why don’t you try designing?” Tikki’s voice was far away again, but Marinette clung to it like a lifeline.

She might have nodded. She didn’t remember. She didn’t remember moving. But suddenly she was sitting at the white desk with her travel sewing machine and her sketchbook. She had the fabric she bought here before The Riddler incident. She and Damian dropped it off before going for ice cream.

Deep Breath.

Her sketchbook was open but her brain wouldn’t let her process what was on the page. It was colored though, red and black. She bought red and black fabric for her ladybug inspired jacket, but she had no problem using it now.

She wanted out of her own head. Designing, making clothes, those things grounded her.

Tikki was telling a story in the background, of what Marinette didn’t know. She couldn’t pay attention right now, she wasn’t even fully aware of what she was making.

But it was calming her. She was able to focus on her movements instead of her thoughts, go through the motions of something she loved.

Lila had taken many things from her, but she never did take her joy for designing.

The measurements she was following were on the page. She wasn’t conscious of what they actually were. But she measured, she cut, and she sewed.

She could feel the fabric under her fingers, the coolness of her sewing machine. Her vision was blurred and her cheeks were wet.

Measure, cut, sew.

She needed to make it up to Damian somehow. Should she reveal herself to him – a quid pro quo?

Measure, cut, sew.

No. She didn’t know how many villain fights or what type Robin got in but if he accidentally told anyone she would be in danger. Whether another villain made a deal with Hawkmoth or somehow got akumatized – her identity was secret for a reason.

Measure, cut, sew.

She had to protect her family first and foremost. But Damian… she ruined her friendship with him. She made a huge, unfixable mistake and there’s no way he would ever want to be around her anymore once he knew.

Sew. Sew. Sew. Sew. Sew. Sew.

That’s to say… If he knew…

Sew. Sew. Sew. Sew. Sew.

But Marinette couldn’t do that! That would be even more of a betrayal of trust to keep a secret about him from him, and she personally would like to know if she compromised her identity…

Sew. Sew. Sew. Sew.

If Hawkmoth wasn’t a threat anymore, she would tell him. He clearly knew how to keep a secret, though her figuring it out wasn’t exactly a good moment.

Sew. Sew. Sew.

And she did have that plan for getting rid of Hawkmoth, the one she got from the Gotham City Heroes and Villains Museum. She became inspired by Damian and his family to track the akuma and find Hawkmoth.

Sew. Sew.

Fight him face to face. End the terrorism and suffering once and for all.

Stitch.

Marinette blinked through her tears. It seemed they finally stopped. Her half-baked plans paused, and she looked at what she created.

A hand immediately flew to her mouth to stifle the new wave of sobs rising in her throat. A fresh wave of tears fell, spilling onto the fabric in her other hand.

She made the Robin hoodie.

She made the Robin hoodie that she designed.

It was red, though the bottom hem of it was yellow. The sleeves were black and the torso part of the hoodie was red. The string to the hoodie was also red, but it has thick yellow stripes, like the yellow marks down the middle of Robin’s suit.

The cuffs of the sleeve were green and had little cloth triangles on them. The triangles were smaller than the ones Robin had on his gloves, but the cardboard in them helped them stick out as they did on the hero's costume.

The hood, like the sleeves, was black, but the inside was yellow, much like Robin’s cape. Robin’s label was on the shoulder, black and yellow.

Marinette glanced at the sketchbook page that she was going off of. It sprinkled in wet marks – likely her own tears – but the measurements she remembered writing.

She remembered writing them when she and Damian got lunch before ice cream.

She remembered trying to estimate his measurements without asking for them.

She remembered adding a few centimeters just in case…

She made Damian a Robin hoodie. She made Damian a hoodie of himself.

She glanced back at the hoodie, recognizing the yellow and green fabric. It was from the old sweater that she brought in case she got cold at night… she didn’t even remember getting it out…

Of course she made this of course her subconscious is aware of how awful she is. She’s despicable and doesn’t deserve Damian-

“Marinette?” Tikki’s voice was quiet. Tired.

“I’m okay,” she said, mentally digging her heels into the present moment. She could not dissociate again. She could not spiral again.

Deep breath.

Marinette carefully hung up the hoodie she made in the small hotel room closet. She threw away the sweater and saved whatever scraps of fabric left behind – maybe she could make a hat.

“I’m sorry Tikki,” her voice was wobbly and hoarse. “I’m so sorry I-”

“Marinette,” Tikki flew to her, face full of pity – no, understanding. Sympathy. “It’s not your fault.”

“But-” it was! She found out his identity she ruined their friendship and anything else they could have had and it was all her fault-

“Panicking and anxiety is normal,” Tikki told her. “You don’t have to apologize for your emotions.”

Marinette nodded. What Tikki said made sense. She needed to compartmentalize her emotions for the moment and get herself together.

She couldn’t make this up to Damian, and she didn’t deserve to. It’s her fault and he shouldn’t be around someone as awful as her.

It would hurt her more than him, but she needs to save him. She’s too much like her classmates, like Alya and Lila, to continue as his friend. She didn’t want to hurt him.

The room was stifling. She wanted out. She couldn’t leave the hotel though, that would be too dangerous – and she might run into Dami- Robin.

“I’m going to go downstairs,” Marinette mumbled to Tikki. “See if I can get anything out of the vending machines. You stay here, I don’t want to accidentally talk to you around others.”

Tikki nodded, clearly not happy about it but understanding. “You wouldn’t want to wake anyone up.”

“What?” Marinette turned to the clock on the desk and-

Four A.M. She lost eleven hours to an attack.

Deep Breath.

Marinette squared her shoulders. She would go downstairs to get a snack, come back up and try to fall asleep. With any luck, she would miss the class’s trip to GothCorp tomorrow if she turned off her alarm…

She moved like a zombie in the halls. Her room key was in her Tikki-less purse with some stale cookies. She had her slippers on. She hadn’t changed completely into her pajamas, as she still wore her white crop top, but her pajama bottoms were on instead of the overalls. She didn’t have her phone.

Marinette arrived at the lobby and walked to the vending machine area. In her hand was a few US dollars with the green and the old men’s faces. She figured she could maybe afford one of the candy bars here. Damian mentioned liking things with dark chocolate – despite not liking the, “too sweet,” chocolate ice cream at the parlor. He was going to get the salted caramel until-

She paused, mentally reining herself in. If she thinks about Damian, she’ll spiral again. She needs to get the candy bar and head back to her room.

That’s it.

Marinette began to walk again. The lights were on behind the desk, and the vending machines had light. Other than that, the rest of the lights were off. She didn’t really mind though, simply going over to the machines.

Her ears picked up on someone moving around in the dark, near the couches in the lobby. She turned, immediately getting into a fighting stance when-

“Have you been crying?” A sickly-sweet voice said, and Marinette knew immediately who it was. The girl walked toward her, stopping a few feet from Marinette so she was visible in the light. She turned away from Lila and back to the vending machine, ignoring the footsteps behind her.

When Marinette didn’t answer Lila took it as a sign to continue.

“You know, when you passed here earlier you seemed really out of it,” Marinette straightened out her dollar bill.

“I was waiting down here to comfort you, thinking you would return, but I fell asleep on the couch.” She didn’t know how much of that was true. She put the bill into the vending machine.

“I just wanted to see if you were-”

“You can stop lying,” Marinette’s voice was still wobbly from crying, but she didn’t care. “I haven’t bought any of your crap yet, no need to continue selling it to me.”

There was a moment of silence. More footsteps, but they sounded further away.

“Fine then, Dupain-Cheng,” Lila growled. “I wanted to warn you.” Marinette tried and failed to refrain from rolling her eyes as Lila talked.

“You think that when you leave this school, when you graduate early, I’ll be gone?” What button should she press?

“Your useless sheep classmates will always be wrapped around my fingers, coming to my every beck and call.” The label next to the dark chocolate Hershey’s bar said B2. She pressed B then 2.

She heard more footsteps. They sounded closer. Lila was probably trying to intimidate her.

“You’ve even lost Adrien,” Lila sounded haughty about that, but the words relieved Marinette. “You are nothing, Dupain-Cheng.” The Hershey’s bar fell to the bottom of the vending machine.

“Are you done?” she asked, leaning down to get her prize. “I couldn’t care less about any of what you just said. Might as well talk about Physics if you want me to pay attention more.”

She looked over to Lila-

Wait.

Lila stood in the same spot as she was before, looking flabbergasted that Marinette didn’t care about her power trip tirade.

She hadn’t moved.

More footsteps, even closer than before. Not as close as Lila was.

Marinette grabbed her chocolate bar and stood up slowly. If someone else was here…

“What do you mean you couldn’t care less?” Lila suddenly shrieked.

“Lila, calm down,” Marinette saw shoes appear at the very edge of where the light from the vending machines reached. Shoes and the hems of purple pants.

“You think that if you just brush me off, pretend you don’t care, that I’ll go away,” Lila hissed. “I am your worst nightmare, Dupain-Cheng. You will never escape me!”

“Lila-”

“No! You will listen to me!”

She heard movement. They were moving. Without thinking she reached over and grabbed Lila’s arm and yanked her behind where Marinette stood.

A spray of liquid erupted from the shadow, hitting where Lila was once standing.

“Why so serious, little girl?” there was a giggle, and Marinette suddenly deeply regretted leaving her phone upstairs.

“Call the police,” she mumbled. She heard Lila desperately searching through her pockets.

If this is who she thinks it is… Ice water ran through her body instead of blood, but the buildup of dread kept her shivers at bay.

“Looking for this?” A gloved hand displayed Lila’s phone in its orange case.

Marinette held Lila back just in case. “Please!” the lair called desperately. “S-several people have me as their emergency contact, Clara Nightingale, Damian Wayne, Jag-”

The hand threw the phone to the ground and the shoe stomped on it.

“I wish your little friend didn’t pull you out of the way,” the voice dawdled. “It would have been fun to see you with a smile on your face.”

The feet stepped forward.

Purple pants.

Purple suit.

Green undershirt.

Purple tie.

White plastic flower.

White face.

Green hair.

Crazed eyes.

The Joker stared at them, smile just a bit too wide. It didn’t reach his eyes.

“When I heard you beat The Riddler at his own game,” Joker’s tone was full of amusement, but Marinette didn’t feel like laughing. “I decided I just had to see what you were made of myself.”

He tilted up his flower. “Get ready to smile!”

#Marinette #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #marinette dupain cheng #tw panic attack #tw joker #joker #panic attack #trigger warnings #marinette x damian #damian wayne #daminette #maridami #damimari #maribat #lila #lila rossi #anti-lila #miraculous #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #batman #batman fic

[theinnocentninjawrites]

sidekick p-3

(part 3 of 1, 2, 4, 5, )

Outside of Chicago is one of the secure facility prisons that house some of the most dangerous prisoners. Some convicted of war crimes, serial killers and various villains are housed there. I walked towards the cement walls and let out a long sigh.

I couldn’t believe I was doing this, but I knew it was my only way out, he was my only way out, and either I would get it out or die trying. What warried me more was the implications of what I was about to do. But I was here, I was dressed and packed for the job, and I was biologically and cosmically unable to fail at breaking in and out. The danger would come later.

Inside the prison and down 50 meters into the supers secure voltes. Every prisoner had apparatus to neutralise their powers, along with radio waves and air blockers throughout the entire compound to prevent powers use. Hence I wore a suit that cancelled the signals out. I was decent when my powers were cancelled, but breaking into a high security prison was not when I wanted to test it.

Once on the floor, I soon found the cell I was looking for.

Cell V016.

Black Electro. One of Blue Shock’s long term villains. I hadn’t seen him since we put him in prison 5 years earlier. It was a fool’s hope that he would help me, but he was one of the only ones, and he couldn’t tell anyone, or use it against me.

Not giving it anymore thought, I pressed a button to slide the steel door across, exposing him behind the thick glass wall.

The cell was dark inside, the glow from the corridor lit up the occupied bed.

‘Wakey wakey.’ I called through the intercom. The lumps under the covers moved about and Sergio sat up. I almost didn’t recognise him, his hair was longer and no longer bleached, he had a decent curl at this length, and his skin tone was a nice bronze from his Brazilian heritage, no longer offset by the mild glow he would put on by his abilities, an affectation as part of his villain persona.

‘Evening.’ I greeted. ‘I like your hair, you look younger and charming.’

He blinked, confused.

‘Who the fuck are you?’ He rubbed his face and swung his legs over the edge of his bed.

‘Someone with a proposal for you.’ I placed a card against the glass showing a white stylised horse resembling a chess knight that went into a curl of white fire against a black background.

‘You’re a knight.’ His body became a little defensive. ‘Why haven’t you come for me before?’

‘Because we can’t afford to expose ourselves.’ I flicked the card and it burned up into nothing. ‘We have some conditions on letting you out, you will need to take a low profile for a while. We’ll set you up with some money, a power dampener and you can go on a trip.’

‘And what do you want from me?’ He walked towards me, raising a dark eyebrow.

‘We are in need of your specific power set. It’s been a few years, do you think you can do fine electro metallic manipulation?’

‘I’m fine.’ He furrowed his brow. ‘What is the job?’ he looked out to the empty hall. ‘And how did you get in here?’

‘I am good at my job.’ I chose for mystic. ‘And your job is disabling and extracting a tracking bomb from a spine.’

He smiled as he started to see what was going on.

‘I used to do this with Government controlled ex-cons.’

‘Why do you think I’m here? And it’s not the government.’ He stared at me, then smirked.

‘You seem like a smart woman, how did you get suckered into that?’ I ignored him and began to work on the lock, but I was pleased he was in a right enough mind to be sensibly let out.

‘I open this door, then I’ll take off that tracker on your ankle and leave it in the cell. We lock it up and you do what I say and we should get out of here without being caught. Can you not be a dick for an hour?’

‘You clearly haven’t talked much with those I’ve worked with. I can be a team player, I just like to run chaos on the world.’

I rolled my eyes and worked on the lock. Using a system known to several locksmiths in the world, but one I never used if people could trace it to me. And the thick glass door slid across. Then before he left the cell, I unlocked the anklet and put them around a simple tube I had set to mimic Sergio’s body rhythms.

‘Let’s go.’ Sergio behaved himself, he had been in the habit of holding massive heists and making great escapes when he didn’t fight things out. After twenty minutes we slipped out of the prison with the truck that took the last guards back to their parks.

We quickly found cover in an empty house I had already cleared.

‘Hey, what? Why aren’t my powers coming back?’ Sergio was indignant, looking at his hands. I snorted and slid his sleeve back, revealing a light slim bangle on his arm.

‘I just needed to keep an eye on you.’ I defended, unzipping my suit on the side and pulling the torso band off, but my mask remained on.

‘Now I need you to take it out without killing me. I will disable the bracelet and you can work on the bomb. Keep in mind that I have rigged this place to blow if I die. You are hardy, but not that much.’

He looked a little annoyed, but didn’t let it take over his face.

‘You don’t trust me?’ His widened his brown eyes. He was very cute when he wasn’t trying to kill me.

‘Not a chance.’ I let the grin touch my voice and eyes, then disabled his bracelet. A second later he gasped and I felt the hair on my body stand up with the static. His own curly hair raised up and he ran some electricity through his body.

‘Ohh, that feels good.’ he clenched his hands, making his skin glow a little, eyes sparking and let out a low chuckle.

‘Don’t lose it on me, man.’ I tried to play it cool. He was an extremely dangerous villain. ‘Are you alright?’

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, the glow died down and seemed to be internalised. His very being seemed to be exuding a brightness.

He opened his eyes and nodded.

‘Yeah, I’m fine. Alright, lay down and relax.’

‘Ha, relax, that’s funny.’ I said, handing him a sanitised medical kit, and I lay down on my stomach.

‘Hm you’ve been through a bit.’ He mentioned, I felt his fingers brushing various scars. I had a lightning mark across my left.

‘I’ve been around powered people for a while.’ I said, waiting for him to do the job. Hoping he wouldn’t realise that he had given me that particular scar.

‘Hm.’ His fingers traced my spine and found it. ‘Ah, interesting.’ I felt zaps into it, a series that seemed probing. And then plastic rustling and a sharp pain as he sliced the skin above where the bomb rested. Then painful pulling, but I only let out a whimper at the serious pain. Sergio was moving the metal and gently taking them out of my spine.

‘I got it.’ He said as the pain lessoned.

‘You did it.’ I said. And my body was still, the tingling I had gotten so used to was gone. So much peace. Tears welling up, I let out a sob, and a laugh.

‘Thank you.’ I never thought I would be thanking Sergio, for him to save my life. But he had.

‘Oh, you are welcome. Thank you for getting me out.’ There was a pause and his shuffled. ‘I’ll patch you up.’ He grabbed the sewing string.

As he stitched me up, the euphoria of freedom from years of tension and fear and anxiety helped to numb the pain.

And then he covered my back with a bandage and he sat back. I took some deep breaths and sat up, wiping my face.

‘Thank you.’ I repeated and began to pull my torso strip back on. Sergio was washing his hands in the sink, so I took the moment to blow my nose and pull the mask back up.

‘So what are you going to do now?’ I asked. He turned and looked pensive.

‘I’m not sure. I… in prison I let go of a lot of my anger, I saw so many others who had let their power of obsession destroy them, and I felt I could stop myself before I got there.’

I blinked at him. ‘Hm. You want to give up villainy?’ A turn I wasn’t expecting. He shrugged and came back over with a wet cloth.

‘I don’t know. Not in the way I used to. Blue Shock is dead anyway, so half the fun is gone.’

‘Eck, you were one of those?’

‘I didn’t think I was at the time, but I was very sad to hear of his death. That upstart Top Hat killed him?’

‘Yeah.’ I tried not to let out my sadness.

‘What are you going to do now?’ he asked, wiping down the blood.

‘I’m going to destroy the man who did this to me.’ I stood up and stretched, wincing at the pain.

‘Alone?’

‘Probably.’

‘You’re not with the Knights are you?’ He looked up. ‘Because there is usually someone who will help you.’

‘No, but the card is easy enough to fake.’ I pulled on a sweater and some pants over my suit. He smiled and shook his head.

‘Well perhaps I will see you around.’

‘Maybe.’ I felt uncomfortable having such a normal and intimate conversation with him. I went to under the couch I was on and pulled out a case and handed it to him.

‘There is a hundred grand in there, untraceable. And clothes in the next room. I can drive you to a country town and you can take the car outside, I have another one.’

‘You’re organised.’

‘I just broke a super villain out of prison.’ I checked the clock. ‘We should go.’

 We were an hour away and going around smaller back roads and cutting across between highways. I had planned this track out. Sergio was playing with his hair in the mirror.

‘So Eskay, what brought you down this road busting me out?’ I nearly swerved off the road. Eskey had been my Sidekick name. Short for Escapology.

‘What?’ I wasn’t going to be able to play this off.

‘Oh come on, it’s been five years, but you’re voice hasn’t changed that much, and you have distinctive eyes. Plus I do remember having a terrified moment where I thought I had killed you, that lightning shock. I knew Blue Shock would not let up if that had happened. Besides, I always had my suspicion that you were a trained escapologist, what Eskay was short for, no?’ he swept his hair up into a curly puff.

‘Yeah, that’s what it was.’ I sighed, wondering what was going to happen.

‘Yeah, few people could do what you just did, with so much subtly. You always got into everything, and out of everything. Are those powers?’

‘I’ve practiced since I could walk.’ The truth, but only half. ‘And I am a ninja in the sense that I have trained in all 17 arts.’ Also true. ‘So what are you going to do?’

He didn’t answer at first. I handed him a hair tie from my wrist and he put his hair up. Then he leaned back and took a deep breath.

‘Tell me what happened. With Blue Shock and Top Hat, and the bomb.’

And I did. I didn’t tell him my real name, or personal things. But I did tell him about being used by both the government and Alonso, how I had stolen and killed for both sides. How I had slowly not been as phased about it. How easy taking the money was.

‘Jesus.’ He let out and shook his head. He was silent for a while. ‘Would you like any help taking him down?’ unexpected.

‘What?’

‘Help. Some supered back up is useful. We both know I have skills and I’ve been in prison for a few years, I can take orders.’ I didn’t answer him. This isn’t what I expected of him.

‘Ok, I’m going to turn up back there if you don’t let me come with you.’

‘He has four electro powered people on his roster. And a lot of other powered people.’

‘But you have a plan?’

‘Sort of. I have a few percolating. I was going to work on it for a few more weeks.’

‘You’ve been working for him for five years and you don’t have a plan?’

‘The situation changes week to week, and given my training, I’m a lot better on tactics over strategy.’

‘I doubt that.’ Sergio retorted. ‘Blue Shock was one of the leaders of Power League for a reason. I was his rival for a reason.’

‘I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the reason.’ I retorted, pulling up to the dead quiet street of the town.

We sat in the car for a while, looking at the empty shops.

‘Thank you.’ He said finally. ‘For getting me out. And I’m sorry about Blue. He was a great human, and hero, he didn’t deserve to be taken out like that.’

‘No, he didn’t.’ I leant back. ‘Isn’t life weird?’

‘Extremely.’ He grinned and nodded. I looked at him and felt a strange sort of nostalgic affection for him.

 A week later I was back in town, feeling like I was to be shot down at any moment. But as I settled back into life, nothing happened, my stitches were out and the scare healed over quickly with my super blood. I carried a signal sender on me at all times, except when I had other business so as not to let on, and Alonso didn’t contact.

An alert had gone out the next day that Black Electro had broken out of prison, and a current photo had been released of him, a part of me hoped he had disguised himself well and was laying low in South America. If anything because I didn’t want him to out me.

When I got home one afternoon, there was a card on the floor just inside my door. A playing card ace with a black Top Hat in place of a suit. I tore it in half and it burned up. Show time.

(part 3 of 1, 2, 4, 5, )

#superhero #sidekick #my writing