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bazmichaels · 2 years

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College - Part One

One day in August of 1979, I loaded up my Toyota Corona with clothes, toiletries, a few books, records and tapes, and my bag of footballs and tees, and started driving down to Bowling Green, Kentucky. My mom followed me in her car – she wanted to make sure I got moved in safely and had everything I needed. She also wanted to see the campus. I had been to Kentucky before. It was less than an hour down the highway from our house to get to the bridge in Cincinnati that spans the Ohio River and winds up in Kentucky. I had never been to southwestern Kentucky, however, and since I hadn’t invented digital mapping yet (JK, I didn’t invent it), I failed to calculate how long it would take to actually get to Bowling Green, KY.

So, we just kept driving, and driving, and driving. Once we got south of Louisville, I started to notice the terrain start to change to more rolling hills. The trees were thick and green. It was really quite lovely. As we approached Bowling Green, I could see how the school chose its mascot name – The Hilltoppers. It was a problem as far as anthropomorphizing a guy in a mascot costume. My freshman year, we just had a guy in a white tux with a ‘top’ hat. That was lame. My sophomore year was a gamechanger for the athletic department and the school. A dude who worked at King’s Island had a costume made of a big amorphous blob and called it ‘Big Red’.

It was a stroke of genius and still defines the University’s athletic department. Oops, I’m digressing again. I really need to stay more focused on my topic… hey look, a squirrel! OK, so we were driving to WKU. We drove into the campus, and it was beautiful. We pulled up to the dorm at which I was staying during pre-season football practice. We went in and I checked in and got my key. We walked out to our cars. I was going to unload my stuff and then find a place we could get something to eat. I walked out to my car to grab the first load of stuff, and my mom walked out to her car, got in without saying anything or even looking at me, and took off for home. I kid you not. When she got home and called me, she told me that she was about to start balling and she didn’t want to do that in front of me. She said she cried off and on all the way home. It was a triple-whammy of pride in her son, sadness that her little boy was becoming a man, and melancholy over missing me. It was not the reaction I was expecting, for sure. After scratching my head for a minute, I got back to the business of moving into my temporary room until the campus opened for the general student population. I hauled in a subset of the stuff I brought down and found good places to temporarily stash them. I think I wound up walking around campus to get a lay of the land. I don’t know if I’d even been to a college before – I might have helped a friend move out of a dorm room on the campus of Ohio State, but that also may have been after I had gone to college. I can’t remember if I had any occasion to visit The University of Dayton when I was in high school. Anyway, WKU seemed huge and gorgeous. I barely saw a soul on campus. It was kind of creepy, but also magical, in a way. The campus had tons of greenspace, trees, and foliage. It had many beautiful old, ornate, pillared academic and administrative buildings. As advertised, it was hilly. There was one very large hill that separated the campus between the upper campus and the lower campus. Most of the academic buildings were at the top of the hill, while all the dorms, administrative buildings, and recreational areas were on the lower campus. My temporary dorm was in the newer part of campus and was close to the football field, which was surrounded by the track. The football practice field, baseball field, and tennis courts were all next to each other over there. I’m pretty sure I wandered over to the practice field and did some kicking late that afternoon. I didn’t see any other walk-on football players anywhere – I think the other guys lived close enough that they didn’t have to get there the day before. The scholarship and returning non-scholarship players were already in their rooms in the athletic dorm.

The next day was the first day of practice. I was excited! I went in to meet Coach Feix in a morning meeting we had set up over the phone. He was such a cool guy. He reminded me of Uncle Harry, but he was also a local rock star. We had a nice talk and he laid out the expectations of the program and went over the basic logistics of practices. It was at that point that I told him I had a Chemistry Lab on Monday afternoons and I would have to miss practices on Mondays. He was definitely caught off guard by that. I don’t think he had ever had a player take a science lab before. That was unfortunate because Mondays were when the Taxi Squad (the guys that don’t play in the games – like me) played a live scrimmage. That was an unfortunate circumstance, but then I made a serious mistake. Coach Feix asked me if I was going to be a kicker or a punter. I told him I was hoping to do both like I did in high school. He said I had to pick one because of how they ran their practices. I knew I was better at punting, but for some reason the word ‘kicker’ came out of my mouth. Maybe it was because I had a special shoe. Crap. So, I thanked Coach Feix for the opportunity, he welcomed me to the team, and I went to the next stop along the way – the equipment guy. I got my equipment, and the guy gave me my locker assignment.

I went into the locker room to get dressed for practice. I was still 17 years old because I started school early at age 5. I was suddenly in the locker room with the biggest, scariest partially naked men I had ever seen. Some of them looked like they were 35 years old. The scariest thing I saw that I had never seen before, were the huge, muscular dudes that had Greek symbols burned into their skin. Some of these guys had been branded with Omega symbols on their chests or arms as part of their fraternity initiations. It was very intimidating. Then a half-naked hulk of a man came up to me and introduced himself. He looked like he could crush me to death with his bare hands, but he was super nice, and he invited me to attend the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Not what I was looking for, but it helped me feel a bit more comfortable. (That dude would go on to get drafted as an offensive lineman by the Atlanta Falcons). I got dressed and followed the crowd out to the practice field, where we warmed up. Then we split up into groups by position. I was one of five kickers. There were two punters. Crap. We started doing some warmup kicks, and I felt pretty good about how I was striking the ball. Then I heard a sound I had never heard before. It reminded me of a foot punting a football, but it was too loud to be from a kicked ball. The boom was deafening. It sounded like air was being sucked into a vortex. I looked over, and there he was: the future. He was a tall, slender soccer-style kicker from Florida. He was also a freshman. He was the one our coaches went out and recruited. He was the kicker to whom they granted a full-ride scholarship. The other kickers and I were straight-on, flat-toed losers. Only the senior amongst us was strong enough to challenge him, and then it was only for kick-offs, not field goals. After we warmed up, we went over to the rest of the offense, and we kicked field goals with live snaps in front of the whole team and all the coaches. They lined us up extra wide from the middle of the field – further than normal, to make it harder on us. Nice tactic. I missed my first one slightly to one side. Then I over-corrected and missed slightly to the other side. Then I over-over-corrected and missed slightly to the original side. Crap. I should have said I was a punter. I kicked solid enough, though, that they kept me around, but I was at the bottom of the depth chart. It wasn’t long before I found my form, but I was at a disadvantage from missing Monday scrimmages, so I just kept practicing.

By the end of the season, I was reliably making field goals from 55-yards. One of the cool things about our practices was that we would practice kicking in the stadium, and that’s where the track team practiced, so we got to watch the track team do their work as we were doing ours. We had an elite distance running program, so watching them train was fascinating. The coolest thing, though, was watching the high jumpers train from up close. I saw a dude clear 7 feet from up close. It looked like he had some sort of jet packs on his feet. Digressing again – back to football. The football team had an off year my freshman year, only going 5-5, sandwiched between 8-2 and 9-1 top 5 national ranking (D-1AA) seasons. I guess it was my fault. Sorry.

The room in which I stayed during pre-season workouts was temporary. When the general student population arrived, I moved into my normally assigned room in East Hall in the central part of campus. As a freshman walk-on, I didn’t live in the football dorm – I was fine with that. I distinctly remember the first morning after the first night in the dorm. We didn’t start classes for a couple of days after we moved in, so the first night was party night (but not for me). The following morning was vomit morning. I walked into the communal bathroom and got blasted by the stench of vomit and beer. I went into the showering area and there were chunks everywhere. I was 17 years old. That was another item on my list of why I never started drinking.

I went through the normal dormitory assignment process, and I got a double room with a very nice, very tall, very Christian young guy. I can’t recall his name, but I saw he brought a tennis racquet with him to college, and he saw that I brought mine. It turns out we were both decent high school tennis players, so my first free weekend, we went out and hit the courts. We were a good match – we could both maintain rallies and return hard shots. We started playing and I was a better match player and got off to an early lead and it was clear to both of us that I was going to win the match. But we played some good points, and it was fun. Somewhere in the middle of our match, a distinguished looking gentleman came over to our court and asked if he could speak to my roommate for a moment. He explained to my roommate that he was the head tennis coach at WKU, and he really liked my roommate’s game, and invited him to sign up for the tennis team tryout tournament. That was cool. He didn’t say much to me when I wandered over, and he certainly didn’t invite me to the tryout. It was an open tryout, however, and I signed up just to see how I would do. The 6 scholarship guys on our team were recruited from as far away as Chile. They had serious game, but the team needed a 7th player as a backup, and that spot was traditionally filled with the player from the student body that won the tryout tournament – no scholarship included. I don’t think my roommate bothered to sign up, but maybe he did and lost early. I lost my first match to another freshman football player – a blonde pretty boy wide receiver with a gorgeous blonde girlfriend that sat on our court’s bench while we played. It was a very competitive 3-set match, and he came close to winning the whole thing, so I felt pretty good about it. But it was back to football and books for now.

I made friends with another freshman in my dorm named John Budd. He was one of those elite distance runners on our track and cross-country teams. He was a High School All-American marathon runner from Colorado (said he pissed blood for a week after that race). The interesting thing was that he had no sprint speed, whatsoever. I made him look like a turtle when we ran, like in a pickup touch football game. But he could run a distance runner’s pace all day. We discovered one day that we could both play smashmouth ping pong. The dorm had a recreation room with a TV, a bunch of comfy chairs, and a ping pong table. We would spend hours on the ping pong table trying to get into rallies where one or, ideally, both of us would both be hitting the ball with all-out, full-on swings. It was a blast. Budd was a huge Niel Young fan. I hadn’t heard much of his music – maybe just ‘Heart of Gold’ and ‘Old Man’, which were nice songs, but they were both ballads, and Young’s high-pitched, nasally voice almost ruined those songs for me. But when Budd introduced me to Niel Young’s lesser-known hard-rocking or deep, soulful songs, that was a whole different story. Then his voice was more like Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant wailing across a chasm, shouting to the skies. We would rock out and wail along with Niel, although we were careful about playing ‘Southern Man’ too loud, since we were in Kentucky. John Budd was only there for one year before transferring, but it was fun hanging out with him.

My first semester of classes went well, for the most part. I started my run of all A’s in general education classes with strong showings in English and the general education version of the Astronomy class. I became an Astronomy tutor after that class and made a few bucks that way. In my English class, I pissed a lot of people off when I got a 98 on the poetry section test, and just about everyone else struggled with it. I guess I’m just a highly sensitive guy in touch with my emotions, and poetry is my love language. Math was a review class for me, so I had that dialed in. My physics class was great. My professor started talking to us, and he had a very thick, slow Kentucky drawl, and my bigoted reaction was that this guy was dumb. Of course, he had a PhD in Physics, so he was extremely smart, and it turned out he was an excellent teacher. Dr. Humphries, I believe. Then, there was Chemistry and its accompanying Lab, which had already messed with my football practice. That professor was a weird little dude with a flat-top haircut, a chubby belly, and an attitude. I was not a big fan of Chemistry as a class in the first place, and then I got a strange little tough guy giving lectures and tests and running the labs. I got a big fat C in both the class and the lab. That was the only Chemistry class I needed for my Astrophysics major, so I took the C’s and ran. Even with the C’s I made the Dean’s List my first semester. College wasn’t so hard.

In the second semester, my most interesting class was called Football. In that ‘class’, all of us were thrown in together for offseason workouts. The workouts were primarily lifting weights in a circuit. Everyone on the team worked on the same circuit – including 300-pound behemoths and 250-pound athletic freaks. As a result, the weights were extremely heavy. That’s a great strategy for the team, and it would be great for me. Unfortunately, I had a fairly fresh whiplash injury, and the heavy weightlifting was destroying my neck. Every day I went to the workout and my neck got progressively worse. After a season of unimpressive kicking, I was hoping to switch to punting, while taking advantage of this heavy-duty power lifting. But the workouts were causing excruciating pain, and I didn’t feel like I had earned any time off to skip offseason workouts. I decided that I needed to hang up my cleats – both the normal one and the weird, flat-toed one. I went in to talk to Coach Feix and explained my situation. He was very kind by not telling me I sucked and wouldn’t be missed. He told me not to worry about the class – I didn’t have to show up anymore and would still get an A. Yay college athletics. I was very melancholy for the next few days. It wasn’t my whole life, but I spent all my junior high and high school years playing football, and it felt like the end of a big part of my life. But I was also there for school. I was getting into some more interesting physics classes, and I always enjoyed the general education classes I took.

Another big change in my second semester was I got a new roommate. My first semester roommate wanted to room with another super-Christian guy he met during the first semester. I moved in with a guy I met who was from Vandalia, OH, which was adjacent to Huber Heights, so our families lived close to each other. We got along well. He was small, but a good athlete. He played on his high school baseball team and could throw a baseball 85 mph. We would play catch and it was a little scary to catch some of his throws. He was also a good golfer – his parents’ house was on a golf course. He had a piece of carpet, a taped-up wad of paper, and a pitching wedge. He would practice his golf swing in the room, and he showed me the basics of the golf swing. I picked it up quickly. It was a right-handed club, and a right-handed golf swing was similar to my left-handed backhand in tennis. He was an Economics major, which seemed insane to me, but he was into it, and I was glad to have another roommate who took his studies seriously.

I think this was the semester that I ran into some academic trouble with a computer science class I took called ‘Assembly Language’. Do you know what that is? I didn’t either at the time. When I got to class, I was expecting it to be like the BASIC programming language which is called a high-level programming language in that it has a well-formed syntax that is like writing out logic statements in a human language. Assembly is any low-level programming language with a very strong correspondence between the instructions in the language and the architecture's machine code instructions. I didn’t know anything about computer architecture or machine code, and the instructor came in assuming we already knew about all of that, specifically about IBM mainframes. I found myself completely lost. Instead of doing what I should have done in the following lesson learned, I dropped the class. I took an Assembly Language class (for the PC) after I graduated, and I really enjoyed it.

With 12,000 students on campus, and more women than men, I was bound to do better with girls than I did in high school. There were still plenty of girls that didn’t want to go out with someone who looked as ‘ethnic’ as I did, but there were a few who actually found it to be a turn on. I found the much bigger impediment with many of the better-looking ladies was money. The frat boys had it. I did not; therefore, I had a zero per cent chance of dating a lot of the girls on campus. That was ok – there were still thousands of other fish in the sea. I did manage to hook a couple of girlfriends my first year. I actually think I was the one that got hooked by the first girl I dated. We shared a few amorous glances in the campus laundromat*, and it didn’t take long for her to come over and talk to me. Before I knew it, we were dating.

One Friday afternoon, she seemed distracted and kind of down. I asked her what the matter was. “I’m homesick” she said. I knew she was from the Greater Chicago area. “Road trip?”, I said with an adventurous twinkle in my eye. “Are you serious?”, she said, excitedly. “I’m game if you are.” “Let’s go!” she said. 400 miles and 6 ½ hours later, we rolled into Chi-town. I met her family (knocking over a house plant in the process). They were rich. I figured I got some caring and spontaneity points for taking her to her home, but I didn’t see our relationship working out in the long run. I was right – we ended things a few weeks later. She technically dumped me for another guy (skinny white dude with a stupid-looking blonde afro), but she figured she could soften the blow by setting me up with a friend of hers that liked me. I wasn’t particularly upset about the breakup, but I appreciated the introduction. We dated for a while. She was nice, but she was a bit odd. Also, she had to wear a great big back brace that covered her entire upper body. That relationship kind of just dissolved into the ether. There were a couple of other girls I was interested in, but nothing else materialized the rest of the year. It was still way better than high school.

#memoir #college

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eon-astra · 3 years

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So uh

Human hunter and "golden" guard luz au anyone?

EDIT:

Swaps for this au:

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luz 🔄 Hunter

King 🔄 Kikimora

Eda 🔄 Lilith

(The other refs i have done but will post later:)

Willow 🔄 Amity

Gus 🔄 Matt

Camila 🔄 Belos

Notes about this au:

-------------------------------

•Everyone's personalizes are not swapped, just their roles. However, personalizes may be slightly altered due to the newly found life situations (due to role swapping).

•Luz's palisman is a swallow, purely based of aesthetics.

•Cannonical story lines are practically null and void in this AU (ex: cannon series ship = luz x amity, but for this role swapping au, i am not shipping hunter x willow despite them being the swapped counterparts.)

•A friendly reminder that Luz is Cannonically Bisexual and that has not been altered in this AU

•That being said, Lumity is not the ship being portrayed within this AU.

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littlemisslipbalm · 4 years

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“Similar Tastes”

An enemies to lovers classic. You and Harry are too similar for you to ever get along...maybe

Hi hi! This is for @majorharry’s 20k celebration writing !!! Hope you all enjoy, I always love to hear from you :)))

The prompts I used: “How about you get off my dick” and “Sorry, I didn’t know”

This gif bc Harry “oh god that’s TEQUILA” Styles is king

Fluff? Smut? But definitely angst? Idk how to describe it bahaha a little bit of everything

Word Count: 4.0k | Warnings: language (there are actually two slurs in this - they’re bisexual slurs and they’re said by the bad guy so just take that into consideration), mature content (not quite smut but y’know), alcohol consumption, girl kissing girl at one point

Pt. 2 is up!

Saturday night. It was finally time to go out with your group of friends and you couldn’t be happier. Well, you could, but what would make you that happy wasn’t possible. If one of the people in your friend group wasn’t there. That would make you the happiest.

Almost everyone has that one person in your friend group who you can’t stand. Like, at first you don’t really know them and then as you get to know them more you just can’t stand them.

For you that was Harry.

While neither of you would admit why you hated each other, it was obviously about how everyone would always compare the two of you. You had practically identical personalities, and had similar fashion taste. At first, everyone else thought you would end up together because it seemed like you were perfectly matched. But the first time someone said, “Oh, Harry, your jacket looks just like the one Y/N wore last week.” Both of you had seethed in complete dissatisfaction.

Naturally, Harry took his jacket off early in that evening and you never wore yours again. You hated being compared to Harry, being told he had made a similar joke or said the same thing about something made you want to reevaluate your entire value system. Maybe it was because you both had such an individualistic mindset, but neither of you enjoyed being compared to anyone and that’s what made it all the worse when people chose to compare you to each other. It boiled down to both of you wanting to be the best at everything - the most unique, rather - that made you dislike the other so much.

So, tonight at the bar, as your group rattled in from the street, you stuck close to your pals at the front while Harry was chatting with someone near the back of the pack. Your eyes had met briefly when you’d seen each other’s outfits. Harry’s a half unbuttoned Gucci cream dress shirt, that was rolled to his elbows, tucked into high waisted navy trousers finished with cream boots and yours a navy bra top with a faux collar and a deep cut to show your cleavage paired with cream high waisted pleated pants and navy loafers. Not exactly the same, but if you had stood next to one another it would have looked planned. You rolled your eyes at him as he narrowed his towards you. You couldn’t wait to order a few drinks and let loose after a hard week at work.

As you all approached a booth, somehow the group shifted and Harry and you were suddenly side by side as everyone was getting in the booth. Then, you were sitting and Harry was right beside you. He tried to cover his groan of annoyance when he realized he’d have to be sitting next to you, once again regarding your outfit with disdain. Your only response was glaring at him. The friend who you had been talking to, Marie, placed her hand over your ring-clad one, that was now gripping the side of the table out of annoyance. “Play nice,” she said. You relaxed at her touch trying to refocus on the purpose of the night, fun.

Soon, a waitress made it to your table and smiled sweetly at all your bright faces. Harry and you were located to her left, and her eyes reached you last.

“Oh! You two are too cute! I love when couples coordinate their outfits!”

Harry’s eyes bulged out of his head and you gave a tight-lipped smile as you tried to keep yourself from having a blood vessel pop in your eye right then.

“We’re not” you began, Harry cut you off, “together, love.”

His expression changed as he smirked up at the waitress, trying to make it clear that he was very much single.

“Oh! My apologies...So what can I get everyone?”

As she began to take the orders, you shoved your elbow into Harry’s rib. You did it for two reasons, for him cutting you off when you were talking and for being so on top of you in the booth.

He turned to you, “The fuck was that for?”

“For being an asshole.”

“Excuse me?”

As you’re about to go off on him about being rude, Marie taps your hand and you realize it's your turn to order.

You clear your throat, trying to shake off your angry tone, “Tequila on the rocks, please.”

The waitress nods and then turns to smile at Harry, he gives you side eyes of disdain, “What’s your most expensive tequila?”

Her smile grew, “We’ve got Don Julio Real and Gran Patron for top shelf.”

“Don Julio on the rocks, please.” He winked.

She nods, scribbling something on her notepad, “Oh! Would you like Don Julio as well?” she returns to you.

You shook your head, “No. Jose Cuervo works just fine,” and glared at Harry once more.

Of course he would ask for top shelf, you thought. Harry couldn't have gotten through saying the exact same order as you, especially after the waitress had already pointed out the similarity in your clothes.

“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

Being in such close proximity to Harry made you incapable of leaving the bickering alone. Everyone else always ignored when the two of you really got into it, because it honestly wasn’t that interesting. Like an old married couple, though none of them would ever dare say it.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Y/N?”

You scoffed as he turned in his seat to look at you. “Oh, please, you just couldn’t handle ordering the same thing as me. You had to flex that you could order Don Julio!”

“You’re just upset because you can’t.”

“Come off it! I could, but I don’t feel the need to boost my ego by showing off to the waitress that I can afford the expensive stuff.” You laughed at his attempt at snubbing you about what you can and can’t afford.

His eyes darkened and flashed at you and you could see it even in the dim lighting off the bar. “I wasn’t trying to show off, it’s not my fault you don’t care to drink the good stuff.”

“Okay, Harry,” you say sarcastically, waving him off.

He huffed, annoyed that you were the only person he was sitting next to. He had to call across the table if he wanted to speak to anyone that wouldn’t involve you being completely in the way. As he was about to call out to Mitch who was directly across from him, the waitress returned with everyone’s drinks.

“Jose Cuervo on the rocks! And Don Julio on the rocks!” She beamed at the group after finishing handing them out.

Everyone thanked her and she disappeared. You and Harry simultaneously took sips of your drinks.

You wrinkled your nose, “This isn’t Jose Cuervo…”

Harry placed his drink on his coaster and swallowed, licking his lips he said, “I think mine is, tastes cheap.”

“You’re really an ass,” you say as you shove your misgiven drink to him and snatch his from the table instead.

Harry growing tired of your arguing already, “Whatever you say, sweetheart,” he rolled his eyes and took a larger sip of the correct drink.

You take a sip of your own drink and sigh again, “This isn’t even tequila, what the fuck?”

“Ah, no wonder it tasted like shit. What do you think it is?”

“Well, considering there’s only, like, a handful of clear hard liquors besides silver tequila, probably vodka, idiot,” you breathed the last word under your breath, still Harry stared at you with daggers in his eyes. You weren’t actually sure how many other liquors it could be, but you were so pissed off by the whole situation you just wanted to make him shut up.

“Well that’s a bummer, kid. Maybe next time, order a better tequila and she’ll get it right.”

You shoved him, not wanting to wait for the waitress to come back to fix her mistake, “How about you get off my dick and then I can go get something worth drinking?”

Harry huffed as he slowly moved his body up from his seat, yet he stayed so close to the opening of the booth you were practically chest to chest when you slipped out. Due to that, and maybe a little bit on purpose, you knocked your drink forward to get a small amount on him. Not enough for him to be drenched, but enough to bug him for the rest of the night.

“Oops?” you tilted your head and held a sickeningly sweet smile on your face as you looked at his taken aback look. His prominent jaw had dropped as the cold liquid had pooled over his left breast pocket, some of his tattoos now much more visible. You quickly turned on your heel and bounced off to the bar. Harry grumbled and sat back down, Marie leaned over with a napkin, trying to dry him off a bit.

With a fresh drink in hand you weaved back to the table, all your friends were laughing together at something Harry had seemingly said. When you arrived everyone beamed up at you, far more jovial after a few sips of their drinks. Only Harry’s face was sour, but you chose to ignore it and smile at your friends, waiting for Harry to get up to let you into your seat that he had occupied in your absence. When he didn’t, your face began to fall from its smile.

“Are you going to get up?”

“No, just take that seat,” he waves his hand beside him, trying to go back to the conversation he was engaging in before you had arrived.

“But, you’re in my seat,” you pushed.

“You’re the one who decided to get up and leave it.”

“You cannot be serious, Harry.”

“As a heart attack,” he said flatly, and then turned his head to Sarah who was next to Marie.

You looked around the table for help, Mitch gave a slight sad smile like he felt bad, but everyone knew there was no changing Harry’s mind. You knew you didn’t have the strength to yank his large, muscled body out of the booth, so you resigned and took his old seat. There, you kicked Harry’s leg harshly and took a long sip of your alcohol, just wanting to get drunk enough to want to dance and then not be near Harry.

After a second round of drinks, this time the waitress getting your order right, you were feeling better. Harry and you were largely ignoring each other and laughing along with the rest of your friends to some story. Every so often his leg would open up and bump into yours and you’d hit back at it harder, his eyes sliding to your face for a moment and then looking away. He made you so hot with anger and the closeness of bodies in that bar already had the temperature way too high. You gulped at your drink, trying to cool down, but it only had the opposite effect, the alcohol mixing with your blood, heating up your insides, as well.

Then, once the third round of drinks were served, Marie suggested it was time to dance, commenting that some random song that was currently playing was ‘her favorite’. It wasn’t, but whenever she got drunk, every song was ‘her favorite’. However, you were all happy to oblige, feeling restless as the alcohol was buzzing in your systems.

Out on the dance floor, some of the couples in your friend group paired off to dance on each other while the rest of you spread out. You spotted a woman in the crowd wearing a sequin dress that looked absolutely gorgeous on her, her blonde hair reminding you of some rocker chick in the 70’s. While making your way towards her, Harry tried to get in front of you, obviously making his way to her as well.

Another thing Harry and you had in common, the people you typically went for - men and women. Shaking him off with a hand on his chest and a glare, you reached her first and she smiled at you as you complimented her outfit and began to dance with her. Harry resigned to staying with some of your other friend’s when he saw how the woman threw her head back at something you said to her. Soon, she was grinding herself against your front, your lips attached to her neck, hands on her hips.

Feeling particularly happy with yourself, your gaze flitted around the crowded dance floor. Eyes scanning those around you, you soon made eye contact with Harry, who actually wasn’t that far off. His eyes looked a more dull green in the light and he rolled them when he saw you looking up from your place against the beautiful woman. While he still looked on at your languid figures pressed together, you teased your tongue up her neck a bit, causing the woman to keen into your touch. As Harry was about to look away, shaking his head at your antics, he caught sight of a guy approaching you and the other woman.

He said something to the pair of you, but you couldn’t hear him. The woman had opened her eyes to look at the guy and you had removed your lips from her, shaking your head that you didn’t catch what he said.

He repeated himself, yelling this time, “Fauxbians out here trying to catch a real man! How ‘bout we make you total lugs!”

He was loud enough for your friends to hear, including Harry who had been watching the whole scene play out. He pushed through the crowd to get to your side, he might not like you, but he couldn’t stand someone who was homophobic, or biphobic, in this case. You pushed the woman off of you and to the side, she was clearly upset and you weren’t going to let what the guy said slide.

“What the fuck, man? You think it’s okay to say shit like that to people? What year are you living in, like for real?”

As you were about to start really ripping into him, you felt Harry’s presence beside you. You looked over and he looked angry, like really angry, not annoyed or exasperated as he usually did with you. Angry like he was about to grab this guy by the shirt and start pummeling him. Even with all the alcohol in your system, you knew that wouldn’t actually help the situation, even if you did want someone to wipe the smug look off this guy’s face, which had only grown worse since you’d started yelling at him. It was like this stranger was getting off on making these two women in front of him uncomfortable and upset.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Harry spat at the guy.

“Harry,” you turned your body towards him and put your hand on his chest, placing yourself between him and the rude guy, “I’m not letting you get into a fight over what he said. It’s not worth it.”

He had pushed himself almost against this guy, Harry easily hovering over him. Harry looked down at you and then back to the guy, who was chuckling to himself, stepping back from the scene.

He seethed, “You disgust me,” he looked at the man. “Just crawl back into whatever hole your sorry ass came out of.”

The guy just laughed and walked off. Harry looked down at you, his eyes softening instantly. You couldn’t exactly distinguish the look he gave you, you just knew it was something you’d never seen directed at you.

Your brow remained furrowed as you looked at him, then he said, “Let’s get some air.”

You looked around the room for your sequined dress woman, but she was nowhere to be found. So you let Harry take you by the hand out the side exit, to the bar’s alleyway.

Outside, you immediately brought your hands to rub over your exposed arms, the tiny sleeves of your shirt not being enough to brave the brisk night air. The altercation had shaken you up quite a bit and immediately sobered you. Harry stepped closer to you out of instinct, seeing you were shivering, but having nothing to offer warmth except himself. The two of you leaned against the bar’s outer wall and took a few deep breaths.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked, voice slightly hoarse from yelling in the loud bar.

“Fine. You?”

Why was he being so nice, you were surprised he had stepped in at all, but now he was checking in on you past that, it was confusing.

“Of course. You didn’t even let me get a single swing in.”

You scrunched your face at his comment regarding violence. “Why did you even come over? I can handle myself,” you asked, suddenly feeling the normalcy of bickering settle between the two of you.

Harry rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. His pectoral muscles slightly shifted and pushed around his cross pendant in the center of his chest.

“Because he was a dick,” he started, then sighed, “And because I can’t just let some homophobe say a bunch of slurs to my friend.”

Your eyes grew wide and shown in the street lamp, as they looked up into Harry’s green ones. He was slightly sweaty from the bar, but it was quickly drying and leaving a slight sparkle on his skin. His jaw was tensed, as he tried to maintain eye contact with you. You remained silent, unaware how to respond to his statement that he did, despite much evidence saying otherwise, care about you.

Harry decided to continue, “You might piss me off, like all the time, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay for a random asshole to say that kind of shit to you.”

“I’m your friend?” you circled back to what he had said earlier. Your voice was small and also hoarse from yelling in the bar.

“Of course, Y/N, what the fuck?”

“I thought...I guess I never saw it that way.”

“Harsh.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know competing all the time and being annoyed with each other was friendship.” You shifted closer to Harry, your words dripping in sarcasm. Even now, as the two of you checked in on each other and talked about your friendship, you managed to fight.

“That’s just because you’re constantly infuriating me and getting us into fights,” Harry smirked, tapping a finger on your cold nose.

“I think you’ve got it backwards, there, Har,” you winked.

“No, I don’t think so,” he shrugged and pressed closer to you.

Neither of you were very clear on what your bodies were doing, slowly moving so that you had your back against the wall and Harry’s hips were pressed up against yours.

“It’s not my fault you’re always jealous of me,” you breathe, his face inches from yours.

Harry snorted a laugh out of his nose, his eyes slowly blinking and looking away from you, before staring directly at you. “Oh, please, now who has it backwards?” His right arm went up beside your head and his hand rested on the cold stone next to you. His breath, from his laughter and words, fanning over your face, made you close your eyes at the warmth.

You moved both of your hands up to his chest, and he looked down at the movement. One moved up to grip his shoulder and the other fiddled with the cross that had caught your attention when he had folded his arms.

After a beat, Harry said your name, barely above a whisper. Your head tilted up, looking up at him questioningly. You didn’t really understand the position the two of you had shifted yourselves into. “Can I kiss you?” Harry asked.

“Do you want to?”

“Kind of…” He ran a finger over your cheekbone.

Your eyes danced with mischief “Why?”

“Are you serious?” Harry asked in slight disbelief.

“As a heart attack,” you said gravely, throwing the words he had used earlier back at him. He sighed a slight laugh.

“Like I said, infuriating…”

Just as he was about to pull away, you reached up and connected your lips with his. Your hand cupped his strong jaw and brought him closer to you. His warm, wet lips pushed against yours with vigor. There was passion in the kiss. A constant push and pull for who got to be in control. You sucked on his lower lip, trying to get him to open up his mouth, but he declined.

He pressed you further onto the wall, while cradling your head to keep it from knocking against the concrete. His teeth nipped at your lip after a few more moments of fervent open mouth kisses without tongue. You resigned to not getting your way and let his tongue lick into you. Your tongue pressed against his as the two of you continued kissing. While his mouth was harsh, the rest of his touch was mostly soft. The hand that didn’t cradle your head was rubbing up and down your side, only venturing down to your bottom occasionally and squeezing quickly.

Finally, he pulled back, gasping slightly for air. He then rested his forehead against yours and you looked at him from beneath your lashes. One of your hands was now twisted in his curls, while the other was gripping his shirt, over the dried vodka spill from earlier. You smiled as you exhaled a big breath. Harry chuckled giddily.

“That was hot,” you said.

“Y’know, having similar tastes...might not be such a bad thing after all.”

“Knowing us we probably like all the same things…” you trailed off, blushing at the suggestion.

“Why don’t we find out sometime,” Harry winked before brushing his lips against yours once more.

Pecks weren’t possible for either of you though, both of you furiously pressing back together, hungry for more of the heat that came from you kissing.

“That’d be nice,” you whimpered against his lips.

“I think it’d be more than nice…” Harry brought his head down to suck on a part of your exposed cleavage, one of his legs pressed between yours, pushing slightly up into your heat. A strangled moan left your lips as you tried to stifle it. Harry chuckled, his face moved up to right beside your ear, “You’d probably love to have me take you right here, huh?”

His leg pressed up into you and your body automatically grinded down on the pressure. The alcohol and sexual grinding from earlier had gotten you horny and the making out with Harry had definitely heightened your desire.

“But we both know you can’t,” you gained your strength and pressed a little on his shoulders.

As much as you desired Harry right now and he seemed to desire you, as well, he was right. You two were extremely similar and would never actually have sex in a bar alleyway, as much as you might want to in the moment. You both laughed, releasing the sexual tension that was surrounding you.

“I know, but it’s fun to pretend we could...How about we go to my place and see what other fantasies we share?” Harry twisted a strand of your hair in his large hand.

“For once, I’m happy to be on the same page as you, Harry,” you grinned. He picked you up and spun you around, making you shriek in laughter, before heading back into the bar to gather your stuff.

You were quick to scurry out of the bar after telling your friends you were both leaving, tired from everything that had happened. Everyone simply nodded, but the minute you were far enough away they all snickered about the lipstick smeared on the corners of Harry’s lips and your terribly mused hair. Mitch even placed a twenty in the palm of Sarah’s open hand, shaking his head in defeat.

Tag list: @cronias13 @theresthingsthatwellneverknow @harrxier @harrys-cherrry @sltwins @awesomebooklover17 @harrys-stan

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x reader #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles smut #harry styles fanfic #harry styles imagine #majorharry20k #please enjoy #and give feedback #enemies to lovers #enemies to lovers!harry #harry styles one shot #harry styles oneshot #harry rec #fic rec

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skellebonez · 3 years

Text

Tumblr Messed Up Fill #1

So Tumblr did a BIG OLD OOPS and published a bunch of my unfinished drafts that I left in my queue at 1 PM... when I set it to 1 AM and intended to finish a couple and then change the time again.

LUCKILY I DIDN’T HAVE THE ENTIRE FILLS IN THE QUEUE AND JUST BITS I ADDED IN TO HOLD SPACE. So... I guess this is how we’re doing this! @winterpower98 here’s some Mentor Swap AU Shadowpeach!

How did you get that scar?/That is not a good hiding spot.

It had been scheduled far in advance and Wukong should have remembered that this was going to happen. The Weather Station needed to let it rain sometimes! It was good for the environment! Good for nature! But Wukong was Wukong and when he trained with Xiaotian for as long as he did he had a tendency to forget the unimportant things like “scheduled downpours” and “when training is actually supposed to end”.

So by the time he managed to crash land a foot away from Mei’s front door after pogo sticking his way off of Mount Huaguo he looked like he’d been dropped into the ocean.

“Cold-cold, cold and wet!” He yelped, shoving the staff back into his ear and trying to hold his jacket over his head as best he could, which did just as much good as it did during the ride. Which was “barely anything”. “Ah shit, it’s cold why can’t they make the rain not COLD!?”

He continued into the building, shuddering as he felt rain water seeping through every bit of fabric he wore, even his shoes the traitors. He immediately started ripping off his shirt, at the very least wanting to get some of the drenched clothing off him, and he froze when he heard a yelp from the other side of what should have been a very empty entry way given Mei was supposed to be out of the house.

A very familiar yelp.

“Why aren’t you are your own house!?” The voice yelled, and as Wukong pulled his shirt over his head he found the voice’s own staring at him with wide eyes alight with a mix of confusion and horror.

“UH, I think I should ask you that, Macaque!” He accused, turning sideways and walking backwards into the building with a raised eyebrow. “Why are you in Mei’s house? Are you hiding in Mei's house!? That is not a good hiding spot!"

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Monkey Boy?” Macaque said snarkily with a smirk.

“Monkie KID, and yeah, that’s why I asked,” Wukong snarked right back, holding his shirt and jacket out in front of him with a frown. “Also, you’re a monkey so...”

“Oh shut up.”

"And you look like you nearly drowned," Wukong chuckled, ringing his shirt out and pointedly not mentioning the blush he saw forming on the other's face. Yet. "It's raining cats and dogs and I’m pretty bad to, but you shouldn't be that bad."

"... don't laugh," Macaque grumbled, doing much the same to his scarf. "I was trying to get here when the rain was getting really bad and I... fell. Off the docks."

Wukong immediately burst into cackles.

“I told you not to laugh you asshole!” Macaque snapped, baring his teeth and trying to puff up his fur in annoyance but failing miserably with the sheer amount of water weighing him down. If anything it probably just made him look... adorably sad. Like a puppy. But a human sized monkey.

“I-I’m sorry!” Wukong held his sides, trying his very best to stop laughing. He also failed miserably, if not even more so than Macaque. “It’s just imagining you, YOU, falling off the docks? Just! You’re practically an acrobat! You’re usually way cooler than that!”

As Wukong continued to fail Macaque’s face softened as he stopped barring his teeth in warning and stared at the other young man.

“... you think I’m cool?” He asked softly, attempting to smooth down his fur and brush the water out of it.

“Kinda?” Wukong said with a half snicker, finally having himself under control. “Cool enough I guess.”

Macaque hummed, giving up on his attempts to dry off with a sigh. It was pointless to try to dry off with his fur like this, not without some kind of towel or brush. And he would be damned if he let Wukong let himself shake dry! That was not going to happen.

So instead he turned to the other, watching as he laid out his tip layers on his arm and turned around.

And something caught his eye.

Multiple somethings.

“How did you get that scar?”

Wukong tensed, not enough for him to stop moving but more than enough for Macaque to notice that he was walking away much slower than he needed to.

"Depends on which one you mean," he answered eventually. He reached up to pull on his hair, frowning as it dripped more water on him. "Hold that thought until I come back."

And so he did. Macaque watched the other leave and stood in the open room, awkward and dripping sea and rain water all over Mei's floor.

He debated leaving. Just walking out the door and avoiding the awkward conversation that was sure to be leveled in his direction when the human returned, but before he could even make the decision to decide on an option something brought and green was lobbed at his head and wrapped around his face.

“WHAT IN THE-”

“Towel off before Mei gets angry we both tracked in water,” Wukong said, mischievous chuckle resounding through the air before Macaque managed to unwrap the towel from his face. “I’ve got something else that’ll help out after.”

Macaque was going to ask what that something was before the words died in his throat, the sight before him making him pause in confusion and barely held back amusement.

“You have Monkey King themed PJs?” He asked, toweling off his head first. “At Mei’s?”

“Sometimes I stay over.” Was all Wukong said, shrugging as if it was nothing. “Considering you’re here and I don’t see signs of a break in I assume those plum PJs in the same closet are yours.”

“I DON’T HAVE PAJAMAS HERE I DON’T STAY THAT OFTEN!” Macaque snapped, and his face flushed a deep red in embarrassment before he saw Wukong’s victory smirk. “... you made that up to make me slip that I’ve been here before.”

“And you took it hook, line, and sinker,” Wukong said playfully, grabbing the monkey demon’s arm and using a second towel he had to dry it off. “I wasn’t kidding about the PJs though.”

“O-oh...” was all Macaque could reply with as the information slowly sunk in before he ripped his arm away. “I can do that myself!”

“Then do it and come inside!”

Macaque was... mostly dry after a couple minutes, enough for Wukong to drag him into the bathroom and instruct him to change and use the blow dryer he has shoved into his hands while he mopped the floor. And as much as Macaque disliked the noise... he couldn’t argue that the warm air of the device was a welcome change from the icy seawater against him.

He may have looked like an extra puffed up fur ball when he was done and refused to come out until he at least had the PJs (short sleeved and indeed covered in plums) on to hide the worst of it.

Didn’t stop Wukong from devolving into cackles at his expense once again.

“Hold on, let me do something,” Wukong offered, and guided him to sit down on the couch sideways, situating behind him with the other pulled against his chest and a comb in hand. “At least I can help with your hair... if it counts as hair.”

“... I don’t know if it does,” Macaque replied, finding himself at a loss for what to do and say in this situation.

They were enemies, right?

Shouldn’t Wukong... be chasing him out of the building?

Now sitting him down to- OH NO!

“ACTUALLY WA-”

Macaque froze as Wukong’s fingers brushed against his scalp and the teeth of the comb brushed through his hair, far more gentle than Macaque could remember anyone touching his hair before, and he went limp in Wukong’s arms like putty.

“Knew that’d get ya,” he felt Wukong say as much as he heard him say it, and the hands and comb continued through his hair and fur and he couldn’t even muster up any coherent words to snark back at him. Just a frustrated grumble. “Xiaotian does this to me a lot. And to his monkeys. So I figured this would be... ya know, nice for you.”

They stayed like that for a good while, Wukong brushing his fingers and the comb through puffed up fur and pulling out tangles Macaque didn’t even know he had on the back of his neck. It felt... strange. To trust someone that you spent so much of your time fighting against, flirting with awkwardly in the midst of battle, never thinking that the two of you would just sit and do anything calmly together.

But here they were. On Mei’s couch. Macaque feeling a purr rumble up in his chest as Wukong groomed through his hair and fur in a gesture he clearly admitted he knew the implications of.

“They’re from before,” Wukong said after a while, after he rested his head on Macaque’s shoulder and started working through the fur on his arms. “Before Red took me in... back before I had the staff to fight with.”

And as much as Macaque wanted to ask, and if he really tried he knew he probably could, he chose not to push it when he heard the way Wukong’s tone changed. Something equally nostalgic and melancholy.

“I think they make you look cool too,” was what he said instead.

“... We’re both pretty cool.”

#monkie kid #lego monkie kid #mentor swap au #ship fic #prompt fill #monkey king #sun wukong #six eared macaque #shadowpeach #I LOVE THIS AU and i wanna write more shadowpeach for it

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itsany62 · 3 years

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SteveTony - Alternate Universe

Here are some Alternate Universe fics that I love. Don't forget to leave kudos and nice comments in every fic!

Food for the Heart, by LagLemon, 14 k >, Cooking, No Powers.

After being introduced to a gourmet food on a budget blog by Pepper (a gift for her elderly, cheapskate mother) Tony starts cooking again. The recipes are good, but the blog owner is even better. Still, Tony isn't so sure Captain America, the guy who runs the blog, can compete with Hot Bagboy, the gorgeous blond who works at the grocery store.

"Free to Good Home" by Captain_Panda, 7 k > words, Alternate Universe - Animals.

"Oliver and Company" AU.

There's a great big world outside the box.

But it's a dog-eat-dog world, and Tony's just one cat. Then a stray dog comes along, looking for a friend.

A Day In Principal Stark's Office, by nannersmelo, 10 k > words, Steve Single Parent, Director Tony.

Tony Stark has his hands full with not only Stark Industries, but also his beloved mother's life project: The Maria Stark Academy, and as he enters his office in order to deal with a ferocious mother whose son was apparently assaulted by one of his brightest students, he was sure this day would culminate in nothing but a heinous headache. Little did he know - he was in for one hell of a surprise.

I Am the Night by gottalovev, 6 k > words, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Vampire Tony Stark, Wizard Steve Rogers.

That's it. Tony is doomed. He rolls on his back, crosses his wings over his belly and closes his eyes. He'll await death here, misunderstood by the world to the bitter end.

C is for Calculus and Compromise, by heydoeydoey, 11 k>, Gifted AU, Post-Divorce, Angts with a Happy Ending.

Steve's just trying to give his prodigy daughter a normal childhood. Enter a meddling school administrator, Tony Stark, and too many lawyers.

tell you my love for you by jelliebean, 22 k > words, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Based on Love Simon.

A guy at Shield High comes out on tumblr, anonymously. Tony thought he was the only gay guy on campus--not out, because of Howard--and sends him an email.

“Hey, Flying. Same here. I’ve got a secret too, and it’s like I’m hiding who I am, every day. From everyone. All the closest people to me. But I just can’t tell them. I’m gay, too. It feels like I’m putting on this mask, this shell of who I think they want me to be. Even though I don’t think my friends would judge me. I don’t know why. I just. I’ve got a secret. –Shell”

The guy seems great--amazing, even, and then Hammer has to step in and ruin it all.

Mergers & Acquisitions by Robin_tCJ, 33 k > words, Angst, sex as currency.

Steve Rogers is the CEO of the Rogers Corporation, which he built from the ground up. When he learns that Hydra International is making a bid for a hostile takeover of Stark Industries, he decides he has to do what he can to stop Hydra from overtaking the market and becoming an unstoppable, unethical conglomerate. Tony Stark asks for something Steve isn’t sure he should give, but he does it anyway – and it completely changes everything. But when Hydra keeps coming, Steve and Tony realize there’s more to this than they’d realized.

Meeting the Monsters by itsallAvengers, 23 k > words, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters.

Tony's at public school with kids his age for the first time in seventeen years, and he is determined that this year is gonna be his year. He's going to make friends. He's going to be popular. People will like him.

Unsurprisngly, none of that actually happens.

He does sort-of-maybe fall in love with a vampire in his class that everyone is terrified of, though. So... there's that.

(I Want You To See) The Darkest Side Of Me by ann2who, 45 k > words, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Post-World War II.

In Monte Carlo, Steve meets the wealthy widower Anthony Stark. It’s love at first sight—at least for Steve—and he can’t believe his luck when Tony asks him to live at Stark Mansion, his large estate in Malibu. Never in his life had Steve thought something like this was possible… never had he been this happy. However, soon Steve realizes that Tony is still deeply troubled by the death of his first wife and haunted by the many ghosts she left behind. The longer Steve lives in her shadow, the more he understands that… He can never be what Tony’s wife had once been for him. And Tony might never truly love him.

Gift With Purchase Remix by sabrecmc, 43 k > words, Alternate Universe - No Powers, hooker Steve, Sugar Daddy.

Gift With Purchase Remix wherein Steve actually is a hooker. But for a Really Sympathetic Reason.

The Little Glass Screwdriver by ann2who, 19 k > words, Cinderella AU.

When Prince Steven is forced to find himself a bride, true love gets in the way. As the night of the grand ball unfolds, the prince meets a mysterious knight who might just change his entire life in a way he could have never imagined.

**Cinderella AU**

Covered in Lines by royal_chandler, 3 k > words, Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Alternate Universe - College/University, Age Difference.

He can’t lose sight of pale, deft hands that gesture on transitive verbs, an ink-stained thumb edging underneath Tony’s ribcage with an affection that can only be called dangerous.

half-wild and glimmering by deathsweetqueen , 15 k > words, Alternate Universe - Western, Prostitution.

“Give me a drink, Tasha,” Tony sighs as he lands in front of the bar. “I’ve had one hell of a day.”

Natasha raises an eyebrow. “Have you really?” she asks, loftily, sliding a tumbler of whiskey along the well-polished wood.

Tony lets his head hang, the sweat beading on the back of his neck. “You wouldn’t believe what I’ve had to put myself through today,” he sighs, wearily.

“I would not know. You will not let me work the rooms,” Natasha retorts, her voice a little strained, busying her hands in a dirty glass.

“I don’t let you work the rooms ‘cause you’re liable to kill anyone who touches ya the wrong way and we can’t lose that much of our business,” Tony reminds her, wryly amused, sipping at his whiskey. He shakes his head at the burn. “We peddle flesh, darling, not death.”

peers, fears and holiday cheers by jacobby, 24 k > words, Parent Tony Stark.

“He’s only two years older than you,” Tony finally says when the silence becomes too much to bear.

“Dad, Teddy is turning twenty-seven next year.”

“I am not dating your husband—”

“I’m not implying you are. I just want you to be...aware that he’s practically the same age as my husband.”

AKA

Tony Stark's new boyfriend is only two years older than his adult sons. Telling them is one thing, introducing them is another. What Tony doesn't expect is that the past always has a way of catching up to him, of biting him in the ass when he least expects it. Well, at least they're all together for the Holidays. What more can he ask for?

A Higher Form of War by sabrecmc, 292 k > words, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Historical Romance.

Tony is a King with a surprising number of people out to kill him. Steve and the rest of the Avengers are fighting for Pierce's rebellion and end up with Tony as their prisoner. Oops.

you can call me babe for the weekend by complicationstoo, 10 k > words, Alternate Universe - No Powers, actor Tony Stark.

Tony left his small town for Los Angeles after high school, leaving behind everything to pursue his dream. Ten years later, he comes back for the first time and finds that some things are impossible to let go of.

Lord, What Fools These Mortals Be by iam93percentstardust, 72 k > words, Alternate Universe - Theatre.

Famed director Phil Coulson brings Shakespeare’s beloved play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to Broadway. This production though comes with a twist: a brief but passionate love affair between the faerie king, Oberon, and his attendant, Puck. In the roles of the two star-crossed lovers, Coulson casts America’s darling Steve Rogers, fresh off his third Academy Award, and Broadway royalty, Tony Stark. Steve quickly finds himself falling for the quick-witted and sarcastic actor but Tony is dating the stage manager. Unwilling to come between the seemingly happy couple, Steve steps back but all isn’t right behind the scenes and Tony may need him when everything falls apart.

and so we rebuild by raeldaza, 26 k > words, Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Soulmates, Mutual Pining.

Sometimes, a voice whispers: you will never atone for your mistakes.

Tony believes that, believes it so strongly some days he drowns in it, but he still tries. Tries through Starfleet, tries through inventions, tries through missions. Then, one day, he meets his new Captain, and things change.

and teach this heart (how to beat with light), by starklystar, 40 k >, AU Hospital, Single parent Steve.

Eight years ago, at a funeral with a baby's cries ringing in his ears, Tony Stark decided to turn his life around. He's a genius, billionaire, philanthropist. What's so hard to adding 'doctor' to that list? And after that, it can't be that hard to add 'husband' and 'father' too, right? But the past has a way of haunting even the very best of us, and in any universe, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers have never had an easy love.

Featuring: drama, chaos, Peter's scheming, meddling friends, and doctors learning again that the heart can never be as simple as four chambers and four valves.

Catching Lightning in a Bottle by sabrecmc, 120 k > words, Alternate Universe - Sweet Home Alabama Fusion.

College student Tony meets janitor Steve at MIT and they fall blissfully in love, until Howard happens and things fall apart. One divorce paperwork snafu courtesy of the ever-helpful Jarvis, and ten years later, Tony has to get re-divorced from Steve.

This does not go as he imagines.

Or, the Sweet Home Alabama AU that no one--well, okay, a few of you--asked for.

The Night Shift by weethreequarter , 16 k > words, Alternate Universe - Hospital.

Welcome to the Emergency Department of San Antonio General where Dr. Tony Stark joins the team fresh from his most recent tour in Afghanistan and - much to the consternation of the other staff - strikes up an instant rapport with Nurse Steve Rogers. Meanwhile, new resident Bruce Banner refuses to give up on his patient, and Dr. Sharon Carter learns something from her own patients. Throw in a pissed off hospital administrator, Clint using the coffee pot as a mug again, and a major car crash and you have, well, just another night shift.

Cake It Till You Make It by ChocolateCapCookie, 10 k > words, Kid Fic, Alternate Universe - Bakery.

Steve Rogers and Tony Stark have a lot in common. They're single parents, they own rival bakeries at the center of town... and they both hate each other's guts.

When a mix-up at Peter and Morgan's school has both fathers scrambling to prove they're the better baker, they do the mature, adult thing and compete in a bake-off. Between the mixing and the creaming, the baking and the icing, Steve and Tony find that hate is actually not that far from love.

Looking for Heaven by foxxcub, 31 k > words, Alternate Universe - Regency, Marriage of Convenience.

When young Lord Anthony Stark learns Steven Rogers has enlisted in the army, he thinks he's seen the last of his tiny, headstrong, haughty stable boy. But four years later, Lord Stark gets an unexpected visit from Steve, whose mother has fallen gravely ill and into financial ruin. Even more unexpected, Steve agrees to a shocking proposal: they will marry, giving Steve the necessary funds to save his mother, and Tony the much-needed reprieve from harassing would-be suitors. It is a business arrangement, nothing more. But as time goes on and circumstances arise, Tony begins to learn that keeping his heart away from his husband is easier said than done.

just a guy, standing in front of another guy by theappleppielifestyle, 12 k > words.

“It’s not real,” Tony says, still smiling, jaw twitching with effort. “The fame. It’s - I’m just a guy."

(Or, Notting Hill AU, with a twist.)

Mother of Exiles (A Titanic AU) by BladeoftheNebula, 21 k > words, Alternate Universe - Titanic Fusion.

“You’ll never guess what just happened!” Steve said, taking a deep breath to try and calm his breathing. “I met someone. A guy from first class.”

Dublin 1912: Steve Rogers is barely making ends meet, living in the tenement slums of Dublin. But a stroke of good luck gives him and his best friend the chance to change their fortune. Two tickets to America on board the RMS Titanic.

The Devil You Know by shetlandowl, 17 k > words, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Author/Novelist.

Best selling author Tony Stark revives the bodice ripper genre for a modern audience. From frisky gay cowboys to ravenous lesbian pirate queens, he consistently delivers riveting thrillers full of romance, drama, and the filthy, unapologetically kinky sex that has become his trademark specialty.

Tony has everything a man could dream of - horny, adoring fans, and boatloads of money. Or that's what he thought, until Detective Steve Rogers walks into his life and turns it all upside down.

Bears and Mountains and Lumberjacks Oh My! by justanotherrollingstony (adoctoraday), 24 k > words, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Lumberjack Steve Rogers.

It was supposed to be easy--go meet the reclusive artist and buy some art. And then came the broken down car. And the snowstorm. And the lumberjack with a face like a greek god. So yea, Tony is stuck in a cabin in the woods with a hot lumberjack till the storm clears. Could be worse.

Series: A Furious Vexation by Annie D (scaramouche), 18 k > words, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse.

A Steve/Tony post-apocalypse AU that exists pretty much just for the smut.

That Feline Beat by Tito11, 5 k > words, Alternate Universe - Animals.

Presenting Steve and Tony in the Aristocats!AU

Tony and his three kittens have been kidnapped from their fancy Upper East Side apartment while their owners are away and deposited on the mean streets of Harlem. Unsure of where they are or how to get back home, they'll have to rely on street cat Steve to guide them. Will they get home safely? Will Tony's fear of abandonment cause him to drive away the best tomcat he's ever known? Only time will tell.

do you fondue? by calciseptine, 16 k > words, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting.

Tony has done crazy things in the name of food, but falling in love with Steve Rogers really takes the cake.

a glimpse of heaven's love by parkrstark, 13 k> words, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Terminal Illnesses.

The child begins to empty his pockets. He starts to count coins on the counter. Tony huffs a little impatiently as he realizes most of them are pennies.

The cashier actually humors the kid and counts along with him. They reach 3 dollars and 54 cents before he shakes his head sadly. "Sorry, kid. There's not enough here."

The kid sounds close to crying. "I need these paints for my Papa. It's Christmas Eve and these...he doesn't have any. The doctors said he doesn't have long. I want him to have these. In case he meets Jesus tonight, I want him to paint one more time. Please."

Tony takes a step forward, arms still full of toys he's buying just because. He can cover this child's gift for his dying father. Money. Money is what he's good for.

"I'll buy them."

Or, the Christmas Shoes AU no one but me asked for.

If you survive first impressions, you're good to go by itsallAvengers, 3 k > words, Parent Tony Stark, Alternate Universe - No Powers.

The first time Peter Parker-Stark sees Steve Rogers, he may or may not be standing in direct path of the man's motorcycle.

His daddy is really not going to be happy about that one.

A Rat-ional Conclusion by BladeoftheNebula, 6 k > words, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Veterinarians, Parent Tony Stark.

He had a strong flurry of patients throughout the morning and by the time it rolled around to noon, he was just about worn out.

He walked out into the reception, stretching until he felt a satisfying pop. “Are we done?”

Bucky checked the screen. “Just about. One more before lunch - a rat, singular.”

Steve breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully straight forward then. “Great, let me know when they-”

He was interrupted by the bell over the door and looked up to see a little girl cradling a small animal carrier, being shepherded through the door by easily one of the hottest men he’d ever seen in real life.

Oh wow.

Tidal Pull by sabrecmc, 97 k > words, Octopus Tony Stark, Alternate Universe - Shipwrecked.

After the American Civil War, Union soldier Steve Rogers takes a chance on an opportunity to sail with the Stark Trading Company down in the Caribbean. During a terrible storm, his ship is lost. To his surprise, he survives, and ends up stranded on an island that isn't quite as deserted as he first thinks.

Or, a reverse Little Mermaid tale where Steve has to fall for the fish-man.

Twelve Days by elysianprince, 22 k > words, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Ghosts.

In which Tony finds himself in a town that looks like it crawled out of a Hallmark Christmas movie, trying to sell an inn he didn't know he owned, all while dealing with Steve Rogers, the resident ghost who has returned to haunt the inn each December during the twelve days of Christmas for the past seventy years. Tony has only one logical solution that benefits them both: break the curse that binds him - but falling for a man almost a century old wasn't among his plans.

She kissed me by S_Horne, 1 k > words, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting.

“Your mom kissed me.”

Steve blinked awake and lifted his head from his pillow to look over at the silhouette in the doorway. “What?”

“Your mom,” Tony reiterated. “She kissed me.”

“Yeah,” Steve said simply, “she does that.”

#stevetony #stony #fic rec #tony stark #steve rogers #my recs

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crystalninjaphoenix · 2 years

Text

Bone and Bond

Fantasy Masks AU: Chapter Forteen

A JSE Fanfic

Almost forgot to queue this, oops. Been busy with class recently. But in between all my classwork I found time to write another chapter! This one is about Marvin and Jameson. They’re ready to leave Wyvernlair, but run into someone along the way that makes them hurry and run back. It seems the camp might be in danger...or maybe not. Who knows? Not me, lol. You’ll have to read to find out ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had taken a full two weeks, but finally, Marvin’s new magical focus was complete.

His old one had been made of emerald, silver, and gold. It had been a family heirloom for generations, one that he’d stolen from the family vault partially out of spite, partially because it was genuinely one of the best-made focuses he’d ever seen. But, of course, that had been lost when he was captured. Marvin had no doubt it had been returned to the family.

This new one was...different. Though it was still an amulet, and was about the same size and shape, the materials were new, working with what was available in the mountains. Its base was now made of rowan wood, reinforced around the edge with a line of smooth black obsidian carved with runes. Set into the wood was a perfectly circular bit of dragon bone. The whole thing could fit comfortably in the palm of his hand, and had a small metal loop at the top for a string or chain to fit through.

Marvin wasn’t happy about the long delay, but he had to admit it would have been a much longer wait if he tried to do it all by himself. He had to ask several of the Phantoms for help, mainly in finding and carving the raw materials—though Marvin himself did the runes and fit the whole thing together.

And now that he had a new focus...he didn’t need to stay here any longer.

He felt somewhat ashamed of thinking that. But it was true. If he was going to take down the King once and for all, he couldn’t do it by waiting in a forest on the edge of Glasúil. Regardless of what Jackie or Henrik or any of the other Phantoms thought, he still believed they needed a more dramatic approach if they wanted to depose the King permanently. The King and his warriors were relentless, their allies unwavering in their loyalty; subterfuge could only get them so far.

Perhaps the shame came from knowing that the grand majority of the Phantoms here meant him no harm. Indeed, he enjoyed being around people again. Even if he hardly interacted with them. Interaction wasn’t his strong suit, he mostly just liked being in their presence, listening to people talk, and knowing they’ll be there. He really appreciated their help in making his new focus. And he knew that a lot of them would be disheartened to know their third leader was once again leaving the group.

But...the others were the problem. His...friends. (Former friends?) Especially Jackie. He and Henrik had been able to get somewhat close again, but he and Jackie had barely spoken in the two weeks he’d been in Wyvernlair. He just...didn’t want another fight. So, he ended up not approaching him. And Jackie hadn’t approached him, either. Clearly, he didn’t want to talk.

Marvin couldn’t stay here if this matter was going to persist. So, the day his focus was complete, he started preparing to leave.

And part of those preparations...included talking to Jameson.

Jameson continued to spend most of his time in their shared tent, so after Marvin made sure his new focus was working correctly—it was—he headed straight back to the tent to find Jameson awake, practicing speaking in hands. Today, he was concentrating on memorizing some lesser-used words. But when Marvin came in, he stopped.

“Hi,” Marvin said, sitting down on the tent floor.

Hello, Jameson said.

“I’m...going to leave camp today. Around noon.” Marvin took a deep breath. “I was wondering...do you want...to leave with me?”

Jameson said nothing. He didn’t look directly at Marvin. Do the others know you’re leaving?

“I told Henrik. Jackie was there, too. And Chase. And they’ve probably told the whole camp by now.” He tried for a laugh. “I know, because I saw everyone staring and pointing at me. So they know somehow.”

Jameson didn’t laugh. He seemed to have shrunk a little.

Marvin’s voice softened. “Are you...afraid the King will find you?”

Do I really need to answer that? Jameson asked slowly.

“Well, I’m not all that good with...um, hidden meanings,” Marvin said carefully.

Jameson looked upwards, staring at nothing. Morning sun leaked through the tent fabric. He always said he would find me, he said, gestures small. The first two years, I kept trying to escape, and he always knew where I would be. Even when I didn’t fully know where I was going. I gave up, eventually. It wasn’t worth it. He paused. I keep thinking...that he’ll show up here. And he’ll not only find me again, but find you, and all these lovely, brave people. But I don’t want to leave. Despite those thoughts, this place feels...safe.

“It is pretty safe,” Marvin admitted, speaking slowly so as to not give away the tight coil of fear in his stomach that was about to spring loose. He reminded himself that Jameson didn’t have to come with him. It was his own choice. “You don’t...have to come with me,” he said out loud. “If you don’t want to.”

A long pause. It’s not that I don’t want to, Jameson said. It’s that...I feel...terrible.

“Huh?”

Because he’s going to come for me. Jameson’s expression was strangely unreadable. He’s going to figure out where I went, and everyone here is going to be—to be hurt because of that. Because I’m here. And if I left with you, then you’re going to be hurt. Because I’m with you. And the King will find me, and you—or everyone here, depending where I end up—will be...He trailed off.

“Jair,” Marvin said simply. He inched closer to him until they were sitting side by side. “Nothing is going to happen to me—or anyone here—because of you.”

When the King figures out where I—

“He might not. But...let’s say he does. That’s not your fault, you know. The Phantoms here, they want you to be safe, and they’re...they’re choosing to take the risk that might come with having you stay, as long as you’re safe.” Marvin paused. “I...I feel the same way. If you’re...alright, then I’ll take the possibility. A-and I don’t mean just safe, I mean, if you’re doing what you...what you want to do. You should be able to do what you want to do.”

Jameson didn’t move for a bit. Then, he reached up and wiped his eyes. He looked at Marvin and smiled. I think I would like to come with you, to wherever you’re going.

Marvin’s heart leapt. He grinned wide. “Really?”

Yes. If you’re...if you’re okay with everything that might happen.

“I promise I am. I can handle myself, surprisingly. And, if worst comes to worse...” Marvin bumps his shoulder against Jameson’s. “I’ll protect you. I promise.”

The two of them set off around noon, armed with packs of supplies—food, bedrolls, lanterns for the nights, some money, and more. Draco came with them, of course, since Marvin was loathe to leave his familiar behind.

They only said goodbye to a few people. Chase and Henrik...and Jackie. Well, Jackie was also there, at the very least. He started to say something at one point. “Marvin, I...” But then he trailed off, and finished with, “Don’t die or get captured again.” Marvin nodded, but said nothing back.

Other Phantoms watched them leave. Soon, they disappeared from the clearing with the dragon skeleton and vanished into the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Normally around this time of year, the air would begin to warm up again, but it was as cold as ever walking through the forest. Marvin wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, looking back over his shoulder at Jameson doing the same. Jameson caught his glance and gave him a quick reassuring smile. Nodding, Marvin returned the grin.

The branches of the trees above were coated in a thin layer of frost, looking more like gilded silver than ice. A similar frost layer laid on the ground and undergrowth. As the group passed through, they left two sets of boot prints, and one set of paw prints as Draco weaved between the humans’ legs.

Night fell, early in the evening but still later than expected. They’d reached an area of the forest composed of pine trees that quickly obscured the remaining light. Quickly, the shadows surrounded them, and they stopped. “We should probably camp for the night,” Marvin said.

Jameson nodded. He looked a bit out of breath.

“Are you alright?” Marvin asked.

Nodding again, Jameson said, I’m just not used to carrying supplies around. It’s fine.

“Oh, don’t worry, I get it. Walking is all good, but then you have to factor in the weight and suddenly it’s a thousand times more difficult.” Marvin laughed to lighten the mood. “Well, like I said, we should camp anyway. This area is fine. Help me look for a good spot to set up.”

Help you look? It’s pitch black around! Jameson pointed out.

“True. I can barely see you speaking. But I have something that can help.”

Jameson looked confused for a second, then gasped. Of course! You’re going to conjure a light with your magic!

Marvin laughed, much more genuinely this time. “I could. But I don’t know if I want to use that energy just yet. Not when I brought this along.” He took the pack off his shoulders, reaching around to the side to grab a cloth bag that had been hanging there. Inside was a collection of candles, a pair of flint stones, and a small brass lantern. In what little light there was coming from in between the trees, Marvin fumbled about until he managed to get a spark from the flint and light a candle, which he put into the lantern’s compartment.

Oh. So that’s what was in there, Jameson said, looking fairly embarrassed. Why’s it in a bag, anyway? Couldn’t you just attach the lantern itself to the pack?

“I...I’ve never thought of that, actually.” Marvin paused, then shrugged. “It’s probably like that for a reason. Maybe so you know where the spare candles are.” Draco, staring wide-eyed at the new light source, reached out and tried to bat at the flame. Marvin quickly grabbed the lantern and lifted it up before the cat could knock it over. “You’re lucky there’s glass there, Draco. Don’t want to burn your paw.”

Now with a small circle of yellow light surrounding them, the pair found a relatively flat patch of ground to spread out their bedrolls. Marvin hung the lantern from a low-hanging branch nearby, and they sat down underneath it.

Jameson glanced around at the darkness, eyes darting. Is it just me, or was it less...creepy...when we first traveled through the woods to get to your base?

“It’s because there were more people with us before,” Marvin said, currently looking through their packs for their food supplies. “More people, more possible reasons for weird noises and movements.”

Clearly, that did not reassure Jameson. Did you know Fair Folk are more likely to attack travelers in small groups?

Marvin barely caught that, glancing up just in time to see Jameson’s gestures. “Fair Folk? Don’t you know? The Fair Folk aren’t around anymore. They went the same way as the dragons.” He reached up and touched his dragon-bone focus under his shirt.

That’s...kind of sad, Jameson said thoughtfully.

“You just said they would attack us.”

Well, that doesn’t mean it’s better if they’re not around, Jameson mused. Less dangerous, certainly. But...He shook his head. Like I said, it seems sad.

“Hmm.” Marvin nodded. “I suppose you’re right.” He returned to looking for their food. “Well, I don’t think they’re entirely gone. Not like dragons. The Fair Folk have their own world, they probably just...stopped coming to ours. But I hear they still roam the Wyldlands.” He chuckled. “If we head west into the Wyldwood, maybe we'll see some.”

No thank you, Jameson said, vigorously shaking his head.

Marvin grinned. “Alright, alright. We’ll continue east, then.”

They couldn’t find any dry wood for a fire, so they ate bread and dried meat for dinner while huddled in their cloaks and bedrolls. Though it wasn’t that late, the dark night sky was making Marvin tired. He rolled over and closed his eyes just for a minute...

And suddenly woke up to Jameson shaking his shoulder. “Hrmmm wha...?” Marvin blinked, clearing his head of the fuzziness that comes with being asleep, but not yet dreaming. It was darker than it was when he lied down. Evidently, their lantern had gone out. “Whassit?”

Jameson made a shushing sound, and pointed into the darkness. Marvin sat up, and at that moment, noticed said darkness was not as dark as it once was. There was an orange glow in the distance, almost hidden behind the trees. The sound of voices drifted through the cold air, too far away to make out any words. They—and the light—were getting closer.

Marvin looked at Jameson. It was odd for people to be this far into the Dragon’s Greatwoods, especially in winter. “Did you put the lantern out?” Marvin whispered.

Jameson nodded, his eyes wide.

The orange light approached quickly. It wasn’t coming straight for them, but soon, Marvin and Jameson saw a group pass by, only separated from them by a couple trees. Six people, three mounted on horses, all carrying lanterns. They all wore dark colors...and in the center of their tunics was a green circle on a blue-and-black shield. The royal crest. The moment Jameson saw that, he froze.

Luckily, the two of them were hidden from the group in the darkness. Neither of them moved until the orange light was well in the distance. Marvin sat up slowly. “Jair...are you alright?” he said in a hushed voice.

Jameson was stiff, muscles clenched. For a moment, Marvin wondered if this was another one of those oracle visions. But no, it looked different. Jameson was breathing heavily, quickly, his eyes locked on the distant orange light. He reached out and grabbed Marvin’s arm.

“Jair? Jair, it’s fine,” Marvin said softly.

In response, Jameson squeezed tighter. He shook his head, then suddenly buried his face in Marvin’s shirt.

“Jair!” Marvin gasped. He could feel his heartbeat, as fast as a galloping horse. “It’s fine, I promise.” His own head dropped, resting on top of Jameson’s. “I said I was going to protect you. I promised I would, and I will. Nothing’s going to happen to either of us.”

A few moments passed before Jameson raised his head. He said nothing, merely looked at Marvin. His eyes were red.

“I promise,” Marvin repeated.

Slowly, Jameson nodded. He was still breathing fast, but was trying to get control of it.

“I’m going to find out what they’re doing here,” Marvin said quietly. “Oh, uh, don’t worry, I’m not going over there. I have a better idea.” He scanned their small campsite. “Draco?”

Draco had curled up on his legs at some point, but jumped off when he sat up. Now, the cat came slinking back into view, walking right up next to him.

Marvin reached up and took his focus out from under his shirt, running a finger around the edge of it. White light curled around the obsidian edge,, then traveled up along his finger to twist around his hand. Marvin set his now-glowing hand down on Draco’s head, petting his fur. The shining magic rubbed off on Draco as he did, and the cat’s eyes glowed faintly white for a moment. “Be my eyes and ears,” Marvin whispered.

Without any of the usual cat mannerisms, Draco turned around and immediately trotted towards the orange light. Jameson squeezed Marvin’s arm, worried, but Marvin said, “Don’t worry, they won’t see him. I’m going to close my eyes for a second. Shake me if something happens.” Jameson nodded, and Marvin shut his eyes.

When he opened them again, his vision had changed. The dark forest was now much clearer. The shadows hadn’t lightened, but his surroundings were now just as detailed as if they had. The undergrowth, usually only coming up halfway to his knees, was now almost eye level. He could hear the faint rustling of a slight breeze, and the slight sounds of those few insects who survived the long winter. No matter how many times he cast this spell, he was always surprised at the difference between a cat’s senses and a human’s.

Draco approached the orange light on silent padded feet, causing barely any movement in the undergrowth. Soon, the six-membered group came into view, along with their three horses—gigantic when this close to the ground. They were walking along slowly. Draco sped up a little, getting closer. They were talking, having a conversation.

“—hate these trees,” grumbled a man on a horse. “I keep banging my face, and it’s not even that much faster!”

“We told you, didn’t we?” said a woman on foot, glancing at the three horse riders. “No horses this far in the Dragon’s Teeth, the terrain isn’t good for them.”

“Yes, well, how was I supposed to know?” The man said, swatting away a branch that was coming close to his face. “I’ve never been here before.”

“You could’ve taken us on our word,” said a man on foot.

“Alright, we get it, we’re sorry,” replied another person on a horse. “You three were right and we were wrong.”

“Thank you,” said the first walking woman, looking smug.

The walking man rolled his eyes. “If your horses slow us down, or somehow keep us from finding this rebel base, the King will be so upset.”

All six made various sounds of dismay.

The horseback person looked unsure. “Do we even know it’s here?” they asked. “I mean, the King won’t tell us how he knows about this place. Maybe it’s just a wild stoat chase?”

“No, the King is always right,” said a woman on horseback.

“The King is always right,” repeated four voices in unison.

“Of course the King is always right,” the horseback person said. “I just wish he would tell us how he knew.”

“He doesn’t need to do that,” said a second man on foot. “He’s the King. Don’t you trust him?” The other five muttered, giving the horseback person uneasy glances.

“I do! I do!” the horseback person protested. “I would never distrust him!”

“Well, that’s why we’re out here, anyway,” the walking woman said. “We’re just the scouts, after all. We’re here to confirm the King’s suspicions to everyone. Right, Nema?”

The horseback person nodded, and went silent.

That was enough information. Marvin whispered, “Come back,” and Draco turned around, darting through the forest plants and returning to their small camp. Marvin saw, through the cat’s eyes, his own body, and Jameson sitting next to him and holding his arm. Then Marvin opened his eyes, and looked down at Draco’s furry face. “Good boy,” he said, petting him. “Very good.”

Jameson finally let go of Marvin’s arm, freeing both hands to ask, What was that? Did you find anything out?

Marvin nodded. His stomach was twisting into knots. “They’re a scout party sent by the King. They...they’re looking for Wyvernlair.” He shook his head. “They—they know about it—the King knows about it! H-how did he find out?! We’ve been careful, so careful, i-it’s just not possible, it’s just not—!”

Marvin, Jameson said, waving his hands in front of Marvin’s face to draw his attention. Take deep breaths. Calm down. This isn’t the time to worry about how.

Nodding, Marvin took a couple deep breaths. “You’re right. We can figure out how they know later. Right now, we have to head back and warn them.”

We’ll have to move quickly. I’ll start packing things up. If we run—

“Run? We don’t need to run.” Marvin grasped his focus. “I know a shortcut.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moments later, a doorway traced in light appeared on the side of the dragon’s skull in Wyvernlair. The inner part of the skull, to be exact. The part that served as a wall to the room inside. A couple seconds later, Jameson, Marvin, and Draco ran through the doorway, appearing from seemingly nowhere. Behind them, the doorway showed a dark forest for a brief moment before the light faded and it disappeared.

The skull was mostly empty. Only two Phantoms were inside, sitting at desks and writing. They both stopped and stared in shock at the sudden appearance of the door. And that shock only increased when two men and a cat walked through it.

Henrik was there as well, standing at the central table and looking over some maps. Unlike the other Phantoms, he knew exactly what that doorway was. But he was equally shocked that it—and Marvin and Jameson—showed up. “Was in aller—what are you two doing here?!” he gasped.

“No time to be surprised,” Marvin said, running right over to him with Jameson close behind. “Henrik, there’s a royal scout party in the forest, looking for this place. They’ll be here by midnight if they head straight here.”

“Ah.” Henrik took one second to get over his confusion and jump straight into high alert. “Kerrie! Killian!” He spun to look at the pair of Phantoms at the desks. “One of you go get Jackie and the other branch leaders, the other start spreading the word! Hurry!” The two immediately dropped what they were doing and ran out of the skull.

Only a few moments later, Jackie burst into the room, followed quickly by Lukas, Holly, Nemhet, Tripp, and Anna. He was also dragging Chase in by his arm, in the middle of audibly protesting at this. “—really not all that important, especially not for this,” he was saying. “I’m not anywhere near a leader, I’m just another member.”

“You’re my moral support,” Jackie said bluntly, and Chase instantly shut his mouth and turned bright red.

“What’s this about a scouting party?” Holly asked, getting straight to business.

“How did they find us?” Nemet fretted.

“Do we need to go take care of them?” Lukas was already armed with his sizable longbow.

“You will have to ask them,” Henrik said, gesturing to Marvin and Jameson.

Now that everyone was gathered around the central table, Marvin quickly explained how they saw the scouting party and overheard them discussing a rebel base. Luckily, it didn’t take too long.

“So we have a few hours,” Tripp muttered. “What do we do when they get here? Defend ourselves?” He flexed his fingers, causing a slight spur of wind.

“Don’t you think it will be suspicious if a scouting party of six suddenly disappeared while looking for a rebel base?” Nemet asked. “If I were the King, I would assume they found it, and send a warrior band next.”

“What if we spread rumors that they were spirited away?” Lukas asked. “I’m sure there are some local magical creatures we can attribute that to. Right, Brodyson?”

“Huh? Oh.” Chase, surprised at being asked, took a moment to consider this. “I guess you could. There are already said to be banshees and kelpies about, and sometimes people claim the Wild Hunt passes overhead, going west. But, um...I don’t think the King would believe that if he already knows about Wyvernlair being in the forest.”

Jameson looked back and forth between all the others, head on a swivel. Surely you have a plan for this happening? You have to have considered this! His expression held more than a hint of desperation.

“We’ve thought about what to do if a scouting party happened to get close,” Jackie said. “But that plan depends on distracting them and getting them away from here. I doubt it’ll work if they’re actively looking for us.”

“Well, we have to try it, don’t we?” Anna pointed out. “We don’t exactly have anything better up our sleeves.”

“No, hold on,” Henrik protested. “We still have time before they will be getting close. We can come up with something.”

Marvin, mostly silent up to this point, took a deep breath. There was an idea brewing in his mind, but if it worked, it would still have a cost. He hesitated for a moment. Then said, “Actually, I think I could help.”

All eyes turned to him. Jackie’s especially, wide in surprise.

“There’s a...a spell. That can be cast across a large area.” Marvin reached up and began toying with his focus. “Not only will it render everyone in its boundaries invisible, but it’ll divert any outside attention away from the area. Meaning the scouting party will walk right past without realizing we’re here.”

Henrik nodded, slowly at first before getting faster. “That could work. Can you cast it?”

“Normally, over an area this big? No,” Marvin admitted. “But the camp is surrounded by dragon bones, which we all know are very magical.” He held up his amulet. “And my focus is created from a portion of that same bone. Like calls to like in magic. It’ll help enhance the spell.”

A moment passed. “Is there a catch?” Lukas asked, catching on that there was more.

“Well...even with the dragon bone, it’ll drain all my magic to cast over something this size,” Marvin said. “A-and I won’t be able to hold the spell for that long. Maybe half an hour at most. We would need to time it perfectly.” And afterwards, he would be stuck here while he recovered, delaying his departure.

Various mutters spread through the group. Jackie kept staring at Marvin, who tried not to squirm under the scrutiny. Then Chase asked, “Jameson, are you okay?”

Jameson glanced over at him. Why do you ask?

“You suddenly, um...jumped,” Chase said. “Like a rabbit who just realized a wolf was watching and bolted.”

Lovely comparison, Jameson drawled.

Marvin looked at him. “Is everything alright?”

Jameson nodded slowly. Marvin, I...I think you have to do it. You...need to change the course of the future.

Silence fell, heavy on their shoulders. While the other leaders looked a bit confused at the way he phrased that, the four who knew Jameson’s magic felt the weight of that statement. If an oracle tells you to change the future, it would be unwise to not listen. “Alright. I will, then,” Marvin stated, plainly and without embellishment. “I’ll just need to know when.”

Jackie started to say something about the guards around Wyvernlair being on lookout, but Jameson interrupted him. The moon will be close to its zenith when they pass right by the bones.

“Um, sorry if I’m missing something, but what does that mean?” Nemet asked.

“Yea,” Holly added, nodding. “How d’you know that?”

Jameson froze. Marvin immediately turned on the rest of the group and said, “He just does, alright? It doesn’t matter how, we just need to listen. The guards can be out anyway, if you don’t believe him, they’ll back that claim up.”

“Alright, alright.” Holly raised her hands in surrender. “Whatever you say.”

They talked more about preparations and timing. Every Phantom would need to be hidden within the area covered by the dragon skeleton if they wanted to be invisible to the scouting party. And they had to be incredibly silent—the spell would fall apart if the scouts had a reason to give the area real scrutiny.

They had a few hours to get everything ready.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The half moon was nearing the peak of its nightly cycle. For the past while, people had been running around camp, either hiding all signs of life or gathering weapons in case the plan failed. But now all that activity has ceased. A hush fell over Wyvernlair. About half the Phantoms had gathered in the middle of the camp, right in the center of the circle created by the skeleton. The other half were stationed near the edges and holding their weapons at the ready.

Marvin sat on the ground outside the skull, feeling the cold seep through his pants and into his legs. He had one hand placed against the dragon’s jawbone. Henrik, Jackie, the other leaders, Chase, and Jameson were all gathered around him. Which was not helping the nerves jumping around his ribcage. “Can you all leave?!” he snapped.

“Ah. Sorry.” Henrik backed up, waving for the others to do the same. Which they did, all muttering similar apologies as they did so. “We are just nervous about this.”

“You aren’t the ones doing it,” Marvin pointed out.

“Fair, fair.” Henrik nodded and turned to Jackie. “We should go be on lookout.”

“Right.” Jackie nodded as well. “Everyone, out.” He clapped his hands and the group slowly dispersed.

As they all left, Marvin noticed one of them lingering. “You can stay, Jair,” he said quietly.

Jameson let out an audible sigh of relief. He knelt down on the ground next to Marvin.

“Can I ask you something?” Marvin said quietly.

You just did, Jameson said with a small smile. But yes.

“You said...something about changing the future,” Marvin recalled. “You gave us the position of the moon. Jair...did you...have a vision about this?”

Jameson hesitated. Then nodded, slowly. It was a while ago, the day after they rescued you. I woke up, and I saw...well. I don’t think I should tell you.

“Why not?”

It might worry you. And you need all your focus for this. He paused. But...at the time, I didn’t recognize this place. When we approached the camp and I saw the skeleton, I realized what it was, and I...I knew this wouldn’t last forever.

“Don’t be absurd, of course it will,” Marvin said, gritting his teeth. “I’ll make it last.” He looked up towards the sky. “Do you think this is a good time to start?”

Jameson looked up as well. He saw the moon, nodded, and said nothing more.

“Great. Magnificent.” Marvin took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.”

He’d only done this once before, years ago. Back when he, Jackie, and Henrik were first starting this whole resistance thing, they had a close call with warriors almost finding their hideout. But back then, it was just a single house. This was much different.

Marvin grabbed his focus, rubbing the dragon bone in the center. Slowly, it started to glow. At first the light was tinted green, but as the magic moved from his amulet, sunk into his chest, and crawled along his torso over to his arm, the color shifted. Now, it was a silvery white—somehow both ethereal and metallic. The light ran down his arm to his hand, and from there it spread to the solid dragon bone. And continued to spread. Like wine spilling from a goblet and staining a tablecloth.

The magic covered the bone, following its curves perfectly. Marvin felt his focus get warm. And then hot, as the silver magic coated the entire dragon skull and headed down to cover the rest of the bones as well. Then Marvin realized it wasn’t just the focus that was hot. There was a ball of heat in the center of his chest, feeling like it was coming from inside him. He tried to ignore it and concentrate on the spell.

The magic continued its course. Now the dragon’s ribs were silver. Now the wings, spread out to the side, were glowing that same shade. Now it traveled down the spine, to the legs, then to the very, very tip of the tail. Marvin could faintly hear gasping from nearby Phantoms. Faintly. Because for some reason, it felt like his ears were stuffed full of cotton. Or perhaps it was his entire head.

The heat had spread from his chest to his entire body. If someone reached out, they would feel warmth emanating from his skin. They would notice how he was panting as if struggling for air. They would see the somewhat glazed look in his eyes.

And someone did. Jameson, still right next to Marvin, pressed his hand to Marvin’s forehead. Marvin pulled away, but not before Jameon noticed. You’re burning, he said, surprised. Is that...normal for magic-wielders?

“Big spell,” Marvin muttered. “An’ for a while.” It had been about ten minutes since he started casting. His palm, pressed against the dragon bone, was starting to itch. “So...yea.”

Jameson stared at him, forehead creased in worry. Are you going to be alright?

“O’ course,” Marvin said. “Jus’...jus’ tell me when th’ scouts’re...gone.” He blinked dully. Concentrate. Concentrate. If he lost it for even a moment, the spell would fail.

Concentrate.

The ground was cold.

Concentrate.

His hand was starting to sweat where he held his amulet.

Concentrate.

Where was Draco?

Concentrate. Concentrate. Spell. Spell. Spell.

Jameson put a hand on his shoulder. Marvin jumped a bit, and almost turned to look at him before realizing he’d almost forgotten. Luckily, his mind returned to the matter at hand before the spell could even flicker. But there was still a moment where the bones’ silver covering shimmered like ripples in a pond. “Don’ touch me,” he mumbled.

Instantly, Jameson drew away. Sorry, he said. It’s been fifteen minutes since you started. I think it’s fine.

Unfortunately, Marvin didn’t have the space in his mind to translate speaking in hands, so he just stared blankly at Jameson’s gesturing. Spell. Spell. Concentrate.

It felt like ages passed, time moving at the speed of snails. Jameson had unconsciously moved closer to Marvin, but he didn’t reach out again. He almost did, but stopped just before. Pulling back, he looked up to the moon. Marvin, he said, using a special gesture just for Marvin’s name. It’s past time now. You can stop. Nothing happened.

Concentrate. Concentrate. Spell. Spell.

Footsteps. Marvin didn’t look away, his eyes fixed on the point where his hand was placed against the bone. The silvery light was in his eyes when he blinked. “We just saw them go past,” a voice said. It took a moment for him to recognize Jackie’s voice. “I don’t know what you did, but thank the elders it worked.” He laughed.

Hear that, Marvin? You can stop now, Jameson said. When Marvin didn’t respond, he hesitated, then slowly raised his arm and grabbed Marvin’s wrist. Once again, there was no response. So Jameson pulled, moving Marvin’s hand away from the dragon bone. His fingertips lingered against its surface for a moment more before finally leaving ivory surface. The moment contact was broken, the silvery magic rippled, and then disappeared.

Marvin gasped. He let go of his amulet, and all the magic coursing through his body disappeared. He should have felt cold in the absence of its heat, but instead, the heat lingered. Without any warning, he fell to the side. Jameson hurried to catch him.

“Wait, what?!” Jackie gasped. “What happened.”

Jameson shook his head, at a loss for words.

Marvin blinked, and looked up at the two of them. “‘m goin’ t’sleep now,” he mumbled, words running into each other. “Tired.”

“Marvin, are you okay?!” Jackie asked, kneeling on the ground next to him. “You’re—Elders and Sisters, you’re hot!”

“Don’ worry ‘bout it.” Marvin started to close his eyes.

“Don’t worry about it?! Marvin!” Jackie reached out and shook him until he opened his eyes again. “What happened?!”

“Mmmhm. Lots magic...tired.” Marvin gave a small smile. “I’ll be fine when I...wake up. Might be...a day ‘r two.”

Jameson shook his head, stunned. You knew this would happen? Why did you do it, then? he asked, awkwardly gesturing while still holding Marvin. We could have found another way.

“Coul’n’t...jus’ let it happen,” Marvin said. “No other way f’r sure. Had t’do somet’in’. For ev’ryone here.” He looked at Jameson. “An’ I promised.”

With that, his voice faded away. He closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #septic egos #jacksepticeye au #septic egos au #marvin the magnificent #jameson jackson #brigid writes fanfiction #fantasymasksau

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theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin · 3 years

Note

I love Painting Red Madonnas! I also love Aro, and while Aro is admittedly...A Lot, it does make me sad that Marcus and Caius are generally depicted (not just in your fic, even Bella suggests it in New Moon) as being all, "Ugh" whenever he talks. Has the man had any fulfilling conversations with anybody since Carlisle left? Obviously Marcus would be uninterested, but Caius? What do you think? (This is now a general question about how you envision the relationship among the leaders, oops)

First off, I’m glad you like my story so much!

Second, this is actually a lot to unpack.

I guess we’ll start on how I see their relationship in general and then move on to why Caius and Marcus both just “ugh” whenever Aro gets going.

I actually think the three Volturi leaders have a very deep bond. First, I think people make Chelsea out to be far more powerful than she actually is. Rather than go into too many details, check out this post. Chelsea is very useful, but more in the sense of changing your priorities slightly or else making someone seem more tolerable or more aggravating. She can’t make something from nothing nor can she render something into nothing.

So, these are three guys who have done this never ending, frankly kind of ridiculous and a little thankless, job for thousands of years that a lot of people just don’t get. (I’d get into why I think the Volturi law is vital for human society stability in Twilight, and that I believe the Volturi are doing this not only for vampires but mostly for mankind, but that’s a post on its own). To stick with it that long requires not just Chelsea, and not simply a shared very strong ideal that never wavers or dims, but a very close sense of friendship, trust, and fraternity.

More, these guys came together with no common bonds, separated from each other by hundreds of years, and well came up with this.

My point being, all three of them I imagine, are very close. They call each other brother, Marcus actually married Aro’s beloved sister, the only thing he took with him from his human life, and here they are three thousand years later. Even Marcus who, albeit with the help of Chelsea, had felt anything less for Aro would undoubtedly killed himself by now.

That said, at this point they’re a bit more like family than I’d say friends. Family, barring grave circumstances, you know entirely too well and you’re stuck with them through thick and thin. They know the best of you and they know the worst of you and you can count on them still being there the next day. This means you know all their annoying habits, quirks, and more and you can’t leave.

Caius is a barbarian king who has no patience for subtlety or gray areas. Someone breaks the law ergo you murder the shit out of them. Done. Let’s go eat dinner. (I imagine Aro despairs of him).

Marcus I imagined, before the death of Didyme, was the voice of mercy in the group. (I could get into why I think this but it’s very headcanony and has to do with a) marrying Didyme b) what little we do see of him in canon c) the fact that Aro has to play the weird role of middle cop/good cop to Caius’ bad cop which makes it likely there was an original, missing, good cop voice). He would be the one advocating for understanding the circumstances of criminals, considering mercy, etc. (which is a very necessary voice to have as much as Caius’ voice is needed). This, I imagine, would have irritated Caius to no end and probably frustrated Aro at times as well.

Then, of course, Didyme died, Marcus became depressed and barely functional and now Caius and Aro just have no idea what to do with him except that hope that one day he might snap out of it. He never does.

They all have their quirks, just like the rest of us, and things that probably irritate the hell out of the other two.

Which brings us back to Aro.

Aro is, as you mention, a lot.

My god, the man has so much energy. We see very little of him in canon but his enthusiasm and energizer bunny nature practically hops out of the page. Not only that, but his moods sometimes change so fast it’ll give you emotional whiplash. Even if you really really really like Aro, that’s a lot to handle for even a few hours.

Now try handling that for a thousand years.

Now, try not just handling that, but Aro, with that same enthusiasm, rambling nonsense about Carlisle Cullen for centuries. Bringing up Carlisle Cullen is like accidentally mentioning someone’s beloved dog. Sure, the dog is great, the pictures are cute, but suddenly you’re listening to someone spending hours talking about their goddamn dog. You may like this person, love this person, but how much of this can you take?

And remember, he likely does talk this much about Carlisle. First, he brings up Carlisle like twenty times when Edward and company are in Volterra. Second, Jane drops a hint that she’s been hearing about Carlisle nearly non-stop for the past few hundred years and was convinced Aro had to be exaggerating. Because this guy can’t actually exist.

And not just that, but I always imagine that conversations with Aro are a bit like talking with Abe Simpson. He gets on these rambling, nonsensical, boring tangents (half of which are about Carlisle Cullen). Aro can be your greatest friend in the whole, wide, world and I am hard pressed to believe you could willingly sit through thousands of years of that without some measure of “Ugh” coming through.

That said, I think Carlisle did sit through Aro’s rambling nonsense and actively enjoyed it. Carlisle in canon gave none of the “ugh” indication that Marcus and Caius gave off. And that’s why Carlisle is Aro’s best friend and part of the reason Aro’s head over heels.

#ask #anon #aro #the volturi

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flying-nightwing · 3 years

Text

Throne of Blood (3/3)

Hello there! Last part of Throne of Blood, I hope you appreciated this little serie! I loved t write it tbh, it was a nice change from the usual DC stuff I write. If you want a bonus chapter, let me know! I thought about doing either a prequel for when they invaded the castle, or some headcanons if y’all have some.

Ps: I realised I kinda made Bruce to be the bad guy here, oops. Sorry about that, but to my defence, family drama was something I built toward from the beginning 😅 Full disclosure, I have nothing against Bruce and Damian pls don’t come at me

Masterlist in bio / pinned!

Pairing: King!Jason x reader x Roy

Word count: 4414

Warnings: same as the last parts (cautious nsfw) + family drama lmao

"--and the might of the casc… cascade could never compare to the ce… cerul… cerulean of her eyes. She was his hope, the only thing he cherished, none of his posse...ssions could ever be worth as much as a minute with her"

You paused to breathe as you reached a paragraph break. You could feel Roy's relaxed stare on you, a small smile ever present on his lips. His hand was absentmindedly rubbing your knees that were lying over his thigh, while his other arm was snugly wrapped around your waist. The quiet crackling of the fireplace indicated the need to add a log, but neither of you wanted to move from your nestled position. Eventually one would have to, though, before the room grew cold.

"I like it when you read to me" Roy hummed, almost like he hadn't meant to say it out loud. But if you knew one thing about him, it's that he carried very little shame when it came to love. He would never intend to hide his thoughts when they came, and you admired that about him. Still, you couldn't help but look down in embarrassment.

Him and Jason had taught you to read some months after you joined them, when he passed you a map to find a town's name and you had to tell him you couldn't. Ever since, you worked often on your reading skills, leafing through whatever seemed interesting from Jason's library. But you weren't a natural, far from it.

"I can't even pronounce all the words correctly" You mumbled. "It must be hard to follow sometimes"

He gently pushed your chin up so he could look into your eyes again. It didn't matter for one second for him that you didn't have the diction of an erudit or the flow of a poet. All he wanted was to hear your voice and watch your eyebrows knit in concentration when you butted on a difficult word. He liked the little things so much better than the finished product.

"I think it sounds perfect"

The corner of your lips rose slightly at his praise as your heart skipped a few beats. Even after all the time you spent together, he always managed to find the right word to make you love him even more, if it was possible. His constant and unconditional support was your crutch, the thing you could rely on no matter what happened, the safe space in which you would never feel judged for what you couldn't do.

"You know" He began again when he noticed you had trouble believing what he said. You wanted to believe him, but deep inside he knew it was harder for you, and he understood all too well the feeling of not being enough. "I couldn't read either before I was taken in by my warden"

You tilted your head to the side, frowning slightly. You had never known.

"Took me years to get average at it. And you should have seen my writing-- Hell, you should see it now, it's catastrophic"

You couldn't help but giggle along as he laughed. It was contagious.

"It's the same with Jason--No wait, the brat actually taught himself how to read somehow" He blinked slowly, like he was still surprised by it. You weren't really, you knew Jason was even smarter than you were aware of. Than anyone was aware of. "But his writing was terrible until he got a proper tutor, that I know of for a fact"

"But his writing is so…" You trailed off, trying to find the right word. "Exquisite"

"Now who's pulling out the big words, uh?"

"Shut up" You laughed, lightly hitting his chest with the book. “Don’t mock me”

“I’m not!” He argued, giving you wide, innocent eyes. He looked too cute for his own sake. “I swear I’m not. You’re just adorable when you get all flustered”

“We better start gearing up now” You evaded the subject, clearing your throat. “Jason will be expecting us--”

“Just one more chapter” He interrupted softly, caressing your waist. “Please?”

You held his stare for a moment before you were convinced, and you nodded, a sheepish smile on your face. You opened the book to the page you had marked and found the paragraph you had stopped to.

“As he was sitting by the window, he couldn’t help but think about the ar-arrival of the spring, only a few weeks away if nature de...cided to be kind--”

“My Lord, my Lady”

You paused your reading and looked up. This time, it was Roy who looked the most annoyed of the two of you.

“It’s time”

You sighed and nodded, putting down the book on the table. Roy was clearly disappointed, but he helped you nevertheless get back on your feet, being careful not to pull on your bandages too much. You were healing well for your condition, you could now walk around and sit down without much help. Still, Roy and Jason didn’t like the idea of leaving you on your own for too long, just in case someone tried to come for you. You definitely couldn’t wield your axes just yet, so it made you an easy target even if you weren’t bed ridden anymore.

You walked out of the chamber beside Roy, him following your slower pace without complaint. You reached the other end of the hallways and entered another room with chests and racks, where your equipment was kept. You began putting on your suit, the one you had made when you rode beside the Red Hood, well before he was king. It was all black with a red pointed arch on the chest that imitated Jason’s sigil, which was outlined with a single silver following your collarbone. It rose up the back of your neck and was reinforced to protect your vitals.

“Could you help me pull it up, please?”

Roy nodded as he finished to lace his arm braces, stepping right behind you. He picked the stiff fabric and gently tugged it over your shoulder, brushing his fingers against your skin along the way. He was even more careful with your injured shoulder, making sure it wasn’t bent in any way to fit through the suit. He and Jason had advised against you wearing it, but you were stubborn and refused to show weakness in front of the enemy. Besides, it looked great on you. Roy then buttoned up the suit on your back and up your neck before giving you a kiss on the temple.

“Close your eyes, I’ve got a little something for you” He whispered in your eyes, and despite your initial confusion, you did as you were told and shut your eyes. You felt something being passed over your head and gently rest on your shoulders, then straps being adjusted on your sides. “You can open the now”

You did as he said and looked down as he gently directed you to the mirror on your left. He had placed a beautiful piece of equipment that paired well with the colors of your suit, lightweight and practical, that covered your shoulders front and back. You usually went without, but it was appropriate considering another arrow in the back would do you no good right now. And since you most probably wouldn’t be using your axes anyway, you could do without your full shoulder movements range.

“Where did you get this?” You asked as you trailed your finger on the skillfully crafted metal. There was no doubt it had been made for you by how it fit with both your body and suit. It must have cost a fortune.

“The blacksmith in town, the one living near the gates of the castle” He began. “His son was killed by the guild of thieves that lived uptown, the ones we wiped off right after the undertaking. He wanted to thank us somehow, and when he learned about what happened to you, he made this as a present”

“It’s… Very beautiful” You breathed out. “I’ll have to thank him later on. This must have taken so much time to make”

“But you deserve it” He said as he placed a light kiss on your jaw. “You deserve the best. And the best suits you”

“Thank you” You nodded, taking his hand. The leather of his archery glove was rough against your skin, but it had also become a comfort born from the endless days you spent training and hunting on the road. It was tied to some of your best memories with him, and it still amazed you how a simple touch could bring it all back vividly like that. “Come on, Jason must be waiting for us”

You went down to the court, where Jason was talking with the commander and some generals. Upon hearing your footsteps, he perked up and turned around, taking you specifically in. He smiled and nodded, heading for the three black steeds, groomed and in full armor, in the hands of the stable hands. You followed him and grabbed the reins of your mount, carefully climbing on its back and sitting in the saddle.

“Are we ready?” Jason asked.

“Of course” Roy replied first, then both of their eyes set on you.

“Let’s do this” You nodded firmly.

With a kick of your heels, you took off the court and onto the bridge, in the direction of the Wayne Kingdom.

---

“Soooooo…” Roy trailed off. “Do you think he stood us up or..?”

You looked away from the horizon and to Roy, who was slouched over the pommel of the saddle while his horse was trying to dig for grass through the snow. “Maybe he’s trying to ambush us”

“I don’t think so” Jason mumbled, his eyes still set northwest. His back was straight with a hand resting on his hips, the other holding the reins tight. His horse was attentive, chewing on its bit in anticipation. “It wouldn’t be like him, not while we’re on this hill anyway”

You nodded as your fingers flexed around the reins, a bit bored and definitely not impressed by the opposite party being late to their own meeting. There was barely any wind over the field, and the thick cover of the cloud didn’t let the sun rays through. Still, smoke came out of the horses’ nostrils with every breath they let out.

“There they come”

You glanced forward again at Jason’s warning, seeing a small party of riders coming your way. They didn’t seem to be in a hurry, walking rather than trying to reach you at a trot. The closer they came, the better you could point out characteristics for each rider. The one at the front was wearing all black with a cape that fell over the pale gray horse he was riding. It was almost white, but the dark skin around its eyes and nose proved differently. The second rider was on a smaller chestnut horse, and was a child. You blinked a few times, but his youthful features were obvious. The two other riders some paces behind were an escort, soldiers with steel armors and banners from their kingdom.

After a long waiting for them to actually be at hearing range, they finally stopped a few meters ahead and assessed your party. Jason was visibly tense, but his blue eyes gave nothing out on how he was feeling about seeing his father in front of him after all this time. They stared at each other for long minutes before the piercing glance of Bruce Wayne set on you. You clenched your jaw, not backing down, until his eyes finally left you.

“Your… Friend seems to have healed quite well” The older king spoke first.

“Don’t act like you give a fuck” Jason sneered. “You were the one who made this coward attack on her happen in the first place”

“Watch your mouth, runt” The child on the side almost barked. “You’re speaking to a legitimate King, unlike you”

“And who the fuck might this goblin be?” Roy said before he could stop himself. While the child looked appalled, Roy was still very relaxed on his horse. He might have been the only one to be, even if you did want to laugh at the outburst.

“I am the blood son, the true heir to the throne” He replied with all his might, except it didn’t quite have the desired effect, since he was on a pony, for one. “You peasant will respect me, or--”

“Damian, please” Bruce interrupted firmly. “Now is not the time to settle this”

“But--”

“Why am I not surprised that you fathered a brat?” Jason leaned forward, feeling taunting for a moment. “Which one of your concubines had enough bad luck to get pregnant? Selina? Or was it Richard’s lover, whatever was her name? Or maybe Talia, oh memorable Talia--”

“Don’t speak of my mother that way” Damian pulled his sword out.

“So Talia it is” He smirked.

“We are here to negotiate peace, not fuel a war” Bruce replied sternly. “I can do much worse than an arrow in the shoulder of a loved one, you know it. So be careful what you’re advancing about my family”

“Then keep your son on a tighter leash” Jason said, his face returning to a serious expression. “I still haven’t made my mind about keeping peace, don’t give me reasons to leave this meeting before we can discuss it”

“I should be telling you this” He squinted his eyes slightly. “You have thrown over a stable ally of this kingdom and stole the crown, then taken prisoner the King of Blüdhaven without giving a follow up on his state. You are in no place to threaten a war, yet here you are”

Jason waited a few seconds, not letting his stare waver. Then, he sighed and whistled. The plains were silent, until the faint sound of hooves cantering on the crisp snow grew closer to your position. Soon enough, you were passed on your left by another rider, slowly walking around you and toward Bruce’s party. Dick had a neutral expression as he turned around, stopping at Bruce’s side.

“Here” Jason waved his hand dismissively. “Your golden son, unharmed albeit slightly vexed”

“You should still pay for a crime like this” Bruce said.

“It’s fine” Dick tried to appease the tensions. “I do not wish to further this conflict, I have done enough already as it is”

“Why didn’t you fight back, Richard?” Damian asked in a judging and accusatory tone. “This is a disgrace to our family, and a display of weakness--”

“I was trying to avoid a much worse escalation of this conflict by owning a diplomatic mistake I made in the first place” He bit back. “What would you even know of politics, spoiled child?”

Roy laughed, and the sound only seemed to anger Damian more. You were in the middle of a family conflict, and unlike him, you didn’t know this side of the family well. You didn’t really know how to act, so you observed what would go down rather than actively participate.

“I find the ginger man’s insolence unwelcomed in this matter” Damian said, trying to wash down the humiliation his brother had just handed to him. “He’s got nothing to do with it, and he’s got no title. He shouldn’t even be speaking”

“He speaks because I say he can” Jason defended Roy in a heartbeat, his tone strong and authoritative. “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve got a crown and you don’t, which puts me above you in status and therefore my wishes outweigh yours”

Your eyebrow rose slowly as your eyes met Roy’s, who had an equally stunned expression. Jason had never used his status against anyone like that. It even seemed to take Damian by surprise, which was, with what you had learned about him in the last minutes, a hard feat to accomplish. If you were honest with yourself, while you loved Jason as a humble king, you were curious about the other side of him, even if he would show it in private.

“Your crown was stolen” Bruce reassessed. “The Kingdoms surrounding yours have decided this gesture would not stand. I wished a peaceful surrender from you, but it doesn’t seem like I will convince you to do so. You have three days to abdicate, until the next full moon, or your kingdom will be taken back by force”

“You think this is wise?” You finally spoke up on instinct, and all eyes turned to you, looking at you with surprise. You weren’t about to let those threats stand, especially not from Bruce. “Ever since King Jason came into power, he wiped out a guild that stole from families and murdered good people. Our kingdom is the safest for miles around, so much we get waves of new settlers even in winter. He lowered taxes on the population so much that most towns in the country have become flourishing trade posts in the span of a year, and instead taxed the nobility and cut on useless balls and dinners. Nobody starved last winter, and nobody is starving this one. Do you think the word didn’t get out to the other countries around? People are starting to want this for themselves too, and you think putting them through a devastating war will make things better? It will only make them resent you, those who didn’t already. We have people in every castle you know of who are ready to turn against you the second they get wind of aggression--”

“Bullshit” Damian called.

“Are you ready to take the risk?” You raised an eyebrow at him, before returning your glance to Bruce, who betrayed no emotion. “You will lose this war if you start it. You should consider your people before you send them to slaughter”

Silence fell over the hill for a moment.

“... What she said” Roy grinned, breaking the silence.

Bruce looked at Jason for a reaction, or most likely, some sort of opposition to what you had just said. Instead, he only readjusted his reins and straightened his back. “You heard right,” He said, not wavering. “You have three days, until the next moon, to annulate the warrants and back down. Think about your people, Bruce. Make the right decision”

With that mocking reprise of his father’s previous words, he turned his horse around and left him dumbfounded. With one last glance to their party, you followed Jason, trotting, then cantering away and back into your borders. Once you passed your soldiers’ road control, you slowed down to a walk.

“Huh” Roy exhaled as he leaned forward to glance at you over Jason’s horse between you two. “I didn’t know we had spies in other kingdoms”

“Now that I think about it,” Jason blinked a few times, his brows slightly furrowed. “Neither did I”

You shrugged. “Maybe we have them. That would be neat”

You saw confusion, then astonishment flash in their eyes like their reactions were synchronized.

“Wait, did you just--”

“Did you fucking lie to Bruce in his face?” Roy cut off, almost yelling. Then, he laughed. “In his face?”

“By the time he realizes, no, if he even realizes I bluffed, we’ll have a solid plan to ward him off, no matter what he does” You explained. “We win”

“How did you manage to convince him?” Jason had an innocent incomprehension written all over his features, like a child in front of a magic trick. He was adorable. “You had me convinced”

“Oh, boys” You grinned. “You think women survive this long in the world without becoming excellent liars? How do you think I managed to infiltrate the staff for a week before we invaded the castle?”

“By… Um” Roy trailed off. “Cleaning well?”

You laughed. “People had questions, my dear. I had to build myself a credible life to feed them, so I wasn’t thrown out of the castle instantly. Lying to the enemy is a skill I learned to cultivate a long time ago”

“You’re awesome, you know that?” He sighed, a loopy smile on his face. Jason still had a starstruck expression on his face, his eyes sparkling with admiration.

“Wouldn’t hurt to hear it again, I must admit” You teased back, jutting your chin up. “But there is one thing that would be better… Last one in the bedroom owes the first one a shoulder massage”

You didn’t wait for them to register your words before kicking your horse to a gallop, no doubt closely followed by them.

---

The dancing light of the candles of the chandelier left a soft glow on your naked skin, moving around and spreading warmth as it crawled up and down your body. You were sitting upright as hands moved gently on your shoulders, careful to avoid the sensitive area of your still healing wound. In your laps was Jason’s head, your hands threading slowly in his black hair as his eyes were shut close. He wasn’t sleeping, his breathing made his chest rise too fast for him to be. But he was relaxed, his neck muscles were untensed on your legs and there were no harsh lines on his face.

You looked behind you when Roy’s hand stopped massaging, pulling your hair to the side and kissing the back of your neck.

“You really gotta get a faster horse” Your lips curved upwards. “You’re always losing these races”

“I think my horse’s speed is just fine” He whispered back. “Besides, you are both right where I want you to be”

Jason smirked. “Losing is always suddenly part of someone’s plan when they never win”

“Laugh all you want” He sighed, dramatically laying down on his side beside you, then leaning forward close to Jason’s ear. “We all know I end up winning anyway when you beg my name like a prayer, My King”

You could feel the shiver travel up his spine on your laps, as well as the sudden shift in the tension in his muscles. You played along and let your hand slightly pull his hair, which surprised a moan out of him. His eyes opened wide, the blue of his irises being quickly consummated by the black of his pupils. Then, his glance set on Roy, something hard to read beside the promising spark in it.

“Are you sure you’re ready for a, what, fourth go at it today?” He raised an eyebrow as his hand brushed his cheek. “I didn’t think you jaw recovered from earlier”

You laughed airily as Roy grinned mischievously. “Maybe you can take that voice when you put that brat child in its place” You suggested as you trailed up your hand up Jason’s bare chest. “I’m sure he would be happy to get back on his knees if you did”

Roy groaned at the suggestion, already imagining the whole scene behind his fluttering eyelids. However, Jason didn’t quite follow up on his reaction. “Don’t tempt me with…” He trailed off, then noticed the mood change. “Hey, is there something wrong?”

Jason blinked, then shook his head and gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. “I’m fine” He muttered, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on Roy’s lips.

“No, something’s bothering you” He insisted gently. “What is it, Jay?”

Jason sighed, shaking his head. “It’s nothing” He replied, looking up to the ceiling. “Don’t worry about it”

“It’s clearly not nothing” You said as your hands threaded softly in his hair. “What’s eating at you?”

A silence followed your words. It was like Jason was searching for the right words, like he wanted to say it so bad but something else was holding him back. You were patient, however, and you didn’t mind that he took his time to tell you. You knew he would talk when he’s ready.

“It’s what Bruce said” Roy beat him to it, speaking barely over a whisper. “Isn’t it?”

You looked in between the two men, noticing how Jason did not deny Roy’s words. It was like they were having a silent conversation for a few seconds, before Roy put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“It’s how he didn’t see him as part of his family anymore” Roy spoke up, addressing you this time. “How Bruce didn’t seem to have any regret about replacing him in any way possible”

“Even after all this time” Jason gulped. “He won’t even stop reminding me he didn't care”

“Oh, my love” You reached for his hand and grabbed it, intertwining your fingers with his and giving it a squeeze. “He doesn’t deserve you beating yourself up about him like that. You’re worth so much more than anything he could even give you”

“She’s right,” Roy nodded. “We’re your family now, not him. Not him ever again. And I promise you we’ll never betray you that way, we’ll never set you aside. You’re our lover, you’re our King, you’re the most important person for us, and we would do anything for you”

You could see the crystal gleam of tears pooling in his eyes before he blinked them away, resisting the urge to break down. Jason had not often known true affection until he met Roy, then you. He felt like he didn’t deserve either of you, and sometimes he wondered why exactly you decided everyday to stay by his side. But you did stay, you did support him and guided him when he needed it. He wouldn’t have been anywhere near where he was right now without you.

“You’re both so good to me” He whispered, adoration clear in his voice as he glanced at you, then Roy. “What would I do without you?”

“You’d be wonderful either way” You smiled as you slipped beside him, careful not to pull on your bandages. Soon enough, Roy joined him on the other side, snuggling into him. “You’d miss on major cuddling, however”

His chest rose in a silent chuckle as he pulled you and Roy just a little bit closer. “Give yourselves more credit, I’d crash and burn without you both by my side”

“Let’s not bother with what ifs, yeah?” Roy replied, his lips curved upward as he kissed his shoulder. “It only matters that you’re here with us today, and that you are a damn good King. The rest doesn’t matter”

“The rest doesn’t matter” Jason repeated in a mutter, nodding lightly. “Only you. Only us”

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geekgirles · 3 years

Text

Your Heart

Chapter 9 -- Answers

Word Count: 17199

READ ON AO3

When Danny first visitedーor, more accurately, when he first crashed intoーthe Far Frozen, he shared the same first impression as Tucker; it was ball-freezing cold.

Frostbite and his people’s homeland was a frozen paradise where blinding white snow went as far as reached the eye. What at first glance appeared to be a rather rudimentary village made out of small houses carved into mounds of ice and frost was infinitely more complex than that. The Realm of the Far Frozen was one of the most technologically advanced territories in all the Infinite Realms; even Technus coveted access to their facilities. A stark contrast to its inhabitants' simple clothing, for instance.

The ice huts were in truth the entrance to a far more elaborate citadel built underground and connected by countless tunnels and caverns, for it provided better shelter. Some shacks did indeed lead to the citizens’ homes, not unlike a rabbit’s den, but the vast majority of them worked as the gates to the tunnels leading to the metropolis beneath the snow.

In fact, the only cavern that truly was a mere cave, despite its importance among Frostbite’s people, was the cave where Danny’s battle against Pariah Dark was recorded. In reality, everything about Far Frozen was proof that one should never judge a book by its cover. The ice-wielding ghosts had the fearsome looks of canine yetis; their claws alone the size of Danny’s head, their snouts filled to the brim with razor-sharp fangs; even now, standing at 5’9 feet tall, Frostbite’s colossal height and build dwarfed the halfa’s own developed physique, and the number of ghosts who shared the yeti-like species’ proficiency at cryokinesis could be counted with one handーaside from Danny himself, the only other ghost that came to mind was Klemper, and even he relied mostly on brute strength and freezing breath.

And yet, despite everything that should’ve turned Frostbite and his people into some of his most formidable foes, they in turn were some of the biggest supporters of his rule. If you looked for the definition of ‘gentle giant’ in the dictionary, you’d see a picture of them. Frostbite’s people were noble, kind, and loyal. So long their way of living wasn’t threatened, should a crisis arise, they were always the first ones volunteering themselves to help Danny in any way they could.

Not to mention Frostbite himself had more than once filled the role of the young Ghost King’s mentor. A role he had no choice but to exploit now.

Landing gracefully on top of the snow, Danny waited patiently until the leader of the Far Frozeners came flying by on his hoverboard in the midst of his patrolling his land. Soon enough, taking notice of a shadow being cast on him, he looked up to see the ghost’s familiar face grinning down at him, by his side one of his subjects looked on with interest.

“Great One!” he exclaimed before hopping off the vehicle and coming to stand beside his king, followed by a respectful bow. “To what do we owe the honour of this visit?”

Danny smiled appreciatively at him. “Hello, Frostbite. I know this is probably too sudden, but I could really use your help right now.”

“Nonsense.” The bigger ghost assured him with the raise of a dismissive paw. “My people will be forever indebted to you for freeing the Ghost Zone once and for all from the tyrannical influence of Pariah Dark.” He placed his large paw on his ruler’s shoulder, staring him down with a warmth that shouldn’t belong with a race of tundra dwellers. “Now, do tell, what can we possibly help with?”

Feeling uncomfortable, the halfa looked down on his feet and scratched the back of his head. He really didn’t want to go to Frostbite for help, knowing how cautious he was around the mere mention of them. Unfortunately, he didn’t know who else to go to. “I need your help with…the witches.”

He mumbled that part so low for a moment he worried his old friend might not have heard him, but the sudden look of urgency in his red eyes said otherwise. “Come, we must make haste.” With a nod of his head, Frostbite signalled to the hoverboard’s pilot to lower the vehicle, getting aboard right after Danny. “We will continue where we left off tomorrow at dawn, for now let us head back home.” He instructed the pilot as he ushered Danny to take a seat.

“As you wish, sir.” The other Far Frozen replied as he changed course.

“Thank you.” Danny said truthfully. “I’m sorry for bringing them up, but I think you might be the only one able to help me.”

Frostbite shook his head. “Fear not, Great One. My people and I understand you are doing everything in your power to protect us from their harmful ways. Even if we do not wish to come in contact of any kind with them, we will not hesitate to aid you in your quest.”

Even if on the outside Danny was smiling, his words made his insides churn. He felt like he was lying to his mentor. After his last encounter with Lady Arcana a part of him, probably the same part of him who originally told him this was a good idea, resented the way ghosts referred to witches.

Jazz would probably say that was the result of personal growth. Since the Witch Queen went out of her way to make sure he was safe despite their mutual animosity, his mind had been opened to new horizons, meaning he now understood he’d been unfair to them based on prejudice and naysay, rather than first hand experience.

At least, that’s what Psychologist Jazz would say. Overprotective, Older Sister Jazz would say something more along the lines of, “Snap out of it, little brother! You’re not fourteen and hormonal anymore; don’t let a pretty face fool you!”

Even so, here he was. Asking Frostbite for help even though it felt like he was just desperately looking for something, anything, that would debunk the reasons behind his people’s grudge against witches, if only to assure himself that his current, improved, opinion of their leader wasn’t unfounded.

Come on, man, that’s not the only reason you’re doing this and you know it. He tried to reason. How much do you know about witches other than what you’ve been told? Nothing, that’s how much he knew about them. Exactly. You’re the one taking risks by working with Lady Arcana. What if your previous hunch was wrong and they really can’t help? Wouldn’t that mean you’ve been wasting your time? Okay, that’d be bad. Really bad. He only asked for their help because he was sure they were the only ones who could do anything about the portals, but if not even them had the solution to the portals opening, what was he going to do?! Right? And how are you going to figure that out if you don’t know what they’re truly capable of? Really, this is for the best.

Danny didn’t want to sound conceited, but his inner monologue brought up incredibly good points to the conversation. He was doing this for the sake of Earth and the Ghost Zone alike. His personal opinion on the Queen of the Witches of Amity Park was irrelevant.

A sudden jerk that almost sent him flying brought him out of his reverie. Looking around he noticed they’d finally arrived back at the village, and Frostbite was smirking down at him in amusement. “I have yet to see you use the powers that come with your position to their full potential,” he started between chuckles, “but I believe not even the Great One is exempt from having to use the seatbelt when travelling.”

Registering the way the leader of the Far Frozen moved his ice-encased arm to his lap, Danny realised he was the only person aboard who didn’t have his seatbelt on. When Frostbite unbuttoned his seatbelt with a pointed look, the green-eyed ghost could only flush in embarrassment. “Uh…oops?”

A low chuckle rumbled through the yeti-like ghost’s chest. “Come, Great One.” Resting his large paw on Danny’s back, Frostbite ushered him out of the hoverboard and began guiding him through his home’s numerous underground passages. They walked in silence, the sound of ice and snow being stepped on was the only thing that could be heard. Even though several detours were carved into the walls, his mentor kept directing him to go straight until he instructed they took a turn.

Danny was sure his jaw was inches away from touching the ground as his eyes surveyed the colossal ice gates in front of him. Judging by their icy blue hue, they were thick enough to withstand practically anything. He doubted even one of his most charged up ecto-rays would be enough to crash into them. Many intricate designs ran alongside them, and they definitely had to protect something of great value to explain the two guards at each side.

As if reading his mind, Frostbite supplied an answer for his unspoken queries, “The library, oh, Great One.” With a snap of his fingers, the two guards bowed down before they simultaneously turned the doorknobs and opened the doors for them, granting them access.

“Wait, the library?” Danny frowned in confusion, which only doubled at Frostbite’s hearty laugh.

“Yes, Great One.” He smiled down at him as he led him inside. “If what you’re looking for is answers, I cannot think of a better place to find them than a library.”

Looking now at his mentor’s furry back, for he was surveying the different shelves most likely in search of a book that might have the information he was looking for, the young monarch blurted out, “How do you know I’m here for answers?”

Frostbite grabbed a book from the shelf he was currently facing, only to think better of it and return it in exchange for another one. “Usually, when you come all the way over here it is because you have questions you need answers to.”

Danny winced at the pang of guilt that pierced through his core. Was he always so self-interested he only ever came when he needed something?

“Worry not, Great One.” The yeti-like spirit said, not looking up from the book in his large paws. “My people will always be at your service. It is an honour to be able to help you, for we know you will always aid us in return.” He closed the book with a low thud, flashing him a friendly smile.

Danny could only gape at the ghost before him, his mouth opening and closing in a fashion akin to a fish’s. Seriously, did the Far Frozeners have telepathy too?!

“No, we do not possess the ability to read minds.” Looking down at the certainly flabbergasted expression on the half-ghost’s face, Frostbite roared with laughter, the sound echoing throughout the walls. “I jest, Great One. I just know you too well. Also, your expressions speak volumes.” He commented offhandedly before returning his focus to another section of the library.

And to think he’d managed to fool his parents all these years…Sliding a hand through his mess of shock-white locks, the Ghost King came to stand beside his old friend, scanning over the different titles as well. After a while, he realised something. “Um, Frostbite?” He called out to his mentor.

“Yes, Great One?”

“Are we perhaps looking for information to answer my questions about the witches?”

Never tearing his eyes away from the sacred manuscripts in full display in his people’s library, Frostbite nodded. “Precisely, your Majesty.”

“Just one question, though?”

“What is it?”

“How are we going to find a book that’ll help me, if I still haven’t told you what I need help with?” Danny pointed out, tilting his head to his side as he awaited an answer.

The larger ghost’s red eyes widened in realisation. Indeed, that would prove difficult. “My apologies, Great One. In my haste to be of help I got ahead of myself.” Turning to his king, he bowed his head solemnly, unknowingly making Danny uncomfortable. Back in the day the halfa would’ve tried deterring him in his use of honorifics when talking to him, but it was a lost cause and getting him to stop bowing would be as well. In the end he simply chose to go with the flow. Raising his body, Frostbite used his ice-encased arm to gesture to a corner of the room, where a few chairs were arranged around a table. “Please, allow me to rectify my mistake by listening to your queries and answering them to the best of my ability.”

As soon as he got comfortable in his chair, which wasn’t difficult as the hair serving as upholstery was very fluffy and warm, Danny tried to voice his thoughts. “Well...um...you see…” Key word being ‘tried,’ in the end he blurted out, “How does their magic work?”

As Frostbite met his question with stunned silence, his head tilted to the side and a bushy eyebrow raised in confusion, the green-eyed half-ghost couldn’t blame him. How was it he always ended up asking the exact same thing to every person relatively knowledgeable about witches he talked to?

Before his old friend could ask for some much needed clarification, Danny hurried to deliver it himself. “I’m sorry, that was too random.” He pushed his bangs out of his face, trying to organise his thoughts. Better be straightforward with this one. “Why is it that their magic can touch us while we’re intangible?”

The question had been eating him alive for the last few days. Now matter how long he wracked his brain for answers, he came up empty-handed. Admittedly, most of the times he was hit by an opponent’s attack it was usually because, in the heat of the moment, he all but forgot he could turn intangible at will and effortlessly pass through whatever projectile was thrown his way. It was an embarrassing mistake that haunted himーhow ironic, huh?ーsince he first started gaining control over his powers.

And yet, when he did remember to turn intangible at the sight of upcoming ecto-rays or laser beams, he could come out unscathed of anythingーother ghost’s using their powers against him, the Guys in White and their tax-money equipment, even his parents’ own inventions.

Well, almost everything…

Valerie’s own arsenal of ecto-weapons was the only thing that could touch (or, more accurately, hurt) him when he was intangible. He could only guess what Vlad and subsequently Technus had used to create her suit and weaponry. Until now. Now he’d accidentally found out witches could nonchalantly wrap their magical, tendril-like thingy around his ankleーlast time in a successful attempt to help him, which was very much appreciatedーand it actually came as a surprise to them they were even able to do it!

If only he could figure out why that was…

“Great One,” Frostbite sighed from his own chair, snapping him out of his reverie, “I fear I might not be of help to you. I know nothing of what you speak.”

At that, the halfa jumped to his feet, almost pleadingly. “What do you mean, Frostbite? How come you don’t know, you know practically everything!”

A mirthless chuckle escaped the Far Frozener’s throat. “You flatter me, my King. But I really am as lost as you are on the matter. I could tell you many other things, but not that.”

“Then, what can you tell me?”

Rising to his feet, the yeti-like creature beckoned his hero and leader to follow him to another part of the library. Once they were in front of a particular shelf, Frostbite slid his finger over the different volumes until he found the one he was looking for. With a triumphant sound, he picked it up and started leafing through it as he handed the book to Danny.

When the halfa took the heavy book in his hands he almost dropped it when he saw the intricate drawing between its pages. Pictured inside the book were very realistic, if slightly worn out by time, drawings of the Amulets of Aragon and portrayals of people Danny could only assume were Dorothea and her brother while they were alive.

Frostbite’s booming voice forced him to look up to his direction. “Whatever knowledge on the sorceress’ nature beyond their affinity to magic and ability to free us from the chains that bind us to our world without the use of portals is long gone.” He delicately traced an invisible circle around the image of the amulet with one of his sharp claws as he explained, “After our people's separation, only remnants of their activity were left.

“It is thanks to their prolonged presence in our lives, and the intertwining of energies resulting from our past interactions, that those with magic-based abilities can still survive today. Without the witches’ previous impact on our society, Princess Dorothea and her brother would have long lost the power to wield their amulets. And, as you know, it is thanks to them that magical items even exist in our world.”

“Yeah, don’t remind me…” He muttered under his breath, resentment coming back at full force.

“On the contrary, my King. I am enlightening you.” Frostbite corrected, earning himself a confused look from Danny that encouraged him to go on. Instead of answering with words, however, Frostbite merely turned his head with a faraway look in his eyes, prompting the halfa to do the same. The moment his eyes laid on a particular object on the other side of the room, Danny could feel himself go jawslacked.

With wide eyes, he turned his head so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. “The Infi-map is here because of the witches?” He asked with a strangled voice.

Frostbite simply nodded. “It was a gift from them, to be precise. Legend has it, eons ago the Infinite Realms were desperately looking for ways to anticipate when the next ghost portal would open when an ancient witch queen from the Old World offered the enchanted Infi-map as the solution.

“She was especially close to my people, thus how we came to guard it. It is also why the Far Frozen is so wary of them now; how a race of beings we once shared such a close bond with could doom our very existence like they did was too much for even our benevolent nature to forgive.” He lowered his head in mourning. Maybe they only had stories of how things used to be, but it was clear the women’s betrayal was a deeply pierced wound that would forever be opening and closing at the very core of the Far Frozeners’ hearts.

Seeing his friend’s dejected expression, Danny regretted even bringing them up almost instantly. “So there’s no way of possibly knowing how they can touch us while intangible?”

“As I said, only remnants of their presence remain.” Right after he said that, however, his downhearted expression turned thoughtful, his paw stroking his snout in thought. “Although, perchance, there is one ghost that might be able to shed some light on the matter...”

...........

Clockwork.

He had to go and say Clockwork.

Of fucking course. Why not? Couldn’t he have said Pandora? Despite her fierce and fearsome demeanour, underneath all that anger and aggression laid a very helpful gal! And besides, she was a spirit that had been roaming the Ghost Zone since the times of Ancient Greece! What could be more ancient than Ancient Greece?

Okay, fine...maybe the very ghost who’d borne witness to the rise and fall of the Greek civilisation alongside countless others before and after. But his point still stands.

At least this time he wouldn’t be visiting the all-knowing Ghost of Time by himself; Frostbite had offered to go with him seeing as it was per his suggestion he’d be visiting in the first place. Proof of it was the yeti-like ghost flying right beside him towards the Ghost of Time’s tower. And Clockwork always treated Frostbite with respect.

Danny would admit he was being a bit harsh. In all fairness going to Clockwork was the most logical thing to doーif there was someone who’d have all the answers he needed, it was the very ghost who knew absolutely everything. The problem would be getting the answers out of him.

Deep down, the halfa knew he should’ve gone to him from the beginning, it was just dealing with him could really take its toll on Danny, no matter how much he respected and appreciated his guidance. Was Clockwork a good mentor to Danny? Absolutely, he was sure he’d never made it as far as he had without his and Frostbite’s help. In the end, was the greater good Clockwork’s priority? Was it ever! The shape-shifting ghost would never hesitate to go against orders from the Observants (all too gleefully, might he add) if he believed it’d led them to the better timeline. Did his cryptic nature and that frustratingly annoying, knowing smirk he always wore when he needed his help with something sometimes encourage Danny to jump off a cliff in his human form?

Maybe.

He just hoped Frostbite’s presence would help matters, if only a bit.

And speaking of Frostbite…“We approach the Master of Time’s lair, Great one.” Soon enough, the immense clock tower standing proud in the middle of the Infinite Realms could be sighted not far away from them.

Danny sighed dejectedly. “Let’s get this over with…” he grumbled as he changed course in the direction the ghostly lair resided.

Once they arrived at Clockwork’s tower, Danny reached a hand out to push the door open and let themselves in. It wasn’t like they were going to catch its owner off-guard, after all. As they ventured inside, their eyes scanning for the ever-changing form of the master of time, the constant tick-tock coming from the numerous clocks scattered around the place reached their ears. Like the ticking crocodile Captain Hook dreaded so much, the tower was a constant reminder of the passage of time. Even if the Ghost of Time had long ago explained to him the essence of his power was never as linear as most beings made it out to be, all Danny could think of whenever that incessant sound registered in his mind was one thing:

Time was running out and the end was nigh.

Shaking those thoughts away, for now wasn’t the moment to get lost in them, Danny cupped a hand around his mouth. “Clockwork?” He called. “Anybody home?”

In the blink of an eye, the child-like form of the ghost in question materialised in front of them with an amused grin on his childish face. When he opened his mouth to speak, instead of an appropriately high-pitched voice came a deep, baritone one, “I’ve been expecting you.” The fact it came from a kid’s mouth made it all the more jarring, but Danny was used to it by now.

Whereas Frostbite respectfully bowed down in greeting, Danny just stared blankly at the ghost before him, his arms folding over his chest. “‘I’ve been expecting you?’ Really? What are you, a fortune teller?”

Changing to his adult form, a more fitting low chuckle escaped his throat. “We both know I’m one of the very few creatures in existence within his right to call himself that.” Then he added, almost like an afterthought. “Also, I felt like it.”

“Figures,” he muttered. Despite himself, the halfa couldn’t stop the lopsided smile from forming on his face.

Clockwork then turned to the leader of the Far Frozen. “It’s good to see you again, Frostbite. What business brings you here?”

Standing up from his bowed position, Frostbite returned the greeting. “Greetings, Lord Clockwork. It is good to see you as well. Do forgive my impertinence, but I believe you must already know why I am here.”

The master of time nodded, now taking the form of an old man, the grip on his scepter just a little bit tighter for support. “Indeed, you’re here to support our young king. How noble of you.”

“I am merely doing what it is expected of me.”

“That you do.” Clockwork agreed, nodding wisely. As the larger ghost had accurately pointed out, when one addressed the Ghost of Time, everything they did became expected. “That you do, my friend.”

“Um, could we please speed things up?” Danny suggested, growing frustrated with the pointless introductions. “As Frostbite said, you already know why we’re here, so why don’t you tell us if you can help us or not?”

“I said I know why Frostbite’s here, seeing as that is a staple in almost every timeline. That doesn’t mean I necessarily know the actual reason why you’re here since it’s more subject to change.” The Ghost of Time countered, but that devilishly knowing smirk of his was back on his face, all but screaming he did know exactly why they were here. “So, what are you here for, boy?”

Resisting the very strong urge to yank at his hair in despair, Danny managed to at least reply calmly. Sarcastically, but calmly. “As if you don’t know the answer already.”

Clockwork’s smirk widened. “Then humour me.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing through it, the Ghost King thought the best way to formulate his question. Just because the master of time was, well, the master of time that didn’t mean he shouldn’t try to at least make sense. “I need answers.” He finally admitted. “There’s a lot going on with Lady Arcana that I can’t understand. I originally asked for Frostbite’s help but, unfortunately, he didn’t have what I’m looking for. And honestly?” He sent the shapeshifting ghost a meaningful glance, hoping it’d be enough to express how serious he was. “I don’t think she has the answers, either.”

Clockwork arched an eyebrow, silently urging him to continue.

“She can touch me when I go intangible!” Danny threw his arms up. Really, knowing how she could do that was all he needed. If he found out more about her people, wonderful! But as long as he got to know why one of his core powers seemingly meant nothing to her, he was golden. “Well, not her, her magic can.” He amended. “Just the other day, I was intangible and she wrapped one of her wispy tendrils around my ankle, yanking me down. How is that possible?”

For a moment, the Ghost of Time remained silent. With his head resting on his staff, his body kept changing its physical appearance as his deep, red eyes stayed fixated upon the young king. And Danny couldn’t honestly be sure if Clockwork was really thinking his next words carefully or just toying with him. He was an adult again by the time he finally spoke. “Danny, have you ever considered why ghosts can go intangible at all?”

The unexpected question took him aback. “I...I always assumed it was a natural ghost ability.” He admitted as he scratched the back of his head in thought.

Changing to his elderly form, the hooded ghost nodded. “And it is, but not without reason.” Next he floated over one of the many portals he used to oversee the passage of time. With a snap of his fingers, the portal began broadcasting many different instances where Danny or some other ghost had turned intangible. “You see, when we ghosts become intangible, what we do is tap into the Ghost Zone while we’re away from it. That is to say our bodies travel through dimensions.” With a movement of his staff, the image changed to show the times he, Tucker, and, surprisingly, Lady Arcana had phased through the walls. “That’s also why humans can phase through things in our world; even if their bodies are here, their essence never left Earth…”

As his mind connected the dots, the halfa’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. “...making them lose their physical mass when in touch with things from our world!” He finished, amazed, and from beside the portal Clockwork nodded sagely. “But what about witches?”

The portal abruptly stopped its broadcast. It was almost as if Clockwork didn’t want to show him anything related to Lady Arcana’s people. With that in mind, Danny feared for a second the master of time would choose that moment to close himself off and say nothing more, but luckily, he proved him wrong. “In terms of physical form, witches are still human, but their magic is something completely different.

“As the only human beings capable of tapping into their own essence, their animas are multidimensional, which is why the Witch Queen’s magic affected youーits’ capable of surpassing the laws of physics because it’s not bound to any particular dimension…”

“...just its holder!” Danny gasped out as understanding dawned on him, things were finally starting to make sense. “So you’re saying witches are akin to electricity generators? They depend on no one but themselves to do magic?”

“Pretty much.”

“Wow.” He breathed out, a hand outstretched and blindly looking for support until it met the wall. Noticing his king’s dazed estate, Frostbite hurried to his side to steady him as Danny slowly sat down on the floor. “This...this is a lot.”

“And it’s only the beginning.” The Ghost of Time let out cryptically. Danny would have to remember to think about the meaning of that later on, for now he’d already absorbed too much information in too little time. When his brain finally processed enough information for him to properly function, the green-eyed ghost stood to his feet on his own, thanking Frostbite for his help. “Thank you, Clockwork. You were a huge help today. I know how hard it is for you to reveal anything due to the nature of your job.”

“Don’t get used to it, boy.” The hooded ghost warned, the knowing smirk back on his face. “I’m only doing what I consider best for this timeline. Don’t think spelling things out for you will be the answer to all your problems from now on.”

Despite his words, the smile on Danny’s face didn’t fall. It’d have been foolish to expect anything else from Clockwork, after all. “Well, thanks anyways. See you, Clockwork.” He waved him goodbye as he took off in the opposite direction, this time heading for the Fenton Ghost Portal; today was far from over.

Having been left alone with the Ghost of Time, Frostbite approached him. “Lord Clockwork, are we certain we are on the right path for salvation?”

“Trust me, old friend,” a child Clockwork said as he ventured further inside his lair, a different portal opening before his deceivingly innocent, round face, the events being displayed in it pleasing him greatly, “everything is as it should be.”

...........

The FentonWorks sign loomed over her like a bad omen. Looking up to the enormous metallic construction welded to the more average-looking, brick building where Danny and his family lived, Sam couldn’t help but subconsciously grip the straps of her spider backpack tighter. Her stomach churning in nervousness, she lifted one hand up to knock on the door…

And, unable to bring herself to do so, let it hang in mid-air for a good ten minutes.

Dear God, if anyone saw her lurking around the Fentons’ door they’d think she was some weird stalker who was crazier than they claimed the family to be, or a potential client who needed help hunting a ghost. So basically they’d think she was crazier than they claimed the family to be either way.

One would think the only family of ghost hunters in town would be held in much higher regard after seven years of consistent ghost attacks, but rumour has it their equipment tended to malfunction or make things more difficult for everyone. Sam remembered one particularly funny, but understandably embarrassing, story Danny had told her about his parents’ accidentally humiliating his English teacher on more than one occasion. And since Mr. Lancer couldn’t punish two adults, he took his frustrations out on their innocent son who had repeatedly stated he wanted nothing to do with the family business.

Add to that the presence of an all-around more powerful and more competent town hero with actual ghost powers, and it was safe to say their credibility had taken a few major blows over the years.

At first she’d worried about their financial situation. Who wouldn’t? They were professional ghost hunters but nobody took them seriously and any possible job they might have had was immediately handled by a far more efficient superhero who, to top it all, worked for free. With that in mind you’d expect them to have been evicted years ago! But Danny had been quick to reassure her and explain things to her. Yes, his parents’ passion was ectology and ghost-hunting, but they were primarily inventors and, even if their ecto-weapons could sometimes use some work, their more mundane inventions were typically sold like pancakes. So they were fine.

She sighed at the memory. Oh, Danny…

Hard as she tried, she still hadn’t managed to shake the flutter in her chest off whenever she thought of him or something happened between them. No. Scratch that. She didn’t get that feeling when ‘something’ happened between them, because nothing ever happened between them! All those weird, little instances where her heart would malfunction after twenty-one years in peak condition were perfectly normal occurrences that shouldn’t send her heart running.

They would simultaneously reach for the same thing, causing their hands to brush against each other. Their eyes would meet and she’d spend seconds that could have perfectly stretched into hours over-analysing every little thing she thought was going on behind them because she suddenly wanted to know everything about Danny. When that happened it’d usually be followed by the both of them hurriedly looking away and Sam feeling bashful for some reason, heat rising to her cheeks.

And none of those reactions made sense because that was not the way one would react to their friend!

Those were all completely normal occurrences between friends. It was normal to want the same thing at the same time. It was only natural to look your friend in the eyes. And it made sense that you’d want to look away if you think you’ve been staring a little too long because anyone would feel uncomfortable by that.

What didn’t make sense was the gnawing feeling at the back of her head telling her those little, insignificant moments meant so much more than that!

And now that she was beginning to think she’d misjudged Phantom? Now that she looked at him in a different light and noticed some of his...let’s say...more appealing features, both in terms of physique and personality? Now that her heart was beginning to malfunction at the thought of him too?

Now Sam was seriously contemplating putting an end to her misery and burning herself at the stake.

Either that or go see a doctor in case she had some sort of untreatable heart disease.

Regardless of the very strange position she now found herself in, Sam’s resolve in finding more about ghosts was genuine. Her and Phantom’s reactions to her magic being able to reach him even when intangible was proof enough that far too much knowledge on their people’s old friendship had been regrettably forgotten.

The black hole incident demonstrated there probably was more to their partnership and combined abilities than what had been passed down to the younger generations. If Sam could find solid evidence on an unexplained synchrony between magic and ghostly attributes, then maybe her current alliance with the Ghost King wouldn’t be futile after all.

Maybe it even held the key to solving the portal crisis they faced off against…

The witch was abruptly broken out of her trail of thought when the door she’d been standing in front of for fifteen minutes suddenly opened, Danny’s head curiously poking around and eyes darting from one side to the other, clearly looking for something…

...or someone.

As soon as their eyes met, the two of them let out startled sounds and subconsciously took a step back in surprise. Unfortunately for Sam, seeing as she was standing on the steps leading up to the door, her foot slipped when it found nowhere to stand on. Losing her balance, she was sure she was going to fall when Danny immediately rushed in to help her, his strong arms swiftly coming to grab her by her waist, their faces mere inches apart.

Against her better judgement, the hazel-eyed girl couldn’t do anything to prevent losing herself in Danny’s baby blue depths. Certainly, nobody would blame her, not when their breaths mingled from the close proximity, or when his eyes reflected a worry she’d rarely seen beforeーhe was worried for her, she realised with a little too much gleeー, or when they were so, so close all she had to do was inch her head forward just a little to close the distance and feel those hypnotising lips of his onー.

“Uh...what’s going on here?”

Slowly, very slowly, even comically so, the two turned their heads to the direction of the voice. Only to find Jazz propped against the doorframe behind her brother and flashing them a very interested look, a smile dancing along her lips.

The effect was instantaneous. The two scrambled to get away from each other, almost as if they’d suddenly realised the other was made out of hot lava and they were burning their hands, muttering excuses and such other nonsense Jazz chose to ignore completely.

Oh, denial. Simultaneously one of the most entertaining and frustrating stages of admitting you like someone.

Clearing his throat, Danny was the first one to find his voice, even though his cheeks still burned. “S-Sam! It’s great to see you! I was starting to believe you couldn’t make it in the end.”

“Oh! No, no.” She shook her head slightly with a hand raised up. “I’m sorry I made you wait, I, uh, I just had a little trouble finding the place. That’s all.” Fine, so saying she had trouble finding the one house in town with a humongous Ops Centre on its roof was a terrible lie, but no way in Hell was she going to say she found the place just fine but she took a few extra minutes with her hand raised about to knock on the door but finding herself unable to.

That was just pathetic.

The slightly irritating grin never leaving her face, Jazz ushered their guest in. “Would you like to come in?”

“Yes, thank you.” She let herself be guided through the doorstep to the kitchen, which, judging by the outline of some furniture she could vaguely make out, Sam guessed led to the living room. The space was a large and bright-coloured room that combined a somewhat retro 50’s style with far newer appliances and...was that a toxic-waste container?

“That’s our version of tupperware with leftovers.” Danny came to stand beside her and now Sam was wondering if she’d just said that aloud or if he could read minds. When he looked down at her, though, his expression was dead serious. “If you value your life, don’t open it.”

“Duly noted.”

She was about to ask where she could sit down when the younger sibling moved a chair for her, gesturing at it with a flourish and flashing her a charming smile. “M’lady, this way, please.”

Rolling her eyes fondly, Sam took his hand and allowed him to help her sit, setting her spider backpack on top of the kitchen table. Once he was comfortably sitting on his own chair by her side, she swatted his arm in mock warning. “Just so you know, I’m only letting you treat me like ‘a lady,’” she air-quoted, “because, as your guest, is the right thing to do.”

“I’m much obliged, Miss Manson.” Danny countered with a fake posh accent.

Before the girl could so much as flick him on the nose, Jazz came inside carrying a plate full of cookies. “Care for one, Sam?”

Eying the plate carefully, she had to decline the offer. “Thank you, but I’m good.” In truth she couldn’t be sure the cookies were vegan, but saying she wasn’t hungry was much more polite than imposing her dietary choices on them.

Sensing her discomfort, Danny smacked his forehead as realisation washed over him. “Duh, that’s right!” Startled by his outburst the two girls turned to look at him, exchanging confused glances. “You’re ultra-recyclo-vegetarian! I’m sorry, Sam. I forgot. I don’t think we have anything for you.”

Bringing one hand to her mouth, Jazz gasped. “Darn! That’s right. I’m so sorry, Sam; it totally slipped my mind.”

Her mind still reeling from Danny, once again, remembering something about her, she didn’t have the heart to say anything. “It’s okay, really. As I said, I’m good.”

“Are you sure?” Danny insisted. “Because I’m sure we have something around here you might be able to eat…” He trailed off, clearly thinking about what they had that Sam could possibly consume without breaking her moral code. Biting down his lip, he tried, “How about water?”

The Goth girl couldn’t help but snort. “ A tempting offer. I might take you up on it.”

“I’ll get you a glass.” As he got up to do just that, his older sister finally took notice of the purple spider resting on the table.

“Wow.” She breathed out, clearly impressed. “You have quite a collection of badges on your bag!”

“Oh, this?” Sam pointed at the assortment of metallic, glinting badges adorning her faithful spider’s fur. “They’re mostly from charities and previous protests I’ve been in.” She explained. “You could say when something matters a lot to me, I make sure to give it a place of honour.”

“Cool, just make sure my father doesn’t see or he’ll shove a handful of Fenton badges your way.”

“‘Fenton badges’?”

“They’re regular badges with the word ‘Fenton’ on them.” Danny explained quickly, setting down a glass of water before Sam just as he regained his seat.

After her brother helped himself to some cookies, Jazz left the plate on the counter before picking a seat for herself. She propped her elbows on the kitchen table, her fingers intertwined and her eyes staring at the Goth seriously from behind her hands. The image reminded Sam of the principals from high school based sitcoms whenever the protagonists got in trouble.

The mental image only made her feel like she’d got in trouble.

“Uh...is everything okay?” She asked carefully.

“Everything’s fine, Sam.” Danny assured her with a smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. That only worried the girl further. “We’re just morally obligated to warn you about a few things first.”

“Such as…?” Sam eyed the Fenton siblings suspiciously, her skin prickling at their uncharacteristically odd behaviour.

“Such as our parents' eccentricities.” Jazz finished, her voice completely serious. “Don’t get us wrong, Sam; our parents are talented inventors and passionate ghost hunters...” She trailed off, having trouble explaining things to an outsider. They never really had to explain their family’s antics to anybody else, they all knew; the difference lay in how they processed the information. So far, the entire town bar Tucker thought of them as kooks.

“But they’re so passionate they tend to overlook things.” Danny added.

“Especially if they don’t fit their agenda...” Jazz muttered darkly, probably thinking nobody heard. But she was mistaken.

Sam was legitimately taken aback by the unexpected venom laced in Jazz’s statement. Even though this was only the second time she got to meet the eldest Fenton sibling, their last encounter seemed to indicate Jazz was the type of person who always measured her words. Straight-laced, careful, mature...Maybe even calculating under the right circumstances. She seemed to place great importance on not letting her emotions show, for some reason. But, seemingly, their parents’ job was a sore spot for her.

As her mind went back to their conversation at Verde Que Te Quiero Verde, Sam found herself thinking she couldn’t blame Jazz for her low opinion on their parents’ chosen career. Who wouldn’t grow resentful of a career path that, judging by Danny’s stories, not only had it brought shame and embarrassment onto their children their whole lives, but also led them to being neglected in favour of something most people didn’t even know existed until recently?

As much as she’d personally wished her mother would leave her alone growing up, Sam knew what emotional neglect felt like all too well.

“I see.” She said finally, taking extra care in not letting her thoughts shine through. She needed to appear nonchalant, willing to listen. “So, what should I know?”

Danny and Jazz exchanged a look, silently discussing how to approach the topic. Understandably, Danny had been taken by surprise when Sam asked if she could come over and talk about ghosts. After all, who in their right mind wanted to talk about ghosts? Most citizens would just watch him fight them, sneer at him once the battle was over, and exclaim ‘good riddance!’ before turning on their heels to go back to their monotonous lives.

The only exceptions to the norm were Team Phantom (and even they’d only started showing interest begrudgingly, since they had no other choice), Danny Phantom’s fan club, and Valerie in her early days as a ghost hunterーnow that she thought she knew everything about mischievous spirits she could possibly need, she’d become more of an ‘attack first, questions never’ kinda gal.

Luckily for Danny, the moment she noticed his blank expression, she was quick to explain it was her Gothic nature talking. Her passion for the paranormal and occult just couldn’t miss the opportunity of getting to know more from the town’s resident experts.

Now, if only said experts weren’t almost as single-minded as a certain Red Huntress…

He wasn’t sure why, but a part of Danny just couldn’t bear the thought of Sam disliking ghostsーdisliking your ghost half, you meanーthe same way Valerie or his parents did. She was one of the most accepting people he’d met in a long time, he wouldn’t know what to do if Danny Phantom jeopardised that like it jeopardised his relationship with Valerie.

That was why it was so important she understood! If he and Jazz could get through to her before their parents started feeding her their very anti-ghost ideas, then maybe he wouldn’t lose another person to Amity Park’s almost unanimous anti-ghost sentiment. He wouldn’t have to pretend to be somebody he was not in front of somebody else he cared about.

With a nod of his head, Danny allowed Jazz to take the floor. “First and foremost, you should know our parents are far better in practice than in theory.”

Sam blinked, not following. “I don’t think I understand…”

“It’s just,” Jazz started, biting her lip, her hands fidgeting as she tried to find the right words to say, “they know the basics, you see? They know everything on how to take down a ghost and apply that knowledge to their inventions...with varying results,” she muttered that last part to herself. “But we don’t think they really understand what makes a ghost tick, you know what I mean?”

The Goth could only stare blankly at her, her brow furrowed in confusion. “But you just said they know how to take down ghosts...Doesn’t that mean they know what makes them tick?”

“What Jazz means is they don’t understand their motivations.” Danny corrected. “To our parents, all ghosts care about is causing mayhem and destruction, but not all ghosts can possibly be like that, can they?”

Although it was phrased like a question, there was something about the way he said it that made Sam see it as anything but. The certainty in his voice, the almost manic glint in his eyes askingーno, beggingーher to understand. It wasn’t mere, hopeful speculation. As much as Danny liked seeing the good in people, he wasn’t just giving ghosts the benefit of the doubt; it was like he knew they were far more than just ectoplasmic remnants of human conscience.

Still, despite everything, her mouth started talking before her brain had time to catch up. “But do they even have any motivation at all?” She didn’t know why, but she felt like wincing when Danny’s hopeful expression turned dejected. Like a kicked puppy. “I mean, all ghosts do whenever they come to Amity Park is cause some sort of trouble or even go as far as plotting world domination.”

Why did she say that? Wasn’t she trying to give the spectres the benefit of the doubt as well? She explicitly came here for answers that’d justify her sudden belief, her sudden need to believe, ghosts weren’t as evil as she’d been told. She was looking for that same reason that led her ancestors to trusting and forming a solid alliance with them all those centuries ago.

Why was her mind trying to sabotage that?

Sensing his brother’s discomfort, Jazz was quick to step in. For reasons he wasn’t ready to admit, it was important Sam was on their side. “Take Danny Phantom, for instance,” she said, seemingly unaware of the way Sam’s breath hitched at the mention of his name. “Nobody knows what he’s up to, but for all intents and purposes, he seems to only care about protecting Amity Park.”

“That 's...true.” The Goth admitted, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she thought of the town’s controversial hero. “Except for a few incidents, he only ever appears if the town’s in danger.”

Sam didn’t say much, she was just stating the obvious. But hearing her admit he was trying to save Amity Park rather than destroy or rule it brought a grin to Danny’s face. “Our parents don’t get that. For them, it’s more like, ‘you’ve seen one ghost, you’ve seen them all’”, as he explained their parents’ mindset, Danny’s voice took on a deeper tone, causing Sam to guess he was making an imitation of his dad’s voice. “They don’t think Phantom, or any ghost for that matter, can be anything other than trouble.”

A dark, heavy cloud seemed to settle over the raven haired boy’s shoulders. His ocean blue eyes lost their shine, the corners of his lips turned upside down, and he suddenly looked much older than he really was. He seemed so...tired. As if he were carrying a huge weight over his shoulders and were exhausted from it.

“They…” he began to say before he had to swallow the bitter lump in his throat. It was so difficult to get the words out, knowing what they entailed, without getting emotional. But Sam couldn’t possibly know just how much it all affected him. She just couldn’t. “They dehumanise them.”

Sam could only stand looking at Danny for a few more seconds before she had to avert her gaze, focusing on the kitchen counter instead as she bit down her lip guiltily. He looked so...un-Danny. She began picking at her nails as she realised his parents weren’t all that different from her; not even a week prior she’d also been convinced ghosts were nothing more than ectoplasmic scum. Cold, unfeeling, wicked. Even now, even as she came to understand she should give them a chance, she found herself having trouble trying to move on from that mindset her people had spent a good chunk of her life getting into her head.

Hating ghosts was second nature at this point.

“I…” Sam started weakly, clearing her throat to give herself a few more seconds to compose herself. This was going to be hard. “I think I understand. It’s like all those movies, isn’t it?” She said, her voice tinged with a lightness she didn’t quite feel. “Like...like those stories with over-complicated plots that can, ultimately, be summarised by ‘don’t judge a book by its cover,’ right?”

Actually getting the words out was proving itself to be a Herculean task. She didn’t even know what she was saying. Referencing one of the oldest tropes to ever exist? Really? No matter how hard she was trying for the sake of her alliance with Phantomーand not because, for whatever reason, she now wanted to believe he couldn’t possibly be as bad as she initially thought. No wayー, literally all ghosts that’d ever visited Amity Park except for the Ghost King had questionable morals, at best, or were downright diabolical, at worst.

Just trying to get the words out made her stomach tighten!

But then she looked over to Danny from underneath her eyelashes, feeling too shy and unsure for her comfort, and her breath hitched.

Danny was positively glowing. For reasons Sam couldn’t understand, having someone try to see things eye to eye with him meant the world to Danny. The way his expression softened when he looked at her was almost too much to bearーher cheeks felt like they were on fire, but Sam still had half the mind to understand suddenly splashing her face with her, mostly untouched, glass of water would make some eyebrows raise in bewilderment.

Her heart pounding in her ears and her mind screaming at her not to do anything weird or out-of-place (in a disturbingly similar voice to her mother), the hazel-eyed girl reached a hand across the table and rested it on top of Danny’s, who jolted in his seat upon making contact. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try to keep an open mind.” She said softly, smiling at him.

His mind reeling from the feeling of Sam’s warm hand over his cold palm, Danny let out an almost inaudible gasp, his eyebrows shooting up to the ceiling. But as he registered her promise, he couldn’t help himself from giving her hand a gentle squeeze, his face morphing itself into an adoring expression as his heart did somersaults in his chest cavity.

Where have you been all my life?

Startled by his own thought process, Danny roughly snatched his hand away from Sam’s, under her slightly hurt gazeーwhich she immediately tried to cover upーand Jazz’s questioning eyes. Before he could try and dwell on his thoughts, however, a booming voice came from down the lab and progressively made its way upstairs.

“Sorry we’re late!” Jack’s jovial voice came from the staircase. “We were finishing up some last minute adjustments.”

“Our latest invention promises to be our greatest one yet!” A feminine voice said excitedly. Sam could only guess that was Mrs. Fenton.

“There’s still much to be done, of course. But as soon as we work out a few twerks and we’re done designing the general outline, everything else will go smoothly.” Coming in before her husband, Maddie moved easily around her kitchen, going over to the fridge to grab some fudge for Jack before reaching up for some plates from the cupboard. She kept waltzing around the kitchen table and her children, so engrossed in her retelling she failed to notice the ebony haired girl sitting down beside them. “You kids haven’t touched the container unit with the ecto-weenies, haveー?” She trailed off abruptly, something far more interesting than her home’s ecto-induced food catching her eye the moment she turned around to finally face her kids.

There, sitting around her kitchen table, right next to her son, was both the most unique and beautiful girl she’d ever seen him with. Any other mother would be taken aback to see her son with a girl with a side of her head shaved off and dyed purple and green (albeit only the little ponytail sticking out), wearing enough dark clothes to be confused with a mortician or someone in mourning, and heavy, dark make-up coating her face.

But not Maddie Fenton.

Oh no.

Aside from being a ghost hunterーa career path that was, regrettably, not held in high regard by her entourageー, meaning she wasn’t one to judge others’ live choices, Maddie was just shocked to see her son with a girl. Period.

The last time she’d ever even heard him gush about how pretty a girl was was in his Freshman year of high school. First over that Paulina Sanchez who, going by what Jazz told her, was Casper High’s beauty queenーit was only natural her teenage son would have a phase where he was after the head cheerleader; just like Jazz had a phase where she was into that motorcycle-riding bad boy with greasy hair.

Whatever happened to that boy?

And a few months after that he seemed smitten with Valerie Gray, the daughter of Damon Gray; a former security expert at Axion Labs that’d helped them during the whole ordeal with the Ghost King. A pleasant man, but even he didn’t seem to hold them in high esteem.

They went out several times all throughout the extent of two weeks, but just as she was about ready to squeal and tackle his little man for getting his first girlfriend and growing up, one day he dejectedly told them Valerie thought it best to remain friends.

Ever since then, romance all but became a taboo topic around Danny.

Aside from a few times he’d tell them he had a date (which never seemed to lead anywhere), not a peep could be heard out of him when it came to girls. Ever since he was well into his Freshman year, at the tender age of fourteen bordering fifteen, girl-talk became nonexistent.

And, Maddie had to admit, there was a time she came to believe her son never brought girls up because he just wasn’t interested in them. Seeing as the only other person he ever spent time with was Tucker, Maddie once thought Danny was gay but too afraid to come out, fearing they might disown him or something.

Only for that little theory to burn up in flames when she tried letting him know she knew and fully supported himーto which Danny almost choked to death on his breakfast, before fervently denying any sort of romantic relationship with his best friend.

He swore up and down the reason he never brought up the topic of romance was because there wasn’t anyone he was interested in. Something he religiously followed, never even talking about a girl (or boy, Maddie still kept that possibility open) who he’d simply come to think was pretty in passing.

Until now.

Now there was a lovely young lady in her kitchen. Sitting right beside her baby, who looked as embarrassed as if he were a teenager again and was being bombarded with a thousand photos of him and his date for Homecoming. Now, Maddie wasn’t quite knowledgeable on street fashion and subcultures as she’d been back in college, but just by looking at this girl (who was staring, wide-eyed, right back at her) she could tell she used her clothes to express herself and her individuality.

She knew who she was or, at least, who she wanted to be. Good.

Straightening her back slightly, Maddie tried to put the girl at ease using her most motherly tone. “Oh, hello there!” She walked over to her and reached out her hand for her to shake. She noted with pleasure she had a firm yet gentle grip. Oh, dear God, please let this girl be the one for Danny! “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Maddie, Danny and Jazz’s mother.”

“Oh! Uh…” With a start, she smiled back at the kind woman in front of her, albeit feeling a little awkward. “I’m Sam. I’m friends with Dannyーnice to meet you.”

“Believe me, Sam,” Maddie’s grin widened, “the pleasure’s all mine.”

Feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, probably from the countless hours of etiquette classes her mother had drilled into her head, Sam jumped to her feet to greet the woman before her properly.

The Goth was in awe at the sight before her. Mrs Fenton had to be a woman in her late-forties to early-fifties, given she’d given birth to two kids who were now in their early twenties, and yet she didn’t look a year over thirty. She had to be one of the most beautiful women she’d ever met, with her auburn bob cut that had only the tiniest hints of a grey hair or two; her smooth, wrinkle-free face that’d make Pamela sick with envyーshe’d spent a fortune on skincare products and even then she didn’t look nearly as young as Danny’s mother; and she had to have the best figure she’d ever seen, even after given birth twice! As unorthodox a piece of clothing as it was, her blue hazmat suit hugged her body perfectly, accentuating all her curves. Mrs Fenton was probably only second to Delilah in terms of voluptuousness, but seriously, that woman was basically a goddess walking on Earth. And her deep, purple eyes hid a mixture of motherly warmth and care as well as an intelligence and sharpness rivaled only by Grandma Ida.

It was funny, Sam noted. Had Mrs Fenton been born a witch, and she probably would be ruling the coven now, not her.

“And I’m Jack Fenton, nice to meet you kiddo!” Danny’s father exclaimed, trapping Sam’s hand in a deadly grip. He was shaking her hand so enthusiastically Sam was genuinely surprised he wasn’t shaking her up and down like a rag doll.

“Nice to meet you too, Mr Fenton.” She said, taking a good look at the man who’d raised Danny.

Mr Fenton was...how could she put this gently? The opposite of his wife. He wasn’t ugly by any means! But while Maddie looked like she could be on the cover of a fashion magazine, he was a rather plain-looking fellow. Jack was a man of great girth, although not necessarily overweight; he certainly had enough energy to get an electric plant running with nothing but his personality. Clad in a large, orange hazmat suit that somehow both matched and clashed horribly with his wife’s more classy blue, his age was far more apparent. Perhaps he didn’t look like he had a foot on the other door, but the years hadn’t been as kind to him as they’d been to Mrs Fenton. He still had a full head of hair, but his sideburns and his nape were already stark white, while the hair on his head kept some colourーa dark grey. The little bit of skin Sam could see (mostly his face, really), with his strong, squared jaw, was mostly unblemished, except for crow’s feet around his round eyes. He definitely didn’t look too old, just...older than his wife.

Even then, Sam could still make out enough details that showed this was Danny’s dad.

At first glance it seemed both Fenton kids took mostly after their mother (a never-ending source of comfort for them, she was sure), but there was enough of Jack’s genes in their appearance to tell the kinship.

Judging from his mop of grey hair, Sam figured he used to have black hair, not unlike his son’s messy locks. If she looked closely, the girl could make out Mr Fenton’s eyes; a dark shade of greyish blue, similar to Danny’s icy stare and Jazz’s inquisitive, aqua eyes. And last but not least, there was the issue with their height. Mr Fenton was huge! Probably the tallest member of the family, and that was saying something. Even Danny, standing at an impressive 5’9, was towered over by his dad. Jazz took after her mum in that regard, thank Goodness.

So, summing up.

A lovely, genius daughter working on her PhD; a charming, witty, hot-as-Hell (who said that?!) son about to work with NASA; a mother who was both gorgeous and another genius, and a huge father who might not be George Clooney but seemed to be a very decent human being (and, considering he was an expert ectologist and inventor, another genius to boot).

What was this, the over-achieving family? A family specifically designed to excel in everything her own family already didn’t hold a candle to anyone to?! And did she really have to be so short in comparison!?

As much as the stereotypically girly part of herself she worked so hard to push down squealed over a healthy height difference between a possible boyfriend and her, the number of inches Danny had on her was just ridiculous. And now it turns out his entire family is better than hers one way or another. Unless she performed magic in their very kitchen, Sam had no idea how she could possibly impress her in-laws. Ever.

And, she realised with a start, her mind was veering into insane territory again… She rationalised she was just thinking it’d be very difficult for her to impress the Fentons if she were to date Danny. Which she wasn’t going to do. Ever. They were just friends and her life was too complicated to even be thinking about romance right now. Besides, she’d never be able to live with herself knowing she’d have to keep her partner (be it Danny or someone else entirely) in the dark about a huge aspect of her life.

Danny deserved way better than the kind of life her dad was stuck with.

Almost as if sensing her inner monologue, Jack almost gave her a heart attack when he spoke next. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Sam. We thought it’d be Tucker who Danno would bring over.” He placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder and brought her closer to him. “So imagine our surprise when we see you here! We might’ve been a little too overzealous about it.”

“A little?” Sam heard Jazz whisper to her brother, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“That’s right,” Maddie agreed, her smile so wide her cheeks hurt and a sense of impending doom gripped her son’s heart. “It’s just been so long since Danny last brought a girlfriend home, and so beautiful too!”

His cheeks practically on fire, Danny was quick to shout, panicking, “She’s not my girlfriend!”, at the same time as Sam, equally embarrassed, exclaimed, “I’m not his girlfriend!”

The Fenton matriarch’s good mood deflated a little at that. “You’re not?”

“No, Mum. She’s not.” Danny confirmed as he scrubbed his face with one hand. Why was it that every time he brought home someone other than Tucker they immediately assumed he must’ve found the womanーor man, Tucker never let him live that one downーhe was going to marry? It wasn’t like he was such a recluse, was it? ...on second thought, better not answer that. “I already told you a friend was interested in meeting you, you told me you were okay with it and, well,” he said with some sarcasm in his voice as he extended his arms to his sides, making a flourish, “here she is.”

“Well, yeah. But when you said ‘friend’ we thought you meant Tucker, son.” His dad admitted, scratching the back of his head.

“I have more friends aside from Tuck, you know?”

If his parents immediately assuming Sam was his girlfriend and openly addressing her as such right in front of her hadn’t been mortifying enough, the deafening silence that settled in the kitchen then certainly was.

Was he really that much of a loser his parents didn’t seriously believe him capable of making friends with people outside of Tucker? Granted, most of his friendsーDora, Wulf, Frostbite, Cujo…ーwere the very same creatures from another dimension they’d sworn to hunt down, strap to a lab table, and dissect ‘molecule by molecule’, so they couldn’t possibly know about them. But come on!

Grimacing at the uncomfortable, and a little humiliating, atmosphere, Jazz cleared her throat to catch their parents’ attention. “I think what Danny means is that, if he’d really wanted to invite Tucker over, he wouldn’t have even asked your permission for it.” The moment her mum and dad crossed their arms over their chests and sent her a disapproving look due to the way she’d just disregarded their authority she was quick to backpedal. “A-after all, he practically spends more time here than in his own house! And he’s ever really been into ghosts to begin with, so…”

Jazz had a point. Maddie sighed through her nose, a little disappointed. “I guess you’re right.” Her expression turned cheery again almost instantaneously, clapping her hands before her face as she redirected her focus on the hazel-eyed girl still standing awkwardly near her kitchen table. “So! Sam, Danny’s told us you wanted to meet us, why’s that?”

“It’s not to place another restraining order on us, is it?” Her husband asked dubiously, his eyes narrowing on the young lady in suspicion.

Jazz facepalmed herself while Danny was too busy all but slamming his head against the table.

“Whaー? No, of course not.” Sam assured him, shaking her head and hands in front of her as it to emphasise her point. “I, uh, I asked Danny if I could come meet you because I’m really interested in the paranormal and such. I’m a Goth; you see,” she gestured vaguely at her form, “it sort of comes with the aesthetic. So when he told me you guys were ghost hunters I couldn’t help myself; I just had to meet you.”

Before the Goth knew it, the enormous man she’d been talking to grabbed her around the shoulders with just one arm and, with impressive strength, lifted her up off the floor, a broad smile playing along his lips. “Don’t tell me you want to get in the business?” He asked with the same excitement of a kid on Christmas.

“N-not r-really…” she gasped out, the force behind Mr. Fenton’s grasp knocking the air out of her lungs. “I-I’m just...really c-curious...t-that’s all…”

Panicking at the sight of Sam’s face turning blue, Danny jumped to his feet, followed closely by Jazz. “Dad, put her down!” In the blink of an eye he was by his dad’s side, gently coaching the raven haired girl out of his bone-crushing grip. The moment her feet touched the floor, Sam began taking greedy gulps of air, her hand in Danny’s firm but gentle ones and Jazz patting her back comfortingly.

“Careful, honey.” Mrs Fenton scolded her husband lightheartedly, “You know you tend to get carried away.”

“Right. Sorry about that, Sam.”

Too breathless to dignify that with a verbal answer, Sam limited herself to giving him a thumbs-up.

“How about we cut to the chase and you guys show Sam what you’re working on, huh?” Jazz suggested, one hand still rubbing her guest’s back soothingly. If after today Sam insisted on being friends with her brother, he would have a lifetime of making it up to her.

“Great idea, Jazzypants!” Jack exclaimed excitedly. He and his wife then proceeded to usher their kids and guest out of the kitchen and down to the lab.

Sam miraculously caught herself before she could snort. ‘Danno’? ‘Jazzypants’? She would’ve laughed at the ridiculous nicknames hadn’t she remembered her mother’s horrendous habit of calling her ‘Sammy-kins.’

Did everything that woman do have to bring nothing but pain and misery to her daughter?

Walking down the stairs to what the witch could only assume was the lab Jazz mentioned earlier, Maddie turned her head around slightly so she could look at Sam as she asked over her shoulder. “I don’t think we’ve asked you about your family, dear; not even about your full name.”

“It’s Manson, Sam Manson. My parents…”she trailed off, making a grimace. “Let’s just say in twenty-one years of existence I’ve never been able to understand what they do for a living.” That wasn’t technically a lie. Even if Sam was perfectly aware of her mother’s double life as a witch (mostly because she was destined to follow in her footsteps), the financial side of things always eluded her. For all she knew her dad could be a smuggler.

“Wait, ‘Manson’?” It was Jack’s turn to turn his head to face her, an bushy eyebrow raised in surprise. “You mean like that stinking rich family living in the uptown part of town?”

Now it was Maddie’s face that lit up in realisation. “Oh, that’s right! Danny and Jazz did mention something like that when they came back from their night out.”

Sam shot Danny and Jazz a dirty look, to which they responded by smiling awkwardly in return and whistling a happy tune while averting all sorts of eye contact, respectively; “You know, before I knew you my family’s wealth was one of my best-kept secrets. Now it’s got to a point where I’ll be walking down the street and some random kid will point out at me and say, ‘Look, mummy! Look! It’s that rich girl!’”

“Come on, Sam,” a devilish smirk made its way to Danny’s face. “You’re making things up.”

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it actually happened.”

Stepping down the last step to the basement, Jack extended his arms high in the air as he announced, “Here we are! The Fenton Lab!”

The moment she descended to the basement and was able to see the family lab for the first time, Sam’s jaw all but touched the floor. Strolling down inside the spacious laboratory, she couldn’t help but spin around, trying to find every single nook and secret laying right before her, marvelling at the sight.

The Fenton Lab was a greyish room with metal-covered walls and a tiled floor that occupied the entirety of the basement. Various machines whose workings Sam could only guess littered around the room, alongside several lab tables filled to the brim with test tubes, trays, notes, and neon-green liquids pulled up to the walls, as well as different beeping monitors.

But what had to be, by far, the most impressive device in the entire lab was the large, octogonal gates standing in the far corner of the room. They were currently closed, their yellow and black striped doors in full display, and the big, red lightbulb Sam suspected would blink when used was turned off resting on top of it.

Taking a step closer, one hand pointing at the machine, she breathed out in awe, “Whoa...What’s that?”

“You have a good eye!” Maddie complimented as she came to stand right beside her guest. One hand directed at their most prized invention and the other on her hip, it was obvious she was about to give a lecture worthy of any college professor. “This is the Fenton Ghost Portal. Our greatest invention yet.”

The Goth’s eyebrows shot up to the ceiling. “The Fenton Ghost Portal…?” She echoed, astonished.

The hazmat clad lady hummed in response. “That’s right. This baby is our pride and joy; a little pipe dream we’ve had since college. Isn’t that right, Jack?”

“You got it, baby!” Mr Fenton agreed, crossing his arms with a proud smile on his face. “Except there’s nothing impossible about this beauty. Dreams do come true!”

“Although,” Maddie added, a grim look on her face, “we almost indefinitely put the project on hold after...an unfortunate accident back in our Sophomore year in Wisconsin University.”

Taking advantage of the distance between them, Sam, and their parents, Danny leaned in closer to Jazz to whisper in her ear, “Unfortunate in more ways than one.” If only his parents knew that day they created a monster...Although the time he travelled through time to their college days proved nothing could’ve prevented Vlad from turning into the frootloop he was today. The monster inside him had nothing to do with his ghost half.

Unaware of the exchange taking place between the siblings, the Goth girl asked, “An accident? What happened?”

“The prototype malfunctioned and ended up blasting good ol’ Vladdie in the face.” Jack explained, a distant look in his eyes.

“Maybe if he hadn’t stuck his face right in front of the working portal, none of that would’ve happened…” Danny muttered darkly for Jazz’s ears only.

“Or at least worn safety goggles.” His sister whispered back.

Their father went on, not having heard a word that was said between his children. “The exposure to the ecto-chemicals gave him a nasty case of ecto-acne that had him hospitalised for years. It took him over twenty years to forgive me.” He said sadly, only to immediately brighten up the next second. As someone who came from a family that usually only emoted silent judgement, fake cheer, or total apathy, Sam was having a bit of a hard time trying to catch up to all of Mr Fenton’s many emotions. “But we finally patched things up seven years ago and now we’re all buddies again!”

Danny smiled in satisfaction at the way his mum’s posture stiffened up, her arms crossed defensively in front of her, and her forehead creased in aggravation. “‘Buddies’ might be a bit of a stretch…” she mumbled angrily, before taking on a more neutral tone, “I don’t know Jack. I still think the years have turned Vlad into a bit of a freak.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, baby!” Her husband whined. “You’d be a little eccentric too if you spent all of your time alone inside a big, lonely mansion like he does!”

“I can attest to that…” Sam muttered to herself as she hugged herself, her eyes on the floor, years of lonely memories coming back in full force. Then she realised, “Wait, did you just say your friend lives in a big mansion all by himself?”

“I wouldn’t say all by himself,” Danny chimed in. “He has a cat keeping him company.”

Ignoring him, she pressed on, “And you said his name was Vlad?”

“That we did! Our good ol’ friend Vlad Masters!” Jack confirmed with a huge grin on his face. His was the only smiling face amongst his family. Something told Sam Mr. Masters hadn’t exactly won the crowd over…

The raven haired girl turned her head to face the Fenton siblings so fast she almost gave herself whiplash as she sent them a pointed look. “You guys are friends with Vlad freaking Masters and you think me having a little money is a big deal?!”

“Actually, you’re filthy, stinking rich yourself.” Jack corrected matter-of-factly and, for a moment, Sam wished she could just forgo her grandmother’s insistence on treating those older than you with respect and glower at the Fenton patriarch.

The only answer she got to her incredulous outburst were a pair of twin nervous laughs and shrugs.

The hazel-eyed girl took a deep breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration before turning back to their dad. “Um...and what exactly does it do?” She asked dubiously, redirecting everyone’s attention back to the portal with a jerk of her thumb. She just hoped it wasn’t what she thought it was.

“It’s a portal to the Ghost Zone, where ghosts live and all that.” Danny’s voice confirmed her suspicions.

With his hands sticking inside his pockets he, too, approached the enormous machine, coming to stand right beside Sam in the process. Turning her head to him, her brow furrowed in worry when she noticed the way his forehead creased as he beheld the portal.

His face was bare of any telltale signs that would usually expose his true feelings on the matter; no creased forehead, no furrowed brow, no narrowed eyes, his lips were sealed in a thin, neutral line, and his hands in his pockets stopped him from clenching his fists. At first glance Danny was the perfect picture of calmness and indifference but something told Sam a very different storyーcall it sixth sense, call it her witchy instincts, or just plain care for her friend. There was something...dark hidden behind his eyelids. As well as something else. Something oh-so sad it made her heart squeeze in sympathy. Danny’s otherwise baby blue pools had turned the same colour of a troubled sea in a stormy night. Deep, and cold, and suffocating.

Lost in memories of times and misadventures caused by the eerie green hidden behind the portal’s doors, Danny started at the feeling of something warm sliding through his hands. Looking down, he saw Sam grabbing his hand in hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze. He didn’t realise he’d been smiling until his father spoke up again.

“Well, Sam. What would you like to know?”

“Um...as much as you can tell me about ghosts?”

“Well,” Maddie took the floor, pulling her hoodie up and her goggles down. “That’s quite a lot, and I don’t think you’d feel comfortable staying at a house whose owners’ you’ve just met. So why don’t we start with the basics for now and you come back here anytime you want to continue this conversation?”

“I’d like that.”

“Great. Now, come Sam. There’s so much to say and so little time.” With a motion of her hand, the ectologist gestured to the girl to follow her. Rolling his eyes and fearing what was to come, Danny pulled a chair out for his guest around a conference table standing in the middle of the room before taking a seat around it himself, Jazz following suit. Instead of sitting down like the youths present did, Maddie stood in front of them beside a blackboard Jack had dragged from the other side of the lab.

Picking a chalk up, she began to scribble down on the board. “You see, Sam, the first thing you must know about ghosts is that they’re spiritual beings from another dimension, unlike pop-culture and legends where they’re described as the lost souls of the deceased.”

“That is not to say some of those spooks weren’t alive once.” Jack conceded. Unlike his wife, he’d ultimately sat down and was now tweaking with some strange-looking gun. “The thing is, whatever humanity or sense of morals they might have had once is long gone. Now they’re nothing more than ectoplasmic remains of human conscience.”

“Exactly.” Maddie agreed. “They think they’re intelligent, rational creatures capable of free will, but really those are just delusions caused by memories they no longer possess.”

Danny had to hold back a growl at that, otherwise Sam or, even worse, his parents might pick it up and ask him about it. With a furrowed brow he slumped down on the table and propped his head over his crossed arms. They really knew nothing, didn’t they? As excellent inventors as his parents might be, the way they approached ectology was closer to a pseudoscience than the discipline they claimed to have dedicated most of their lives to. As he and Jazz told Sam before, they were experts at everything one needed to know about a ghost’s innerworkings and how to exploit that to their benefitーand by extension his benefit, since he’d been borrowing their inventions for yearsー, but they were absolutely hopeless when it came to their motivations, their ambitions; what made them tick!

Listening to them going on and on about the same old, misguided story was just painful at this point.

Or course they had free will! It was precisely because of that he was constantly fighting ghosts, because they chose to fight him! Nobody said it was a smart choice but, hey, it was theirs. Just like many other ghosts chose to stay in the Ghost Zone and live their afterlives rather than cause trouble. The Far Frozeners, Clockwork, Wulf, Dora once she was free from her brother's abuse...Those were all examples of very powerful ghosts that chose to live peacefully!

But did their parents care? Noooooo! At this point he was sure they just wanted a lab rat.

“The one thing that truly motivates a ghost to do the things it does,”ーit; could they be any more dehumanising?ー, “is its obsession.”

Okay. So offensive pronouns aside, that was accurate.

“Their obsession?” Sam echoed. She didn’t remember ever hearing about such a thing.

“Indeed.” Maddie nodded, still scribbling furiously down on the board. “A ghost’s obsession is what ties them down to our world.” She explained as she made a diagram of a human head with the word ‘memories’ written on it and an arrow pointing at the silhouette of a ghost with the word ‘obsession’ scribbled down. “Remember when we said ghosts think they have free will due to memories they no longer possess?” Sam nodded. “Their obsession is those memories. It usually manifests in the form of something they used to hold dearー.”

“Or something that eventually consumed them.” Jack added, not once looking up from the strange device in his hands.

“That’s right, hon. Something dear or that eventually consumed them that was so important to them it became all they cared about when they passed on. Fulfilling that obsession is what motivates them in the afterlife.”

“So, for example,” Sam started, a finger tapping her chin in contemplation, “if a person was so overworked when they were alive they ended up hating said job with a passion or even lost their minds over it, then anything related to it is their obsession?”

“Very well, Sam.” Maddie nodded appreciatively.

As Mrs Fenton droned on, her voice became background noise. Sam was a mess. She didn’t know what to make of things so far. On the one hand, not only were the Fentons answering her questions and expanding on the knowledge she’d been brought up with, it confirmed everything she already knew! Ghosts were dangerous and unpredictable; they couldn’t be trusted because they’d turn on you on a whim. It’d happened before and that directly resulted in her people living in the shadows, terrified of being discovered, for centuries.

Ghosts were immoral monsters.

And yet...she found she couldn’t fully believe anything they were saying. She didn’t want to believe what they were saying. If ghosts were truly that bad, then why did Phantom try to put her to safety? Why was he always fighting other ghosts for the sake of the town? Could it be that Amity Park was his obsession and he was just trying to defend his turf rather than the innocent? But that didn’t explain why he’d go out of his way to try and save her! Her, the Witch Queen, of all people!

Everything she once believed in and the questions that’d been plaguing her mind collided against each other. She didn’t know what to think anymore. But she did know one thing:

She’d promised Danny she’d try to keep an open mind.

“Then what about Phantom?” She heard herself asking. When the Fentons’ questioning glances rested on her, she had to fight the urge to shrink under their gaze. Come on, Sam. You’re the Queen of the Witches of Amity Park and you’re doing this for your people, and nothing gets in between you and the sake of your people. She cleared her throat. “I mean, what’s his obsession?”

“Fudge if I know.” Mr Fenton mumbled, rolling his eyes.

“Jack!” Mrs Fenton gasped. “Don’t cuss in front of the children!”

“I said ‘fudge’!” He defended himself.

“And we’re not children anymore!” Danny and Jazz protested in unison.

Rubbing her temple, Maddie let out a loud sigh. “What my husband means, Sam, is that Phantom is a bit of an anomaly.”

“An anomaly?” She raised her eyebrow in confusion. “An anomaly how?”

Once again, the Fenton matriarch turned around to write on her board, only this time she began a list. “For starters, the only sightings there’s ever been of him only date back to seven years ago, and even then he was already surprisingly powerful. Then, there’s the fact he’s constantly changing.”

“What do you mean?”

“For one, just when you think you got all his spectral abilities down, he surprises you with some new trick.” Jack explained, ignoring the way what he said next had his son scowling and his daughter giggling behind her palm. “He’s almost like a pageant dog. And then there’s his appearance; when he first appeared he looked like some prepubescent kidー.”

Must every ghost hunter assume I hadn’t already gone through puberty when I got my powers? Danny thought bitterly to himself.

“ーand now he looks like he could be your age.” He finished.

“His actions around here are both mysterious and suspicious, too.” Maddie added.

“We’ve been trying to catch him since he first appeared, but the spook’s been managing to give us the slip every time.” Jack admitted.

His wife patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Aw, don’t you worry, honey. Sooner or later he’ll be all ours. It’s just a matter of time.”

“But by the time we finally catch him he might already be protected by the law or something!” He sulked. “Have you seen the sign when you enter the town? ‘Welcome to Amity Park; home of Danny Phantom!’” He scoffed, narrowing his eyes in disgust. “Might as well just call it, ‘The hauntedest place on Earth’, it’d be more accurate…”

“Uh, I think that’s already taken by some place called ‘Crystal Cove’, Dad.” Jazz pointed out.

“Even if I do agree his increasing popularity is a cause for concern in terms of the town’s general sanity, there’s still many people who see him for what he is; a menace to society.” Mrs Fenton reasoned.

Just a week before, Sam would’ve agreed wholeheartedly with everything the Fentons said, but now she found herself squirming at the sound of their vile words. Had a few meetings with Phantom really warped her perspective on things that much? Looking down at her fidgeting hands resting on her lap, she had to deliberately stop herself from tucking a loose strand of hair behind her earーbecause she intended to push hair from the shaved side of her head away. When was she going to get used to that spell?

Unbeknownst to her, Danny was watching her every move. He wasn’t sure why, but the prospect of Sam siding with his parents and their misguided theories terrified him more than half the ghost fights he’d had in the last year. She was just so great...Even if they’d only hung out a few times, he already couldn’t believe there’d been a time where it’d just been him and Tuckerーand occasionally Jazz.

She fit so well in their group it was like she was always meant to be one of them. Luckily she seemed to have taken their advice to heart and was indeed trying to keep an open mind; she even asked about his ghost-half. The halfa guessed it was probably an attempt to convince his parents (or maybe even herself) that not all ghosts could possibly be bad. And for that, pointless as it might be when it came to the Fentons, he was grateful. He just hoped she wouldn’t decide she was better off without him in her life.

It’d taken him twenty-one years to find her, he couldn’t lose her now.

Again, where did that come from?!

He had to go back to trying to have a somewhat balanced sleep schedule. Sleep deprivation was doing a number on him.

Just as he observed Sam, Jazz was keeping her eye on him. He looked so glum and tired...It was one thing having to hide who you are from your parents, but having to listen to them talk about how much they hate that thing you were hiding from them time and time again? It was enough to drive someone over the edge.

Just by following his line of sight it became obvious this time he was far more worried about what Sam may think of this, may think of him. And if there was one thing her baby brother didn’t need, it was more things to worry about.

Thinking quickly, the redhead scanned around the room, looking for something to divert everyone’s attention away from the topic at hand. As her eyes surveyed the dreaded Fenton Toaster (was that thing ever going to perish once and for all?), she took notice of an arrangement of pieces, wires, and circuit boards laying scattered on the floor.

How could she have possibly missed that?

Her voice breaking everyone out of their own daze, she jerked a finger in the direction the pile of metal was, “Um, what is that?”

Following her pointing finger, her parents' expression brightened up. “That, Jazzyrincess, is our latest project; the Fenton Fermoir!”

“Dad knows French?” Danny asked, absolutely flabbergasted at the revelation.

“I’ve known for weeks now and I’m still as surprised as you.” Jazz leaned back to whisper to him. Then she remembered something. “Wait, I thought you guys were going to make a special keychain for Danny; that is not a keychain.”

Squinting her eyes at the assortment of scrap metal on the floor, propelled by her arms, Sam leaned forward to the boy in front of her to join in on the conversation. “At least not one that fits inside a pocket.”

“Oh, don’t be silly, girls.” Maddie waved them off as she made her way to the yet-to-be-built Fenton Fermoir. “We finished Danny’s keychain weeks ago!”

“Which reminds me…” Jack rummaged inside his suit’s pockets until he fished out a simple set of keys with a badge with the company’s logo on it and handed it to his son.

Bringing it to his face, Danny tried to appear enthusiastic. “Gee, thanks.” He stuffed his new keys inside his own jean pocket. “So. What does the Fenton Fermoir do?”

“Remember the portable ghost portal devices we created a few years ago?” Jack asked his kids, who nodded in response, then he noticed Sam’s blank stare. “Oh, that’s right. You weren’t there, Sam. The thing is, those gadgets could open up medium-sized ghost portals anywhere, so we thought we should perhaps try to create an opposite invention.”

“Wait, are you saying this thing’s supposed to be able to close ghost portals anywhere?” Danny asked. This was great news! If his parents finished the Fenton Fermoir and it worked, then he’d only need to power it up with his ecto-energy and the portal crisis would be over! He wouldn’t need to meet or rely on Lady Arcana anymore!

Somehow, the thought of not seeing the violet-eyed witch made his insides twist and his heart feel hollow.

Man, sleep deprivation was getting worse each time!

“If we can get it to work.” Maddie lamented, kicking a cylindrical-looking piece around. “Whenever we try something happens and shuts it off! It’s almost as if our regular energy source isn’t the right one...or at least not enough.”

Well, there went his solution.

“So for now we’re stuck redesigning and rebuilding this baby until we find the right one.” Jack said optimistically.

“It’s getting late, though, so why don’t we go upstairs and have dinner, hm?” Maddie suggested. “Sam, would you like to stay?”

The Goth was hesitant to reply. “Uh, I’d love to. But what are we having? It’s just...I, uh, I don’t eat meat.”

“Don’t worry. I always buy plenty of vegetables Danny and his dad barely even look at. You can have that.”

“Hey!” Both men cried out, offended.

Giggling, the three women went back upstairs, followed closely by the still outraged men.

During dinner, the weirdest thing happened.

Nothing bad, really. But it was something Sam wasn’t used to at all. Most of the time, she only ever felt comfortable with her family when Grandma Ida was present, since she always acted like the understanding voice of reason she was beloved for back in the clan. And ever since she passed away, the atmosphere in her house was so tense you could cut it with a knife. The otherwise deathly quiet family dinners were only ever interrupted by her parents discussing how the business was doing, Mother’s next big, exclusive eventーsometimes they were true, sometimes they weren’tー, or to bring up her inadequacy as their daughter and, hence, heiress to then Manson name.

The tension only melted away, even if just a little, when it was just her dad and her.

But the Fentons…

Everything was so different. Animated chatter never left the table. Food was being passed around; conversations took place and questions about everyone’s day were asked; every once in a while someone would make a joke that would either elicit laughter or pained groans from everyone present...even herself.

Their families really were very different.

Despite everything, Sam loved her parents and knew, deep down, they loved her back. Her mother in particular just had a very selfish way of showing it. But the Fentons...They weren’t perfect. The way Danny and Jazz learned to rely on each other as well as their parents’ single-minded focus on their career were proof enough of that. But everyone sitting around that kitchen table, eating steak with a serving of mashed potatoes and peas, clearly loved each other very much.

When it came to family, life was a lottery.

Sometimes you got heartless monsters, and other times you got loving people who were only humans and occasionally made mistakes.

Maddie stopped mid-sentence, her fork with a piece of steak hanging in mid-air, because she noticed her husband doing something he shouldn’t. “Jack, are you still tweaking with that, even now?”

Stiffening up, for he’d been caught, he tried to play it cool. “Uh, no?” His wife’s arched eyebrow spoke volumes, making him give in. “Yes. But you can’t honestly expect me to stop now, babycakes! Not when I’m about to have a breakthrough!”

“I know I'm going to regret this” Jazz muttered, rolling her eyes, “but what’re you working on, Dad?”

The orange clad man replied by holding out his creation for all to see. It was a funny-looking, double-cannoned gun that had what seemed to be a compartment filled with goo in its back. “Behold, the new and improved Fenton Foamer!” He announced loudly before adding, almost as an afterthought. “Now in pocket size.”

Not understanding a word that was being said, Sam let the family talk, her focus directed at her stir-fried vegetables.

“Is there something wrong with the old Fenton Foamer?” Danny asked.

“No, but it never hurts to revisit your old work and try to improve it, son.” He replied, patting the device with one gloved hand. “Not only is this beauty more appropriate for travelling, but I’ve also been tinkering with a new formula for the foam. Trust me, nothing could possiblyー.”

All of a sudden, when the patting became too much for the prototype to handle, a ‘splurt’ sound could be heard at the same time as a bright, green goop flew across the table. Everyone’s jaws dropped in mortification.

“ーgo wrong.” Jack finished lamely, earning himself the disapproving looks of everyone present but Sam.

But that might as well be because her eyes weren’t visible. The goop had landed on her, covering her petite form from head to toe in the mysterious substance Danny prayed to anyone who might be listening wasn’t toxic.

Panicking, he was by her side in the blink of an eye. He was trying to wipe the foam away with a napkin as he apologised profusely. “Oh, my God! I am so, so sorry, Sam. I promise, I’ll clean you up. Or, even better, I’ll pay for the dry-cleaning. Sorry. I’m sorry. I promise, my dad’s inventions aren’t usually harmful to humans; a little electric shock at most. I’m so sorry, Sam. Please, forgive me.”

Under the Fentons’ concerned gaze, Sam lowered her face slightly, enough so they could make even less of her expression. Then she began to shake, Danny was sure from rage, and make indistinguishable sounds. Just as everyone braced themselves for the worst, the Goth threw her head back and laughed so loudly she caught them all off guard for a second. She kept on cackling almost maniacally to the point she had to hug herself, holding her sides that were, most definitely, going to split open if she kept this up.

A little unnerved by her behaviour, Danny could only ask, “Uh, Sam? Are you alright?”

“W-why...why w-wouldn’t...I-I be?” She replied with a question of her own as her laughter calmed down to giggles.

“Um, not to be Captain Obvious here, but you just got covered from head to toe in goop…” Jazz pointed out uncertainly.

“Oh, I know. Trust me, it’s fine.” The Goth said as she used her hands to wipe said goop from her eyes and face. She furrowed her brow in confusion when she finally noticed the family’s worried looks. “Uh...are you guys okay?”

“Oh! Yes, yes we are. It’s just...” Maddie began, unsure on how to address the subject herself, “ not many people react so positively to one of our inventions going awry.”

“Normally you’d have issued a restraining order against us already.” Jack explained so matter-of-factly it made the Goth girl wonder just how much time this family spent at court.

“Yeah.” Danny agreed, still trying to help Sam clean up with his napkin. “Not even Tucker would’ve taken it so well.”

“I see. Well, what can I say?” She shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “I guess I just can’t get mad when I find this so awesome.”

“You find this awesome?” Jazz parroted, incredulous.

“Um, yeah. I told you; I love everything paranormal and, you gotta admit, this is the sorta thing that would go viral on YouTube.”

“I...can’t argue with that logic.” Danny conceded. He still couldn’t believe it; Sam just got bathed in slime and her first reaction was laughing it off? Could this girl get any more incredible?

When she finally got to cleaning her hair free of foam, Sam had to do a double take as she slid her fingers through her hair. “Have you guys ever thought about selling this as a hair conditioner? Because, I kid you not, my hair’s never been this silky! I have a friend who would kill for something like this.”

“You have other friends besides Tucker and me?” The question left his mouth before he could even register it. Sam’s murderous glare made it obvious she didn’t appreciate the jab.

Then, as if on cue, everyone broke down laughing. They all spend the rest of dinner chatting amicably and sharing storiesーJack and Maddie even began to ponder on the benefits of selling the new Fenton Foam as a conditioner, like Sam suggested! By the time they were done eating, the whole family gathered around their doorstep to bid their guest goodbye. Danny, Maddie, and Jazz hugged her (Sam still wasn’t used to physical contact due to her Goth indifference but this was nice), while Jack patted her in the back with such force it almost sent her falling down the stairs.

The moment the door to FentonWorks was closed, his parents were already asking Danny when was the next time Sam would come visit, prompting him to groan in exasperation and Jazz to giggle at her brother’s embarrassment.

#danny phantom #dp #dp fic #my fic #your heart #danny fenton #sam manson #frostbite #clockwork #jazz fenton #maddie fenton #jack fenton #Amethyst Ocean #ghost king! danny #ghost king! au #witch queen! sam #witch queen au #enemies to friends to lovers

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oikawaplssteponme · 3 years

Text

PART 10 | previously: part 9 | masterlist

pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x fem! reader

ratings/warnings: swearing, ✨SPICY CONTENT✨ (16+ is probably best) (reminder that characters are aged up)

synopsis: When UA’s hot heads, Katsuki Bakugou and you, are forced to put your hatred for each other aside and plan the third year Prom, things end up getting a little heated...

a/n: hi hi!! ahhh the moment we’ve all been waiting for (or i have been at least☺️) this part is pretty long oops but honestly worth it ahah✨ thank you again for all the love on this, it means a lot 💕 enjoy xx

•

ten: say it

The day had come. It was the night before Prom. These agonizing months of planning would soon be over. All your hard work would be on display for your entire grade to see. But what seemed to be stressing you out the most was that you and Bakugou wouldn’t have an excuse to spend time together, or even talk. Odds were that the second the dance is over, you and Bakugou would go back to enemies, or worse, strangers. That thought didn’t sit well with you. After all, you now had such strong feelings for Bakugou. The last thing you wanted was for him to ignore you. Though you felt that was what probably would happen.

“Aren’t you all just so excited for tomorrow?” squealed Mina.

“Not like you haven't asked us the same question a hundred times,” groaned Denki. Mina huffed.

“Well excuse me for being excited for our first Prom.”

“And last gladly,” you added. Your friends looked at you.

“Damn Y/N you could at least pretend to be excited,” joked Kirishima. You laughed nervously.

“Ah sorry. I’ve never been one to like dances,” you admitted.

“Come on, everyone likes dances,” insisted Uraraka. You shook your head.

“I don’t. They are too loud, too crowded, too many idiots who think they can dance when they really can’t.”

“I don’t think anything could be much louder than your quirk Y/N,” laughed Sero. You playfully hit his arm.

“Whatever. Well if you dumb dumbs want a good Prom tomorrow, I have some last minute planning I need to take care of,” you explained. You got up the couch where you were seated and went over to your dorm room. You changed into your pajamas, just a t-shirt and shorts, and went down to the basement.

You had asked Bakugou for the keys earlier so you didn’t have to worry about the basement being locked. You opened the door, the familiar wave of dingy basement overwhelmed your senses just as it did the first time you went inside. You signed.

I definitely won’t miss the smell.

You went over to the endless piles of boxes, shuffling through them.

Where the fuck are they?

Finally you found just what you were looking for. The crowns for Prom King and Queen. Cheesy, yes, but some traditions never die. You grabbed the dusty crowns and a cleaning wipe and sat down on the table. You crossed your legs and began to clean off the plastic crowns.

“I figured I would find you down here.” You whipped your head around to see Bakugou.

“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” you joked. Bakugou joined you on the table.

“Who do you think is gonna win?” asked Bakugou, pointing to the crowns.

“I know Aoyama has been practically begging people to vote for him so I hope he wins. I think Momo had mentioned wanting to win, but so did Mina so I guess we'll know tomorrow,” you explained. Bakugou nodded. He took the queen crown from your hands and placed it on your head.

“Yeah, you’d look pretty stupid if you won so hopefully no one votes for you,” he said. You yanked the crown off of your head and slapped Bakugou’s arm.

“Fuck off,” you laughed. Bakugou sighed.

“I guess this is kinda it,” said Bakugou. You looked down.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” you whispered.

“You know what Y/N, you’re not all that bad really.”

“It only took you three years to realize that dumbass...but thanks,” you smiled.

The tension between you and Bakugou, well, you could cut it with a knife. He sat so close to you, your feet dangling over the edge of the table. Before you even realized what you were doing, you were moving. You hopped off of the table and stood in front of Bakugou, in between his legs.

“What are you doing dumbass-”

“Just shut up for a second.” You looked down, refusing to make any eye contact with him. You took the collar of Bakugou’s shirt with your shaky hands. You gripped onto it and pulled him towards you, still not looking at him. You weren’t even thinking at this point, just letting your actions take over.

“Y/N look at me,” ordered Bakugou. You took a deep breath and slowly lifted your head up. Your eyes met Bakugou’s. You began to slowly move closer to him.

“Katsuki I-I-”

“It’s past curfew, you two should be in your dorms.”

“Fucking hell-”

You immediately jumped away from Bakugou and both of you looked over to the familiar voice.

“Uh we’re sorry Mr. Aizawa,” you apologized.

“Whatever last minute planning you two need to do, you can do it in the morning. Get to your rooms.”

“Right.” You and Bakugou immediately sprinted out the door. Your skin burned, you were so embarrassed. How could you think to confess your feelings to Bakugou like that?

You caught your breath once you were back at the dorms. Bakugou stood next to you.

“Well goodnight Kat-”

Before you could finish your sentence, Bakugou had grabbed your hand and was leading you towards his room.

“Katsuki its late-”

“Then you should be quiet.” Bakugou unlocked the door to his room and brought you inside. He instantly closed the door behind you and pinned your wrists onto the door.

“What the hell was that?” he huffed. His breath was heavy on your face, which didn’t help the burning sensation you felt all over you.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you lied.

“In the basement.”

“Well I-I...”

Bakugou looked you dead in the eyes.

“You were gonna kiss me, weren’t you?” Your eyes grew.

“W-what? Me? Kiss you? No…” Bakugou chuckled. He began to rub his thumbs up and down on your skin as he held your wrists to the door.

“Are you really getting timid on me Y/N? What happened to that hot-head personality we all love?” Bakugou was visibly taunting you. Every smirk, every glance up and down, every time he would tighten his grip on you. He wanted to see you flustered, and it was working.

“I-uh-” He laughed again.

“Come on princess, don’t play dumb with me. Go on, say it.”

“W-what?”

“I haven’t got all day Y/N.”

“Say what?” Bakugou licked his lips and whispered in your ear.

“Say that you want me just as badly as I want you.”

Before you could even think, words spilled out of your mouth.

“Make me.”

Bakugou tilted his head back, letting out a breathy: “Fuck…” before looking back at you.

“You really wanna play this game dumbass?” You gulped.

“Yes…”

Bakugou smirked at you, licking his lips once more.

“Alright, then how’s this?”

Bakugou let go of your wrists and snaked his hands around your waist, gripping around you tightly. He took another small shuffle closer to you. His thumbs rubbing the hem of your shirt, slowly exposing more skin.

“You’re gonna have to try a little harder than that Katsuki,” you said breathily, your heart pounding out of your chest.

“How about now?” Bakugou slowly moved his hands from your waist and down to your ass. You lost your breath at his touch. Bakugou brushed the tip of his nose against yours, a cheeky smile on his face.

“Nope,” you whispered. It was impressive enough that you could even form a sentence at this point. The entire room felt like a million degrees.

“Last chance Y/N…”

Bakugou removed one of his hands from his grip on you and brought it up to your face. He caressed your cheek softly. He then took his thumb and pressed it on your aching lips before painfully slowly dragging it down. He brought his face close to yours again, your lips almost touching.

“Go on...say it.”

You couldn’t take his teasing any longer. His hot breath mixing with yours. He was so close, smirking at you. He knew exactly what he was doing. So, there was only one thing for you to do.

“Fuck you Katsuki.”

You closed the gap between yours and Bakugou’s lips, kissing him intensely. Bakugou didn’t waste another second, immediately picking you up and carrying you towards his bed. He laid you down on your back, hovering over you as he continued to kiss you. You tugged at the collar of his shirt.

“Eager much?” he teased, pulling his shirt over his head. His perfectly sculpted body was breathtaking to say the least.

“You’re staring Y/N.”

“I am not,” you huffed. You took your t-shirt, taking it off as well. Bakugou’s eyes grew as he looked at you just in your bra.

“Look who is staring now?”

“Shut up.” Bakugou dipped back down, kissing you again. You brought your hands up to his hair, running your fingers through it. Bakugou began to trail his lips down to your neck, placing endless kisses all over you. He then began to suck on your neck, slowly.

“Maybe I’ll just have to spell my name all over you. Mark you up...make sure everyone knows you’re mine,” he groaned against your neck. Chills trailed down your spine.

“Fuck Katsuki…”

“God I love it when you say my name-”

Bakugou continued to kiss your neck, marking you up as promised. You started to breath a little faster, your heart pounding. You brought Bakugou’s head back up to face you, bringing your lips to his.

It was everything you wanted and more. The way he kissed you. The way his skin was pressed against yours. It was magic.

You continued to run your fingers through his hair, pulling slightly just to get him as to you as possible.

“God you’re so fucking gorgeous. Fuck princess-.” At this point, Bakugou was just spitting out whatever thoughts came to mind. You were intoxicating to him.

He tucked his arm under you, flipping you so that you were now straddling him. You held his warm face in between your rough hands. He gripped onto your hips, pulling you closer to him.

“Wait Katsuki I-I,” you broke away from the kiss for just a moment.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked. You smiled, shaking your head.

“No not at all. It just um-” Bakugou sat up, having you sit in his lap. You wrapped your arms around his neck.

“This is probably terrible timing but...Katsuki Bakugou, I think I’m in love with you,” you said nervously. Bakugou smiled.

“I know dumbass, I’m not stupid.” He placed a kiss on your forehead. You smiled shyly.

“That's all I wanted to say...we can go back to what we were doing.” Bakugou chuckled.

“So eager again.”

Your head rested on Bakugou’s chest as he traced his finger along your back. It had to be at least 3am.

“It’s way past your bedtime Katsuki,” you whispered.

“Who needs sleep when I’ve got you here,” he said. You looked up at him and smiled.

“We still do, silly,” You tapped his nose. Bakugou sat up.

“Hold on…” He got up from the bed and walked over to his closet.

“Here.”

“Your skull t-shirt?”

“Yeah…uh, you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to-”

“Of course I want to wear it.” You slipped his favorite shirt on. A smile now appeared on Bakugou’s face.

“Y-you look good,” he said nervously, his cheeks flushed red. You chucked grabbing his arm to lay back down with you.

“Maybe we should get some sleep,” he smiled, rubbing your back again. You nestled your head into the crook of Bakugou’s neck.

“Hmmm okay…” you yawned. Bakugou chuckled.

“Get some rest dumbass.” Bakugou wrapped his arms around you as you laid on his chest. Your breath and his were perfectly in time. Bakugou waited until you were asleep for him to sleep as well. The both of you drifting to sleep with silly smiles plastered on your faces.

•

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jisungsmochi · 3 years

Text

tutor girl - ljn

tutor girl - lee jeno fic

based off one tree hill hehe (been binging it lately)

word count: 8.6k (might be my longest one yet)

summary: lee jeno was an asshole. an awfully charming asshole. he wanted nothing more than to make your best friend’s life a living hell. he had his plan ready to go, but something, or rather someone, got in the way. will tutor girl change him for the better or will he stick to his ways?

mainly fluff but we got a lil bit of angst in there oops

(for the sake of this au , imagine jeno and mark are the same age)

“you should try out for the basketball team this year. i think you should show off your abilities on the real court” you walk alongside your best friend. mark lee. you clearly remember the day you met him. you were both around nine years old, placed in the same fourth grade class. you wanted to befriend him after finding out he only lived with his mother. coming from a big family, you were always used to having others around you. so you thought you’d do the same for him.

“really? i don’t know...the guys on the team are all jerks. besides i’m fine playing by the river court, there’s no pressure” mark shrugs at you, contemplating your suggestion.

“it’s a well known fact that they’re all jerks, but they’re jerks who can get scholarships for college, isn’t that what you want?” you continued to push. you knew the true reason he was hesitant on joining the team. but you didn’t want him to hold himself back in life, any good friend would do the same.

“yeah of course. i’ll think about it, y/n. but no guarantees” he sighs, walking into his mother’s cafe. you made your way to greet his mother,

“ah y/n, it’s great that you’re here, i’m gonna need you for another shift” she smiles softly, handing you your apron.

“yes ma’am” you smile back, watching as mark sat at the counter. this was how most of your days went. hanging out with mark most of the day, then coming to work at the cafe if you weren’t tutoring a student in need as part of the tutoring program at your school. you enjoyed helping your peers and their improved marks and positive attitude gave you a sense of accomplishment.

you were having dinner with mark and his mother, soojin, like you did most nights, when she suddenly brought up basketball tryouts,

“thinking of joining, mark?” soojin asked curiously.

“i don’t know if i want to, you know he’s gonna be on the team” mark anxiously admits.

see, the thing was, mark had a half brother by the name of lee jeno. he was notorious for being a grade A asshat. following suit of his and mark’s father, lee juyoung. juyoung and soojin were high school sweethearts, winning prom king and queen in their senior year. the day before graduation, soojin told juyoung she had fallen pregnant with mark. but he couldn’t handle being a father, having just earned a prestigious basketball scholarship for some fancy college. they quickly ended their relationship after graduating, wishing to never see or hear from one another again. soojin raised mark on her own whilst juyoung went to college, where he met jeno’s mother, minji. juyoung recklessly got minji pregnant with jeno, roughly six months after mark was conceived. but he stuck with minji, as she was from an affluent background and saw a more promising and stable future with her. jeno was brought up by his father to despise mark. they first met each other at a basketball summer camp when they were ten years old, but rarely saw eachother until high school. mark despised jeno equally, infuriated that he was favoured by their father. jeno had everything. he was the basketball team’s shooting guard, always getting the glory of scoring points. he was also dating one of the most popular girls in school, kang mina. and it didn’t help that he was pleasing to the eye, aside from his jackass tendencies. jeno had it all, mark often caught himself feeling jealous of the life jeno got to live. he hated his father for leaving his mother to raise him alone. it was needless to say, the lee brothers did not get along.

“who cares if jeno’s on the team? remember that you’re doing this for you, not for him or anyone else” you encourage, knowing how he truly felt towards jeno.

“y/n’s right. you are a great player, anyone can see it. just give it a try, you’ll never know what can come from it” his mother gave him a gently squeeze to his shoulder. mark avoided looking at the both of you, softly sighing,

“alright alright, i’ll tryout! what’s the worst that could happen?” he chuckled lightly.

as expected, mark surpassed everyone who tried out and was able to fill the last spot in the school’s varsity basketball team. unfortunately, he was not greeted with open arms, the other boys taunting that he wasn’t as good as them. especially jeno, absolutely disgusted by the idea of him and mark having to interact.

you sat with mark in his room as he ranted about his interactions with the team,

“they all said to watch my back, that they had something planned for me. is that not concerning?” he paced in his room, your heart sunk at his words. who would ever want to hurt such a kind soul like mark?

“you should tell coach, i’m sure he’ll try and straighten them out” you suggest, unsure if it even helped.

“that’s the thing, if i tell on them, they’ll retaliate even harder. god i knew i shouldn’t have joined” he groaned,

“don’t say that, you deserve to be on the team whether they like it or not” you furrow your eyebrows in concern. you move over to sit with mark on his bed, pulling his head to your shoulder.

“jeno’s the worst of them all. he always takes low blows at me about our dad, saying that he loves him more than me. that he doesn’t care about my mother. he’s ruthless” mark mumbled, your heart aching for him. you knew jeno was an ass, but you didn’t know he would outright say such hurtful things.

“he’s just jealous because you’re a threat to him. and besides, it doesn’t help that you’re totally crushing on his girlfriend, don’t think i haven’t noticed” you tease at the end, fully aware of mark lee’s massive crush on kang mina.

“w-what?! i do not have a crush on mina!” he exclaims causing you to chuckle.

“sure you don’t buddy, don’t act like you’re not happy to join the team. you get to watch her cheer for you from the sidelines” you poke his cheeks, trying to get him to lighten up. you hated seeing him so nervous and anxious all the time. you hoped things would get better from then on, but you were wrong. lee jeno was the epitome of an asshole.

jeno wanted mark off the team and he didn’t care how he did it or who he hurt in the process. not only did he take harsh jabs at mark about his mother, but he went as far as to soaking his gym clothes in water, leaving him with no clothes for practice. he refused to hand mark the ball during practice, often getting his friends to barge into mark if he tried to get the ball off him. somehow it got around that mina had been getting closer to mark as they had been paired up for an assignment, which only fuelled more anger in jeno. he needed to be more smart if he wanted mark to quit the team.

jeno was standing with his friend, jaemin at their lockers, when they caught sight of mark talking to you.

“who’s the chick that’s always hanging with mark?” jeno curiously asks, scanning his eyes over you.

“her name’s y/n, she’s part of the tutor program” jaemin responded, looking over at jeno who had a mysterious look in his eyes.

“i might just have to sign up for some tutoring” he smirked to himself, making his way to his next class.

you were filing some applications for tutoring at the student centre when you heard someone knock at the door.

“hang on a minute!” you politely spoke, turning to see who it was. your face immediately fell as your eyes landed on the dark haired boy infront of you.

“may i help you?” you crossed your arms, already fed up with him.

“i hope so, you’re my tutor” jeno copies your gesture, looking down at you in amusement.

“uh no, don’t think so” you turned your back to him, continuing to file applications.

“you’re y/n, right? see it says right here” he approaches you, practically shoving the form in your face. you glanced at the section where the allocated tutor’s name should be written and there you were. you took the form from him, softly biting the inside of your cheek before looking back at him.

“look i’m sorry but i’m best friends with mark” you hand the form back to him.

“well then i’m sorry too” he snickers, causing you to roll your eyes.

“i can’t help you okay? i’ll find someone else t-“

“i don’t want anyone else. you’re the best student tutor in this program. i really need your help” jeno practically whined. part of you wanted to help him, but your loyalty to mark, alongside all the terrible things jeno has said and done, wasn’t going to change your mind.

“i’m sorry, again. i-i just can’t” you rush out of the room, feeling guilty. as much as you disliked jeno, you were never the one to turn away a student in need. all you knew is that mark could never know about this.

your english teacher was handing back grades for the latest assignment. your eyes couldn’t stop focusing on jeno, who was visibly distraught after receiving his grade. the guilty feeling in your stomach wasn’t going away. so what if you helped jeno? maybe you could get him to back off mark. plus it was your duty as a tutor to help students in need. and right now, jeno needed you.

he approached you again in the student centre later that day,

“hey just letting you know, i won’t be needing you anymore, i’ll be just fine” jeno sternly announced to you, gaining your attention. before you could say anything back, he held up his grade from english,

“i mean, F is for fine, right?” your eyes moved to the paper that had a large, red ‘F’ written on it. you gave him a solemn look, debating what you would say next, you didn’t know what came over you,

“okay! i’ll tutor you!” you blurted out, catching jeno by surprise as well. his lips slowly formed into a smirk, walking closer to you.

“but on one condition, mark never finds out, and you also leave him alone!” you let out a short sigh, hoping you weren’t making a bad decision.

“that’s actually two conditions” he retorts, leading you to roll your eyes, already regretting everything.

“but okay, i’ll tell the guys to chill a bit” you looked at him in shock, not expecting him to consider your conditions at all.

“then it’s settled, let’s meet at the dock by the pier tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock sharp” you walk past him,

“why can’t we do it at school?” he asked in confusion,

“because i don’t want anyone else seeing us, especially mark” you sternly respond, making sure he understood.

“aye aye captain” jeno tried to joke, but you had already left before he could finish.

maybe this was going to be harder than he thought.

you were sitting at a table on the dock, waiting for jeno to show up. but your expectations were low. you questioned if he was taking this whole tutoring thing seriously, but your thoughts were interrupted when he rushed to you.

“sorry i’m late, i was hungry” he pulled out a small box of pocky, offering some to you. you shook your head,

“no thanks” he nodded as he shoved one in his mouth. he had also picked up a kinder surprise egg,

“praying i get a cheat sheet for this exam” he hold his hands together, quickly making a wish. you cracked a small smile at his antics, hoping he didn’t take notice. he opened the little bag containing the plastic prizes. he pulled out a colourful beaded bracelet. it was clearly made for children, but jeno thought you’d like it,

“here, for you” he looped it onto your wrist, “don’t say i never gave you anything” he winked, causing you to cringe.

“let’s just get started, shall we?” you ignored his comments, finally beginning the very first tutoring session. it wasn’t as bad as you initially thought it’d be. to your surprise, jeno was fully attentive and had made genuine attempts to learn. but it was probably only due to the fact he needed good grades to play basketball, it didn’t suddenly turn him into an amazing person in your eyes.

“hey! y/n! it feels like i haven’t seen you in a while, how have you been?” mark caught up to you on your way home from school. you two would usually walk together but with his basketball practices and your tutoring sessions, you both slowly stopped.

“i’ve been good! just busy with tutoring” you shrug, happy to have your best friend by your side again.

“ah same with basketball. it’s so weird, jeno and his goons haven’t done anything remotely bad to me this entire week” mark pulled the strap of his backpack over his shoulder.

“isn’t that a good thing?” you softly smiled at yourself, remembering the deal you made with jeno.

“i mean yeah, but i can’t help but be suspicious. what if there’s some other huge thing they have planned?” mark started stressing, gliding his hand through his hair.

“maybe you should give him the benefit of the doubt” you mutter, unsure why you were even defending jeno.

“since when were you on his side?” your best friend stopped in his tracks, not believing a word that just left your mouth. you pulled at the strings of your hoodie,

“i’m on your side of course! i’m just saying that maybe he’s not as evil as you think he is” you tried to pull yourself out of the hole you were currently digging.

“i don’t know, y/n. i guess we’ll have to wait and see” he paused for a moment, looking down at your wrist,

“nice bracelet” your eyes shifted to the lame beaded bracelet jeno gave you. why were you still wearing it?

for your next tutoring session, jeno had invited you to his house, claiming that the dock was too noisy and he couldn’t focus properly. you actually agreed with him for once, now standing outside his house. you rang the doorbell, hearing someone shuffling behind the door. jeno swung the door open, greeting you with his classic smile. he led you to the dining table, with all of his materials already set out.

“finally organised, i’m impressed” you compliment him, not noticing how his cheeks were heating up.

midway through the session, jeno became distracted. he has received a text on his phone. you weren’t sure who it was, but by the way he was reacting, he was clearly frustrated.

“hey, can you get off your phone? we still have more examples to go through” you were slowly getting annoyed by his inability to remain focused.

“sorry, just uh- it’s nothing” he mumbled, shoving his phone back in his pocket before turning to face you.

“alright, break time” you sigh, closing the book infront of you. jeno shot you a confused look,

“why?”

“because something’s on your mind, you need to clear it” you advise him, hoping he would open up to you.

“you’re right, it’s just, mina. we’ve been getting into so many fights lately, plus she’s been hanging out with mark a lot. i just don’t know where we’re at” jeno looks down at his hands that were placed in his lap. you weren’t sure what to say, you slightly felt sorry for jeno, something you’d never thought would happen.

“and my dad, he keeps pressuring me to do better in basketball. he makes everything a competition between himself and me. now with mark on the team, there’s a direct comparison which he just cannot avoid bringing up every single day” jeno continues to rant, slowly taking you back. you had no idea he was feeling like this. he always presented himself as this tough guy who had no care in the world about anything but basketball.

“i-i don’t know what to say” you honestly admit, avoiding eye contact with him.

“it’s alright, i didn’t expect you to anyway. i just keep this all inside” he sighed, relieved to be able to say these things out loud for once, without being judged.

“i think that, you should live your life the way you want. if mina makes you happy then show her that. if basketball is your passion, don’t give up on it just because of your dad or mark or anyone else. just do your best, that’s all anyone can ask for” you tried your best to give him advice, not sure if he would even take any from you. but jeno was surprised at how gentle and understanding you were. he had never had someone to properly vent to about his problems.

“y-you’re right. like absolutely spot on right. damn, i guess you’re more than just a tutor” he smiled softly,

“ah yes i am also a part time motivational speaker and hype woman” you fake cheered, making him burst out in a soft chuckle.

“thanks for this, y/n. i uh, really appreciate you listening” jeno’s eyes meet yours as you listen to his every word. you almost got lost in his eyes for a split second before you pulled yourself back to reality.

“no problem, what a friends for” you murmured, causing him to raise his eyebrows,

“oh so we’re friends now?” he shot you another smirk, clearly entertained by this entire situation.

“i mean yeah, i consider you a friend. but if you tell anyone, i will deny it” you pointed a finger a him playfully.

“wouldn’t expect anything less”

the following week, you were lining up for your physical education class, waiting for the basketball boys to finish up their short practice. you caught sight of mark and jeno, who seem to be in the middle of a very heated argument.

“coach wants you to be shooting guard now? you really wanna take my position, lee? then let me take y/n off your hands” jeno cockily exclaimed,

“leave her alone! you better not be messing with her or i swear i’ll hurt you a lot more than i already want to” mark gritted through his teeth.

“funny you say that, because she’s been tutoring me, and i must say, she’s a special one” jeno continues to aggravate mark. you knew he was saying these things to get a rise from the other boy. to say you were disgusted was an understatement. now, they were shoving eachother, to the point where mark was on top of jeno, ready to punch him. the coach had to pull both of them apart, along with some of the other players. it was a whole mess, mark stormed out of the gym, giving you a sharp side eye before walking right past you. your eyes caught jeno’s, he gave you a pitiful look. everything had just gone to shit.

that afternoon, you decided to go over mark’s house to check up on him. you were prepared for him to yell at you, probably still in disbelief that you were hanging out with jeno behind his back. you softly knocked on his bedroom door, you heard him grunt slightly before opening the door.

“hey” you quietly muttered, mark just raised his eyebrows before letting you enter. you sat by his study desk, unsure of how to bring up the situation.

“why’d you do it, y/n? why did you agree to tutor that jerk?!” mark broke the awkward tension, arms folded across his chest.

“i-i don’t know, mark. he needed help with his work, what was i supposed to do? turn him away?” you argue back, feeling defensive.

“yes! that’s exactly what you should have done. jeno has made my life a living hell, just for being on the team. now he’s got you wrapped around his silly little finger? i thought you were better than that” mark scoffed. you just froze. never in your seven years of friendship, had mark yelled at you like this.

“jeno is strictly just a tutoring student to me! he’s nothing more than that. and you’re the one to talk! you’re over here flirting and hanging out with jeno’s girlfriend. she’s taken, mark. your silly crush on her needs to stop” you were beyond frustrated at this point, harsh words spilled out of you like there was no end.

“he treats her like crap, y/n! she comes to me for comfort! what am i supposed to do?” mark ran his hands through his hair.

“you wait for them to breakup, mark! that’s what any logical person would do. you don’t pine after her while she’s in a relationship. you’re better than that” you whimper the last sentence, hot tears filled your eyes. mark almost broke down, seeing you so upset. but he was too mad and stubborn to comfort you.

“you really think jeno cares about you? he’s only hanging out with you to get to me!” mark continued to fuel your anger,

“mark lee, you are an asshole. who would have thought you and jeno would switch places?” you finally spat out, rushing out of his room, ready at cry your eyes out at home.

“y/n! wait up!” you heard the familiar deep voice behind you. you kept walking, wanting nothing more than to go home and ignore everyone and everything around you. but lee jeno was persistent. he caught up to you, moving to stand right infront of you.

“i don’t want to talk to you right now” you sternly let out, trying to walk away from him. jeno softly gripped your shoulders, pulling you along with him to a secluded spot behind the school gates.

“i know you don’t, but i want to explain myself” jeno started, he appeared to be quite distraught. you nodded along, ready to hear his explanation.

“coach promoted mark to shooting guard. i haven’t been on my best game lately, you know, with my dad always on my back. i was so mad that coach wanted to replace me. he knows that basketball is my only shot to get into college, because let’s face it, academics will not get me through” you frowned once he said that, which made him crack a slight smile,

“you’ve helped a lot. more than you know. but anyway, i got so mad at mark, i kind of went crazy. i know i shouldn’t have brought you up. that was a dick move and i’m sorry. i just wanted to hurt him. i’ve noticed that you two haven’t been talking. and i can’t help but feel like i was the reason for it. so i don’t expect you to forgive me right away. i just wanted you to hear my side” jeno finally finished, his shoulders resting. your eyes were wide, not expecting this entire speech from him.

“jeno, i appreciate that you wanted me to know your side. and i’m sorry about mark replacing you. he was going to find out about us one way or another. atleast it’s finally out” you shrugged before continuing, “mark and i haven’t been as close as we used to be. and it kind of hurts. i cried a lot after he yelled at me and i jus-” before you could finish, jeno pulled you into him. you immediately froze against him, arms avoiding wrapping around his torso. jeno didn’t know why he hugged you, something about your whimpering tone made him want to hold you.

“i-i’m sorry, you just looked like you needed it” he muttered, slowly pulling away from you.

“i-it’s okay” you mumble back to him, avoiding his eyes at all costs.

“i can leave now if you want?” jeno pulled a piece of hair away from your face, making you look up at him.

“a-actually, wanna go for a walk to the dock?” you offer, watching as his face slowly lit up,

“sure” he smiled softly at you, as you both began walking. you caught sight of mark and mina, who were staring right back at you and jeno. you weren’t sure what to do, jeno noticed how uncomfortable you felt. he too, was not too fond of the sight of mark and his now, ex girlfriend, judging the both of you.

“so are they a thing?” jeno suddenly brings up on your way to the dock.

“mark and mina? i thought you were dating” your confused tone made him smile,

“uh well we kind of broke up a few days ago. the day of the fight actually” jeno informed you. you stopped in your path, looking over at the taller boy.

“why didn’t you tell me? are you okay?” you slightly pout,

“firstly, you were ignoring me. and secondly, to my surprise, i am okay. we just weren’t right for eachother, it happens” jeno just shrugs, but you could tell there was more behind it.

“what else is bothering you? aside from your dad and basketball?” you decided to push, feeling he was holding something back.

“i just realised how poorly i treated mina. i never really put much effort into the relationship. seeing her with mark kind of struck a nerve” he explained as you both sat at the same table as your first tutoring session.

“well it’s okay to have regrets, jeno. it means you’re human” you assure him, placing your hand over his. jeno froze at your action, not used to you initiating physical touch with him. his eyes scanned to your wrist,

“hey, you’re still wearing the bracelet” he couldn’t help but feel giddy that you had kept such a useless gift.

“ah yeah, it’s kinda cute don’t you think?” you show off to him, trying to get him to laugh.

you’re cute.

jeno thought to himself. he didn’t want to admit that he had a slight interest in you. the plan wasn’t for him to fall for you. but jeno was well on his way. and he wanted to snap out of it, as soon as possible. because you deserved someone better than him.

as the days went on, mark slowly began to talk to you again. it would start with small conversations during your shifts at the cafe, but once you got to the point where you would ask to hang out, he always had something to do. all you wanted was your best friend back, but he seemed pretty occupied with mina’s company, you didn’t want to make things worse.

on top of this, jeno was struggling a lot with his english work. you tried your best to get him to understand but his mind wasn’t in the right place.

“i’m sorry if it feels like i’m wasting your time, y/n” jeno pouted at you,

“you’re not wasting my time, jeno. you’ll get there eventually. you just have to practice, like in basketball” you tried to develop a comparison between the two, in order to encourage jeno’s study habits.

“speaking of, are you coming to the game on friday?” jeno suddenly went off topic, not that you minded, you both needed a brain break.

“um i don’t know, i might have plans” you tried to come up with some lame excuse before he continued,

“oh come on, it’ll be a good game, we always beat this team” jeno was practically begging you at this point, you softly chuckled at his desperation,

“i’ll make you a deal, get over 80 for the english exam and i’ll go” you suggested as you pulled out your pinky. jeno hesitated for a moment, but opted to promising you anyway. your pinkies remained linked, both of you too embarrassed to pull away. as cheesy as it sounds, for just a moment, you felt everything else freeze. your focus was only on jeno, how adorable he looked with his ruffled hair, practically in his pajamas. you slowly brought yourself back to reality, a warm feeling now developing in your stomach. this isn’t good.

wednesday afternoon rolled by, as you were about to leave the school gates, you heard jeno call for you. he wasn’t being so discrete either, gaining the attention of others around you.

“y/n! wait up!” he was practically wheezing by the time he reached you.

“god, did you run a marathon or something?” you chuckle, helping him stable himself.

“i had to see you right after i got this damn mark, 84!!” his face lit up like you had never seen before. you could tell he was genuinely pleased with himself.

“that’s amazing, jeno! i knew you could do it” you jumped up and down in excitement for him. jeno smiled at you, pulling his arms out, signalling whether or not it was okay to hug you. you nodded ecstatically, launching yourself in his arms. jeno couldn’t believe how perfectly you fit in his arms. if only he could do this more often.

as you both pulled away, jeno still kept his hands hooked on your forearms.

“so you’ll come to the game?” he raised his eyebrows in anticipation.

“a deal is a deal!” you nod once again, watching as jeno’s eyes creased into a crescent moon shape.

“thanks again for everything, i’ll look out for you on friday!” he cheered as he released your forearms from his gentle grip, making his way back to his friends who watched the entire interaction. you couldn’t help but feel a sudden wave of heat rush to your face. goddammit lee jeno.

the basketball game was in full swing. you had gotten to the gym right before the game started. you looked over the court for jeno, your eyes meeting his. he gave you a slight smile, followed by a nod. you waved lightly at him, feeling slightly embarrassed that the only reason you came was to see him. mark witnessed the entire interaction, his instincts telling him that something more was going on between you two. the last thing he wanted was to see you hurt, especially if it were at the hands of jeno. mark approached jeno before the game started, he pulled out his hand to shake,

“hey, i know it’s been rough between us but let’s do our best for this game” mark pushed aside his pride. jeno cluelessly stared at mark’s hand, hesitantly placing his hand against his.

“yeah, agreed” jeno awkwardly muttered, quickly pulling away from mark, joining the rest of the team for the pregame huddle.

there was five seconds on the clock, jeno was double teamed. there was no way he could make the shot, he knew his dad was watching, probably yelling at him to take the shot anyway. but jeno couldn’t risk it, he looked to his right, seeing an open mark lee with his hands ready to handle the ball. jeno spun on his heel, swiftly making a clean pass to mark. everyone stood from their seats, all eyes on mark lee. it took a few seconds for the opposing team to realise what had happened, giving mark the perfect shot. just as the buzzer signalled the end of the game, mark lee had scored the winning basket. all the boys on the team ran to the slightly frazzled boy, pulling him in for a group hug. jeno smiled at the sight, looking over to find you, but he was met with the disappointing glares of his father instead. jeno’s smile faded, an uneasy feeling making its way through his body. you noticed that he seemed off, quickly rushing to be by his side.

“jeno! are you okay?” you tried to gain his attention amongst the loud cheers and screams of everyone. jeno turned to face you, placing his hands on the sides of your arms.

“y-yeah, i’m okay now” he smiled lightly, sweat dripping from his forehead. you pulled the sleeve of your sweater down slightly, wiping some of the sweat from his face.

“gosh you look gross” you fake gagged as he rolled his eyes.

“so you’re not going to congratulate me on winning?” he pouted, which had a tug on your heartstrings.

“andddd, congrats on winning!” you pulled him in for a hug, it was jeno’s turn to freeze at your embrace this time. he didn’t expect you to openly hug him infront of everyone but who was he to object?

“hey y/n, i’m going to have a celebratory party at my dad’s beach house tonight, wanna come? i’ll even invite mark” he offered as you both pulled away, his hands still on your sides.

“parties aren’t really my thing, you know? i’m not really dressed for the occasion anyway” you shrugged, feeling guilty for trying to ditch.

“oh come on, please? even if it’s for a little bit, i can take you home” jeno continues to budge, shooting you a doe eyed look. you shook your head at his efforts to persuade you.

“alright, alright! i think i’ll try and talk to mark first, see you soon” you give him one last smile before making your way to congratulate mark. despite the tension in your friendship, you knew that mark was too occupied, running on the high of winning, to ignore you. his eyes met yours, already expecting you to approach him.

“congrats mark, you did really well” you awkwardly greeted as he finally faced you.

“thanks y/n, i’m glad you came. even if it wasn’t for me” mark teased in a playful tone,

“w-what’s that supposed to mean?” you stutter, feeling heat rise to your face.

“i mean, you came to see jeno. i saw you two” mark explained, but before you could butt in, he continued,

“it’s fine really, it was wrong of me to make you think you needed my permission or something. jeno’s not so bad, i guess. but i still want you to be careful with him, okay?” there was the mark you knew and loved. the boy who would always give it to you straight, even if it hurt, but you knew in your heart that everything was okay. you nodded along, pulling your arms out, practically begging to hug him again. mark slightly chuckled, pulling you into him.

“i missed you, mark” you muttered into his shoulder and his hold on your tightened.

“i missed you too, loser” he whispered. as you pulled away from him, mark started walking with you to his car where you would both be on your way to lee jeno’s after game party.

jeno’s dad’s beach house exceeded all of your expectations. it was right by the shore, a bunch of teenagers already scattered on the sand. you and mark entered the house, greeted by mina and her best friend, jarim. you noticed how awkward mark and mina were with eachother, part of you wanting to laugh but you were able to keep it inside. you also noticed jarim practically glaring you down, maybe it was your outfit? your thoughts were interrupted when jeno came rushing to the group.

“glad you two could make it” he smiled at both you and mark, mainly keeping his focus on you.

“this place is huge” mark blurted out in awe, causing jeno to chuckle lightly. he was dressed in a plain black hoodie and some jogger pants. despite dressing down for his own party, how does he still look so damn good?

“thanks man, feel free to walk around, just don’t break anything” jeno jokingly winked, looking down at you,

“want me to show you around?” it was clear he was directing the question at you. you looked back at mark who gave you a look, telling you to go with jeno. you turned back to the dark haired boy, his eyes never left yours.

“sure” you nodded, walking alongside him, hearing soft whispers from jarim and mina.

jeno pulled you with him to an empty room. your eyes widened as he shut the door, unsure of why he only pulled you aside from the others.

“you can sit on the bed if you want” he insisted as he shuffled around the room. you followed along, still curious as to why you were here.

“is everything okay? why did you pull me away?” you questioned,

“i just wanted to thank you. for everything. for the tutoring, the mina drama and the stuff with my dad. i don’t really talk to anyone about my problems like how i do with you, and i really just want to say thanks, privately” this was the first time you saw jeno being timid. he stuck to the back of the door, eyes glued to the floor. you softly smiled at his words, making your way to meet him. you pulled his chin up, so he could look at you properly.

“you’re welcome, jeno. i’m really glad to hear that i’ve been able to help. it really does mean a lot to me” the words glided through your mouth with ease. lee jeno wasn’t as intimidating as you initially thought. he was flawed, like everyone else in the world. all he needed was someone to show him that it was okay to not be okay.

jeno placed the palm of his right hand to meet your cheek, gently brushing his thumb over it. the gesture made your heart flutter. how was he so good at this?

“y-you’re really pretty, you know?” jeno mumbled, pulling strands of your hair behind your ear. you blushed at his words, not believing them yourself.

“n-no, i’m not” you shook your head, as he halted his actions.

“why do you say that?” he furrowed his eyebrows at you, genuinely in disbelief at your words.

“i guess, i don’t really feel pretty? i don’t know. i just haven’t really been called pretty before, especially by a guy like yo-“ you cut yourself off, not wanting to finish your sentence. before jeno could say anything, there was a loud knock at the door.

“anyone in there?” the person yelled, continuing to knock. jeno turned to open the door, in which jarim, mark, mina and jaemin were all standing.

“oh were we interrupting something?” jarim smirked, clearly tipsy from the alcohol she consumed earlier that night. mina gave you a concerned look, aware of how her friend acts when she’s drunk.

“uh kinda” jeno harshly responded, mark’s eyes immediately shooting to you,

“is that true?” he questioned. you felt everyone’s eyes on you. you froze up, words unable to leave your mouth.

“aw cat’s got her tongue. were you two making out?” jarim continued to budge you both, no one responded.

“ah i see, you were about to have sex!” she slurred her words, mina having to hold her back from entering the room.

“shut up, jarim” jeno spat, causing the drunk girl to shove him further into the room. the small group all entered, jaemin closing the door behind him.

“jarim, lets get you home, okay?” mina struggles to pick up her friend.

“no no, i wanna stay. if you wanna be nasty, jeno. how about we discuss the elephant in the room? i mean, you don’t actually like tutor girl here, do you? wasn’t it all a ploy to get back at our little markie boy here” jarim exposed, chuckling to herself.

“what’s she talking about?” you finally spoke up, fists balled and tears threatening to fall from your eyes.

“no, it’s not like that, god why are you such a bitch, jarim?” jeno ran his hands through his hair, taking a step towards you. you took a step back in response, making your way to mark.

“i want to go home” you mumble to him, mark immediately taking you into his arms. he bid mina a farewell, as she apologised over and over for her friend’s behaviour. jeno tried to call after you both but jaemin held him back,

“dude, you messed up”

“i fucking know that, i have to go apologise” jeno gritted through his teeth,

“woah, you like her. you like tutor girl” jaemin was astonished, the thought of you and jeno as a couple, never crossing his mind.

“yeah, i really do. but now she’ll never want to see me again” jeno let out a defeated sigh, leaning against the door frame.

so much for a celebratory occasion.

you heard a knock at your bedroom door, interrupting your study session. you opened the door, eyes furrowed at the person standing infront of you.

“i’m probably the last person you expected to see” jarim sighed, clearly unsure of what else to say to you. you were ready to slam the door in her face, but you wanted to hear what excuse she had for coming to your house.

“what are you doing here?” you fold your arms, leaning on your door frame. jarim hesitates, handing you a piece of paper before speaking,

“i feel really awful about the way i acted at the party. i was drunk, not that it excuses what i did and said. but i hope you can understand that i didn’t have ill intent” jarim tried to defend herself, pleading for you to listen. you allowed her to continue, still holding the folded piece of paper in your hand.

“i’m sorry about making things awkward now with jeno, i want to make it up to you both” she paused, waiting for you to respond.

“i appreciate you coming to apologise and everything but jeno and i aren’t, and will never be a thing. i think it’s pretty clear how he feels about me” you try handing back the paper to her but she stops you.

“no you’re wrong, jeno likes you. he really does. he just has a crappy way of showing it. that piece of paper is an itinerary for your first date with him” jarim gave you a small smile.

“i’m confused? you’re suddenly playing match maker now?” you scoffed, fed up with the schemes,

“well yes! i think you two should give it a shot. just read through what i planned out. jeno will be at the cafe on friday night. it’s up to you if you want to go on the date or not, no pressure. i really am sorry again, i hope you can forgive me” jarim gave you a soft nod before leaving your house. you let out a short sigh, unfolding the piece of paper. you weren’t sure if you were ready to speak to jeno again, nonetheless go on a date with him. you couldn’t help but think about what could have happened between you two. would it be so bad?

on friday night, you were finishing up your shift at the cafe. mark and mina kept you company. mark was ranting about the next basketball game and mina was stressed about the upcoming cheer competition. you were wiping down your last table when the bell on top of the door rang, signalling someone had just entered. you swiftly turn to meet whoever came in, your face falling at the sight of jeno, still in his basketball jacket, staring right back at you. you walked right past him, removing your apron. mark awkwardly shifted looks between the both of you.

“y/n, can we talk?” jeno finally breaks the silence, walking closer to the counter you were standing behind. mark and mina slowly crept out of the cafe, mark mouthing a quick apology to you before scurrying off. you sighed, still unsure if you wanted to be on speaking terms with jeno.

“what is there is talk about?” you questioned, avoiding his gaze at all costs.

“the date that jarim organised, i would really like to go on it” jeno stumbled over his words, holding the folded piece of paper, identical to the one you received earlier that week.

“look, i just don’t think it’s a good idea, jeno. i mean, us going on a date? isn’t it ridiculous?” you tried to brush off any indication you were interested in him.

“it’s not ridiculous to me, y/n. just give me a chance, please?” he tried so hard to get you to look at him. you finally caved in and saw how fragile he looked.

“i can bail whenever i feel like it?” you fold your arms, hoping you wouldn’t regret your decision.

“yes, of course” jeno nodded, as you made your way to stand next to him.

“then let’s get going” you pulled your jacket and walked out of the cafe with jeno.

“okay so first thing she wrote was for us to list three things we like about eachother” jeno read off the piece of paper as you both walked aimlessly on the sidewalk.

“suddenly i can’t come up with anything” you jokingly shrug as jeno shoots you a playful glare. he started to loosen up, instantly feeling more comfortable with you.

“if you wanna be like that, i’ll go first then. i like how patient you are with me. you don’t treat me like some moron during tutoring” jeno awkwardly smiled at you, watching as your face softened. you knew how hard he was trying to get his grades up.

“thankyou jeno, that’s really sweet. i’m really proud of how far you’ve come” you compliment, watching as his cheeks start heating up. jeno moved closer to you, your arms brushing against eachother.

“i like the way you call my name, i know it sounds strange but it’s nice listening to your voice” you chuckle softly, completely embarrassed by your response. jeno couldn’t help but gush, he didn’t realise that you felt the same towards him.

“i actually think that’s cute. i’ll just keep talking to you then? even if you tell me to shut up” he smirks, nudging you gently.

“yeah yeah, it’s your turn” you tried to rush through this segment, butterflies forming in your stomach.

“i like that you’re pretty” he stopped you both in your tracks, fingers dangling near yours. you looked up at him, his eyes gazing into yours.

“i-i think you’re pretty too” you blurred, causing jeno to chuckle. you shook your head,

“ah no i mean that, i think you’re good looking? handsome? beautiful?” you couldn’t stop rambling, which only entertained him more.

“i got it” he mumbled, inching closer to you. you felt your breath hitch, never being this close to him before. you were crumbling under his gaze, suddenly pulling away from him. jeno let out a soft sigh, inserting himself next to you as you both started walking again.

you made it to the dock, choosing to sit on a nearby bench, admiring the moonlight shining on the water.

“i like you, jeno. that’s the last thing” you muttered, avoiding eye contact with the boy. jeno couldn’t contain how happy he was, wanting to pull you into him as soon as you finished speaking. but he saw how your expression dropped, a look of concern washed over you.

“i like you too, y/n. but w-what’s wrong?” jeno placed his arm around your shoulder, giving you a gentle pat.

“i-i’m scared, okay? i’ve never really been in a relationship before or even confessed to a guy. and to top it off, you and mark aren’t completely on good terms yet. so it just feels like everything is working against us being together” you ranted, jeno listening along to every word you said. he paused before responding, seeing how you were so worried about this, made his heart ache.

“hey, it’s okay. i don’t want to rush you into dating me or anything. i will work on my relationship with mark, if it makes you more comfortable. i swear, i would do anything to be with you, y/n. i can promise you that” jeno’s words brought much needed assurance to you. you finally looked over at him, his eyes dazzling under the moonlight.

“what will everyone think? i mean, i’m practically a no one. and you’re lee jeno. you aren’t scared of committing social suicide?” you dramatically point out. jeno throws his head back in laughter.

“i don’t care what anyone thinks. i just care what you think.” jeno slowly takes your hands in his, intertwining your fingers. you felt your heart race. how was he do good at this?

“how can i be sure that this isn’t another ploy to get to mark? how do i know this is real, jeno?” you mumble, still afraid of getting hurt again.

“if i could take back what i did, i would. without a doubt. y/n, i just want to be someone who’s good enough to be seen with you” jeno confesses, his words bringing a small smile to your face.

“well you should have thought about that before you humiliated me at the party! i really wanted to give you a piece of my mind, you know? there’s nothing you can do now that will make me forgive yo-“

you were cut off mid rant, feeling a pair of lips meet yours. you felt his hand gently caress your cheek, you didn’t know what came over you. you pressed your lips closer to his, if that was even possible. jeno softly mumbled against your lips,

“i’m sorry, i’ve just wanted to do that for so long” you ignored him for a bit, pulling him into you again. kissing jeno was something your past self would have beat you up for. but it just felt so damn good.

jeno broke away from your lips, giving you a quick peck on the cheek. you were intensely blushing at this point. hands now placed on the sides of jeno’s face. he looked at you with so much admiration, you couldn’t help but swoon over him.

“hate to say, but i was wrong about you” you whispered, a wide smile making its way to his lips.

“i’m all yours, y/n. i want to be there for you, through everything. i want to be the one you go to for comfort. i want you to come to my games and cheer me on. i want you to keep tutoring me until we graduate. i just want to be with you” jeno couldn’t stop rambling, the overwhelming feelings he had towards you were taking over him.

“i want to be with you too, jeno. it feels so good to finally say it” you surprise him by pecking his lips quickly. jeno’s eyes widened, he couldn’t hold back his need to embrace you. jeno pulled you up from the bench, wrapping his arms around you.

“thankyou, for everything” he mumbled against your forehead, placing a small kiss on it, as you both embraced eachother.

and that’s how you ended up dating your best friend’s half brother...it was definitely a story you enjoyed telling. dating lee jeno was filled with random rants in the early hours of the morning, breakfast delivered at your door step before he walked you to school. he visited the cafe to keep you company on your shifts, in return you would attend his basketball games, painting his jersey number in your cheek. he always searched for you in the crowd, giving you a wink before shooting the winning basket. it was ritual for you to jump in his arms after every game, whispering endless congratulations to him while kissing his cheeks. being with jeno was surprisingly drama free. he was completely loyal to you, and always showed you off every chance he could. he had also gotten closer to mark, partially due to your help. so you all ended up hanging out often, riding the roller coaster of life together.

who would have thought that the arrogant boy who despised your best friend, would become the most important person in your life?

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