#so i thought i’d put this out. whatever. yknow.

[flickerintwilights]

on the road to hell

#hadestown #art #my art #tag ramble as promised: #firstly #i’ve been thinking about redoing this as digital art #(like - mostly the same but cleaner and with some of the details fixed) and probably will if i have time #because i like this composition a lot #but! for now i am oddly happy with how this turned out despite being traditional art/watercolor (no undo button. sobs.) #and it Is a noteworthy day for hadestown with lola tung and lillias white departing #(this is Not meant to celebrate them specifically - i used the obc as reference not them - i just think it’s a nice day symbolically) #so i thought i’d put this out. whatever. yknow. #oh a second thing i will say is that this was a great excuse to check out the slime tutorials on youtube #i spent like 9 or something hours on this :/ so. plenty of time to have things on in the background while i was working. we love slime #thirdly! two things i feel like are worth mentioning rq for Symbolism: #wait for me reprise (intro) originally having wedding procession imagery (from anaïs mitchell in working on a song) #is what first made me desperately want to put the flower/petals on the edges (it still fucking haunts me) #though it was a solid composition choice in general i think #and i mean. clearly the carnation should be prominent. it’s the carnation. from hadestown. #i don’t think the wedding procession reference comes across the way it turned out but that was the first thought #NEXT ouroboros. the snake devouring its own tail (i legitimately forgot that this was why i first drew the rattlesnake that way but #fundamentally i really did just want its tail and head to point to each other lmao)

[claraswritings]

Stay For Now, I Love You Forever

Pairing: Steven Grant x Reader (a tiny bit of Marc Spector x Reader- pining)

Summary: Steven meets a girl. Steven falls for her. Marc falls too.

Warning: Some angst. Set mostly pre-series. (Also for the sake of the fic, Marc is already divorced). First time writing Steven/Marc/Moon Knight system. This is not spell checked as I’m posting at nearly 2AM lol.

A/N: Meant to finish this sooner but I got Covid :( Tagged @marvelenthusiast10 )

***

“Okay Steven…what’s your symptoms.”

The man before you shifted in the chair, drumming his fingers on his jeans, eyes flickering over the walls. It looked like he was battling the urge to run away. It was obvious that he felt awkward, and you couldn’t blame him. It was pretty bizarre having to explain your sleep symptoms to a total stranger.

“Right…” Steve started then trailed off “Sorry Uhh…” he hesitated once more as he looked away from you and rested his gaze on the view from the window. where he could see I t had started to snow heavily.

“Huh…it’s snowing.” He commented “Didnt know it was going to snow? Did you?…Do you think the buses will be running?”

Sensing his rambling was a outburst of nerves, something to distract himself, you attempted to placate him “I didn’t…but I like the snow… I’m sure the buses will be fine but I’ll check the TfL website for you before you go. Do you need a drink?”

Steven brought his dark eyed gaze back to you. “Right sorry, sorry…” he muttered, scratching his jaw… “I’ll get to the point and stop rambling…”

“It’s okay…take your time…” you reassured him. “I have lots of time”

He hesitated, once more before he took a breath for composure

“Okay, so sometimes, yeah, I wake up… and…I‘ve lost… hours or even sometimes days at a time…like couple of weeks ago… I went to bed on Friday…” he gestured, with one hand, the sleeve of his over sized jacket sliding up as he did “but I woke up on Sunday…but I’m still tired…Fell asleep on the bus…” he trailed off for only long enough to rake a hand through his wavy dark hair “Feel like I’ve been hit by one too.”

He gave you a muted smile, as he pulled the long sleeves of his blue jacket back down.

Your lips lifted at corner as a response to his joke, and you nodded slowly, writing down what he was saying.

“That’s not normal is it? Losing days…” He frowned a little, his gaze on you, as you could feel him almost crying out for help “I feel like I’m losing my bloody mind.” He mumbled, his voice quiet.

“No Steven, you’re not, a lack of sleep can do all sorts of things to our bodies, that’s why I’m here. Sleep is a very difficult thing to get right… but we can help you…once we work out what might be causing whatever is happening…do you have any other symptoms? Do you ever sleep walk?”

“See… I thought maybe I did, cause I’d wake up and be like coming back through the door…” Steven leant forward, uncrossing his arms to draw a circle in the air “But like the sand circle would still be yknow in a circle, right? So I can’t be?” He spoke as if he was offering a suggesting, shoulders moving up and down in a shrug that did not look as nonchalant as he had clearly hoped

Now he’d lost you.

“Sand circle?”

“Oh god I’m gonna sound like a right weirdo…” he flopped back in the seat. “I put the sand circle around my bed…, yeah, cause if I was sleep walking I’d shuffle and ruin it.” Steven explained with a wave of his hand. “Wouldn’t I?”

You had to admit it, it was clever, if a little unconventional. “Yeah, that’s actually quite a good idea… never heard that one but I like it.” You nodded encouragingly. As the years you’d spent helping set up various sleep studies, you’d heard all the classics-no caffeine, no cheese, lavender oil, hot baths, white noise, black out curtains… but you’d never heard of using a sand circle to test if you were sleeping walking.

“That and the restraint on the bed.” Steven tacked on then instantly realised what he clicked your eyebrows shooting upwards “Not like that...I’m not like…” He muttered, a red creeping up over his face, as his hand crept up to itch the back of his neck. “Don’t really get the chance for anything like that with the…funny sleeping stuff and that…” he trailed off.

stoptalking stoptalking stoptalking stoptalking. He told himself internally and shook his head, trying not to visibly shudder at his own awkward comment. How he’d just told you, the prettiest woman he’d seen in…god knows how long, that he had a restraint on his bed. God Steven, way to show off your glaring red flag.

“You…you have a restraint?” you paused, trying not to smile at the flustered man before you, as he now was staring directly at the spot where your desk met carpet. “To prevent the sleepwalking of course.”

The comment about not having the chance stuck out to you. Must mean he’s single.

“Yeah, uh..I have tape too for the… for the door. So I can’t get out and bother anyone…Tried to keep myself up aswell, listened to a podcast and did the stuff it said… puzzles, reading books, all that…didn’t work though…”

His eyes shot back to you as hand ran through his thick wavy hair again Everything about him was a bundle of nerves from the fidgeting to the eyes looking from you to the window and back to the tangents, now on top of that, he was worried his sleep issue would bother anyone. You couldn’t help but feel for him.

“And how long have you been using these… techniques for?”

“Oh god…” he blew out a long exhale “I don’t actually know…to be quite honest…ages now…Doctor”

“It’s okay Steven, anything that can help you is worth trying…and I’m not a doctor… I’m a sleep…tech…” you held your hands up. “I just check you in and help with results.”

“Oh..sorry…” he faltered, a little embarrassed , trying to find the words “…Ms. Sleep… Tech…Technician?… Technologist?”

He cringed inwardly at his own sentence only seconds after the words had left his mouth and for the… he’d lost count… time since he’d entered the room.

“Just….[Name]”

Once again, you weren’t pulling back, recoiling or phased by his awkwardness. You were, much to his surprise, smiling at him. Not the weird passive smile Donna gave him when asking, or rather telling him, to stay late. Not the fake nicety smile exhausted tourists usually gave him, you were actually smiling at him like you thought he was funny. The smile you were giving him was so genuine and warm, he felt himself relax under your eyes.

“You must always be well rested. Must be nice.” Steven attempted to extend the conversation, hoping his attempt wasn’t too ungraceful.

“Ah. You’d be surprised,” There was a smile toying at the corner of your mouth “I’m better at giving advice than I am at following it.”

“Suppose It’s like chefs innit…they come home and probably just Deliveroo themselves a Nando’s or KFC or something?”

You laughed “Yeah, exactly what I mean…Now look…I know this is going to sound cliche but…problems with sleep, it’s more common than you think.” Pausing, you put your notebook down, and leant in, elbows planted on the desk. “But basically in your deepest stage of sleep… your brain switches off the muscles… so you won’t be acting out your dreams or anything crazy. If you are in that stage, you won’t go anywhere, Steven.”

You turned one of your folders over and pushed a case plan towards him, and pointing out the diagrams with the end of your pen.

“We’ll chart your brainwaves whilst you’re asleep… then we can use them to work out what’s going on.”

“And that’ll help me?” He sounded hopeful as his gaze ran over the notes, following your make shift pointer.

“Yeah I hope so, i mean it might not stop the processes but it’ll help us understand what’s going on.”

“You must think I’m a right weirdo…but it’s nice…to talk to someone that isn’t my fish…or the living statue bloke,” Steven turned back to you, giving you a thankful look. “Or my boss.” He pulled a face.

“I don’t think you’re weird, Steven… I want to help you. I’ll listen for as long as you need me to”

You hadn’t automatically assumed he was some weirdo which was a relief. He felt comfortable with you like you actually wanted to help him rather than judging him.

There was a moments silence, then your eyes flicked down to the notebook that lay between you and back to Steven.

“Do you drink tea…or coffee?”

“Oh… um, just tea with soy milk and one sugar. Sometimes a hot chocolate? Although that’s not caffeine is it? I wouldn’t mind one of those flavoured ones, Think they do them that cafe around the corner if you’d like?” He grinned somewhat awkwardly “they do refills…which you know in London, gotta get your moneys worth… it’s expensive.”

You felt a heat creep up your face “Erm…it’s for the questionnaire? I need to know how much caffeine you’re drinking?”

“Oh..oh god I’m sorry, I’ve just put my foot in it havent I?… I thought you were…and now I’m rambling, I do that…”

“But…yes Steven. I’d love to have any hot drink with you…”

“Wait. Really?” Steven faltered, surprised.

“Of course. I finish at half five. I’ll meet you there.”

And when you’d walked into the cafe, saw him already waiting there, drink gently steaming on the table and book in hand, reading glasses on, you’d slid in beside him and had never looked back.

*

When Steven offered to meet you at your flat to go for dinner two days later, you agreed. It was suggestion, that had it come from any of the fuck boys in your Tinder matches would have had you hitting the un match button…but with Steven…you knew he was being sweet.

You knew he wasn’t just asking to try get into your place and into your underwear, although you wouldn’t have minded. He was asking because he didn’t want you to walk to the Tube station alone in the dark.

Steven had wrapped up in a winter coat, and worn a dark blue scarf and matching gloves. He brought chocolate and a dozen pink roses, which as he’d handed over, he’d told you that he noticed your notebook had been pink and thought it was a safe bet for the colour. Before you could say thank you he’d already apologised for the chocolates incase you hated them or incase he’d got the colour wrong.

You’d kissed him on the cheek, told them they were perfect and that you’d share the chocolates with him, before linking your gloved hands together and starting your walk to your favourite Asian restaurant in Camden, where he’d had a tofu version of a curry and you’d had chicken teriyaki skewers. It was closing time before you’d left arm in arm, giggling as you walked together.

As you made your way back to the Tube station, Steven had excitedly wanted to try a bubble waffle, so you’d opted for a shared vegan friendly version and ate it with two forks. You’d hugged him outside the station then met him outside his work two days later…and before long you’d fallen into an easy pattern of dating.

The first time he hadn’t called when he said he would, was one month into dating and he was eight hours late. Steven had saw the voicemails left from you and panicked, fully expecting the “you’re an arsehole, never talk to me again” but no, you’d called him to check he was okay, came by his place and even posted a card through his letterbox telling him you were thinking of him and you hoped he was okay.

You were worried.

Steven kept that card in the top drawer of his beside table alongside a napkin from your first date, one of the gratuity sweets from your second, the first note you’d ever wrote to him, a puzzle you’d bought to do together and a model pyramid you’d saw online and thought of him. You’d said you just saw it on Amazon, but it wasn’t one you could just buy. Steven knew from the model that you’d have had to buy it from a specific retailer. You’d never tell him you googled it specifically but he loved that you did.

He knew he loved you then and there

*

“Hey babe.” You stuck your head around the entrance to the gift shop and grinned at him.

Steven, at the sight of you, dropped the plush back into a box and ran to you, squeezing you tight.

“Hiya love, I’m just finishing up here. Won’t be five minutes and I’ll be over to you” he kept his hands on your waist as you wrapped yours around his neck and kissed him before reaching up and straightening the collar of his patterned shirt

“Okay, babe. I’ll just wander around. We can go to that new bakery if you like. I’ve checked the menu, they do have vegan options.”

His lips curled into a smile and he squeezed your hand by way of thanking you before you headed off to wait for him.

“That sounds brilliant. Really good!”

“Stevie!” A call rang out from across the room and Steven rolled his eyes

“Oh fuck Donna.”

“Stevie! I told you the answers no. So just stop talking to guests…alright? Leave it to the real tour guides…”She turned to you, not giving him the chance to reply “Is he bothering you?”

“Actually…” you wrapped your arm around Steven. “He’s not. I’m…”

“Oh…Stevie’s girlfriend.” Donna pointed at you “Gunna be honest, thought he’d made you up. Kept saying you were dead pretty and let him talk. Didn’t actually think you were real.” She laughed mirthlessly. “Thought he was bothering the guests again!”

“Well Steven is a wealth of information, and I want my info from the best source” you gave her as friendly of a smile as you could muster.

“Best source is a tour guide” she smiled “but I’m glad he has someone to listen to his weird rambling.”

“I’d rather hear about it from someone with a passion for it”

“I’m sure our guides are plenty passionate.” She turned on her heel to face Steven. “Clock off please. I’m not paying you to chat to your girlfriend.”

“Sure, Donna. Pleasure as always.” He gave a curt wave, however she had already stalked off before she could return the acknowledgment. “Back in a sec, love.” He leant in and pecked your lips before disappearing off to clock out.

When he returned a few minutes later you linked you arm through his, and noticing he looked slightly dejected, attempted to offer him some comfort.

“She doesn’t know what she’s missing out on. I’ve done a few of these tours and I’ve learnt more from listening to you at home than I have from any of them”

“Really?” He perked up “Cause we have this new exhibit, it’s basically like the super group of Egyptian gods and it’s really interesting…the posters only show seven but there’s nine and…” Steven was suddenly conscious he was babbling but when he looked at you, he was still holding your attention.

“Tell me about it?” You asked him.

“About the super group?” Steven was quick to check, excited at the chance to discuss his passion before stopping. “I don’t want to bore you, love”

“You won’t.” You gave his arm a reassuring squeeze through

Steven could never bore you, everything about him was captivating. He was so excited and so passionate about Egyptian mythology that you couldn’t help but be drawn in by his wide eyed enthusiasm. You liked it when he went off on a tangent. It was cute.

“I love you, you know. And not just because you let me go on about Egyptology or that, I just really do love you, and I never thought I’d get that.”

“I love you too Steven.” You kissed him. “Now tell me about these super gods, I wanna know about the missing ones…”

***a few weeks later***

Marc froze. You were half asleep-half awake, the lights from the window, casting bright lights through the window of Stevens flat. You looked angelic, the slopes of your face, the curves of your body as you pulled the duvet tighter.

He’d watched from the background as you and Steven had fallen for each other over the past few months and Marc had, having seen how you were to Steven, had fallen for you too.

He’d realised it when he saw how gentle you were with Steven, after he’d woken one night when you’d been staying the night. He’d stumbled back to bed, a struggle to keep control of the body and barely collapsed into a half slumber before Steven had woke with a jolt around fifteen minutes later, pulling hard at the restraint and checking around him.

**flashback**

“Hey hey, it’s me babe, you’re okay…” you, on instinct, sat up next to Steven. He was checking the restraint, pulling at it hard to make sure it was in place. “…Steven, babe. You’re here, I’m with you, it’s okay.”

You reached for him slowly not making contact until Steven turned to meet your eyes. He was breathing heavy, chest heaving and shoulders tight, brow furrowed as you wrapped one arm around him and held his hand with the other.

“Steven. You haven’t had anything like this in a while.”

It was the first time you’d been there when it had happened. Usually, if Steven had a rough night, he’d call you and you’d talk and you’d stay with him listening.

“Im here babe.” You whispered

“Youre here.” His voice sounded so small and lost and such a far cry from how you’d ever heard him. A part of your heart broke seeing your usual bubbly, chatty Steven such a wreck. “I thought you’d left.”

“No. No.” You pulled him into you, lying back with his head on your shoulder as you carefully carded your hand through his curls. “I’m not leaving.…” You reached for his hand and pressed a kiss to the back of his knuckles. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Please stay for now”

“Of course, for as long as you need me.”

**

Marc had felt so guilty that night that he’d resolved that he wouldn’t go far when you were staying the night. Steven deserved some happiness, a sense of peace, some chance to be normal so tonight he’d kept it short, a quick hour before returning back to you.

Marc wondered if he’d met you first…rather than Steven, would you have fallen in love with him? Would you be stroking circles on his back and whispering sweet nothings to him when he woke in the dead of the night, freaked out and panicking.

He doubted it. Everything you loved was so rooted in Steven. Sweet, endearingly quirky, good-natured, warm hearted, clever Steven, who was nothing like Marc.

You were always staring at Steven, looking in his big wide eyes, playing with the fluffy curls that Marc usually slicked back, sliding your hands under Steven’s oversized clothes that Marc hated, asking him questions about the book Steven was reading that Marc didn’t know anything about, offering suggestions for whatever puzzle Steven was looking at that Marc didn’t care for, you cooked Steven vegan versions of your own lunches where Marc would have preferred the meat, you left cute notes for Steven to find. You called him Babe all the time.

Steven deserved the world but, god how Marc was jealous. He wanted you to look at him the way you looked at Steven. He could feel it heavy on his shoulders as he breathed and like an open wound in his chest.

“Steven?” He froze in the spot where he was, you turned over in the bed, voice half asleep. “Come back to bed. It’s cold.” You muttered

“Shhh, back to sleep.” He had hoped you wouldn’t notice the change from London to American as he whispered approaching the bed.

“Babe you’re talking different.” you muttered.

The second of silence that passed felt like an age to Marc, the only sound was his hammering heart rate, before you filled the room with a sleepy laugh “You’re so funny…I love you Steven.”

And like that you were back to sleep, leaving Marc alone with his own racing heart.

**a few weeks later**

Steven had been gone for five days. You’d spent most of your mornings leaving early for work to drop in on him and see if he’d shown up, your lunch breaks scouring the local news to see if an anonymous man had shown up in any hospitals, you’d called almost every hospital and police station within a ten mile radius. The police had told you they’d “note his name and description” and let you know. By Wednesday you’d even went to his work twice only for Donna to tell you Steven doesn’t work here.

You’d began to wonder you should be going back to the police to tell them the missing person you’d reported still had not shown up when you heard a knocking at your door

“Gimme a minute,” You called out as pulled yourself off the sofa and headed to the door. Hauling it open you half expected to see your neighbour or the postman. What you were not expecting to see was your boyfriend, in a baggy navy jumper, hair sticking up at all angles and looking like he’d come off a 72 hour all nighter.

He wouldn’t have of course, Steven barely drank so you couldn’t process exactly how or what the fuck had happened until he spoke.

“Hi.” He managed to get out “I’m sorry I didn’t call you.”

“Steven…You‘ve been gone for days…where the fuck where you?” Your mouth formed the words, quieter, more concerned than angry.

Instead of saying a word, you felt him slump into your arms, exhausted.

“Fucking hell Steven, what happened?” You repeated yourself with a mutter as you looped an arm around his waist and the other you used to support him and helped him to the couch, where he flopped down. Your heart ached just looking at him.

“Don’t go.” He murmured, “Stay here.”

“I’m just getting you a blanket and a cuppa, babe… okay?” You brushed some of his curls back as he nodded. “I’ll be back in two minutes… I promise.”

You kissed his head and exactly two minutes later, you returned a steaming mug of tea and your favourite sage green blanket. You’d bought it in the Dunlem sale and it never left your bed until it made its way to Stevens. You’d wrapped him in it once when he’d fallen asleep at his desk and he’d looked so adorable you’d insisted he kept it.

“Are you okay? Should I be calling an ambulance or the police or something?”

His hands knotted around the edges as you draped it over him and sat the mug in front of him. You sat in silence beside him until he’d had a few large gulps. Steven shook his head

“I’m okay…no ambulance. no police needed. It’s alright..”

“Steven. You have to tell me where you were.” You tried “Please. I thought you were missing or dead, I kept expecting to see your picture on the news as a fucking body found.”

“You wouldn’t believe me…” he let out a tiny impression of a laugh “I mean not just you… no one would and I don’t blame them.”

“I will…I promise.”

“It sounds made up”

“Babe, not that long ago Spider-Man had a fight on Tower Bridge, and before that half the world disappeared and came back and before that Thor had a fight with that…alien thing in Greenwich and before that if you’d asked me, I’d say that shit only happens in New York but I’m three out of three of mad things that have happened to me so nothing you say is going to freak me out… but saying nothing is…” You pressed your head to his. “Please…please tell me where you were.”

Steven sighed, you looked so desperate to help, so worried and he could hear Marc, telling him to be honest with you, not being honest with Layla had cost him his relationship, and although they were still friends, he didn’t want the same to happen to you.

“Yeah okay…” he started “but you got to let me tell you the whole thing, alright? No matter how mental it sounds.”

You smiled. “Of course.”

And for the whole time, you kept your attention on him, nodding, asking questions and squeezing his hand”

“Suppose that’s it all.” He said with a finish “I’ll understand if you don’t want to go out with me anymore…”

“Steven.” You pulled him into a hug, hands reaching up to rub his back. “I believe you and I love you and of course I still want to go out with you.”

“But all I do is cause problems for everyone…I don’t want to mess up your-.”

“You could never be a problem. Not for me.”

“I will eventually.”

“Steven, there is no problem you could cause that would be too big. You were never a problem to me.” Your head shook vehemently “and you never will be. Not now, not ever. You and me always.”

“I love you…” he muttered leaning in and pressing his head to yours so softly “forever”

“…I love you so much.”

“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me…us.” He paused, as you tilted your head with a smile “Marc won’t come forward now but he cares for you. A lot.”

“Steven, you will always be enough for me…but one day I’d like to meet him…Marc…if that’s okay with both of you…when he’s ready.”

Steven nodded. “I think he’d like that too.”

The relief lifted a weigh off his shoulders and he felt himself settle back into the sofa. You joined him, and slipped your arms around him, pulling the blanket around you both.

“I’ve missed you.” You muttered quietly.

“I missed you too.”

Steven kissed you softly and started to apologise before you planted another kiss on his lips, softly and gently.

“Shhh, you have nothing to apologise for. I’m just glad I have my boyfriend back.” You gave him an easy smile and he leant in.

.“I’m glad I’m back too…love. To the rest of our lives Eh?” He leant in to you as you repeated his sentiment.

“To the rest of our lives”

#steven grant x reader #steven grant imagine #marc spector x reader #moon knight x reader #steven grant #steven grant x y/n #steven grant x you #moon knight imagine

[petertingle-yipyip]

DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER - MATT MURDOCK

finale - devil on my shoulder

tags: @astrobees @americaarse @dusstory @johnmurphys-sass @ironprincessstranger @ahoytherebean // nine // bonus chapter // masterlist

Pairing: Daredevil x Reader (Matt x Reader)

Word Count: 11,816

Summary: Daredevil, Exodus, and Elektra v. The Hand. Three go in, two go out and nothing is quite the same between the ones who remain.

You were lying on Matt’s living room floor after tying up Stick, at Matt’s request. He told you to hang out on the couch or in one of the chairs but you waved him off, saying you’d hate to stain them. You were flat on your back instead, mask sitting at your throat and hands folded over your stomach.

What you thought was funny about that moment was that neither of you had actually told the other your secret, yet you were so comfortable around each other it was like you already knew.

“Do you even have a plan?” Stick challenged.

Matt was quiet as he thought for a moment. You turned your head to face him, partly wondering the same thing.

“I’m working on it.” He answered finally.

“You got me.” You called from the floor. “That’s a start, no?”

He offered you a small, grateful smile. “Yeah.. Yeah it is.”

“While you’re working on it, do me a favor and pull your head out of your ass. The Black Sky-“

“The Black Sky is the same type of manipulative, peer pressure tactic that was used on me growing up.” You cut in, sitting up quickly and almost instantly regretting it. “I used to think that whatever made me good at this-“ You shook your wrists. “-meant it was who I was always gonna be. Then I learned that it just takes the right people and some effort.”

“You think love and therapy are gonna help Ellie?” Stick mocked. “I guess I was wrong about you.”

“And I would care why?”

“You’re just as naive as he is. What are you two going to do about the war?”

“What I’m good at.” You shrugged and got to your feet. “Because it’s my choice. And El should get to choose too.”

You left after that, heading up to the roof to check on Elektra. You found her standing on the ledge, and if that were anyone else, the sight would’ve been startling.

“Came a long way since college, eh?” You tried as you came and stood beside her. When she turned to face you, you gestured to your suit and tugged your mask lightly. “Never would’ve seen me in this back then.”

She cracked just the smallest smile and it only lasted a second.

“How can you be so calm?” She asked in gentle disbelief. “I’m the Black Sky!”

“And I’m a Black Widow.” You countered. “I’ve probably killed more people than you have. I’ve had to leave everyone at some point… Yet we both ended up here, in Hell’s Kitchen, with Matt. Gotta admit, could be a point to it.”

“You think Matthew can save me?”

“I think he’ll try… He tried like hell to change me. I went for months with this little voice in my head, the Devil on my shoulder, chirping at me to do the right thing.” You chuckled slightly. “And I swore I’d never get mixed up with him again, yknow? Try to keep safe from that little Devil. He just knows me so well that he kept looping me back in… Everytime I think I’m free, he’s calling me and pulling me right back in.”

“But he gave up. And eventually, he’ll give up on me.”

“He won’t.” You gently put a hand on her elbow. “You are different to him than I am. In this suit, I’m not… I’m not the person he knows. You are still Elektra, whether you’re in this outfit or a dress or a t-shirt.”

“I really wanted to be better, for him…”

“I get it. And I’m not saying it’s the wrong reason to change but, El, what do you want to do for yourself?”

“I don’t know…” She said sadly.

“Can I give you an opinion?”

“Everyone else has.” She sighed heavily.

“I think that Matt brings out the good in both of us. He sees something in each of us that maybe we don’t always see in ourselves. But at the end of the day, I do this to protect people. What I think you need to figure out - Black Sky or not, doesn’t matter right now. You need to decide why you draw your sword. Why do you put on that mask? Is it for you or for them?” You gestured to the city.

“You still love him?”

“That’s not what this is about.”

“But you do?”

“I could say the same thing about you.”

“Everything you’ve done has been for him.” She chuckled slightly, almost like she was in awe of you. “Coming back here. This vigilante persona. All of it was to be close to him.”

“None of that matters now, because it’s not up to us who he chooses to be with. As much as I’d rather it be me than you, I can’t make that choice for him.”

“You could.”

“Let me rephrase. I won’t.” You answered firmly. “El, I don’t want to make this about my feelings for Matt.”

“He’d be better with you than me.. I think he likes you better.”

“Elektra.”

“You know it’s true..”

“It’s not my decision.”

“When this is over, I won’t come back.”

“You can leave him like that?”

“I’d want him to come with me. Would you.. Would you be able to let him go?”

You were quiet as the thought of Matt leaving you settled deep in your stomach. All you could do was nod.

“You won’t even fight me on that?” She exclaimed in disbelief.

“It’s up to him. It’s his future..” You shrugged, though the thought dug daggers into your heart. “Just like your future is up to you.”

“Leave us alone, Matthew.” She grumbled, not moving from the ledge.

“Am I interrupting?” He asked, trying to make light.

“A bit but it’s fine..” You nodded with a small smile. “I think we were coming up on a circular argument anyway.”

Elektra scoffed lightly in clear annoyance.

“Whatever you’re feeling, it’ll pass.” Matt tried.

“What do you know about what I’m feeling?” She challenged.

“Just consider the possibility that there’s no such thing as a Black Sky… That it’s all mysticism, yknow? It’s nonsense.”

“I’ve been trained to kill it since I was a kid.”

“Maybe everything they taught you was a lie.”

“It’s not that easy.” You admitted. “I’ve been away from the Red Room for a long time and it’s still carved into my brain like a prophecy… It still makes me question who I am. You watch me struggle with it every night so you know that.”

“He told me I had a gift… The special kind, the kind very few people have.” She insisted.

“Dreykov told me basically the same thing… That I was different, that if I could harness my gift I’d be a revolutionary. He told me the world didn’t deserve me, but he would teach me to be worthy of that gift… But at the end of the day, that man was abusing helpless little girls and using them to fight his war.”

“Training children to fight a war is easy when you’re using cookie cutter wisdom that sounds good to them.” Matt added, standing on Elektra’s other side.

“Some of what the Hand does defies explanation.” Elektra urged and you had to give it to her on that one.

“Just because I don’t understand something doesn’t mean I’m ready to chalk it up as some fairy tale.” He reasoned.

“I’m sorry, is this coming from the Catholic altar boy?” You teased and he rolled his eyes at you.

“True or not, legend says once they have the Black Sky, they’ll be capable of anything.” Elektra explained. “It’s not about what I’m willing to do. Even in a cage, I’ll be their false idol. They’ll do terrible things in my name because they think the Black Sky makes them invincible.”

“They can’t have you. You don’t belong to anyone.” He shook his head.

“You’re incredibly smart, strong, and powerful.” You said honestly. “You are Elektra Natchios. No one can tell you what to do, who to be, or what to be. It’s all up to you… Always has been.”

“We can take them down. Not Stick’s way. We can do it our way… The three of us.”

“You would trust me after all I’ve put you through?” She asked in disbelief, but deep in her chest, you felt those sparks. Matt was bringing back something Elektra thought was long forgotten and you couldn’t help but feel that if she asked him to leave with her, he would.

“The Hand can mask their heartbeats… But yours has always been loud and clear.” He leaned around Elektra. “Yours too.”

“Oh, bullshit.” You shook your head. “You can’t read me.”

“Not completely… But I’m starting to figure you out when you let me.”

You scoffed lightly with a small smile as you turned back to Elektra. “You could’ve killed me earlier and I would’ve let you… Mieux vaut mourir à la lame d'un ami que à la lame d'un ennemi… But you didn’t. Personally, I think there’s some merit in that.” (Better to die at the blade of a friend than the blade of an enemy.)

“Some stories say Nobu has lived three lifetimes, a criminal record that goes back decades. True or not, he’s the head of the snake.” Elektra explained. “He’s our best chance at taking down the Hand.”

“It’s a simple job then.. Find Nobu. And finish him.” You shrugged.

“No. We get him away from the Hand without alerting his troops.” Matt countered.

You groaned quietly and rolled your eyes.

“Killing him only makes him a martyr.” He reasoned. “I wanna dethrone him. Show his cult that their holy man is nothing but a guy.”

“An empty throne is an invitation for someone else.” You warned. “But if you’re sure…”

“We’ll have to find him first.” Elektra sighed.

“I say we head straight into the lion’s den. The last thing they’re expecting is us to hit back at them right now.”

“You’d risk everything for me?”

He simply smiled back at her.

“So how do we do it then?”

You sighed to yourself and stepped back off the ledge. You had wondered, when Elektra came back into town, just got much of Matt still belonged to her. In times of crisis, he only belonged to her. But if you could really defeat the Hand, would he still put her first? Could he really be okay with the ease she killed with?

And even though Matt said he wanted balance and so nearly confessed he wanted you, maybe there would always be an exception for Elektra, a hope that somewhere deep down they really can make it work.

You also wondered - if only for a moment - if he only accepted Exodus as a friend and ally because you reminded him of Elektra.

“Not alone… We do it together.” He explained before turning towards you. “That means you too, Ex.”

“Huh? Yeah.. Yeah, I’m in.” You nodded.

“You don’t sound sure.” His head tilted.

“It’s nothing, we’re good.”

He took a step to turn his body fully towards you. Elektra turned too, offering a slightly concerned expression. You looked between the two and ran through a thousand scenarios, of who Matt would pick. Where he and Elektra could go. What a life together could look like.

“Ex?” He tried and your attention focused back on him. “I need you with me.”

“I know.. I’ll be there.”

He flashed you a thankful smile and you relaxed a bit. You knew that he was still unsure what distracted you and it worried him, he knew better than to press for a confession.

“C’mon.” He took Elektra’s hand, though dropping the topic was by no means an acceptance of what you said. “We gotta go see Melvin.”

“Who’s Melvin?” Your brows furrowed since as far as you knew, Matt didn’t know a Melvin.

“Guy who made my suit and made that.” He gestured to you.

“Oh.. Make sure you tell him thanks then.” You nodded and headed back to the door to Matt’s apartment.

“You’re not coming?” Elektra asked.

“Don’t need to.” You shrugged. “I got this.” You tapped one of the plates of your top. “I got these.” You shook your staffs. “I don't need anything else… I’ll just go home and reload.”

“Exodus.” Elektra tried and you couldn’t tell why.

“It’s getting a little too… romancy.” You gave her a pointed look. “Just call when you’re ready, Red.”

You went home and tossed your mask on your table on your way into the kitchen. You washed your hands in the sink, ringing out your gloves and watching the sink be stained red before you threw some leftover pizza in the microwave. As the food warmed, you headed to your bedroom and pulled your case out. You put a couple more shock discs in your belt and checked the charge on your Bites. You switched your bloody knives for new ones and packed another wire cartridge. You stopped in the bathroom to wash the blood off your face before heading back for your food.

You sat at your table, taking a deep breath and blowing the steam off your pizza.

Jumping right back into a fight with the Hand wasn’t how you want to spend your night. You wanted calm, peace to process and begin accepting some of your grief. But it felt like you were running from it, same way you ran from everything else in your past.

It’s what you do best, right?

Maybe running from it made it less real. If you could get away from those feelings, even just momentarily, you could pretend it didn’t happen. You could pretend that you could pick up your phone and call Frank, see if he was able to get a drink. You could just exist without looking over your shoulder and throwing a punch.

But you chose that life, the vigilante life. Things wouldn’t be simple so long as Exodus existed.

The sound of your phone going off made you jump slightly.

“Ready?” You said, a mouthful of pizza.

“Are you eating?” He laughed slightly.

“Yeah, leftover pizza. You want some?” You said sarcastically. “Where are we meeting?”

“I need you to meet me at the 15th precinct first.”

“For?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Be there in five.” You threw on your mask and damp gloves before hurrying out your fire escape and into the city.

As you got to the precinct, you found Matt and Brett outside on the fire escape.

“The masked vigilante is the only one I can trust.” He said sarcastically. “And his little friend.”

“Я заслуживаю большего признания, чем это.” You rolled your eyes as you stood beside Matt. “Why am I here?” (I deserve more credit than that.)

“What happened?” Matt asked Brett.

“Knew it was just a matter of time till you two showed up… Again.”

“Speaking of time, you’re wasting ours.. Can you get to the point?” You sighed.

“This ain’t the first time some asshole roughed me up. This job, it ain’t easy. But then he said they got eyes on my mom. Said they were gonna kill her, even put her on the phone.”

“Who?”

“No idea… Worked for someone big though. They wanted everything we had on you two.”

“Couldn’t be that much.”

“You’d be surprised to know that we do keep track of two things really well. Incident reports-“ He glared at you. “-and records of people you put away.” He focused on Matt. “They wanted to know everyone you saved.”

“They’re making it personal now.” You realized quietly as Matt seemed to realize the same thing.

He grabbed your hand and took off, dragging you behind him and leaving Brett on the fire escape. As you two were running, you were quickly trying to remember any names that stuck out. Anyone that you could track or could try to get to first. But the faces, the names, everyone blurred together.

Until one face stuck out. One familiar face.

Karen.

Matt seemed to have the same thought because you two were easily moving in the same direction. He broke down the plywood that had been put up over her busted windows and found the place empty, and her phone on the floor.

You couldn’t track her without it.

You let out a short string of curses as something caught Matt’s attention on the wall. Turning, you saw the long strokes of a sword. You were quick to check the floors and other walls for any blood splatters, bloody prints, or rogue drops but you saw nothing. You put a gentle hand on Matt’s shoulder.

“Let’s get to the roof.” You said gently. “I have a terrible idea.”

“Yeah?” He said tightly but followed you nonetheless. “What’s that?”

“Y’know how I can read people’s emotions? Usually I block it out so it doesn’t overwhelm me but I’m gonna open up to everyone until I find her.”

“Are you sure that’s smart?” He tried, genuine concern lacing his words.

“Should be fine.”

“Ex.”

“Matt.”

“That’s not fair.” He gave a lazy smile. “I don’t know your name.”

“You will soon.” You nodded, speaking before your mind really processed what you were saying. “When this is all over.”

You knelt on one ledge while Matt on the other one. You took a deep breath and opened yourself to everyone. You were hit with a wave of… well, everything. Opening yourself to that many emotions at once meant you would absorb everything without a filter, but it also meant there was more for you to tap into later.

Anger. Fear. Regret. Happiness. Loss. Lust. Pride. Envy.

You clenched your jaw and tried to focus. You thought of your memories with Karen. You remembered her reaction when you first told her the truth, how she worried about you both before and after she found out, the way the walls she tried to put between you two crumbled. The comfort you felt when she finally accepted things the way they were. You focused on your friendship.

Vaguely, you heard Elektra talking to Matt in the background but you were too close to tune in. You had found a small cluster of fear and panic, interlaced with calm arrogance. You willed your powers to work harder, to find Karen specifically because if she wasn’t there then you weren’t going.

Your eyes snapped open and you saw the faintest glowing ball in front of you. It called to you, asking you to follow it. It was a strange manifestation, but you had seen stranger from your abilities. You cocked your head in silent question and you could almost hear Karen’s voice in your head.

Please. Please get here in time. I don’t wanna die.

You glanced behind you and found your friends huddled together. Matt was listening for something, and given his struggle less than a minute ago, you didn’t want to interrupt. Instead, you discreetly hopped off the ledge and climbed down the building on your own.

You weren’t surprised when the ball of light led you to an area of town not that different from where you had killed Nobu. Or, where you thought you did, rather. You wouldn’t make that mistake again, you decided. He wouldn’t get back up if you got the chance.

Your new problem became the archers on the roof. You knelt at the ledge and tapped your mask to figure out what you were walking into.

“Nice of you to join me.” You commented as you scanned the building and you heard the familiar sets of footsteps join you on the roof.

“If you had told me you had something, we would’ve gotten here together.” Matt scolded.

“You two were sharing such a tender moment, I didn’t want to interrupt…”

“Are you.. jealous?” He chuckled .

“Anyways.” You stood and he nudged you playfully with his shoulder. “About twenty hostages. Two cops dead already and archers on the roof.”

“Nobu’s men?” Elektra asked.

“Crawling the building like cockroaches.”

“How many?”

“Probably an army.”

“Can you isolate Nobu?” She asked Matt.

“No.” He answered simply.

“We can’t move until we know he’s here.”

“Then you can stay here and play guard dog.” You sighed and stood. “I’m going in there because my friend is in there.”

“I didn’t come here for them. I came to take down Nobu and you said you’d help.”

“We will, Elektra, but right now, the people in that building-“ Matt tried.

“Were used to draw us out.” She cut in. “Saving them won’t help us.”

“I can handle it on my own.” You said easily, attaching your wire to your belt.

“Ex.” Matt warned.

“I have the most experience getting in and out of places I’m not supposed to be. You two worry about finding Nobu.”

“You go in alone, you’re as good as dead.” Elektra warned.

“По крайней мере, я могу умереть, зная, что сделал что-то хорошее.” You smiled sadly and turned to Matt. “Isn’t that what you wanted?” (At least I can die knowing I did something good.)

You fell backwards and slid down the side of the building. You landed lightly on your feet and were quick to disconnect from your wire. You flicked it hard so it would unwrap and retract. You let the little glow guide you to the right floor so you climbed the fire escape on the neighboring building. You shot your wire at the window frames and pulled your gun in one hand before swinging feet first through the windows.

You would’ve liked to have done it Matt’s way, but there were too many people at risk. You had to be quick and efficient. Meaning one shot, one kill.

You rolled through your landing and were met with an outcry of screams, though it was clear they weren’t all meant for you. You finished in a kneel and were quick to fire headshots, clearing four Hand ninjas easily and quietly. Soon after, Matt crashed through the other windows and took out the remaining two. You used the time to disconnect your wire and holster your gun.

“Are you okay?” You hurried to kneel in front of Karen while Matt directed everyone else out.

“How did you find us?” She asked quickly, her fear and panic still skyrocketing.

“Cause you were terrified.” You admitted. “I told you I’d look out for you, didn’t I?”

You reached for a discarded knife and cut through the zip ties around her hand as Matt came to her side. You moved and helped the man beside her get to his feet, but he limped heavily so you had to help him to the hall where another member of the group took over.

“When you get out, keep your heads down, okay?” You warned. “There’s men on the roof and I don’t know if I can get their attention first.”

There was a chorus of thanks and praise before the group hurried away. Karen was last to leave, stopping to tell you about the gunshot wound on Matt’s chest. Before you could get to him and check, you saw he was preoccupied fighting four ninjas. You picked up one of the discarded blades and hurried to his side.

You swiped the blade across the backs of two of the Hand that were fighting Matt. They turned on you quickly and you taunted the closer. One of them swiped their blade at you from the side but you avoided it with a fancy aerial move. As you landed, you had to throw the blade up quickly to block another attack.

You kicked one of them away and fired a quick red shot from your Bite. You gripped the blade tightly and threw the other Hand into a spin. You used the gap to pick up your own momentum and pierce his spine with the blade. You pushed his body over and hurried to Matt’s side. There was one more ninja that Matt wasn’t focused on so you moved in.

You ran at him and did a quick aerial to get your ankles around his neck. You continued your momentum to throw him to the side and out the window. When you unlocked your ankles, you reached for the remaining window frame and ended up with a piece of glass slicing through your hand. You cried out loudly as you tried to climb back up but Matt ended up grabbing your forearms and pulling you up.

His fingers traced the gash on either side of your hand and frowned. He pulled your glove with one hand and reached for the side pouch of your belt with the other. When his fingers slipped into the pocket, he gave a slight tug to pull you against him and you couldn’t stop the gasp as your bodies hit and he grinned. You furrowed your brows but didn’t stop him as he pulled a couple gauze pads and the tape. You smiled slightly to see he remembered as he brought your other hand up to hold the gauze in place as he taped it down. He handed you back the tape and glove with a slight smirk.

“Better than a bullet hole.” You joked as you put the tape away and your glove on.

“Barely a hole, okay?” He countered with a small chuckle.

“I thought you were bulletproof.” You teased.

“First time for everything I guess.”

You saw two more Hand members coming in from over Matt’s shoulder but before you could react, you saw the tip of Elektra’s weapons piercing through their bodies.

“Glad you joined us.” You smiled.

“I got bored.” She shrugged.

You chuckled slightly and pulled your staffs, interlocking them together as four more Hand members burst in. You flicked the dial for the long blade and moved in. You attacked with the single staff hard from the right side, slicing a deep gash across one of their stomachs. You turned and used the blunt end to sweep the legs before spinning the weapon over your hand and driving the blade down into their chest.

While Matt jammed the butt end of his club into one of their noses, two hands shot through the wall to grab Elektra. You quickly followed after her and slid on your knees, spinning yourself and disconnecting your weapon. You put the blade away and swung your staffs at his head after Matt kicked him towards you. Elektra finished the other and then the room was empty save for you three. Elektra winced and peaked at the back of her arm, your attention moving to it as well.

You summoned the heat of anger to your fingers and offered them to Elektra. She nodded quickly and you pressed the fingers along the length of her cut and she hissed as you burned the wound shut. Matt pulled you two up the stairs as you finished and you wiped the blood on your pants.

Matt barricaded the door after you all went in. You pulled him back and called on that anger again. Only instead of directing it to your fingers, you pictured it as pure heat. You held your hands to the slot where the bar fit and pushed the heat outward, watching the metals meld together.

“I’m not gonna lie to you… There’s a lot more coming.” Matt said simply.

“One thing’s for sure… We’re gonna die.” Elektra answered.

“I say we take a few more of them out with us then.” You shrugged.

“You wanna end it here or on the roof?” Matt asked.

“I’ve always liked the fresh air.” Elektra replied, earning a small chuckle from Matt.

You three climbed the rest of the stairs and you tapped your mask, seeing through the walls to the heat signatures outside.

“What’s out there?” She asked.

“Oh, Jesus.” Matt sighed.

“Remember that army I mentioned?” You answered.

“Packed with katanas and longbows… More from below with the same weapons.” Matt explained and you let out a long sigh.

Elektra dropped to the floor by the door so you knelt beside her. You offered a comforting hand on her arm and she covered it with her own.

“Even if we survive, the three of us may not see each other again.” She said quietly.

“What if… What if, from now on, if we make it…” Matt tried, kneeling in front of Elektra and removing his helmet. “Wherever you run, I run with you.”

“You’d leave?” You asked softly. Though you had done the same to him so long ago, you hated the idea of being in New York without him.

“This… This Is a part of me that I need.” He continued when Elektra didn’t say anything. “And you’re the only one who gets it.”

“The only one…” You repeated quietly.

The pain in your chest was hot, begging for acknowledgement but it was your own doing. By not telling Matt sooner, he didn’t know that you were the one by his side. You were the one who had saved his life, risked your own for him so many times. He didn’t know you were the one who fought beside him.

He didn’t know that you got it, too.

“I’m free with you, like with no one else.” He said firmly.

“You hide from yourself…” She said gently. “You don’t let anyone in.”

“I let you in.”

“And what about Y/N?” She spoke softly, giving your hand a small squeeze. “You let her in, too. Matthew, you love her. And you’d leave her?”

“She left once because she was running from her past.. I think she’d understand.” He reasoned, but he couldn’t hide the pain when he thought of leaving you. “Maybe not at first, but she would.”

“But you love New York..”

“Yeah.. I’d give my life for it but there’s one thing that makes me feel more alive… What do you say?”

You began wondering how long you could stay in New York if Matt left with Elektra. You’d have Foggy and Karen, but would that be enough? Matt, realistically, was the one thing that kept you from going back to London after your Bar exam. With the firm gone and the relationship you stayed for now fallen apart, what was left for you?

You decided then that if Matt left, so would you. You’d tell Foggy and Matt the truth, apologize for hurting them in any way, and be out of their lives.

At least you wouldn’t be able to hurt them anymore.

Elektra pulled you up with her, in turn pulling you from your spiral of thoughts. You three went out onto the roof and found the Hand’s army standing calmly across from you. You could vaguely feel a familiar presence not too far away, one that was calm and charming but also angry. You glanced around as you tried to pinpoint it but saw nothing in the darkness.

Rather, you saw Nobu. He made some short speech about destiny before attacking your trio. He threw his weapon at you first and it sliced across your arm. You cried out but wrapped the chain around your hand, gripping it tightly and pulling him closer.

Once he was close enough, you twisted your arm around his neck and stepped behind him. Your knee was jammed against his back as you steered into hit after hit from Matt and Elektra. Once the rest of the army realized Nobu was losing, they jumped in.

Nobu reached behind him and caught you by your shirt, dropping his shoulder to flip you over. He pinned the hand you wrapped with the chain under his foot and yanked the chain across your throat. You coughed as you felt the metal pressing on your windpipe. You used your free hand to slip under your back and reach for one of your knives.

Reaching up, you sliced through his calf. You planted one foot firmly against the floor and used the other to kick up at his head. When he fell off of you, you were quick to roll to your stomach. Matt came in quick from the side and slammed his knee into Nobu’s head. You were quick to unwrap your hand and grip your knife firmly, launching it into Nobu’s back and giving yourself room to get to Elektra.

You hurried to your friend and pulled another blade, reaching over a Hand member’s shoulder to slit his throat. You and Elektra kept your backs to one another, fighting and protecting each other. Squelching sounds of punctures and the sound of metal hitting metal echoed across the slowly emptying rooftop as the bodies began to pile up around you and Elektra.

Soon, it felt like it was just you three and Nobu.

The three of you alternated your attacks, one stepping in when another was knocked down. But none of you stayed down for long. The variations in your fighting styles kept Nobu on a constant defense, only getting temporary upper hands on any of you. Until…

He dislocated Elektra’s arm and she hadn’t gotten up yet. He kicked Matt so hard his helmet flew off. That only left you.

“There’s still room for you here, Exodus. Maybe we are your destiny, as well.” Nobu offered through heavy, tired breaths.

“I choose my own destiny.” You growled and charged back into the fight.

You flicked your knife towards his chest but he avoided it easily, just as you hoped he would. You ran towards him and hooked your foot behind his knee, reaching across his chest to grab his shirtfront. You dropped and pushed yourself backwards to flip you both and put Nobu on his face. You spun to kneel on his back and lifted your arm to wake your Bite. As the device glowed red, an arrow came and sliced your forearm.

You cried out and fell to the side, giving Nobu a chance to climb on top of you. He hoisted you up by your shirt and landed sharp jabs against your face, causing your head to bounce off the concrete beneath you. You grabbed the wrist holding you up with one hand and slammed your opposing arm against his, crying at the pain but hearing the deep snap of his bone. You curled your legs up and kicked out at his chest, sending him flying away and giving you a chance to get up.

You moved to Elektra’s side since she was closer and helped her up. You pulled her to her feet and turned to see Nobu grabbing Matt. Panic froze you momentarily before you felt Elektra grab you. Together, you ran to Matt.

You drew your staff and stuck it out in front of Matt, causing Nobu’s weapon to clatter against it. He switched grips and slammed his elbow into your nose which made you stagger back. When he turned to slam the weapon into your stomach, Elektra stepped in front and took the hit. Your mouth fell open but no sound came out as you felt everything drain from your body. The tears welled up quickly so you yanked your mask down.

She kicked Nobu away before falling to her knees. You hurried to catch her when she dropped backwards and Matt was at her other side and his panic rivaled your own.

“No. No, no!” You cried and shook your head violently. Matt pressed his hands over her stomach in an effort to stop the bleeding. “Don’t do this, El. Don’t die on me!”

“They have nothing now.” She said weakly. “I took it all away.”

Blue and red clouded your vision, mixing swirls of bright colors that remained their own. Your fingers burned but the rest of your body felt ice cold.

“I know now… what it feels… to be good.” She managed through broken gasps and tears.

“Please.” You whispered. “El, please!”

“Look after him…. He.. He needs… you.”

You shook your head again, as if you could deny the situation and it would change. Your shoulders shook with your quiet sobs as your eyes closed, holding your friend close for as long as you could.

“Does it always hurt this much?” She asked Matt and your heart broke even further.

“Yeah.” He sniffled. “It always hurts this much.”

And then she was gone. You felt her go limp in your lap and you gently crawled out, leaving her in Matt’s embrace. You collapsed over your knees, one hand clutching your stomach and the other was a tight fist against the ground. You took in a shaky breath and screamed, letting out a broken sound of pain as you slammed your fist to the floor.

You felt two hands on your side that were pulling you up. You let them, looking up to see Matt hauling you to your feet. You ran your sleeve across your eyes, smearing the tears across your blood splattered face. You ground your teeth and took one last glance over your shoulder at Elektra.

She seemed at peace, finally.

Looking back at the few Hand soldiers that were left, your vision had grown bright red. There were blue swirls at the edges but the focus was the manic haze, the sadistic bloodlust. You pulled your gun and sniffled, weighing the bullets you had left.

Eleven rounds. Four Hand members.

You looked over at Matt, feeling his anger at the same level as yours. But you felt something else too, something from behind you. Someone familiar, but you didn’t care to figure it out.

Matt moved in first, beating the two Hand soldiers that came in first. Once he pushed them aside, you stepped in and put a bullet in their skull. You raised your gun to fire on a third one but another bullet beat you to it. You quickly spun on your heel with your gun ready and saw Frank on the rooftop behind you.

You felt the slightest wave of relief, dulling the red of your vision as your arms dropped. Your hand covered your mouth as you smiled slightly, a fresh wave of tears coming. You saw him offer you a quick salute before firing on the Hand behind you. You returned the gesture before hurrying across the rooftop to Matt’s side, though he was already engaged with Nobu. Matt’s anger easily fueled him into getting the upper hand, but you were determined to have the final shot. As Matt threw Nobu off the roof, you followed.

You stepped over the ledge and flicked your wire at the railing. As you slid down the building, you drug your heels against the side to slow your descent. You aimed your gun and once he hit the ground, you pulled the trigger, watching the bullet pierce through his skull and bounce his head off the concrete. You hung there for a second, waiting to ensure he wouldn’t get up, but the growing puddle of blood that he laid in was enough of an answer for you.

You were climbing back up to the roof when part of Matt’s new club came towards you. You took a hold of it and he helped pull you up. He tapped your arm and pointed to the roof behind you where Frank was and he gave you the slightest smile, as if he knew you’d be happy to see Frank.

You pointed to yourself before your fingers made the shape of a phone and then you pointed to Frank, hoping he’d get the message that you would call him later. He nodded before disappearing.

You blew out a sigh to calm yourself and settle your deep anger. There was satisfaction in knowing Nobu was dead and that you had pulled the trigger. Not even for yourself, but for Elektra.

For your friend who gave her life for yours. For your friend who annoyed the hell out of you and pushed every button she could, who was arrogant beyond belief and stole the man you loved right out from under you. Your friend who was a liar, but also smart. Powerful. Beautiful. Vengeful and angry, but also just wanting to be loved for who she truly was.

You wished you could tell her that she was. That despite it all, you did love her.

Matt took your hand and walked with you back to Elektra, both of you falling to your knees beside her.

“I’m sorry…” You said quietly, more to Elektra than Matt. “I’m so sorry.”

Matt put a hand on your shoulder and you turned instantly, falling against his chest. His arms came around you quickly and held you tightly. You kept muttering the apology as a new wave of sobs ran through you and he hushed you gently, saying it was okay. You held him with all the strength you had left, terrified that he would slip through your fingers too.

He leaned his chin on the top of your head, seemingly trying to contain his own grief. You took a deep breath and pulled away, putting your hands on either side of his face. He tried to give you a smile but it broke instantly.

This time, he fell into you. He buried his face in the crook of your neck and you put one hand behind his neck and the other over his shoulders. You said nothing, other than a gentle reassurance that you were there.

You two stayed that way for a while, consoling each other despite your own grief. You only moved when Matt heard the cops getting close. Hesitantly, you followed him off the roof.

Sleep didn’t find you that night. You sat on the floor of your shower, letting the stream wash away the blood, sweat, and tears of that night. But nothing could help your pain. You didn’t even care to try and heal yourself, other than your hand.

At least you didn’t have to grieve for Frank anymore… Just Elektra.

A few days later, you still hadn’t slept much but you were beside Matt and Stick at Elektra’s grave. You had your arm linked with his and you leaned into him slightly, almost using him to keep you standing.

“I wanted to say a few words but… I don’t have any.” Matt said after a while of standing quietly.

“Can I?” You spoke up, though your voice sounded hoarse. You had sounded that way since that night, having cried so much and screamed so loud your throat was rubbed raw.

“Yeah..”

“Elektra was a lot of things, some good and some bad… But ultimately, she was my friend. She saw and did things that no one should have had to as young as she was, but maybe it’s because of that that we were the friends we were… She was complicated but loyal, willing to give her life for-“ You sniffled and took a deep breath. Matt turned to you and placed a small kiss to the top of your head, an old but not unusual gesture between you two. “Elektra was so loved… I loved her, and I’ll miss her.”

“God rest her soul.” Stick added solemnly. Despite their last spat, he still loved her as his own. “Was it worth it?”

“What?” Matt asked.

“Loving her.”

He took a deep breath as he thought, but decided not to answer. But standing beside him, you knew. It was worth it to him.

“One time in college, I brought her roses.” He said instead and you gave a small smile.

“She hated roses.” You chuckled weakly. “It was orchids, right?”

“Yeah.. She likes orchids… And yeah, it was worth it.”

“Matt, you are the toughest son of a bitch I’ve ever met.” Stick praised before leaning around to you. “And little lady, you are a close second.”

“I don’t feel very tough.” You admitted.

“What you see in yourself and what you are don’t always overlap.” He nodded. “Let’s go home.”

The car dropped you off at your apartment first. Matt offered to stay with you but you told him you’d rather be alone. Hesitantly, he let you.

When you got to your apartment, you headed for your bedroom and found your suit peaking out of the closet. The memory of that night flashed in your mind when you caught a glimpse of the blood stained on the front. It could’ve been the Hand or it could’ve been Elektra’s. You hurried over and slammed the case shut.

You had no plans of returning to that life anytime soon. You doubted Matt did either. And if you were going to take up Dex on the FBI offer, you couldn’t be a vigilante and a federal agent. It was too risky. You had to choose. Y/N or Exodus.

The choice was easy.

You shut the closet and pulled your phone, sitting on the floor and leaning against your bed. You weren’t sure if he had changed numbers but you had to try. You had to find out why.

“Hey.. I’m sorry about your friend.” He said gently, honestly.

“Thanks… How are you?” You answered, not sure how to bring up the main reason you called.

“Same shit, different day. Gotta finish what I started and see this through… For my family..”

“What’s the plan?”

“Nah, not this time, Princess.”

“You don’t need to coddle me, Frank.” You tried.

“I’m not.”

“Then why won’t you tell me? I thought you trusted me more than that.”

“Y/N..” He sighed. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, alright? It’s not. It’s that I know you’re only using this as an excuse so you don’t have to deal with your pain. You wanna use any sort of fight you can to ignore what’s really going on. You’re so used to fightin’ that you can’t deal with peace.”

“Yeah, you’re one to talk.”

You wondered if Frank had always been able to read people so easily, or if you were just especially transparent. But what you really noticed, was that he wasn’t condescending about it. He never made you feel bad or inferior because of your struggles or your shortcomings. Frank was a real friend, even if your friendship was still new.

“… Why did you do it? Fake your death for a while with the boat explosion.” You asked instead.

“Cause Frank Castle is dead.” He insisted.

“So you’re nothing but the Punisher now?”

“You ever really think I was anything more?”

“I did… I really did… The Punisher isn’t the one who convinced me that it was my choice who I was. The Punisher isn’t the one who made sure Karen was safe. The Punisher isn’t the one who wanted to save me first on that boat. The Punisher isn’t all you are.”

He chuckled slightly.

“Gotta admit, Imma miss that, Princess. Your little optimism.” He said and you could hear the small smile on his voice. “Red really got to you, didn’t he?”

“I’m serious, Frank.”

“I know… But I can’t keep dragging you into this, alright? I just.. I’m sorry but I can’t. Not this time.”

“You don’t plan on dying for real this time. Do you?”

“Guess we’ll find out.”

You sighed loudly.

“I can’t convince you to let me tag along, can I?” You tried.

He chuckled slightly.

“Not this time.”

“Alright… Just try not to then.” You said reluctantly. “I can’t lose another friend right now, okay? I can’t… Call me if you need anything.”

“Alright.. See you ‘round, Y/N.”

“Bye, Frank.”

You had gotten more sleep that night than nights before, and maybe that was due to the closure from Frank. You didn’t necessarily like that he was running off to a seemingly never ending battle by himself, but if anyone could handle it, it was him. Maybe it was also due to the fact that Elektra was put to rest. You said what had been bouncing in your head and felt a sense of closure in that regard, too.

The only thing left was telling Matt and Foggy.

Matt called you the next day and asked if you could meet him at the office, just for a minute he insisted. You reached into your closet and pulled the Red Room emblem out of the corner you had shoved it into. It took one of your knives and a lot of pulling during your most recent redesigning, but you finally got the enamel logo off. Part of you questioned if he would recognize it, given that the red was the point but it was better than throwing your mask at him. But just to be sure, you shoved one of your Bites into your bag

You got ready quickly, considering the cold weather, and hustled down to the office. You were shaking the loose snowflakes from your hair as you walked in, finding Karen already waiting. The room was stale and cold, dimly lit by a couple lamps. Any life from Nelson and Murdock had faded away just as the warmer temperatures had. The situation suddenly became very real as your once warm and welcoming office now felt like another world.

“Hey.” She breathed.

“Hey.” You smiled. “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. You?”

“Not really but…” You shrugged. “Matt called you?”

“Yeah, said he wanted to talk about something.”

“I’m a little surprised you came, given everything with him last time I saw you guys talk.”

“Same could be said for you.” She gave you a small smile.

“You don’t know what I know.” You returned the small smile. “But that’s probably what this is for.”

“Should I be worried?”

“If how you reacted before is an indication, you’ll probably be pissed.” You nodded and sat on the edge of the desk as Matt walked in.

“Thanks for coming.” He said, pulling a brown bag from under his arm.

“What are we doing here, Matt?” She asked.

Your hand slid into your pocket and pulled out the small enamel design, twirling it between your fingers. You noticed Matt’s head tilt just slightly, likely the sound of the emblem against your pants as you pulled it out drawing his attention but he tried not to show it. He snapped back and focused on answering Karen.

“I, uh. I have something.” He explained as he stepped closer, reaching into the bag.

“No, I don’t want it.” She shook her head and moved to leave.

“Hang on.” You said gently, reaching to pull her back. “Just give him a chance.”

“It’s something I need you two to see.” He continued and you let out a deep breath.

Karen glanced over at you and you nodded. Her brows furrowed but she relaxed and turned to Matt again. You kept your eyes down as you heard him pulling whatever it was out of the bag.

The tension rose drastically and you knew it was what you thought it would be. Karen looked at you again in shock but when you lifted your eyes to meet hers, all you could offer was a silent nod of confirmation. You turned to the window then, rather than face Matt.

You knew it was Matt, had known for a little while. You had been practically taunting him and begging him to call you out for being Exodus ever since, but the idea of confessions made your heart squeeze. The emblem in your hand felt sharp now, like holding onto it - along with your secret - was going to physically pain you until you let go. Until you told the people who deserved to know.

“I’m Daredevil.” Matt admitted.

Silence passed over the group again so you decided to move. You stood, leaving the logo on the desk, and moved to stand in front of Matt. Gently, you took the helmet from his hands and you saw him swallow hard when your fingers brushed his. In any other circumstance, it would’ve made you smile.

You ran your fingers over the hard material, tracing the ghost of a line you remembered seeing after Frank shot him. You looked back up to him and found how terrified he was. He was surrounded by a yellow haze, but there was also pink mixed in. He was scared because of how he cared for you two.

You took a step back to stand beside Karen. She put a hand on your arm in comfort and when you looked to her, she offered a small smile. You could tell she wanted to look down, to acknowledge the helmet in your hands but she refused. Instead, you reached over and put it in hers.

She took it, only for a second, before shoving it back into your hands and practically running out the door. You watched her go as the door slammed behind her, making a face of surprise to yourself. Given how she chewed your head off after you told her, it went far better than you expected.

You took a step forward again to put your hand on his cheek and found he leaned into your touch.

“Say something… Please.” He mumbled.

“Matt…” You said finally and you saw some of the tension leave his face as you said his name. “There’s… There’s something you should know, too.”

His brows furrowed as you pulled your hand away and stepped over to the desk and reached for the small piece of enamel, placing the helmet on the desk in its place. You took one more deep breath and went back to Matt, taking one of his hands and pressing the logo against it.

His brows furrowed while holding the emblem in one hand, his fingers tracing it over and over. Every time his digits followed the shape, you felt the anxious knot in your stomach tighten.

Everything you had been avoiding since you got back to Hell’s Kitchen, revealing yourself to Matt and showing the blood on your hands, it was all happening right before your eyes. The uncertainty made you feel like you were standing at the edge of a cliff, teetering backwards and reaching for safety. Matt was the only one who could pull you back, but the question of if he would was yet to be answered.

“This is…” He trailed off, drawing your focus back to him. “Where did you get this?”

“It’s the trademark for the Red Room… It was part of every Black Widow uniform…” You explained carefully. “It was at the collar of my suit for a while until I changed the top… Then it was hidden and now it’s off.”

“The Red Room… Y/N, what..?”

Did he really not know?

“I… I’m Exodus, and I’m sorry. For everything. For- For the times I’ve hurt you. The times I tried to kill you… Matt, I swear, if I knew sooner that it was you...”

“Oh my god..” He said quietly, nearly a whisper. “No, there’s… Really?”

“I know it’s a lot to take in.” You shrugged, trying to fake calm though your heart was racing. You figured Matt could hear it, one of the few times you let your body give away your thoughts. You turned and moved to your bag, pulling your Bite before coming back. “And if you want to go our separate ways, I understand.”

“No, Y/N.” He stepped closer and reached for your hand. Though instead of letting him take it, you put your weapon in his hand which made him pause, only for a second. “I don’t want you to go anywhere.”

“What about what I’ve done? Matt, your whole stance as Daredevil is to not kill people and I’ve killed too many to count.”

“I don’t care.” He shook his head and stepped to put the emblem and the weapon on the desk. He came back to stand in front of you, hands finding your face. “I don’t. Because it’s you, Y/N… It's you.”

“I told you that I couldn’t be the one to corrupt you.” You said softly, feeling him trace the outline of certain scars as if to convince himself it was true. “I told you that I shouldn’t be the one that you make an exception for.”

“It’s not an exception… I know what you’ve done, sweetheart. But I also know why… And I know you.”

“Matt..”

“I love you, Y/N.” He admitted suddenly, making you take a step back and the back of your legs hit the lip of the desk. “I know who you are and I know what you’ve done but you are still you. You still feel the same, Y/N. You’re the same girl I met in college and the same girl that I.. that I love.”

“You don’t mean that.” You tried, though every ounce of your body was screaming for his God to let it be true. “You don’t.. You can’t. I- I- I’ve lied to you and I’ve screamed at you and I’ve hurt you! I stabbed you, right here-“ You took a step forward and placed your hand on his side where you remember throwing your knife. “-maybe a week ago!”

“I know.” He nodded with a small smile that only added to your bewilderment. “You’ve also saved my life and cleaned me up and been by my side.”

“This is insane..” You mumbled, more to yourself than Matt. “This is- This is crazy! You can’t love me! As much as I want you to, you can’t!“

“You want me to?” He repeated smugly. “Still? Even though I put on that suit and that mask, go out into that city every night, and throw punches in an alley?”

“Yes, because you’re the good guy!” You shouted and began pacing the room, hands pushed into your hair. “You’ve always been the good guy and I’ve been the bad guy. You can’t love the bad guy! I don’t- It doesn’t make sense! Daredevil hated Exodus.”

He reached out for your hand and pulled you to stop. You landed flat against his chest and you let out a small groan due to your still tender ribcage.

He snorted a small laugh. “Sorry.”

“I’ve had worse.” You shrugged and he broke into a grin, earning one from you now that your mind was snapped from its spiral. “Matt, you hated her.”

“I never hated her.” He shook his head, speaking softly as he dropped his forehead against yours. “I didn’t always agree with her but I would pick her by my side over anyone.”

“You already knew, didn’t you?“ Your eyes closed and you sighed to yourself.

“I had a feeling…”

“How long?”

“Since you yelled at me in Russian in the courthouse bathroom, for sure.”

“To be fair, you slammed the door in my face.” You reasoned, leaning back slightly to see him as he grinned again.

“What did you even say?”

“That I’d break both your arms.”

“Ouch.” He frowned.

“Don’t slam doors on people then.” You shrugged, holding your composure for a second before laughing. “I’m serious, Matt. How long?”

“I had a thought since we went to that art gallery and met Vanessa for the first time. I knew there was something bigger but I didn’t think it was this. This became a thought a little before we met Grotto.”

“I always knew you were doing something you weren’t supposed to.” You replied. “But I didn’t think this - or maybe I just didn’t wanna believe it - until that gala… You moved so much like him, I couldn’t ignore it. And..”

“And?” His brows furrowed. “C’mon, Y/N/N. Say it. It’s just you and me…”

“When you kissed me. It was the same. Same feeling, same movements, same taste.”

He opened his mouth to say something before closing it again and pursing his lips slightly.

“I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Don’t you think it’s weird?” You tried calmly as you moved and sat on the desk. “How do we both have these alter egos that worked together but couldn’t stand each other? And then we turn around and work together but also can’t stand each other?”

You picked his helmet up and turned it in your hands as he came and stood in front of you. You leaned your head back to look at him while he shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over the desk beside you.

“What do you wanna do from here, Y/N/N?” He asked, gently taking the helmet from your hands and putting it on top of his jacket. He flattened his palms on either side of your legs and leaned down slightly, taking a step back so he was more level with you. “Tell me to go and I will.”

“And if I want you to stay?”

His mouth lifted into a small smile. “Tell me and I will.”

“Can I be honest with you?”

“Yeah.”

“It kinda looks like you wanna be with me right now because I’m Exodus.” You chuckled slightly, trying to joke and break the tension in the air.

There was a heavy lull as his brain mulled over your words before he spoke carefully.

“I started caring about her after Nobu.. That first night she - you - saw me, you were so relieved… You hugged me so tight.”

“I thought you were dead.” You admitted. “I thought… I thought I was too late and I couldn’t save you, that I made that deal for nothing.”

“That was when I realized that you really did care…”

“That was around the time you told me that I had my own light.. Do you still believe that?”

“Y/N, I’ve always believed that, whether you were in that suit or not. You’ve got one of the brightest lights I know.”

“Y’know, early on, I had these really confusing feelings for Daredevil. It felt like he saw me, with the blood on my hands and knees and all. He still wanted me around and I liked that. I felt safe with him. But he kept wanting to change me. It was like he just couldn’t accept who I was. I felt like I wasn’t good enough for him.”

“Y/N, I never-“

“Hang on.. Just, let me finish, okay? I need…” You paused to take a deep, steadying breath and put a hand on his arm. “I need to finally say this.”

He nodded.

“And then Fisk happened and he got in my way. I remember thinking ‘This is it. I’m done with him. I see him again, he’s dead’. Now, maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t kill Fisk when I had the chance. I don’t know. But I do know that I just couldn’t bring myself to try and kill him. I still wanted him around but I couldn’t let myself want him…”

You turned and picked up your gauntlet.

“And then Frank came along and made things more complicated. Frank didn’t need me to change to be by his side. He didn’t challenge my morality, he just… Handed me a gun and considered me a friend.”

“Yeah, maybe… Maybe Frank wasn’t all that bad.” He offered and you smiled.

“He’s really not. Frank actually helped me find balance… He told me that I can’t let everyone else tell me who to be. But Daredevil isn’t bad either if you get to know him.” You teased and he grinned. “Matty, I love you too. But if this is something we want to try, I need to ask you a couple things.”

“I’m all yours.” He said softly, dropping to his knees and folding his arms over your lap to rest his chin on.

“Really?” Your brows raised playfully.

“Ears.” He corrected with a nervous smile. “I’m all ears.”

“If we keep doing the Daredevil/Exodus thing, do I have to play by your rules? No killing?”

“I would prefer.” He said carefully. “But I won’t fault you for it. Not anymore.”

“Why?”

“You know when to stop.” He answered simply, as if it should’ve been obvious. “You know when to pull your punches and when not to. I shouldn’t have been trying to change you this whole time. I should’ve been trying to just work with you, help you find some sort of… balance.”

“Do you really want to do this? Because I know you were in a whole ‘no friends means no distractions means I can focus’ phase.”

“No, I don’t wanna do anything without you by my side.”

“Last one… And it’s a hard one. Would you still be here, on your knees in front of me and telling me you love me, if Elektra was alive?”

He was quiet for a minute as he thought. You were both glad that he didn’t answer immediately and a bit hurt.

“I don’t know. I told you it was complicated with her..”

“Matt, I’ve been second to Elektra for you the entire time she’s been involved. I won't be the one you settle for because you lost her.”

“This isn’t about Elektra.” He shook his head gently. “You and I.. It always ends up being you and I, doesn’t it?”

You wanted to argue that but you realized he was right. Despite your leaving, you made your way back to Hell’s Kitchen, where you stayed for him. You fell in love with Marc and Steven, but you still loved him. Your first love, who showed you kindness and generosity when you were strangers. Who showed you that friendships were more than sparring matches and killing together.

You unfolded his arms gently and slid off the desk to sit beside him on the floor. He said nothing as you moved down and lifted his hand. You looked at the angry red blotches across his knuckles, thinking of your own broken skin and wrapped hands.

Neither of those hands were truly innocent in the eyes of the law. The vigilantes of the Kitchen operated on a spectrum, you decided. Elektra was one farthest end, shoot first and ask questions later. Frank - and you would soon realize yourself - was closer to the middle but not quite neutral, get your answers but still shoot. Matt was supposed to be the other end, never pull the trigger but get answers anyway.

Pairing you and Matt was like mixing chocolate and vanilla ice cream. It would work, but the appearance would always lean towards the chocolate. The vigilante that believed in redemption was the vanilla and the vigilante that believed in consequences was the chocolate. At the end of the day, you both bloodied yourselves for the Kitchen but who was right depended on who you asked.

Corruption was easier than redemption and that scared you.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Matt asked after the silence began to loom over you two like a shadow. “About everything…”

“Would you have forgiven me?” You asked softly, not bothering to keep the sadness away. “Everything that I’ve done, pretty much since I got out of there, was me trying to undo what I had to do there. I was a kid going through it, being weaponized and lied to and manipulated. But I wasn’t clueless. I knew what he was doing to me, to all of us actually. He said he loved us like his own daughters… That we were a family…That he was the only one that would ever love us…”

“It was never your fault, Y/N. Someone who loves you… They wouldn’t do that to you.” Matt offered and you sniffled.

Speaking so openly about your past was enough to make you cry. Being raised without any tenderness, any real compassion or sympathy save for that brief time in Ohio with your ‘Aunt Melina’, you didn’t expect any from Matt. How could you?

But you still wanted it. You wanted so desperately to be loved, for the truth. For everything you were, both good and bad. You needed it so honestly that your hands shook and your heart felt like a stone in your chest, weighing you down and growing heavier every time it tried to pump blood through your veins.

As Exodus, you could speak of the cruelties you faced with venom in your voice. You didn’t have to feel anything towards Dreykov other than pure spite, pure rage. It was easy to hate him and be angry at the universe and blame some higher power for what happened to you. But as Y/N, as just a girl trying to build some sort of normal life for yourself, you couldn’t speak of it without feeling broken. Feeling used.

But you knew Matt wouldn’t see you that way. He never did, not even when Ex spoke about it.

“I tried to erase my past.” You continued, trying to keep her voice level but the slightest of a waver snuck through. “But now I don’t think I would want to change it… Exodus and I, we share the same body and the same face. But we’re not the same… Whatever you felt about Ex, you can’t just translate that to me.”

“I loved you long before Exodus existed.” He insisted but you scoffed lightly in response. “I’ve loved you since we met in college, I swear.”

“You have to understand why I can’t believe that..”

Your head dropped to stare at your lap and you found you were still holding on to his hand, and he hadn’t pulled away either.

“If that’s true, then why did you start dating Karen? Why did you tell Elektra you’d leave with her?”

“Because I didn’t know if you felt the same way…”

“Why didn’t you say anything to find out?”

“Why didn’t you stop me?”

“When have I ever tried to get in the way of your happiness?”

Matt paused and you wondered what he would say. You knew the accusations were a bit unfair. You had never tried to get in the way of Matt’s happiness when you weren’t a factor. And even when he was pushing you away, you hoped he would find happiness. But you’d be lying if you said you didn’t selfishly want him to not be happier with someone else.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” He finally answered and the sincerity made you lift your eyes. “I know nothing I can say can change anything that’s happened so far. I don’t expect you to forgive any of how I’ve treated you lately or that I’ve kept this hidden from you for so long… Just know that I never wanted to hurt you.”

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned.. But it’s not like you were the only one with a secret.” You offered honestly. “Can I… Can I see the rest of it? The suit..”

“Yeah.” He breathed, something like relief filling his chest.

He pulled you with him as he stood before you both gathered your belongings. You put away your Bite and emblem and he tucked the mask back into the paper bag before reaching for your arm.

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[carpememes]

KLAUS starters

feel free to change pronouns

“Stop, don’t tell me. Let me guess…. I give up. Who are you?”

“Can I get your something to drink? Espresso, cappuccino?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be in equestrian training?”

“No worries, I’ve got someone covering for me.”

“I’m gonna take one last look around the old place so I can forget it.”

“There you have it! But, hey, we gave it the old college try didn’t we?”

“Guess I’ll just go pack up and head home then. Too bad! Darn, oh darn!”

“You’re right! When will I grow up? When will I stop squandering these opportunities- that you so kindly forced me into- and become my own man?”

“I guess I must really hanker down and rethink my priorities.”

“You think I’m just going to watch you purposely fail and then let you waltz right back to a privileged life void of any purpose or meaning?”

“You can’t cheat, bribe or squirm your way out of this one.”

“Thank you, Dad! This is really wonderful, father, thank you so much!”

“I love this terrible coach ride. Thank you so much.”

“Nice boat. Any chance we might actually get on it today?”

“I thought there would be some sort of a reception.”

“This is no way to treat a person. Certainly not THIS person.”

“Come to the counter, I’ll be right out!”

“What kind of town has a Battle Bell?”

“Welcome to _, home ot the world’s finest feuds.”

“Are you gonna buy something, or are you just here to chit-chat?”

“Holy moley, that’s you?! What happened?”

“Mingling with their sworn enemy spawn? Can’t have that!”

“So now I’m reduced to doing this so I can get some money and start fresh far, far away from here.”

“Are. You going. To buy something?!”

“C’mon, sport! I saved the best for last.”

“Go home, you loser!”

“Oh, I get it. Did my father put you up to this?”

“Show me where I’m really staying. I’d like a hot bath and a look at the dinner menu.”

“That’s it! This place is the worst! I’m going home!”

“I hate it here! It’s so cold and icky and the people are mean to me!”

“Nice guy. Loves visitors.

“Hello? I’m in your house.”

“Better alive in the gutter than hacked into pieces! No thank you!”

“Please don’t chop me up and scatter my parts in the woods!”

“In there? What? No way. You must be kidding.”

“Please! Open this! Why are you doing this to me?”

“These better sound sad. Do they sound sad?”

“Probably not an axe murderer. Though, still is a possibility but, most likely, no.”

“Remember me from the nice breaking and entering the other night?”

“That is… totally normal!”

“Centuries of glorious hatred passed down through generations!”

“Now, I just know you didn’t mean to disrespect all of that heritage. Right?”

“Telling children to go to school to learn to write? What is wrong with you?!”

“I’m so close to getting out. I am not about to let you mess it all up.”

“Whatever you’re doing, leave me OUT OF IT.”

“Not a word. You just sit there and be all magical and awesome.”

“Are we going to learn something today?”

“Look, if you have to be here, at least be quiet.”

“Let’s make a deal- If I teach you something will you get out of here? Please?”

“Friends of yours, I take it?… They seemed nice.”

“A flying sleigh… pulled by magical reindeer?”

“Oh look. It CAN laugh.”

“What are you doing at our ambush?”

“So we must band together in peace… To help stop this peace?”

“Back home I’ve got pretty much everything.”

“Back home I’ve got pretty much everything. But here I’m just another irrelevant,pointless… nobody.”“

Hey. You’re a pretty good listener, y’know?”

“How many nights do you lie awake, in the darkest place?”

“If happy lives a mile away, a couple steps is all it takes.”

“If kindness lives in everyone, then all it takes is standing up.”

“Can’t touch it, see it- but you can always feel it.”

“The greatest things you’ll ever know are invisible.”

“How have we never defeated you?”

“We wanted children. Lots of them.”

“We kept waiting, but they never came.”

“Even now, sometimes, it almost like she’s still...”

“After she was gone, I guess I got lost.”

“Yknow what? No homework! Am I the best teacher ever or what?”

“I just thought I’d give the place an update.”

“Check it out, I think it looks pretty good.”

“Someone would have to be pretty stupid to want to leave this place now.”

“Oh, wow. You have no idea what you’ve done, do you?”

“Not quite the same place is it?”

“A true act of good will always sparks another.”

“Everybody’s out to get something, right?”

“Oh, well. Best leave it alone, I say. I’m sure it’s nothing that could fester and eventually become a source of regret.”

“He said he’d never been more proud of me... And he hugged me. Can you believe that?”

“This town was built on resentment and spite.”

“Let’s go. We’re done here.”

“Kids talk. And if kids happen to talk about their parents forming an angry mob then, y’know, teachers listen.”

“Then you showed up and made it complicated, as usual.”

“So all this was for nothing?”

“Shall we then?”

“What did you expect of course she loved me.”

“I’m coming, Love.”

“It was as if he had just... faded away.”

“What happened to him after that... How, why... I can’t even begin to comprehend.”

“I stopped trying to make sense of it a long time ago.”

“What I do know is that, once a year, I get to see my friend.”

#klaus #netflix klaus #sentence starters #klaus starters #christmas starters #reposting an updated version of this meme with more starters on the list

[kvvzss]

STOP YOUR WHINING.

a matt sturniolo fic; or is it ?

warnings: smut, fluff , overstimulation, aftercare, cockwarming ( sit on that dick sis 👅), softdom!matt/ chris , sub!reader, use of Y/N ( i have to.. i have no choice )

, cheating ( don’t do that guys it’s a fanfic!! )

plot;your youtube channel finally hit 4 million subscribers, as a ‘ treat ‘ from your boyfriend and his triplet brothers took you out for your favorite food, you were mad at your boyfriend for having a attitude with you earlier; but you know it’s not gonna last very long.

୨୧ ୨୧ ୨୧ ୨୧ ୨୧ ୨୧ ୨୧ ୨୧ ୨୧ ୨୧ ୨୧ ୨୧ ୨୧

you and your boyfriend; matt sturniolo were in your room changing for your celebration, he had a certain look on his face as he was helping you get dressed.

‘ you like this, or this one. huh, pretty ? ‘

you picked out the outfit you wanted, which was one of his favorite shirts and some flared jeans with rhinestones on the two back pockets.

‘ what the fuck are you guys doing in there ? you better not be fucking again we got places to be. ‘ his brother , nick yelled from his room.

you and matt rolled your eyes and continued helping each other get dressed.

not too long later; you end up sitting on his lap at the diner, as a ‘ joke ‘ he slapped your ass and you turned to him glaring at him.

‘ oh, stop your whining, pretty. ‘ matt said.

‘ whatever. ‘ you said, rolling your eyes and listening in to the argument chris and nick were having over who had the best fit on.

since his shirt was obviously oversized on you. he pushed you up and pulled on your waistband on your jeans.

‘you want me to pull these down, pretty?’ he whispered.

‘ yes, please ‘ you nodded back in response.

he put the over sized shirt over your ass and pulled your pants down to get access to your already leaking entrance.

‘ i’m so fucked. ‘ you thought, hoping nobody catches you.

he pushed his shaft into you, letting you cockwarm him until later on, ( wink wink ).

‘ fuck. ‘ you said , lowly.

‘ what’s wrong, y/n ? ‘ his brother, nick asked in concern.

‘ nothing, i’m just starving. ‘ you replied, hoping nobody else asks you anything.

‘ me too, i’ve been waiting to come here ‘ nick replied back to you, doing a little dance earning laughs from everyone else at the table.

matt held your hips and whispered into your ear again. ‘ just wait until we get home. ‘

i’m absolutely fucked now.

you noticed that his brother chris kept giving glares at you two, as if he knew what was going on.

you then got a text from him, your face dropping immediately.

you then saw that he said that he didn’t want you to be all tied up when you got back , what did that mean?

matt was leaving out soon to go buy stuff from target and other stores for her gifts, and he only told chris.

you put your phone down and started ordering for yourself.

‘ and what would you like, ma’am? ‘

‘ uhm, i’d like the shrimp pasta please. ‘

‘ and what to drink ? ‘ the waiter replied.

‘dr pepper. ‘

the waiter walked away from the table to go get the food.

matt took his dick out of you slowly, putting it back in his boxers as you pulled back up your pants by yourself.

chris noticed this and smirked at you; he was awfully quiet this whole encounter.

chris let out a hiss as he put his hands over his pants.

later on; after everybody ate their food and celebrated her channels milestones they all got in the car. nick fell asleep ; chris was on his phone the whole time; brii fell asleep on chris’s shoulder by accident; and matt was the only one alert and awake

‘ okay pretty , i’m leaving out to go grab “ stuff “ you stay here. ‘

you kissed him and went into your room , changed into pajama pants and a regular shirt and your crocs chris got you years back.

you heard a tap at your door and got up and opened it; it was chris.

‘ what do you want ? ‘ you said, doing the handshake with him that you made.

‘ yknow what i’m here for, y/n. ‘ he said, glaring down into your eyes

‘ what do you mean, chris. ‘ you said, gaining a attitude.

he shut the door behind him, guiding you to the bed by your waist and laying you down.

you subconsciously leaned in to kiss him and he automatically returned the favor

he managed to slip his tongue into your mouth; your tongues basically fighting each other in your mouth.

he then moved his hand into your pajama pants, fondling with your sensitive clit.

‘ fuck. ‘ you said outloud, closing your eyes but trying your hardest not to give chris any of your attention.

‘ cmon, y/n. you know you wanna give me atleast some attention.’ he fake whined

stop your whining. you told him.

‘ oh really? let’s see about that y/n. ‘ he replied

then ; he moved down to your pajama pants, pulling them down and then also subconsciously pulling down your panties

you bit your lip, trying not to moan, playing this game of not giving him any attention.

‘ cmon, where’s my attention , ma ? ‘

he then started to tease your clit, making you whine quietly, atleast you thought you were being quiet.

he then got up on top of you, sticking his shaft inside you softly.

‘ tell me when your ready.’ ; he said, atleast he cared.

‘ i think i’m ready now. ‘ you replied

he then started to move inside you, already hitting that sweet spot for you. then feeling like it was time to move faster he did just as he thought; moving his hips at a faster pace. he gripped your hips as he started to go faster and faster.

you absolutely broke. ‘ oh fuck, chris ! ‘

‘ there’s my girl. ‘ chris said, holding the sides of your stomach

‘ fuck. ‘

chris kept going, speeding up multiple times and slowing down, teasing her. this caused you to whine about being teased

‘ stop your whining. ‘ he said,

chris then leaned in for a kiss, making her whine into his mouth.

she clenched around him signaling her orgasm, her legs started to shake.

‘ go ahead, cum for me. ‘ he said, then rubbing her sensitive clit to make her shake more; he started to get close himself, removing his hand from her clit and then scratching her sides, bruising her slightly.

after they both rode out their orgasms, chris took her to take a bath, running warm water for her, since she was already undressed he didn’t have to undress her all over again ; he placed her into the water .

‘ which soap do you want , pretty girl? ‘

she pointed to a scented soap , he poured it into her loofah and bathing her, letting her rest.

he then got some clothes laid out for her, dressing her and then placing her into her bed.

a/n first luh smut or whatever how u doinnn 👅👅

#Spotify #nick sturniolo #chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #smut #sturniolo triplets #matt sturniolo #matthew sturniolo #sturniolo smut #brusies #sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo x reader

[oc-aita]

AITA for doing the right thing for the wrong reasons? (TIME SENSITIVE)

hi sorry for typos i’m tryping this while having a mental break in my dead friend’s bedroom in the middle of the night while my alive friend is asleep but!! my evil evil dad gave us till february 3rd to settle this so i don’t have much time

none of you will know this cause he’s been real sneaky about it but this year my (M16) dad (M36) took over reality and insterstated his own cringe utopia over it. he brought dead ppl back to life (not my dead friend tho) amd he brainwashed every bad person into being a good person, he abolished the prison system and made gay marriage legal and now the economy’s real good ig??? (idk anything about the economy but ok) everywhere you go there’s happy ppl everywhere and it creeps me out

ugh i’m doing such a crappy job at explaining why this is a bad thing. i SWEAR he’s doing it to spite me cause he knows no one will ever believe me fml

we just found out he literally brainwashed my alive friend (ig i’m calling her that now. F16) into thinking she was my dead friend (her twin sister) so she pretended to be her for a YEAR cause he thought that would make her “happy” i guess?? i’m telling you he’s CRAZY. sorry that word stimatagzes mental illness. i mean he’s seriously bonker balls.

you HAVE to trust me. this man has been living wth me for fifteen years and he doesn’t even know what’s good for ME so how would he know what’s good for the world?

so my friends and i agreed to fight him so everything goes back to normal. and they all made such good points talking abt why this is important to them, cause they want freedom to learn and grow and decide their own futures, and they don’t wanna forget the work they did to get where they are now and obvs i agree w all of that stuff but i feel so stupid cause this is my dad and idk--

he already abandoned my mom and now he’s abandoning me too? he even made my friends’ wishes come true but he didn’t do anything for me. i’m his son but i’m like the only person in the world whose happiness he doesn’t care about. idk what did i ever do to him. i hate him so much dad if you’re reading this i hate you no matter what happens

wow it’s embarrassing. everyone’s got these grand ideological reasons to fight him but all i can think about is how i don’t wanna be the child who has to suffer so everyone else gets to be happy. the only one who’s as pissed as i am is this guy who’s llike our team’s sasuke who is infamous for wanting to kill many dads (M18) and he says we should kill my dad. but obviously i don’t wanna do that. i did all of this so i wouldn’t have to lose family ever again and now i’m feel like i’n abpt to lose him forever. i know things can get better for us but we’ll nevr have the chance if he dies yknow?

anyways i always had such a hard time controlling my emotions and i’m scared i’m letting my emotions get the best of me again cause if i really cared abt this i’d be willing to do whatever it takes to make things right yknow? but i don’t want my dad to die. so maybe i AM being selfish. maybe ppl really ARE happy and i’m just being paranoid and irrational like everyone said i was. maybe we should be putting this up to a vote, idk

please give it to me straight (cause i’m not!!!! LMAO),

AITA?

#aita #am i the asshole #original character #unreality tw #ask to tw #mod butterfly #violence tw #murder tw

[dichromaticdyke]

🗣 – What are your own personal HCs for HF!S and HM!T?

Also, what about the other girls? Murderface feels like another butch, almost try hardy, but I also see her as not having a label at all because she's trying to give herself as much as a chance to get laid by a pretty girl. Pickles feels more fem. Not Skwisgaar fem but definitely fem. She's a "Marlboro Reds and Whiskey" kind of gal, probably doesn't know the word shame. And Nathan, I feel like she's undecided, like she found an aesthetic that works for her but she wants to venture out but is too scared of being made fun of, so she's stuck in a comfortable place, but she wants to explore what else is out there.

ohhhhh my gosh so there’s a lot because. i have my own personal dykeklok headcanons, and this lipstick lesbian skwisgaar and hey mamas toki is kind of its own separate thing. i’ll put it all under the cut because there’s a LOT.

so in the hey mamas tokiverse that @god-impeaching-dj and i have been cooking, i’ve actually been imagining skwisgaar and toki as the only lesbians in the group. the rest of the band are men and they don’t know if whatever the fuck skwistok has going on is a lesbian thing or a scandinavian thing. toki calls skwisgaar her princess and skwisgaar calls toki her daddy because OF course they would, head in hands. we’ve narrowed down their aesthetics pretty well, skwis is kind of pastel goth inspired, she wears pink and black nails, she has heart-shaped nipple piercings, everything!! toki is. basketball shorts. grey sweatpants. sports bra. snapback. she still has her mustache though!!! and kandi has been using rhea ripley as a body ref for their art of toki 😍😍. they’re the worst most annoying tiktok lesbian couple of all time, totally cringe.

as for my dykeklok headcanons, they’re COMPLETELY different. i have them all written up somewhere, but i don’t wanna find them lmfao. the long and short of it is that in my dykeklok/dragklok universe (which is the universe i wrote in for dethentine’s wheeeeee), they’re all lesbians but they perform and make public appearances in drag as drag kings. but that’s a secret to the public!!! they do it because misogyny in the metal community RIP. but also then no one will recognize them when they’re just at food libraries or whatever. and i refer to them like this:

Natalie Explosion (transmasc, she/they/he, order of preference)

Pickles the Drummer (transmasc, he/she, no preference)

Wilamina Murderface (transfem, she/her/doesn’t care)

Skwisgaar Skwigelf (transmasc, any/all)

Toki Wartooth (transfem, he/she/they, order of preference)

nat started speaking in a death growl to avoid being clocked for her voice. pickles thought she was a trans man in the snb days but detransitioned just a bit afterwards (still kept the goatee). murderface didn’t figure out she was a trans woman for a while because she didn’t know you could be trans AND gay. skwisgaar is queen of the butch who gets mistaken for a twink by gay guys. toki went on E just to get top surgery. a lot of these are inspired by lesbians i’ve known in some way or another ✨ love the lesbian experience. and yknow it’s definitely hard for me to pin them down as butch or femme. because the butch/femme experience is SO unique and SO important to a lot of people (myself included) but it’s also not the only way to be a lesbian. there’s a reason that in the hey mamas tokiverse, i refer to skwisgaar as a lipstick lesbian and pillow princess instead of high femme. i reblogged a poem about the difference between the a lipstick lesbian and a femme lesbian at some point, it’s in my femme tag (as a butch i don’t feel totally comfortable trying to explain it, i’ll let the femmes speak for themselves 🩷). i do think they could all be different flavors of butch or masc though, even skwisgaar. i’d just really have to think about it and try to nail down my designs (I DON’T DRAW BUT I’M TRYING).

oh i forgot, every version of lesbian skwisgaar has a double venus tattoo on her hip. and her favorite thing to say is “don’ts dies wonderinks”. GOD. 🥰🥰🥰

#ask.mj #beloved anon #♀⚙️ #skwistok #🗣️ anon

[spyruce]

I’ve been on a binge all yesterday and today. Just watched Solve It Squad, How the Grunch Cribbed Christmas, Holy Musical B@man! and Me and My Dick all for the first time. And I’m dropping my short reviews:

SIS/HTGCC are definitely worth the watch, tons of fun. I feel the need to put Scrags in a jar and shake him around a little bit. Depressed sad little man. (The way my jaw dropped when he explained how Cluebert was a replacement for his absent father HELLO 😭) Esther is great, their whole fucking with Christmas song was great. I thought the drug thing would get old but they find so many ways to keep it interesting. Keith is silly as fuck you go king I hope you get laid one day but please move on from Gwen girlie🙏 And uhh I don’t remember a thing about Gwen whoopsies. I’m working my way through the livestream episodes right now, I adore how cartoony it all is.

HMB! I probably have to rewatch I was multitasking. But whatever tf Batman and Superman had going on was great. Loved the way Batman and Robin were more of a brothers dynamic than father-son. I am once again amazed by how Joe feels so different in every role. Jeff fucking killed it he was made to be a joker-type beat mf. (tbf I tend to like Jeff a lot I think he’s great). But yeah this was fun. Will probably watch again eventually.

I cannot tell you wtf happened in MAMD but uh????? I am… once again amazed by how Joe feels so different in every role. The whole show was weirdly charming? I was expecting to enjoy the more crass humor since that’s just how I am but yeah the whole story was more captivating than I expected?? I very much enjoyed it. By far the funniest joke was the main guy just being named Joey Richter 😭 one big bullying session fr fr the Heart really went for his ass with his line about the jaw. …Yknow if I had a nickel for every time Joe and Joey played different parts of the same character I’d have two nickels???? Which really isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.

With this, I believe the only Starkid/TCB musicals I haven’t seen (not counting side shows or things not staged) are A Very Potter Senior Year and ANI. I’m happy to talk about any other show if anyone would like to discuss but I’m expecting this post to be lost to the void lmfao I just needed to get my thoughts out!

#holy musical b@man #solve it squad #how the grunch cribbed christmas #me and my dick #starkid #tin can bros #tcb #Spyruce doesn’t talk about NPMD or SAF for a FULL post what an achievement folks #joe walker #joey richter

[fullofgutsndopamine]

part of the FITPS verse

more here

tw: cursing, some fluff, some angst if you squint,

note: reader is they/them, however, one mention of hasan referring to you as “my girl”

“hasan.” you huff out, “what part of ‘be quiet’ do you not understand?”

hasan looks the part of santa.

he wears a crooked santa hat on top of an old baseball cap with his hockey teams old logo across the middle, faded with age, a smirk on his face.

“princess,” he drawls out, “are you doubting my abilities?”

you roll your eyes, “I am when you’re so fucking loud. you’re gonna wake Amelie and the whole town up.”

now it’s his turn to roll his eyes, “she’s a heavy sleeper, she’s fine.”

there’s some weight to that, but he doesn’t elaborate and you don’t ask him to.

“We have to hurry.” you remind him.

your mind runs through the list; presents to put out, the reindeer mix hasan worked on to sprinkle in the backyard, “to keep the magic alive,” he say, but figured that sounds dumb so finished with, “or whatever”

“what’s the rush?” he asks, bht oneys, comes to your side with the small plastic bag filled with presents for Amelie.

they aren’t much, a mix of homemade (a new stuffed rabbit, since the one she’s had since she was born, a gift from hasan, is basically just a piece of cloth she’s carrying around now, pressed against him at grocery stores and at the shop with the little rabbit)

you remember the nights he stayed up, glasses on the crook of his nose, his grease stained fingers working expertly on old cloth, stuffing the little bear.

“moneys tight,” he’d shake his head as he said it, red faced, as if this is something he’s embarrassed about, something that’s kept him up, “but i don’t need her to know that.”

the packages are wrapped in old wrapping paper, scraps, old newspaper he tooo from the shop to wrap them up in-

you offered money, gift wrap, the works but he’s roll his eyes every time, “now,” he’d drawl out slowly, “what kind of boyfriend would i be if i took money from my girl?” and he’d pull you in close by your waist and kiss you, hard, on the lips.

hasan gets on his knees, gently, slowly, and one by one, sets the wrapped presents under the tree as you do the same, your own bag, a little smaller, with from santa on a gift for Amelie, a love with your name on the other; desperately trying to ignore the thump thump your heart makes when you think too hard on it-

“what’s the rush?” he asks, and you whip your head around to remind him that the rush is Amelie walking downstairs any second, and how desperately you want him to get some good sleep-

instead, his hands go for your wrist, and before you know it, your flipped around, on your back, your head under the tree as you stare up at the lights, twinkling, some faded or half out, but the blues and the greens stare back at you, making you have to squint-

“use to do this all the time when i was little,” hasan speaks, his voice barely above a whisper, the way it always does when he’s about to talk about the before, usually reserved for late at night, gasping awake from a nightmare or wide awake, fighting off sleep:

“Ma use to work a lot y’know, after everything with my Dad-“

he rolls his eyes, not indulging that part, though it’s not necessary, you know the odds and ends, the sad parts-

“So, to entertain myself, i’d lay under the tree. watch the lights, like watching a show, yknow?”

he reaches out and touches the tip of a red light, “these were my favorite, when they were behind the blues.”

and out of instinct you do the same, reaching for the lights under the tree, on your back-

you can’t help it, as you curl into his side, your head on his shoulder as his fingers run up and down your back, his eyes fixed on the lights.

finally, he breaks the silence first: “thought we had to rush.”

his voice is low, teasing but you snort as you hold the side of his face, “quiet, you.”

you laugh, giving him a kiss on the lips as you watch the lights with him

#caroline writes #hasanabi #hasanabi x reader #hasanabi x y/n #hasanabi x you #hasan #hasan piker fanfic #hasan piker fanfiction #hasan piker fic #hasan piker imagine #hasan piker x reader #hasan piker x you #hasan x reader #hasan piker

[transienttheologyproject]

question for the Transient Theology Zine audience:

i asked this to the folks over on instagram but lemme get your input

i’m having Difficulties setting up the function on the project site that will allow you all to preorder physical copies of the zine

so i had the idea to like. just do something a little unconvential when it comes to online small businesses. because i Do Not Want To Figure This Crap Out, i had the idea of just... creating a google form for people who want a physical copy where they put in their shipping address and specify how many copies they want, and then i've just got like a venmo/paypal/cashapp link or whatever for people to (optionally) send in a donation of like a couple bucks?

i had originally wanted to do a pay-what-you-can type thing anyway and again, Can't Fckn Figure It Out otherwise.

I know people might raise an eyebrow at the idea of putting their address into a google form though. obviously i would delete the form once the orders were shipped so i wouldn't have the information for longer than i needed it but still i get if there's some distrust surrounding that

but also like... then u guys could literally decide what u pay, if anything at all? yknow? pros and cons of this idea, pros and cons indeed.

#trans christian #transgender christian #nonbinary christian #enby christian #genderqueer christian #queer christian #progressive christianity #progressive clergy #zine #queer zine #christian zine #transgender #trans #trans people of faith #trans catholic #transgender catholic #trans theology #trans theory

[enigmatic-robin]

Hannibal but with Scriddler

Jonathan is Hannibal (duh) Edward is Will, and maybe Steph brown is Abigail Hobbs

Haven’t watched in two years but I wasn’t going for exact so yknow …

Implied Edward Nygma/Jonathan Crane

Edward Nygma & Stephanie Brown & Jonathan Crane

Words: 1023

CW: canon typical violence (both canons), gaslighting, manipulation

—————

“You see similarities between yourself and Arthur Brown?”

Edward shifted in his seat, refusing to let their eyes meet.

“I see myself as better. I am better.”

Edward was insistent, his heart traitorously skipping at the upward twitch of Jonathan’s lip into a small smile.

“So you are. He thought himself clever, but you outsmarted him. You’re everything he wanted to be but better- and now you want to be a better father to his daughter.”

His freckled face flushed, and he looked down at his hands.

“It’s alright, I understand. She’s ours, now- to nurture, to protect. But Gotham’s own Bat has been setting his sights on her, you feel helpless.”

Jonathan voiced his thoughts, and Edward found himself nodding along.

“Cluemaster worked alone. The Bat- he’s delusional, you know how he gets in his paranoia. He’ll rip her to shreds and she isn’t ready to shield herself from that. Grown men who’ve been at it for years still get scarred for life by him. She needs guidance.” The redhead blurted out, lifting a hand to tug at his hair, but paused when two of Jonathan’s fingers rested on the pulse point of his wrist.

His hand slowly lowered, but the tension hung, thick and heavy between them.

“I can offer it. To both of you. Protect you.” Jonathan offered in a hushed voice, and Edward shook his head, standing to pace.

“I don’t know. I’m not used to not knowing.” He admitted, not stopping his paces as Jonathan stood to trail behind him. He brushed his fingers delicately over a bronze crow statue, barely bothering to turn away his attention from it.

“I know. You’re a brilliant man, Edward. But you expect too much of yourself even still; you’re still human.”

“Are you human, Dr Crane?”

There was silence for a moment, before he sighed.

“I’m a protector. For you, for Stephanie- striking fear in those who would harm you.”

“And what do you get in return?”

“Their fear- the most base and powerful tool to learn or mold a mind, a young mind to nurture- and, of course, You.”

Edward paused as he tried to catch up, not used to struggling to keep up with someone else.

“Me?”

“A once-in-a-century mind.” He praised, and Edward felt a hand rest on his cheek- cold, but he didn’t flinch away.

“Your mind is incredible, but locked shut. You don’t let anyone close enough to see into it. You’ve been burned before, belittled for it- so you don’t share it anymore. Your father’s work, I’d assume?”

“Oh we’ve been over this, Jonathan. don’t… psychoanalyze me. You won’t like me when I’m psychoanalyzed.” He spat, but when the hand on his cheek moved, Crane’s thumb stroking along his cheekbone, he quieted immediately.

“I believe I always like you, despite your best efforts to remain independent, push everyone away. You’re very vulnerable under that shell of yours.”

Edward didn’t bother to repeat himself; Crane would say whatever suited his fancy. He instead leveled him with a glare, pretending not to be off put by the almost dead, unblinking brown eyes that met his. Eye contact came easy with Crane, usually. Edward usually saw too much about a person from their eyes, made himself uncomfortable. Jonathan, though? Edward saw nothing that he didn’t freely offer.

“This isn’t about me. Or- it shouldn’t be, in any case.”

Jonathan, to his credit, nodded in agreement.

“Now, I think our girl is waiting for us.”

—

The girls in the facility fawned away from Crane and himself in a way that made Edward mirror their nerves, following Jonathan out to the garden with his head ducked down. His nerves didn’t last long, though.

Stephanie sat directly in the sunlight that shone off her blond hair, purple cardigan that had likely once been Dr. Quinzel’s clutched tightly around her.

She looked serene. Strong.

She opened the eye in their view when they were close enough to hear, taking them in with a wary defiance before deciding to humor them.

She turned to them properly, and immediately Edward was aware of the bangs; new, and covering the bandage on her forehead. Unbidden, the memory rose in Edward’s head; entering the Brown home, Stephanie curled in on herself and only held up by her father’s arms stilling her. The gun to her head, the way he hadn’t even thought before lashing out with his cane, her father falling forward.

The gun going off and grazing her forehead.

He’d hit her father until he stopped wheezing and his cane had gleamed red instead of gold, then held her head until the paramedics came. Jonathan had been there too but…

But he couldn’t recall what he’d done. But he’d done something, surely. Edward had just been occupied.

He was shaken from his musings by Stephanie settling herself in front of them hesitantly.

“How are you, Ms. Brown?”

“Not broken. I shouldn’t be here.” She insisted in a soft voice, wavering only slightly.

“No, you’re not broken. But this is complicated.”

“What, because I’m an orphan now? Because no one wants to take in a killer's daughter? Because people think I helped him?” She hissed back fiercely despite her glassy eyes.

“The Bat won’t give us the details, but I promise, people are advocating for you” Jonathan placated, though his accented voice seemed to unsettle her slightly, her eyes immediately darting to Edward, who pushed down his discomfort to look back at her as calmingly as he could.

“Us, and Dr. Quinzel. We’re going yo take care of you. You’re not alone, even if you feel it.”

He held out a hand, and she took it hesitantly. The fierce protectiveness was unlike anything he’d felt before, and not for the first time he felt gratitude for Dr. Crane’s guidance.

They’d make an odd little family, but they’d be okay. Maybe Edward was more lost than his pride would ever let him admit. Maybe Stephanie would need time to accept help, accept she deserved it. But Jonathan brought them together, he’d take care of them.

So why was a part of Edward so hesitant to trust him?

#jonathan crane #edward nygma #scriddler #riddlecrow #stephanie brown

[cherryluvrx3]

meat lovers amirite??

Dave Strider x Reader x Karkat Vantas

Chapter 5

I went home with an extra pep in my step, resisting the urge to hop, skip and frolic around like a cutsie whimsical princess or something.

I shut the door to my room and kicked off my shoes, plopping into bed, stomach first with my legs kicking behind me.

I decided against texting Dave- and Karkat and John for that matter, because I didn’t wanna come off as weirdly clingy and desperate for “friendship”. Besides, they’re still working anyway. So instead, I go to text the group chat so I can report the good news.

It takes a few seconds before anyone answers but like always, Roxy is the first to respond.

Me

-!!!!

Roxy <3

- hey babe! What’s up?

Me

-You would not believe what just happened omhggg

Gamz :o)

-wazzzzzupppppp

Me

-Sooo

-I went to see Dave right

Nepetita :3

-Oooh really?? :0

Me

-Yesss

-N I got his number xP!!

Roxy <3

-omg rllyy!!

-wooo!!

Gamz :o)

- u text him yet

Me

-No ima wait a bit

-He’s still working

-also

-I got his coworkers numbers too xP

-They’re named John and Karkat

Roxy <3

-omg????

-girl you just

-3 dudes numbers!!??

Tezi >:]

-Since when did you have the sweet talking abilities for that?? >:0

Me

-I know I knowww

-Ima smoooooth opertatorrrr

-The men flock to me and bow at my feet as I walk by

Gamz :o)

-Waitttttt

-wait wait

-waittttt

Me

-what

Tezi >:]

-Wat >:?

Gamz :o)

-A guy named Karkat

-I might know that motherfucker

Nepetita :3

-a furriend of yours??

Gamz :o)

-Just a guy I met on a field trip like 2 years ago or smn

-we both got lost at the motherfuckin zoo freshman year

-like ours n his school was there at the same time n shit

-kinda just walked around tryna find like the groups we came with or whatever but I kinda gave up

-n he didn’t wanna walk around alone so he just stayed with me

-we was just chillin with the stingrays

-he was still tweakin tf out tho so I gave him a edible

Me

-Omg???

Gamz :o)

-motherfucker didn’t know it was an edible tho or else I don’t think he would’ve ate it

-we were tripping hard by the time we made it back to the buses lol

Roxy <3

-gamzzz 😭😭

-i don’t think u shld giv edibles to strangersss

Nepetita :3

-Yeah that's a little

-ermmm

-rude?

Gamz :o)

-was jus tryna help the guy

Me

-Well anyways

-I’m not like

-Actually interested in them or anything

-Just wanna be friends with them

Tezi >:]

-I thought you wanted to date pizza boy??

Me

-Oh Dave yeah

-I meant just him tho lol

Gamz :o)

-yeah for a sec I thought u were rlly tryna juggle 3 hoes at once

Roxy <3

-yeah righttt

-they can barely juggle dave alobe!!

-alone

Me

-I could totally have multiple hoes if I wanted???

Roxy <3

-yep

Gamz :o)

-mhm

Tezi >:]

-ok

Nepetita :3

-...well.. *sweats nervously*

Me

-FUCK YOU GUYSS

-WHAT EVA!!!!!

-I see you guys are just some hating ass bitches

Roxy <3

-not hating just being #real babe

Nepetita :3

-Anyways!! It’s great that you got Dave’s number!! Are you planning on texting him first or letting him come to you?

-Do you want to be the purredator or purray? :3

Me

-hmmm

-well I was thinking

-wait

-omg?

Tezi >:]

-Wat >:?

Me

-He literallyyyyy just texted me

-brb teehee

Roxy <3

-omgg? the stars r aligningg for u to hav ur momenttt

Gamz :o)

-get his ass

While John gave me his pesterchum user, Dave and Karkat gave me their regular numbers because they “weren’t fucking nerds” and so I put them into my phone’s contacts.

Pizza Dave

-hey dawg

Me

-hiiiii ? aren’t you still working? Lol

Pizza Dave

-yeah I’m still on the clock for like 2 hours but not much is going on

-there was one more call for delivery and I made Kat deal with it because I’m still recovering from that last traumatic experience

-told him I might have some serious PTSD induced panic attacks if I had to hold another pizza in my hands

Me

-Oh haha

-So are you likee

-Just chatting to pass the time?

Pizza Dave

-bingo. pretty much.

-I’d chat with John but right now he’s busy talking to like

-some other friend??

-like what the helllll

-I was the OG bestie yknow

-but now he’s over there getting all cozy with some dude he met on some online forum that’s just a cesspool for shitty movie lovers

-guess he wanted a guy who’d listen to him rave about nick cage without bitchin but I mean I was just keeping it real

-we’re literally on the clock. being on the phone while working is NOT allowed. you’d think he’d know better

… hmm..

Me

-Kinda sounds like you’re a jealous boyfriend lol

Why did I say that? Don’t know, thought it was funny and hit send before I could rethink.

He’d been typing consistently but I could see in real time his speech bubble stop.

I headed back to the group chat to update them, cutting off whatever they were talking about.

Me

-So he’s texting me rn bc he’s bored at work

Nepetita :3

-well that at least shows he’s thinking of you?

Me

-welllllll he just said he’s only talking to me bc his other friends are busy lol

-but I mean this is my chance to slide myself into his personal circle!!

I went back to me and Dave’s convo and- holy shit. While I was gone he was typing up a storm

Pizza Dave

-what

-no

-no way dude

-me and john are just buds

-that's my home dawg yknow

-like if I was jealous it would just be because of the friendship we have being threatened

-yknow what I mean

-like

-not at all like a jealous boyfriend those are like two totally different things

-besides I’m not gay

-and John isn’t either

-I think

-and if he was I still wouldn’t be gay

-cuz I think girls are really hot and have had a few crushes

-on girls

-so there’s like no way

-not that I have any problem with gay people

-and if John was gay that’d be cool and all

-I really don’t care

-cuz at the end of the day I’m not gay so that’s not an issue

-uh

Me

-OKAY I GET IT

-I was just joking bro

-You don’t gotta get all freaked out lol

Pizza Dave

-I’m not freaked out

-who’s freaking out?

-not me

-I’m chill

-chill as hell dude

-look up chill in the dictionary and you’ll see my face

Me

-Okay

-anyways

-what school do you go to?

Yeesh. I guess that boyfriend comment opened up a can of worms. I screenshotted the convo to share with the group chat.

Me

-Soooo… guys..??

Gamz :o)

-wow

Roxy <3

-Yikes he’s definitely closeted

Tezi >:]

-Totally. That’s actually kinda embarrassing

Nepetita :3

-Aww I feel kinda bad… but I mean he said he’s alright with gay people so

-it probably won’t be that long until he opens up and accepts that part of himself?

Me

-Yeah I think so too

-I don’t think he has a crush on John specifically but he’s def fruity

-even if this whole relationship thing doesn’t work out ima stick to with him to support him cuz boyyy does he need it!!

I go back to chatting with Dave and he seems to have calmed down. We both learn a bit more about each other after 15 minutes he says he has to get back to work. We said our goodbyes and I headed to take a shower so I could process all the information I learned today.

Maybe I’ll talk to him tomorrow during lunch? Even though we have different schools, apparently our bell schedules matched up and we even had lunch at the same period.

I yawn and tuck myself into bed for a few hours of scrolling on my phone.

———

a/n btw John was talking to Jake, no I'm not shipping them

Also Dave is closeted and in denial.

I see both him and Karkat as bisexual but since this fic is supposed to be gender-neutral I don't think I'll go into too much detail on how that could affect his relationship with reader bc it's different depending on who you are. I might end up making reader bisexual too but idk bc I don't want readers who aren't bi to be 'forced' into it. I mean all I know for sure about you guys reading this is that you're attracted to men (or just reading this bc you're bored lol)

Also Karkat is also a bit closeted but he's very much aware of who he is, he's mainly closeted because he knows Dave is iffy around his own sexuality and is worried Dave will see him different if he comes out to him.

#homestuck #homestuck x reader #dave strider x reader #karkat vantas x reader

[deerflowerme]

you asked so prettily, love, how could i say no to such a request? 😘

we both know that soon i’ll be only a short few hours drive/train ride from you, and i know we didn’t make any plans to meet this time around. but yknow i can be pretty spontaneous and sometimes my family just gets to be a bit much and i just need some time from them and i need the company of someone else, and who better than you, sweetheart?

so maybe i’d make my way up to you the second half of next week, when i’m so fed up with my family’s antics that i just can’t resist my need to be with you already, and come surprise you as you’re leaving work

and i’d take you and treat you to your favorite lunch/dinner place and get us bubble tea or some kind of dessert to go (or both), and take you for a walk till we get tired, and then we’d find a movie theater with those big cushy reclining seats, and we’d pick whatever movie you’d been wanting to see, and we’d curl up together in one seat, with you practically on top of me

and i’d be good in the beginning, i know how much you wanted to see that movie, and i’d really try to let you just watch it and instead i’d keep my hands busy with snacking on the popcorn and candy we’d gotten

but you’re sitting so cutely on/with me that it’s a struggle to keep my hands off of you and then you’d shift around one too many times and my hands would have to go to your hips to keep them still, and well

once i get my hands on you, love, i can’t help them wandering, i wouldn’t be able to resist you

so one hand would slip under your shirt, and the other would tease its way under your pants but still over your panties, and just gently rub you till you’re moving around on my lap again, but i’ve caged you in with my arms around you, and you can’t really do much besides squirm and start to whine

but we’re still in the movie theater, babe, and we wouldn’t want to be rude and distract the other movie-goers, so i’d have to take my hand out from under your shirt and instead slide two of my fingers in your mouth as i move aside your panties with my other hand and start playing with your clit

and i’d make sure you kept sucking my fingers while i teased you and brought you to the edge over and over, till finally i made you cum during a big climatic scene in the movie

and as you came down from that high, i’d gently hold you close to me, and kiss you all over your face, and pet your hair, and i’d tell you what a good girl you were for me, and make sure you drank some of the water we had left over

and we’d stay like that till the movie finished and the credits rolled, till we were practically kicked out at the end, and instead of you getting up yourself, i’d scoop you up in a princess hold and carry you out of the theater like that, only putting you down when we got outside into the sunshine

(i have lots more thoughts, love, but i think they’ll have to be saved for another time bc this ask is already so long, oops?)

-you know who i am but 🥰🥰🥰

My baby, ahh! ❤️ Thank you so much for sending me something.

You’re such a city girl, I love it. I don’t mind putting us in a convenient enough location, but they’re definitely harder to find than you’d think (unfortunately). I’d love to spend a day out with you, angel. You’re so sweet those are definitely all things I would really enjoy ☺️ Especially if you shared a bubble tea with me while we walk around. And the movie theater?

Everywhere here is lowkey pretty dead all the time so only a few people show up to each movie showing unless it’s brand new. I’d let you decide what movie you want to see after I let you know that. I’d make sure I wear something that’s either easy as far as pants go or very easy to tease me in like a skirt or a dress. It’s a bit chilly so I might have to opt for tights under that. But I can make sure I’m wearing a special pair of tights that would make things a lot easier for you 🥺👉👈

Babyyyy, I’d be a good girl and make sure I prepared. I would actually need to go by one of the sex shops I know are around. (I’d really want you to go with me someday. Maybe when we’re in the city…) I’d really love to pick up a new toy for us. So so tempted to get a strap-on you’d need to tell me if you want to try that or not. I’m okay with waiting, you know I can be patient. Either way I know I’m getting us something that works for 2 girls with a breeding kink. Which means I also have to get us cum lube to play with. I got so lucky finding such a pretty, tall girl with the same kind of brain as me.

I’ll make sure to get us a room somewhere because I will spend all night getting fucked by you and fucking you and still not feel like it’s enough. The first thing I want to do as soon as we’re alone is eat you out. And since it’s partially a lesson you can take notes. I love knowing you’d stoke my cheek even while I’m teasing you, licking and sucking on your clit. Tell me I’m your cute little kitten when I make a soft needy noise while I’m doing my best to please you. When I look up at you for approval will you tell me what a good girl I am? I’m going to love finding out what you like and if you’re like me then hopefully you’ll love it when I tongue fuck you 😵‍💫

I can wear my cute little bell collar for you, since I’m your pretty pet, right? I keep wondering if I’d make you cum then or if you’d pull me back either by my hair or my collar before I can. Imagining you pulling me away just so you can eagerly repeat what you learned on me is too much ahhh I also have so many ideas, babe. I can’t get carried away but I’m sure you can imagine some of what we might do with the rest of the night 😘❤️

And of course, I’m adding you to my anons even though we’re both aware you can do all of this to me in private 🤭

#and in person someday aaaa #asks #🥰 #my girl!

[baconcolacan]

😍😍😍😍😍 Random ask (little bit influenced)! From your perspective who would be who if you put the Eddsworld characters in Encanto and what would be their gifts??

🫶 Love all your artwork and AUs mate! Keep’em coming in your own time!!! 🤌

Hmmm I’ll do maybe just the main gang for this one

Edd - Abuela

Gift: Amplification/Nullification

> You already know how I characterise him, MC syndrome, everything revolves around him, fronts with a friendlier personality, wants that control. Not saying Abuela is like that buuut yknow.

I like to think he has the ability to cancel out or empower the others’ gifts, kind of like how a creator can shift their characters’ importance to the story when the narrative calls for it. His ability also extends to most other things. (e.g. Plants can grow rapidly under his footsteps if he’s happy enough.)

Matt - Isabella

Gift: Charm/Puppetry

I was kinda thinking more about how Matt really cares about how he’s perceived and how much he wants to be praised/adored. So I thought Charm would be a good match for him. People mistake it for like a mood enhancer gift, because they just feel like doing whatever he wants cause he makes them so happy, reality is Matt is a puppet master and its not so obvious that he’s the one pulling your strings, it’ll just feel like its YOUR idea and YOUR impulses that you want to follow what he says/want to do something for him cause he makes you so happy.

Tom - Peppa

Gift: Same as Peppa’s

I actually thought REALLY hard about Tom’s gift but I actually think weather powers can still apply to him also because it’s funny. I like to think the reason he tries to stay neutral most of the time is because he’s actually not that good at controlling his gift, and the slightest bit of negative emotions will result in an instant lightning storm. And could you imagine him just forcing himself to smile and massage his temples going “Clear skies…Cleeeeaaar skiiiieees~” Hilarious. I’d poke him with a stick just to mess with him.

Tord - Camilo

Gift: Pyromancy

Camilo has always been a charming character to me, and I mostly characterise Tord as someone who tries to play the showman when he needs to be so there you go. I chose pyromancy for him mostly because I think he can apply it to a lot of things if he’s creative enough. Stuff like blacksmithing, cooking, crafting, light, explosions, survival etc etc. He’d probably think of different ways to use it.

Unfortunately this means he runs his tests on Tom. Which consequently caused a flash flood to occur one time.

//

ANYWAY THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS AHAHAHAHAHA

#asks #dalekgamma #guh I just woke up HHHH

[diaryofassortedimagines]

i’m dating this guy as a few days ago…

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

he’s such a fucking FLIRT bro and i get so shy and and flustered and frozen every time and he fucking KNOWS. IT. he thinks it’s fucking funny and amusing to tease the shit out of me until i reach a mid breakdown

he always gives me this piercing eye contact and he has this *look* in his eye that says so much more than words could and i swear i really do try to look back at him but i CANTTTTT i get so shy i just feel like i’m melting and every time that happens i see his fuckinf shit faced smile out of the corner of my eye. he KNOWSSSS he fucking knows what he’s doing. he and my immature ass guy friends were also moaning like the stupid mfs they are and they were like “ur turn!” like mostly joking and i was like no nuh uh never and then i paused and said “well…” and HE LOOKED AT ME WITH THIS FUCKING SMIRK AND DARK LOOK IN HIS EYE AND SAID “oh, is that so…?” and i fucking MELTED. and then earlier him and my friends and i were playing never have i ever and fucking APPARENTLY this guy has done a LOT and each and everything he said and every time he described what he’s done he LOOKED AT ME THE WAY HE LOOKS AT ME HE WAS LITERALLY EYE FUCKING ME AS HE TOLD ME THIS AND PUT ALL THESE IMAGES OF HIM IN MY HEAD. he’s also moaned in my ear a couple times and godddddDAYUM i have to just pretend everything is fine. I HAVE TO PRETEND EVERYTHING IS FINE?????????? and i don’t even acknowledge it cause if i did idfk what i’d do to him… he also sits in… a way. like he leans back a bit and manspreads while looking me up and down and o h m y g o d BRO or at one point i was sitting on the floor and decided to lay down instead and he comes over on this spinning wheeler chair and just stays there above me and looks down at me good lord GOODLORD. he’s also OBSESSED with my perfume and he’s always smelling it and fucking moaning as he smells it from the bottle (but he never sniffs me lmao he’s so respectful of my boundaries. when he sees that i’m a little bit too flustered by the things our friends say he comes over and says “are you okay” and i nod and he gives me this pure sweet smile. and he never EVER makes those sexual jokes about me, and the only flirting he ever really does is give me those damn looks. he flirts so subtly…) or spraying it on himself and he said to my other guy friends “bro if my homie was wearing this he’d be on the floor in seconds” AND DID I LAUGH?? YES. BUT IN MY HEAD IM THINKING THAT I AM IN FACT THE ONLY ONE WEARING THIS PERFUME AND KNOWING HOW MUCH HE LIKES ME I JUST KNOW HE’S THOUGHT ABOUT IT AND THINKS ABOUT ME… THAT WAY and for whatever reason him wearing MY perfume is so fucking hot to me and he’s always sniffing his shirt and himself when he sprays it on himself and alllll i can think about is him sniffing that shirt and… yknow…….

…

yknow…

he’s so fucking ATTRACTIVE and it is so hard to control myself around him (even tho i know he doesn’t want to control himself either) but at the same time we haven’t been dating that long and still haven’t explicitly said we’re in an official relationship although it’s very heavily implied and everyone thinks we definitely are and my friend called us a couple earlier and we just looked at each other and just smiled at each other. BUT. i really do want this to work out, and i wanna take things slowly because i like him so much and i want this to last so i don’t wanna jump RIGHT into something. plus he said himself that a first kiss with an s/o should have meaning, so im doing ALL. I. CAN. to wait but oh my god bro he’s teasing the fuck out of me cause he knows how shy it makes me. also he’s constantly fucking horny lol so i mean this ain’t easy for him either. he’s just that nice and respectful of me :)

i feel like i’m in one of those bold x shy wattpad stories 💀

[gureshinlover]

Hello I tried to translate the prologue voice drama tracks of JAMROCK (Music Project) and I’ll share them one by one. The wiki fandom page for it is on the way so I hope JAMROCK will reach more fans ✨✨

Here are the links to the drama track on youtube and spotify. The prologue tracks’ video on youtube is really fun so I’d reccommend watching it

Translation of [Prologue: TRACK01] on below:

[Prologue: TRACK01]

 One: Ah, ah~, …. AHEM!! Yo people~! Are you REGGAEing alright?

Yknow today… After eating chicken in morning, somehow, I got a stomachache…

Aah, right, and also, as Oneness organizing, it looks like we’ll be making a country-wide Reggae audition. YA~Y! HAHAHAHA!

If you like Reggae, anyone is welcomed~ If you win the audition, we’ll give you money and the right to make your CD debut.

I'll listen to whatever you say. Hehe.

Listen to the detailed rules by Oneness’ members. I also dunno much anyway.

GYAHAHA!

Well, lately skillful newcomers are being noisy so, I thought I might discover some youngsters~ Somethin like that?

Aah but,  FREEDOM ・LOVE ・ PEACE are Oneness’ motto so, get along and have fun ok?

And lastly, this tournament’s name is Ragga Clash! Sounds fun right?

So! ♪ I’m waiting for everyone’s submissions, ok~ Peace out~

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

Sai: Aah, One Paisen… You really did it~

Lyrii: It’s not like stuff like this started just now y’know.

Sai: That’s right but I think this one was a large-scale one.

Queen: Hey, One! What was that broadcast just now!?

Sai: Hi~ Queen ♡ I knew you’d come

Queen: Ah, Sai, Lyrii… It’s just you two? What about One?

Lyrii: Who knows

Queen: Don’t say ‘who knows’, wasn’t the broadcast just now from this room….

Ah—, recording huh

Sai: Exactly like that

Queen: Haa… Really, always getting swayed around by that guy.

Sai: I love that guy though, so I’ll forgive him whatever he does ♡

Queen: You’re the same as usual. You’re forgiving him everytime.

That broadcast reached all the people in nation y’know! We can’t withdrawn from it.

…Gosh, and he did it without consulting us, Oneness, too...

Lyrii: I think it’s a good thing. Might see some fun stuff.

Sai: Oh, unlike Queen, Lyrii-chan is interested?

Lyrii: I’ve been bored lately you see

Queen: Lyrii~, because you support him like this, One gets hyped up.

Lyrii: It’s not like I supported it. I’m only sticking around ‘cuz it looks fun. Don’t you always get hyped up in the end too

Queen: Hu~h?

Sai: Now, now. As One Paisen, I’m sure he’s thinking about a lot of stuff too.

About Babylon-Nova too, he also—

Queen: Hey, didn’t we say we wouldn’t talk about him!

Sai: Pardon me then. …*sigh* A lot changed since that time huh.

Queen: …And? Where’s One who said all that stuff and left?

Sai: He can’t be found in his official residence, is he playing hide and seek like usual?

Queen, Ririi, let’s go find hi—

Queen: I won’t go.

Lyrii: I pass.

Sai: You two are so boring…

Lyrii: Anyway, even if we don’t go out to search him, can’t you look at that thing like always?

Sai: Ah, GPS? Of course I checked it but you see… Here, this.

He left his phone and left~ Even if I put on a GPS, I can’t do anything if the he leaves the object in question, right.

I had added it on his accessories too but he took them all off.

Queen: … I was overlooking the phone, but you did something like that even to his accessories?

Sai:  Something like this, isn’t it the basis of stalking?

Queen: *sigh*… Lyrii, gimme one too

Lyrii: Here

Queen: Thanks

Queen: *sigh*

Sai: Hey, you guys. I’ll say it once but, this is a smoking prohibited area, ok?

Lyrii & Queen: Don’t care.

Sai: Eh~, I’m not saying anything wrong, right?

Aah someone please! Can’t anyone give me some love!?

Queen: Why don’t you find an apprentice or something from the audition?

Sai: Aah, Nice Idea! It’d be good if I found a good kid.

…Anyway. Well, there’s nothing we can do if we can’t find One Paisen. Since it started, we have to do it.

We can’t be careless, shall we start the preparations?

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

Hideri: Visitors… aren’t coming……

GAHHHH!! WHYYYY!!

Even though I polish here to be sparkling-clean everyday, and rise the water temperature to highest!!

Regular Customer Old Man: What izzit? You’re not satisfied with only me!?

Hideri: It’s not like that! You’re coming here everyday gramps, and I’m super grateful! But….

Regular Customer Old Man: Well, those regular customers from the past all got their legs and foots weakened now, so they became unable to come even if they want to.

I’m the only one left.

Hideri: Gramps…

Regular Customer Old Man: *sigh* Tora Hot Spring in the days when you were little is really nostalgic

In those days, your grandpa was doing well, and there were many customers so it was lively here…

You used to sing a lot in the bath together with your friend…

Hideri: Aah… Stuff like that happened right?

Regular Customer Old Man: Yeah… Is your friend doing well?

Hideri: Hm? Ah—… I haven’t met up with him for a while, so I dunno.

Regular Customer Old Man: Is that so…

Hideri: Is he doing well I wonder, that Tama…

Regular Customer Old Man: *sobs*

Hideri: Huh? Wait, gramps are you cryin’!?

Regular Customer Old Man: *sob* I recalled a lot…

Hideri: Ehh…. Ah, should I wash your back?

Regular Customer Old Man: Hm… Please….

[One: Ah, ah~, …. AHEM!! Yo people!~ Are you REGGAEing alright?]

Hideri: Ah, what?

[One: Yknow today… After eating chicken in the morning, somehow, i got a stomachache…]

Hideri: So it’s the ruler’s management broadcast huh… Whatever

Regular Customer Old Man: Woah…! It’s One Paisen!? Th-Th-Th- That means I gotta go!!

Hideri: Eh….Wait a sec gramps! What about your back!?

Regular Customer Old Man: I’ll come back later~! Uii~~ I’m fired up~~!!

Hideri: Ha!? Where did your tears from just now go to! Before that, get on your clothes! Clothes I said! CLOTHES~~!

*One talking in background*

Hideri: *huff huff* Eh? Gramps already disappeared… Isn’t he too fast…

Anyway, the people of this country really love Oneness huh…

Is Reggae somethin’ that good? I don’t know that much…

[One: And lastly, this tournament’s name is Ragga Clash! Sounds fun right? So! I’m waiting for everyone’s submissions ok~ Peace out~ ]

*cheering sounds*

Hideri: E-Everyone is super fired up….A tournament will be done huh? Well, I don’t have any experience with Reggae so it doesn’t have anything to do with me.

More than Reggae, I think the bath-house is much better though….

It can make your fatigue disappear if you’re tired, can heal you, can warm up your body and heart…

Isn’t it the best?

I want to show a lot more people how good it is. I want to get back the cool old Tora Hot Spring like gramps said…

*sigh* Aah, can’t I make a use of this uprush since it’s a big chance… Making a bathing fee during the event for example…

For now, I gotta just check it out first

 Hideri: Heh, info is already out as expected. It’s on top news?

I want Tora Hot Spring to liven up the world like this too— Wait, the one who wins until the end gets 10 Million donza as prize!?

Oi oi, if I got that much money in my hands, reconstruction Tora Hot Spring, no, rebuilding it wouldn’t be a dream!

I can’t be saying I’m inexperienced for this! I have to go!!

WOOOO, I’M ALL FIRED UPPPP!

WAIT AND SEE, 10 MILLION DONZA WILL BE WON BY ME, SENTORA HIDERI HERE--!!!!

#jamrock #jamrock music project #tl #my translations #music project #charamek