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hadesrise · 1 year

Text

meet the addams.

previous part.

summary ➳ the bat family meets the addams family

pairings ➳ jason todd x addams!male reader

warnings ➳ fluff, strong language, pet names, hesitant bruce, weapons, typical addams family behavior ( homicide, dark humor, weird, etc ), jason and reader being a simp for each other, the addams being wholesome as always, implied reader’s atheism (i think the entire addams are atheist tbh), mention of torture

author’s note ➳ wow, hades updated !! shocking, i know. i'm sorry for the long hiatus and inactive, i wasn't okay and it was difficult for me to write when my mind was in such a messed up state. mental health can be a bitch, you know :D i'm trying to recover, and went back on writing again. hope this was a good comeback.

Letting his family meet you hadn’t crossed Jason’s mind at all until that very day when his annoying older brother caught him by the ice cream truck buying a dark chocolate and a mint chocolate flavored ice cream.

Dick was on officer duty patrol in undercover civilian clothes that afternoon, walking around the streets of Gotham in hopes of catching some shady business going around the city or just someone doing a simple act that goes against the law, being a good police officer that he is. Though, instead of seeing criminals like he assumed he would, his most rebellious little brother dressed in bad boy-ish clothes as usual buying ice creams caught his eyes.

He was supposed to walk right past since there really is no reason to approach Jason, but seeing him sit down next to a mysterious, old fashioned, well-dressed, expensive looking guy in all black with sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose and give the dark chocolate flavored ice cream to? Now, Dick certainly can’t walk past without knowing about you because he’s a little shit who just can’t help but stuck his nose into his brother’s business. That and, well, he also found you really cool. There’s not a thing in this world that can stop Dick Grayson from wanting to befriend someone who seems cooler than the Dark Knight himself.

So, in all his glory, Dick approached Jason with his usual charming smile dancing across his lips.

“Oh, god...” Jason groaned in annoyance as soon as he spotted the grinning male, rolling his eyes. Peace seems to never be an option whenever he takes you around the city for simple walks.

“Jason, are you uttering your all father’s name religiously or simply as an expression as of the moment?” Your elegant yet soothing, deep voice speaks out a sentence composed of well thought words and syllables, innocent curiosity behind the gentle tone.

Dick takes a mental note that your way of speaking sounded similar to the way humanity used to speak centuries ago, when everything was still old-fashioned and technologies hardly ever existed. It made him feel like you came from the past, as if he was witnessing the existence of a time traveler. Stopping in front of you two, he gives you a charming grin as soon as your eyes catches his. A hint of curiosity and wonder flashed within them behind the dark shades of your sunglasses before they were gone in an instant, replaced by a questioning look instead.

“May I help you?” You simply asked, but Dick doesn’t fail to notice the sudden drop in your previously soft tone and the piercing, calculated gaze holding wariness as well as subtle suspicion.

“Sorry, I’m Dick Grayson. I was curious about the person Jay’s hanging out with, I couldn’t help myself but approach.” He elaborates himself while trying his best to ensure he wasn’t a threat through body language, relaxing his figure. “I’m sorry if I freaked you out a little.”

Recognition flashed in your face, brows raising only barely to show subtle surprise, “Jason’s older brother. The name’s (Y/n) Addams. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” You smiled, and even something just as simple as that looked graceful in Dick’s eyes.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, you were enchanting to look at as everything you do or say was captivating. How Jason managed to pull you was beyond him.

“Nice to meet you too,” He says back with a soft smile.

Even though his little brother hasn’t introduced you yet to their family, at least you seemed to know about them. Hopefully, nothing unpleasant has been said, but Dick doubts Jason would hide his trauma from you, considering how he was leaning to your side now subconsciously, as if being away from you will bring back awful memories.

He was worried about his practically traumatized-for-life little brother living alone, but it appears he didn’t have to worry at all.

“What are you doing here, Dick?” Jason more of grumbled, annoyed that your date has been interrupted. Almost automatically, one of your hands move to settle itself on his thigh to give it a gentle and soothing rub to ease his growing annoyance, while the other held your dark chocolate ice cream that you had begun eating with clean manners. He relaxed in an instant after feeling your touch.

“I think you should introduce (Y/n) to our family, Jay.” Dick suggests with enthusiasm that didn’t match Jason’s, not really answering his question. “They would want to know who you’re going out with. We can all have a dinner together!” There was excitement shining in his eyes as he shrugged his shoulders, trying to remain nonchalant despite his body language practically screaming excited.

Your lover groans, “Why the hell do they have to know who I’m going out with?”

Amusement crosses your face as you smirked, licking off the small bits of ice cream that got on your lips. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that. I’m certain my family will be more than happy to meet them.” Jason gives you a look, to which you responded with an innocent smile. “Oh, mon amour. What could go wrong? I have been looking forward to meet your family, but you’ve never considered to bring me there. It’s a little concerning how you seem too hesitant to let them meet me.” You pout, feigning sadness.

Your lover widens his eyes, panic appearing in them as he gripped your hand that was on his thigh after realizing what you were implying. “That’s not what it looks like, babe! I just don’t want you to meet them ‘cause they can be a bit unbearable. Bruce is the worst person you could ever meet,” He scrunched his nose. “It’s not you I don’t want them to meet, it’s them I don’t want you to meet. There’s a difference. You’re never the problem.”

You chuckled at his quick attempt of elaboration.

Jason feels his cheeks redden at how deeply elegant and amazing your laugh sounded; it never fails to make his heart go haywire even after all this time. You manage to effortlessly make him fall in love with you deeper and deeper every day without even meaning to.

“Worry not, darling. I was just teasing you. I’m far from upset.” Reassuring him, your hand gently cups his cheek to rub the skin comfortingly. “Let me meet them once you’ve gotten rid of your doubts completely, my Jason. It isn’t necessary to rush.” You then let go of his face to push some of his hair away from his forehead before leaning back to continue eating the ice cream.

Dick witnessed a starstruck smile spread across Jason’s lips in an instant, the way his expression was so soft when looking at you, how his emerald eyes that usually held pent-up rage towards the world sparks brightly in love and adoration.

Huh. He’s never seen his brother this happy and content.

Maybe you are Jason’s one true love.

“Dick,” Jason calls out after watching you eat your ice cream with a barely hidden happiness. You looked happy to meet one of his family even though you haven’t said anything, and he was willing to throw away his pride if it meant making you happy.

“Hm?” Dick hummed, smiling when Jason glanced at you and looked back at him.

“Tell the others.”

That was all he needed to let out the excitement he was holding in, beaming at you two. “Right away, little bird!” He doesn’t waste a time to pull his phone out of his pocket, “I’m going then. It was nice meeting you, (Y/n). I’ll text you when!” He waved his hand and walked away, already dialling Bruce’s number.

Jason watched him go incredulously. “Did he just come here to convince me to introduce you?”

You chuckle under your breath, “Perhaps. Your brother has sorted out his priorities well.” However, a frown appears on your lips when you turned to Jason. “Do you genuinely feel comfortable letting my family meet them? We could always cancel, mon amour. There are many other fascinating activities we can bother ourselves with.”

Jason felt his heart swell at your gentle tone and concerned eyes, making him feel loved in many different ways. You don’t even realize that you’re slowly healing his troubled heart with simple things like this. He already knows you love him more than the Guillotine itself (which is a really big deal since nothing except him could ever beat your love for it) as you’ve always told him before, but the way you treat him, talk to him, and look at him just adds so much weight on your words. You don’t just tell him you love him — you show it in the most perfect, best, casual ways.

Intertwining his hand with yours, he brought it up to rest on his chest, hiding how overwhelmed he was with the love for you. “Like what, sweetheart?” Faint amusement laced his tone as he already knew the answer.

“Like slicing or shooting criminals, of course.” You winked before bringing your intertwined hands to press a kiss on his knuckles.

Jason laughs, and you admired the way he threw his head back to let the sound escape. “Knew you would say that!” He wheezed, before calming down to kiss your knuckles just like you did to his. “But it’s really fine, (Y/n). I want to introduce you and your family to mine.” His expression then turns apologetic, “ ‘m sorry if it seemed like I was keeping you in the shadows.”

You shake your head and leaned in to capture his lips in a peck, a gesture to let him know you didn’t mind. “If you were keeping me in the shadows, we wouldn’t be having a date out in the open where any of your family can see me. Don’t be apologetic, chéri. I’m nowhere near upset.”

Letting a smile break out, Jason leans in to kiss you more longer this time before pulling away.

Just like that, you both sat on the bench and ate ice creams in comfortable silence, holding each other’s hand.

Dick, Tim, Damian, Barbara, Cassandra and Stephanie all stood in front of the Wayne Manor with barely contained excitement, waiting for the infamous Addams family and Jason to show up.

Dick was mainly looking forward for his family to see the side of Jason no one had ever seen before, Tim was occasionally standing on his tiptoes to see if any car was nearing, and Damian was keeping himself still but his body practically trembled with excitement due to being a fan of your vigilante persona for a long time. Barbara had a smile on her face with a hint of nervousness, while Cassandra and Stephanie talked to each other to calm their nerves.

Even without research, the Addams family was quite the celebrity family in Gotham because of their richness that seemed to tie with Bruce Wayne, but moreover, they were rather infamous for being “weird” and gothic as those experts for minding businesses that aren’t their own paparazzi claimed. The Wayne family didn’t really need to dive into the deepest parts of internet in their computer; one newspaper — with the front cover of five people with gothic outfits standing in front of the big ass almost-castle-house — dedicated entirely to the weird family already helped.

Only thing they needed to research about was you, and surprisingly, it wasn’t hard to find information about your vigilantism — which is how all of them realized not only was Jason dating the person Damian idolizes more than his own father, but also the one who brutally tortured and straight-up dumped Joker into Arkham Asylum. Needless to say, it kinda made sense to them that Jason’s dating you, though Bruce wasn’t pleased.

The gates being opened to a black limousine caught their attention, making Cass and Steph break their conversation to watch the car drive closer before eventually stopping in front of them. A butler, who took them by surprise due to his seemingly inhuman looks similar to the Frankenstein monster, got out to open the door.

A man wearing a black suit with white stripes was the first to come out of the limousine as he smiles cheerfully at them, helping his wife to step out. Cassandra’s jaw dropped at the beautiful woman with black, long and silky hair who gives them an enchanting, almost hypnotizing smile.

Next to step out were a boy wearing black and white striped shirt and a girl who had her hair braided on two sides. The boy gave them an all too adorable friendly smile, but his sister only held a blank face as she observed each of the Wayne members. Finally, Jason got out together with you, all of them noticing your intertwined hands.

Your lover raised his brows, “Why are you all here?”

“Well, Bruce said we didn’t have to, but we wanted to welcome you here.” Dick shrugged, nodding at you. “Good to see you again, (Y/n).”

“Likewise, Dick.” You smile. “Greetings, ladies, gentlemen. The name’s (Y/n). This are my parents Gomez and Morticia,” Your parents greet them with a nod and friendly smile. “And my siblings Wednesday and Pugsley.” Pugsley waves his hand, enthusiastic to meet Jason’s family, while Wednesday crosses her arms above her chest and simply nods without a word.

Dick was grinning at your siblings because of their adorableness, not even the slightest bit bothered by Wednesday’s lack of emotion. Cassandra and Tim were gawking at Gomez and Morticia, how they seem so perfect and gorgeous, not only each on their own but together as well. Stephanie and Barbara beamed at you while Damian observed Wednesday and Pugsley, but there wasn’t any hint of malice or bad intention in his eyes — just curiosity. The Addams family sure are good looking individuals.

“Uh — hi,” Tim was the first to speak out of the Wayne’s, awkwardly waving his hand because of the fact he felt as if the Addams were ethereal beings due to their beauty. “You... You all look beautiful. I’m surprised.”

Wednesday’s brows raised as you tilted your head slightly to the side, looking confused. Morticia and Gomez exchanges a glance from not knowing what to say, while Pugsley smiled nicely at Tim despite the truth of being called beautiful feels like an insult. Yours and your family’s reaction immediately worried the Wayne children; none of you seemed pleased or happy with the compliment Tim gave, in fact, you kind of looked offended.

Seeing his siblings getting worried that they might’ve done something wrong, Jason clears his throat to catch everyone’s attention and successfully did so. “What he means is you all look deadly and loathsome. He wasn’t trying to offend you in any way, he just isn’t used to our ways of compliment.” He elaborated with a genuine look, and his siblings looked taken aback that he seemed really calm and gentle with you and your family. Jason have always had anger issues; his rage was explosive everywhere he goes and the main victims of it were criminals, but sometimes it was directed entirely at Bruce because of their unpleasant history.

He was never known as a calm person even in the family. Always seemed on edge, like a walking bomb that’s ticking every second, unknown by people how to stop it from exploding so suddenly. However, as Jason stands with you holding your hand tightly, his entire demeanor was almost completely different from what his family was used to. He was as calm as a wind that caresses the Mother Nature so softly in fear of disturbing her and as gentle as anyone who holds a little kitten in their hands — there was no ticking time bomb, just a soft man caring and pouring his heart and love out to his awesome lover. Jason looked comfortable around you and your family, extremely to the point that he hadn’t noticed practically calling himself an Addams. It made his siblings’ hearts swell with happiness.

“Oh,” Morticia sighed in relief, and even just that felt and looked so heavenly. “We’re sorry, my dear. We weren’t aware of that. I was afraid you found us tolerable.”

Tim chuckles, not really knowing what to say. He was visibly confused, though from what he was able to pick up on, negative comments seems to be taken as positive ones in your family. While most of them were confused just like Tim, Damian quickly understood how compliments worked within the Addams and smirked fondly.

Dick finally gathers his thoughts to clear his throat, “Well, let’s go in now, shall we?”

As your family nodded in sync, you turn to Jason while fixing your collar with the empty hand. “Love, do I look menacing? I have to look presentable when meeting your father. I despise looking good.” You stated, checking your outfit and trying to fix where you found unpresentable.

It’s rare to see you fidgeting and uneasy, making Jason smile. He knew you lose your composure only when it comes to him and it made him feel so loved, appreciated, and important. “You always look menacing, babe. Could scare off any children that passes by.” He compliments, bringing up your intertwined hands and kissing the back of yours.

The corner of your lips twitched up, squeezing his hand back as amusement and adoration shows themselves on your expression. “That’s very lovely. This is why I loathe you.”

The flirting between you and Jason was so natural that even Damian wasn’t affected by it — he’s mostly disgusted and cringed out when people flirt in front of him, but for some reason, Jason flirting with you didn’t bother him at all. Perhaps, because it isn’t a modern type of flirting where couples show disgusting amount of PDA or say things halfheartedly just to make their partner feel good, but rather, it’s one that uses old-fashioned yet romantic language which truthfully comes from the heart. You and Jason flirt with respect for each other, where neither of you objectify nor sexualize the other.

There was a clear unspoken understanding between you, which was shown in just this little flirtatious moment. The way you show your love for each other might be old-fashioned and out of ordinary in this modern day, but it’s honestly more romantic than any of the modernized ones.

“You two always flirt,” Wednesday spoke as she swiftly turned around to meet yours and Jason’s eyes. “It would’ve been more perfect if you were holding a human heart and giving it to each other.”

Barbara, Cassandra, and Stephanie all widened their eyes at her opinion — is she telling you to kill someone, take their heart out, and give it to each other to show your love? That wouldn’t be a romance anymore; it’ll be a dark romance.

However, you only shrugged your shoulders while Jason chuckled in amusement, as if that comment was as normal as seeing trees and nature everywhere. Neither of you were even concerned with what Wednesday said. “There’s precisely a possibility of that occurring, though it’s not yet now.” You responded calmly, as expressionless as Wednesday but slight amusement littered your tone.

The others tensed at your statement with the exception of Damian, who only smirked in pride, as they all remember the news of Joker getting dumped into Arkham Asylum by a vigilante that isn’t Batman. Like mentioned before, Joker was in a really bad shape when he was quite literally thrown into the Asylum, very visible signs of torture coating his body everywhere.

When Bruce visited, it was worse than how the media portrayed it to be. Tongue cut off, fingers broken and two missing, heavily concussed, several cuts along his face and body, and bruises covering most of his body parts. Worst of it all was that Joker didn’t seem like himself anymore; he does laugh — never had been a time when Joker didn’t laugh — but it wasn’t his typical laughter. All the mockery, self-confidence and cockiness weren’t there. Instead, fear and paranoia filled the laughter Bruce was so used to hearing. It was so uncharacteristic and very unlikely of Joker.

He’s finally put behind bars for good, but how the fuck can a vigilante absolutely destroy the Joker? He was indestructible yet you managed to break him so bad that his insanity got flooded with immense fear rather than the urge to kill everyone and everybody for no reason.

And as they stand in front of you now, none of them can even imagine how such a gentleman like you could’ve broke him completely. You seem so respectful, sweet, gentleman, and lovely that it’s almost impossible to believe you were the one who did it. But everyone should always expect the unexpected, right?

“Dick,” Jason’s voice snaps the oldest boy out of his own thoughts as he nods his head towards the door. “Let’s go in.”

The Grayson only hummed, turning around to open the door and gesture inside with his other hand, bowing a little to show respect. Morticia and Gomez smiled pleasantly and brightly, touched by his manners as they enter. Wednesday followed next with a usual expressionless face, and Pugsley said “thank you” first before entering, then Jason pulled you along with him at last. The door closed behind Damian who was the last to enter.

“Welcome,” Bruce immediately greeted as soon as all of your eyes met his, and your parents doesn’t hesitate to smile respectfully and kindly at him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wayne.” Gomez steps forward with his hand extended to shake Bruce’s hand before gesturing to his wife standing beside him. “She’s my wife Morticia and these are my children. Perhaps, you already know about (Y/n)?”

Bruce’s unreadable gaze shift from your father to you, attempting to figure out your characteristics by just looking. However, despite the nervousness you’re feeling, you didn’t fail to compose yourself and appeal confident with the usual emotionless expression on your face. Your gaze sparkling darkly under the light made him feel uneasy somehow, as if you knew all of his dirty little secrets and his entire characteristics as well as personality and attitude without analyzing that much.

Truth be told, you heard Bruce’s attitude from Jason when he opened himself up to you. Your Beloved was extremely traumatized by what happened with Joker that it affected the way he saw the world; it should’ve been that way too with Bruce because he’s Jason’s adoptive father — yet what really happened was the complete opposite.

Bruce may not have had an ill intent of dismissing or ignoring what happened to Jason, but to continue living like Joker didn’t kill his second son made him unlikable on your list. You’re a very respectful person as Gomez and Morticia didn’t raise you to be an awful entity, and you would never want to go against your lover’s adoptive father — although, that does not mean you accept his morals.

Hiding the unsettled feeling building up in his stomach, Bruce attempts to smile at you and shake your hand. “So you’re (Y/n). I’ve only ever heard once about you.”

Only the corner of your lips twitched, a barely formed smile appearing as you shake his hand, eyes still piercing through him like a dagger. “And I’ve heard a lot of... things about you, Mr. Wayne.” The calculative tone in your voice set an alarm within Bruce’s head and he would’ve pulled his hand away from your grasp if it wasn’t for his conscious mind forcing himself to calm down. “Be not afraid — You’ll see no judgement here.” You gave him a pointed look.

Jason quickly goes behind you and wraps an arm around your waist, the soft look on him being noticed by everyone present in the room. “Babe, let’s have dinner first. You’ll absolutely love Alfred’s cooking. They’re hella tasty.” He compliments, winking at Alfred who stood at the side. Alfred smiled with gratitude.

Bruce notices the way a small bit of light shine on your dead-like eyes as soon as you looked at Jason. “Well then, may we?” You shift your soft gaze from Jason to Bruce as you tilt your head slightly to the side.

From then on, the peaceful dinner began with mainly your parents and Bruce sharing thoughts about their own children while the others watch with a smile as Damian starts a conversation with you, the one he idolizes the most. It’s surprising to see Damian being really talkative — for the first time ever, he was being an actual child, asking you questions after questions with his eyes sparkling in joy. Not wanting to ruin this seemingly precious moment for Damian, everyone just decided to listen and chime in only once in a while when they feel like it. You were extremely patient with Damian the entire time he was bombarding you with questions, answering all of them without getting annoyed.

Jason felt relieved to witness the dinner going smoothly.

Truth be told, he was secretly worried about it turning into a disaster due to your vigilantism — Jason knew how Bruce felt about you after realizing you were the unnamed vigilante that nearly killed the Joker, and he thought Bruce would bring it up right away soon as dinner started. Luckily, he didn’t. It made Jason sigh in relief and relax on his seat, smiling as he watched you talk with his siblings.

However, perhaps it was too soon.

“(Y/n), how long have you been a vigilante?”

Jason immediately froze at Bruce’s question. The chit-chatting within the dining hall quickly falls into silence as everyone, too, froze — except the Addams family, who were still eating calmly and quietly, unbothered.

You first swallowed the food you were chewing before wiping your mouth elegantly with a napkin and not even hesitating to meet Bruce’s piercing eyes. “Since I was a child, Mr. Wayne.” You answered simply.

Bruce leans on the table, taking it slow. “Why did you become one?”

You felt Jason squeezing your hand under the table, as if to say you don’t have to answer everything. Though, you still did. “One of our ancestors was a vigilante, although he was hanged alongside his wife’s burning body when a rumour spread that she was a witch. He’s quite the legend within our family, you see.” Dick, Stephanie and Barbara’s jaws dropped. “I could say I was inspired by him. Although the sole purpose of my vigilantism is to bring justice to those who were rejected, neglected, and ignored by our unpleasantly ridiculous, worthless justice system.”

Feeling nervousness radiate off of Jason from how he squeezed your hand even more strongly, you gently hold and knead his hand to give him relaxation. After he stopped squeezing and slightly calmed down, you readjusted his hand so your and his fingers would intertwine with each other. You could feel him staring, but you never avoided eye contact with Bruce.

“To bring justice...” The Billionaire trails off meaningfully, as if it was something he wasn’t expecting to hear from you. “Was that your way of bringing justice?” The sharpness in his tone clearly gave everyone an idea of what he’s talking about.

However, despite the tension thickening and Bruce’s eyes narrowing in judgment, you kept your composure with an expressionless face, nerves surprisingly as calm as water flows. There wasn’t anything you were feeling at the moment, just the patience you need to deal with Jason’s shallow-minded father.

“I’m most definitely certain yours and my understanding of justice varies.” You immediately responded without missing a beat. Bruce’s eyes pierced through you, but your (e/c) eyes were much worse. It was reading him thoroughly, looking into his soul, his mind, feeling as if you knew everything.

“Though, I must admit for everyone’s knowledge, just so no one is left unaware — I tortured Joker not to seek justice for my lover, but to feed my vengeance and urge to revenge.” Your dark eyes glinted in amusement under the lights as the confession slips from your mouth with no restraints, like you’re just talking about nonchalant things. That’s not the only thing that made a cold shiver run down everyone’s spine; it was also the way your supposedly expressionless face completely shifted for the first time only to form a dark, prideful, egotistical look, accompanied by a smirk which obviously stated you weren’t regretful.

Now, there’s no way Bruce would take it lightly.

Sensing the events had turned out more worrisome, Jason tries to tug on your intertwined hands. “(Y/n), sweetheart, we should—”

Your cold gaze avert towards him, and it softened only a bit. “Apologies for interrupting you, my love, but leaving our dinner without finishing them would be disrespect to the person who cooked them for us.” You placed a gentle kiss on the back of Jason’s hand to assure him. “Worry not so much. Your father and I are only getting to know one another.”

As soon as your cold and piercing eyes returned to him, Bruce immediately feels an unsettling feeling in his gut as his heartbeat quickens. He could see it’s easy for you to deal with him or this kind of confrontation — the dangerous thing he noticed about you is that you never lose composure and patience regardless if the situation at hand benefits you or not. The only time you’ve probably ever lost your collectedness was with Joker, whom you actually had every right to get absolutely livid at. You love Jason more than words could ever tell, Bruce can easily see that, but your actions not lining up with his morals made it difficult for him to accept you willingly.

While the Addams simply minded their own business by continuing to eat, the others couldn’t find it in themselves to act like there was no tension rising in the air. They knew this confrontation was coming, but witnessing it unfold before their own eyes isn’t easy. Most of them had to swallow the lump that formed in their throat, with Damian being the only one who isn’t nervous in the slightest.

“Mr. Wayne, I have a deep understanding of your morals and the regulations you’ve set in this home... how none of your family is allowed to kill criminals.” You stated with a smile that was barely visible, though respectful nonetheless. However, it instantly vanishes. “But I must remind you one thing — just because you believe your morals are correct does not make it righteous in any way.”

That certainly struck a core in Bruce.

“We, humans, are incapable of finding the correct morals that all of humanity would agree on. You may believe your morals are absolute and there could be a wonderful soul who has developed the same belief as you, but it would never be everyone.” Your hand gracefully gestures to the people in the dining room to emphasize your point before it comes to rest on the table as you intertwine it with your other hand. “You see, humans are not humans without distinctive differences, and pushing your own standards on others likely causes more harm than it should help put them in control.”

The way you’ve said every word with such grace and elegance was nothing but fascinating as everyone found themselves suddenly voiceless. Your every gesture and movement showed an exquisite manner no other human beings were blessed with, alongside your use of sophisticated language that silently told your high level of intelligence. Other than that, Bruce was speechless from how much your words contained truth and wisdom only a philosopher has. He had never seen nor met someone so wise as you.

Perhaps, that’s why you’re so intimidating — every bit of your intelligence and attitude is your very own power no one else could ever have.

Taking a deep breath, Bruce clears his throat to find his voice and meets your eyes. “Are you implying I should accept how different yours and my morals are?”

“Precisely,” You answered without hesitation, sipping the wine Jason had poured for you when the dinner started. “My morality is concerned with the victims, not the perpetrators nor myself. Your morality is concerned with your inability to control your murderous urges when committed.” Bruce inhales sharply, making your eyes glint since he proved you right.

Gomez and Morticia smile to themselves as they felt proud of how you’re always able to point out things others usually don’t or can’t. Despite your brutal honesty, there is clearly respect within the way you speak to Bruce, which is why neither of them stopped you from defending and proving yourself. Helping you was not in their options; they knew you can handle yourself perfectly fine with the number of times you’ve put people in their place physically or verbally.

“(Y/n), baby... It’s okay,” Jason quietly attempts to stop you, knowing those words were intentionally spoken to strike a nerve in his non-biological father.

He knew how your blood boiled when you found out Bruce didn’t kill the Joker because of his ridiculous morality. He can still remember the way your eyes always darkened at even the slightest mention of Batman or Bruce Wayne. It took two years for you to overcome your wrath on the billionaire before you went after the Joker.

Before you could respond to your lover, Bruce caught your attention again with a simple question — “Why did you do it?”

You look back at him, seeing him staring at you and waiting for an answer. The corner of your lips lifted. “Well, wouldn’t we do anything for love?” Bruce's brows raised at the warm look on your face, not knowing your face was capable of making such expression. “No one hurts my soul and live freely without heavy consequences.” You shrugged, looking heavily smug.

Wednesday scoffed, “You should’ve just put a curse on him. It would have saved you all the trouble and exhaustion.” She looked at you as if what you did was the most incorrect thing in the world.

“No, should’ve electrocuted him!” Said Pugsley with a grin. “It didn’t make me insane when Wednesday did it to me, but it could break his mind.” Everyone’s face shifted into a look of shock at the sudden revelation.

“Now now, children.” Morticia interrupts, “What (Y/n) does to his enemies should be decided by him and him only. You don’t decide for (Y/n).”

“Well, Joker hurt Jason and he’s our brother. Nobody hurts my brothers and lives.” Wednesday responded immediately with empty eyes seeking vengeance, stabbing the steak with a fork and making Dick, Tim and Stephanie flinch.

You threw a knife at her with a single flick of your wrist, just narrowly missing her face, stabbing the wall behind her. She doesn’t flinch and instead gives you a look, which you ignore and reach for another knife to cut your steak with. “Manners, Wednesday. If you wish to stab something, search for someone that would be worthy of it, not a supper.”

“You missed on purpose,” Wednesday complains, annoyed.

You sarcastically smile, “Perhaps, I wouldn’t intentionally miss again if you’re respectful towards a supper.”

She glared, “Miss again and I’ll dump you in a paint full of pastels.”

You just rolled your eyes at her tactics while Jason bursts into laughter, knowing how much you and your family hate pastels. To the Addams, pastels and joyful people are the most insufferable matters in the world. There’s nothing you all hate more than that.

His father and brothers couldn’t believe what happened in front of them. None of the Addams, even Jason, cared that you just threw a knife at Wednesday. In fact, your parents were far from concerned as they only watched with warm smiles on their faces, because truthfully that was just you and Wednesday bickering. It’s nothing serious although others might disagree.

“Apologies for our children, Mr. Wayne.” Morticia says casually after Wednesday had returned to eating her dinner, making Bruce turn to look at her. “They’ve always bickered even when they were just a child. (Y/n) and Wednesday in particular, they liked to attempt burning each other alive ever since hearing the story of one of our ancestors who got burned at the Salem Witch Trials. Children love those stories, you know.” She places a hand on her chest, right above her heart, smiling at her children.

“Wait, hold on— You tried to burn each other alive?” Dick was the one who questioned what everyone couldn’t find their voices to ask about, too shocked and horrified that attempting to kill each other seems so natural and normal within the Addams family.

“Yes, for the record.” You answer without looking up. “Being burned alive is classified as the most painful, agonizing way to die, which is why it had been the perfect punishment for those who were accused of witchcraft in 1692 and 1693. My sister and I were intrigued to see whether this was a fact or just merely false information, so we would always attempt to burn each other in hopes of discovering the truth.”

“Funny thing is, they never did.” Jason cackles as Wednesday shot him an unamused look. “(Y/n) still wishes he could die being burned alive, though.”

The corner of your lips merely twitched in a soft smile as you kissed the back of Jason’s hand affectionately, eyes closed. “Have I ever mentioned I want you to do the honor?” You say with such a loving and adoring tone that Jason felt his heart swell, knowing this is somewhat a proposal that only an Addams would understand.

It was a traditional Addams way of showing they love the person rather than wrapping it up in just three words that rarely comes from the bottom of one’s heart. You would die for him, and only he could bring your ultimate demise, no one else. You were offering him your heart and soul, as well as life, permitting him to hold and treasure it for the rest of your lives. It was an implication that you would dedicate your life to him with nothing in return — you will do everything for him. It’s easy to kill — you’ve nearly done it with the Joker — but it’s not easy to live and die for him, but you will and you would.

Feeling overwhelmed with all the love you endlessly give and show, Jason couldn’t help but hide behind his empty hand in an attempt to hold his tears in, always being emotional whenever he gets the love he doesn’t think he deserves. But he does. You’ve never failed to show him he deserves everything you offer. God, how did he even end up with you? You’re so good to him, so loving and giving, Jason didn’t even expect you’ll be like this back when you two were just strangers building friendship. Jason can’t let you go anymore, and he would never even if you asked him to. He loves you just as much as you love him, although yours seem bigger than his.

The Wayne family witnessed Jason, the usually insufferable Todd who thrives off of violence, cry at the mere love and affection his lover gave. Jason was crying because you reminded him of how significant he was to your life. The big bad wolf, the ruthless Red Hood, the boy who had an immense thirst for vengeance, the boy whose blood is filled with utmost rage towards the world, was crying at the simple showcase of love.

And that’s how Bruce — no, his entire family — knew they failed to love him enough.

But they don’t have to make it up to him anymore. They can’t, because you’re already showering him with love and adoration and appreciation and everything he deserves. You did everything what they were supposed to do — what Bruce was supposed to do.

“Oh, mon amour...” You let go of his hand to gently hold his face with both hands, kissing away the tears that overflowed from his eyes. Jason stayed still, relishing how good you are, how soft you treated him as he gripped your gentle hands. Once you’re done kissing his tears away, he buried his face into your chest while wrapping his arms around you, embracing tightly. You kiss the top of his head, caging him in your arms as you gently run your fingers through his hair.

Jason closes his eyes within your embrace, inhaling your calming scent mixed with a cooling hint of cologne. It’s funny how you’ve always associated yourself with death and darkness, yet for Jason, your mere presence is a light at the end of the tunnel that makes him alive every day. “Thank you, (Y/n)...” He murmurs into your chest, barely audible, but heard by you nonetheless.

You gently scratch his scalp, not caring about your meals and attention solely focused on your lover. “For what exactly, chéri? I have not done anything for you to give me such gratitude, at least not that I remember. I have only been attempting to drown you in my love and affection, haven’t I? Are they worthy of your gratitude?”

He chuckled, “You know damn well they are.”

You tilt your head, a smile tugging at your lips. “Even so, do you truly believe it’s significant for me more than just your presence?” Jason slowly looks up at you, his mesmerizing eyes meeting yours, before shaking his head quietly. A satisfied look crosses your face at that, “There you go. It isn’t difficult to figure out now, is it?” Jason shakes his head, burying his face into your chest once again.

As you continue to comfort Jason, Damian stares at the sight with a weird look. “Todd is extremely quiet when he’s around (Y/n). It’s... weird.”

Dick nudged him, “Hey, let him be. Jay’s probably just very comfortable with him.”

“It’s still weird, though.” Tim insists.

Barbara and Stephanie watched with smiles while you kiss Jason’s forehead, too willing to accept you despite finding your family quite strange. People have different traditions and cultures anyway; they figured yours are just too extraordinary and unusual that don’t fit society’s standards. Being different doesn’t matter when it’s clear that you love Jason too much, in your own special way.

Cassandra glances at Bruce, who seemed to be in deep thought. “I don’t think you have any other choice but to accept him.” Her voice snaps him out of his thoughts, “Look at them. They’re very much in love. More than in love, I’d say. It looks like they were meant to be with each other. Like destiny’s the one who wrote them together.”

Bruce looked at the two of you, who obviously saw nothing but each other in your little world.

“Besides, he basically called bullshit on your morals. And you know all too well he’s beyond right.” Cassandra smirks, “I hope your pride doesn’t get in the way of welcoming a new member, dad.”

Bruce sighed.

Well, it’s inevitable that you’ll be a member one way or another. Cassandra was right about that, and although he didn’t want to admit it, Bruce knew he accepted you the moment you stood up against him. It’s not always there’s someone who is brave enough to speak up against the Bruce Wayne.

Though, he may have to teach you not to strangle literally every single person who mess with Jason.

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aur0raaura · 1 year

Text

Twin Princes AU

LEGEND

Part one | Part two

Buy me a Ko-Fi!

AAAAND SCENE! Wow wow! I didn't expect for what was supposed to be another doodle comic...end up with me putting a lot of effort-!

Life got in the way plenty of times- making me take quite a bit to finish this...even contemplating on just putting this on hiatus and just do something else-

...but I did it! I didn't let any discouragement, nerves and bad feelings get to me.

Now I'm sure many are wondering- HOW did this come to fruition? Simple: my friend pointed out that my next comic should focus on Kyurem's involvement in this! Many were wondering what sort of role the old dragon played after the previous comic (Family) and the art piece that accompanied it (The Giant Chasm)! So I went for a more artistic approach to this, making the artwork look like a tale at first, but then shifting to a more crude and cold atmosphere- I was going to polish these last nine pages, yet my friend would tell me that the sketchiness helps with the narrative- and honestly, she was right! Thus I tried to add some subtle sketchiness on pages 7-11 on part one! I wonder if people noticed that detail...? Anyways, time for some fun behind the scenes stuff...!

Here's the very first concept of my Original Dragon design, including his human form!

You can tell I did some adjustments in the final product, but I really wanted to make sure this dragon had characteristics of the tao trio in some way, plus-- I wished for him to have a unique sort of feel- kinda ethereal? I also gave a teeny bit of eastern dragon influence because...well...tao trio. The tail is actually inspired by a plasma engine!

It's why I gave it a bit of a swirl to it- ...kinda reminds me of ice cream- His human design...well, I wished to make sure he looked like the princes yeah-? He is their dad after all! So I made sure to reflect that- Same with his clothing as well! Ah right...I should show the design of our princes yes...?

WHOA WHOA WHOA-- those faces... Hmm... I wonder if people can start piecing together why this au is called the "Twin Princes AU" with this and what was told in this comic...? The design in itself was conceptualized by a rough idea my friend sent me a whiiiiiile back, but asked me to refine it further! Make it fancy, royal, elegant--!! You get the point. XD Though this is the finalized design i came up with as I brainstormed this comic! I hope I could convey how magical yet refined they are! As for Kyurem....oh my! What a reveal as well huh?

What a throwback....! I drew these a while back!

Well, there's certainly some familiar design choices...! And another clue to this whole puzzle- unless some of you have figured it out! Let me know through my ask box! ;D

I really didn't expect such a warm reception towards this au me and my pal cooked up last year. To think mixing concepts from our ocverse (GUARDiANverse) with pokemon could work so well...! I suppose fantastical elements mixing with another fantastical setting aint such a bad idea...! This AU has kinda expanded since it's conception... to a point of having other stories of other characters that take place in this version of the pokemon world!

Though for now, I may need a bit of a breather. 20 pages was QUITE the endeavor! Yet...that doesn't mean I wouldn't be opposed to tell more of my tale in other ways! Shoot me an ask, tell me! Who knows, I may answer with a doodle comic! For now, I'll just slowly cook my next idea! Maybe I should give the witness to these tales some spotlight...? I dunno...but honestly, feel free to shoot asks. Well, I hope you all can be patient with me in the meantime!

#submas #sbms #pokemon #twin princes au #aura's art #oh man it feels good to finally show this to it's completion!#I was having quite the rough time while trying to finish this...making things take way too long #I also participated in the PokeMas art contest too! ...in which delayed things further #haha woops...! but i really wanted to give it a shot!#oh right! I also added a Ko-Fi link- i wasn't sure if to put it there...but it's there if you want to have a way to tip me!#I just hope it's not too invasive x'D #once again...thank you for the support thus far and for being so patient with me! i really appreciate it #im not used to such positive feedback and it means a lot that this many people are interested in our story

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farfromstrange · 2 years

Text

Foreigner's God: Chapter 6

Main Masterlist

Pairing: Matt Murdock x OFC

Chapter Summary: There is a lot of investigative work that goes into being a superhero. Matt is used to fighting the bad guys with his fists to get information, so putting actual thought behind his work is new to him. Fortunately for him, Eliza always understands the assignment. She's the brain, he's the emotional support devil with legal advice trying his best to keep her sane - there's not much that could go wrong now, right?

Warnings: angst, Hydra, Matt Murdock (deserves a warning), Happy being an overprotective father figure, cursing, blood, sexual tension, child abuse (not related to the aforementioned sexual tension), mention of hysterectomy, watch me make shit up about law, allusions to kissing

Word Count: 10.3k

A/n: so... I'm back? sorry for the hiatus, a lot of stuff happened, but I'm back and I'm okay, and I'm more than ready to continue this story (chapters seven to seventeen are already finished in my docs)

Read Chapter 6: Ivy here on AO3!

18+ MINORS DNI

Matt stirred. Every muscle in his body was overcome by a sudden set of cracks. Then, the ache settled in. Every new movement pulled on another string. It knocked the breath out of his lungs.

When he woke up, his senses came back to life only slowly, he was confused at first; this wasn’t his apartment. The couch was more comfortable than his, but the fabric made his skin turn into an itchy mess. The scent was also unfamiliar. He was used to his scentless soaps and cleaning supplies. The room he was in smelled distinctive of vanilla, dish soap, and disinfectants. He made out hints of cinnamon and banana in the air. He groaned, rolling onto his back. Was Eliza still there? He concentrated. Her heartbeat sounded melodically from the kitchen, next to the noisy coffee maker.

“You’re up,” she observed. She placed the piping cup of coffee next to him on the table.

Matt sighed as her hand ran through his hair. Though it wasn’t a gesture to display affection. He only then realized he was shivering even with the blanket pulled to his chin.

“Morning,” he croaked out.

He didn’t expect Eliza to snort. “You have a grouchy morning voice,” she said.

“Wow, thank you. Most women would call it sexy, but I guess grouchy works too.”

“I’m not most women.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Here,” she handed him the coffee once he managed to sit up. “Milk and no sugar, right?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

His hand went to wrap around hers. He placed it against his hot cheek, the cold of her touch soothing the ache. He closed his eyes and inhaled. He tried to map out the changes in her scent, the cinnamon, and the smoke from the oven. He could smell the contents of banana bread on her clothes. She smelled so sweet, almost too sweet, but mixed with the vanilla and faintest remains of tequila, it was just enough to make him high off her. He was like a junkie, searching for ways to get his fix. He needed her like water and it was all he cared about. He didn’t think, he just wanted to touch her, and so he did.

Eliza flinched away. She placed his hand back down in his lap. The pain in his eyes flickered to the beat of a million candles in the wave of a tornado, about to go out any second. He looked like a kicked puppy abandoned on the side of the road, dirty and alone.

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay,” he said.

“I- maybe we should just talk, you know,” she told him. “After last night, I just need time to think. I was drunk and you were… well, I think we’re not quite there yet. Is that- would that be okay?”

He sighed softly. His hand remained in his lap, although it twitched. “Of course, it’s okay.”

“Okay, good.”

He wanted to hold her close. Her voice sounded hoarse, strained from all the crying, and probably sleep-deprived. He doubted she even slept at all. He wished to somehow show her just how sorry he was and take away some of her pain, but he didn’t have superpowers. It wasn’t his place to decide for her, let alone touch her without consent. He knew she needed time to process and no matter how hard it was for him, she deserved to be granted some time to breathe. He screwed up; he had to accept the consequences of his actions. They bonded plenty the previous night, but the revelation took a toll on them both. Of course, the morning after would be different.

She cleared her throat. “You’re running a fever. It’s probably an infection. You need to keep an eye on that before it gets worse. Take this-“ she handed him the small capsules, “It’ll help with the swelling and prevent the infection from spreading if you’re lucky.”

“Where did you get them?”

“I went to ask the old lady next door if she had something for the pain,” she said.

Matt nodded. “Thanks.” He took the water bottle she offered him. The pills ran down his esophagus easily.

The coffee she made was freshly brewed, an expensive machine at that. He only ever had coffee like that when Karen was generous and brought to-go cops from the coffee shop next door to her apartment.

“Thanks,” he said again. “You didn’t have to do all this.”

“I know, but you almost died protecting me, so I kinda owe you. Besides, we passed the ‘You don’t have to do this’ stage a while ago.”

“Yeah, I guess sharing trauma does that to you, huh?”

Eliza scoffed at his casual cheekiness. “From the moment we first met, I knew this was heading somewhere that’s gonna put us both in danger. I didn’t anticipate you being Daredevil and all, but you got hurt either way.” She bore her eyes into his. “It’s not a joke to me,” she told him.

“Were you worried about me?” he asked, and his eyebrow quirked up in an almost amusing way.

She wanted to wipe the cocky grin off his face. “I was afraid of what this life might do to you. My life.”

“Hey.” Matt reached for her.

He brought his fingers next to the wrist that was closest to his thigh. Her heart was beating faster, but not because of their proximity. Somewhere inside of her, she was still disappointed - disappointed about the fact that days spent with him had been nothing but pretense.

“If there’s anything I can do to make this up to you,” he said.

“You don’t have to make it up to me,” Eliza said, shaking her head. “I forgive you, but there’s still some part of me that’s warning me not to trust you because you lied to me. I can’t help it, it’s how I grew up.”

Open conversation is always the hardest part in every relationship, but like any other thing with Matt Murdock, it almost came naturally. Eliza knew he would never judge her for saying what she thought, what she needed, and neither would she if he had something to say. People judge too easily when it comes to personal needs without realizing that everyone has them and that relationships consist of more than just what happens on the outside.

Matt swallowed. “You’re right. I can- I can prove to you that you can trust me.”

“Yeah, well, you seem like an overly determined kinda guy.”

“Are you sure you’re not a mind reader?” he chuckled.

“You know what, maybe I am,” she said.

Her eyes switched to the scars on his shoulders, the ones on his stomach – she even thought about those on his back.

“What happened?” she dared to ask.

“Ninja named Nobu,” he said.

“Ninja?”

“Yeah, long story.”

She took the empty mug from him. “Ah.”

“About last night-“

“We need to talk,” she agreed. “Yeah, I made breakfast. We shouldn’t do this on an empty stomach.”

“Is that banana bread I smell?” he asked.

“Yeah.” She frowned. “And scrambled eggs. How did you-”

He flicked his nose. “Heightened senses.”

“Oh, right.”

“Your clothes smell like baking ingredients and banana. Also, I can tell you cracked some eggs earlier. What I’m asking myself is,” he shifted, sliding a pillow behind his back, “Why are you baking this early in the morning? Judging by the sound of the street, there are not many people awake yet, which says a lot for New York. What time is it?”

"Five-thirteen. And I bake when I’m stressed,” she stated.

“Did you even sleep?

Eliza pursed her lips.

“You can’t lie to me, you know that.” He tilted his head. Her heartbeat gave her away. “How long?” he asked.

“Maybe an hour.” She diverted her gaze as a blush of embarrassment crept to her cheeks. “Or two, I don’t know.”

“Jesus, Eliza-”

She jumped up almost instantly at the unconscious pity in his voice. “It’s not that big of a deal!” She went straight into the defense. She thought if maybe she managed to make all of her bad habits look normal, he would drop the issue. Living in denial was better than facing the inevitable truth that she was not doing so well. At least keeping up the act kept her sane, for the most part.

Matt followed her with darkened eyes. “Are you sure?” he questioned. “‘Cause, it sounds like a pretty big deal to me that you’re not sleeping.”

“Well, don’t think about it too hard. I’m used to not sleeping. It’s normal at this point. Haven’t slept properly in years. Another sleepless night is not going to make it any worse or any better than it already is.”

“Years? Eliza, you’ve been doing this ever since you were a kid? How are you still alive?”

Eliza wanted to believe he was saying it jokingly, but the locked jaw and stern-as-fuck look on his face burst her bubble just as fast as he had blown it.

“Honestly,” she said, “There seems to be little that can fatally hurt me. Besides, I’ve been in this business for a long time; no one sleeps more than three hours max. It’s normal. Maybe not for the average human being, but for me it is. If you think that’s terrible, you should meet Captain America. He certainly doesn’t sleep at all.”

The argument sounded pretty convincing to anyone who never lived with Steve Rogers before. He was the country’s golden boy. He was a superhero. No one suspected them to have healthy sleep schedules.

Steve Rogers was, in fact, not the king of insomnia. He went to bed at eight pm every day and got up around five in the morning to work out. Seven hours of sleep were a perfect balance, he had once told her. Especially for a man his size. He made himself a habit out of trying to teach the other Avengers what a healthy lifestyle could look like. Sleep, work out, shower, eat breakfast, go on missions, read a book, then repeat.

If he had been anywhere near as technologically talented as Tony or anyone else living as a functioning human being in the twenty-first century without having been frozen for more than five decades, he would have made a PowerPoint presentation. She didn’t doubt, not for a second, that Steve Rogers would’ve used an Apple Watch to track his progress if he had known even remotely how it works. But the man struggled to even man a phone with a touch screen, so the modern technology wasn’t exactly something you would see him walking around with.

Maybe if you would have listened to him, you could be living your hot girl influencer life right now instead of looking like hell on wheels.

Eliza frowned at herself. Sleep deprivation at its finest. She saw herself talking to an invisible audience. Not that an audience of any kind would care about her shit show of life, but it was cute to think so, especially for her common sense to drop such inspirational quotes in the middle of something that appeared to be an impending argument. Another one.

Matt scoffed. He pressed a hand to his mutilated torso and pushed himself further up the couch until his back was finally fully pressed against the backrest. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said, “but if you truly believe that, you’re delusional. You’re not helping your case.”

“I’m not trying to.” She shrugged. “Maybe mind your own business. You believe God made you blind. Which one of us is actually delusional?”

“You’ve fought aliens and you think God is such a far-off character?”

“But why would he make you blind?”

“Because this is who I’m supposed to be!”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Fighting criminals at night with a Halloween costume is not a task mentioned in the Bible! God would never ask that of anyone because it looks stupid.”

“Stupid? Have you seen yourself?”

“As a matter of fact, I have. I look like shit most of the time because yes, Sir Daredevil, I’m a mess. I don’t sleep. I forget to eat most of the time and maybe, just maybe, I could use a little bit of sun. Would ruin my go-to character of sexy Dracula on Halloween, but” she said and slapped her mug on the living room table, causing the wood to vibrate, “I am a hot mess. That’s why the sexy Dracula works. And the sexy nun, but I’m not opening this up to a Catholic with a savior complex.”

He looked flabbergasted. “What?” he quipped, “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“My point is, at least my suit was overlooked by a designer who knows what he’s doing.”

“Tony Stark doesn’t appear to know what he’s doing, Eliza.”

“You wouldn’t know because you can’t see, Matthew!”

“Using blindness as an argument against me? Low blow.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Can you see?”

“No,” he retorted.

“Then how is it a low blow to state the truth?”

“I- okay, you know what, sure. You win. Congratulations.” He was fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “You want a reward for whatever the hell that was?”

Eliza grunted. “Oh, fuck you!”

“If you’re offering.” The devilish glint in his eyes was back, more prominent than ever.

The words took her back for a second, the frustration running high between them. He seemed to deal with it differently than her. Whenever he got like this, she saw Daredevil behind his eyes. She saw him lurking in the shadows of his subconscious, always ready to make an appearance. Sometimes, it happened accidentally. His emotions controlled Daredevil. Like with her powers, he hardly had any say in the matter of his darker side coming out to play. It severely depended on the way he felt at that exact moment. Though then there were times, like this one, where she strongly believed he did it intentionally to throw his opponent - or her - off.

Matt Murdock was Daredevil. She said it once and she would claim it all over again if asked about it. They were the same person. He could try to tell her differently, there was no way she would believe him. She didn’t feel it at first, but she could see it. She simply had been too naïve to recognize it sooner. With the knowledge at hand though, she began to notice all the similarities and cracks in behavior. His alter ego was always there. At this exact moment, he was staring into her soul, a hungry animal hunting his prey. And just like that, as the glint faded into honey specks in his eyes, he was gone, hiding in plain sight.

She pursed her lips, groaned, and then hit him over the head in a last-minute decision. “You’re an idiot, Murdock,” she said.

Matt winced. He had expected much, but not this. “Did you just hit a defenseless blind man?” he asked.

“You need to stop using that card with me. It won’t work.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. I’ll remind you of that the next time I walk past you when I have my shirt and glasses on. I heard the cane is always a pretty convincing argument. Even Foggy forgets it sometimes.”

Deep wrinkles decorated her forehead. “Honestly, where do you get the audacity?” she asked him, her eyebrows knitted so tightly they became one. “One of these days I might just pull you into the boxing ring and see for myself how trained you are. Knock that grin right off your face.”

“Why don’t we just do it right now?”

“You were on the verge of death not only twelve hours ago.” She shoved him back into the pillows forcefully. “If I could, I would chain you to this bed. I mean it. I even believe I could get away with it for a couple of hours.” Until he breaks the stupid metal with his stupidly strong arms. “Why don’t we test that theory?”

Matt frowned. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I wouldn’t,” she agreed. “Not yet, at least. If you keep this up though, I will make sure I won’t have to see your face for as long as I want. You’ve gotten yourself in enough danger already, I don’t need you to cause the end of the world because you can’t help yourself.” She rolled her eyes at the irony of the sentence. “Never thought I’d say this about anyone but myself. You really set a new record. Congratulations.”

There he stood. Suddenly, without warning, he towered over her. His eyes turned almost black in the soft sunlight streaming through the windows. He looked rough, but he wore it well. It suited him, the danger. “I know you’re angry, but I’m in pain and I’m tired, and you being a brat is not helping me get better,” he said. His hot breath hit her face. All she could do was stare up at him, eyes wide with her lips slightly agape. Not a single thought went through her head. “If you ever threaten to chain me down again, the next thing this bedpost will see is you, face down, with your legs bound together. Don’t act like you’re so innocent. I lied to you, sure, but you’re no angel either. Trust me, you’re not the only one who gets frustrated easily.”

“Is that so?” she rasped.

“Oh, yes.”

“Then why don’t you make me shut up if my being mad is such an inconvenience to you, big boy?”

Something snapped in him. Two innocent words carrying so much weight. He raised his hand. She didn’t flinch this time. She brought it upon herself. Though he didn’t punch her - she wasn’t even sure why she thought he would - he merely placed his hand on the spot just below her neck, fingers gently gracing the sides, as his touch grew firmer. One pull and he had her flush to his chest.

“Don’t,” he warned.

“You want to choke me?” Eliza raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t start something you’ll regret.”

“Why, scared you can’t finish it?”

He chuckled. “Sweetheart, there is a lot I can’t do, but finishing? Not one of them.”

She swallowed. There was nothing to be swallowed but dry air. She hated the effect he had on her. One second, she could barely stand him, afraid of his touch, and the next she had to rile him up because it excited her in a way that was unhealthy. It was creepy, the way she wanted him but not-wanted him at the same time. She was going insane, she was sure of it. Something wasn’t right.

His unseeing eyes stayed focused in the direction of where he believed her lips were. His thumb followed. He found them with ease as if he was planning on doing it ever since he woke up. He moved with a purpose. The rough tip of his thumb pushed her lower lip towards her chin.

She couldn’t speak with his finger still in her mouth. Also, she didn’t want to. She knew her voice would crack. What had gotten into him?

“I need to put on some clothes,” he stated.

His thumb slipped from her lips. She stared at him. “What?” the quiver gave her away. Instinctively, she crossed her arms over her chest. The goosebumps traveled from her neck, down her breasts, and the valley between her pubic bones. Hot flashes suddenly felt cold, and the soft tissue around her nipples irritated. He messed with her body by barely touching her. She felt it everywhere, not just the salt on her lips. She hated it. She hated the way he made her feel, so vulnerable, submissive, and out of control. But mostly she hated the fact that she didn’t hate it. She loved it. She loved every second of his stupid, little games and it drove her up the walls.

“Never mind,” she grumbled. She wiped the spit from her lips. So much for acting normal, was all that crossed her mind.

“Do you have any clothes I could borrow?” Matt asked, casual as ever. “My suit’s still got blood on it.”

She expected him to ask. He caught the sweater she tossed him with ease, followed by a pair of sweatpants. They hit him in the face. Eliza sounded curt when she spoke again. “I borrowed them from Steve after one of our missions,” she said.

He frowned. “Steve.”

“It’s that or crop tops.”

“This is fine, thank you.”

Matt slipped into the clothes right in front of her. If he hadn’t been half-naked already, she would’ve said something, but there was little she hadn’t seen at this point. He was covering up not down, and he wasn’t getting any more naked. Still, she watched with a lump in her throat and the attention of her nipples very much standing in the wind.

She licked her lips once he pulled the shirt over his marbled torso. “Finally,” she breathed. The weight fell off her shoulders. “Breakfast?” she looked at him with the question in her eyes, too.

He nodded. “You might have to,” she grabbed his bicep. “Lead the way,” he finished.

“I know,” she said. “Heightened senses don’t make you any less blind, right?”

He scoffed. “No. No, they don’t.”

“Come on.”

His plate was quickly filled with one piece of banana bread and some eggs. All the while, the two didn’t share a single word or sound, despite being only a few inches apart from each other.

Matt searched for the fork on the right side of the plate. He always kept his on the same side, so it wasn’t something he had to get used to. A lot was different in Eliza’s home, but the way she lived reminded him of himself, even though she seemed to live a much richer lifestyle than him. He blamed that on Tony Stark’s voluminous bank account.

After a few bites, the silence began to bug him. He cleared his throat. “Delicious,” he commented.

She looked at him. Her eyes roamed his face for any deeper intention behind the sudden spark in conversation. She couldn’t find any.

“Thank you,” she said curtly.

“What coffee maker do you use? It’s amazing. I haven’t had coffee this good in a very long time.”

Eliza placed the cutlery down. “What are you doing?”

“What?”

“What are you doing? Why are you asking me questions about the coffee maker?”

“I’m just trying to make conversation.”

“Then choose a topic that doesn’t sound so… pretentious.” She shuddered. “Rubs me the wrong way, seriously.”

“Alright, I’m sorry.”

“We should talk about the issue at hand.” She didn’t dig back into her food. She left about half of the contents behind and suddenly lost her appetite. It wasn’t because of him; she wasn’t even sure what made her stomach twist in the first place.

Matt lowered his fork, gently placing it next to the plate. He reached for the water she had poured him - orange juice was way too acidic, he had told her, so he settled for tap water instead.

Eliza downed her glass of juice in one gulp. The orange burned in her sore throat, still irritated from the tequila they shared the night before. “So, the guy who stabbed you,” she asked, “What did he-” she shook her head at the casual ‘what did he look like’ question that crossed her mind. “What was he like?” she managed to rephrase before making a huge fool out of herself.

He licked his lips. “He smelled like the expensive vodka you can get at a bar on the upper east side,” he stated. “It’s the same bottle you have in the liquor stash underneath your sink where you got the tequila from. I’ve smelled it at the party last night, too. And Tony Starks gets his alcohol from the richest suppliers he can find.”

“What else?” She leaned forward.

“The fact I didn’t hear his heartbeat until he was too close for comfort only means he’s been trained to disappear.”

“A trained killer,” Eliza corrected him.

“The way he fought was…” Matt scoffed, “I don’t know. Unlike anything I’ve experienced before, I’ve fought a ninja in a warehouse. It was you who told me that Hydra is capable of unspeakable things and that the people who work for them… were trained for this sort of stuff. Why else would he climb on your roof in the middle of the night?”

She couldn’t help it. “You were following me, too.”

“I think the guy was out to kill you, Eliza,” he said, sterner this time. “This wasn’t a warning. It wasn’t a coincidence. I could hear it in the way he fought. His head kept tilting towards your window. I know that the only other tenants in this building are two older women, a family, a young couple fresh out of college, and an elementary school teacher with five cats. None of them seem to have any connection to men like him. You’re an Avenger living in an apartment building full of ordinary people. Doesn’t it seem suspicious to you that an armed man was following you, jumping on your roof, and heading for your apartment? I may be blind, but I know a killer when I meet one.”

“Of course, I believe he was after me! But you followed me too. You can’t know if he wanted to kill me or just hurt me. If he wanted to kill me, he’d also want you dead. If he wanted you dead, he would’ve done more than just stab you. He wouldn’t have let you throw him off the roof. He would’ve killed you and then, if his purpose had been to kill me, well, I would be dead by now.” The plate clattered loudly when she threw the cutlery on it. She got up, porcelain swaying forcefully, and it almost cracked in the sink when she threw it in oh so carelessly. “That’s how Hydra works,” she said. “Nothing’s convenient or coincidental when it comes to them. It’s all carefully planned out. Even what seems like a miss on their part is all part of their twisted little plan, whatever it is.”

“Well, he wasn’t going to cuddle you, that’s for sure. Unless you’re into sharing your bed with someone carrying a knife and pressing it to your throat.”

“Ha-ha, very funny.” She stood there with her hands on the edges of the marble countertop, knuckles turned white. She hung her head low, deep between her shoulders. “No, we have to focus on something else.”

Matt shook his head. He wasn’t going to get behind the way her brain worked anytime soon. “You just want to let him walk? I purposely threw him off the roof so we’d have leverage. Tied to a hospital bed, he can’t fight back. We should go to the hospital and get the answers we need and we wouldn’t even have to beat it out of him.”

“No!” Eliza whined. “No, Matt, we can’t.”

“Why?”

“You want to hunt that guy from last night down like a dog? Go ahead,” she said. “But it’s not gonna do anything. He’s probably out of the hospital or dead by now or both. If he was Hydra, like you said, they’re not leaving him there, in a public hospital, where the person who got him there could get to him again. Hunting him down will lead to a dead end. They’re not stupid, Matt, you need to realize that. They’re smarter than we’ll ever be and that’s fucking dangerous.”

He let her raise her voice. Yelling back would’ve done neither of them any good, and she wasn’t angry at him, she was just angry. Not at him, not at Hydra, she was simply upset. Sometimes you need to allow people to get their anger out instead of telling them to suppress it.

She took a deep breath. A quiet apology passed her lips. She regulated the tone of her voice. “Let’s just drop it.” She was worn out, he could hear it. “I’m not dead, you’ve been stabbed and he most certainly got what he deserved hours ago. That’s a random series of events that’s not gonna help us.”

Matt swayed the glass of water around, and his nostrils flared. “Fine,” he caved. The sound of the liquid rushed in his ears like ocean waves. Her heartbeat was steady on the other side of the room, standing in a corner of the kitchen. He wanted to focus on the water rather than her, but it was hard when everything around him brought him back to Eliza. Not understanding someone fully has always been something that easily managed to bug him. Every time he believed he knew her, he realized he didn’t.

She made a strangled sound. “This is so fucked!” she said. “Jesus Christ. I can’t believe we’re even here right now. I mean, Robert Pfeiffer is dead.” She was trying so hard not to break. “His blood is on my hands, Matthew.”

“That’s not true,” he tried to reassure her.

“It is. It always is.”

“He was murdered because he knew too much and didn’t follow the rules. That wasn’t your fault.”

“I’m the one trying to stop them. Of course, it’s my fault.”

“It’s not. The whole situation is shit and full of coincidences, but none of this is your fault. It’s Hydra, you said it yourself,” Matt said. His words, factual yet soft, struck a chord within her. “Robert Pfeiffer is dead, yes. He was shot because of his ties to Hydra, not to you. From what you told me, Hydra uses even the slightest win to its advantage. This is what they want. They want you to drive yourself insane. They want us to become predictable so they can eradicate us too. And I can’t… if you get hurt during this or if they get to you again, I can’t live with myself. They’re gonna suffer for what they did to you, I promise. Just… don’t give them what they want. Don’t let them ruin you before we even get the chance to win.”

“Matt,” she breathed his name. He tilted his head, an indication of his open ears. “Thank you.”

His lip twitched into a smile. “It’s okay.”

“Can you-” she wiped her nose, “Can you tell me what to do? Because I don’t know what to do. I think I might be a bit over my head here.”

“I think you need to breathe first,” he said.

Eliza nodded slowly. “Yeah. I should probably calm down.” A pause. “But I can’t,” she said. “I can’t calm down. This is not the time to calm down. There’s gotta be something for us to do.” She began to pace the floor. “We need to do something.”

“If you were an Avenger right now,” Matt approached her, “What would the first step be? Think.”

She looked at him. “I don’t… we’d… we would go after the common denominator. The one that connects all things that happened. It could be a picture, a group, or- or a name.”

It dawned on both their faces. “The Viper,” they said in unison.

“We need to find him,” Eliza said. “The serum,” she pondered. “We need to think about what they’re doing with the serum. There are probably people out there that Hydra has their eyes on. We need to focus on that. If we find the Viper, maybe we can figure out what their plan is.”

A sudden epiphany that breathed new hope into her. She saw the light at the end of the tunnel a little clearer now.

“Pfeiffer said they wanted to make super soldiers. You don’t believe that?” Matt questioned. He now stood across from her, leaning against the kitchen sink.

“No, that’s not the whole story. Von Strucker experimented on the Maximoff twins in Sokovia to create stronger weapons for Hydra.”

“I still can’t wrap my head around it. I mean, you destroyed Sokovia. It’s hard to believe anyone could come out of this stronger than ever like they never even took a hit.”

“There are lives at stake! It doesn’t matter what we destroyed or not. What’s in the past is in the past.”

She tried to keep the memories out, she tried to keep it together for the mission – she didn’t want to show them that they had her backed into a corner. She kept her emotions under lock, the fear and the anger she felt all strictly tucked away somewhere. She swallowed it all like tiny needles. How long could she keep going like this?

Eliza didn’t realize she was crying until she tasted the familiar salt on the tip of her tongue. She got up, frustrated, fed up with herself.

“Cut off one head, two more shall grow in its place,” she recited. The words always managed to trigger something deep within her.

Matt was helpless. He didn’t want to hug her, afraid it might hurt her more, but he also couldn’t just stand there and listen to her quiet sobs like he didn’t care. He cared. He cared too much.

She hugged her arms tight around her torso. The tears stained her sweater. She put up a wall around her. Even if he’d tried, she wouldn’t have allowed him in. The second she choked on the tears though, he decided ‘fuck it!’ and was by her side in seconds. He should’ve asked, he thought. He should have let her decide, but she was stubborn. She was so persistent, she would have never asked him for the hug, even if it had killed her. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her, and the relief was so damn sweet.

Eliza stiffened at first, then her hands slid up his shirt, tight around his back. She buried her face in his chest. Her tears soaked through to his skin, but he didn’t mind. He kept holding her, even squeezing her tighter. The way she reacted to him, he knew she craved it. He knew she craved someone to hold her and tell her they were going to be fine. He let her body do the talking and allowed his hands to translate her needs into answers.

“This whole thing’s killing me,” she whispered. “I’ve lost so much, I can’t lose anymore. I’m tired. If I let myself get dragged down by Hydra, I might never get back up again. But I’m so exhausted, I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this.”

“I’m not gonna let that happen,” he told her.

She wiped the tears with her sleeve. “I know.”

“Hey.” He cradled her face. “You’re gonna be alright.”

“I am?”

“Yes.”

She nodded. The ghost of his lips stayed stuck to her skin long after he was gone. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s get this son of a bitch!”

Matt chuckled. “There she is.”

Footsteps echoed into the living room where Eliza began to rummage around the table in search of her laptop. She discarded the bloody towels she used to bleach the stains out of her carpet and the floorboards next to it. They landed somewhere in the corner with a loud thud that had Matt cringing. It was his blood, the copper smell suddenly excreting from the fabric.

“This new head seems to be focusing on combining the human experiments with the results they gained from their previous projects,” she explained. The wheels in her head kept turning loudly, causing her to stumble over her words. “There’s something we gotta do to find out what exactly they’re doing. Like human trafficking, missing persons, abandoned medical facilities, doctors that are helping them… maybe we can go through shopping logs, and trace them back to Pfeiffer or the guys in the butcher shop. Each of these databases has holes that offer pathways to the information if I can manage to filter out the vulnerabilities.”

“You won’t find anything,” Matt said. “The police checked them. There’s nothing in their files other than some petty crimes that landed them in jail. They could be using fake identities, but there’s no proof. If you want to hack official government organizations, you won’t find anything.”

She clenched her jaw. “No. If they were working for Hydra, there has to be a trail. Here.” She came around with her laptop in hand. “The Viper doesn’t have to be our man, but they might lead us to the one at the top.”

The keys clicked underneath her fingers. Matt listened closely, putting together what she was writing. “What’re you doing?” he asked.

“Asking around,” she said. “The dark web’s become my best friend. If anyone knows about some super criminal walking around, it’s these guys.”

“Okay, but how do we know it’s not a trap?”

“I have sources that can verify. You just have to trust me.”

“I trust you.”

“Good.” She hit the enter button. The message went out into the world wide web within seconds.

Eliza shoved the device back. She replaced it with a fresh cup of coffee, staring intently at the screen, waiting for someone - anyone - to reply to her request for information. Her leg kept bouncing up and down and up and down. At one point, Matt grabbed her knee. The look on his face said all - the noise irritated him. He could hear the floor creak, her knee snap, and the way her clothes rubbed against her skin. It was infuriating, so she stopped.

“The Viper doesn’t have to be our key,” she broke the short silence that had fallen over them as they waited with the clock ticking in the back of their minds. “There’s always the one who pays for everything, someone who coordinates it. Arnim Zola was the scientist back in the forties, but the Redskull was the guy everyone feared. There’s a strict hierarchy in Hydra, anyone who goes against it dies. If you disobey orders, you’re as good as dead. Or they brainwash you, which is the same.”

His fist clenched at his side, the anger causing the veins on his hands and arms to stand at full attention. She eased her hand over his tense figure. The tingle started on the small hairs coating his body, then traveled through his skin into his bloodstream. He felt the invisible hand reach for his soul, but instead of grabbing and squishing it roughly, it gently stroked over it. He wasn’t thrown back into a wall like the first time. This was different, aimed at a completely different target.

“It feels weird,” he admitted.

“My powers?” Eliza asked to clarify.

“Yeah. It’s like thousands of ants crawling all over my skin. Feels strange. I can't explain it, but you just kind of take the steering wheel and turn my car in your wanted direction.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I usually don’t hurt anyone. My powers are harmless as long as I want them to be.”

“I know. I just never met an enhanced person before.”

“Glad to be your first then.”

“But you’re not gonna be my last,” he meant to ask, but he ended up stating it instead. Eliza pursed her lips. The thought scared her, honestly. More of her only meant more children that had to suffer unwillingly. “So,” Matt filled the awkward silence, “This hierarchy you mentioned, how does it work?”

“There are two big sharks in the tank,” she said. “One’s a psychopath that likes to torture people and he has handymen, right? Like Pfeiffer or the Viper. They answer to him,” she explained to him. “He’s in control of everyone working for them. He’s at the top of everything because he holds the lives of everyone in his very hands. I don’t- I can’t say his name, but the guy in charge of Project Chaos… he’s responsible for every child that died. Everyone feared him.”

“Is he still alive?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Who knows? SHIELD took down the base I came from, but I was never told what happened. There’s a slight chance he might be alive since the guys at the butcher shop knew me. I don’t know where Hydra kept their files, but I had to be marked somewhere or else they wouldn’t have come prepared. If he’s alive though…” she shivered visibly. “This shit gets a lot more complicated and I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

“Eliza-“

“No, you don’t understand!” she turned so she was directly facing him. “This man knows who I am, who I was. He has all the information I crave. He could use that against me, he could offer me everything and I’d take it. That’s why I’m so afraid of him,” she said. “I answered to him and only him. He put me through training and was there during every procedure. I was so dependent on him, I- I saw him as a father, alright? This isn’t some bad guy we’re dealing with, this- this is a monster. No matter how hard I try not to, I’ll always remember him. I still remember his face. It haunts me in every nightmare. If he’s part of this, I’ll know sooner or later.”

“Okay, I get that,” Matt said. He looked like a schoolboy. He listened carefully, eyebrows furrowed every once in a while as he made mental notes. Eliza was an expert, after all.

“The other guy on the top is some rich asshole that gets his pockets filled with every kill. He doesn’t exactly make demands. He only opens his pockets and has intel on the whole operation. He gets to decide whatever is accepted within the project, but he’s not a scientist, he’s only in it for the profit. Secretary Pierce, for example. He was some rich Hydra operative that helped put much bigger things into motion. That’s the kind of shark that’s gonna give us all the intel. The only thing both heads have in common is their disgusting faith in Hydra’s belief system. The one you barely know is the most powerful, the rich one just keeps up a façade that keeps Hydra safe from all possible sides.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Every court would dismiss this case for lack of evidence, no matter how bad these guys are.”

“We’re not going to court, Matthew,” Eliza said.

“I know, but we might as well treat this like we are. What better way to gather evidence than imagine we’re building a solid court case?”

She couldn’t deny he was onto something. “Okay, fine. Say this would be tried in a court of law, we need a prime suspect, right?”

“Exactly,” he said. “Our prime suspect would be whoever’s at the top. He’s the one pulling all the strings, but since we don’t know who he is, the Viper becomes our second prime suspect. He puts the fear of God in all of Hydra. Looking into him further will provide us with more evidence.”

“I agree with you. But we also need to take into account the big guy’s other disciples, the ones working for the Viper, and the rich fucker that pays for it all. If we get to him, the rest is almost as easy as eating ice cream.”

Matt hummed in agreement. “Exhibit A, the suspects from the Butcher shop.”

Eliza pulled up the file next to the dark web chatroom that was still loading, much to her dismay. “Part of the Russian mafia charges for battery and assault, illegal possession of weapons and drugs, attempted murder, theft,” she read aloud. “They refuse to give up names. The guy that shot himself stays unidentified. Fingerprints burned off – ouch – and his tattoos aren’t in any databases either.”

“Guess unlike the others, he was a little further up the food chain.”

“Yeah, the case has been handed over to organized crime,” she told him. “They’re on an entirely different path. If the police don’t take care, more bodies are gonna drop.”

“They’re just doing that to throw them off their scent,” he said.

“Exactly.”

“That means more people are gonna lose their lives if we don’t do anything about it. Great.”

“Allow me to continue.” Eliza pulled up another file. “Exhibit B: Robert Pfeiffer. Former Hydra operative. Immigrated here a couple of years ago with his family. He used to manufacture the super soldier serum for them and even worked on Project Chaos for a while. Hydra left him alone for almost a decade before contacting him a couple of weeks ago. He said no, they threatened the life of his daughter, so he pretended to work. Hydra didn’t buy it, especially not after we sabotaged their mission, which lead to the shooting. They messed up once so they had to tie up loose ends.”

“The question remains: why did they contact him now?” Matt pondered.

“Why now, why ever?”

“Don’t you think the timeline is important?”

“If it makes us catch them faster, sure,” she said, “but I doubt it will. We can either try to figure out why Hydra did it now – why did they choose now instead of earlier? I want an answer to that just as much as anyone. Is it gonna help us? Timelines never do. So we can either focus on that or we can focus on just the why and the how. What do you think matters more?”

He thought about it. “Exhibit C,” – he swayed fast – “the guy coming to kill you yesterday,” Matt concluded. “That’s all the evidence we have. About a quarter of what we need to build a viable case.”

The laptop chimed. “Not quite,” she said.

The accounts responding to her message all ran under aliases, deeply encrypted by miles and miles of written code. They talked about the name, how it didn’t ring any bells. Some had heard it on the streets before, but no one knew who the Viper was. Until someone named carrotking69 (their maturity was still under review) wrote:

Something is cooking in the kitchen. Dinner’s at ten, at West’s place with a view of the Hudson, number 42 next to 11.

“What does that mean?” He frowned at her.

“Something’s going down in Hell’s Kitchen tonight around ten, out west on 42nd and 11th Avenue. The building has a view on the Hudson, so it has to be a warehouse.”

“Do they always speak in code?”

“It’s easier not to get caught that way.”

“And how do we know this is a reliable source?”

Her shoulders tensed. He tilted his head at the behavior change. “We don’t, but it’s our only shot,” her voice was cold, calculated.

Matt was interrupted before he could even speak. His head tilted to the side. “Someone’s here,” he said.

“What?”

Seconds passed. The footsteps came closer. The tilting of his head stopped. Like on demand, the doorbell rung.

“It’s your friend. The driver.”

She gawked at him. “Happy?” she asked.

The bell rang again. “You better get this,” he said. “Sounds urgent.”

“That is so… weird.” She opened the door only an inch, blocking the view of the living room and Matt’s battered frame sitting at the dining table.

Happy stood in front of her, suit and all. His eyes carried a worried expression, almost as if someone died. “Happy,” she greeted him. “What are you doing here?”

“You’ve been ignoring my calls,” he said.

“Oh, yeah, I turned my phone off last night.”

“I thought something happened! You just disappeared. No one knew where you were.” He made a move to get inside, but she blocked his entry. “When I heard you called an Uber, I thought they kidnapped you. I told you not to let strangers drive you home! Who knows what ideas they might get.”

“I’m the last person you should worry about. So, what brings you here?”

“I came to check on you.”

She frowned. “That’s not all, is it?”

“Tony wants to talk.”

“Ah, there it is.”

“Eliza-“

“I’m not interested,” she said. Happy put a foot in the door when she tried to close it.

“Please, he wants to talk about what happened last night,” he insisted.

“I don’t want to.”

“You have to. Please, if not for him do it for me.”

That managed to hit the sledgehammer through the wall. She saw the desperation in his eyes, his need to have everything go back to normal. This job was Happy’s only constant. If they were to break things off completely, where would that leave him? Alone and stranded? Eliza hated the thought of that.

His eyes fell on a spot on the floor. “Is that blood?” the question caught her off guard.

“What?” She turned back. “Oh, no.”

“Eliza, what happened?” Happy asked. His eyes displayed pure panic.

She shook her head wildly. “No, nothing! Nothing happened. I’m fine. It’s probably just paint.”

“Paint? You don’t paint.” Once again, he tried to get in. “Let me in, please.”

“There’s nothing wrong here, Happy.”

“Is someone in there?”

“No.”

“Are you being held hostage?”

“Stop it!” She shoved him back. “If you want to know,” she said, and she hated herself for the stupid answer she decided on, “I got my period.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I got my period. Bled all over the place.”

At first, he didn’t seem to believe her, but it wasn’t long until he realized this was something he didn’t want to know. He swallowed, his cheeks as red as blood. “Jesus,” he said. “I- I really don’t know how this stuff works and I don’t want to know, but if it’s that bad, maybe you should go see a doctor.”

“Heavy periods are normal,” Eliza stated. “I have them all the time. Just didn’t realize I got it until I saw the blood on the floor. I was just about to clean it up.”

“Okay, but-”

“Feels like I’m being torn apart from the inside. It was a real blood bath, let me tell you. Like a lake formed in my-”

“Okay, okay, I got it!” He cringed away. The blush on his cheeks only got worse. “You’re on your period. Thank you. I don’t need to know more.”

“Right, sorry. But hey, that explains why I was so emotional yesterday. Ha!” She chuckled. “Anyway, I should get changed before we leave. Get rid of the blood on the floor, you know. Would you mind waiting? I don’t think you want to know what the rest of the apartment looks like. It’s even on the couch…”

“Go!” he said. “I’ll wait. Uh, take your time. Please.”

Eliza smiled at him. It was so fake, her cheeks began to hurt.

She closed the door on him. The safety of her own four walls had long stopped feeling secure. She searched for the ceiling, not sure what to feel or to think. Her soul was a whirlwind of emotions. The night before still rested heavily on her aching shoulders.

Matt cocked his head. “Period, huh?” he asked.

“Shut up!” She glared over at him. “What else was I supposed to say?”

“It was a pretty good excuse.”

“Not really.”

“Why?”

“Let’s just say, if you become a female Russian spy, the last thing you will be able to keep is your uterus.”

“Oh.” Matt tilted his head in her direction, detecting her on the other end of the apartment. “I’m sorry,” the words hung in the room, without reason. He didn’t need one. He was just sorry, and while he didn’t specify, she knew exactly what for.

Eliza furiously wiped her cheeks. “Yeah, me too.”

He let out something that sounded a lot like a whimper. “Don’t cry,” his voice was gentle.

“I’m trying not to!” she groaned in frustration. “Every time I try, it just gets worse.”

Matt sighed softly. The shift in her breath was one of her more obvious tells. Every time she was upset, her breath hitched. Every time she felt a pinch of anxiety, her breath hitched. The thickness of it suggested built-up tears in the depths of her chest. He couldn’t imagine the pain she was in. Every day, the same weight to carry. She was so young, so scared, the world seemed to suffocate her on the spot. She needed a shield, something the world would just pearl off on.

Eliza gasped at the hands reaching for her. Matt wrapped her up in his arms, engulfing her like a safety bubble. She hugged him back without even thinking. His touch was familiar, his arms secure. He always knew what she needed before she did. One of the perks of knowing someone with heightened senses.

She snuggled into his chest. “Can’t we just stay like this forever?” the words came muffled.

Matt chuckled into the crown of her head. “You have to talk to him eventually, you know. Not that he deserves it, but you do. You need to get it all out.”

“Don’t play the apostle now, Matt.”

“I’m not, I just don’t want you to regret anything.”

She sighed. “I hate that you’re right.”

“I know.”

“I should go.”

He loosened his arms around her waist. “Hey,” he sought her chin with his fingers, “You’ve got this.”

Eliza leaned into his touch. She leaned in, on her tip-toes, and more than ready to get what she wanted, like a selfish little girl acting on her primal senses. His breath grazed her lips. She smelled the copper and tasted the rain. She licked her lips, he did too. He heard the change of her heartbeat, the scent of need radiating off her body. No matter what, she was willing to do anything to get what she needed, and he’d give it to her, no questions asked. Perhaps he wanted this even more than she did.

“I-“ she began, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“What?” he breathed back.

“I want to-“ What did she want? Kiss him, tear his clothes off? Feel his skin on hers? She wondered what it might feel like, what it would do to her if she just had him closer. Would she be able to dive deeper into his emotions, deeper than before? What would it be like to be so close to someone again, after such a long time? Would it be able to bring some clarity into her life? Would she be able to feel loved, just for a moment? Or would she possibly recoil, his touch leaving a burning trail causing impossible amounts of agony, like what happened the night before?

Matt frowned. “What?” he asked. He was alright with whatever she wanted, though it seemed she didn’t know. She wanted something, but she didn’t know what she wanted. It wasn’t just him. Her heart was set in a weird place and anything other than giving her space would’ve been taking advantage of her vulnerable state. He fought with himself. He couldn’t read her. He was on the first page of a book whose storyline changed with every sentence that followed.

She was so close, he stopped breathing. The sound of her heartbeat filled his ears, nothing else audible. Their noses brushed. She nuzzled against him. There was no space between them, not even a paper could fit.

‘Do not take advantage of her’, the faint voice in his head urged. ‘She’s gonna regret it and you, too. Don’t do it.’

He exhaled. She breathed with him, into him, swallowed him. “Stop,” he said.

Eliza blinked. Her eyes glazed over. “What?” Her heart jumped again. Hurt, he could tell this time.

“You don’t want this.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. His stupidly long lashes fluttered close around his eyes. “You don’t,” he repeated.

She stared at his face, expression unreadable, even to a seeing person. “How do you know what I want?” she asked back.

“Look me in the eyes and tell me this is what you want.”

“I want this!”

“No. Say exactly what you want.” He was only breathing.

She bit her cheek. What did she want? The language center of her brain failed.

Matt took a step back. His hand lingered on her for just a second before he was gone. “I knew it.”

“But,” she whined.

“I am not taking advantage of you,” he said.

“What if I give you permission, huh?”

He grabbed her head with both of his hands. The way she threw herself at him, chest to chest, almost made them fall over. The stitches on his torso pulled with every move he made, but the pain was a sweet relief.

He shook his head again. “No.”

“What else do you need, my written consent?”

“I need you to think before you make rash decisions.”

Knock, knock. Happy hammered on the door.

“We’re not alone,” he said. “And you’re not thinking straight. You don’t want this, Eliza, and I won’t use you just because you believe this is what you deserve. This- this is not consent.”

The knock grew louder.

Eliza released a frustrated groan. “I- you know what, never mind,” she said.

Just like that, he was gone. She missed his embrace, his warmth, the tension.

“You should go.” He smiled softly back at her. “We can meet up later. I’ll text you my address.”

“Yeah.” She was disappointed, although she knew he was right. She didn’t want this. Maybe at the moment, she did, but in the end, she would hate herself regardless. He was right to push her away. His first wise decision ever since he fell into her apartment. “I just wish I could stay,” the admission was quiet. “I don’t want to see him.”

“I know, but you should. How else will you get closure?”

She looked down at the blood stain on the ground and scoffed. “Fuck!” This day was cursed already.

Happy was more than suspicious when she came out, the door only open enough for her to slip through. “I heard voices,” he stated.

She was quick to answer, “That was the TV.”

“Are you sure? It sounded more like you’ve got someone in there.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Kid,” he stopped her midway out of the building, “Are you in any danger?”

Eliza raised her eyebrows. Danger was an understatement. “No,” she said. “I don’t even know why’d you think that. I’m fine.”

“If you’re involved in anything, I need you to tell me.”

“I’m fine, Happy! Nothing is going on. Everything’s as boring as it used to be. Now, can we go, or do you want to keep interrogating me?”

Happy sighed. “I’m sorry, I just worry about you, kid.“

“I appreciate it, but you don’t have to.”

He held the door to the limousine open for her. “You can tell me anything, you know that right?” he only wanted to make sure.

“I know,” she said.

“And if there’s something on your mind, you’d tell me?”

“Yeah, of course.”

That seemed to soothe him. “Good,” he sighed a breath of relief.

“I always tell you everything, you know that.” The batting of her eyelashes was just another desperate attempt to make her lie seem more believable.

“Yeah, you’re- you’re right. You’ve never lied to me before. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. If there’s anything I need, I’ll come to you.”

“Okay, I’m glad.”

The truth was, he would have run to Tony at the first word of the truth that came out of her mouth. As much as she appreciated Happy, he lacked the experience to understand the complexity of this case. The one person who could understand refused to believe her. Everyone else was gone. Matt was the last and only person on her side. Without him, she’d be dead, for all she knew. He saved her life not only physically but he kept her mind at bay; he scared away the demons that threatened to take over, protecting her from the darkness. She could run to him and, unlike everyone else, he’d catch her. He wouldn’t even hesitate, wouldn’t expose her. He’d listen and he’d do anything to help her.

Eliza never considered herself a particularly religious person. She encountered Catholicism many times before, with knees bloody from praying, and bible verses memorized like study flash cards. She remembered the crucifixes on the grey walls of the White Room. She had chosen to hang the one in her room upside down once. She woke up to a punishment that was worse than being whipped with a belt. An upside-down crucifix calls the devil, after all. Religion was twisted and forced on her from a young age.

Though when she looked at Matt Murdock, the always faithful man, she began to believe. Years of torture and she never once doubted the absence of God because if he was real, why would he let anything quite like this happen to any of his disciples?

Weirdly enough, Eliza began to believe again. She began to grow seeds of faith in her little garden. The flowers had long started to rot, nothing to water them but pain, and pain exists only to destroy. But Matt planted seeds of faith in the fertile earth and slowly began to grow blooms of beautiful colors. Radiant, bright. The colors drew her in, roots wrapping around her hands and legs. What is hope, if not the process of planting seeds in the garden you wish to see, letting them grow until you’ve got a tree and that tree carries delicious, colorful fruits that, whenever you take one, instantly grow back? That’s what hope is.

The Devil was more of an angel in disguise than the bad he thought to embody. Eliza prayed for a sign without actually chanting, and there he was, swooping in like the savior he was. She could take perfectly good care of herself, but fighting is easier when you don’t have to do it alone.

She lost the people she loved once, she couldn’t deal with losing another one.

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loveotomization · 9 months

Note

i got unbaaaanned here's an ask: can i get a behind the scenes for (one of) your fav/s akekita scene/s you've written, any fic 👀 like, how did the idea come to you, or some fun fact abt the writing process... if you have anything to share ^^

Thank you for this!! I've been dying to have an excuse to talk about this stuff, you have no idea!

This wasn't exactly what you asked, but I thought I'd mention that people who have read my stuff in general point out my use of off-the-wall metaphors/similes. If anyone enjoys my little flair in doing this, I highly recommend reading the works of Peter Beagle! I shamelessly stole the technique from him and made it my own. I recommend starting off with The Last Unicorn (it's a classic for a reason), but any of his older works share a similar style (A Fine and Private Place, Folk of the Air). I'm not sure that I would be a writer today without him.

Anyway...

-Fun fact: Akechi is easier for me to write than Yusuke. I, too, am very angry inside and probably just need a hug lol It's cathartic. Although, two years of studying art in college actually helps with writing Yusuke, because I don't need to look up art terms.

-In Aesopica, the ending was highly inspired by my favorite Tokyo Ghoul fic, in which Kaneki turns the tables on Tsukiyama in the end (huge content warnings for that TG fic btw). I loved how satisfying the circular nature of it was and wanted to try something similar. I knew the ending I wanted to create right from the first chapter.

I cannot remember how I came up with the fruit bowl to both mark the passing of time, and the decay of their relationship. But go past me for coming up with that! My 2017 brain was the real mvp.

This is also my longest fic and you will not see me write anything this long again lol I just don't have it in me. Shout out to long fic writers, I'll have some of whatever you're snacking on.

I also remember this being something of a vent fic. I was sad and wanted to my faves to be sad together. While I do enjoy supportive akekit, where they both grow together, I also love when they just make each other worse.

-Sliced Halves, Light Syrup, please imagine me in the grocery store staring blankly at a can of peaches while concocting an entire fic. Writers are very normal people.

This is also my second most popular akekit fic. Fluff sells, I guess. I prefer my darker stuff tbh!

-After Aesopica, my personal favorite of mine is Psychosomatic. I'm shy about my love of organ-fondling since it's not a common thing to be into (there's not even an official ao3 tag for it lol), so I'm grateful to the person on the kink meme for prompting this. Knowing someone else was interested allowed me to put myself out there and write it. I re-read it not long ago just for fun, and it holds up. It's the intimacy of literally touching the insides of someone, you know?

-I'm scrolling through my akekit fics now and wow! I do not remember some of these? Who wrote these while I wasn't looking??

-Kilroy Was Here was going to be serious angst about Akechi forcibly kissing Yusuke so that he would no longer trust him, because he feels like he doesn't deserve trust, blah, blah... But the idea of Yusuke annoying the crap out of him before they got to that point was so funny to me that I had to run with it. If anyone was wondering about my sense of humor, this fic is it. (I am not funny)

-Born to be Posthumous 69 kudos harr harr... I enjoy this one even if it wasn't as popular as some of my others. I remember being depressed and angry and wanting to take it out on Akechi.

This is getting long now, but it was fun! Thank you again! Hopefully this wasn't too far from you asked! Most of my scenes just come to me as I'm writing with a basic idea in mind, so I just toss them in as I go. A humble chef tossing anything she finds in the fridge right into the soup.

Now that I'm back from my writing hiatus I definitely plan to bring out more akekit when I can!

#akekita #goro akechi #yusuke kitagawa

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elianamarie-blog · 3 years

Text

The Things You Give Part 23

Guys...I don't even know where to begin. I'm so sorry for the ling hiatus. My life has been so chaotic lately and every time I would sit down to write, I wasn't able to focus and get so sleepy. I've started a new job position, working on my own personal book that I've been writing, working through my mental health issues, and on top of that trying to save and plan for a wedding. So, I am so, so sorry for the long awaited chapter. I hope I didn't lose any followers from this. You all mean so much to me.

I hope you enjoy this chapter! Make sure you listen to Lean On Me by Bill Withers and Love by John Lennon during some certain parts. It makes it more emotional lol.

Red’s eyes widened and quickly and swiftly shut Eric’s door, and turned back to the boys. “What do you mean you can’t find him?!”

“He’s not here,” Kelso repeated, visibly sweating. “We’ve searched the whole house and he’s not here.”

Red pinched the bridge of his nose, already feeling a raging headache already coming on. “Are you telling me that you didn’t see him come home last night?”

“We did!” Kelso defended. “Or at least we thought we did.”

Red growled, holding himself back from strangling them two. “Well, find him! I don’t care what you have to do. You. Find. Him. And soon!”

“Yes, s-sir,” the boys stuttered.

“And say nothing to Y/n,” Red continued. “I don’t need her finding out and worrying. I’ll keep her distracted for the time being.” A beat passed before Red quickly grew frustrated again. “What are you still doing here?! Go! Now!”

“Daddy?” Y/n called out, emerging from Eric’s room. “Is everything okay? What’s going on?”

One look at his youngest child, and his breath was taken away at her beauty. She reminded him of Kitty on his own wedding day and if he could allow himself, he would cry. The way her hair flowed down her face and her eyes popped made him realize that this was the moment he had been waiting for since the day she was born. “Wow, Sweetheart…you look beautiful.”

Y/n blushed and smiled at her father. “Thank you. Is everything okay? Where’s Steven?”

“Everything’s fine, Pumpkin,” Red responded, plastering on a fake smile and rubbed her shoulder. “He’s just getting ready.”

She smiled in relief. “Oh good. I was getting worried that he might’ve run off or something.”

The three men chuckled nervously.

“Oh, he wouldn’t do that,” Fez said, avoiding eye contact.

“Yeah, because he knows that my foot would be in his ass,” Red responded, chuckling. “Now, go back with your bridesmaids and we’ll see you at the venue.”

“Okay, Daddy,” she chirped and went back in her room, her bridesmaids following shortly behind her.

Red chuckled as he shut the door behind them and then snapped back to the quivering young men. “Find him!”

Kelso and Fez didn’t respond as they scrambled down the hall and down the stairs. Red stood there, sweating and panicking. He went through Korea and survived his heart attack and he still never felt this scared up until this moment. Where was he? Was he okay? Did he bail on her? And most importantly, how would Y/n take this that her husband was missing on their wedding day? His forehead glistened with sweat as all these questions ran through his head. He had to act—and fast.

--Scene Transition—

The two rushed to the basement in a rushed panic.

“Alright, Fez,” Kelso said, frantically looking around. “We need to retrace our steps from last night.”

“But I barley remember last night,” Fez whined, rubbing his head from the slight hangover. “Should we check his room again? Maybe he came home while we were upstairs.”

“We’ve already checked his room three times,” he Kelso responded, pacing. “Unless he figured out how to be invisible, I highly doubt that he’s going to be in there.”

“Oh, man, what do we do?” Fez asked, rubbing a hand through his perfectly quaffed hair.

“What’s going on here?” Donna called from the stairs as she and Jackie made their way down. “Where the hell is Hyde?”

“Nothing’s going on here!” Fez responded. “Just playing a fun little game of Hide-and-Seek. Hyde’s…hiding. And boy, is he good at this game.”

“What the hell are you doing playing a game for when he needs to get ready?!” Donna practically shouted.

“We thought it’d help with his pre-wedding nerves,” Kelso responded, nervously clasping his hands behind his back.

“You guys are mor—wait, a minute,” Donna said, holding up her finger. “He’s not even here, is he?”

“What? Of course he’s here!” Fez responded with fake enthusiasm. “We’re just looking for him. Hyde! Hyde! See, he’s a master at this game.”

Donna stared at them with wide eyes. “Did you lose Hyde?!”

“Oh, my God,” Jackie gasped.

The boys slumped their shoulders in defeat.

“Is Y/n here?” Kelso whispered.

“No, she’s upstairs,” Donna responded. “What the hell is going on?!”

“Okay, okay,” Fez said. “Hyde’s not here and we can’t find him.”

“I knew it!” Jackie shouted.

“How do you guys lose a grown man?!” Donna exclaimed.

Fez and Kelso shushed her furiously.

“Y/n doesn’t know and she can’t know,” Kelso responded.

“Well, no duh!” Jackie shrilled. “She’s already onto you guys and if she finds out, you’re all dead. And if there’s anything worse than an angry Y/n, it’s an angry, pregnant, Y/n.”

“Oh, God,” Kelso and Fez whispered in horror.

“This is great. The groom’s missing and the officiator has to go to the hospital because he’s having a severe allergic reaction!” Donna screeched, rubbing her temples.

“Oh, my God, oh, my God,” Kitty said frantically as she scurried down the stairs. “I just got a phone call from the restaurant from where the kids are buying their cake.”

“And?” Jackie asked.

“They forgot to bake their cake! Now, the kids don’t have a cake for their wedding and their wedding is in four hours! What are we going to do?!”

“Oh, God,” Donna groaned and sat on the couch, holding her head in her hands.

“Don’t worry about that Mrs. Forman,” Jackie assured, placing her hand on Kitty’s shoulder. “I got the cake. I know someone who can whip one up before the reception. As the maid of honor, it’s my duty to make sure they get their cake on time.”

“And what about Hyde, Jackie?” Donna asked.

Kitty snapped her head towards Donna. “What about Steven?”

“He’s gone,” Donna responded gravely. “So, now we have the groom is missing, the officiator is in the hospital, and now the cake wasn’t even made.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE’S GONE?!” Kitty shouted and shot her glare over to the two young men and took a couple steps towards them. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

“Nothing!” Kelso defended, putting his hands up in surrender and taking a step back. “We woke up this morning and he was gone!”

“How do you lose a person?!” Kitty continued. “You boys had one job last night: get him out and then get him home! What’s so hard about that?!”

“We’re looking for him, Mrs. Kitty,” Fez said sweetly and nervously.

“Clearly, you’re not doing a very good job!”

“Okay, okay,” Donna said standing up. “All we gotta do is retrace your steps. Where did you guys go last night?”

“We went to the strip club,” Kelso answered sheepishly as he watched Kitty’s face contort into a grimace. “And then we went to a couple different bars and clubs afterwards.”

“Okay,” Kitty said, breathing in and out to steady out her anger. “You three,” she pointed at Donna, Fez, and Kelso. “Go look for him and make sure he’s safe and more importantly: here and present. I don’t care if you have to hold him up while he says his vows, just bring him to the altar! And you,” she turned to Jackie. “Call whoever you need to call to get a damn cake to the venue by no later than three!”

“You got it!” Jackie chirped and skipped her way out of the basement. She couldn’t wait to be a hero for this wedding.

“And you three, go!”

Donna, Kelso, and Fez didn’t say another word as they scrambled out the basement.

“Ugh, this is turning out to be the worst wedding day ever!” Kitty said to herself as she hurried up the stairs. She prayed that everything would fall into place before the ceremony.

--Time Skip--

“Hurry, honey, we gotta get you in and out,” Kitty stated as she rushed her only son through the double doors of the ER. “How are you doing? Can you breathe?”

“Mom, I’m fine. I justh need a pill ta help tha thwelling,” Eric responded through his swollen tongue.

“No, honey, they’re going to have to give you a shot,” Kitty responded with a shake of her head.

“But I don’t wanna thot,” Eric whined.

“Sorry,” she said and lead him to the front counter. “Hi, Stacy.”

The young receptionist looked up and gave Kitty a warm, welcoming smile. “Well, hello Kitty! What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at your daughter’s wedding?” Her attention turned towards Eric and her eyes grew wide. “Oh, my God. What happened to you?!”

“Nutsth,” Eric responded.

“What?” she asked, not understanding.

“Nuts. He ate nuts,” Kitty responded. “Look, I’d hate to pull my nurse card on you, but he needs to be seen right away and be out within the next hour at the latest.”

“Well, we can get him in right away, but he would still need to stay here to make sure he doesn’t have a worse allergic reaction to the shot,” she responded, looking at Eric. “Can you see okay? Your eyes are pretty swollen.”

“Kindth of,” he responded. “I justh needth ta get back to tha venue on thime becauseth I am performing tha theremony.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Stacy asked.

“Oh, you know what, we don’t have time for this,” Kitty said impatiently. “You know what, I’ll get him a room and I’ll go and grab what we need. I work here, I can do that.”

“Actually you can’t—”

Kitty threw her a death stare. “I’ll deal with it Monday, Stacy. Thank you.”

She pushed the button that opened the doors to go to a room.

“Room 108!” Stacy called out.

Kitty waved her hand as if to say ‘thank you’ and escorted Eric back to the room. “Okay, sweetie, take a seat and I’ll grab the medicine.”

“Thank you, Mom,” Eric said slowly, trying not to bite his tongue.

“Of course, Sweetie. Just don’t eat nuts ever again.”

“Trusth me I won’t.”

--Meanwhile—

“Okay, are you sure this is the bar you came to last night?” Donna questioned the boys.

“Yes! We came here and had a few—okay, a lot—more beers before everything became hazy,” Kelso replied.

They entered the building to see it very empty with just the bartender wiping down glasses. He was bald, burly looking man with a intimidating look on his face that was mainly hidden by his thick mustache. Once he heard the door open, his gaze fell on the two boys and shook his head.

“I thought I banned you last night. Get out before I call the cops!” he barked.

“Whooaa!” Kelso said, putting his hands up in defense. “What’s with the harassment, bud?”

“You damn know why!” he retorted and turned to Fez. “And you owe me a new table!”

“We don’t even remember what happened last night!” Kelso countered.

“Oh?” the bartender asked, his eyebrows shooting up. “Allow me to remind you. You two and your curly haired friend and rail thin friend caused havoc on my bar last night! You got so belligerent I had to call security on you. You,” he pointed at Kelso. “kept breaking my glasses and beer bottles all over the floor causing one of my waitresses to slip and fall and cut up her arm, and then you tried to convince her to go home with you! And you,” he pointed towards Fez. “Took your shirt off and danced on my table, breaking it! Then your curly-haired friend got into fight with one of the customers, getting more people involved than they should've! And your skinny friend…well he didn’t really do anything but he was still with you three dumbasses!”

“Sir, on behalf of idiot friends, I deeply apologize,” Donna said, stepping forward trying to do some control damage.

“You’re friends with these morons?” he asked, pointing at them.

“Sadly, so,” she responded. “And girlfriend of the skinny one.”

“I’m sorry,” was all the bartender could say.

“It’s okay, I am too sometimes,” she grumbled. “Especially on times like this. But we need your help.”

He crossed his thick arms and stood up straight. “With what, exactly? I don’t feel like helping these two bozos out.”

“I know, I understand. But our curly haired friend is missing. Have you happened to see him?”

The bartender shook his head. “Sorry, little lady. I haven’t seen anyone like him since last night.”

“Did you happen to see which way they went at least?”

He eyed Kelso and Fez. “You guys seriously don’t remember?”

They shook their heads sheepishly. “No, sir. We do not,” Fez responded.

The bartender sighed heavily. “After I kicked you guys out, I saw you guys go across the street and turn right. I think I might’ve even seen you go to that club down the street. But I’m not sure.”

“Thank you, sir,” Donna said and tapped the bar. “Let’s go.”

When they reached the club across the street, it wasn’t even open.

“Argh! They’re closed!” Donna shouted in frustration. “Now what?!” She sharply turned to them. “This is all your fault! If you guys hadn’t gotten stupid drunk last night, Hyde would be here!”

“We’re sorry, Donna. We really are,” Kelso said quietly, wringing his hands. “We’re just as worried as you guys.”

Donna rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Do you guys happen to remember any other place you might’ve went to?”

“I think it was just the strip club, the bar, and this club and then we left,” Fez said.

“Yeah, we were on our way home and then I think we passed by those jerks that Hyde supposedly fought and…oh no,” Kelso said, suddenly recalling all the events that happened last night.

“Oh, no what?” Donna questioned, taking a step forward.

“Um…I think I know where Hyde is.”

--Time Skip—

“Have you heard from anyone?” Y/n asked her sister and father as they waited for everyone to get back. “Steven? Kelso? Fez? Donna? Or even Jackie?”

Red glanced at his daughter nervously. He had heard about the cake incident and knew Jackie was on it, but he couldn’t help but sweat when looking at his youngest daughter. He checked his watch and it showed a quarter ‘til one. “I’m sure they’re just getting ready, Sweetie.”

Y/n sighed as her stomach growled. She started making her way to the kitchen when Red stopped her. He jumped in front of her with a phony smile plastered on his face.

“What cha doin?” he asked her.

“I’m just going to get a snack…?” Y/n answered, giving him a quizzical look.

“Uh, I’ll go with you!” he said excitedly and jumped up to meet her.

She studied him, tilting her head to the side. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting kind of weird.”

“I’m fine,” he responded. “Just really excited for you…and Steven.”

“Okay?” she said, letting it out slowly before slipping by him and entering the kitchen.

He followed after her and watched her as she grabbed some stuff to make a turkey sandwich. Afterwards, she grabbed a water and sat at the table while Red stood at the doorway near the phone the whole time.

“Are you going to stand there and keep watching me or are you going to join me?” she asked once she was situated at the table.

Red chuckled to himself and rubbed his eyes. “Yes, yes. Sorry.” But halfway through his walk from the door to the table, the house phone rang, making him nearly jump out of his skin. He ran over to it and quickly answered, ignoring Y/n’s confused look. “Hello?”

“Hey, Red,” a familiar, but tired, voice came over the receiver.

“Steven?” he whispered, hoping Y/n wouldn’t hear.

“Hey, man,” he responded.

“Where the hell are you?!” Red whispered yelled into the phone.

“See, that’s the thing Red,” Hyde answered. “I can tell you, but you got to promise not to get angry, or tell Y/n.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Steven sighed. “To be honest, I’m not even sure how I got here.”

--Meanwhile—

“So, you idiots left him in jail?!” Donna shrieked as she sped down the highway. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“In our defense, we were drunk,” Kelso said, not-so-subtly gripping the door for dear life.

“So?!” she continued to scream. “Us bridesmaids were drunk last night and we didn’t lose Y/n!”

“She has a good point,” Fez said from the back seat.

“Shut up, Fez!” Donna snapped. “You’re just as guilty as he is.” She sped up to a car who was going the speed limit, but to Donna in that moment was going just a speed too slow. She whipped around him and sped off, completely ignoring the middle finger the guy was giving her.

“Donna, what the hell?!” Kelso screeched. “Slow down!”

“No!” she yelled. “You’re the reason we’re here in the first place! If you guys could keep track of a human being, then we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

“Sorry, Donna,” the boys mumbled in unison, looking down at their shoes.

“Don’t apologize to me,” she said and turned off the highway onto a less crowded road. “Apologize to Y/n if she ever finds out.” She pulled up to the county jail and turned the car off. “Now, let’s get the groom so we can get this wedding started.”

They all exited the car and walked into the building. At the front was a female cop sitting at the reception desk, looking down.

“Let me handle this,” Kelso said confidently, making his way in front of the other two. “They know me.” He turned to the police officer with a dopey smile on his face. “Good afternoon, Sergeant Howes. I’m here looking for my friend.”

Howes looked up from her desk and immediately wore a scowl on her face from seeing Michael Kelso. “Sergeant Kelso. I thought you were on suspension.”

“What?” Donna said coldly.

“It’s not what it sounds like,” Kelso defended.

“You caused a horse to buck another recruit in the stomach, resulting him to be in the hospital for a few days,” Howes responded sassily.

“On accident!” Kelso defended and turned to his friends in shame. "He looked bored."

“He was irritable!" she snapped and turned back to her work. "Either way, you’re not supposed to be here."

Donna pushed her way passed Kelso—again, frustrated that she’s had to do this more times than she can count today. “Ma’am, I’m so sorry, but we’re to bail out our friend.”

“Name?”

“Steven Hyde.”

“He’s right back here,” Howes said and led them passed the locked door.

When they entered the room, they saw Hyde behind bars, sitting hunched over and clutching his head. His black t-shirt from the night before dirty and stained and his pants torn at the bottom also dirty and stained.

“Hyde!” Kelso called out and ran over to the cell.

Hyde looked up, showing his bruised jaw and broken lip and breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally.” He stood up and met Kelso at the bars, but not before slugging him in the arm. “Moron!”

“What happened?” Donna demanded, crossing her arms.

Steven sighed and rubbed his neck. “I don’t know, man. Last night is still kind of hazy, but from what I remember, these guys at the bar started smack talking us and wouldn’t let up. I don’t remember what it was about, but they mentioned Y/n and I just lost it. I ended up jackin’ him in the jaw and before I knew it, a brawl had broken out. We get thrown out and start walking home when those dillholes caught up to us and started kicking our asses. We were able to get a good couple hits in before the police showed up.”

"Do you remember what these two dillholes looked like?" Donna questioned, beginning to realize who they might've run into.

"Ah, I don't know," Steven responded, running a hand through his tangled curls. "Some 6-foot jackass with black hair, wearing a hoodie."

"Does that description sound familiar?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really," he responded before it happened. "Son of a bitch!"

"What?" Fez asked. "What?"

He shifted his gaze to his two best friends and shot them daggers. “We ran into Zack and his dumbass friends!"

Fez gasped dramatically. "No!"

"Did we win?" Kelso asked and Steven threw him daggers.

"What d'ya think?!" he responded, throwing his arms in the air. "I'm behind bars while those morons walk free!"

"Sorry, Hyde," Fez and Kelso mumbled together.

“And then by 7 am I realized you dillholes weren’t coming so I called Red.”

“You called Red?!” Donna shrieked. “Oh, God.”

“What?” Hyde questioned, furrowing his brows.

Donna looked at him with worried eyes. “You don’t know, so allow me to catch you up to speed.”

Hyde leaned into the bars, resting his arms on them as he listened intently.

“Eric is in the hospital and your cake wasn’t made so Jackie is out trying to find a cake. And while all of this is going on, we’re trying to keep Y/n in the dark so that she doesn’t freak out.”

“Forman’s in the hospital?” Hyde questioned, genuine concern written all over his face. “What for?”

“Turns out he’s allergic to peanuts, not bananas,” Donna responded.

Hyde didn’t hesitate and cackled his infamous laugh. “Now, that’s funny.”

“Is it?” Donna asked, not finding this funny at all. “Because now you don’t have an officiate.”

Hyde stopped laughing immediately. “Aw, crap.”

“Yes, so let’s get you home and ready before Y/n figures everything out,” Donna said and stepped aside so that a cop could let Hyde out of the cell.

“You don’t think she knows by now, do you?” Hyde asked.

“I don’t know, but let’s not wa—” Donna began but was cut off by a familiar and very, very angry voice.

“STEVEN HYDE!”

“I think she knows,” Fez said, eyes wide.

“Ya think?” Hyde asked and turned to see Y/n stomping in with Red trailing behind her. He wanted to look away, but she looked so stunning that it was almost impossible for him to. “Hey beautiful,” he said, trying to defuse the situation. “You look absolutely gorgeous.”

Y/n didn’t respond, but stare at her husband angrily, barley blinking.

“You know, I’m not supposed to see the bride before the wedding.”

“And you’re not supposed to be in jail on the day of the wedding, but yet here we are,” she seethed, eyes completely bewildered. “What the HELL, man?! You couldn’t stay out of trouble for one freaking day?!”

“I can explain!” Steven said, shifting his gaze to his groomsmen. “They were supposed to bail me out before you found out!”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” she hissed. “My husband is in jail the day we are supposed to get married!”

Hyde directed his gaze to Red. “What happened to her not finding out?”

“She pulled it out of me!” he answered.

Hyde sighed and turned his attention back to Y/n who was examining his face.

“What happened?” she asked, this time a tad softer, but still stern.

“I got into a fight last night with a bunch of these guys.” He avoided saying who he got into fight with.

She stepped towards him and gently placed her hand on his face. “You look terrible.”

“Thanks, you look beautiful too.”

She chuckled at his sarcasm and sighed. “I wouldn’t be marrying the Steven Hyde if he didn’t end up in jail on our wedding day.” She removed her hand and stood up straight. “We need to get you cleaned up before the pictures. And maybe some makeup to cover up that bruise.”

“No. I am not wearing makeup,” Hyde resisted. “That’s chick crap.”

“You’re wearing it,” she responded. “Only to cover up the bruise. It’s not like you’re going to have wear mascara or anything.” She smirked with a twinkle in her eye. “As a matter of fact—”

“No!” he said quickly. “Get away from me!”

She cackled and turned back to the groomsmen. “Get him cleaned up and get him down the aisle, yeah?”

Kelso and Fez nodded.

“You got it, boss!” Fez said enthusiastically, happy to have this part over.

Y/n sighed in relief and turned around, letting Red know that she’d be in the car. Once she left, Donna turned to Red.

“She still doesn’t know about the cake though, right?”

“No, if she hears that, her head might explode,” Red answered in a hushed tone. “Have you heard from Eric?”

Donna shook her head. “What are we going to do?”

Red rubbed his neck. “Beats the hell out of me. Let’s just get to the venue and hope for the best.”

“I don’t think hope is going to do us any good at this point,” Fez said.

“Not helping, Fez,” Donna said, leading her way back out to the car.

--Meanwhile—

“Ow! thon of a bitch!” Eric cried out as the needle went into arm. “What the hell isth in that?”

“Medicine,” Kitty answered casually. “Now, give it a few minutes and you should be back to normal.”

“Thanksth, Mom.”

“You’re welcome dear,” she said and started packing up everything. “Now, let’s get you home and ready.”

“What time isth it?”

Kitty checked her watch and her eyes bugged out. “Oh my gosh…it’s already 2:30! Where did the time go?! Hurry, hurry!”

Eric jumped off the table and grabbed his coat and rushed out the door with kitty.

“What if my faceth isn’t better by tha time she walksth down the aisle?!”

“Then speak slow and clearly so people can understand you!” Kitty rushed as she practically ran out the door, but not before stopping a nurse and handing her a file. “MaryAnne! Thank God, can you please finish this for me? It’s for my son, Eric.”

“Sure, no problem, Kitty,” she said with a red-lipped smile and looked at Eric. “Holy hell, what happened to you?”

“Nutsth,” he responded.

“Okay, thank you, bye!” Kitty said and pushed Eric out the door. “Move it!”

“I’m going asth fast asth I can!”

“Clearly not fast enough!”

Eric made a face at her before he hurriedly got in the car with Kitty taking off before he could even get his door closed.

--Scene Transition—

“How do I look?” Hyde asked as he emerged from his old room from the basement.

Kelso and Fez had taken to the couch, relaxing as much as they could before having to leave for the wedding.

“You look great,” Fez said. “Very clean and sharp.”

Steven made a face, squirming in his suite. “I feel uncomfortable.”

“Well, yeah. It’s not your normal t-shirt and jeans,” Fez answered and walked over to him, adjusting his bow tie. “But you look great, man. Congratulations.”

Hyde sighed and grinned. “Thanks, man.” He brought Fez in for a hug, clapping him on the back.

“Yeah, congratulations,” Kelso said and stepped forward, also bringing Hyde in for a hug. “Who woulda thought that the Steven Hyde was able to settle down.”

“I know!” Hyde laughed. “I honestly thought if I ever were to get married it would be to a stripper while drunk in Vegas.”

“Wouldn’t that have been a trip,” Kelso snorted as all three men headed out the door.

--At the Venue—

The bridal party sat in on opposite sides of the barn as they waited for the guests to show up, but still there was no sign of Jackie.

“Man, where the hell is Jackie?” Donna whispered to Kitty.

“I don’t know,” Kitty whispered back. “The wedding is about to start.”

“I know! Where’s Eric?”

“He’s still trying to get some of the swelling down,” Kitty answered, shaking her head. “His face is very pink—he looks like a newborn baby!” She laughed at her own joke. “But seriously, I don’t think he’s going to be here on time to perform the wedding.”

“Oh, my God this is terrible!” Donna whispered, fighting the urge to scream.

“I know! I decorated this barn so beautifully and for what? For the wedding not to happen? That’s two weddings now that he didn’t show up to!”

Donna gave Kitty a glare as Jackie showed up in the distance.

“Hello, the maid of honor has arrived!” she announced as she walked towards the bride.

“Where the hell have you been?!” Y/n shrieked. “The wedding starts in five minutes!”

“Okay, well, chill. I’m here aren’t I?” Jackie replied, avoiding the question.

Donna grabbed her by the elbow and lead her away from Y/n. “Did you get it taken care of?”

“Why, yes I did,” Jackie beamed and Donna sighed in relief. “The cake is in the reception hall. And may I add, it is more beautiful than the one they had originally wanted.”

“Thank God,” Donna sighed again and wiped at her perspiring forehead. “But we still have a problem. Eric still isn’t able to perform the wedding.”

Jackie stared at Donna for a minute before turning back around. “Gimme a minute. Maid of honor to the rescue!”

Donna let out a shaky breath and turned back to Y/n who was staring at her with concern.

“Is everything okay?”

Donna looked at her best friend and picked at her teeth—a nervous habit of hers that she had since she was a kid. “Here’s the thing—”

--Meanwhile—

Jackie approached Steven and his groomsmen on the other side of the barn, seeing them stand by the building.

“What do you mean Forman can’t do it?!” Hyde practically shouted in aggravation after listening to Jackie’s unfortunate news.

“He’s still puffy from his reaction,” Jackie responded.

“Can he at least talk?” Hyde asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied, shaking her head. “I just got back from getting your cake.”

“The cake is here?” he asked. “How did you manage to pull that off?”

Jackie smirked. “I got a way with talking to Louie down at the bakery…and I also owe him five hundred bucks.”

Hyde sighed and rubbed his eyes under his aviators. “Well, now what?”

“I need to find you someone to perform the wedding,” Jackie responded.

“I’ll do it!” Kelso volunteered, throwing his hand in the air.

“No, I’ll do it!” Fez cried out, stepping in front of Kelso.

“No, I’m more good looking so I can do it,” Kelso argued.

“You can’t if you can’t stand,” Fez said, and when Kelso gave him a confused look, Fez kicked him in the shin.

“Ow! What the hell, man?!” Kelso cried out. “Well, you won’t be able to do it if you can’t see!” He poked his fingers into Fez’s unsuspecting eyes, causing Fez to stumble back, holding his face.

“You son of a bitch!” Fez cried out and threw his body into Kelso’s, toppling him onto the ground.

“Oh, for the love of—” Hyde said and quickly broke up the fight. “Neither of you are doing it!”

“What?!”Fez cried out.

“Why?!” Kelso asked, out of breath.

“Because you’re morons, that’s why!”

“Well, then who’s going to do it?” Jackie asked, feeling completely defeated.

“I don’t know,” Hyde sighed and leaned against the building.

“Hey, is this where the party is?” a familiar, deep voice piped up from behind them.

The four teenagers turned out and Steven’s eyes almost bugged out of his head.

“Leo?!” he exclaimed in excitement and walked over to the long haired hippie, wrapping him in a tight hug. “What’re you doing here?!”

“I was told there a party, man!”

“No, I mean what are you doing back in Point Place?” Steven clarified.

“Oh!” Leo giggled. “I can’t remember, man.”

Steven laughed. “Classic Leo.”

Leo giggled again with half lidded eyes. “Who are you?”

“Leo, it’s me!”

Leo stared at him for a minute before it finally hit him. “Hyde, man!” He wrapped him up in another hug. “What are you doing wearing a suit for?”

“I’m getting married, man!”

“No!” Leo replied excitedly. “Steven Hyde finally found an ol’ ball and chain. Who is she, man?”

“Well, it’s Y/n. You remember Y/n?”

Leo raised his eyebrows with a confused smile and turned to Jackie and shook her hand. “Congratulations, Y/n. You got yourself a fine man here.”

Jackie raised her eyebrows in return, taken aback.

“Leo, man, that’s Jackie…my ex-girlfriend,” Hyde responded a little uncomfortable.

“Whoa,” Kelso said, blowing out air. “Awkward.”

“Y/n is Forman’s twin sister,” Steven continued.

“Oh! The cool girl?” Leo recalled. “The girl who bailed you out of jail multiple times?”

Steven chuckled. “Yeah. That one.”

“Oh, I like her a lot, man,” Leo said. “She even brought me brownies.”

“Yeah, she’s awesome,” he responded. “But, listen, the wedding is about to start. Why don’t you go take a seat and I’ll meet up with you later?”

“Uh, hello, Steven?” Jackie shrilled. “There isn’t going to be a wedding until we have an officiate!”

“Aw, crap,” Hyde said, mentally kicking himself for forgetting that in the midst of his excitement. He rubbed his head, screwing his eyes shut. “Okay, uh…what if we got Bob to do it?”

“Why? To have that sweaty, weird afro man say jokes the whole time?” Jackie countered and flipped her hair. “No, thank you.”

“Okay, Jackie what about your dad? He’s out of prison now right?”

“Wow, you’re really grasping at straws, aren’t you?” she replied unimpressed, crossing her arms.

“I’ll do it,” Leo piped up.

“What? No, Leo, man, I don’t want you to feel like you have to,” Steven argued.

“No, I want to, man. You’re like a son to me. I’d be honored.”

Jackie looked to Hyde. “I don’t see why not.”

“It is kind of perfect,” Hyde agreed and rubbed his chin. “Ah, you know what? Screw it, let’s do it.”

“Alright, man!” Steven said excitedly as Jackie squealed.

“I’m going to go tell Y/n!” she said. “Finally, this wedding can start!”

She darted off to go find to finally share some exciting news. When she got to the side where Y/n and everybody was residing, she saw a very nervous bride.

“What do you mean he can’t do it?!” she cried out, clutching her head.

“I know, I know,” Kitty said, attempting to calm down her daughter. “He’s just…well, he’s still pretty—” she gestured towards her face. “You know.”

“So? Can he at least still talk?”

“He’s just now able to say his S’s,” she responded.

“Oh, my God. This is unbelievable,” Y/n groaned and put her head in her hands. “Where is he now?”

“He should be with your dad.”

“Guys, guys, I’ve got great news!”

--Meanwhile—

“I need to go! They’re counting on me!” Eric argued with his father as they stood behind the barn.

“Not while you look like that!” Red countered back. “We don’t need to have a wedding and a funeral in the same day!”

“It’s not even that bad!”

“You look like a marshmallow head!”

“Oh, c’mon, Dad, I really want to do this.”

Red exhaled and looked at his son. “No.”

Kitty skipped from the side of the barn and informed him that Leo would be performing the ceremony instead.

“What? The hippy?” Red asked. “I thought he left town.”

“He did but he’s back,” Kitty said, waving her hands in the air and shaking her head in confusion. “But it’s alright because he came to the rescue.”

“No!” Eric cried out. “They asked me to do it! I should be the one doing it. Mom!”

“I’m sorry, honey, but you’ll scare the kids,” Kitty said sympathetically. “And possibly grandma enough to give her a heart attack.”

“This is so unfair,” Eric whined, feeling completely devastated.

“Yeah, well, life isn’t fair,” Red snapped and huffed. “Can we please get this wedding started now?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Kitty said with a smile.

--15 Minutes Later—

“Alright, everyone! Places!” Kitty called out as the bridesmaids and groomsmen lined up by the entrance with Y/n clinging onto Red’s arm in the far back. Kitty peered over to Steven who was already standing at the front with his hands clasped in front of him waiting patiently. Leo stood straight with a wide smile on his face and hands clasped behind his back.

Kitty turned to the DJ and signaled for him to begin the music. “Remember, kids, just like we rehearsed last night.”

“Yes, Mrs. Forman,” all four kids said in monotony.

“Alright, let’s go!” She had grabbed a recording camera before leaving the house that morning and scurried off to her seat.

As Lean On Me by Bill Withers started playing, Jackie and Kelso took their first steps down the aisle, arm in arm, smiling. Kelso winked at one of the guests—a hot blonde that went to high school with them. Hyde stood there, adjusting his bow tie and let out a nervous sigh. He didn’t know why he was nervous—they were already married, but here he stood, stomach erupted in butterflies.

Jackie and Kelso broke apart to stand on their respective side. Next, Donna and Fez took down the aisle in the same manner, smiling and keeping a steady pace. As they reached the front of the aisle, Donna gave him a reassuring smile before breaking apart from Fez.

Then Laurie walked down the aisle by herself, smiling and staying in beat with the music before joining her fellow bridesmaids.

Before Red and Y/n could walk down the aisle, Red reached over and adjusted her veil so that it hung loosely over her shoulders. He looked at her with love and adoration; he knew this day would come, but was never ready for it. He watched her grow from this sweet little girl to this beautiful young woman who was going to be a mother too. He recounted over the years from her first words, first steps, their first argument, and the many, many hugs and kisses.

He couldn’t stop thinking about her chubby cheeks, bright and twinkling eyes, and her cute pigtails when she was little. How her little voice sounded when she called she’d say “daddy”, or when she laughed. How his heart broke when she’d cry. He was always there to pick her up to comfort her whenever she had a skinned knee or a broken heart.

He remembered her first heartbreak over a boy at just thirteen years old, so devastated that the boy didn’t like her back and how hard she took it. She hadn’t wanted Kitty at the moment, she had wanted her dad. He wrapped her up in his arms and gave her the speech that all boys are dumbasses and that one day, the right man will love and appreciate her. And that each heartbreak will lead her to the right one. Then he reminded her that one man will always love her no matter what—him.

As she stood there, looking absolutely radiant and beautiful, he couldn’t help but his eyes get misty.

“Are you okay, Dad?”

He smiled and swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’m fine, Sweetheart.” He touched her hair, adjusting to come over her shoulder. “You look beautiful.”

She smiled at him and leaned into him. “I love you, Daddy.”

He kissed her head. “I love you too, Kitten. Are you ready?”

She nodded her head and turned so she was facing the front of her. Kitty then signaled for the DJ to switch to the bridal song. As Love by John Lennon started playing, Y/n and Red took their first steps to the aisle, with Red holding onto hand with his arm and his other hand reaching over to place it over hers. Everyone turned to look at the beautiful bride, their breaths getting caught in their throat. Sasha sat in the back, smirking. She did a damn good job finding the perfect dress for her.

It felt like the first time for Steven seeing his wife all over again. His heart picked up speed when he saw her. Except this time, she was wearing a smile and not a scowl. He almost chuckled to himself, but luckily he was able to hold his composure, goggling at her. His face softened as she got closer and then broke out into a smile when her eyes met his.

As Y/n and Red got to the front, Y/n went to break from her Dad’s grasp, he tightened it, refusing to let her go.

“You got to let go, Dad,” she whispered.

When he still didn’t, Kitty stood from her seat and leaned over. “Red, honey, let her go.”

Y/n smiled and leaned into his touch once more. “It’s okay, Daddy.”

He looked at her with a sadness in his eyes that she’d never seen before and nodded. He kissed her cheek before handing her off to Steven who stood there with his hand stretched out.

“Take care of her,” Red whispered to him.

Steven gave him a single nod. “I will.”

He turned his attention back to his bride and smiled warmly at her before leading her up the stairs. Y/n handed her bouquet to Jackie before turning back around.

“Leo?!” Y/n asked in shock.

“Hey! I’m back, man!”

“This is amazing!” she said, turning to look at Steven who looked elated. “Welcome back!”

“Thanks! Now, uh, before we start, I’d like to say a few words,” Leo began. Kitty looked around nervous to see the other’s reaction.

“I’ve known Hyde for a very long time,” he continued. “He and I became quick friends after he started working for me at the Photo Hut. He was awesome, man. Always helped me out when I needed him. I was there from his first girlfriend, his first car, and when his family adopted him.”

Kitty and Red smiled at each other at Leo’s reference, making their hearts feel warm.

“And now I get to see him get married to this amazing young lady. You became like a son to me, Hyde, especially after my old lady took my kid and dipped. So, thank you for being there for me.”

Hyde clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Thanks, man.”

“Now, onto the wedding. Dearly beloved—”

“That’s my line!” Eric’s sudden voice boomed through the barn.

Everyone turned to see a slightly less, but still puffy Eric as he stomped down the aisle. Some audible gasps were heard from the audience.

“Eric, what are you doing?” Red hissed.

“Doing my job!” Eric announced and stood next to Leo.

“What the hell happened to your face?!” Hyde asked, taken aback.

“It’s the allergic reaction we were telling you about,” Kelso said.

“Damn,” Hyde said.

“I want to do it!” Eric said.

“Eric, you’re acting like a child. Sit. Down,” Y/n said through gritted teeth.

He slumped his shoulders and stood off to the side next to Kelso.

“Where was I?” Leo asked. “Oh, yeah. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Steven Hyde and Y/n Forman in holy matrimony. I don’t know what else to say besides that. Do you have your own vows written?”

“Yes,” Y/n said and turned to Jackie who had her vows written on a piece of paper. She opened it up and took a deep breath. “Steven, when we were younger, I had told you about my dream wedding and then you turned around and made fun of me for it. Then, I told you to shut up and to thank God that I wasn’t going to be marrying you. Oh, the irony in that.” The audience chuckled at that joke as Y/n continued. “But God and the universe had something else planned. And now there’s no one else I’d rather be standing here with today, other than you. Over the years, you have given me good memories, good times, and a good friendship. You were there to comfort me when I needed you the most. And over the short time we’ve been together, the things you give me are nothing but love and comfort. You make me feel safe and I promise that until the end of time, I will always support you, I will always comfort you, I will always make you feel safe, and I will always love you. You are my rock, my heart, my soul, and my best friend. And I couldn’t be happier and more blessed and lucky to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you.”

Kitty sniffled as she tried so hard and failed to fight back tears. She pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes.

Leo sniffed and looked at Y/n with watery eyes. “That was beautiful, man.”

Steven turned around to grab the piece of paper from Eric and opened it up, more terrified than he was a minute ago. “Y/n,” he began and cleared his throat. “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Because…I’m not very good at expressing how I feel. But, when it comes to you…you make it easier. And…and I promise to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you. Before you, I’d never thought I could land a someone as kind, as wonderful, and as beautiful as you. But here I am, promising to spend my life with you and I can’t help but think how lucky I am. You are not only my best friend, but you became my family. And that’s all I ever really wanted.”

Y/n’s eyes began to fill with tears as she smiled lovingly at her husband. Leo went to speak, but choked. He cleared his throat once again and finally found his voice. “May we have the rings?”

Jackie gave Y/n Steven’s ring and Eric gave Steven Y/n’s wedding band.

“Shall I do this part?” Eric whispered to Leo.

Leo balled his fist and brought it to his lips, struggling to compose himself. He waved at Eric to come stand in front, stepping off for a moment.

Eric exhaled in content and stepped into Leo’s place with a proud smile.

“Y/n, do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband? To promise to honor and cherish him, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” she responded, smiling and slid the ring on his finger.

“And Hyde, do you take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife? To promise to honor and cherish her, for better or for your worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” he said, smiling as he slid her ring onto her finger.

“Okay, I got it from here,” Leo said, sniffing and stepping back up.

“No, man, I can do this,” Eric argued.

Leo ignored him and stood next to Eric.

“By the power vested in me—” he began.

“I now declare you husband and wife,” Eric cut in, glaring at the stoned hippy.

“You may now kiss the bride,” Leo and Eric said in unison.

Steven didn’t hesitate and grabbed Y/n’s face, bringing it closer to his, kissing her passionately. Everyone stood up, crying, clapping, and whistling as they watched Steven dip his bride to deepen the kiss.

When they pulled apart, the DJ started playing Lean On Me again. The couple beamed at the guests as they walked arm in arm towards the exit with their groomsmen and bridesmaid following after them.

Once everyone had filed out, all the guests and family stood in line outside the front of the barn waiting for the bride and groom to come out, each holding a fistful of rice. The photographer held them back behind the barn to take pictures.

Soon enough, the doors opened up and the groomsmen and bridesmaids walked out, now this time Donna on Eric’s arm and Laurie on Fez’s. The guests clapped, but soon erupted into applause and hooting and hollering once the bride and groom showed up. Rice was thrown in their direction and Y/n could’ve sworn that it was the happiest day of her life.

As they reached the El Camino that had white streamers and “Just Married” written on (much to Steven’s disapproval), Y/n grabbed him by his lapel and pulled him in for one more passionate kiss. She could see the flash of photography go off behind her eyelids and could hear more whistling coming from her friends.

They pulled apart and Hyde opened the door for Y/n to get in before waving at the crowd and hopped in the car himself.

“Ready to go, dear?” he asked her as he started the car.

“As long as I’m with you, baby,” she responded and he revved the car to life, leaving their friends and family behind—until they’d get to the Forman house.

Y/n looked at Steven as his handsome face was illuminated by the setting sun. Her whole world right there, in front of her along with her babies still growing inside of her. This was love. And this was happiness.

Tags: @jeeperky @05-feet-off-the-table-06 @cooloclown @mdittyz123 @n-dg-wm @undead-sierra @random-thoughts-003 @lieswithoutfairytales @taysirene @ xxivy-32 @supertrappy @chloem4a1

#that 70's show fanfic #steven hyde #that 70s show #eric forman #fez that 70s show #steven hyde x y/n #jackieburkhartedit #michael kelso #that 70's show imagine

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