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vase-of-lilies · 1 year

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Levels of Intimacy-Phase One; Part One

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader (f)

Warnings: Death of minor characters, fainting, some swearing, heavy talk of tsunamis, power containing restraints, bickering, hydro-powers

A/n: Here is the first chapter of my new series Levels of Intimacy! It is quite a long chapter, but I hope you enjoy it anyway:) I am so so so so so so sorry this took so long. I had to figure out the other chapters because I wrote 6,000 words of the first "level of Intimacy" (emotional) so I figured I would put it in different phases:) ANYWAY hope you like this series I have been working on! (Reposted because of blog deletion)

Control…

Something you wish you were capable of. When you were angry, or sad, panicked in any way there was nothing that you could do to stop the water. Not just from your eyes, but everywhere. It started small, just after the tsunami hit. A bright light filled your vision once the water calmed down. Never before had you seen such a beautiful light.

A buzzing, electricity, floating? It all happened far too fast for anyone to see or feel or embrace. But it was slow motion for you as the power surged through your veins just like water rushes through a river, never fully stopping until it reaches a calm body of water. Even when it does stop, it never really does. A current flows beneath the surface of the water giving the fish below a place to swim instead of freeze. What is truly beautiful about this, is a phenomenon that not a lot of people think about. Water is everywhere. In puddles, in drinks, rain, snow, ice, even the cement that builds our work places, and homes. It’s everywhere.

Whats even more amazing is the fact that water is connected. The water that can be drank by other people is most likely connected to the early times such as dinosaurs or even the water that flooded your home town off the island of Tahiti, where you, your mother and father lay un-peacefully rested. The wave not only of water but dread grew bigger and bigger as time went on, as time went on, so did the lives of thousands of people. You being one of the only survivors.

As time went on, so did your life and your dreams. The survivors guilt that hit you the following weeks and months after the disaster kept you from going to work, showering, taking care of yourself. You felt as if you should have been the one to die, not your parents. Or the friendly neighbor just down the street. Even your enemies who have passed on. You felt the guilt ripping away at your skin every morning when you woke up. Woke up… Something that felt so wrong.

As time went on, you move to a different country. You were American born anyway, and living in Tahiti was something your parents had always dreamed of. Going back to the US for some comfort of a big city with no ocean in the center, felt like the next best option. However, the country side did no good. It was too dry, and boring in your opinion. You needed the ocean. Something you dreaded, but needed. It was almost a sense of control, not being so close that you could touch it, but being so close that you could control never to go near it.

Giving you a sense of control also Brought you to the tower that most would call a beacon of light. Some would call a magnet of death. But to you, it was a place that you felt you belonged. With the freaks. The moment you walked into the tower sporting the large “A” at the top, you knew it was a regret, but you pushed through anyway. Setting your mind on finding Tony, or Steve or anyone who had a decent idea of what you could do was your goal.

The woman at the front desk was… difficult. Not letting you get one word in. “Ma’am pl-” Once again, cut off by the woman at the desk. You anger was rising, and you were afraid you would cause something horrible. Pounding your fist on the desk, you demanded you see Mr. Stark. “I need to see him! It is very important, and at this point, life or death. Just get me an appointment with him, or Mr Rogers. Anyone!” You glared at the blond woman, glaring back at you with a stare so sharp it could cut through a layer of tempered glass.

With a sigh, she nodded. “You have ten minutes. Do you understand? He is a very busy ma-”

“Yes! Im fine with that. Where do I go?” You proceeded to interrupt her this time. Pointing to the elevator, you immediately run to them, not even noticing the flood of security guards after you. Once the door closed, you let out a breath you did not know you were holding. “Dear god, how hard was it just to point me in this direction?” You ask aloud to yourself. Clicking the button labeled with an “S” at the very top, you assumed that was Starks office.

The small ding once the elevator stopped moving up, and up, and up made you jump slightly. The water in your water bottle starting to bubble. When you entered the room, there were people already sitting on couches but they did not look like normal civilians like you. They were thee Avengers.

“Can we help you Miss?” A strong, deep voice asked you as you rushed into the lobby, quickly stopping once you noticed everyone. “I- I- I need to speak to Mr. Stark and Mr. Rogers. The receptionist said I had ten minutes and the security guards I fear are already here. Please this is urgent.” The begging in your voice was something that Steve recognized. He nodded to Tony, and gestured for you to follow him.

“What on earth is so important?” You slam your water bottle onto the table, and you sit down. Concentrating on making the water start to bubble and soon the small bubbles exit the open top of the bottle. “This. This is so fucking important. I don’t know what happened to me, and I’m scared I’ll hurt someone.” Your voice cracks, sending a small shiver down Steves spine. Wanda was just the same way, Steve thought. Scared and unknowing of the danger of not being able to control something. Instead, being controlled by it. “Whats your name?” Steve asks, looking at you with a pitiful yet genuine smile. “Y/n, Y/n Y/l/n. I was struck by the tsunami that hit the shores of Tahiti and after everything, th-this curse was given to me an-and I don’t know what to do.”

You stare at the water bottle that now sits empty, the water in a sphere just above the desk. Losing focus, the water was dropped, sending the liquid everywhere onto the floor. With a sigh, Tony groans as he sees the mess. “Ok, ok. Let me get you some water, that you’ll drink I hope. And then I’ll get someone who might be able to help.” Steve says as he instantly thinks of Wanda once again. The woman going through the same thing. Finding her inner peace with herself, and her acceptance of her abilities.

As you help Tony clean up the mess you made around the floor below you, a woman comes in. A small smile rests on her face as she sees you, and your heart tugs at something. Something you have never felt before. You look up, and your eyes meet the woman eyes. If the energy coming from between you and the woman alike, the connection would be visible. The strong feeling that pulled you to look at her also pulled you to stand up. The beautiful woman standing above you looked like a goddess that had just lost her crown, but was still the rightful ruler of a kingdom. She looked like she was glowing…

She smiles and holds her hand out to you. “Im Wanda Maximoff, but please just call me Wanda.” Her voice is of a nightingale in love with its mate, the beautiful sound filling the sky when the two lovers are together. It’s soft, gentle and could even sing someone to sleep if she really tried. As you shake off your thoughts, you hesitate when you see her hand. Slowly taking a hold of it, she shakes it softly and pulls away.

“Whats your name?” She asks, sitting down in the chair next to yours, smiling as she watches you sit down next to her. “I- Im Y/n.” You hide your hands in your lap, scared that if you move anything something might actually happen. “That is a beautiful name.” She whispers, feeling the connection herself that was felt not even minutes earlier. “Thank you, I- I really like your name too. Is it Sokovian?” You guess, your mind some how feeling connected to her name as well. She nods her head yes, her smile widening as you recognize where she is from. But you mostly recognized the accent, putting her somewhere in the middle east.

She slowly reaches for your hands, and you jump; Your hands flying away from her. “Hey, Im not going to hurt you…” She whispers, giving you a smile as she holds onto your cold and shivering hands. “You were in the Tahiti tsunami, weren’t you?” She asks, having no knowledge of this before. She could sense that you used to love the ocean, and loved swimming and playing in the waves. But once mother nature became too powerful, and you became too comfortable, all of that was destroyed by her and the city slowly rebuilt itself. Yourself included.

You had to rebuild going outside again, getting up in the morning, eating, showering, even sleeping. Day in and day out was staring at the picture of your mother and father and the only thought on your mind was when the next natural disaster will hit you next. It was a trauma shake and Wanda knew what it was like. She was reading you like a book and was not hiding that she was reading your mind. Her eyes glowed a subtle red as she dug through your memories to the day that took everything from “Your mother and father… they loved you very much, I know they did.” Your brows furrowed as you watched her. “Y-you didn’t know my parents. You don’t even know me. I was just some victim of something I can’t control and I just have to hide myself away from the world. I thought if I came here I could get help, but it just makes me look like a freak.” A sigh exits your mouth as you pull your hands from Wandas soft

Wanda frowns as you pull away, her eyes going back to the warm, green color it originally was. “You’re not a freak, you have a gift Y/n. Did you know that you can heal people too?” You tore your eyes off of the water bottle in front of you and looked at Wanda. “Pardon?” You asked, more confused than ever. She nods and calls Bucky in from outside of the room. “This is Bucky, and as you can see he has kind of been roughed up on our last mission. Why don’t you try healing his right arm?” You look at the big, burly man above you, and back down to his arm. Gently, you take his hand and concentrate on one skin abrasion.

Not knowing where to focus your powers, you start with your heart. Seeking out every molecule of energy you had, your eyes begin to glow a light purple as do your hands around Bucky’s hand. As you feel the power surge through your veins and out of your hands, you pull away from Bucky and you look at his now clean and unharmed hand. He smirks at you, and turns to Steve. Not-so-subtly he says “Can we keep ‘er?” You brush off the comment, and turn your attention back to your hands.

“D-did I just fix his hand?” You whisper, Wanda looking at you with a satisfied smile. She nods as she holds your hands, pulling you gently. “Y/n? What do you think about joining the avengers? We- well, I could help you control your powers, and you could help restore what Thanos and other villains have destroyed. You can help people.” Your eyes water as you stare at your hands. The hands that are both capable for hurting, yet helping people all at the same time.

Without answering, gathering your things, or looking at anyone, you stand up and make your way out of the room to the nearest balcony. You needed fresh air, and even if it had to be salty fresh air, then so be it. Tears fell down your cheeks as you stared up at the clouds. “Why did you do this to me? Why me??” Shouting at the sky, you tried to gather your thoughts only ending up in panic attack. One that you might not be able to control as well as your other ones.

You could hear your name, but it was an echo, and a muffle. It was there but it wasn’t. Quickly, the world around you was getting darker by the second, and the people shouting your name felt as if they were a million miles away. As your body hit the floor, the one person who was there to catch your head was Wanda. She was quick and agile as she reached you, being so caring and loving towards you. “We have to get you to med bay.” She says as she picks you up, sliding her arm under your legs and just under your back. As Wanda walked, the swaying of her body made your head roll to the side and you landed right on her chest; Her heartbeat calm and collected, and soothing to count in your head.

Med bay came quicker than anticipated and you were lowered onto the bed, your head softly landing on the pillow and a blanket covering your body. Subconsciously, you hand is drawn to Wandas once again and a small whimper leaves your throat as she pulls away. Bruce notices this, and tilts his head. “I think she likes you, Wands.” He chuckles and prepares his things for an IV and other fluids. Wanda laughs along with him sending jolts of joy through your body as you listen to her voice. But you still would not wake up from this dreadful state you fell into on the balcony. As your breaths even out, Bruce holds your arm and Wanda holds your hand as the needle punctures your skin enough to find a

Bruce smiles as he enters your vein first try, and he brings the needle back, keeping the small tubing inside of your arm. A small groan sounds from your mouth, and you roll onto your side. The blanket keeps you warm but so does Wandas hand holding yours. “Its going to be ok, I promise you.” She whispers as she looks down at you with a small smile on her lips.

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super-notnatural · 1 year

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Simon: "Fuck the crown."

Wille: "Pls do."

#wilmon #wilhelm x simon #wilhelm young royals #simon young royals #my boy was whipped from the start #Wille also fell first AND hardest #cannot change my mind #young royals #some swearing

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awhitehead17 · 1 year

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Hanging by a thread, I am

Tim & Dick, Tim & Jason, Angst, Arguing, Canon Divergence, Upset!Tim, Big Brother Jason.

Summary: Upset and angry, Tim doesn't react well when Dick asks him to give up the Robin mantle. After arguing with Dick, Tim storms away and bumps into an unlikely person who surprisingly supports him in the way Dick doesn’t.

A/N: This idea came about when I thought ‘what if Dick asked Tim to give Damian robin’ and this is the result. It’s canon divergence and while Jason doesn’t necessarily get along with the bats he’s not completely separated from them. Title is from ‘Saviour’ by Onerepublic.

Enjoy! :D

For a moment Tim wonders if he had heard things right. There’s no way his brother is suggesting what Tim thinks he’s suggesting. Like hell was he giving that demon child the Robin mantle!

Tim blinks at Dick, utter disbelief written across his expression. “You’re joking right? This is just – wait, no. There’s no way you just asked me to give Damian Robin.”

Opposite him, where Dick is stood by the bat computer wearing the Batman suit with the cowl down, Dick lets out a heavy sigh and sends Tim a pleading look. “Look Tim, please listen to what I’m saying-”

Tim cuts Dick off before he could finish that sentence. “I don’t need to listen to what you have to say Dick! I won’t listen to you while you try to justify why you want me to give up Robin, I have put my heart and soul into this and now you’re asking me to give it up, to throw away everything I have worked for. It’s not happening!”

“Tim.” Dick’s voice now has a hard edge to it, his brother coming close to losing that infamous patience of his. “I understand why you’re upset about this but think about it rationally. We all have to move on. You are no longer a little boy who needs guidance or a mentor, you have the skill and experience to be more than a sidekick.”

“This has nothing to do with that.”

Dick, however, continues speaking like Tim never said anything. “I can’t look at you and see you as my protégé, I want you by my side as my equal. Damian, on the other hand, he’s going to-”

“It’s always about fucking Damian.” Tim shouts at him, throwing his hands up in disbelief. He starts pacing, his hands and arms moving erratically with each step. “It’s always about that snot-nosed brat. Ever since he's come into our lives it’s always about him. Are you forgetting when he almost killed me? Damian would never, never, understand the meaning of Robin, not in the way we do.

“I had to work my ass off to be accepted as Robin, I had to earn the right, Bruce was adamant about me not taking it on but I proved my worth. Now you want me to pass it over with a bow on top to someone who will abuse it.”

“Well Bruce isn’t here!”

Dick’s shout freezes Tim on the spot. The words washing over him like ice water chilling him to the bone. Opposite him Dick’s face is flushed and his hands are clenched at his sides, he’s looking at Tim with an expression he couldn’t read but Tim could hear the pain and defeat in his voice.

“Bruce isn’t here,” Dick repeats quietly, “not anymore. We all have to move on and this is the way to do it. I become Batman with Damian as my Robin. And you Tim, you on my other side as my Nightwing.”

The silence that settles around them is thick and suffocating. Tim could hear the way his heart is pounding inside his chest and he could hear every breath he takes. His hands are shaking and there’s sweat building up across his forehead. Inside himself Tim could still feel the rage stirring, despite Dick’s words and the meanings behind them Tim cannot accept them.

Deep down he knows this is wrong. Dick is wrong.

Tim shakes his head. “No,” he declares firmly, “you’re wrong. Bruce isn’t gone. How can you accept that? He isn’t gone.”

“Tim, please, we’ve been over this,” Dick sighs, running a hand down his face. “He’s gone, we’ve seen the footage. You’re in denial, a lot has happened over the last few months and I get why you are but see the facts.”

Gritting his teeth he sends Dick a dark look. A lot has happened, Dick isn’t wrong about that. Tim’s lost two of best friends, his girlfriend, his biological father and now, supposedly, his adoptive father.

“We can get you help Tim,” Dick says carefully, his tone purposefully soft and gentle as if talking to a frightened animal. “We can get through this.”

“Help?” Tim scoffs at the notion. “I don’t need help, what I need is to prove to you is that Bruce is alive. Damian isn’t getting shit from me. No matter how much, or how sweetly, you ask me to hand the mantle over.”

“You need to accept Bruce is gone!” Dick cries at him. “I don’t like it any more than you do but we can’t sit here doing nothing. He’s dead! He ain’t coming back!”

Tim scoffs again and decides he’s had enough of this conversation. They’re going around in circles simply riling each other up. Neither of them are going to achieve anything at this point. Dismissing Dick’s presence Tim turns and stalks away, he needs to go before anything else happens.

“All I’m asking you is to think about it Tim. Give Damian Robin and you can forge your own hero.”

Stopping in his tracks Tim turns back around and glares at the man. “I don’t need to think about it. The answer is no. I’m Robin and it’s going to stay that way. I can’t believe you’re asking me to give up something I have worked so hard for and something I have shaped to be my own.”

“Stop being so selfish!”

For a third time that evening Dick’s words make Tim freeze. First the question. Secondly how Dick truly seems to believe Bruce is dead. Now this.

“Selfish? How am I being selfish? I own Robin, I am Robin, I don’t have to do shit. And least of all I don’t have to give that demon child anything. He doesn’t even know Bruce, what right does he have to suddenly become an integral part of the family?”

Dick huffs out a sardonic laugh with a shake of his head. “I can’t believe you just said that. I’m not even going to answer that. I ask you to do one simple thing Tim. You’re blowing this completely out of proportion.”

“Simple? I’m blowing this out of proportion?” Tim repeats. “You’re the one insisting Bruce is dead.”

“Because he is!” Dick explodes again. “You’re being delusional Tim! Listen to what you are saying, look at the evidence we have. Why are you insisting otherwise, you’re causing us more pain than what we already have.”

“You know what Dick,” Tim says, having had enough. It’s more than clear he’s alone in his corner, his brother choosing a psychotic ten year old over him. “Go fuck yourself.”

With that Tim turns and leaves. He ignores the calls Dick makes behind him and heads for the vehicle bay. He needs to get out of the cave as soon as possible or risk another argument with Dick. Not wasting a second he grabs his helmet, straddles his bike, turning it on he reeves the engine before zooming out of the cave. He has no destination in mind other than the further away the better.

Sometime later he’s speeding through the streets of Gotham, his mind completely occupied on what occurred in the cave earlier. He repeats their spoken words and instead of seeing the argument logically, it only riles Tim up more and his anger at the situation increases.

A piercing scream cuts through his thoughts and Tim jolts, with a wrench of the handlebars he swerves his bike to the side and narrowly avoids hitting a group of girls standing on the sidewalk. Once he's stable and back on the road Tim takes a deep breath and steadies himself. After almost causing an accident he knows he’s in no state to drive. Working out where he is in the city he comes up with a good hiding spot nearby in the back alleys between buildings, navigating himself there Tim turns off the engine and takes a moment to breathe in attempts to calm himself down.

He shouldn’t have been driving angry. It’s reckless and dangerous. He almost caused an accident because he isn’t in the right head space to be able to fully concentrate on what he’s doing and on his surroundings. Yanking off his helmet Tim climbs off the bike and begins to pace, unable to stay still any longer.

Dick’s words repeat themselves in his mind and they make it difficult to focus on anything else. Tim can’t believe Dick wants him to give up the Robin mantle. After everything he’s been through, Dick wants him to give up the one thing that’s keeping him sane. Tim's lost his father, Kon, Bart, Steph, and Bruce (no, he hasn’t, he’ll find him) and now Dick wants Tim to lose Robin too.

Dick’s told him he can come up with a new persona but he doesn’t want to, a new one wouldn’t be the same. He’s not ready for that.

He's not giving up Robin.

Tim feels the need to hit something as another wave of anger flows through him. With his fists clenched impossibly tight by his sides Tim ends up taking his anger out on his bike, the force of the kick he strikes the vehicle with causes it to fall over with a loud clatter. In the moment the damage done was the last thing on Tim's mind. As he steps back from the bike his eyes get drawn to an old metal pipe propped up against the wall, stalking over to it he grabs the pipe and weighs it in his hands, figuring it'll do he walks back to his bike and takes a swing at it. As the pipe collides with the rear breaks a loud clang could be heard. Tim swings again before moving to the front of the bike.

He loses track of how long he spends whacking his bike with the pipe. With every swing he lets out a swear followed by a curse against Dick. All of his anger and emotions bleed out in an unforgivable manner, all of the tension he’s been holding for months finally spilling out of him like water bursting through a broken dam.

By the time Tim is done he’s feeling exhausted. His arms and shoulders ache, his fingers are cramping from where he’s held onto the bar too tightly and for too long, his head is pounding and he’s breathing heavily.

Tim slumps down onto the ground and ducks his head to his chest as he tries to get his breathing under control. He doesn’t feel any better, his temper tantrum hasn’t solved anything because all the same problems will still be there when he goes back to the cave. All he’s achieved is damaging his bike which will likely take weeks to repair.

A loud thump coming from his right gets his attention. Despite feeling exhausted his body is still working through the adrenaline, instinctively Tim is back up onto his feet before he even thinks about it, his staff in his hands and he’s automatically in a defensive position facing an opponent.

It takes him a moment to realise who it is opposite him. Standing casually like Tim is no threat at all is the Red Hood. The man is stood in the middle of the alleyway with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and his red helmet in place, Tim could see guns and weapons stashed across his body but what Tim couldn’t work out is why he’s here.

Red Hood steps closer to him and Tim doesn’t soften his stance. “When one of my snitches told me there’s a disturbance in the area, I certainly didn’t expect it to be you, replacement. Done with your temper tantrum?”

Tim grits his teeth and stays quiet. He’s not in a good mood and seeing Jason Todd, another supposed family member whose tried to kill him, that day is souring his mood even more than before. He’s not falling into Hood’s baiting games.

“What no snarky comeback?” Hood taunts. The man comes even closer and peers down at his bike, taking in the damage Tim has done to it. “Isn’t that what Robin’s all about, witty comebacks and the sense of humour?”

At the mention of Robin Tim snaps. “Shut up and fuck off.” Tim knows he fell into the trap, it didn’t take much, but he couldn’t help it, it was the mention of the exact thing that’s caused his bad mood.

Hood whistles. “Oh, the little birdie has a bite after all.” He stops walking, choosing to stand opposite Tim with the bike between them. “Oh relax replacement, I ain’t going to do anything. You can put that stick of yours down.”

Tim narrows his eyes at the man and doesn’t move.

“Alright, whatever,” he hears Hood sigh with a shake of his head. The man then crosses his arms, “so what’s got you in the middle of the city throwing it down with your bike? Not like you to lose your temper easily.”

“It’s none of your business.” Tim says, his voice hard and cold. “There’s nothing to see here so you can bugger off back to where you came from.”

There's a pause and Tim could count every second that passes in silence by his rapid heartbeat. The man stays quiet as he crouches down to the vehicle and examines it more closely, fiddling with bits to see how bad the damage is. Tim allows him to do what he wants and he even drops the defensive stance and puts away his staff.

“Let me guess,” Hood drawls out while looking at the breaks, “you got into an argument with goldie? Or perhaps it was the new kid, Bruce’s biological one, that’s caused you to lose your shit? Maybe it was both!”

Tim has no idea how the hell Hood’s been able to hit the nail right on the head but Tim doesn't confirm or deny anything, he stays quiet and keeps an eagle eye on the man’s movements.

“Not going to answer that?” Hood enquiries, the man looks up and even though he’s wearing the stupid helmet, Tim could tell he’s looking straight at him. After a moment Hood snorts and shakes his head yet again. “Both it is then.”

“It’s none of your business.” Tim repeats his earlier words in the same cold tone, but there’s an underlying shakiness to it. It’s nerved him on how right Jason’s been able to guess the reason behind his mental breakdown.

“If you’re wondering how I guessed well most of it was a lucky guess. However the fact your half dressed also gave it away. You’re lucky no one else has come to check out what the noise was all about.”

Tim blinks before frowning. He looks down at himself and noticed for the first time the attire he’s adventured out in. He's still got his armoured pants and boots on, his utility belt is wrapped around his waist however he’s only wearing a thin cotton jumper he had put on once he got out of his Robin tunic. A surge of panic hits Tim and he reaches up to his face, the panic intensifies when he doesn’t feel anything but skin there. His eyes widen and he feels sick. He’s been out here in his robin gear openly showing his face. Anyone could work out his identity! He’s fucked up big time.

“Jesus christ, relax, replacement,” Hood’s robotic voice cuts through his thoughts. “I’ve already disabled any cameras nearby and have wiped out any footage of the last hour since you’ve been here. Whatever happened really fucked you up huh? Reckless driving. Vandalizing your own vehicle. Swearing as bad as a sailor. Almost blowing the whole family’s secret.”

“Yes, thank you!” Tim cuts in, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed at Hood’s response to list off everything he’s done wrong in the last hour. “How would you like it if I listed everything you’ve done wrong Hood? Have you got time, because we’ll be here all day.”

Jason’s own response was to snort in amusement. Obviously he’s not as bothered by it as Tim is. Huffing Tim walks to where his helmet lies on the floor, picking it up he dusts off the dirt and puts it on, at least no one will be able to see his face with this on.

“What do you want Hood? I’m evidently having a shitty day and you’re not improving it.” Tim says with a sigh, he’s tired and done with everything, all the fight having now left him. “If you have nothing to do and you’re only here to annoy me, can I ask you to do it on another day. I don’t have the energy.”

Now standing up right Hood stares at him and Tim stares back. When the man doesn't relent Tim looks away first, he changes his attention to his poor bike and starts to feel the regret of his childish actions.

To his surprise though Hood bends down and picks the bike up, using the handlebar to keep it balanced and steady. Miraculously it’s somehow standing, perhaps Tim hadn’t too much damage to it after all. Wordlessly the man starts guiding the bike down the alleyway leaving Tim blinking in confusion behind him.

“Uh Hood? What you doing?”

“Well you can’t get anywhere with the damage done to this. We’ll go to my garage and fix her up. Then you can go off and do whatever it is you need to do.”

Tim doesn't know what part of that to try and comprehend first.

“Why do you want to help me? Not long back you were trying to kill me.”

Hood shrugs. “Well today I fancy being a good Samaritan, sue me. Well, you could try but you can’t sue a dead man,” the man then pauses, “or can you?”

Tim is the most confused he’s been all night. “What? I don’t know. That’s not an answer.”

The other man doesn’t offer anything up so Tim quickly darts forward to catch up to him as Jason leads them through the narrow alleyways. The other part of what he said also sits in Tim’s mind, it’s like Jason already knows that Tim is planning on doing something about proving how Bruce isn’t dead. Like he knows Tim may go off to prove his point. Tim decides to not think about how well the man seems to read him despite them hardly ever interacting unless Jason’s actively trying to kill him.

The two of them remain silent the entire way to Jason’s garage. Tim should be weary of him and the situation but after the day he’s had he couldn’t quite bring himself to care, if Jason wants to try and kill him then he could go ahead, it’ll just be icing on the cake at this point. Hell Damian will end up having the Robin mantle if Jason kills him, then Dick will also get his wish. Two for one. Lucky them….

“Whatever it is, it’ll pass,” Hood mutters to him, it’s said so quietly Tim almost misses it, “I don’t know the situation or what’s happened between you and Dick but things have a way to sort themselves out.”

Tim doesn't offer a response to his words although Jason didn’t seem to be after one. The two of them eventually make their way to Jason’s garage and they instantly set up the bike onto the racks. Together they start making a log of what needs to be replaced and what can be fixed. It should scare Tim how well they work together when they’re not engaged in a fight but it doesn’t. In a weird way it feels right, of course he doesn’t comment on the situation, instead he silently accepts the helping hand Jason is offering.

No one needs to know how later that night, when Tim falls asleep on the old recliner Jason has in his garage, how Jason covers Tim with his jacket and leaves him to sleep while he works on the bike. The two of them in a comfortable silence like they’ve never experienced before.

Jason may or may not be starting to develop protective feelings for the kid who looks like he’s wearing the world on his shoulders. Learning to get past his previous feelings Jason figures that if the Bats are going to treat Tim like shit then he’ll will do his best to make sure the kid remembers that he isn’t alone.

#Tim Drake #dick grayson #Jason Todd #canon divergence #arguing #angst #very angsty #angst with a hopeful ending #angry!tim #big brother jason #Dick's not great in this #but neither is tim really #upset tim #Robin #dc comics #batfamily #some swearing #onerepublic savior #fanfiction

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crazydreamercycle · 2 years

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I went looking for Mendoza's age and the wiki told me he was 28 and... No. I'm sorry. No. He can't possibly be 28.

Just... see this picture?

This is him in the flashback to when he saved Esteban, twelve years prior to the events of the show. You know what this isn't? A sixteen years old.

Just. No. What the fuck.

#some swearing #the mysterious cities of gold #les mystérieuses cités d'or #mcog mendoza #mendoza #okay but actually how old is he #this is important #i refuse to believe he's 28 but how old?????

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entropy-sea-system · 2 years

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People who claim animals who change 'secondary sexual characteristics' (in quotes bc sex is a social construct) are 'trans' when really that's more similar to intersex or sex variations don't really get it. Because being trans is about gender identity and you can't tell what a non-communicating-with-humans bioanimal identifies as. And I say this as a trans person.

You shouldn't assign gender to animals based on their characteristics imo. Thats rather bioessential, equating physical characteristics with gender, and its not the same as voluntary physical transition as such changes or variations happen without the animal having a say in it. How can human gender apply to animals and why should it? If you wouldn't use what bodily traits someone has to assign a gender to them then how the fuck is it okay to do that to animals?

(-Rift)

#trans #gender #animals #bioessentialism #swearing #some swearing #cursing #adding those tags bc someone added a similar one and adding more in vase someone has different tags of that category blocked and needs #rhus tag blocked

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scuggle · 1 year

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youtube

guess fuckin what im uploading my collections to youtube

if you miss any of my clips, you're totally welcome to check my youtube here for any new collections

#jays va stuff #hero omori #voice acting #omori hero #some swearing #some loud parts #Youtube

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wikluk · 2 years

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hellooooo! i’m dropping updates like crazy because there are only five more to go! (and one more for me to write lol)

in this chapter, there’s a feral pregnant hormonal protective mama Julieta, and I need to thank @the-little-robyn whose comic inspired me to write it (it’s kinda funny how we inspire each other lmao)

#wiktoria's fanfiction corner #encanto fanfic #fanfic update #my writing #something unexpected #julieta madrigal #mirabel madrigal #oc #julieta and mirabel #emotional hurt/comfort #some swearing #in general just ANGRY MAMA JULI #we love we stan

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chaoswithcausation · 1 year

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Free To Feel

I’ve been considering writing a Sanders Sides oneshot or something for a while now and well I guess I’m finally doing it.

Description:

High school au hurt/comfort with Janus and Patton. Patton has learned something from his mom, and he’s pretty upset about it. He doesn’t know why- it took place years ago, so he doesn’t have any reason to feel sad about it, right?

Then why can’t he stop crying?

It takes a talk with Janus to let him know that his feelings, no matter what they are, are valid.

Warnings for: discussion of past miscarriage(s), Remus (he only shows up briefly and says one thing to warrant this, though), some swearing

If you read it and have any constructive criticism, please share!

Patton was having a shitty day, and Janus could tell.

It wasn’t like it was hard or anything- he was great at reading body language, and Patton’s had been practically screaming “THIS SUCKS!!!” all day long.

Granted, that was what Janus saw. Patton was actually very good at concealing his negative emotions, so it was no big surprise when none of their friends seemed to pick up on the distressed vibes radiating from the usual sunshine. Janus had roughly half his classes with Patton, so he had plenty of time to observe his mood. Rather than excitedly volunteer answers like he usually did in History, Patton had sat quietly in his spot looking out the window. That in itself didn’t seem like much cause for concern at the time, but when he offered no topics of conversation at all during lunch Janus began to worry.

There wasn’t much he could do about it until after school, though. So he waited, keeping a careful eye on the softest of his friends while in the classes they shared, and formulating a plan for talking to Patton after school. Since he didn’t know what the issue was, he figured that he’d swing by his house after school before heading to Patton’s. They lived only a few blocks away from each other, and were regularly coming and going between houses as if they lived together. This was essentially the norm for their entire friend group- though the twins and Logan did live at slightly greater distances than the rest.

When the bell rang, Janus totally didn’t run out of the classroom. Nopity nope, he definitely did not. Doesn’t matter what you heard, the hall monitors are bitchy liars.

Regardless of the verity of what the hall monitors may or may not have seen, Janus did arrive at he and his friends’ designated meetup spot at the front of the school very quickly— but was somehow still the last to arrive, excepting Patton.

What? It wasn’t his fault that his final class was all the way on the other side of the school!

He didn’t plan to stop and chat, though, considering two things. A) he was on a mission, and didn’t have time to listen to Roman talking about the upcoming theatre production today, and B) he had absolutely zero I desire to get involved in whatever was happening.

Virgil and Roman were lounging on the ground against the wall, watching Logan and Remus scream at impressively loud volumes.

“HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS?! YOU CA-”

“IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU TELL ME, I’M NOT GOING TO LISTEN!!!”

“YOU ARE SINGLE-HANDEDLY THE MOST INSUFFERABLE PERSON I’VE EVER MET!!!”

“YOUR MOM IS- oh hey Jannie!”

Janus rubbed his temples. “Hello Remus. Have any of you seen Patton?”

“He already went home,” Virgil piped up. “Said he was tired and didn’t feel up to listening to these two go at each other like a couple of wild animals. Well, not in those words, duh, but that was the general vibe I got.”

Remus snickered at Virgil’s comparison of him and Logan. “Y’know, going at it like a couple of wild animals sounds pretty fun, huh Logan?”

“Why you-”

Janus didn’t stick around to hear the rest.

When he arrived at Patton’s house, he knocked on the front door and called out as he stepped inside to let them know it was him entering, then poked his head into the kitchen where Patton’s mom always sat at the table working. “Hi! Is Patton home yet?”

She had scarcely opened her mouth to respond when Patton came sliding down the hallway in socks at top speed, bowling over Janus and knocking them both onto the floor.

“Oh, sorry Jan!” he exclaimed, hauling them both back up to their feet. “C’mon, let’s go to my room so Mom can work.”

Patton’s mom was clearly suppressing a laugh. “Pat, honey, what have we told you about sliding down the hallway at Mach 4?”

“Sorry, mom. Won’t happen again!” he called, already moving back towards his room. Janus followed, and after setting his bag down on the floor, immediately flopped down into the absolutely enormous beanbag chair occupying the corner of the room. Patton shut the door then followed suit, plopping himself down onto the other end of it.

It was huge. They could have easily fit another person in between them— although at that point it would’ve been a bit more like a cuddle pile.

“So, what’s up?” Patton asked. He wore a calm smile on his face, but the emotion he was trying to convey did not reach his eyes. He looked, like Virgil had said, tired.

“It’s vibe check time,” Janus replied. “And before you start spouting some ‘I am a-okay!’ bullshit, let me tell you that I know something’s been off with you all day. Whatever’s going on, you can tell me about it.”

“Right to the chase, huh?”

“Yes.”

Patton sighed heavily and sunk down in the chair. “I don’t want to burden you with my garbage.”

“You aren’t burdening me, Patton. I asked. And I sincerely hope that your ‘garbage’ is referring to the contents of your trash can, and not your personal issues.”

Patton sunk a little deeper into the chair. “So, I was talking with my mom yesterday.”

He paused for a long time.

“I don’t think you know this, since we didn’t really hang out then, but when I was littler my parents tried really hard for another kid. That’s my brother.”

Janus was very familiar with Patton’s little brother. The kid was smart as a whip, just as silly and sunshiney as his older brother, and had probably seen every Disney movie in existence. Their entire friend group doted on him like he was an angel- especially Logan, who normally was awkward around kids at best. The others liked to tease him about it, but it was clear to anyone that they all adored Emile as well.

Patton pulled his sleeves down over his hands and balled them up to make sweater paws. “I remember, when I was really little, I used to ask for siblings all the time. I wanted a bunch of siblings to play with and hang out with and have little sleepovers with— all that fun stuff. I never really stopped to wonder why it took so long for Emile to get here.” He paused for a moment to breathe— in for four, hold for four, out for four. Virgil used the same trick to help with his anxiety.

Patton let out a small chuckle. “I was so excited when he arrived. I finally had a brother! Yeah, he was really tiny and squishy at first, but as he got bigger he started to grow into this amazing person who is so much fun to be around, and now he’s one of my best friends. Sure, he can be a goober sometimes, but so can I! I love having him as my brother!”

Another long pause.

“But… I didn’t stop hoping for more siblings. As we both got older, though, and he got to be old enough to actually talk and stuff, I kind of forgot about it, but… not completely. I wondered, sometimes, why it was just me and Emile. Heck, once I was old enough to realize that we aren’t getting any more siblings, I even felt sad that he wouldn’t get to be a big brother too.”

Patton rubbed at his eyes, and remained quiet for a bit.

“Yesterday, my mom and I were talking. I can’t even remember now how it got brought up, but…” he took a shaky breath and continued. “We wound up on the topic of siblings, and she— she told me that she—”

There were tears flowing down his cheeks now, but he seemed determined to continue.

“She told me that she miscarried! And I— I don’t— I don’t know why I’m so upset, because it’s not even like I knew the babies existed back then and it was years and years ago so it shouldn’t matter now, but— I couldn’t stop thinking, about how I never knew how risky it was, and then I started thinking about how it just as easily could’ve been me or Emile and— and that just scared me so much because I can’t imagine not having him in my life because he’s such an incredible kid, and then I was thinking about how we could’ve had more siblings that probably would’ve been just as amazing as him and— and—”

Patton buried his face in his sweater-paws and wept. Janus reached out an arm and gently wrapped it around his shoulders— enough so that he could feel it, but still light enough for Patton to move away if he wished to.

Instead, Patton collapsed into his embrace, and Janus enfolded him in his warm arms, not saying anything, just letting him cry.

“Four,” he sobbed. “There were four.”

They stayed there like that for a while, as Patton cried out the word ‘four’ again and again. When he did sit up and dry his face, he wouldn’t meet Janus’s eyes.

“Sorry to dump all that on you. It’s silly to be so upset about something so long ago-”

Janus cut him off. “Patton, you don’t have to apologize for anything. I came here because I noticed that you seemed sad, and specifically asked you to share with me what was wrong— and I am so glad that you did. There is absolutely nothing silly with the way you are feeling. This is an entirely natural and reasonable response to learning what you have, and your feelings are completely valid. Additionally, you don’t have to hide when you feel upset over something. You have one of the biggest hearts of anyone I’ve ever met, and you have friends and family who love you so much. Please don’t ever feel like your emotions are silly, or that you can’t talk to anyone about them.”

Patton’s eyes welled up, and he wrapped Janus up in a huge hug. “Dang it, Jan. How do you always know what to say?”

Janus wrapped his arms around his friend once more, and held on tight. “It’s my specialty.”

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blueberryyeti · 1 year

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Halzek Omegaverse

He was lonely down there, stuck behind the couch. Jay’d left him there while they were playing ‘hide and seek’ . Adam was seriously reconsidering ever playing games like this with Jay ever again.

“Jay! Help me you idiot!” No reply, that got him scared. “Jay, please I’m not joking.”

“Fine.” Oh thank the gods, Jay was still there. He helped the poor Omega out from behind the couch.

“How long were you there for?” Adam was angry at the Alpha for not helping him out, he knew he wouldn’t be angry for long but he was still mad.

“Not that long..”

“I WAS THERE FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR!” Adam flinched at his own words, he sounded loud in his own ears, considering Jay’s reaction he sounded loud outside too.

“S-sorry” He felt vulnerable now, Jay standing in front of him while he felt like hiding behind the couch again. “It’s okay Adam, I left you there you have the right to be mad at me.” Adam heaved a sigh of relief and wobbled into Jay’s awaiting arms.

“Thank you Jay, I love you..”

Jay chuckled, then nuzzled into the crown of Adam's head.

“I love you too idiot.”

!Next Morning!

“Jayyyyyyyyyyy, pleaseeeeee!”

“Fuck off Adam, I wanna sleep for a few more hours!”

Adam pouted and rolled off of Jay’s back and flopping himself onto the ground. He only realized a few seconds after how stupid it was, “Jay.. Why the fuck did you put belt down here?”

“I always put it down there, you always get out of bed on my back so you never notice.”

Adam wobbled up from off the ground and winced, feeling blood trickle down his knee where the belt buckle stuck into it. “Ouch.”

“The fuck did you do Adam?” Jay said as he rolled over to look over to him.

“I think we might need to go to the ED…”

“Oh my fucking god, you are that stupid aren’t you?”

With a huff, Adam started to waddle his way to the wardrobe to grab a shirt and shorts before Jay spoke up,

“Ads, wait gimme a minute I’m coming as well.”

Time passed like a blur when they were in the car, Adam holding a tea towel to his knee, Jay focusing on the road and occasionally turning his head to look at Adam. Eventually Adam had enough of the silence,

“I’m fine Babe, It’s not that bad.”

“Fuck that.” There it was, the protective Alpha coming to the surface for the Omega. Really, Adam did love Jay for that but when Jay didn’t listen to him and hid him behind a thick blanket of protection when he didn’t need it was infuriating. “Fine.”

!In the ED!

“The knee looks good, officer, but you will have to stay at home or at a desk for a while for it to heal.” The Doctor said before nodding at his patient, then at the angry looking Detective alpha standing to the side of the room. “Thank you again Doctor, I appreciate it.”

After the Doctor exits Jay is immediately sitting by Adam’s side, cupping his face with his hands; “Are you sure you’re okay Ads?” Adam felt the concern radiate off of their bond in waves, his reply was mumbled “Yeah.. I’m sure Jay.”

Jay drove them home in silence, apart from the occasional whimper when Adam’s knee got moved around too much. Jay looked towards Adam for the 100th time since they’d left the ED, “Adam, you need some pain meds?” “No!” The reply was quick, a bit too quick for Jay’s liking.

“Adam - Ruzek.”

“Detective - Jay - Halstead..” Adam knew he was in for it when they got home considering Jay’s complete silence after his snarky comeback. “Sorry…”

Again, Jay is looking towards Adam, “For what Ruz?” Adam just felt so scared when Jay fell silent like that, the cold look, emotions obviously not an option.

“Th-the comeback..” Adam started to stumble over his words, then he turned away to look at the passing houses.

“Pfft! It’s alright darling, no reason to be scared.”

Adam’s shocked look as he jerked his head back to Jay made him laugh again. “Focus on the fucking road you idiot.”

“Alright.”

! During the night!

A groan elicited from Adam’s throat as he shifted his knee again, it was in so much pain he couldn’t fall asleep. “Fuc- why am I so stupid?”

Adam thought Jay was sleeping, so when he replied it startled him, “You’re not stupid Adam”- Jay rolls over to look at Adam in the eyes, “It was my fault for not putting my stuff away properly, if I’d got out of bed earlier we probably wouldn’t have needed to go to the ED.”

Adam hums his response and sits up to lean up against the wall. “ Yeah, It wasn’t my fault. It was yours.”

Jay growls playfully before pouncing on Adam.

“Jay!”

!Part one finished!

#Omegaverse #omega adam ruzek #alpha jay halstead #minor injuries #some swearing #pet names #Halzek

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dahliakbloom · 1 year

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For all the things Jason has tried in his youth, he never realised grief was the most bitter drug of all. The mission briefing felt like years ago. If only Eric hadn’t listened to him. Hadn’t agreed to air support. At least Salim could have got away.

A man and his grief. A memory slicing through the sands, searching for his beloved.

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sultrysirens · 2 years

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Monstertober 2022: Part 4: Troll

Universe: Original

Characters: Reader, Troll

Rating: Mature

—

Being an employee at a gym had two great benefits: first, you got to work out on your off days for free; second, you got to meet and get to know a ton of people, many of whom were really cool.

But working at a mixed-race gym was even better, because it meant you also got to know orcs, minotaurs, satyrs, werewolves and more. To your surprise, most of them were pretty chill people. They’d chat you up from time to time, share tips, compliment one another and the like. You got to know some of them personally and hung out outside of the gym on occasion.

There was an orc named Gurn who was one of your best friends, in part because he was a really squishy teddy bear underneath. He recently confessed to you that he had a massive crush on a satyr he’d met a few weeks back, and it was legitimately enjoyable to encourage him to go confess to the other man.

They were dating now, and it gave you butterflies the first time Gurn brought his new boyfriend to the gym to show him around. They were adorable together.

But the patron who had your eye most recently was Loran, a troll. He was a new member of the gym, had only shown up a week prior, but he was already becoming a bit of a celebrity.

His skin was a bright, aquamarine blue, for one thing, his hair thick, long and navy blue. True to form for most trolls, he was tall and lanky, probably stood close to seven feet tall — when he wasn’t slumping, which he usually was. And his tusks were massive, over a foot long each, with tribal designs carved into them.

Similar to orcs, Loran’s strength was greater than his musculature appeared. While he wasn’t the strongest patron by far, he was still able to use the heavy-duty machines specifically designed for the fey clientele.

Like a bunch of other gym stars, he garnered a lot of stares while he worked out, and you were a little embarrassed to admit that yours sometimes joined the others — especially when he paused between sets to stretch, showing off (unintentionally or otherwise) how incredibly limber he was.

Honestly, you hadn’t seen many patrons that flexible.

But Loran wasn’t much of a talker, you found. In fact, so far you hadn’t heard a word from him; he gave nods and waves in greeting, and sometimes he just waved people off when they got too close, but otherwise he kept to himself and kept quiet.

Weirdly, you didn’t get the impression he was embarrassed by the attention he got, nor did he come off as arrogant or dickish. He was just quiet.

It made you ravenously curious.

You got your answer why a few months into his patronage. Every so often he’d stay late, almost as if he simply didn’t want to be wherever else he was supposed to be, even staying until closing twice before. Today was another such occasion, and it fell to you to call everyone to get off the machines about a half hour till closing.

Loran was among those who’d been lingering, and at your warning he nodded and headed to the changing rooms with the others.

You and a coworker cleaned up the floor and the machines, putting misplaced weights back in their places and such. As you did so a particular patron who’d been flirting with you lingered nearby, clearly watching you.

Marinka was a selkie woman with fine, blonde hair and nearly matching skin tone. Like most selkies you’d met, her skin was slightly glossy all the time and her irises were twice the size of a human’s, giving her an animalistic look. And she was clearly crushing on you, hard.

You didn’t mind so much. She was sweet and kind of shy sometimes, adorable as could be. She knew better by now than to disrupt your work, so instead she stayed near the entrance and waited for you to be done. This was the umpteenth she’d done so and honestly you liked talking to her, though your gentle declines of her occasional flirts hadn’t done much to dissuade her.

It didn’t bother you; it seemed like being a little flirty was just in her nature, and she’d never pushed for anything besides. You were starting to think she just liked talking to you, so why not just join her in conversation?

Once your work was done and you had your personal belongings you waited with her by the door, waiting until all of the patrons had filed out. You were almost instinctively looking for Loran as you waited for them to file out, and he was last in line, allowing a pair of others ahead of him with a nod.

You nudged Marinka ahead of you, and your coworker left with the others. Once everyone was out, you locked up and strode over to the selkie.

“So,” you promoted her even as your eyes sought out Loran as he headed out into the parking lot, “what’s the plan?”

“Why do you mean?” she asked, canting her head at you.

“You usually ask me to hang out with you somewhere. So what’d you pick for tonight?” you asked her. Given she usually fronted whatever bill you received from these outings, you weren’t particularly opposed to them.

“Well—” she started, then paused, blinking over your shoulder.

Curious, you glanced back, your stomach giving an embarrassing flutter as you recognized that Loran had turned back around and was heading back to you. It looked like he was holding something in his four-fingered hand, analyzing it.

Confused and intrigued, you asked Marinka, “He’s coming back?”

“Maybe he found something?” she offered, shrugging. “He’s definitely holding something.”

“Looks like a cup?” you said, squinting at the object. In his large hand, though, it was hard to be certain. And, figuring it was useless to guess, you turned back to your companion, saying, “Well, whatever it is, he—”

Your voice dried up when you noticed a figure step out of the shadows behind Marinka, lunging at her. Before you could do anything more than give a shout in warning it had her by the neck, a red-tinted arm banding around her throat.

She shrieked, flailing, and your impulsive move to jump at the assailant stopped when you recognized the glint of metal in the light. Suddenly a knife was at her jaw, and a deep, raspy voice snarled, “Don’t make a move.”

You slowly lifted your hands, concern for your friend overriding all else.

Marinka gave a snarl in return, her carnivorous teeth lengthening threateningly. “Jareg, I swear, if that’s you—” she hissed in a guttural tone you’d never heard her use before.

“Jareg?” you echoed, your heart stuttering with fear.

“We’re going,” the male told her, tugging her backwards as he started to retreat.

Anger rose to battle the fear in you. Oh, no — you were not about to stand here and watch a friend of yours get fucking kidnapped. “Let go of her — right now,” you warned harshly.

“I got this,” Marinka assured you, then promptly chomped down on the arm holding her.

Blood splurted from the bite, Jareg howling in pain and flinging away from her. Enraged, he swung the blade at her and she went wheeling backwards to avoid it, tripping over the sidewalk and landing sprawled in the street.

You were so focused on Marinka and Jareg that you hadn’t noticed the heavy, thudding footsteps behind you. When you made a lunge towards Jareg, intending to knock him in the head with all your not-inconsiderate strength, he pivoted and turned the knife towards you. At the same time a sudden yank at the back of your jacket hauled you off your feet, narrowly pulling you out of the range of the knife.

Loran was stepping past you in the next second, and Jareg — who, you now saw, was an oni with a single horn poking out of his forehead — was in a terrible position, off-balance.

Loran caught him by the neck, and in one hard thrust, Jareg went soaring through the air. The oni was large, bigger than Loran in every way, and he slammed into a tree, snapping the trunk clean in half and tumbling to the ground.

Obviously injured, now, Jareg took a moment to get back to his feet, wincing from the pain in his back, unable to stand upright, hacking for air and cradling his injured arm. His knife had vanished at some point in that toss, but he squared off against Loran all the same, assuming a fighting stance.

You dove for Marinka, hauling her back to her feet and guiding the both of you back. This was about to become a fey battle and the last thing a human like you should do was get involved in it. As for Marinka, you just wanted to keep her safe, away from the bloodbath you could see was about to occur.

She wiped the blood off her mouth, and you realized too late that she was holding her neck, blood oozing from between her fingers. Shit!

“Fuck, fuck—” you swore, digging in your pocket for your phone, trying to keep eyes on both Marinka and the troll and oni. The males charged at each other and slammed together as you struggled to dial 9-1-1, and you were working on auto-pilot as you attempted to keep focused on three points at once.

You let Marinka use your coat to staunch her bleeding, rattled off what information you had to emergency services, and watched in a state of awe as the males scrapped right in front of you.

Jareg was definitely bigger than Loran, broader and heavier, but it was clear that he didn’t really know how to fight. Loran shifted into some kind of beast as they fought, not physically but in method, and he was clearly trained in his form of battle. He bullied Jareg around, took blows and barely staggered from it, and at one point used his tusks to catch and snap Jareg’s arm.

It ended as suddenly as it began with Loran seizing Jareg by the back of the head, lifting him off his feet, and then slamming him face-first into the pavement. Jareg didn’t get up again, and soon a puddle of blood was easing out from around his face.

Loran stepped back at last, heaving with breath, and you realized after the fact that in that entire fight he’d still never once made a sound. He finally backed off from his fallen foe and turned back to you, looking you over with one black eye squeezed shut, then giving Marinka the same once-over.

He approached where she sat on the ground at the same time that you started to hear sirens in the distance, and he pulled something out of his coat pocket as he crouched down in front of her. It was his phone, you saw, and he opened a text app and typed on it, then turned it towards her.

Are you okay?

She read it and nodded, giving him a grateful smile. “Thanks,” she murmured, her voice tight.

Absently, you heard the dispatcher on the other end of the line ask you for an update and you informed her that the fight was over, the assailant was knocked out. Then, hanging up, you moved to sit beside Marinka, giving Loran a steady look.

You couldn’t help asking, “Are you mute?”

He gave you a look, seeming reluctant, then nodded.

Oh. Well, that explained a great deal, you thought. No wonder he’d never said anything to his fans or even made a single grunt or snarl that whole fight.

He literally couldn’t.

Though a part of you desperately wanted to know more, you held back, saying, “Thank you. For your help. I don’t know what would’ve happened if…” you started, then trailed off, looking past him to where Jareg remained prone on the ground.

A crowd had gathered during the fight, and now you could see a group of three large men — an orc and two humans, you thought — keeping guard of the knocked-out oni. They were keeping everyone else back, too, not that there were too many stragglers this time of night.

Wheels squealed as vehicles turned into the parking lot, and immediately the few pedestrians were flagging down the police cars and ambulance. Before you had time to do much more than identify yourself to the officers and help Marinka identify herself, she was loaded up and gone.

The next hour was a flurry you barely had the cognizance to follow. Two officers spoke to you, and several others questioned the pedestrians and Loran — who was given an interpreter to help him communicate. Jareg was given first aid, woken up, and eventually taken away in another ambulance.

For a while it looked like Loran might get arrested, but you backed him up and assured the officers that he was just protecting Marinka the entire time.

In the end, the police left without him but only after you’d both given statements. You needed some time to come to terms with what had happened, though, so after everyone else had already dispersed you remained behind, sitting on the curb and replaying those few minutes that had turned into such a visceral memory to you.

Loran lingered too; you guessed he was watching over you in a similar way to how he’d defended Marinka. He just quietly sat nearby, close enough that it was obvious he was here for you yet far enough to not crowd you.

You appreciated that. And, after a little while, you turned to him.

“Loran?”

He glanced at you.

“Why did you come back?” you asked. Curiosity had been plaguing you this entire time. You remember him coming towards you with something in his hand, but you never saw what it was, and after the circus that had followed the attack you hadn’t had a second to gather your thoughts enough to ask.

He gave a silent laugh, then scooted over closer to you, reaching into his pocket. He withdrew his phone and typed on it, then showed you.

Found a cup. Figured it belonged to someone from the gym. Dropped it.

Then he pointed past you to where he’d come from, and when you looked, you saw splinters of plastic in the road. One of the vehicles must have run it over, you guessed.

You chuckled. “Well,” you offered, giving him a wry smile, “if someone comes over asking for it, I can tell them it got crushed.”

He typed on his phone again.

Maybe.

“Maybe,” you agreed.

You fell into silence again, and it was strangely comfortable and warm despite the cold night. Maybe it was because you had such a fine companion to chase away the chill?

You stretched your legs out, sighing up at the sky. Then, unable to stem your curiosity, you prompted, “Loran? …This might sound weird,” you hedged, “but during that fight…I saw you use — um — use your tusks to break that guy’s arm. Is that, like…common?”

He looked amused, and this close you realized for the first time that his eyes were an even lighter blue than his skin. He took a moment to type out a reply, then showed you again.

Too hard to explain this way. Takes time.

You nodded, accepting that, and made a silent promise to learn sign language. You’d always had the inclination to learn anyway, but now you had a reason.

“Don’t worry about it, then,” you said, smiling at him. “I’m just glad you came back when you did. The way things were going…I mean, I know it’s not healthy to envision it, but Marinka…she’d probably be kidnapped by now, and I’d just be…bleeding,” you finished, morose. You couldn’t help rubbing at your chest where you recall Jareg’s knife had been aimed, wondering which — if any — of your vital organs it would’ve pierced.

There was a chance that, had Loran not yanked you out of the way, you could be dead right now.

Suddenly a heavy weight thumped on your head, and you found Loran giving you an affectionate kind of smile as he tousled your hair.

Before you knew it you were grinning and laughing, shoving his hand away. “Don’t patronize me,” you chided, and he grinned down at you.

You found yourself enraptured by that smile, feeling lighter and brighter than before.

#monstertober 2022 #troll #oneshot #siren nightshade #sfw #some swearing

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