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grandline-fics · 2 days

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Hi there! I hope u are doing well, can I request a strawhats crew reaction to a reader who can see ghosts or souls? It can be like their devil fruit power or just something that they're born with. It can be a short fic with all the strawhats or if it's too much it can just be the monster trio, i don't mind either way, do what you prefer! Thanks for letting me request!

DESCRIPTION: You can see ghosts and spirits

WARNINGS: don’t think it’s too angsty but does mention dead characters. Luffy's is set just before a canon event.

CHARACTERS: Sanji, Zoro, Luffy

WORDS: 1,672

A/N: Thank you for this request. For some reason I struggled a lot with how I wanted this to go and I hope you're happy with this outcome.

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

MASTERLIST | PROMPT LIST

———————

You didn’t really know the rhyme or reason for your gift. It was just always something you had and having grown up being able to see and speak with spirits you’d never felt the need to investigate it. Besides even if you were to learn the reason for your unique talent, it wasn’t like you were ever going to seek out a way to get rid of it. As far as you were concerned it was a part of you and it brought comfort to a lot of people once they got over their shock and in some cases heavy skepticism that you were playing a cruel prank on them.

When you first set foot on the Thousand Sunny you had to suppress the shiver that ran up your spine as you were hit with an intense feeling that those on the crew were connected to a lost one and the weight of their grief was still heavy on their shoulders even if they didn’t realise it themselves. So you decided to keep your ability to yourself for now and help when the occasion to do so arose. As you set yourself up in your quarters you smiled softly, seeing that you truly were brought onto the crew for a reason. Idly you wondered who in the crew would be the first you would help.

SANJI

Sanji turned out to be the first. You entered the kitchen and smiled in greeting to the ship’s cook only your gaze to drift behind his shoulder. Your smile fell slightly and you stepped further into the room, peering at Sanji with intent concern. “What’s wrong?” You asked, taking the chef by surprise as his own smile faltered.

“Nothing, now that you’re here.” He insisted, adopting his charming smile once more but you firmly shook your head, refusing to be convinced by his outward demeanour. Sanji became nervous and let his gaze fall away from you stare, finding it easier to maintain his pretence. Quickly he turned back to his chopping board and continued to prepare food for the evening meal. “What on earth would make you think something was wrong?” He asked, trying to keep his voice level.

“Your mother only ever shows this clearly when you’re deeply upset about something.” Your voice was soft but it was enough to make Sanji drop his knife against the block with a dull thud. He felt like laughing at the ludicrous statement at the same time he felt like shouting at you for the weird joke. Yet he couldn’t do either. You didn’t know anything about him or his family and he knew it wasn’t in you to say something so heartless. Thankfully he didn’t need to demand you explain yourself because you proved your honesty immediately. “You have her eyes and smile, kind and comforting. She worries when you get like this, hiding how you truly feel.”

Sanji looked over his shoulder to see you smiling fondly at something or rather someone beside him. Desperately he wished he could see what you saw, to see her again but if this was as close as he could get then he would take it a hundred times over. “I don’t want anyone to worry, least of all her.”

“Sanji we all have bad days and hiding that from the people we care about isn’t the way to do it.” You told him, finally looking at his face again, reaching out to lightly push some of the hair from his eyes. “We have emotions for a reason and no-one expects you to suppress them. I’m always here to listen, okay?” You weren’t surprised to be brought into a tight hug by Sanji and returned the embrace, letting him hold you for as long as he needed.

ZORO

It took some time for you to finally see the spirit attached to Zoro’s heart with enough clarity to take in her appearance and hear her. It didn’t surprise you that this one took longer, Zoro’s personality never came across as being someone who clung to the past and let it cloud his vision but on a day like this it was clear even Zoro wasn’t invulnerable to the deepest of connections that you could now see had been cut far too soon.

You’d wandered up to the Crow’s Nest to both take a break from the chaotic noise of Luffy, Franky, Chopper and Usopp and also settle in for your evening watch. This wasn’t anything new so Zoro only gave you a brief glance in greeting before going back to training against one of the reinforced training dummies Franky had made to withstand his attacks enough for a worthwhile practice. However he wasn’t moving the way he wanted, something was wrong with his movements. “You’re forgetting the fundamentals.”

Your voice came from the seating and Zoro looked over his shoulder to see you were casually leaning against the edge, looking out at the ocean. He cocked his head to the side and arched an eyebrow at you. You weren’t even watching him, how would you know what he was apparently doing wrong? As if feeling his stare, you turned your head to look at him. “You’re getting too stuck in your head, just take a breath and keep it simple.”

Zoro had to scoff at the advice. Yes, you were a fighter but not a swordsman so to be told what was wrong stung his ego slightly. It’d be like if he tried to tell Franky how to fix the ship. You seemed to read the offence on his face and it surprised him to see you laugh and hold up your hands lightly in defence. “That’s not coming from me, it’s coming from Kuina.”

Kuina? Now Zoro found himself glaring and tensing out of a fear of his private life being pried into. Where had you heard that name? Who told you about her? Not that he confided in many about his childhood friend. You sighed sadly and got to your feet. This wasn’t the first time you’d seen this kind of reaction and it wasn’t surprising that Zoro fell back onto the defensive and become distrustful. You stopped in front of the swordsman and glanced briefly at the spirit at his side.

“She’s happy to see you’ve come so far but your name hasn’t quite reached the heavens yet. You still have a long way to go and she believes in you.” You smiled and lightly punched Zoro’s arm when you saw the belief and shock appear in his no longer skeptical gaze. “Keep getting stronger but don’t forget her father’s teachings okay?”

“I won’t let her down. I made a promise.” Zoro affirmed strongly and you grinned, turning to go back to your seat when he quickly caught your arm, surprising you. You turned and looked at him questioningly. “If she’s still here do you…do you think you can help me speak to her?”

LUFFY

It wasn’t much of a surprise to you that Luffy was the one to seek you out. He’d caught some talk from the crew about the things you just seemed to know things about their past or about someone they knew that had passed away. His suspicions were confirmed when you’d all stopped on an island for supplies and you’d helped a grieving family in a way no-one else could. You’d managed to ease their pain and reassure them that their loved one was still with them and had no regrets. When you were back on the Sunny he appeared beside you on the railings, grinning widely and already bouncing with excitement. “You see ghosts right?”

“Yeah, I see them. Not at will though.” You clarified, with Luffy being well Luffy you didn’t want to disappoint him by making him think that what you could was as easily controlled as a Devil Fruit ability which this was not. Still though your statement didn’t deflate him, if anything he only got more excited and he leaned in closer and set his hands on your shoulders.

“What about me? Is someone with me?” Despite how excited he was you could sense a faint desperation coming from Luffy and you wanted to be able to help but as you’d already told him this wasn’t something that you could manipulate and command freely whenever you wanted. You looked at Luffy carefully and then around him in search of a presence connected to him. Suddenly you felt a warmth and made out the outline of a man standing behind your Captain and you couldn’t help but smile.

“Ace.” You felt like you were saying it in greeting. You’d known about Luffy’s brother but never had the pleasure of actually getting to meet him. It was almost eerie how both Luffy and Ace grinned so happily and in sync but it was also so infectious. Luffy seemed pleased but then seemed to be eager for more.

“Is it just Ace? Is anyone else with him? Maybe younger?” He asked and you slowly shook your head with a small frown.

“Sorry Luffy, just Ace.” You said, disappointed that you couldn’t give Luffy what he wanted and seeing him sigh slightly and lower his gaze briefly made you feel guilty even though you knew it wasn’t your fault. Still though you couldn’t help but look to Ace, silently pleading for assistance on his part. However the brother only smirked knowingly and you began to suspect that Ace knew something you and Luffy didn’t. Thankfully that was all you needed to cheer Luffy up. “Just because I don’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not with you though Luffy. Maybe next time whoever it is you’re thinking about will be there instead?”

“Yeah you’re right!” Luffy grinned while leaping up onto the railing, his previous excited energy returning instantly. Before you could speak any more, Law’s voice called for Luffy wanting to go over the plan for when you all would be reaching Dressrosa in just a couple days time.

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lonely-cowboy · 4 months

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beautifully human

pairing: connor (rk800) x f!reader

summary: after noticing the way connor looks at other androids, you worry that you may never have a chance with him. but what you don't know is that he has only ever had eyes for you.

word count: 2.9k

warnings: insecure reader, mentions of death (they literally talk about dying in an elevator) (spoiler alert: it doesn't happen), probably ooc connor, west coast dialect went a little too hard in the dialogue, some very specific physical descriptions that i also tried to keep as general as possible? you'll see what i mean ig

author's note: glad to report that this account is lowkey helping me get over my writer's block, so that's amazing for me. anyway. as usual, feel free to leave any critiques on how i can improve my writing, characterization, etc.! :)

masterlist ⟡ requests

You hated that your investigation brought you to the Eden Club. You didn’t necessarily hate the Eden Club or its workers, but you hated that you had to go with Connor and Hank. It would’ve been embarrassing enough to go with just Hank, but adding Connor to the mix made you want to collapse to the ground and never move again. But you were a professional, so if you had to go with Connor and Hank then you could suck it up for a night. Hopefully.

The moment you stepped inside the club, you were filled with unease. Your stomach churned and your shoulders scrunched up high as if you were trying to hide from the world. To handle your discomfort, you turned cold and distant, observing everything and everyone with an icy glare. You trailed behind Hank and Connor as you scanned your surroundings, doing your very best to look at everything but Connor.

You couldn’t look at Connor in this place without being filled with a displaced sense of anger. You couldn’t help but wonder if he looked at these androids with infatuation or desire. Did he find them beautiful? Did he want them in the same way you wanted him? You knew they were stupid thoughts, but you couldn’t control them. Somehow, Connor had weaseled his way into your heart and refused to leave no matter how hard you tried.

Distracted by your foggy mind, you almost bumped right into Connor when he stopped to admire a Traci, his soft gaze exploring her body through the glass barrier. You watched as the Traci smiled gently at him, her hand reaching forward to touch the glass like she was trying to caress his cheek. Connor didn’t move to reciprocate her action, but he still appeared to be in awe. It only made your scowl deepen.

You hated that you were consumed by jealousy because you knew– deep down– that it stemmed from insecurity. This Traci was made to be beautiful. She was made to be desired and worshipped. In her limited clothing, there wasn’t much left to the imagination. Her body was the epitome of perfect with its soft curves and smooth skin. She was a perfect balance of sweet and charismatic. She was everything that you assumed a man wanted, and androids were no exception. From the way Connor looked at her, you were sure she was everything he wanted too.

You sighed in frustration before marching away as Hank called to Connor. You refused to let your jealousy– or anything you felt for Connor– get in the way of your investigation. But no matter how hard you tried, your mind was still drawn to him.

Maybe you had been too hopeful, but you really had thought that maybe– just maybe– Connor had felt something for you. Apparently, you were just far more delusional than you thought.

While Hank discussed the crime scene with Officer Miller, you stood to the side looking uncharacteristically cold. With your arms folded over your chest and a hard, almost bored look in your eye, it was clear that you weren’t particularly interested in talking to anyone. You assumed that would be obvious to everyone, androids included. And it seemed that it had been obvious, but that certainly didn’t stop Connor.

From the corner of your eye, you could see Connor watching you with a confused glint. His LED flashed yellow as he analyzed your body language, working to only make your blood boil. You knew there was no reason to be angry with him, so why did your anger persist? Why did you feel so unreasonably jealous? He was just a man, after all, nothing more.

Connor approached you with his hands clasped behind his back, standing beside you and following your cold gaze. He was silent for a moment, pleased to simply be in your presence even when you were acting so stony.

“You’re unusually quiet, Detective,” Connor observed. “This is not within your typical behavioral patterns. Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine,” you answered dismissively. “Don’t you have a body to analyze?”

Connor paused again, pursing his lips in a way that was so oddly human. In a gentle tone, he said, “Well… yes. But that’s usually something we do together.”

“Why?” you hissed, feeling suddenly riled now that Connor was talking to you. Why was he giving you this attention? Why was he acting like he cared about you? You knew he didn’t. At least, your clouded mind let you think he didn’t. “It’s not like you need my help. You can do everything on your own, I’m useless to you.”

Connor turned his body towards you fully, a deep crease settling between his brows. His LED continued to circle yellow as he studied you once again. That made you roll your eyes which seemed to be enough of a hint for Connor. With his LED still glowing yellow, he turned away without another word, allowing you to resume your wallowing in misery.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

You were still fuming as Hank drove you home. With Connor in the front seat, you were stuck in the back, glaring daggers into his back. How had such a clueless android managed to lure you in and make you jealous purely because he wasn’t interested in you?

As Connor jabbered on about something or other, you stared out the car window absentmindedly. You couldn’t help but imagine the Traci on the other side of the window, reaching out and smiling that perfect smile that made you never want to smile again.

You glanced at Connor as he fell silent. He turned to look out the window, making you cringe at the idea that he truly was thinking of the Traci. But you failed to notice his eyes transfixed on you through the side mirror, his gaze gentle and curious as he admired your stubborn look. He stared at you dreamily the rest of the car ride.

When you finally reached your apartment building, Hank had barely stopped the car before you were clambering out and slamming the door behind you.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you grumbled, having enough decency to give Hank a small wave.

As you trudged towards your apartment building, you froze at the sound of another car door opening and closing. You cursed under your breath, hesitant to turn for fear of whom you might find. As you glanced over your shoulder, you cursed again as your fear came true. Connor approached you with long strides, leaving behind a very confused-looking Hank.

“I’ll walk you to your apartment,” Connor offered innocently.

You stared at him blankly and muttered, “Connor, my building is right here. I just need to go up a few floors. I know how to use an elevator, I’ll manage just fine on my own.”

You turned and continued towards your building, not surprised when you heard Connor follow.

“The chances of an elevator-related death are one in 10.5 million,” Connor continued in that matter-of-fact tone that you usually found so endearing.

When Connor didn’t elaborate, you stopped and turned to him again with a raised brow. You waited for more, but it still didn’t come. Connor just stared at you pleasantly, drinking in your charmingly confused face.

“Okay…,” you said. “So like I said, I’ll be fine on my own.”

“But the chance of it happening is still possible, so it’s best if I escort you,” Connor continued. His grin widened as you rolled your eyes in acceptance. As an afterthought, he added, “Just in case.”

In silence, the two of you made your way up the elevator (where you did not, in fact, die) and to your apartment. You stood outside the door and turned to Connor, ready to send him away in the hopes that if you couldn’t see him then you wouldn’t be overwhelmed by images of him and that Traci. But you knew that wasn’t the case because even when he was long gone you would still think about how you couldn’t be enough for him. You weren’t pretty enough for such an angelic being like him, not when other beautifully crafted androids existed.

“May I come in?” Connor inquired before you could even open your mouth.

No.

You wanted to say no so desperately. You wanted him to leave. You wanted to bury yourself under your bed sheets and never see him again.

But he was still your friend, and you were still a decent enough person. It would be rude to reject him.

“Sure,” you replied softly, opening the door to allow the two of you in.

The moment you closed the door, Connor was already asking questions that you were not at all prepared for.

“You were upset today,” he noted. “Do you want to talk about how you feel?”

“I… what?” you stammered. “Since when are you a therapist android?”

“I’m not a therapist android, but as your companion, I care about your well-being,” Connor answered far too casually for your liking.

Companion? Well-being?

“Yeah, I doubt that,” you mumbled without thinking.

You were stupid to think Connor wouldn’t have heard you. With his sensitive hearing, he heard you loud and clear. Your comment made him tilt his head curiously and narrow his eyes.

“Why would I not care about you?” he asked, the genuine confusion in his voice making your resolve melt.

“That’s not… it’s just…,” you blabbered, throwing your hands up in exasperation as you struggled to find the right words. “I wouldn’t expect you to care about me the same way–”

You stopped abruptly, eyes wide as your mind finally caught up to your yapping mouth. You could not finish that sentence.

Connor’s eyes narrowed further at your sudden pause. He took a cautious step forward, then another. You knew that he had already noticed the way your heartbeat accelerated, your breath suddenly caught in your throat. “The same way… what?” he repeated, urging you to finish your sentence.

“It’s nothing, it’s stupid,” you dismissed.

Connor murmured your name as if he were scolding a child, raising a brow as a sign of encouragement to finish.

“Well… I wouldn’t expect you to care about me… the same way… the same way I care about you,” you said, the last part coming out far too hurried.

Maybe if you had just finished your sentence the first time you wouldn’t be in this situation. That was a perfectly normal thing to say to a friend, wasn’t it? Absolutely. Absolutely… But the way you had paused only made you look more suspicious. You knew Connor was smart enough to understand the suggestion of romantic feelings.

“How is it you feel about me?” Connor questioned.

“It doesn’t matter, you wouldn’t feel the same anyway,” you muttered, pushing past him to be anywhere that wasn’t near him.

Before you could get too far, Connor’s iron grip wrapped around your wrist and held you in place. You looked at him with offense, but he knew you meant nothing by it.

“It does matter, Detective,” he whispered lowly. “It matters to me.”

There was no going back now. Connor already got the hint that you cared for him more than you probably should. You might as well say it outright. That was better than being embarrassed and pretending nothing happened. Right?

“I like you, Connor,” you admitted, the words sounding childish in your mouth. “God, this is so embarrassing…”

Connor was silent for a long moment, making you wonder if he actually had figured it out. If he hadn’t… God, you would be mortified. Did he really not know, and you just willingly outed yourself to him?

You risked a peek at Connor to find him already looking at you with a small smile. His hand was still holding your wrist tightly, his skin comfortingly warm against your burning skin. The glint in his eyes made your brows furrow as heat rose to your cheeks.

“Why would you think I don’t care about you?” Connor asked, the quirk of his lips telling you that he found all of this somewhat amusing.

“I mean… yeah, I would think that you care about me. On some level. I’d assume…,” you prattled. “But as a friend, obviously. Connor, I’m not sure you understand what I mean when I say I like–”

“I understand perfectly well, Detective,” Connor interrupted. “So I’ll pose the question once again: why would you think I don’t care about you?”

The confusion was clear on your face. Tilting your head to the side, you turned your body to face Connor slightly, giving him the opportunity to lightly pull your wrist until you were completely facing him. Even when he had you standing where he wanted, he still didn’t let go of your wrist, though he loosened his grasp and held you lightly. You could feel his thumb rubbing along your inner wrist soothingly. Your knees felt weak, and you were sure you were going to collapse against him at any second. His touch was so loving that you almost believed he could feel the same way.

You nearly forgot Connor had asked you a question until he gave your arm a light squeeze that snapped you back to attention. He arched both eyebrows, watching you with that humorous glint.

“I just… Well…,” you faltered. You inhaled sharply, gathering your thoughts before you continued. “I just can’t understand how or why someone like you would be interested in someone like me when there are so many better options. Yeah, I guess… I guess that’s it. I don’t know…”

“Better options?” Connor repeated. The obvious confusion in his voice warmed your heart. It was as if he had never even considered that there could be better options.

“Well, yeah,” you shrugged. “I’m no android, Connor. I’m not… I’m not perfect. I’m not beautiful or stunning or gorgeous. I’m not like that girl you were looking at.”

There was another long pause as Connor struggled to process your words. His LED spiraled yellow as he questioned, “What girl?”

“The Traci,” you explained in exasperation, “at the Eden Club. It looked like you were practically in love with her, and I don’t blame you. She’s the definition of perfect. Not a single flaw in sight.”

“You think you’re flawed?” Connor asked immediately. That was his biggest takeaway?

“Yes, obviously, Connor! I am! And I just find it very hard to believe that someone as beautiful as you could be attracted to someone as… average as me,” you snapped, sounding harsher than you intended.

Connor released your wrist, and for a moment you worried that you scared him off. But then his warm hands were holding your cheeks, his thumbs now slowly running along your cheekbones. He stepped forward until his body was pressed against yours, leaning down until his forehead was nearly touching yours. His eyes latched onto yours, and for a moment, he just held your gaze in silence. He was reveling in the sight of you, so close to him that he could feel your sweet breath against his lips.

“It seems you don’t realize how beautiful you are,” he murmured. “Perhaps I’ll have to explain it to you.”

Connor paused again, searching your eyes for any effort to argue. But you were still so stunned by his sudden proximity that you had nothing to give. When he heard no contradiction, Connor smiled and continued on.

“Maybe you don’t think you’re perfect,” he started, “but I do. Everything you see as a flaw, I see as beautiful. It makes you you. It makes you so… human. And maybe you can’t understand because of it, but there’s something so pure about being human. Just being human makes you beautiful. But you… you’re different. You’re above them all.”

There was a strangely desperate look in Connor’s eyes like he was pleading with you to understand. Exhaling slowly, he leaned forward and rested his forehead against your own. He closed his eyes, his LED shifting from yellow to blue and back again as he tried to sift through the swarm of emotions.

“I don’t know why it’s you, but it is,” he whispered, his voice nearly too quiet for you to hear. “I just can’t help but notice everything about you. I love the wrinkles on your forehead when you’re confused to the point of frustration. I love when only one side of your hair is brushed because you’re too lazy to brush the other. I love when your lip bleeds because you’re biting it while you’re thinking and you don’t even notice. I love…”

Connor stopped and pulled back slightly, his hands still resting on your cheeks. His LED circled red once, the worry on his face far too obvious to your keen eyes. When you didn’t say anything, Connor tried to pull away, but you didn’t let him.

Your hands quickly moved to rest over top his, holding him in place. You looked up at him with eyes full of admiration and wonder as if an angel had come and graced the earth. Maybe that’s what he was, an angel. You would believe it. With that pretty face and those sweet words, you could easily be fooled.

As you eyed Connor’s face, the corners of your lips quirked into a smile. Maybe you could be enough for him. He seemed to think so. It was that thought alone that drove you to lean forward and press the faintest of kisses to Connor’s lips. It was barely a peck, and as you pulled away, Connor leaned forward to chase after your warmth. The gesture made you laugh as you whispered against his lips.

“I love how human you are.”

#detroit become human #connor x reader #dbh connor x reader #rk800 x reader #dbh connor #connor rk800

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fatuismooches · 9 months

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Imagine the 3.8 Secret Summer Paradise event but with Wanderer and you. Nahida sends Wanderer to investigate something in the desert and you tag along for fun but you two get sucked into a magic bottle somehow?! Klee dubs his title as the “Sorcerer” - her mage sidekick - and yours as the “Soldier” - her protecter! (Or whatever you want, I’m bad at this.)

The rollercoasters are nothing compared to Wanderer’s flights of fright. He will do loops, twists, turns, upside downs in the air all while holding YOU… at least in the rollercoaster there are seats. Klee is amazed by your endurance and wants to try flying too! (Wanderer reluctantly gives her a piggy back ride and flies a safe distance up from the ground… Kaeya’s watching him very carefully, but you vehemently reassure him that Wanderer would never hurt a child. The cavalry captain actually grows to like him!) Though you manage to convince Wanderer to ride a slow rollercoaster with you. There’s no one else in the Choo-Choo Cart, and it’s late at night. Wanderer lays on your lap as you play with his hair, the both of you silent as you stare out the window, taking in the lovely sights of this realm.

Idyia’s quite scared of Wanderer at first but overtime she comes to fawn over and admire how deep your love is, she’s met many people in her little bottle, but no one has ever had a relationship like yours! Not to mention, Zosimos takes inspiration from the two of you for his characters. And speaking of plays, I think despite the fact the one the group acted out had poor plot, Wanderer finds joy in it, because I believe he likes the arts/dance/performances, and also he found Klee’s acting endearing. (When Kaeya runs out of stories for her, Wanderer takes over and tells her Inazuman folktales!)

Collei is extremely nervous speaking to Wanderer, but finds herself liking him more than she expected. She feels like she can… relate to him, for some strange reason? She doesn’t really understand, since she’s never met him before, but she doesn’t question it. Plus, she knows you’re a really nice person, so you wouldn’t date someone who’s mean, anyway. Eula is suspicious of him at first too, but seeing Collei warm up to him makes her tolerate him, while Kokomi finds the stranger very interesting. She has a few chats with Wanderer, and the things he says about Inazuma has her only more curious. The most important part is, Klee wants to be the flower girl at your wedding, whenever that happens.

Moving on, Wanderer has a soft spot for the Hydro Eidolons because they remind him a bit of the Aranara. He acts all annoyed when they want to play hide and seek with him but secretly he enjoys it (and you’re enjoying his fervent denial at being soft.) You two play all of the games together, although Wanderer is less enthusiastic about it than you (as usual of course) but he actually enjoys Bing-Bang Finchball! :3 (He wonders if his creator and that kitsune would like it, too.) Most of all, Wanderer especially enjoys the solitude he gets at certain places of the realm. Sometimes you’re with him, sometimes you’re not, but when you are, during these moments he’s oddly quiet and clingy. Sometimes he still struggles to accept his life and what he’s been through. But making memories like these with you make him happy.

At the end of your stay, when you have to bury a treasure to leave behind, you put in two dolls of Wanderer and you that you quickly made in the mirage! (Wanderer had taught you how to make them that nicely.) You didn’t show your lover at first, a bit embarrassed and scared of his reaction, but he found out anyway and sighed, but pulled down his hat to cover his blush. He flew you to a beautiful spot with the best view, and you two buried it together. You wonder if it would still be there if you ever visited again.

Even after many years pass, Idyia never fails to tell the engrossing tale of the grouchy puppet and his darling lover, an unlikely but loving couple. Maybe if you’re lucky, you could meet them spending their days strolling the streets of Sumeru with the young Archon.

Overall, an unplanned but very necessary vacation that Wanderer needed. Nahida had a blast listening to all of your stories! (And happy he has made some more friends, which he of course denies that accusation.)

#smooches talks #can you see my need to push wanderer into everything possible #(i love him)#scaramouche x reader #wanderer x reader #scaramouche fluff #wanderer fluff #scaramouche #wanderer #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact

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lani-heart · 2 months

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|| series masterlist || next // previously ||

genre(s) -> angst, fluff, non-idol, hybrid au, poly au paring(s) -> kang yeosang x reader warning(s) -> mentions of prostitution, mentions of sex toys, mentions of non-conscensual sex, spiked drinks, abuse/neglect, etc. words -> 3.2K

abstract -> "...let me see the angel without her wings. At least... one last time."

yeosang's pov

I was dressed in a beige uniform. I was in the orange-coded kennels. I didn’t see anyone in front of me or beside me. I was completely alone…

Was she gonna come get me… pay them off, maybe? I wondered about that girl… Did she go home to her hybrids safely? I hope she’s okay…

“Be careful… there's a possibility he won’t say anything either. Kun is only letting you be on your own because he trusts in you” I heard and I saw the curtain open from my kennel and I saw an employee and the girl from yesterday.

She wasn’t in a pretty little dress all dolled up anymore. She had a mask covering her face and an oversized sweater. “Thank you, Renjun,” she said as he left me alone with her.

“Hello, my name is y/n.” she introduced and I nodded acknowledging her and waiting as to why she was here. “I wanted to ask what happened when I was with you?” she asked me and I debated it. She’d be another blackmail victim…

I shook my head. I couldn’t let another innocent person go down… especially one with hybrids she takes care of.

“Please… I know rumors are going around against your owner. Those bandages on your neck also tell me that you’re hurt. She was abusive, right?” she asked and I didn’t know what to say.

“I just want to know what happened? If you talk to the employees she won't ever cause you any more trouble” she said and I wanted so badly to believe her.

“This is the Seoul Hybrid Rehabilitation Center, they have enough funds that no one here can be paid off. I also have friends investigating the Seoul Police Department” she said and I was shocked.

“Not to mention lawyers if it gets even more messy. I just need the truth” she asked and I sighed. “I don’t want you to get into trouble. You seem like a genuine person” I confessed and I noticed how the corner of her eyes lifted as if she was smiling under that mask.

“Which is why I need your help. I promise, if you want to be free I can make that happen”

She left after making that promise. I was still on edge if I should help her.

The daughter of a CEO… of course, she’d have a connection but how was I a hundred percent sure she wouldn’t be faking it?

“Come on, Yeosang we need to do a check-up”

y/n’s perspective

I left hoping he’d think about my deal. The nice thing about having the reputation that I do is that people offer their help to me without thinking twice.

Taeyong was personally investigating, Jaehyun offered to be my lawyer if it got messy, and Kun was letting me see Yeosang.

“Everyone is talking about it! Twitter is suspecting her abuser allegations!” Wonyoung said while showing me her phone to see social media completely eat her up.

“She still hasn't made a statement but I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up lying to save herself,” NingNing said. “Yah! You’re so lucky to have him” Winter said as she ate Wooyoung’s cooking. I chuckled… I'm glad they get along with my hybrids even if San does keep his distance. Wooyoung loves having the attention and praise of others which was cute to see his big smile and tail wag.

“There's a possibility that you might be in her statement,” Wonyoung said and I sighed. “If that's the case, she’ll get an email from Jaehyun that I'm gonna sue her,” I said and they nodded.

“y/n-nnie!! Your phone is ringing!!” I heard Wooyoung say as he handed me my phone. “Kun?” I said while answering. “Can you come by? Yeosang is demanding to speak with you, he’s causing Doyoung some trouble” he said with a tired voice.

“Sure,” I said and the girls looked at me expectantly. “Yeosang has something to say to me?” I said and they nodded. “Come on, I'll have the driver take you!” Wonyoung said as the girls packed up.

“When will you come back?” I heard Wooyoung ask as I now saw San by his side having his chin on his shoulder. “I don’t know but it shouldn't be long. I'll call if I come back late” I said and they nodded.

“Wooyoung!! Your cooking is amazing as always! y/n is lucky!!” Winter said and he thanked her with a grin. “You’ll get her back soon boys, don’t look so grumpy~,” Wonyoung said as San looked away dismissively.

“I’ll be back soon!”

“Hello,” I said as I approached the kennel. I knew the day I spoke to him he was scared… and hesitant. He also had bandages wrapped around his neck from what I assumed to be from his collar.

“Is she going to get me?” he asked me with his voice trying to stay strong… but even then I heard his shaky tone. “Not legally… she did come apparently trying to get you. It's like I said though… they can't be paid off” I said and he nodded.

“And you?” he asked and I was confused at what he was implying. “Can you be paid off?” he asked and I smiled. “No, I can run this whole city if I wanted to. I can buy everything she owns too, so no I can’t be paid off” I answered and I swear I saw his tail wag slightly.

“Adopt me,” he said and I was shocked. Did I hear wrong? “If you adopt me I'll tell you everything, '' he said and I scoffed. “It doesn’t work that way… I don’t if you're doing this for her but I can make sure you're safe” I promised and he sighed.

“Can I ask why you'd adopt hybrids?” he asked me and I smiled softly. “Well, I don’t know, I never wanted one. But I met a hybrid that immediately fell for me. He then found a companion, despite not being good with others and now they’re with me” I explained and I didn’t notice how he was giving me a sad look. Almost like a look of sad jealousy. He smiled softly like he was happy… but also bitter.

“I’m sorry,” he said and I was confused. “Why?” I asked and he sighed.

“I’m not telling you anything, not until you adopt me”

“Who does he think he is?! Does he think he can just replace us?!” I heard San yell at Wooyoung. I told them about his request. I noticed San’s annoyance spike and Wooyoung seemed insecure but neither expressed it.

Hearing San yell his frustration made me chuckle. It made me realize just how much he’s grown and accepted me. “She wouldn’t take his proposition. She loves us” Wooyoung said and I heard San take a deep breath. “It's not about that. I know she’d never… but it's about another hybrid challenging us Wooyoung. Trying to take her from us” he said with possession. “It sounds like he wants it for protection. Not because he wants a second life” Wooyoung said and I agreed. He wanted to be free from her abuse.

“I guess… who does he think he is tho. I hate how she’s still looking for evidence because of what that girl did. Spiked her drink to gain blackmail…” he muttered and I finally decided to step out.

“Don’t worry about that” I said and he sighed as he looked at me with a softer expression and a smile. “What's the hybrid’s name?” Wooyoung asked me and I would have answered– “Who cares?” San muttered grumpier than usual.

“y/nnie his attitude is insufferable!!” Wooyoung said as he tackled me in a hug which I reciprocated. “Do you have to go back today?” San asked and I sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. I have a lawsuit that needs to get out rather quickly for athletes before she uploads a video twisting my situation” I said and they nodded.

“At least eat breakfast,” Wooyoung said and I nodded.

He fixed up a plate for me whilst they talked about a new comeback they saw on the TV. San has grown to really enjoy watching TV with Wooyoung which is sweet. Wooyoung with his perverted habit of sneaking into my room reads my books or at least the newest draft which I named circus.

It was nice to know they had hobbies other than hanging out with me. It was reassuring when I left the apartment. I just hated how he wished to join me outside but he couldn't because of his hatred of crowded areas or even around other hybrids. Wooyoung also said how he didn’t want to cause unnecessary attention and opted out joining me despite sometimes going with me when it comes to common everyday things like grocery shopping.

They lived comfortably.

The opposite of the hybrid is now in front of me.

Yeosang… a doberman hybrid, victim of abuse. And one who has refused to speak to me unless it's about me adopting him. One who also caused a lot of issues to the staff that he’s been considered to go up to red code territory.

“Change your mind?” he asked and I shook my head. “Yeosang, you have to understand I have two hybrids already. One of them… well he’s previously a red code hybrid. He’s still considered the lowest to be on yellow. He isn’t good with other hybrids” I said and he scoffed.

“Then why adopt such a troublesome hybrid?” he asked and I smiled. “Cause he deserved a chance–” “Are you saying I don't?” He cut me off and I shook my head. “You do. Yeosang you have a better chance of getting adopted, you’re a very pretty hybrid and well-behaved. You do have some behavior training that needs to be fixed but someone will adopt you” I explained and he sighed.

“Just so what? I get abused again? Used for my reputation, used for sex, used! That's all I'm good for?!” he asked and I shook my head at his sudden outburst. He was angry but I saw his eyes turn glassy before he turned away and faced the corner of his kennel.

“Yeosang… I’m sorry” was all I could say to the hybrid whose shoulders were now shaking and his ears faced flat on his ears. “You can’t tell me what to do! He’s mine, understand?!” I heard as I saw Renjun trying to stop a girl my age from stomping her heels over.

“You! How dare you?! Abuse?! Me, abuse him? Never, and you little bitch tried your way with him. Disgusting really!” she said with her princess attitude. I noticed Yeosang hide further into a corner almost like he was hoping to disappear.

“Yeosang~,” she said in a fake ‘soothing’ voice. “I’ll get you out of here, and we'll be together my precious boy,” she said and he now looked back almost like he wanted to believe her.

Kun told me how he showed signs of a deprived hybrid. Meaning if she said the right things he’ll go back to her without any other words.

“You won’t win the lawsuit. I’ll take you to court and I'll make sure the judge knows how you aren’t responsible enough to take care of your hybrid let alone two” she threatened and I glared.

“You’re trespassing on private property, so you can either relieve yourself with your last warning or the police will be involved” I heard as I saw Kun. She scoffed and smiled her sweetly fake grin.

“I’ll be back for you, Yeosang”

yeosang’s pov

When she left, they asked y/n to leave as well.

She adopted a troublesome hybrid… an abused hybrid. That was her excuse for not adopting me. Maybe she was lying? Everyone lies to get what they want… It's what my owner does.

It was stupid to try… the punishment I get when I go back to the stupid suite will be the worst yet.

“Yeosang, unresponsive” I heard as I didn’t move from my corner anymore. Everything was pointless. I’ll also be the reason for her losing her hybrids. Troubled hybrid who got a better second chance… Why did I have to be selfish?

I looked back to see two employees and the doctor with protective gloves to handle me.

“I’ll talk… but only to her,” I said, one more time.

Please let me see the angel without her wings. At least... one last time.

The doctor rolled his eyes. “Then, behave for now,” he said as I complied with them as they did their check-up and for once. I didn’t cause him trouble…

They left me in the doctor’s room when the door finally opened after some time.

“Hello,” she said with a worried expression. “You don’t have to worry about me,” I said and she sighed, not shaking her worry.

“She’s been doing it for years. Blackmail, she would sometimes have people pay for ‘services’-”

it disgusted me that I had to explain but I had to fix what I did to her

“-or she’d spike them and have them go to an apartment she rents. It's filled with sex toys and even accommodates several kinks. She explained to me that she wanted you in her spider web of networking. So she spiked you and asked me to comply. The thing is… every person is disgusting. Drunk or sober they always go through with it… but not you? Why?” I asked curious and she sighed.

“I don’t know. People say that when you’re drunk you do or say things your conscious thinks of. I have a happy life, Yeosang” she said and I chuckled.

“Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. She’s abusive, physically and mentally. The medical records show it… and I think the other doctor has been analyzing me” I confessed and she smiled.

“Thank you,” she said and I nodded. “I’m jealous of your hybrids. Even if I do go back to her, I'm glad I got to meet an angel like you” I said and she sighed.

“Yeosang, even if it's not with me. I promise you’ll live a happier life without her” she said and as much as I wished to believe her.

But… I at least knew even angels lied.

y/n’s perspective

'It's all over Twitter!' Wonyoung texted through kakaotalk. The lawsuit was now public… there was hate between both sides. Mine and hers…

Mainly hers, with Yeosang’s statement but I felt guilty that he was now living in a cage when he asked me several times to take him in.

“It's over!” Wooyoung said as the final statements were all over the news. “Do you regret telling him no?” San asked me and I shook my head. “I’m too much of an empathetic person, that's why I'm sad about it… but I could never choose Yeosang over you guys” I confessed and I noticed Wooyoung’s ears stand up. He had a horrified expression.

“Yeosang? His name was Yeosang?!” he asked and I nodded. “You’re reacting like you knew him personally,” San said, confused at the fox’s sudden temper.

“He was my friend! I was in the same adoption center as him. He’s a doberman hybrid that I met…” he said with a sad expression. I was gonna comfort him when I got a text…

Doyoung SOS !! Yeosang’s owner is demanding custody of him. Paparazzi are everywhere, please help !!

I sighed and grabbed a coat. “What happened?” San asked and I sighed. “Yeosang’s owner is bringing her statement to the rehabilitation center” I explained and Wooyoung put his shoes on and coat hurriedly. “I’m coming with you!” he demanded and San scoffed while following us.

I didn’t want to argue with them, not when what she could do could ruin my reputation but also get Yeosang back.

After running like madmen in the streets of Seoul we got here to the front of the hybrid center where I bullied my way through the paparazzi and reporters. “Jeno!” I said and he recognized my voice as he hurdley let me in despite the protests of the media trying to get in.

“I would never abuse a hybrid!” I heard as I noticed she was even filming. “I won’t leave, it's my right, he's my hybrid!!” she said and I scoffed at her demanding attitude.

“You!” she said as she spotted me and started recording me. “How does it feel that you ruined my life and Yeosang's!” she demanded and I scoffed.

“Medical records prove to be different” I muttered and she scoffed. “Forged everything you did! You bought your way through this with daddy’s money!” she yelled and I would’ve fought her on it if I didn’t see the scared doberman now come out with Kun.

"Oh my poor baby!” she said and he shook his head while trying to hide behind Kun. “He’s scared of you,” I said and she scoffed. “Are these your alleged hybrids? The ones who should be euthanized for the illegal hybrid rings?” she asked and I glared.

“That's none of your business, not when you're no better than the people who operate that cruel organization,” I said and she glared.

“It's my word versus yours–” “You’re a horrible person. I hate you when all I wanted was a fraction of what she gives her hybrids–" "Cut the tapes!” she yelled while Yeosang yelled at her. “-I never want to be in that situation again!” he yelled with tears rolling down his cheeks.

“How much money do I have to pay you?” she now said while looking around the room. She now looked at me. “How much, name a price?” she asked almost desperate now and I smiled.

“I don’t want your filthy money, I’d rather see your face in a courtroom,” I said and she scoffed and ran out of the building.

“Yeosang!” I heard Wooyoung now tackled the doberman.

“Wooyoung?” he asked, clearly shocked at the sudden hug from the fox hybrid. “Go back to the kennels, y/n you can talk to him there,” Kun said as Renjun led us to his kennel.

“Thank you,” Yeosang said to me. “For what?” I asked and he sighed. “For not putting a price on me” he muttered and I smiled a sad smile. Wooyoung was crouched and leaning against the glass wall separating him from his friend.

San had made his way to grip my arm in security. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, '' Wooyoung said softly and he nodded. “I’m happy that you got out of here. I remember the day you got sent to the adoption center only to be taken by your previous owners and taken here I presume?” he asked and Wooyoung confirmed.

“Maybe I will be given a second chance. But thank you y/n, if it wasn't for you I’d still be in hell” he said and I sighed. “Maybe in another life, we could be adopted together,” Wooyoung said, making Yeosang smile softly. “Maybe in this life you can?” San said and I looked at him to already meet my eyes.

“I don’t like him. But… I didn’t like Wooyoung when I first met him either” he said, making me laugh and Wooyoung let out a “Hey!” in response.

“You mean it?” I asked and he nodded. I’m guessing he must’ve seen himself in the doberman hybrid. “You’ll adopt me?” he asked and I smiled “Only if you’d let me?” I asked and he chuckled.

“I could never say no to an angel”

@wonuangel @danirael @angelsaway @krissroo @minkysmilk @mayonnaise-on-toast @robertsbbygirl @superbbananananana @hyukssunflower @kitty4hwa @justconniez @senpai-of-doom @kibs-and-bits @caityelise99 @ilovekinny @ateezennie23 @wooahaelemons @purplelady85 @watamotee33@chidess97 @littlelostdemonofthelight @maliamaiden @burntarm1n @spooo00oky @eastleighsblog @momo-peachy @kitstar1117 @quartzpirate @sunnyhokyu @iwishiwasrichasfuck @theginger543210 @pandolinka @ddaeing @kpopnightingale @slid3er @kekdo-520 @puppyminnnie @sparklinghwa222 @calicanbeevil @itsvxlentine @atinism @loumin908 @smally97 @rxnexxi @acetruepunk @majesticbeluga @namjooncrabs @tashizxy @itstheghostofmypast @smilefordongil @teeziny @totallynotlyntv @kyeos4ng @prodsh00ky @acescavern

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silkjade · 2 years

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maybe we're a forest fire

Featuring— alhaitham x reader ⤀ warnings: gn!reader, hurt/comfort fic, reader has a pyro vision, slightly suggestive at the end if you squint ⤀ summary: he comforts you when you overthink on certain aspects of your relationship | w.c. 1k+ ⤀ a/n: alhaitham strikes me as someone who's intelligent but doesn't overthink, so as an overthinker, this is so..so..so self indulgent

“You’re overthinking things again,” al-haitham states matter of factly. He continues to read despite the soft thudding of your footsteps as you pace the room.

“I’m not.” You argue, stopping in your tracks. “It makes sense. I just think… what if we…” your words trail off as you hesitate, biting your lip, wondering if you should continue your train of thought.

“...what if we… end things now. Before things get worse…” you falter, wringing your hands, your voice as small as you feel under the watchful eyes of the heavens. Al-haitham’s shoulders visibly stiffen, pausing for just a moment to look up from his book, before slamming it shut in his hand.

“And where’s all this coming from?” he inquires, a quizzical brow arched in skepticism. Your boyfriend leans back in his seat, arms crossed, waiting for an explanation; you weren’t one to make rash decisions like this.

“Where’s this coming from… al-haitham were you even listening to me?” you throw your hands up in frustration and continue pacing the room. The two of you had taken a stroll this afternoon through sumeru city and you had thought it a good idea to have your fortunes read; your colleague at the akademiya, setaria, had sworn by nabiya and the accuracy of her readings, claiming that this relationship you had with the scribe should undergo the young fortune teller’s divination before proceeding foward: “Lest you waste your time on a doomed love prospect,” your friend had warned. Besides, it wasn’t that you necessarily believed in divination, but it didn’t hurt to have a little bit of fun… right? How wrong you were.

As you once again begin to pace to and fro, you miss the way al-haitham rolls his eyes from across you. “Don’t tell me this is all because of what that fortune teller said. You know they’re almost never accurate right? And you’re telling me you want to end things because… her cats recommended it?” Nabiya had read that your relationship would burn up, like a dying star, that it’d be better to save the trouble before everything went up in flames.

“No,” you continue, ignoring him, “she said the gods spoke through her. But anyways, I’ve been thinking ever since and I mean… just looking at our visions should be proof enough that maybe we shouldn’t be together at all.”

“And pray tell, what do our visions have to do with our relationship? If anything, I’d say it’s a good omen that our elements react so well together.” Ever the rational insight. Usually, al-haitham quite enjoyed listening to your theories, but this was getting absurd, making him wonder if perhaps, there was more troubling you beneath the surface than you let on. Because even he couldn’t predict the tangent you were about to go on when your pyro and his dendro vision worked wonders together, especially when encountering enemies during your investigations in the forest and beyond.

“Yes, they do react well don’t they,” you chuckle, cynical. “Burning. In our forest nation.”

“Well actually only half forest,” he interjects, as a poor attempt at lightening the mood. In his quiet observation, al-haitham hears the slight shift in your tone, hears you struggling to choke back your true feelings in your tirade. And yet the more you processed your own reasoning, the more it made sense. Your lover is rational if nothing else, so he’s sure to see your point. The nails of your clenched fists dig into the flesh of your palms, your heart starts beating faster, the voices of a hundred different thoughts swirling in your head. Here in the knowledge driven nation of sumeru, it was a rare occasion that the head would agree with the heart, so when it came down to it, most chose to follow their head. You were no exception.

“Al-haitham I’m being serious.” As if your large, pleading eyes weren’t already enough to break his cool persona, your next words do. You turn around, unable to face him as you begin to speak.

“Pyro is destructive. When it spreads, it burns everything in its path, and what if I burn you. Maybe not literally but I’m sure you know the sages aren’t exactly happy their scribe is getting distracted lately. And the grand sage is rtawahist— he’s bound to connect the dots and say the same… I don’t want to be a liability to you al-haitham, or cost you-”

Ah. There it was. Dating the infamous grand scribe had thrown both you and your relationship into the public eye, and the scrutiny of the akademiya itself was no exception. You felt the air escape from your lungs before you could continue any further. Al-haitham had all but jumped out of his seat, tackling your person and enveloping you from behind, in a rare embrace.

“Hey. Hey, it’s okay. We’re going to be okay,” he murmurs, “having a pyro vision doesn’t make you the fire itself. And the sages have no say in my personal life, so even if you do ever burn me, well, forests need fire to renew and regrow.” He turns your body around to face him, fingers lifting up your chin so he could look into your eyes.

“I don’t care about any sort of destiny the gods or stars want to show me. I-”

“-plan to discredit the entire rtawahist darshan?” Al-haitham ignores your interruption and continues,

“And? I’d go against celestia as well if they think the element of our visions is enough of a reason to seperate us. You know I’m no zealot.” When the only response he gets from you is the fact that you shift your eyes away from his, he opts to pull you into himself, a hand on your back, the other behind your head. At this proximity, you’re able to pick up the steady sounds of his heartbeat. It was calming; it settled the rapid pace of your own heart to match his. Slowly, you bring your arms to wrap around his waist and press a soft smile into his chiseled chest.

“I fight for what I believe in, and I believe in us. It’s going to take more than just some fortune teller to change my mind, so let’s not discuss this anymore… unless you’d like other ways to keep your thoughts at bay?”

“You know… despite the robot allegations, you’re actually quite romantic,” you tease, looking up.

“And you’re strangely impulsive for an overthinker.”

“...shut up.”

#— 𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓙. ༯ #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin x you #alhaitham x reader #al haitham x reader #alhaitham x you #alhaitham fluff #alhaitham angst #genshin hcs #genshin angst #genshin fluff #genshin fanfic #genshin impact scenarios #genshin impact fluff #hurt/comfort

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thetriumphantpanda · 8 months

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he doesn't look a thing like Jesus, but he talks like a gentleman

In The Woods Somewhere | Chapter Two

Chapter Summary | Taking safety in a cabin, you struggle to come to terms with the loss of Edward. You think back to how you got here in the first place, and finally start to open up to Joel.

Chapter Warnings | Allusions to the death of a child, canon-typical violence, mentions of religious activity and a cult, mentions of blood, consumption of food, allusions to suicide, allusions to smut but nothing explicit, soft!Joel, PTSD.

Pairing | Joel Miller x F!Reader

Word Count | 3.7K

Authors Note | Truly having a whale of a time writing this one - there are definitely some darker elements to this which have actually been really exciting to try and put together. Bit of a cliffhanger at the end so I'd love to know what you guys think! If you enjoyed then please consider leaving comments, reblogging or popping into my ask box with your thoughts! And if you enjoyed, please consider supporting me with a tip through my Ko-Fi.

A reminder that I no longer use taglists - please follow @thetriumphantpandanotifs and turn on post notifications to know when I post new writing.

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Ko-Fi

Joel doesn’t sleep, despite his assurances to you. He spends the night on his back, willing his body and his brain to be quiet enough to let him rest, but it doesn’t come. All he can do is replay the way your cries sounded, the way the boy sounded as he died, and how similar it was to how Sarah had sounded, when she’d died in his arms all those years ago. He’d been as useless then as he had been now. There was nothing he could do this time apart from crowd his body around the other children so they could see as little of what was happening as possible. He can’t help but think that if his hearing had been better, his reflexes quicker, this could have been avoided.

His chest starts to tighten again, in that way it always does when he thinks about Sarah, about how he failed her, how it was his fault she died. He takes a palm and tries to smooth it over his chest, taking deep breathes to try and calm himself. The last thing he needs right now is one of his episodes. You and the children might be sleeping soundly, but he thinks that you've not really travelled far enough to be out of danger yet. Anyone could stumble upon those bodies he left behind and come searching for revenge. He needs to stay focused. He needs to keep you safe.

He gives up on getting anymore rest when the sky starts to lighten outside. He quietly moves through the cabin, opening the cupboard he’d investigated when he was here before, pulling out two tins of peach pie filling that had been gathering dust since the end of the world. It wouldn’t be the most nutritious meal anyone would eat, but it would be enough to stave off the hunger pains until he could get out and find some meat from somewhere. He’s emptying the cans into a saucepan, ready to heat them up over a fire he’s yet to build when he’s drawn from his job by the creaking sound of the door.

You’re standing, a sheepish look on your face, clearly still tired from the way you rub at your eyes. The dress you wore yesterday is clutched in your grip, stained with dry blood. You’ve changed into another dress, this one is dark brown, a little shorter than the one before, falling at the middle of your calves, the sleeves just above your elbows. He wonders for a moment why you choose to dress the way you do, when mostly everyone else he’s ever encountered in the years that followed the outbreak went for outfits that were more practical, but the more he thinks about it, the more he likes it. Like he can almost convince himself that you’re from before, that this horrible world hasn’t touched you, that you didn’t just clutch a child to your chest as he died.

“I n-need to g-get these stains o-out.” Joel can tell now that he’s looking at your face that you’ve been crying, can tell by your voice that you're still crying. Understandable he thinks, he’d been the same in those days and weeks after Sarah.

Joel gives you a small, sympathetic smile as he abandons the tins of food for his backpack. He roots around in one of the side pockets, bringing out a packet of pills, which he offers out to you. You step forward tentatively, taking the packet, with an eyebrow raised.

“It’s aspirin,” Joel speaks, “If you crush a few of those and mix in some water, it makes a paste that can get those stains out.”

You nod and Joel watches as you head outside, stopping only to pick up a glass and a spoon. He’d noticed a bucket of water, which he assumes you’ve also noticed. He watches you from the window as you kneel on the porch, spreading the dress on the floor as you make the paste just as he instructed. He’s enthralled with the way you work, rubbing the paste onto the stains, rubbing until he thinks you’ll make your hands sore, before you dip it into the bucket to clean it.

When you’re done, you hang it over the railing. The blood isn’t completely gone, it’s just a little faded, but he thinks that it’ll do until he can get you back to Jackson and trade for something new. He catches himself in his thoughts, because he’s still not convinced you’ll actually follow him. He also doesn’t know why he’s so desperate for you to do so. Maybe it’s your beautiful face, the way all he’s wanted to do since you stepped out this morning was to cup your cheek and tell you everything would be okay. Maybe it’s the way you’re clearly a capable girl, you’ve kept your children alive for this long, he’s certain if it hadn’t been for him, you’d still have all four of them, you’d be an asset to the community if you were to follow him. He tries not to be selfish in his thoughts, it's for the community he thinks, and nothing to do with the way he's intrigued by you. Wants to peel back your layers, find out who hurt you, who caused the burn mark around your throat. Then, when he knows, he wants to trail his lips across it and tell you he won't let anyone hurt you again. He softly shakes his head as you return inside, shaking away the ideas of what might be if you follow him.

“I’ll go and wake them,” You speak softly, sniffing as you do, trying to cover your tears, “They’ve never had peaches,” You muse, nodding your head to the pan he’s currently heating, “So this might be interesting.”

Joel has so many questions he wants to ask. He wants to know where the hell you’ve been that the children haven’t eaten peaches from a can. Where they just follow blindly. He’s certain that wherever you’ve been, it’s got something to do with the scars that pepper the parts of your body he can see. Someone had hurt you, clearly, and though he knows little about you apart from your name, he doesn’t understand why anyone would lay a hand on you, the sweet girl you’re proving yourself to be.

You rouse the children, letting them come out into the lounge area in their sleep clothes, something forbidden where you’d come from. It was these small things, the things you’d had in the few years growing up in a normal world, like eating breakfast in your pyjamas, that you wanted to give them.

Joel sets a small bowl of warmed peaches in front of each of them, and a larger bowl for you and him. You sit opposite him at the end of the table, the three children sitting together. They clasp their hands together and say their prayer. Joel looks at you with a raised eyebrow as if to ask, ‘what the hell are they doing?’ but you shake you head. You can’t explain it to him, to someone you don’t know.

You bring one of the warmed peach slices to your mouth, chewing it slowly. It’s so sweet and juicy but just like last night’s meal, it sits in your stomach like lead. You can’t help but focus on the chair that’s not filled. Edward is gone. He would have loved peaches, is all you can think, as your eyes fill with tears again and threaten to spill over. You set your spoon down in your bowl and fit the heels of your palms into your eyes to try and stop them, pass the tears off as some kind of allergy or ailment.

You spend a good ten minutes pushing the rest of the measly portion of peaches around the bowl. Everyone else is long finished, and you’re about to offer the rest of yours to Joel when he speaks.

“Don’t even think about it,” He warns, but it doesn’t feel dangerous, especially when you meet his eyes and they’re full of concern, “You didn’t eat last night,” He points out, “So you’re not leaving the table until you’ve finished.”

It should annoy you, the way he’s infantilizing you, but it strangely doesn’t. Perhaps all those years of having it done to you before, under the guise of it being because someone cared about you, makes it feel normal. You know he’s only doing it because he cares. Why, you can’t figure out. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t feel like caring for your children if you were drop down dead of starvation. That must be it. So, you force yourself to eat the few slices in the bowl, no matter how much you want to throw up.

When you finally force yourself to swallow the last mouthful, Joel stands, chair scraping as he leans over to take your bowl. The children sit still as he takes theirs too, putting them into the sink to deal with later. The children are looking to you as to what to do. That’s their job, cleaning up once you’ve eaten. It always has been. They’ve never, until this moment, seen a man do anything to lift a finger to help, only to hurt. You hold up a hand to tell them not to worry, in time for Joel to turn around.

“You gonna be alright here?” He asks, “Gonna head out and see if I can find somethin’ for dinner.”

“We’ll be fine,” You assure him, “We’ve been okay before.”

He nods, “Any trouble, you use your gun, okay?” He instructs, pointing to your shotgun near the door, “I won’t go far, so I’ll hear if you shoot.”

You nod wordlessly and within a few moments, he’s gone, rifle slung over his shoulder, on the hunt. You spend the rest of the morning getting the children ready, sitting with them, attempting to try and carry on the lessons they’d always had with you, trying to keep things normal. You start with math, as you always do, and when they become restless you sit them down to read for them. Isabel has a nap in the early afternoon, Clara and Thomas opt to sit on the couch and read from one of the books you’ve already finished with them.

It's quiet, the air outside is still, so you leave them all where they are and go outside. The mound of earth where Edward’s body is buried calling to you. You sit down, knees pulled to your chest, just to the side. You put your hand on the earth, where you think his shoulder might be under all the dirt, let the earth fit between your fingers.

“I’m sorry.” You say again, just like you had yesterday, hoping that if there is a fucking God out there anywhere, that this will act as some kind of atonement, although you know there’s truly no way to atone for everything you’ve done to get here.

You stay there, rooted to the ground for what feels like hours, until you feel raindrops. You shake yourself from your daze long enough to register that you need to move, heading inside where Clara and Thomas have fallen asleep, her head rested on his shoulder. You check the bedroom; Isabel is also still fast asleep. If you were thinking about it, you probably should have woken them, knowing bedtime would be more of a challenge if they’d slept too long, but you just leave them as they are, at least if they’re asleep, they can’t look at you with sad eyes, begging to know why Edward isn’t here, why you didn’t do more, and why you’ve put your trust in a man you don’t know.

You were ten when the world imploded. You don’t remember much about it if you’re honest. You remember your father dying as he tried to get you and your mother to safety. Barreling you into his car as a rabid woman pinned him to the closed door and ripped his throat out. If you concentrate carefully, you can still hear the gurgle as he choked on his own blood, can still watch his body twitch as the life drains from him, only to be replaced with the new life of whatever those things were.

To her credit, your mother, through her tears and confusion, had stepped up, driven the car as far as she could until you ran out of gas. She was a completely different woman in those first few weeks. You didn’t really think about it until after, but she’d always been the meek kind of woman to just follow. Do as she was told. Look nice at dinner parties. That kind of woman. She’d stepped up though, gotten you both safely to the QZ in Salt Lake City, gotten you through the gates and into a home, worked as much as she could to get you as many ration cards as she could.

The glimpse of that strong woman was fleeting though. By the time you were fifteen, old enough to earn your keep alongside her, it was like a switch flicked inside her. She went back to the meek, mild-mannered woman you actually knew. When a particularly handsy FEDRA guard offered you extra ration cards to show him your tits, right in front of her, at fifteen years old, she’d shrugged it off, didn’t want to breach the peace. When the same FEDRA guard had punched you in the face a week later for refusing him again, she’d pressed a wet cloth into your hand, told you to hold it where it hurt, and said that you should give men what they wanted because it was easier, it would hurt less. Besides, it wasn’t like he wanted to fuck you, is what she’d said.

Five years later, when you were twenty, the QZ collapsed. The Fireflies took over, although seemed to only be interested in the area surrounding the hospital. The rest fell into disrepair, infected broke through unmaintained fences, and you’d had no choice but to flee. Everything you owned shoved into a single backpack. This time, it had been all you. With your mother trailing behind you, the map in your hand, you’d made it across the border into Wyoming just as winter started to take hold. You were the one who found the abandoned cabin, who had picked weapons and ammunition up on the way. You were the one who’d learnt to hunt on her own, kept you both fed. Learnt how to chop wood, set a fire, to keep you both warm.

She was the one that ruined it though. When the snows melted, and that man had come through. She’d greeted him on the porch like he was an old friend. You’d glared at him, pistol gripped in your hand in case he tried anything. He was old, or he seemed it, with his grey hair and his long grey beard. You’d thought that if he’d worn red he’d look like Father Christmas, but he was dressed in a long black coat, a white button up underneath it. He didn’t look like someone fit for survival who was just passing through, he looked like a religious man who was coming to knock on your door and tell you that The Lord would save you.

“Are you out here all alone, ladies?” He’d asked, stood at the bottom of the porch steps, entirely too close for your comfort.

You stand and speak first, because you don’t trust your mother, “We’re not alone.” She looks at you, asking through her eyes why you’re lying.

“Sure looks like you’re alone,” He comments with a smile, you know your mother will find it endearing, you just find it threatening, “Done awfully well to keep yourselves alive if you are.” Like he thinks his praise will help you trust him.

“What’s it to you?” You ask, a hand squeezing around your mother’s wrist to keep her quiet.

“Just out walking,” He shrugs, “We’ve got a little settlement, maybe two miles from here, it’s safe, like a family, we take care of each other, pool together to survive, would be a much better place for the two of you than being out here on your own.”

“We’re not on our own.” You say again.

He snorts, but smiles, you decide you already hate him, “I don’t expect you to trust me,” He speaks simply, “But at least think about it, I’ll come by in a week, give you chance to mull it over.”

Then, he’s leaving with a wave of his hand and a disgusting wink sent your mother’s way. She hadn’t spoken to him apart from to greet him, but he already knows she’s the weak one. Can sense she spent her entire life pleasing another man, doing what he said, trying not to rock the boat.

Later that night, when you’ve eaten and you’re warming yourselves in front of the fire, she finally opens her mouth to speak.

“I think we should go with him.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” You scoff, “We’re not going with him.”

“He said it was safe.”

“And if he asked you to follow him into a burning building, would you do it?” You snap, “We know nothing about him, we’re not going.”

But of course, you do, in the end. The first time he comes back, you once again tell him to get lost. The second time he’s there when you come back from hunting, talking to your mother on the porch. You suspect he’s been watching you, waiting for you to leave so he can strike at the weaker person. He mutters something to you about not needing to do that anymore if you follow him, they set traps, but it doesn’t make it any more enticing to you. The third time, your mother stands with you after and says she’s leaving when he comes back, whether you go with her or not.

So you do. You do go with her. Follow steps behind her and the man who finally introduces himself as John when you decide to go back with him. To this day, you wish you’d told her to go on her own. Wish you’d saved yourself the years of suffering just to follow behind a woman you thought loved you. Because she didn’t, there’s no way she loved you with what she let happen.

You’ve been sat on the couch, staring into the fire, for what feels like hours now. Children long to bed, everything cleaned up from dinner, sat in silence, almost listening to the way those flames call to you. You want to fling yourself into them, atone for what you’ve done, what you failed to do, it’s the only way to make the ache in your chest feel better. All day you’ve avoided looking at the raised earth of Edward’s grave, but all day you’ve been reminded of his loss.

When you read to the children, there were no questions about what would happen next, no-one to gently chastise for being impatient and tell that they just need to sit and listen to find out. The lack of his rambunctious laughter when you let them play outside, chasing each other around. They’d been subdued as well, missing their friend, their brother.

Joel sits at the other end of the couch, thumbing aimlessly through the book you’d been reading from earlier. You don’t think he’s interested at all, but it’s something to do for him you suppose.

“They’re good kids,” He sighs, trying to make conversation with you, “Never really known kids so well behaved.”

“They were raised that way.” You reply simply, quietly.

“They related?” He asks, you only nod in response, he sighs again, “It get’s easier, losing them.”

You can feel the tears welling in your eyes, you shake your head to try and get rid of them, but it only helps in working them from your eyes and down your cheeks. How can this get easier? Feeling like someone had cleaved your heart in two, how does that get easier?

“Maybe easier isn’t the right word,” Joel corrects himself, “But life gets easier, it takes time, and they’ll always be with you, but one day it won’t hurt at much.”

“You know a lot about it?” You almost spit at him, not really sure why you’re directing your anger to him when all he’s done is help, but he’s the only person here so he has to take the brunt of it.

“I lost my daughter,” He speaks quietly, staring into the flames just like you are, “On outbreak day, some FEDRA guard had orders to shoot on sight, we were just trying to get to safety, and he fired, shot right into her stomach and she bled out in my arms.”

The similarities between her death and Edward’s are not lost on you, can’t imagine the memories it must have dredged up for him as you screamed at Edward to stay with you, rocked his dead body in your arms whilst it covered you in blood. It makes you soften, just a little.

“I’m sorry.” You squeak, wiping at your cheeks.

“I’m sorry too,” He tries to reach out for your hand, resting on the empty couch cushion between you, but you pull your hand away into your lap before he can touch you, you can’t accept his comfort, not yet, because you know what that means, “I know it don’t make it any better, but there’s nothin’ we could have done.”

Suddenly, a sob racks through your body, shoulders shaking as you really cry this time, because he’s right. Even if you could have lifted Edward, got him back to the house, you’re not a nurse, whatever happened to him what going to happen anyway. You doubt whoever did the shooting was aiming at him anyway, an unfortunate accident, and maybe, in some sick way, you’re glad. You think of the alternative – they were aiming at you and didn’t miss and you died instead – the children, left with a man they don’t know – what would he have done? Or they were aiming at Joel – if he’d died then you’d surely have been taken, right? You and your children killed too, or forced into some kind of life of servitude, not unlike the one you’d had before. It’s sick, but maybe what happened was for the best, or at least that’s what you try and tell yourself as you try and calm the rampant sobbing from your body.

This time, when Joel tries to comfort you, dropping to his knees in front of you, you don’t stop him. He puts wide palms on your knees and squeezes to let you know he’s there whilst you try and control your breathing. You don’t want to wake the children up. It’s no use though, no matter what you do, you can’t calm yourself down – not even Joel’s warm touch, stranger though he is, can help.

“H-He…” You try and choke out, maybe the truth will help ease the pain, maybe this man in front of you can fix you if he knows the truth, “He w-was…” Another sob, another squeeze of Joel’s hands on your knees, “He was m-mine,” You cry out, “Edward w-was my b-baby.”

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wolfjackle-creates · 1 year

Text

Bring Me Home, Chapter 2 Part 1

First, Previous

Story Summary: Tim Drake and Danny Fenton meet online as precocious preteens with far too much internet freedom due to parents who are far too interested in their work to monitor what their kids are getting up to. They bond and don't bother keeping secrets from each other about their vigilante lives.

This chapter wasn't supposed to exist. I was supposed to end the first chapter with the last segment I shared then jump ahead to the point where Tim helps Danny escape. But I couldn't get the idea of Tim and the Young Justice team ending up in Amity. I mentioned the idea to @britcision who asked if I really couldn't find a way to fit it in. And that was followed up by a night of insomnia due to bad life decisions regarding caffeine. And thus I figured out how to make it work.

This is going to be a longer segment! I've been wanting to share something a bit longer for a week or two and then I hit the 250 follower mark, so now I have an excuse to do so! (I totally would've shared regardless of a notable follower milestone.)

Word Count: 4.8k

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Tim was in the pilot seat of the plane, but had it set with autopilot and was facing the back where Conner and Bart were arguing over what to have for dinner. He and Cassie exchanged grins and he pulled out his phone to text her and ask if she was up for sushi just to throw a third option out there and make the argument worse when the computers all started beeping as the plane wobbled.

Dropping his phone, he turned back to the controls. The computers had failed and the plane was losing altitude fast. Tim pulled up on the steering, trying to keep the plane from nosediving into the ground.

“What’s going on?” shouted Conner.

“I don’t know!” Tim grit his teeth. “Plane failure, we’re going down!” he warned. Examining the landscape before them—mostly open plains thankfully—he held the steering steady as he aimed for land empty of buildings and roads.

“I’ll break the door,” called Conner.

“Superboy, lock the steering in this position!” ordered Tim.

“Done!”

Tim abandoned his seat and ran to the door, reaching it just as Conner tore it open. Without hesitation, Tim jumped out, Conner’s arms around him a moment later holding him in the air.

Next to them, Cassie had hold of Bart who was grinning as he showed off the bags he’d rescued before their escape.

From their place in the air, they watched as the plane crashed in a fiery disaster.

“Do we check it out or do we run in the opposite direction?” asked Cassie.

Tim wanted to run without leaving any trace of who’d been flying the plane. But… “We have to make sure the fire doesn’t spread. And make sure there’s nothing incriminating in the crash. But I want you or Wonder Girl on recon and we’re out of there as soon as first responders get close.”

“You’ve got it,” said Conner in his ear.

And a few moments later, they were on the ground facing the wreckage that was their plane.

“You know,” said Bart, “We probably didn’t have to steal the plane when we left. Had anyone tried to use it to escape, they wouldn’t have gotten very far.” He tossed one of the bags their way and Conner caught it. “But look at what I saved!”

Tim leaned over to see as Conner opened the bag. Right on top was the cellphone he’d dropped when the plane started to fail. He laughed and grabbed it. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t turn on for some reason. Deciding to deal with it later, he looked at what else was in the bag: his and Conner’s civvies. “You’re the best, Impulse!”

Bart held out a second bag to him. “And this is as much of the evidence I could get to. The last bag has mine and Wonder Girl’s belongings.”

Tim pulled him into a hug. “I don’t know what we’d do without you.” Letting him go, he turned to the burning plane. “Now, let’s take care of this.”

Over the next hour, they managed to contain the wreckage and put out any fires. No local authorities ever came out to investigate the site.

“Where the hell even are we if there’s no one around?” asked Conner. “Even back at Ma and Pa’s someone would’ve been here in, like, ten minutes.”

Tim just shrugged. “I’ve no idea. Somewhere in Illinois. But I don’t like this. Let’s see if we can find the nearest town. Make sure everything’s okay. Wasn’t there a highway just south of here? Impulse, mind checking it out and seeing if you can see any signs pointing us to a local town or city?”

“You’ve got it, Rob!” said Bart with a salute before disappearing.

Tim had barely opened the last bag to see what else Bart had saved before he was back.

“You’re right about Illinois! Saw a sign. A town called Elmerton is east of us and a town called Amity Park west.”

Tim froze. “Amity?” he asked. His mind already spinning away. Danny had mentioned tech sometimes went wonky near Amity due to the interference of ectoplasm. Could that be what had happened to the plane? And Danny had mentioned their town was so small they didn’t have much of a police force. A large explosion would probably be assumed to be a ghost and be left to Phantom or the Fentons…

“Yeah. Do you know it?”

Tim laughed. “Yep! I’m friends with the local hero. He knows both of my identities. Let’s go pay him a visit. Civvies will be best. I’ve told him more about you as my friends than my teammates.”

The others exchanged hesitant glances. Cassie was the one to speak. “You talk about us to him? Why haven’t you mentioned him?”

Tim shrugged. “He and I don’t really keep secrets from each other. And I’m sure I’ve mentioned him. Remember when we were trying to settle on a movie last week? I suggested the reboot Star Trek movies because Danny had been going on about them for ages and I wanted to see what had him so worked up.”

“Okay, what the fuck, Rob,” said Conner. “You need to be more obvious with these things. We thought you meant someone from your school or something. Not a fellow hero!”

Bart nodded his agreement. “Also, won’t he be mad you’re just telling us his identity?”

“Danny’s an idiot,” Tim stated. “He’s worse at keeping a secret identity than Kon.”

“Hey!” protested Conner.

“Rob’s got a point,” said Cassie as she elbowed Conner with a grin. “But, Robin, if we’re going as civilians, how will we explain the lack of transportation?”

“Easy. According to Danny, tech acts weird around Amity. Probably why the plane went down and our phones don’t work. So we’ll just say our car broke down and ask if Danny can fix it. He’s good with machinery.”

“Why haven’t you brought him into the League if the two of you are such good friends?” asked Conner, arms crossed.

Tim just shrugged. “He doesn’t want to join. The local threats he takes care of are constant enough that he can’t leave for more than a day or two. Besides, his parents don’t know and he can’t explain absences that are longer than a single night where he pretends to be at one of his friends’ places.”

“His parents don’t know?” Cassie shook her head. “I couldn’t imagine doing this without Mom’s support.”

Tim nodded. “Yeah. I’m honestly kinda worried about his living situation. So the chance to go check on him in person is something I can’t bring myself to give up. You guys don’t have to come if you don’t want to, but Danny and I’ve known each other for four years and things have been rough for him this past year since he’s gotten his powers. I need to make sure he’s okay.”

“Wait, four years?” asked Conner.

“He predates Robin?” Bart’s mouth was all but hanging open.

“I did exist before the suit, you know.” Tim stood a little taller. Usually he liked being Robin more than Tim, but he did have a life outside of the suit.

Cassie rolled her eyes. “That’s not what he meant and you know it. It’s just… You don’t talk about your pre-Robin life very often.” She grinned and Tim suddenly felt uneasy. “We are so asking him all sorts of questions about what you were like.”

“I mean… I wasn’t all that different to the current me.”

“Oh, we’ll be the judge of that,” she promised with a wicked gleam in her eye. This was going to be a disaster, wasn’t it?

“So what’s got you so worried about Danny?” asked Bart.

Tim sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “So, the deal with Amity Park is that his parents built a portal to the Ghost Zone in his basement. In the process of getting it to work, there was a lab accident and Danny got ghost powers. Don’t ask him or his friends about it. Now ghosts come through and try to attack the town and Danny stops them. Bad enough, right? But the reason his parents were building the portal is because they’re ghost hunters. They see a ghost, they pull a weapon on it and try to, and I quote, ‘tear it apart molecule by molecule.’ I don’t like the idea of Danny living there when he has ghost powers but he’s refusing to leave and I don’t have any way of kidnapping him and keeping him away.”

“You know that’s a spot on your ‘how close is Robin to going supervillain on us’ bingo card, right?” asked Cassie.

Conner elbowed her. “Not the point right now, Wonder Girl.” Then, in a whisper just loud enough for Tim to hear, he added, “Though this gets me close!” Back in his normal voice, he said, “Robin we’ll absolutely go check on your friend with you. Is there anything else we need to know?”

Tim tilted his head but decided not to address the teasing. “Don’t eat any food cooked in his house or stored in the main fridge. And try to avoid mentioning the word ‘ghost’ around his parents. They apparently will take that as an excuse to literally talk for multiple hours on the topic. It should go without saying, but his hero identity must be kept secret from his parents at all costs. His best friends and sister are the only humans who know. Though all the other ghosts know.”

“So…” start Bart, “You’re telling us that his rogues all know his identity but his parents don’t. That’s a bit of a role reversal.”

Tim laughed. “Yeah. Weirded me out when he told me, too. But he’s not concerned about the ghosts knowing. Just human ghost hunters.”

“Like his parents,” Cassie said.

“Like his parents,” Tim confirmed.

“Well fuck.” As always, Conner knew how to sum up everyone’s thoughts.

“So, do you know his address?” asked Bart.

“Nope,” Tim said, popping the P. “But we won’t need it. His house is obvious from a mile away based on what Danny’s said.”

Cassie shook her head. “Every word out of your mouth makes me more concerned and more curious.”

Tim laughed. “That about sums him up. He’s got some stories that could rival ours for ridiculous and crazy. Now, Wonder Girl, Superboy, what do you say about flying us closer to town? Then we can change and walk the rest of the way in.”

“You’ve got it Boss-man!” Conner shouldered the bag of their belongings and hugged Tim close before launching them in the air.

Cassie did the same with Bart who pointed in the direction of Amity. It wasn’t long before they could see the town.

The group landed in a small grove of trees to change out of uniform before walking along the side of the highway towards Amity.

As they were walking, Bart asked, “So why shouldn’t we eat any of the food at Danny’s? I’m hungry.”

“We’ll go and get far too many burgers and snacks on B’s dime. The food at Danny’s house isn’t safe to eat or even be around, just trust me.”

“Hey, Tim,” said Conner, “What the fuck does that mean?”

Tim just shrugged. “Look, his parents would fit in at Arkham. The rest… well, we’ll see when we get there. I only have second hand information myself and I don’t know if I fully believe what Danny says.”

“You didn’t crash the plane on purpose, did you?” asked Bart who was now walking backwards in front of him.

“Yeah, Tim,” agreed Cassie, “Sounds like you’ve been wanting to come here for a while. Convenient, isn’t it? You could’ve just asked us if we were interested in a road trip!”

Tim flushed. “Are you guys seriously accusing me of deliberately destroying evidence in a plane crash? Me?”

“Don’t worry, Tim!” Conner slung an arm around his shoulders and leaned into him. “I believe you. If you wanted to concoct an excuse to get us here, it’d be much more subtle.”

Cassie and Bart laughed as Tim grumbled about traitorous friends. Louder, he said, “Oi, watch what you say. We’re in everyday clothes.”

“Of course. And you’re not just saying that because we’re right.” Bart stuck his tongue out at him.

Tim ducked under Conner’s arm and threw a punch which Bart easily dodged. “Remember I know where you sleep!” he called out.

“Right back atcha!” replied Bart. Cassie and Conner laughed at them.

It only took them about twenty minutes to come to the outermost buildings of the town and within forty, they were in the town proper.

“Now, seriously, Tim, where’re we going?” asked Cassie looking around.

The people who were around kept giving them odd looks and Tim had no idea what they were doing to stick out so obviously.

As if echoing his thoughts, Cassie muttered under her breath, “Is it just me or are we being stared at?”

Conner replied just as quietly. “I can hear them whisper; they know we’re outsiders. What sort of town is this, Tim?”

“Amity’s been through a lot the past few months. It might be a more active hot spot than Gotham, actually. I don’t think they trust strangers right now.”

“Worse than Gotham?” asked Cassie. “Timmy, bestie, you are totally keeping secrets from us again! Not cool.”

“I’m not!” Tim protested. “Look, we just need to find Danny’s house and hope there isn’t a ghost attack before we do.”

“How often do these ghost attacks happen?” asked Bart.

“From what Danny says, something usually happens most days. But they’re generally small. Big attacks… maybe once a week? But those can take a few days to fully resolve.”

“Dude, that is worse than Gotham,” said Bart, awe in his voice. “And the local hero just takes care of it all himself?”

“Yeah. Danny Phantom seems to be pretty competent. At least against ghosts.”

Cassie let out a low whistle but decided to change the subject. “So, if your friend’s house is so distinct, what are we looking for?”

Before Tim could reply, the roar of an engine drowned him out and a giant silver-and-green monstrosity turned the corner so fast only two wheels remained on the ground. A woman in a blue jumpsuit leaned out the window holding a gun bigger than herself as she screamed about ghosts.

Around them, people took one look and ran into any door they could, slamming them shut. Conner, Cassie, and Bart fell into defensive stances.

Tim just grinned and relaxed as he watched to see what street the GAV turned down. It really was as ridiculous as Danny had said.

As soon as the noise of the Fenton’s illegal tank died down, Tim answered Cassie’s question. “We go down the same street as that vehicle. Those were Danny’s parents.”

“Are we going to the lair of super villains?” asked Conner.

“Nah, just mad scientists.”

“Tim, is this really the best idea?” Cassie had pulled out her phone and was uselessly trying to turn it on.

“We’ll need to if you want your phone fixed.”

Around them, people were starting to cautiously open doors and look out to make sure it was safe. Tim pretended not to notice the looks his friends were exchanging.

“Come on, what happened to grilling Danny about what I was like before Bruce took me in?” He really hoped the potential for embarrassing stories, of which there obviously weren’t any, would get them to stop second guessing him.

Cassie did hum consideringly. “Well, it’s not like we haven’t faced weirder. And we can hold our own against mad scientists if needed. Even without any form of communication device. Which… Tim, on a scale of an elephant noticing an ant to about to start world war three, how likely is it that your family has noticed something happened and how totally normal will their reaction be?”

Tim groaned. “Look, I’ll see if Danny can fix my phone first before we get dinner. If it doesn’t take too long, it won’t be an issue. We probably have a few hours before B does anything irreversible.”

“I have no idea how you put up with someone always in your business like that,” commented Conner.

Tim shrugged as he finally got the others to start moving in the direction the tank took. “I mean, I keep track of you guys about as closely as Bruce follows me.”

Bart laughed. “Whelp, that’s another box checked on the ‘Tim is going to grow up to be a supervillain’ bingo card!

Tim stuck his tongue out at his friends and sped up so he was walking a few feet ahead of them. Around them, pedestrian traffic started picking up again as people decided it was safe to come out again.

Bart ran up until he was walking backwards in front of Tim. “Do you really think you can outrun me?”

“I’m not trying to out run you. Just walk ahead of you. I’m the one who knows what I’m looking for.” They reached the turn and Bart kept walking straight so Tim grabbed his arm. “Like, for example, the fact that we need to turn down this road.”

A quick glance down the street proved this had to be the right place. The giant Fenton Works sign hung off one of the buildings and the monstrosity Danny referred to as the Ops Center sat precariously on the roof.

“In fact, that building that’s probably breaking every building code ever imagined is our destination. Come on! The sooner we get there, the sooner Danny can fix my phone, and the sooner we can eat.”

“He’s totally taking us to the lair of some evil mad scientists, isn’t he?” Cassie muttered.

Tim pretended he couldn’t hear her. Or Conner’s reply of “Oh, definitely. One more square and I’ve got bingo.”

“I think we need to change the rules of the game. We have winners too often. First person to a full card wins, not the first person to connect a line.”

“I hate you guys. You’re fired as my best friends. It’ll just be me and Danny from now on. I’ll run away and move here and hide in his attic and never talk to any of you ever again.”

Bart hooked their arms together. “Then we’ll just come and drag you back. Evil scientists and ghosts and creepy town or not.”

Conner walked up until he could bump his shoulder against Tim’s and Cassie ruffled his hair.

“Yep. You’re stuck with us for life at this point. No firing allowed,” she said.

Tim hid a smile as they walked the last half block to Danny’s house. And then the group just stared at the building for a minute.

“You know, after seeing this place, I don’t think I needed the warning about the food,” commented Cassie. “I’m not going to trust a single thing they try to give us.”

“If it comes from Danny or his sister, it’ll be fine. From their parents? Decline.” Tim took a breath and walked up the steps and rang the doorbell.

Voices could be heard from inside and a moment later, the door opened to reveal the largest human Tim had ever seen. And the orange jumpsuit he was wearing was so bright even Tim, used as he was to Robin colors, had to hold back a wince. Jack Fenton was smiling broadly at them.

“Welcome to Fenton Works! Who might you lot be? Would you like some fudge?” And even though his hands had been empty a moment before, he managed to pull a tray of fudge from…somewhere.

Before Tim could reply, Maddie Fenton was there, too. “Jack, let the kids speak! Welcome. Are you here for Jazz or Danny?”

Tim put on his gala-smile. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. I’m Tim, Danny’s penpal from Gotham and these are some of my friends. We are on a road trip and were passing by and I decided I wanted to stop by to see Danny. Is he home?”

The words were barely out of Tim’s mouth before Jack was shouting with a voice loud enough to shake the windows. “Dan-o! Your friends are here!”

Maddie’s reaction was more interesting. Her brow furrowed and she seemed to mumble to herself, “Penpal? Has Danny mentioned a penpal before?” Louder, she said, “Please come on in. Danny will be right down.”

As his friends shuffled past him, they each poked or prodded Tim in some way to let him know how crazy they found the situation. Maddie shut the door behind them and the click of the door had no right to sound as ominous as a lock turning in a cell in a supervillain’s lair.

True to Maddie’s predictions, footsteps echoed on the floor above them and then down the stairs. Danny froze on the steps, though, as soon as he saw exactly who was in his living room.

Tim raised a hand and grinned. “Hey, Danny! Surprise?”

“Tim? What the—” Danny cut off the phrase with a glance at his parents. “Secrets! We’ve talked about surprises like this! What are you doing here?” And then he was running the rest of the way down the stairs and hugging Tim tightly.

Tim’s surprise lasted just a moment before he was hugging Danny back. “I don’t actually think we have had a conversation about the proper way for me to show up at your place when I ended up stranded in the area by accident with a non-working phone. I blame you, by the way.”

They pulled apart, but Danny stayed close enough that their arms brushed against each other at the slighted movement. “I can fix that for you. It’ll take about twenty minutes.” He glanced at Tim’s friends. “Each, I’m afraid.”

Cassie waved off his apology. “Fix Tim’s first. His family is the one that’ll freak out if he’s out of communication too long. It’s nice to meet you Danny, I’m—“

But Danny cut her off. “Cassie, right? Tim’s told me a lot about you. It’s great to finally meetcha! And you two must be Conner and Bart!” As he said their names, he correctly pointed at each boy.

“You’ve got it in one,” agreed Conner. “Though I’d like to open by saying anything Tim said is probably a lie.”

Danny laughed. “Even the part where he called you the coolest person he knows after Dick? Because I got that message just—”

Tim slammed his hand over Danny’s mouth. “No need to go into that right now.” He ignored the way he felt his face heating.

To his relief, Danny’s dad butted into the conversation. “Well we’re thrilled to have you kids here! Will you stay for dinner? My snoockums will be making the best chicken you’ve ever had!”

“Actually, Mr. Fenton,” said Tim before anyone else could, “Danny and I have this ongoing debate over which is better: Batburger or Nasty Burger. It’s been going on for years and I need to try Nasty Burger so he can’t use the excuse that I don’t know what I’m talking about when I insist Batburger is better.”

“Oh you are so going to eat your words,” Danny said shrugging out from under Tim’s arm. Looking to his friends, Danny asked, “Have all of you had batburger?”

Bart grinned. “Sure have! We’ll be sure to give our unbiased opinions!”

Danny laughed. “Great, because Tim sure won’t. He’ll refuse to admit how he’s completely wrong and Nasty Burger is the absolute best ever.”

Cassie shook her head. “Is it really called Nasty Burger? Why would they do that?”

“Oh someone vandalized the sign years ago and the restaurant decided to lean into it. Now, come on, I’ll fix Tim’s phone and then we can get dinner.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to eat here?” asked Maddie again.

“Yeah, mom, we’re sure.”

“How long’ll you kids be in town for?” asked Jack. “Do you have a place to stay?”

Tim shrugged. “My foster dad gave me a credit card for us to use for lodgings, food, and gas on the trip. We were just gonna find a hotel or something in town.”

“Now that just won’t do!” Maddie even covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide in disbelief. “Neither the hotel nor the motel has any ghost shields to speak of. What if there’s an attack? No. You must stay here. Our house is the safest place in town, dontcha know.”

“Exactly!” boomed Jack. “In fact, let me show you!” He reached over and flipped what looked like a light switch, but instead of a light turning on, a siren sounded and glowing-green metal slammed over the windows. At least five hidden compartments on every wall opened revealing lasers and guns. Each of which made their own noises.

Danny tensed next to him as about a third of the weapons pointed to him and a robotic voice said, “Ghost threat detected.”

Then a girl appeared on the stairs shouting at the adults. “I’m trying to study!” It was amazing how she was able to shout over the noise of the alarm systems. “Who activated the home defense system?” And that’s when she noticed Tim and his friends.

As soon as her daughter appeared, Maddie flipped the switch back off and the weapons disappeared back into the walls, the metal retreated from the windows, and the alarms fell quiet leaving behind a normal-looking living room once again.

Behind him, Tim heard Cassie mutter, “What the fuck?”

“Who are you?” Jazz asked as soon as it was quiet.

Jack answered for everyone. “These are Danny’s friends! Tim and… sorry, I don’t think I caught the rest of your names.”

“Dad!” Danny shook his head. “Come on down, Jazz. I’ve mentioned Tim a ton. He’s my online penpal Secrets. And these are his friends: Cassie, Bart, and Conner.”

“Oh! Secrets!” She ran the rest of the way down the stairs. “It’s so great to meet you. Danny didn’t mention you coming to visit.” She shook Tim’s hand with a friendly smile.

Tim couldn’t help but smile back. “Glad to meet you, too. Danny talks about you all the time.”

And his friends were done being quiet because Bart decided to take over explanations. “Our visit was unscheduled. We were in the area and our transport and phones stopped working. Saw the sign for Amity and Tim brought us here.”

Jazz nodded in understanding. “Yeah, that happens around here. But Danny can fix your phones and car so you won’t be stranded long.”

“Yep! That’s just what I was about to do. Fix Tim’s phone then take them to Nasty Burger. I’ll take care of everyone else’s after we eat.”

Jazz nodded. “Bring me back a milkshake? I have a bit more studying to do. But, Tim! I want to get to know you better. After all, you’ve been such a large part of Danny’s life these past few years. So I’ll pull out some board and card games and we can just hang out for a bit while Danny fixes your phones.”

Tim felt his face flush again. Did Danny really talk about him that much? “Uh, yeah. Sure. That sounds great.”

“Oh. My. God. Jazz! You’re not allowed to interrogate my friends.” Danny took Tim’s hand and dragged him towards the stairs. “Come on, let’s go up to my room where I can work on your phones.”

Tim heard snickering from at least one of his friends as they followed them. But really, most of his focus was on how Danny’s hand felt cool but solid in his own.

Jazz just rolled her eyes. “It’s not interrogating, Danny. It’s getting to know someone. That involves questions!”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Conner. “No one is worse at interrogation than Tim’s dad.”

“Not my dad!” protested Tim automatically.

“Foster Dad, whatever! You know who I mean.”

Danny didn’t let go of his hand until they were in his bedroom. And once everyone, except Jazz, was in the room, he shut the door.

“Great, now that we have some privacy, let’s have proper introductions! Glad to meet you all. Do you want anything? Jazz and I have water bottles and pop cans hidden up here that are safe. And I’ve got, like, seven flavors of pringles.”

“What flavors of pop?” asked Conner.

“Coke, ginger ale, sprite, and fanta,” replied Danny.

“Can I have a sprite?”

“I’ll take a coke if it’s okay,” said Cassie.

“Fanta for me!” called Bart.

“You guys got it. Tim?”

“I’ll just have water for now.”

Danny nodded. “Give me just a sec. The fridge is hidden in Jazz’s room.”

And then the Young Justice team was left alone.

Cassie hissed, “What the fuck, Tim!”

----------

And there you have it! Tim and Danny's first in-person meeting. And the Young Justice's introduction to Amity and the Fentons.

If anyone has any fics, meta analyses, or whatever that focuses on the Young Justice characters, I'd love some recommendations! I've read less on them than the bats and they're shaping up to have a big part in this fic.

Tag List:

@gremlin-bot, @bonebrokebuddy, @britcision, @lady-time-lord-, @welcometosasakiworld, @akikkobara, @phoenixdemonqueen, @dolfay, @skulld3mort-1fan, @we-ezer, @markus209, @sjrose1216, @onyxlightdragon, @dragonsrequiem, @jesus-camp-the-sequel, @spidey29phangirl, @kyrianclawraith, @evilminji, @introvert-even-on-the-internet, @emergentpanda-blog, @lexdamo, @v-inari, @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit, @longlivethefallen, @undead-essence, @xye-chan, @liandrin, @seraphinedemort, @kisatamao, @schalensitzbucket, @caelestisdreamer, @runfromthemedic, @nutcase8691

#dpxdc #bring me home #tim drake #danny fenton #cassie sandsmark #bart allen #conner kent #tim's supervillain bingo card #he thinks his friends are overreacting

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deakyjoe · 6 months

Text

Somebody’s Watching Me: Halloween Deleted Scene

Pairing: Simon “Ghost” Riley x Reader (“Sarge”, she/her, British, backstory)

Category: slowburn coworkers to friends to lovers/idiots in love

Summary: Simon thinks about you after your first run in.

Warnings: swearing/cursing, overthinking

Word count: 400ish (just some quick thoughts I had)

A/N: You guys waited so long for the epilogue, I thought you deserved more Ghost <3

The sight of toffee apples reminded him of you.

Granted, everything reminded him of you. He just couldn't get you out of his head. But toffee apples especially.

And the fucking things were everywhere considering Halloween was in a few days.

He debated whether he should just buy one and take it to you in your flat. Then he decided that was too weird considering he'd only been there the once and neither of you had discussed actually seeing each other again. You'd think he was overstepping. Inviting him over the first time was just you being polite.

That's what he convinced himself anyway.

Maybe he could drop it off anonymously and then leave before you caught him.

No, that would be way more weird. You'd think someone was trying to poison you and throw away the apple immediately.

Who knew it could be this difficult to give someone a bloody toffee apple.

Maybe he should just forget about it completely. Forget about you completely.

Impossible.

He couldn't deny that his hand had itched to reach for his phone a few times to call Price to investigate you a little more.

Creep.

Creep!

He hated himself. Truly.

But the thought of it was so tempting. And he could feel himself giving in to the urge to look into you- no... stalk you every time you popped into his brain. Which was every five seconds.

Fuck.

What would you think of him if you ever knew what was going on in his head? You’d despise him probably. But then he also wondered if you were capable of that emotion. You were too… good.

Certainly too good for him.

What could he possibly ever do to deserve you? Or deserve that smile you’d sent him in the cheese aisle? You hadn’t know who he was then. Were you really just that nice?

He knew you were. He didn’t even know why he was questioning it. Maybe just to think of you some more. As his brain loved to do recently.

Ugh, it was a nightmare. A living nightmare.

And Lieutenant Simon Riley had dealt with objectively far worse things than this.

Really, this should’ve been a breeze. You were just a person. Not only that. But someone he already knew. Why was he suddenly thinking about you so much more? Had the new setting really changed that much?

Apparently so.

The next time he saw toffee apples he bought one, went home and ate it whilst thinking of you.

A/N: Happy late Halloween, my friends!

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lillikitty · 11 days

Text

Dazai x Siren! Reader

Summary: You have an ability called Siren’s Song. Anytime you sing, you can control and manipulate anyone who hears your song. Well, not everyone as someone seems to be immune.

Warning: Implied Fem! Reader, a bit NSFW at the end

A gentle tune could be heard down an alleyway where you reside. You just finished a perfect robbery as usual and you made bank. You had sung your way into a lawyer’s house and stole everything of value. Why ever work when you can easily just steal, no one could stop you.

A gentle breeze flowed through your hair and you let out a giggle of excitement. Stealing was so fun, especially when you can never get caught. That man won’t even remember your face, you made sure of that. As you were about to finish putting everything into your bag, you heard a whistle behind you.

“Damn, I didn’t know it was a hottie committing all these robberies! I would’ve totally taken the case sooner if I knew that!” A man’s voice rang through the alleyway. You quickly turn around to see who it was. Before you stood a young man with brown hair in a tan coat. You smirk to yourself as you know this’ll be too easy. “Oh no, you’ve caught me, what ever will I do?” You mock being afraid before you take a deep breath and start to sing, activating your ability.

Your voice was simply beautiful, even without your ability you had a great singing voice. You watch the man before you and start to sing some cords to get him to come closer to you, which he does. As he approaches you you notice how attractive he is. It’s too bad he’s some sort of investigator or you’d totally take him home with you. As you were about to make him walk past you and back into the city, he places his hand on your shoulder. You’re struck with confusion, you didn’t sing for him to touch you.

“Sorry Bella, your little song doesn’t work on me.” He says with a smirk. You stop singing and feel the panic start to set in. There’s no way he wouldn’t be affected. Unless.. “You’re part of the detective agency, the one who can turn off other’s abilities.” You start to back away from him. You had heard about him from the Port Mafia. You did some dirty work for mafia when you were getting the hang of your ability before you ran off to be on your own. “As much as I’d love to take you out, I gotta take you in.” He grabs both your arms and puts them behind you. You struggle against his grip and look around in a bit of a panic. There’s no way you’ve been caught, your ability was invincible.

The man guided you to a building, even with all your struggling you couldn’t escape him. You needed up giving up and just accepting your fate. You were gonna be thrown in jail, that was almost certain. However this building wasn’t the police station. It was the detective agency’s headquarters. As you entered the building the man brought you to his colleagues.

“Dazai! Are you insane?! Why would you bring her here?! You were supposed to bring her to the police!” Another young man with glasses started yelling at the man holding you who was apparently Dazai. “But Kunikida she’s so pretty! We should invite her to work with us!” Dazai whined in protest. Kunikida runs his fingers through his head, clearly distressed as he turned to look at you. You stood there just looking around, wondering how these guys have managed to keep the Port Mafia at bay. “Ma’am, you know you must go to prison for all the stealing you’ve done, correct?” Kunikida was addressing you so you turned to look at him. “No shit, that’s what I thought was happening. However if my choices are work here or go to prison, I’d rather work here. At least then I’d have some freedoms.” You say as you picked up on Dazai saying he wanted you to work there.

“See Kunikida? She wants to work here! Come on Bella! I’ll show you around!” Dazai exclaims as he starts to show you around, completely ignoring Kunikida’s protests. You can’t help but giggle at their chemistry. “So, why would you let a criminal you were trying to catch work with you?” You ask with a little tilt of your head. Dazai looked at you and smiles warmly, “I want a pretty girl to do my paperwork. Atsushi stopped doing it for me and I need someone new. Plus, you’re better eye candy.” He winks at you which causes a small blush to form on your face. “Paperwork? Really? I have an ability to control people and you want me to do paperwork?” You scoff a bit in offense. You were worth so much more than paperwork. “You should control Kunikida to be less uptight.” Dazai snickers as he looks at Kunikida who is just glaring in annoyance.

And that is how you ended up working for the ADA. You’ve been working with them for over a year now and you’ve turned good. You use your ability to help people, you’ve become an important asset to the ADA. You can stop shootouts from happened, you can easily guide people out of harms way, but more importantly, you always do Dazai’s paperwork.

Even though you’ve been told you don’t have to by Kunikida, you don’t mind doing it. Mainly because it’s when you get the most attention from Dazai. You’ve grown a bit of a crush on him but you aren’t sure if all his flirting is actually because he likes you or if it’s just who he is. I mean, he flirts with a lot of women so it’s a bit hard to believe he’s actually interested in you. But regardless, he always gives you attention when you do his paperwork.

It was late, everyone else had gone home as it had been a long day but you still had his paperwork to do. You hum softly to yourself as you get started on his paperwork. You were sitting at Dazai’s desk as it made things easier and you had assumed Dazai went home like everyone else but then someone walked into your peripheral vision. It was none other than the man himself.

“Hey Bella, mind if I join you?” He smirks as he’s already walking over to sit next to you. However he didn’t sit next to you. You paused and looked up at him. “Is something wrong?” You ask. Dazai motions for you to stand up so you do, a bit confused as to what he wants. Then he takes the seat you were in and pulls you onto his lap, his arms wrapping around your waist. “Much better.” He hums happily. Your face flushed red as you were not prepared for him to do this. You just try to ignore it and get back to finishing the paperwork so you can go home.

While you worked Dazai rested his head on your shoulder so he could watch you. You didn’t notice that the longer you sat there, the more you started to lean into him. Once you finished your work you just leaned back into him, letting your body relax as you let out a sigh. Dazai looked at you, admiring your face for a moment before speaking, “Hey Y/N, we should start dating.” Dazai rarely ever said your name, he always called you Bella or siren but never your name. You knew he was being serious. Your face was red and you were a bit taken aback by his sudden boldness to outright say you two should date. But you did like him so you might as well right?

Instead of answering him you turned around in his lap and leaned in, kissing him as your arms wrapped around his neck. You felt as he kissed back, pressing himself closer to you. One of his hands moved up to the back of your head to trap you in the kiss while his other arm tightened its grip around your waist. Your hands gripped his shirt as you felt him start to move, he moved you to be sitting on his desk while he stood between your legs. He nipped at your lips, wanting to be let in and you didn’t deny him entry. His tongue slipped into your mouth and pressed against yours before they danced together. Your mind started to go fuzzy as you didn’t expect this to happen, you didn’t even realize the tension that has been building up between the two of you.

Dazai’s hands suddenly moved to the front of your shirt to start undoing your buttons to get the shirt off. But I’m that exact same moment you heard a whistle. You and Dazai pulled away from each other and looked at the door, there stood Ranpo and Yosano. “Told you they’d end up fucking the second they became official.” Ranpo smirks as Yosano handed him $20. “I really thought Y/N had some decency to not fuck in the office.” Yosano says as she shakes her head on disappointment.

Your face was bright red as you hid your face in Dazai’s chest. Dazai only laughed as he wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest, “You shouldn’t make a bet with Ranpo, you know he’ll always win.” He says with a smile. “Yeah yeah, now we’ll leave you be but clean up any mess you may leave or I’m going to end you.” Yosano threatens before she and Ranpo close the door and take their leave. Dazai looks down at you and kisses your forehead to get your attention. You look up at him with a bit of a pout and Dazai only smirks. “Now where were we siren?” He then locks his lips with yours once again.

Pt.2: Here

#bungou stray dogs dazai #dazai osamu #dazai x reader #bsd dazai #bsd x reader #bsd #bungou stray dogs

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eminems-skittles · 8 months

Note

Jess Mariano with the prompts 5. "don't go on that date" "why?" "because it will kill me if you do” (fem!reader says this to Jess who’s going on a date) + prompt 6. “please tell me you want to kiss me as much as i want to kiss you" 🙏🤭

maybe slightly ooc for jess but i hope you like it!! i’m falling asleep while writing this so i hope this isn’t bad <3

watching jess get ready to go on his countless and never ending dates had become some kind of routine for you. you’d come over to luke’s and sit at the counter as you watched jess serve the many customers that filtered through the diner. he’d come hangout at the counter with you every chance he got, chatting about whatever book you had your nose in. at six o’clock on the dot, jess would throw in the towel and head up the stairs to his and luke’s apartment. when this routine first started, you’d follow jess up and hangout on his bed as he changed for his date, nothing fancy just a new graphic t-shirt and more gel in his hair. however as time went on, you decided to stay back at your spot in the diner. watching him get ready to take out some girl who wasn’t you started taking it’s toll after awhile and you couldn’t take it. this went on for a few months before one day, you didn’t show up at the diner.

jess didn’t think anything of it at first. there were days you didn’t make it to the diner to see him. it was only after the fourth day of him not seeing you that he started to get suspicious. your absence had left a weird feeling of worry hanging over him and he had even resorted to going to school to see you but lane had told him you were sick. (you weren’t, just expertly avoiding him.)

the feeling hanging over him lifted when he spotted you in the diner on the fifth day. you were perched on your stool, a book placed in next to the plate of fries sitting on the counter. when your eyes met his, you quickly looked away deciding to scan over the cover of your book for the thirtieth time. your gaze stayed trained on the cover until a cup was set down next to your plate. when you looked up, jess was waiting in front of you.

“hey,” he said, a hint of smile on his face. if you didn’t know him so well you wouldn’t have noticed it.

“hi,” you mumbled. his gaze was intense as he stared down at you.

“where’ve you been?” he asked.

“oh y’know..” you trailed off.

“no, i don’t know” he breathed out. “lane said you were sick. how’re you feeling?”

you were quiet for a second, shifting in your seat under his stare. you sighed before answering, “i wasn’t sick.”

“then where were you?” he asked, still trying to investigate.

luke walked behind him, grumbling something about “customers needing food.”

“do you have a date tonight?” you switched the subject.

“maybe,” he shrugged. just as you knew him, he knew you and saw the way your shoulders ever so slightly slumped at his answer. “why?”

“just wondering,” you whisper. “i should be going, i have homework. have fun on your date.”

before jess could get another word in, you were hopping off the stool and grabbing your stuff before hurrying out the door.

“you’re an idiot,” luke said as he passed by again.

“what’d i do this time?” jess groaned.

“she likes you,” lorelai said from her table. when she had arrived jess wasn’t sure as he was too wrapped up in seeing you for the first time in what felt like several weeks. he stared at lorelai blankly before asking what the hell she was talking about. “well, she obviously likes you and you obviously like her.”

“she’s right, honey,” miss patty chimed in.

the thought of you returning the feelings jess had so carefully tried to suppress

for a various number of reasons had his head swimming. “i gotta go.”

jess hurried out the door of the diner, walking in the direction of your house. when he got to your front door, he hesitated before knocking. the time between the knock and when you opened the door seemed to last forever.

“jess? what’re you doing here?” you asked as you stepped onto the front porch, shutting the door behind you. he smiled at the way you hugged your sweater to your body as you felt the chilly wind.

“i wanted to see what’s going on with you-“

“don’t go on that date.” you interrupted. you started playing with the sleeves of sweater as you locked eyes with him.

he was quiet, obviously taken aback. “why?”

“because it will kill me if you do,” you whispered, barely audible.

“what was that?”

“it will kill me if you go on that date,” you said louder. “it hurts jess. watching you date every girl in stars hollow but me hurts. i’m in love with you and you don’t even see it! i sit at the diner and then i go watch you get ready for dates i’ll never go on just so i can be close to you! and that hurts me. i can’t do it anymore.”

“you’re in love with me?” jess asked softly. tears were in your eyes from how worked up your confession had gotten you.

“well, i mean, i guess so,” you admitted, looking away from him. he took a few steps closer to you.

“i’m in love with you too,” he whispered. his hands found your waist, the weight of them pressing gently through your sweater.

“you are? but why all the dates?” you looked at him again but quickly looked down again as a tear slid down your cheek.

“thought i couldn’t get you. thought you didn’t feel the same so i distracted myself” his voice was a quiet rumble as he leaned his forehead against yours.

“well you can, and i do,” you said just as quietly. he leaned away from you, one hand coming up to your cheek to brush another tear away.

“don’t cry,” jess whispered. “you’re pretty when you cry but please don’t cry.”

“you think i’m pretty?”

“mhm,” he hummed. he stared into your eyes for a second before saying “please tell me you want to kiss me as much as i want to kiss you.”

“i do,” you replied.

“good,” he smiled before leaning in to kiss you. his lips pressed gently against yours and his hand on your hip squeezed as he pulled you against him. he deepened the kiss and you put an around around his shoulders. when he broke the kiss, he smiled and pecked you gently again. “you’re telling me we could’ve been doing this the whole time?”

“seems that way,” you replied and pressed your lips against his. “so what now, mariano?”

“now, i take you out on a date.”

“what about your other date tonight?”

“there was no date tonight,” jess admitted. “there hasn’t been a date in a few weeks. ”

“oh.” you paused. “why?”

“they weren’t you. all i want is you.” jess revealed. he leaned in again, barely giving you a chance to process what he said, kissing you with more force than the first kiss. after breaking the kiss he mumbled, “where do you want to go to dinner tonight?”

“hmm, maybe luke’s?”

#jess mariano x reader #gilmore girls #masterlist #writing #cassie’s masterlist #jess mariano x fem!reader #{ jess mariano }#{ gilmore girls }#gilmore girls x reader #100 #200

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igncrxntripley · 1 year

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their secret weapon pt. 6

synopsis: The realization at what she’s done has finally hit Y/N, but her partners have mixed opinions on what to do next.

tags: poly!judgement day, fem!reader, angst, minor violence (kinda, just to be safe), lowkey sad, more damian than the others

A/N: 🫢 eat it up babes

mentions: @babybatlover @ripleyswhore

It had been almost a week since Y/N made it clear whose side she was on. She had avoided even thinking about Brooks and what she did to him at Monday Night Raw because her partners told her to move on, and she knew if she thought about him then all of their hard work was going to waste. They were all prepared for Y/N to grieve the life she was leaving behind to be their newest disciple, but all of them also knew it was going to be difficult. The question was, how long would it be until she finished grieving?

The Judgement Day was lucky enough to have the week off from any live shows so they were all able to stay home; Y/N needed that time away more than any of them so she could process what she’d done and how she was going to move forward. For someone who was normally outspoken and giggling with her partners, she’d been quiet and more reserved. She’d rarely left Damian or Rhea’s side the entire time they were home, but then she could barely sleep at night because it meant being alone with her thoughts. Her partners would often have her sleep in the middle since she was the smallest, but she would still manage to crawl out from their iron grips to clear her mind.

Tonight was no different; when Y/N’s thoughts consumed her and took away the ability to get a good night’s sleep, she gently crawled out from the mess of sheets and limbs her partners created which resulted in a whine from Dominik. He immediately latched onto Finn who was on the other side of him while Y/N got dressed.

She went into their gym, a place she’d been frequenting when she needed to clear her head, and immediately went for the boxing gloves and punching bag. It was no wonder she’d gotten better at striking in the ring with how often she was using it to cope. After turning on some loud music Y/N got to work and took out every ounce of frustration on the punching bag without giving herself much of a break. With every hit to the bag she switched focus to a different thought or person on her mind.

I can’t disappoint them.

I’m better than who I was before The Judgement Day.

I need to let go of him but I can’t.

I don’t deserve this opportunity.

They would be better off without me.

When Damian had woken up and noticed only three other bodies in bed rather than four, he woke up and decided to investigate. He heard the music as soon as he stepped into the hallway and was surprised that it didn’t wake up his partners; then again they all slept like the dead. Rhea could sleep through the apocalypse if it ever happened.

Damian walked to their home gym and stood in the doorway, Y/N’s back to him as he watched her destroy the punching bag. He could hear her mumbling to herself, but he doubted she even realized he was watching. Just hearing her made Damian see the self doubt that was filling her body and he wanted nothing more than to make it better for her; he knew his partners felt the same, but they also had high expectations of her. Especially Finn. Even though she doubted herself and she still had room to grow, Y/N had continued to prove herself since she joined The Judgement Day. They were all impressed by her. But she still had a ways to go.

“Not good enough…you’re better than the old Y/N…” she said in between strikes to the punching bag. Y/N didn’t even realize that she’d been crying, but after a certain point her grunts and heavy breathing turned into soft sobs. “Fuck!” She cried and fell to her knees on the floor. The weight of her thoughts and doubt had finally taken her down and she couldn’t do it anymore. Damian slowly walked over to her and kneeled next to Y/N as she sobbed. “Baby..”

Y/N looked up at Damian, unsure of how much he’d seen or heard but was still embarrassed that he’d seen any of it. “N-no.” She cried as he kneeled down next to her. She hated the sympathetic look Damian was giving her because she didn’t need anyone’s sympathy. She needed to prove to him and their partners that she was deserving of this opportunity they’d given her, even if she didn’t completely believe it herself. Damian shook his head and started to gently take the gloves from her hands. “Shh, mi amor. It’s okay.” He said quietly. It was still shocking how someone so big and tough, someone known as ‘The Punisher’, could be so gentle and caring. It was a side only his partners were lucky enough to see, and they felt incredibly lucky to do so.

Y/N sniffled as Damian took the gloves off, immediately bringing her hot, sweaty body against his. His hug only made her cry harder; her body trembled as she sobbed and buried her face in his neck. “What have I done?” She sobbed into his neck. Y/N struggled with the pride, but also the guilt over what she’d done to Brooks and the side she’d chosen. “I-I know I need to let my past go but…but I can’t. I’m trying but I can’t!” Y/n cried and hugged Damian tighter.

Damian held the back of her head and let her get everything out. She needed this; it was part of her grieving process, and he knew that. That didn’t mean it broke his heart any less listening to her cry. “No one said it was going to be easy, amor.” He said quietly. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” He stood up with Y/N in his arms, her legs around his waist as he turned the music off and walked with her to the bathroom.

He sat Y/N on the edge of the bathtub and ran the water. “I heard what you kept telling yourself in there.” Damian said softly, holding Y/N’s chin between his fingers and gently tilting her head up to look at him. “You’re not a failure. I promise you that, princesa.” His heart broke at the sight of their group’s firecracker looking gutted and destroyed. Someone who carried herself with confidence was now riddled with self doubt; but Damian and his partners also knew with time, that was going to come back. She was going to grow into the best she could be with their help. But for now, Y/N needed their support while she continued to work hard.

Y/N sniffled at Damian’s words and looked up at him with wide sad eyes, her shoulders slumped from exhaustion. “I want it all to go away.” She sniffled. “I ruined a relationship with someone I loved because I want to be better b-but at what cost?” She asked herself. Damian used his thumb to wipe her tears. “You did what you believed was the best choice. We’ve all had to go through this, and it’s going to get better.” He gently lowered her into the warm bath and she relaxed in the hot water, letting Damian clean her up. The two of them sat in silence as he wiped the sweat and tears from her body and face, and she’d been so exhausted that he barely remembered Damian lifting her out of the water and carrying her back to bed.

The next morning, the four left Y/N in bed so she could get caught up on her rest while Damian told everyone what happened the night before. “She’s weak, Damian.” Finn said the next morning. While they were all sympathetic, the Irishman had other concerns. “We don’t have time to wait for her to get herself together.” Rhea rolled her eyes at Finn, as did Damian. “We don’t have time? Or you’re impatient?” She challenged.

Finn sighed and pinched his eyebrows. “Both.” He admitted. Dominik looked up from his video game at his partners. “We told her it wasn’t going to be easy. We need to work with her, Finn. Not make things worse.” Finn bit his lip as he looked at the other three in the room. “Or we continue to test her loyalty.” He wasn’t going to let this go; he was going to continue testing Y/N until she proved she was truly committed to The Judgement Day. “And if she can’t be loyal to us? Then it’s time to move on.”

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imyourbratzdoll · 5 months

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𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆

🍓the strawberry shack masterlist🍓

summary - mark hasn't been having the best week and decides to take up a lead his boss gave him, only to wonder if he made the right choice.

warning - smut, oral sex, gloryhole, slight angst.

18+ only please, the gif and headers I use aren't mine.

Warnings and Reminders - Please do not plagiarise, copy, repost/republish, adapt, or translate any of my work on any social media platforms, apps, or third-party sites. The only platforms I post my work on are: Tumblr and Wattpad. I do not own any character of any franchise (Marvel etc.) All my works are fiction and may be dark or triggering content: READ ALL WARNINGS BEFORE PROCEEDING.

Mark sighed as he parked outside the building, he wasn’t having the best of weeks. Ever since they caught the copycat killer, he thought he had finally found some sort of happiness with Sidney but that all went down the drain when she dumped him out of the blue. Work had been keeping him away and he wasn’t seeing her as much, they both had planned on starting a family, but obviously that didn’t work out.

He shakes his head, pulling himself out of his thoughts as he looks toward the bright building. His boss sent him here, telling him to investigate as there’s been word on some illegal things happening. Grabbing his badge, he exits the car and begins to make his way over. It felt like the sign was pulling him toward it even more, something inside him calling for something other than work.

Mark enters the building and slowly walks up to the woman at the counter, her eyes watch him as she awaits his instructions. Mark clears his throat, looking around the room before settling on her. Before he can speak, she smiles and leans forward. “First time?” He nods, “I’d suggest the door on the left down the hall. But you gotta pay first.” Her hand goes out, awaiting payment.

Mark slowly puts some cash in her hand and walks in the direction she suggested. As he enters the room, he thinks. What the hell has he gotten himself into. He slowly makes his way around the room, knowing all he needs to do is head out and report back to his boss, but he stops at your hole. It feels like something is calling out to him, controlling him as he moves closer and reaches down to his tight slacks. “Fuck! What am I doing? I shouldn’t be doing this!” He whispers, feeling tingles shoot through his body as he palms himself.

“Why shouldn’t you be doing this?” You lean forward, enough to peak through the hole and eye his bulge and hands. “Don’t you wanna feel good? Wouldn’t it be nice to treat yourself? Especially seeing as you’ve already paid.” You watch him grip himself a bit harder, knowing your words are getting to him when he finally unzips them and pulls out his throbbing cock. “That’s a good boy. Now let me have a taste.”

Mark groans as he directs his cock through the hole, your tongue immediately making contact with his thick tip. “Jesus…” He rests his hands on the wall, his head following as you slowly suck him deeper into your mouth, your tongue swirls around him. You begin to bob your head, your eyes closing as his tip hits the back of your throat and you moan, causing his head to fly back as it vibrates around his cock, pleasure shooting all the way up his spine and into his head. “Shit! Shit!” His hips jerk and he moans, his eyes screw shut as his balls tighten and cum spurts out of his mushroom tip. “Fuck… That’s embarressing…” He mutters, resting his forehead back against the wall.

You continue to suck his softening cock, licking up all of his cum before you slowly pull back and give his tip a soft kiss, licking your lips, you speak. “Don’t be embarrassed, honey. It looks like you really needed that release.” You giggle, watching through the hole as he tucks himself back into his slacks. “Will I be seeing you again?”

Mark shakes his head and clears his throat. “I uh don’t know…” You watch with a pout as he turns and leaves without a goodbye. Mark flies out of there and quickly gets into his car before he lets out a breath. “What the fuck did I just do?!” His hands grip his hair, shivering as he remembers your lips wrapped around his cock. His head turns and he stares at the building, maybe it wouldn’t be so wrong for him to tell his boss there is nothing there. Maybe it wouldn’t be so wrong to go back and see you again.

thank you for reading!

feedback and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

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boyfhee · 1 year

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⌕ TAKE TWO ━━ 13 : unauthorized investigation

PRECIS. while riki constantly assured you that him being an idol under a different label wouldn't be an issue in your relationship, you start getting second thoughts when fans start shipping him with his co-mc at music bank.

w. angst, miya ( bbg deserves her own warning )

wc. 1.23k

“i didn’t expect you to actually come,” miya chuckles, a menacing grin dancing on her lips with unclear intentions masking her eyes. there’s not much you can decipher about her, except that she’s here for nothing more than your boyfriend. “do you not trust your boyfriend? do you think he’s actually hiding something from you?”

you watch her skim through the menu as if this is supposed to be some friends’ day out, her characteristic smile never leaving her face even for a second. perhaps, it’s the smile that has people wrapped around her, or maybe more. you’re here to fight for what belongs to you in the first place, but one look at miya, and you’re thinking of all the reasons you could lose from her. you aren’t the type to think of the worst possible scenarios before trying, but something about her has you counting your other options.

what if she actually succeeds in whatever she’s planning?

what if riki loves her and not you?

what if. . . and what ifs are all that have been plaguing your mind ever since you received her text. her presence isn’t one to stand out but her words weigh down your shoulders. the truth about riki, you might never know. maybe, it’s part of a bigger plan, maybe she’s simply messing with you. you don’t know, you would never. miya, in herself, is sort of a mystery, and you hate how she makes you question everything you’ve been confident about.

“no, i’m just here to see how pathetic you can get,” but you have a dignity to maintain, a look to deliver that you aren’t half bothered by her silly tricks, even if it’s a white lie.

“you’ve really painted me as the villain in your eyes, haven’t you?” you wonder if she’s trying to incite you, to make you lose your cool. her words are of less importance, almost none, for she’s asking questions she already knows the answers too. she tried to break up your relationship with riki, took every opportunity to ruin things between the two of you and create doubts. so yes, if you consider these things, a villain is not even close to how you see her.

“i don’t want someone who doesn’t want me, but if there’s even a little chance that he does, i’m not backing off,” it’s an apology and a challenge in the same sentence. as if, she’s sorry that you’re about to lose your relationship, but riki is worth fighting and so, she’s not going to apologise for being the reason why your relationship is falling apart. “besides, i can’t control who i fall for, now, can i?”

“of course,” you reach the conclusion that she’s trying to buy time, to annoy you enough that it leaves you with few options, one of them being giving up. it’s smart, you would say, because throwing around the blame and playing the victim card, if done correctly, tends to turn situations in your favour. her eyes still travel back and forth between you and the menu— it doesn’t seem like she’s planning on ordering anything. and in the end, there’s no truth, all lies, and one benefit of doubt.

“yn, i’m not an enemy,” her voice goes soft, eyes looking at you as if you’re supposed to be on her team. “i’m your friend. i’m just another person in love, just like you. i’m really hoping you’d understand,” and there’s a certain tone in her voice; pride, pity— desire.

it’s a shame how you failed to recognise it at once.

“understand what, that it’s okay to ruin someone’s relationship? or that, everything is fair as long as you get what you want, even if it means ruining someone’s career?” there are a thousand reasons why riki could choose her over you, and a million reasons why he wouldn’t. one could be so blindly in love to even forget what’s good and bad, or right and wrong, but god, not riki, not him. you’ve known him for over ten years, dated for three, and there’s only one thing about him that you’re sure of— music. you would find yourself wondering how life would’ve been if you had never chosen this field, but not him. riki has one dream, to make music, and his second, you, or so you believe.

“now, when did i do that?” and miya goes again, pretending to be the innocent one in his unauthorised interrogation. you know she’s in the wrong, but the look in her eyes and the confidence dancing on the tips of her fingers push you towards fear. she isn’t half as astute as you, but she came prepared. as if she had played this conversation in her head weeks ago before fixing her target and sharpening her moves.

“oh, i know you paid the media to post pictures of you and riki to provoke us. even his instagram, it was impossible to track it and find the pictures since it’s a private account that has been inactive for years,” you say as a matter of fact, “you think you’re the smart one here but it really doesn’t take a scientist to catch up to your cheap moves,”

at first, you thought of it as a coincidence— the media finding riki’s account, an article about dating while referring to a picture taken months ago— but the more you think about it, the less it comes off as just a coincidence. in fact, things fell into place better when you imagined miya behind every single thing that has happened lately. it would make more sense to claim that she tipped off journalists to post articles about her and riki everytime the rumours seemed to disappear, just to make sure the fans stayed interested in whatever hypothesis she was trying to prove. she planned it out, has been doing so for months probably, and you would give her the credit of being incredibly clever and impossibly crazy; the more intelligent, the less sane.

“oh, okay, i did that,” she shrugs nonchalantly, as if her actions don’t concern her anymore. the lack of remorse and the abundance of everything else on her face is making your palms sweat, afraid that the next moment, your boyfriend would be slipping through the cracks of your hands and you wouldn’t be able to hold him. “but yn, do you really think i’m the only one who wants this?”

“what do you mean?” there’s a stern look in her eyes. her words are firm, she sounds a little too certain for your comfort. maybe, she’s just a really good liar, maybe you’re reading too much into her actions. maybe, it’s something you’ve created inside your head and it will go away when you wake up. just maybe, those are the words you decide to hold onto.

“you’ve been doubting me since day one, convinced that i’m trying to steal your boyfriend, but what if it’s the other way round?” she leans on the table, you’re hoping her words won’t gesture towards what you’ve been fearing the most. “what if riki made the first move?” and miya knows it’s a blatant lie, but no amount of apologies from riki could bury her words deep enough to never unravel.

after all, she just had to sow the seeds of doubt and let them do their job.

PREV | NEXT | MASTERLIST

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porcelana-r0ta · 1 year

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The Curse of Sight

Summary: When Wes Weston meets Time Drake-Wayne, the dots start connecting. And those dots form a Bat.

Word Count: 2690

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44788813

[Part 2]

When Wes Weston's parents divorced, they decided that he should stay with his dad in Amity Park. After all, small town Amity is much safer than big city Gotham, where his mother was moving in order to accept a promotion with Wayne Enterprises. Wes, in order to still see his mom, would visit her in Gotham every summer and every other holiday.

Of course, Amity soon became more dangerous than Gotham could even dream of thanks to the hell portal in the Fenton's basement that killed and bore Phantom, but whatever. No one ever listened to Wes anyway, and he learned to shut his mouth when Sam Manson shoved him against the lockers and asked him what he thought would happen to Danny Fenton if the Ghost Investigation Ward ever believed his “crazy as shit imagination.”

She was still playing the "Wes is crazy" game, even when defending her boyfriend.

Still, she was right. Danny was safer without him trying to convince Amity's negligent populace that Danny was Phantom. (Even if it absolutely drove him mad that no one but him was capable of making the connection between Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom.) So he shut up. He deleted his conspiracy theory blog and even asked Tucker Foley to wipe all remnants of its existence from the internet, a request which his classmate happily obliged. He even said, "I'm glad you're moving on from this whole Fenton-Phantom obsession, Wes."

Professional gaslighters, the lot of them.

So yes, Wes had thoroughly given up on the superhero ID evidence schemes by the time he left to visit his mom after his freshman year of high school. He had made peace with it and settled back into reading mystery novels or movies and solving the case before the protagonists in place of proving Phantom’s ID.

When he came to Gotham, he had to get a new library card so he could keep up with his mystery novel hyperfixation. He happens to take just a little too long in the library, so by the time he has a nice stack of books to check out, it's dark outside.

Great, walking back to my mother's apartment in the dark in Gotham. Seems super safe.

Well, Gotham is no Amity, right?

So he marches on and tries not to be too resigned when he's inevitably yanked into an alleyway even though the apartment is only three blocks from the library.

Classic.

It's just a man with a gun, his face obscured with a hood and a red bandana. He's literally nothing compared to Pariah Dark or Undergrowth or Dr. Spectra or even the fucking Box Ghost.

"Let me guess," he says. "You want any cash I have, right?"

"Kid, shut the hell up and fork over your money," says the man, and Wes sighs. The mugger didn't even wave around his gun or give an impassioned speech about stealing someone's pelt.

"Original," Wes intones. "But I'm fifteen. And everyone knows young people don't carry cash anymore. I guess I could give you my mom's emergency credit card that she gave me, but she did say it was for emergencies only, so."

The man just stares at him. Wes shuffles uncomfortably.

"Oh! And I could just cancel the card before you use it," Wes adds into the silence.

"You don't consider being held at gunpoint an emergency?" the mugger finally asks, looking uncertain.

"Should I?" Wes wonders aloud. Sam had been much scarier when she threatened him.

"You said you're fifteen? And you don't have a Gothamite accent?" the man offers his reasoning, as if it's any kind of logical. He'd fit in well in Amity for that trait alone.

"Gothamites always think they're so superior." He has to roll his eyes. "Guns aren't that scary. You know what is scary? Your whole town being dragged into the dimension of death for three days. This is nothing. This city is nothing." You are nothing. He knows better than to say that last part, though;

"Christ, kid, you're crazy." The man shook his head and pulled the hammer of his gun back. "Just-- give me the watch you're wearing."

Wes sighs again, "Whatever, I'm not fighting for it." It was literally just a cheap Walmart watch. But just as he goes to unlatch the watch from his wrist, a caped vigilante swings down from the rooftops and kicks the mugger straight into the pavement.

The mugger doesn't get back up.

"Thanks, Red Robin," Wes dutifully says, even though he's pretty sure the man was A) not really that much of a threat, and B) going to have serious brain trauma now.

"It's no problem," the vigilante says. "You're a little young to be out this late, though."

Well, that's rude. It's only 7:00 pm. The only reason it's dark at all is thanks to Gotham's pollution problem. (Maybe they should let Poison Ivy just go fucking feral, like Sam suggests.)

Wes doesn't say that. Instead he says: "Didn't you start crime fighting when you were, like, twelve?"

Red Robin sputters, but Wes continues, "And the first Robin couldn't have been more than nine. I have never picked a fight with hardened criminals." Do ghosts count as criminals? Surely not. What right does Wes have to dictate the morals of being from a completely different dimension? "So I think I'm doing better than you in the safety department, no offense."

Well, doing better in Gotham. But the Justice League doesn't need to know about Amity Park, so he'll leave that part out.

"I-- just--" Red Robin struggles for a second, and then clears his throat. "Why don't I escort you home?"

"I'm two blocks away, but thanks. And thanks again for the---" he waves to the unconscious mugger. Definitely brain damaged.

"Yeah, no problem." And then he grapples away.

Phantom's much cooler. Not that he'll ever say that in front of Danny, Sam, or Tucker. Or anyone from Amity.

He makes it safely home, even if he does pretend to not notice the Bat stalking him from above. And of course, once he recounts his tale to his mother, she freaks out that he'd been nearly mugged, and tries to ban him from doing anything in Gotham at all.

"Mom, I can't just stay inside the house all day. I refuse to spend my whole summer on Netflix." He wants to at least go sightseeing.

Her mouth goes into a thin line and her eyes are as fiery as her red hair.

"Fine," she says. "Then you can get a job."

His stomach drops, "What?"

"A job. My floor needs a new intern, and I found just the perfect person."

"No, Mom, you can't," he pleads. "A Wayne Enterprises job? I'll be known as a nepo-baby for life!"

"Well, too bad. You should have thought of that before being mugged."

"Almost mugged, Mom! Almost! Red Robin was there!" When he sees that this point is getting him nowhere, he switches tactics, "Mom, the Waynes are held hostage, like, every other week! Do you really want me in closer proximity to them?"

She lifts her chin and sniffs, "I'll be there to watch out for you. And an intern won't have any reason to be next to a Wayne, anyway."

He groans, "Mom, please. It's my summer vacation!"

"And you're my son. Discussion over. You start in two days."

He groans again, "Do I at least get paid? Or is Brucie Wayne like every other rich white dude out there?"

"Wes, sweetie, you're white--"

"But not rich," he grumbles.

"But yes, you'll be paid. Every position with Wayne Enterprises is paid."

He crosses his arms, "At least there's that, I guess."

His mom walks to him to hug him and kiss his forehead.

"I'll handle the paperwork tomorrow. Don't worry, you'll love it there!"

Well, spoiler alert: he doesn't.

He's basically a go-fer, fetching paper or ink or photos or files and most usually, lunch from across the street or donuts or coffee. Especially coffee. And his mom's coworkers kinda suck because hey, the Wayne's executive PR manager just hired her own kid for a coveted Wayne internship. No one likes the idea of someone being here who doesn't deserve it. So he is really sent on the most stupid, tedious errands possible for an intern.

He called it: he's the resident nepo-baby, beaten only by Brucie Wayne's very own brood of nepo-babies.

Suddenly, just letting that mugger fill him with hot lead doesn't look so bad. Maybe he would have become a ghost! Haunting Danny would have been fun. Or Ember and the others of her nature make it look fun, anyway.

The Fenton thermos part would probably be uncomfortable, though.

"This sucks," Wes mutters to himself, balancing three carrying cartons of Batbucks (Gotham's stupid parody of Starbucks since they have to be special and not like other girls in every aspect possible) coffee with just two arms, staring helplessly at the elevator call button in front of him.

"Need an assist?" calls a familiar voice, though Wes can't place from where.

"Yes, please!" Wes says gratefully, looking up at a face with blue eyes, black hair, and a familiar jawline.

Wait a second.

"Here, I'll get that for you," says the man, who is really more like a teenager, since it's goddamn Timothy Drake-Wayne, co-CEO of Wayne Enterprises at just seventeen years old. "Going up, I assume?" he gives a charming laugh as he presses the up button, the kind one practices to perfection to ace media interviews and entertain the wealthy elite at galas.

"Yes, thank you, sir," Wes says, and takes the time to really study Drake-Wayne's eyes. And sure enough, he can recognize makeup covering up purple eyebags, just like he could on Fenton.

No. Please, Lord, I'll go back to church. Just don't let it be true.

"Yeah, no problem!" Drake-Wayne says, which really just seals the deal. Wes quietly dies inside, and also curses God. "I'm glad to be of service! Interns doing coffee runs really are doing God's work. And there's no need to call me sir. Tim will do just fine."

"Right... Tim," Wes says uncertainly. He kind of wants the elevator doors to open up and reveal a pitch black hole to drop into, but when the bell rings and the doors slide open, it's just the same ol' regular elevator it's always been. Damn.

So. The boss of this whole entire company is Red Robin. Makes sense, seems legit. He figured out that Plasmius was the mayor of Amity, too, didn't he? So why shouldn't all billionaires be playing dress up and fight crime or be the crime? What's stopping them all, really, when wealth is a superpower all on its own?

Wait, fuck. So. If Tim started out as a Robin when he was twelve-ish. And apparently billionaires are playing dress up. Then doesn't that mean...?

Oh, God. Couldn't he go one season without figuring out some superpowered person's secret identity? Is that too much to ask?

And of course, after figuring Tim and goddamn Brucie Wayne out, it's not so hard to see the correlations between the introduction of every other Wayne brat to the debut of each Robin.

He shakily steps into the elevator, "And how do you normally take your coffee?"

"With the maximum amount of espresso the barista can legally give me," is Tim's immediate answer.

Just like Danny.

And even worse, Tim steps into the elevator after him.

"What floor?" he asks, and Wes feels stupid. Obviously he was going to come in: why offer help at all if he wasn't going to push the floor button for Wes?"

"Uh, 73," Wes says.

Tim nods and presses the according number, and then takes one of the cartons from Wes as the doors closed.

Hopefully, any nerves that Wes is showing can be played off as the nerves an intern would get when they somehow get stuck with the Actual Big Boss™ , and then said Boss™ tries to take the shit they're carrying.

"Uh, you don't have to do that," Wes says nervously. "I can carry them all, really!"

"Don't be silly," the literal co-CEO of his workplace says, as if Wes is in some fucked up Wattpad fic. "Again, where would any of us be without the ones who bring us coffee?"

"In bed?" Wes offers nervously. "Sleeping?"

Tim laughs, but his smile looks more like a smirk, "I guess you're right!"

"But seriously, I can carry the coffee. It's my job. And it'll look weird to everyone if they see the CEO helping me do my job."

"It's no trouble!" Tim insists, and then emphasizes his point by stealing the second carton in Wes's hands. "See? And my employees will be glad to see that I value every employee and am always willing to help out!"

Haha yeah, thought Wes. Too bad they'll never know just how much you help out, right?

Finally, the elevator dings, and Wes is released from one prison to another.

Thanks to the normal chaos of working at Wayne Enterprises, no one immediately notices that the co-CEO is carrying the bulk of the load. Instead, they all hone in on the scent of coffee, and they lunge.

"Thanks, Weston!" the few who are clear-minded enough to remember manners manage to say, even as most of them take their orders from a black haired wunderkind instead of a redheaded conspiracy theorist with the curse of Cassandra.

"Of course," Wes says nervously, and then finally some recognition starts sparking in the coffee-hungry eyes of exhausted PR employees who are always trying to handle some wacky Wayne hijinks.

"You're Weston," says his mom's assistant, Jade, pointing at Wes, and then slowly pointing to Tim, "and you're.... Oh, Mr. Drake-Wayne! Here, let me get that for you!" She yanks the empty cartons out of Tim's hands and shoved them into Wes's. Luckily, his carrying carton had been emptied, too, so he doesn’t get coffee spilled all over him and the floor. "Here, Weston, go dispose of these! Why were you making Mr. Drake-Wayne carry them? It's your job to get coffee, not our CEO's! He has better things to do. In fact, he probably needs to speak to Ms. Rolland."

Ms. Rolland as in his mother, who went back to her maiden name after the divorce.

"Now hold on," says Tim, his eyes alight with anger. "I offered to help Weston out, and I have no need to speak with Penny. I was just helping out one of my employees."

"Oh," says Jade, taking a step back. "Of- of course, sir! Weston, here, I'll take these cartons back. And sir, it's very kind of you to help out."

"I try," Tim says dryly. Wes notices he doesn't tell Jade to not call him sir. "You should probably get back to work."

"Of course, sir." And with the cartons in her hands, she scurries off in the direction of his mom's office, where she'll probably complain about how her kid made Jade look like a fool in front of the Actual Big Boss™.

"Uh, thanks," he tells Tim. "But you really didn't have to help me. It is my job, after all." Unwilling or not.

"It's no problem!" Tim repeats, and Wes wants to bang his head into a wall. "And hey, next time you do a coffee run, forget the others and just grab my order." His words are accompanied by a wink, and Wes is pretty sure it's supposed to be weird rich people humor, so he laughs, and pretends his heart isn’t beating into his ears.

"As much espresso as possible," he plays along, and Tim grins, pressing the call button for the elevator. It hasn't been summoned to another floor, so it opens right back up.

"Have a good day, Weston."

"It's just Wes, really," he corrects, and Tim smiles again.

"Wes," he says, and the elevator doors slide shut.

Cool cool cool. So now he just has to survive two months in Gotham while knowing the entire Batclan’s secret identities.

Cool cool cool cool cool cool....

#idk what this is it just spawned out of me #dp x dc #dc x dp crossover #dc x dp fic #danny phantom x dc #danny phantom #dc #batman #red robin dc #tim drake #wes weston #wesley weston #is this wes weston x tim drake?#you decide!#one shot

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ellafushiguro · 10 days

Text

“Not bad…” Chapter 2

(Links to: Prologue & Chapters 1, 3, 4, 5)

You didn’t bump into Hange on the way to the mess hall this morning. Huh, maybe she’s already there waiting for me. Oddly enough, she wasn’t there either. In fact, no one was. A completely empty dining hall, other than the cooks. You picked up a cookie and ate it on your way out.

Carrying your Captain’s morning tea in the usual tea tray, you knock on his office door. Nothing. You peep your head into, also, an empty office. Was there a meeting you weren’t notified about or something? You leave the tea on his desk, eager to investigate. It’s too quiet around here…

You run into Mikasa and Armin, on their way to see the medic. Finally, someone! “Hey guys, oh god, Armin what happened?” He looks up at you, holding onto Mikasa with one arm, the other holding an ice pack to the side of his cheek. “Goodmorning Lt” he groans, “oh yenno the usual… got my ass kicked hah… nothing too serious!” There was a training session today? Why weren’t you notified? “Ah I see, I didn’t know. I thought I was going crazy for a sec. I couldn’t find anybody.” You say, scratching the back of your neck. “Captain Levi didn’t tell you?” Mikasa asks. “It wasn’t on his calendar” you shrug. “Huh. But anyway, they’re all out back in the field. We’ll catch ya later.” Armin says with a soft smile. They give you a quick salute and went on their way. You had some documents that needed Levi’s signature ASAP. You make your way to the woods behind the castle.

You start to hear faint groans and the sound of sticks click clacking the closer you get to the training ground. You’ve never been back here before. You never really had a reason to. Making your way through the trees, bugs buzzing all around you, branches poking out at you in all directions, getting caught in your hair and one getting caught on your skirt. Ah shit. You try to pull it out, and while doing so, it ripped the side of your skirt creating a side slit. This is why you work in a frickin office!!!!! You’ve turned into such a mess while in this damn forest. Fuck it, you’re in too deep to turn back now. You’ll explain yourself later. You grumble under your breath.

You breathe a sigh of relief as you finally make it out, in one piece. You see all of the younger cadets spread out on the open field fighting, teaching each other, throwing each other, some even doing all kinds of kicks and flips trying to dodge hits. Ah, those were the days. You thought back to when you were once a cadet. For a 15 year old, you were a quick and eager learner and turned out to be an even greater fighter. But that was years ago. You’ve been working in administration since you were 18. You’ve been sidelined for the last 7 years. You haven’t picked up a sword or even thrown a punch ever since. You wonder if you still got it. I mean you’re only 25, it’s not like you’re old.

You search the crowd for Captain Levi. From across the field, you see him standing next to Commander Erwin, Hange, Miche, and Nanaba deep in conversation. You raise your arm up as high as you can, trying to wave him down and get his attention. But nothing. You can’t exactly go around the cadets since they were so spread out. It’s too early for this shit. You were running around the castle all morning, left out of the day's schedule, it’s hot, your legs are sweating in your leather boots, and you were almost just devoured by the damn forest. Your good mood has quickly turned sour, and just keeps getting worse by the minute standing here in this heat. I just need him to sign these damn papers. All this shit just for some frickin documents! But they’re important ones… and they need to be mailed out by lunchtime… so you suck it up. You make your way towards the middle of the crowd, feeling yourself get worked up. The deeper you get into the crowd, the more dusts of dirt fly around into the air, making it a little hard to see. You use your hand to try and fan it from your face, but through the dust someone grabs your hand and throws you down. “What the hell! It’s me, Lt L/N!” I guess they didn’t hear you because whoever it was, wasn’t finished with you. You roll yourself away from them and bump into someone else who grabs your arm and lifts you up, finally someone coming to my rescue, you thought, only to see a fist flying toward you. You quickly dodge the punch leaning to the right, fuck this I’ve had enough! You clench your right hand into a fist and swing, knocking whoever it was to the ground. Damn that felt good. You felt something awaken inside of you. You turn around to start walking again but was met with the same thing… again… and again… and again. Blind with rage, you blacked out.

Once the dust had cleared, you found yourself standing a bit further away from where you last remembered, which was the middle of the field. Panting, you looked down at your hands. Knuckles bruised and bleeding. Your clothes were covered in dirt with a bit of blood that for sure wasn’t yours, the top two buttons on your blouse finally gave up and is now showing more of your chest, and the slit on your skirt from earlier was torn even higher exposing your whole right thigh. Surprisingly your satchel was still hanging around your neck. What the… Then it hit you. You blacked out. This has happened before... You look around the field only to see half of the cadets knocked out, and the other half groaning in pain. “Oi, Y/N.” You looked up and locked eyes with Captain Levi from where he was standing with the others. You turned to look at Commander Erwin, who had a look of satisfaction on his face. Hange, eyes practically popping out of her glasses. Miche and Nanaba, trying to hold back their amusement. The skin in between Levi’s eyebrows scrunched together. You dust yourself off and exhaustedly walk over to him, pulling out a pen and the documents. “I need you to sign these sir.” He looks down at the papers in your shaking hands, and then back up at you. His heart skipped a beat. Our dear Captain Levi was speechless. A rare occurrence. And the others noticed too.

She’s a fuckin mess. A beautiful… goddamn mess…

Yeeesh, he looks like he wants to rip my head off…

“I’ve been wondering when I’d finally be able to see you in action Lt L/N.” Commander Erwin finally speaks up.

“Not bad.”

#leviackerman #levi in love #levi ackerman fanfiction #levi ackerman fanfic #levi #levi x tea #levi blushing #levi fluff #levi x reader #levi aot #levi attack on titan #captain levi #levi heichou #levi ackerman #aot levi #aot levi ackerman #levi ackerman x female reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman x you

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