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phantom-dc · 1 year

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Dad Hood - part 14

Bruce was getting a weird feeling. He thought that with Jason coming clean about having a kid and with he misunderstanding about Jason being cloned cleared up that things would go back to normal. But the way his sons were acting told him that there was still something he didn’t know. It likely had something to do with Danny, but he wasn’t sure what. Danny was a sweet kid, always eager to help others and make new friends. Bruce had still no clue what Dick, Tim and Jason were hiding from him and it nagged at him. He was suspicious that it was something big, otherwise one of them would’ve ratted the others out by now. If not to him then to Duke, Steph or Cass. Even Alfred didn’t know what was going on, and there were times Bruce suspected him of being an all-knowing being only pretending to be human. Bruce decided to keep an close eye. It’s not like he could investigate the Joker case any further before J’ohn came back from Mars anyway.

‘Grandpa Bruce, is daddy’s doll dry yet?’

Bruce looked down. Danny was looking at him with big eyes, waiting for the paint on their self-made Red Hood action figure to dry. Checking it with his finger, Bruce found it had dried and was ready.

‘It seems he is, champ. Here you go, you can play all you want with him. Be careful not to break him, ok?’

After Bruce handed Danny the action figure, Danny got really excited. He immediately ran back to his other toys so he could play out the stories his uncle’s told him about. Though they were made child-friendly, of course. Danny immediately gathered the Batman, Nightwing and Red Robin toys. He even had a Mr. Freeze and Riddler toy. Mr. Freeze had no problem with his visage being used as long as a portion of the money went to his wife’s cure. Riddler had seen it as a contest with Batman, so his toy even came with pre-recorded riddles! Seeing Danny play with them, Bruce turned to the other people in the room.

‘Dang, Bruce. You’re really playing into the grandpa role, aren’t you?’

Jason smirked at Bruce. It was a good thing that there wasn’t much happening in Gotham. With things calm in the city, he could stay a bit longer and the family could bond. Jason couldn’t remember the last time things were like this. He started to wonder if he should tell everyone how Danny took care of his Lazarus problem… Nah, they would just ask more questions and he really didn’t want to put his Soul on display again. Never again.

‘You’re not going anywhere, Red Hood! We’ll skin you alive and turn you into a coffee table!’ Danny said, holding the Mr. Freeze toy.

Dick, Jason, Tim and Bruce looked at Danny. Where had he picked up that language? Sure, Jason wasn’t always able to watch what he said around Danny, but he never threatened to turn someone into furniture? Maybe he should try it though. He bet he could make it work, with his reputation and all.

‘You are going down! The Red Hood never loses! Pew pew!’ Danny was pretending the Red Hood toy could shoot lasers from his hands.

Dick thought it was adorable. Did Danny think Jason had laser guns? Did he see those in cartoons? Maybe Danny liked those sci fi cartoons that were popular nowadays. With all the glow-in-the-dark stars Danny put up in his room it was obvious that Danny loved space. He wonders if Danny had those stars in his old house.

‘I am the Question Mark, and you will question why you ever thought you could win!’ Danny was holding the Riddler toy, and for some reason putting up a mad-scientist voice.

Bruce was worried. What had Danny been through that he knew about stuff like this? The threats and the obvious mad-scientist. Did the person Danny was copying the voice off the same one as the person that tried to clone him? It made him think. After Jason had told him that Danny had adoptive parents out there, he had avoided the issue. He’d been too happy to have a new family member. But now? Would it be safe for Danny? He should investigate these ‘parents’, so he could decide if it would be safer for Danny to stay here. If he was going to stay, Bruce knew that he would be fine. Everyone loved Danny, and Jason was being a very good father-figure to him. Bruce could tell that Jason loved his son very much, and would do anything for him. Somewhere, deep down, Bruce wished he could say the same thing.

‘You’re defeated, Question-Mark-man! No evil people will harm the innocents while the Red Hood is here!’ Danny put the Red Hood toy’s foot on the Riddler toy, in a triumphant pose.

Jason smiled. It was nice to be his kids hero. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Bruce looked at him with a very proud look in his eyes.

‘Jason, I must say, I’m proud of you. You’re a good father.’

And then Danny phased the Riddler toy into the floor.

Bruce, Jason and Dick were looking at Danny. Danny, who had just phased a toy into the floor. Seeing the gears turning in Bruce’s head, Tim quickly scooped up the kid and left the room. As Bruce slowly turned to look at Jason and Dick, Jason decided to make the first move:

‘IT WAS DICK’S FAULT!’

Dick was shocked by that. They immediately started arguing. Dick accused Jason of throwing him under the bus. Jason accused Dick of leaving Danny alone in public. Dick threw back that Jason didn’t warn him about Danny being so much to handle. Jason asked why on Earth he told his 5-year old child that he puts people in the ground, this never would’ve-

‘ENOUGH!’

Bruce’s voice boomed through the room, silencing the 2 brothers. He was furious. His grandson was the reason the Joker was dead, and his own children tried to hide it from him! Bruce took a deep breath. Dick and Jason were looking guilty. Bruce was reminder of how they looked when they got into trouble as kids, but this was serious. The fight the two had did reveal a few things to Bruce.

‘So, Danny is a meta? And you, Dick, told him that bad people are to be buried alive?’

Dick didn’t look him in the eyes:

‘He wanted to know what Jason did for work, and I was overwhelmed and it just came out? I knew I messed up as soon as I said it, but Dany didn’t seem to care. I never thought he would-’

Bruce cut him off. He needed more information, not excuses.

‘Does Danny realize he killed someone?’

Jason said Danny didn’t, at least Jason thinks he didn’t. Danny never showed signs of that, but with all the things that Danny does do it might have slipped through. Jason still isn’t sure what things Danny tells him are real and what is a child’s interpretations. Bruce sighed. That was good, at least they didn’t have another trauma to deal with.

‘Ok, we can deal with this. But I do need to know what Danny can do before we can make plans for him. Is phase-shifting his only power?’

Jason looked at Dick with a strange look, that promised nothing good. He pulled out a tiny black notebook, scribbled something in it, claiming to be updating the list and handed it to Bruce.

Invisibility

Cryokinesis

Flight

Soul-pulling-out-powers???

Destructive scream

Super strength

(Flying) Superspeed

Photokineses

Shields

Doesn't need to breath (as often)?

Color changing (Camouflage? Different form?)

Phase-shifting

Bruce read it over. He looked at Jason.

‘Jason. This is like half the Justice League’s powers.’

Jason just nods. Dick tells him this is only what they’ve seen Danny do. They have no clue what else he can do. Danny’s memory is iffy, and couldn’t give them a list himself.

‘We need to figure out where Danny came from. We put this off long enough, but this amount of powers is concerning. I’m guessing you were hiding more form me, so the both of you need to come clean about everything.’

Jason sighed. He knew this was coming. He told Bruce everything. How Danny just showed up, to the Lazarus blood, to being cloned, to being younger than he should be and everything. By the end, Bruce had turned slightly pale. The three decided to use the Bat-computer to find out more.

When they got there, Tim was already working on Danny’s case. He managed to track Danny from the orphanage in Europe that Talia had left him at. There Danny had been adopted by a family called ‘the Fenton’s’, but he had lost sight of them after they moved to the US. No matter how hard Tim tried, he couldn’t find anything. It was almost like there was some sort off wall blocking all information. As much as he hated to admit it, Tim didn’t think that technology would help them much further. Bruce thought for a bit. If technology couldn’t help…

‘Good thing Constantine still owes me a favor, then.’

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#danny phantom #danny fenton #dc x dp #dp x dc #red hood #batman #jason todd #dad jason #dad hood

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dannygeist · 3 years

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march 30th, 1980 / around 2:00 a.m. / department of mysteries

Daniel Geist was not suicidal. Or, he didn’t think himself to be, nor did killing himself ever enter into his ever-expanding mind. Life, for the most part, had come full circle for him. He found, despite the traumas and tribulations, that he rather enjoyed what life had to offer. The trick had been to take, instead of merely watch. His relationship with Sturgis had stabilized to the point where living together was actually not just feasible, but an event he was excitedly looking forward to. When had he become that sort of person? And beyond that, his friendships only continued to grow, with people like Clem and Dawn rounding out the picture, and still, others like Benjy, Marlene, Mary, and Pandora, picking up the rest. He might have even begrudgingly added D.W. to the list.

Somewhere along the way, he had started to enjoy life. Which was why it’s important to say that he was indeed not suicidal, merely horribly curious in a way that couldn’t be fixed or curbed. That was the conundrum that he faced as he stared ever thoroughly at the Veil, the glowing ethereal nature of it claiming him as its victim. He was not suicidal. He was just too invested to turn away. Too wrapped up in the questions and answers of life and death to step back, to halt his progress, and press himself against the corner of the room in any hope of survival.

That was the thing about insomnia, he began to realize. A part of himself was much braver than he had ever known, if only because sleep was a constant battle that he often never won. And through those constant losses, the ones that created the bags under his already dark eyes, and the skin that clung to his bones like peanut butter to the roof of a person’s mouth—he found that in sleeplessness, he was free. It was a little like being high. It was floating, without being afraid of the freefall that would inevitably follow. It was staring into the Veil, knowing that no good would come of him stepping through it, and wanting to either way.

Bravery might have been the wrong word.

Danny wanted answers. Any sort of answer would do. He would milk as many as he could from Esmeralda, who deemed fit to offer what she could, but even she had never actually been dead herself. There was no greater expert than a person who was a ghost, or who was dead, and they were so horribly cagey about the secrets in their frozen hearts. Was he wrong to want such things? Was he too persistent in wanting to figure out this kind of universal unknown? He didn’t think so. His moving feet didn’t think so, either.

Especially not when he thought back to his mother, and the goodbye that had been given. Even she, in death, could not have offered him anything more than the fleeting moment of being. That had never been enough. It wouldn’t be enough. And she, too, was finally free.

The real issue with the Veil was that it was not a silent, nor foreboding force. The Veil knew exactly what it was doing, exactly what it was offering. Despite all of the people studying it, they all seemed to miss out on this point. They all almost assumed that no one would want to get any closer to the quite literal door to death. The curtain to the afterlife. Had they no idea the questions in other people’s minds? The desperation when it came to wanting to claim one thing for one’s own person? The Veil was loud in its whispering, crushing in its chokehold. Danny had been helpless the very first time a hand reached out to grab him.

A voice called out to him. Danny, it seemed to whisper. Danny.

No, he was happy in his life, and not at all suicidal, but the voices stayed. They were lasting, and present, and he was certain he had even started to pick out who the voices belonged to. People in a life that didn’t exist anymore. A mother crying over her child. A man aching for a love connection gone wrong. The Veil was cruel in this regard. It showed too much, and too little, and Danny was beginning to wonder how he would wrench himself free of the fingers that had silently laced themselves with his own. How easy it would be to let himself be pulled in.

An important point to note, at least to Danny, was most people had stumbled their way home by now. Though the life of an Unspeakable was not completely horrible, filled with too many half-truths, they all seemed to enjoy when they could open the doors of the Ministry and file out silently. Danny too understood that relief, though for very different reasons, and none of which applied at the moment. He enjoyed putting space between himself and the glowing archway, because the longer he stared, the more nothing else mattered.

Tonight was different. The pull was almost insatiable in a way that new lovers greeted one another after their first tryst. An unwillingness to part, lest the meeting never happen again. Danny took a step forward, and then another. Before long, he was merely a few meters away, the coldness from the Veil felt almost warm now, as if offering him a long embrace after months of being separated. The hug that was a welcome home.

He kept moving.

Danny knew he ought to have stopped. That in some way he was playing with a kind of fire that he didn’t understand. The closer he went, the more he knew he was likely to burn, and what a horrible thing, to realize that one simply didn’t care. Maybe the burning would be worth it. What was fire if not a form of purification? Danny wasn’t suicidal, but he did know that he was broken on a level that meant he would likely never be fully whole. He could pretend at it. He could love Sturgis, and love his friends, and that could be his life. But would the ache in his chest never free him?

The Veil was merely centimeters away from his fingers now, urging him closer in a dance for the ages. It was leading, he was following, and suddenly he was gone. There was no telling what had happened, or when he had let himself be pulled in by the light. By the quiet voices in his mind. The world in front of him now was sprawled out with answers, and there was no point in looking behind him. This wasn’t what he intended, but sometimes that was how life worked. It was brutal, and unforgiving, and he could only go forward in a place unknown.

After Danny was gone, his body long since passed through the Veil, the only things left would be the diary Clementine had given him, with pages that were marked and bent, his own system showing what he had gone over and what he had consumed from the Magical Theorist, and a walkman gifted to him by Sturgis. In it, a Led Zeppelin cassette was playing, the music blaring from the headphones, echoing throughout the haunting chamber:

I must have did somebody some good, yeah Oh, I believe I did I see the smiling faces I know I must have left some traces

Daniel Geist had solved the riddle he had been searching for at last. It came with a price. Both steep, and almost underwhelming. His life. What would he have said if given the chance to say goodbye? There was no point in hazarding a guess, only that he was gone, disappeared from the mortal realm, and in his place—an absence. One that only a few short years ago, he had been positive would’ve have existed at all.

He was gone, the story finished. The world kept turning.

#drabbles*#death tw #suicide mention tw

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hphmmatthewluther · 3 years

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Matthew Luther and the Riddle of Easter

7th April, 1985:

It was a Sunday, and everyone at Hogwarts was either busy enjoying themselves or furiously studying for their exams. Well, almost everyone. For in the West wing of the Castle, up in Ravenclaw Tower, there was one person still in their bed. He wasn’t asleep, but he didn’t exactly want to get out of bed. Matthew Luther didn’t really feel like there was much of a point. If he did, he would either get dozens of looks for being Jacob Luther’s brother, or be pestered by the Slytherins again. As far as he was concerned, it was best to avoid all of that. For the past three years, it appeared that God had been playing an awfully long-winded joke on him. So there he laid, trying not to think about anything, forcing himself to go back to sleep.

Suddenly, there was a noise. A loud, piercing screech. It sounded like a cat of some kind. It was probably Mrs Norris, Matthew thought, covering his ears with the pillow. If he hadn’t, he would have heard several tiny footsteps moving towards the dormitory door, followed by a click. He finally noticed when the door swung open, filling the room with light.

“Gah!” Matthew exclaimed, squinting to see that the only thing in the doorway was a cat. It wasn’t Mrs Norris, that was for sure. This one had large, green eyes and ginger hair, and it didn’t hiss at a moments’ notice. It walked up to the bed, and started to mew at the first-year.

“...Oh, what? What is it?” Matthew asked, pushing himself over to see the cat. It looked at him, right at him, before glancing up at his desk. On it was Matthew’s wand, books, and his silver bracelet. In a flash, the ginger cat jumped up and swiped it, scampering out of the room with the bracelet in its mouth.

“H-Hey!” yelled Matthew, quickly forcing the duvet off of him, grabbing his wand and heading off after the cat. He followed it down the stairs and into the Ravenclaw Common Room, and into the many bookshelves that made up Ravenclaw Tower. The cat headed deep into the tower, until it came to a stop several minutes later near an alcove with several blue lanterns and cushions. It sat down on one of these cushions, keeping the bracelet under its claws. Slowly, Matthew approached the animal, now exhausted thanks to having chased it down here.

“There’s got to be a better way to do this...” he said to himself, moving closer. And then it hit him. He was going about this all wrong. I always am, he thought, stopping in his tracks. Cautiously, he moved his hand forward, not towards the bracelet, but to the cat’s head. It hesitated for a moment, sniffing the hand, before allowing Matthew to stroke its head, moving its claws away from the silver. He didn’t grab it instantly, and instead sat down on one of the cushions, continually stroking the cat. Eventually, it moved onto his lap, and Matthew finally grabbed his bracelet and put it on. He gave a sigh of relief as he felt the cold metal touch his skin.

“Ah, you’re not so bad.” he admitted, as he started to give the cat chinny rubs. It purred loudly in his lap. “I wonder who you belong to.”

“He belongs to nobody.” came a woman’s voice. Matthew snapped his head up, and the cat remained still in its lap. In front of them was a silvery figure in a resplendent dress, with long brown hair going past the shoulders. She had the tiniest of smiles on her face. Matthew gasped.

“It’s you...” he began, “The Ghost of Ravenclaw Tower...Helena Ravenclaw.” he said, remembering Chester informing him that she didn’t like the name “The Grey Lady”. And honestly, who would?

“I am glad that you solved my riddle. It’s a favourite of those eager to find a suitor who has both intelligence and kindness, and faith in their soul.” Helena explained, “Take good care of it.”

Matthew’s eyes widened. “You- You’re giving me a cat? W-What? W-Why?” he stammered, looking down at the cat’s green eyes.

“I felt that you require a companion that is immune to human inventions such as rumour, or scandal.” Helena said, gliding closer to the window. “Things that you know too well.”

Matthew nodded. “You can say that again.” The cat got off of his lap and pounced up to the windowsill. The Ravenclaw got up and moved towards it too, to see whatever it was that had caught their attention. From here, they could see a great deal of Hogwarts, including the Clocktower Courtyard. There, he could make out a large crowd of people surrounding two people. One of them was a nervous-looking Gryffindor, and the other was a wild-haired Slytherin.

“Ben and Merula!” Matthew exclaimed, “Oh no...”

“Ah, yes. I believe the Snyde girl has been one of the most eager to find the Cursed Vaults.” Helena observed. “Besides you, of course. I must ask, is this why you have shut yourself here?”

Matthew’s expression soured even more so. The cat nuzzled his shoulder. “That’s..that’s not it. It’s just...well, it’s Easter.”

“Indeed it is.” confirmed Helena, looking down at the boy.

“Well, it’s just...we don’t have an owl, so my Dad can’t send me anything, so that sucks...” Matthew explained, “But more than that...it’ll be the first time I’ve missed it. Every year, we’d go to church and they’d give us all a little chocolate egg, and we got to do colouring activities while the main service happened. I know I’m twelve now, but...it was nice seeing everyone there, you know? I just...that was how it happened every year. I miss that.”

Helena nodded. “You miss your old life. Now I must ask you something that may cause you offence.” she announced. “How does staying up here solve any of that?”

Matthew stared, open-mouthed. “Wh- well, I...I...you stay up here all the time, don’t you?!” he reminded her, suddenly very annoyed. He knew that staying up here wasn’t helping, but hearing it from somebody else was just...well, it felt awful. It then occurred to him what he had just said. “I...I’m sorry, I should go, I-”

“No. I understand.” Helena reassured him.

“I...” Matthew began, “It’s no excuse, but...I just...I know it's wrong. But I can’t bring myself to change anything. When I was younger I’d always had Jacob to help me with that...we’d always get the same Easter chocolate, too. He’d tell me when to stop so I could space it out over the holidays, you know, to make it last. He was brilliant. I guess if I had the chocolate now, I’d eat it all in one go and feel awful about it later...I...I guess I just miss him. He was brilliant, and...I can’t stand his name being tarnished.” As he let everything out, he found himself stroking the cat again. It turned onto its back and let Matthew rub its belly. Helena watched for a moment, before sighing.

“Matthew Luther, in case you had not noticed, I am dead. But more than that, I am a ghost. I refused to let go of this world, as I did not have the faith to move on. Thus, I am trapped here, unable to truly feel the pull of the world around me...unable to enact change. You are not dead. You are alive. You can enact change.”

Matthew digested this, taking a long sigh. “You’re right. Of course you are. It’s just...so damn hard sometimes.”

“As all things worth doing are.” Helena said, “Now, best hurry. It looks like Mr Copper has been struck by the Jelly-Legs Jinx.”

“Right!” said Matthew, picking up his wand again and heading towards the door of Ravenclaw Tower, the cat following behind. “Honestly, I think I lost God’s lottery, and then there’s Ben-”

“Matthew!” cried Helena, gliding forward.

“Um...yes?” he asked. The ghost pointed at him.

“You are still wearing your pyjamas.”

Matthew blushed. “Right, sorry, gah!” he exclaimed, heading up to the boy’s dormitory. A few minutes later he emerged, now with proper clothes on. He looked down at the cat by his feet.

“I guess you need a name.” he realised. “How about...Danny?”

Danny mewed quietly, scratching his head against Matthew’s leg.

“Great.” He said, before turning to the Grey Lady. “I...thank you. You know, I think you’re slightly wrong. You said you couldn’t change things, and now here I am, off to duel half of Slytherin.”

Helena’s smile grew ever-so-slightly. “Well...take care of that cat. It’s been in my care for a few years now, it deserves someone like you.”

“I will. I promise.” he said. Before he left, however, he turned back. “Um, Helena?”

“Yes, Matthew?”

“Do wizards...do they believe in God?”

Helena paused, then nodded. “Some do. They believe that he gave us our magic for a purpose, and...that we are destined to act as Guardian Angels for the masses.”

Matthew nodded in return. “Yeah, cool, um...see you around, Helena! Thank you for the cat! Oh, and Happy Easter!” he yelled, before dashing out of Ravenclaw Tower.

When Matthew got to the courtyard, the crowd had almost doubled. Rowan was standing nearby.

“Where were you? The Slytherins have been, well they’ve been-”

“I know.” Matthew said, scowling. He pushed his way to the front of the crowd. The group of Slytherins were hurling insult after insult at Ben, who had next-to-no chance of defending himself. Matthew sighed, and pointed his wand at Ben’s wiggling legs.

“Unjellify!” he yelled, causing them to straighten out. Ben immediately backed away, Rowan moving forward to check if he was okay. “Wait, the counter-curse is just ‘Unjellify’? That’s it?!” Merula asked, her eyebrow raised.

“Trust me, I was surprised too.” Matthew said, chuckling. “Alright then, guys, you’ve had your fun, so-”

“Oh shut up, halfbreed.” sneered Preston Crawford, another Slytherin who Matthew found to be worse than Merula. “You’ve made an enemy today, you know that?”

“Mm, and I haven’t even had breakfast yet.” Matthew said, looking up at the clock tower. “Hm. Half eleven. Guess I’ll have to settle for brunch.”

“You’re going nowhere, Luther.” Merula declared, stepping forward. “I doubt you could ever best me.”

“Is that so?” Matthew asked. “How about this, then: If I win, you can’t lay a finger on Ben Copper ever again.”

Merula snorted. “And if I win, you will never search for the Cursed Vaults ever again.”

“Fine by me.” Matthew said, genuinely smiling. “By all means, you first.”

“Flipendo!” she screamed. Matthew took it head-on. He heard a gasp from the crowd as he skidded to a halt. Matthew looked down to see Danny by his feet. Ben was nearby.

“Matthew...you really don’t have to do this...really, I..” he stammered, but Matthew just smiled, and gestured to his cat.

“Take care of my cat while I do this, will you? Thanks a bunch. Expelliarmus!” he yelled, knocking Merula’s wand right out of her hand.

“Ooh...you little...” she muttered, scowling at the cheering crowd. “You can’t do this! You can’t stop me from showing that mudblood who’s boss! I’m the Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts, and-”

“Umm...Merula...” Matthew began, pointing behind her.

“No, I’m not done! How’d you master that spell already?! It’s not fair! Nobody can be better than me! I can do what I want, when I want! I run this school, I-”

“Merula...” Matthew tried again.

“For Merlin’s sake, what?!”

“Ahem.” said Professor Snape. Merula looked behind her and gulped. Preston and his cronies quickly scattered.

“P-Professor Snape!” she said, quickly.

“I suspect this is your fault, Luther. Are you aware of Hogwarts policy on unauthorised duelling?”

Matthew felt his stomach curl up, and it wasn’t because he’d missed breakfast.

“Sir,” piped up Rowan, “Merula hit him first, he-”

“Enough, Khanna. Is this true, Miss Snyde?” Snape asked. Merula looked as though she was going to deny it, but Danny had walked over and started moving in and out of her legs. She looked down at the cat, then up at Snape, and nodded.

“Very well. You will report to me in the West Towers to discuss this transgression.” He declared, both him and Flitwick departing. A silence hung in the air.

“Blimey, I am starving.” said Matthew, clutching his stomach. “I wonder if they do cat food...Not for me of course,” he added, looking at Merula’s bewildered expression.

“Luther...I’m getting to the Vaults first. And you won’t stop me.”

“I look forward to trying.” he said, before heading into the castle with Rowan, moving towards the Great Hall.

“See? Told you she wasn’t that bad.” he was saying as they came to Ravenclaw table.

“Matthew, she tried to jinx you.” Rowan reminded him. “I mean, I certainly didn’t expect her to tell the truth, but do you really think she’ll keep her promise to stop bullying Ben?”

“I suppose we’ll find out.”

Suddenly, there was a loud hooting as several owls flew into the Hall. One of them flew low down and dropped a large box in front of Matthew. Attached to it was a note.

Hey Matt,

Happy Easter. I don’t know if they celebrate it over there, but I convinced your mother to let me send these to you with her owl.

Keep it up,

Love, Dad.

Matthew smiled and opened the box. It was filled with several large chocolate eggs, and a singular smaller one, too.

“Wh-what is all this?” Merula asked, having just appeared in the Great Hall.

“I think...” said Matthew, “It’s God’s way of saying, ‘Sorry, mate.’ Why, do you want some?”

Merula scowled, then walked over to the Slytherin table. Matthew just grinned.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm fanfiction #hphm mc #rowan khanna #merula snyde

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soda-drabbles · 4 years

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New Years Kiss // Dan Avidan x Reader

Synopsis : There has been a bit of space between you and Dan since you realized you had feelings for him, that space being divided by you as you try to make the persistent feelings dissolve. The feelings only fester and worsen as the New Years party comes up. There, you and Dan come face to face after all that time. Could this party break the ice once and for all?

Pairing : Dan Avidan x Reader

Type : Fluff

If you had to be honest, you were dreading the upcoming New Years party. You wouldn't have went if it weren't for Suzy, who you just couldn't say no to. Plus, this was a office party so it would be weird if you didnt come. You instead kept trying to reassure yourself that maybe it wouldnt be that bad. That things would be fine. Yet the same thought kept ringing in your mind; Dan.

Dan was a close friend of yours and someone who you kept growing feelings for. The first initial reaction to realizing this was rejection. You hated having feelings like this, especially for someone so close to you. It made things worse since you two worked together. Recently, you kept the distance between you two in hopes that the new feelings would dissolve. There were times where you could see Dan's face appear glum and it honestly made your heart sink more into your stomach but it'd be okay, right? This was for the best for the two of you. Things would go back to normal soon.

Hopefully.

Hours before the party began, you volunteered in helping Suzy and Arin with decorations. The three of you decorated the office in streamers of gold and black, assuring that the place captivated the New Year's spirit. During this, Suzy sparked up some conversation.

“So, (Y/N).” She approached you, handing you some things to sit on the neat tables where the snacks would be. “Are you excited for the New Year? Got any resolutions?”

You simply shrugged, “I guess? Its like any other year, isnt it?”

Suzy shrugged and went to place something else up, “What about you and Dan? ”

You froze a little. “..What about Dan?”

Suzy could easily tell she struck a soft spot, which was why she spoke a little nervously. “Well, you two have been acting a little weird around each other. I didn't know if you planned to..yknow. Fix that situation?”

Your fingers tapped at the table a little. “I..I dont know.”

Arin's voice called from the living room, almost intentionally. “Suzy! Can you help me with the sticker things? They won't stick.” He must've felt the tension growing and decided to keep it from escalating.

Suzy, still a bit worried, hesitantly nodded and joined her husband in the man room which left you back to your mind which was fogged with Dan.

The party came faster than you initially hoped and before you knew it, you were in your car driving to the office. Your fingers tapped the wheel. The car was silent, except the riddling white noise of your anxiety tugging at you. What were you going to do about Dan? It was inevitable that hed be there and you two would be facing each other eventually.

Your heart raced in your ribcage as you pulled into the driveway, eyes stuck on the house and fingers stuck; not moving. Dan would either be behind that door or on the way. Either way, it made things worse.

Still, you unstuck your fingers and got out of the car.

Immediately, you were greeted by Ross and Suzy, who eagerly greeted you and let you in.

“Welcome, (Y/N)!” Ross exclaimed, placing a cheap New Years party hat on your head sloppily. You laughed, fixing it. “Thanks, man. ”

So far, it wasnt that bad as you thought. Your first destination was the snack table where the punch was. Your hand reached for the ladel and found yourself brushing against someone. “Shit, I'm so-” Your eyes widened when you peered up, face to face with the giant lanky man himself. Dan.

He appeared both relieved and a little shocked to see you, but happy nevertheless. “Oh, hey.” Dan's thin lips tugged into a soft smile. “Its..good to see you.”

Still shocked yourself, you gulped a little. “..Its..good to see you too.” Quickly, you filled up your plastic cup with fruit punch and took your leave.

The night went on with you mostly hanging with Ross and Barry as a way to distract yourself from the whole Dan situation. It was fun watching the goofy guys play with the helium in the ballooms but Dan kept invading your mind. You didn't know why either. Why did this have to be such a big deal? This feeling was unbearable.

The time would come when the countdown commenced. Everyone gathered together for the intense moment. You simply took your spot at a corner of the room, where you leaned against the decorated wall with the plastic cup pressed against your lips.

You weren't alone for long, as you saw a tall shadow approach you out of the corner of your eye. Your heartbeat started up again as you had a suspicion of who the identity of the shadow was. When it spoke is when your suspicions were confirmed.

“..Why have you been avoiding me?” Dan's soft voice came through the background chattering and music of the party.

Refusing to look at him, you shrugged. “I have no idea what youre talking about.”

Rightfully, he was frustrated. “Im not stupid, (Y/N). You've been avoiding me for the past month and you didn't even tell me what I done wrong.”

His last comment caused you to finally look at him, your own frustrated look clouding your features. “You didnt do anything wrong, Dan.”

“Then what is it?” He asked, obviously confused.

With a moment of hesitation, you whispered. “Its me.”

“..What?”

“Its me!” You spoke a little louder, using your arm to cover your face. “Fuck, I'm stupid..”

Dan frowned and removed his free hand from his pocket to place it on your shoulder. “What's wrong? What are you talking about?”

While you kept silent, the countdown from five began.

Five.

“..Its.” How could you possibly say something like this? Do it and risk everything? He'd avoid you for sure wouldn't he? Your negative thoughts fought you from telling him. “You wouldn't like it.”

Four.

“Come on,” Dan said, moving in front of you. His voice was closer now. “I still want to know, regardless.”

Three.

You could feel his towering presence in front of you. Your cheeks were red and you were thankful colorful lights danced around the party, otherwise what you wanted to say would be obvious. The feeling was building up again.

Two.

Dan grew a little desperate. “Please.” In a moment like this, it was getting harder and harder to dismiss him anymore. Your heart longed to jump out and let your feelings speak themselves. Eventually, you gave in.

“Dan, I..” Taking another deep inhale, you bury your face in his chest and the muffled confession came out. “I love you.”

Words that would leave Dan speechless.

One.

Among the cheering and kissing couples, you felt like crying. Dan wasn't doing anything and it only made you worry. After a moment, you pulled away a little with the intent to run off, only for the tall man to brig his arms around you.

“Dont go.” His arms held you back against his chest, fingers pressed against your back. His sudden grip surprised you. What surprised you even more is when the warm touch of his hands moved from your hand to each sides of your face, which he gently cradled and raised to face you.

Against the dancing lights, your blush and wide eyes spoke out to him and made him smile. The smile that only made you grow redder each time. “Why didnt you just say so?” His soft voice expressed in a sweet whisper before pulling you into an embrace.

You imagined plenty of times what kissing Danny would feel like. It was so much softer and warmer than you once imagined. Once you both pulled away, Dan hugged you once again and this time, you hugged back.

Suzy, unbeknownst to the both of you, was watching with a satisfied smile. She leaned against her husbands side and turned back to the TV.

Happy New Years.

#dan x reader #dan avidan x reader #game grumps x reader #x reader #x male reader #x nb reader #fanfic

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closetofanxiety · 5 years

Text

Show Review: NXT Presents, A Beyond Wrestling Reunion

It had been a long time since Mark and I had seen an NXT show, since the not-so-great experience in Amherst. Would this experience be different? Well, Io Shirai was there, so yes. But how was the show overall?

The show was held at the Ryan Center on the campus of the University of Rhode Island, which is in Kingston. I’m going to be charitable: Kingston is “pastoral.” It has “rustic charm.” It is “in the middle of nowhere.” We struggled to find a restaurant after the show, and ended up at some grab-n-go sandwich place heated entirely by those infrared space heaters that don’t work. The venue was nice, though, and it was crowded. I’d guess there were around 3,500 or so people there, and they were very excited about the show.

Once again, we ran afoul of NXT’s erratic and unpredictable policy on cameras. The website said “personal cameras” were fine, but the security guards did not. The security guards are going to win that every time. During the show we saw another fan with a camera exactly like the one Mark had been prohibited from bringing in. The camera policy is about as consistently enforced as the rules of tag team wrestling, folks,,,,,,

Anyway, the show:

Matt Riddle vs. Dominik Dijakovic

This was a real Beyond Wrestling matchup, something that would be a theme running through the evening. The former Donovan Dijak seems like he got hired just before they started letting people keep their names, and so he ends up with the Shelbyville version of his name. This was a good match, with the crowd being extremely excited for Riddle. He’s already got a t-shirt, and people love chanting “Bro! Bro! Bro!” at him. He is a Star In The Making.

Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner vs. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch

Barcel and Aichner are two wXW stalwarts recently signed to NXT, working the “evil foreigner” gimmick as cold, arrogant Germans. Lorcan and Burch are both Beyond Wrestling veterans. It was surreal, throughout the night, seeing people familiar from nights in tiny bars getting huge ovations from thousands of people in a basketball gym. I was particularly happy for the “Let’s go Danny” chants for Burch. The dude is pushing 40 and came up during the lean years of British wrestling, and now he’s finally getting the rewards for his labors. Lorcan and Burch win. GO BACK TO GERMANIA, GERMANS. I think Aichner is technically Italian, actually. He’s from South Tyrol, though, which has a lot of ethnic Germans. Italy’s a surprisingly (to me, anyway) heterogeneous country like that: there are Greek-speaking parts of the country, German-speaking parts, Albanian-speaking parts, etc. The more you know.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Bianca Belair

The Beyond/WWR alumni parade rolls on with Purrazzo, who is now sporting an extremely ill-advised blonde dyejob and ring gear that makes her look like a background character in “Barbarella”:

This match was not great. I’m not exactly in the Sam Roberts camp on Belair, but she looked slow and clunky. The crowd really liked her, though, and in wrestling, that’s a big deal.

Mansoor vs. Jackson Ryker

The only match of the night that would not feature a Beyond Wrestling alum. I am not familiar with Mansoor. Ryker is part of that faction they created, The Forgotten Sons, whose gimmick is like, “We’re the leftover guys.” The WWE loves doing this. Remember the Social Outcasts? “Hey, we have a great gimmick for you guys - you’re the Factory Seconds. You’re the Day-Old Baked Goods. You’re the Sucky Guys Who Suck. You’re the Fucking Losers. Get that over with the fans, and maybe you’ll get a t-shirt.” This was kind of a showcase for Ryker, who won.

War Raiders vs. The Forgotten Sons

After Jackson Ryker’s big win, his pals in the Overlooked Nobodies UNWISELY run their mouths about the NXT tag champs, who then come out with a hilariously over-the-top Viking entrance. You’re in for it now, Expendable Generic Male Wrestlers! This should have been a squash for the War Raiders, who were insanely popular with the crowd. They should have come out and stomped a mudhole in the Afterthought Gents. Instead, for some reason, this turned into a 15-minute back and forth. It was fine, and the crowd really came to life during the home stretch, when the War Raiders got to go berserk, but this was more than I needed to see.

INTERMISSION

Kayla Braxton came out to promote an EVOLVE show in Melrose, Mass. next month. Behind her on the jumbotron was the poster for the event, so for a few brief moments, Darby Allin and Priscilla Kelly were being promoted to a WWE audience on WWE resources. What a time to be alive. I haven’t watched an EVOLVE show since the FloSlam fiasco. Is it any good these days?

Kassius Ohno vs. Ricochet sort of

The former Chris Hero, a Beyond Wrestling mainstay, comes out to berate the crowd. He is mad that we are roasting him online for losing to Matt Riddle in six seconds at the last Takeover. Well, the Knockout Artist is not going to lose in six seconds again, you can bet! He issues an open challenge. Ricochet comes out and beats Ohno immediately after the bell with a roll-up. Kassius Ohno has become a figure of fun.

The Sky Pirates (Io Shirai and Kairi Sane) vs. Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir w/Shayna Baszler

YES DAMN IT YES. Finally a chance to see Io Shirai in action. This is the reason I bought a ticket to this show. I was not disappointed. I mean, it was a tag match and the Two Horsewomen are still pretty green (although not nearly as bad as some people like to say), so it wasn’t like watching a Stardom match or anything, but it was fun. The crowd was madly in love with Kairi, properly annoyed at the Horsewomen, and jazzed for Io, especially when she broke out some of her signature stuff. Some doofus tried to start a “U-S-A!” chant, because there are two wrestlers from Japan in the ring. Another doofus tried to start a “You can’t wrestle!” chant at Duke. Two doofuses (doofi?) in the night, calling out to one another, in the dark of a crowded gym.

Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream

This was great. Gargano has a legitimate claim to being the best in-ring performer currently in the WWE and Dream is now wrestling at a level that justifies the hype he had when he started on TV. The crowd LOVED him. There was one near-fall toward the end that looked like he might win, and the place almost came unglued. Ciampa ran in to help Gargano and the bad guys eventually won, after a ref bump and an overbooked finish that, nevertheless, did not lose the crowd. I once saw Johnny Gargano wrestle in front of maybe 50 people in Stratford, Conn., and he put as much effort into that as he did wrestling in front of 3,500 people last night.

#show reviews #NXT

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