#If there are grammar issues i blame the fever

[aflamboyanceofflamingos]

So I've been dealing with a really bad fever for the last few days, and apparently i had written something i have no recollection of writing so here it is:

~~~~~~~

Tim had dug himself into a hole.

To anyone that knew him, that fact wouldn't be too surprising. Tim had always been a very capable individual, but every now and then he became too in love with how capable he was and he would trip over his own ego. Usually the boy could get out of the messes he created, the sudden humbling giving him a clear head, but this time, he didn't think he could climb his way out on his own. 

The first shovel of dirt of this metaphorical hole came over 4 years ago, lining up with the first shovel of dirt of a literal hole. 

Jason Todd had died. Robin had died. 

Batman was in shambles. 

And 13 year old Tim Drake thought that because of the knowledge he had, it was his responsibility to fix him. 

Batman needed a Robin, and despite what Nightwing had implied, Tim was nowhere near cool enough to be Robin. 

So what would make Batman get his own sidekick? If his enemies had one! Batman would be forced to find someone else to deal with the sidekick while he dealt with the actual Rouge. 

The Joker was obviously out. Beyond the fact that the Joker was horrible, Tim may be joining up with a villain but that didn’t mean he wanted Batman to hate him. 

That meant he needed to find someone Batman didn’t enact a lot of violence on. That got rid of the Scarecrow and the various crime bosses (Black Mask, the Penguin, etc.). Bruce had been close to Harvey Dent, but a 50% chance of death was a percentage that was just a little too high for Tim (oh how that would change). Most of the lower tier Rouges (Kite Man, Mad Hatter, etc.) had gone under after the got wind of Batman's fury, not to mention that Tim really didn't want to spend his days smelling like ketchup. Poison Ivy and Killer Croc were cool, but their skills weren't exactly ones Tim could replicate. 

That left Mr. Freeze, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and the Riddler. 

The Mr. Freeze was more gentle with kids, their “villiainly” being based on the actions of adults, and the latter three were in it for their own interests rather than the purpose of killing or invoking fear, Catowman wanted shiny things, Harley wanted chaos and fun, and while the Riddler didn't share the same soft spot for kids, he respected intelligence. 

Tim chose Catwoman; the least lethal, and the closest with Batman. The skills she could teach him would also be more helpful in other situations.

It took about a week from the day he knocked on Selina Kyle's door to convince her to train him, but soon enough, a couple days before his 14th birthday and a few more calls to 911 about petty thieves left in the wake of Batman’s grief then Tim would have liked, “Stray” entered the scene. 

And his plan was working! 

The first time Batman had seen the second pair of cat ears he had paused mid ass-kicking of a carjacker and followed the duo, leaving the guy with more teeth then the others.

Slowly but surely, as time went on, the punishments the Batman inflicted started to fit the crime. By the time Tim was 15, he even thought he had seen a small upturn at the corner of Bruce’s mouth as he witnessed a bit of friendly banter between the two cats!

This was when the young villain had started to become a tad bit overconfident. In his defense, he had managed to keep his identity hidden from even Oracle! Lifts in his shoes, a voice modulator, make-up to disguise his facial features, along with a set of the same goggles Catwoman had kept and physical information from being revealed, and Tim Drake never interacted with Selina Kyle so there was no reason that anyone should have suspected him.

That overconfidence is what led him to replicate his plan. If one Rouge sidekick had benefits, then two Rouge sidekicks would mean double the benefits!

Solving riddles wasn’t too hard for the young boy, being able to see double meaning and red herrings was a skill taught to him by Janet Drake, and he took to the escape-room-esque plans for his heists quite easily. The thing he couldn’t figure out was creating riddles of his own. Mother had taught him that knowledge was power, you only reveal it if there was something to be gained, so purposely revealing information about his intention, helping his opponent was not something Tim was accustomed to, not bound to the compulsion to always tell the truth.

If the boy truly wanted to replicate the Riddler, then he would have to learn from the man himself.

Convincing the enigmatic man to teach Tim was easier than it had been with Catowman, the impressive display of bypassing the puzzles that hid the location of the game-playing criminal certainly helping.

Now, 15 years old with an unexplained skill boost in his AP Lang class (the lessons on wordplay were a definite help), The Riddler’s protege, ‘The Puzzler’ became the newest addition to the Gotham Rogues. He resented that name by the way. It was supposed to be Sibyl or Sphinx, they were on theme because they spoke in riddles and though he would deny it, the use of greek figures were his own little way of mocking Oracle, who still couldn’t figure out his identity. But apparently Poison Ivy and the Riddler had brunch once a month (something about being the green Rouges?) and she had heard the Riddler refer to him as “the little puzzle piece” when he was talking about his apprentice and the puzzle theme stuck despite how uncreative the name was.

This is when things became a bit hectic. Not only did Tim have to hide his nightlife from Batman and his parents, now he had to keep his two mentors from realizing that their mentees were the same person. 

He managed to convince Selina that the reason he was so busy lately was the AP classes that came with sophomore year, and while it wasn’t a lie, it certainly wasn’t the full story.

Nygma was easier to deceive. Tim had refrained from sharing his actual identity with the man (just because he would tell the truth in his puzzles for the sake of theme didn’t mean that he would be sharing personal information if it wasn’t needed. The only reason he hadn't hid it from Selina was to gain her trust, something that wasn’t needed with the Riddler) so just saying that he was busy was enough.

All the effort was worth it though. Things kept getting better.

Nightwing was seen in Gotham more often, and Spoiler (someone who Tim initially thought was trying to steal his thing by being a sidekick of the Cluemaster, only to realize she was working against him) had been seen fighting alongside the Batman one or twice. 

On an unrelated note, Stephiane Brown suddenly had her tuition for Gotham Academy paid for in full by the newly created Jason Todd Foundation.

Since things were going so well, he decided to push his luck a little further.

Unfortunately for Tim, he would soon realize the reason he was known for his bad luck in the future.

It started off like other times. Tim convinced Harley Quinn to take him under her wing, and “Ace” made their debut along with Tim’s 5 in AP Psych (Thank you Dr. Quinzel).

Steph and Tim happened to share a few classes together, and went from study buddies (Tim helping her in Chem, and Steph helping him in American History) to close friends.

Spoiler officially joined the Bats, and there were rumors of another bat joining the clan as well. Well there were no actual rumors, but the newest Wayne kid, Cassandra, had started joining him and Steph at their lunch table so her becoming a new bat wouldn’t be too surprising.

Soon enough though, things went to shit.

To start off, the first time Spoiler met Ace, she threw a brick at his head.

Second, His parents had caught him sneaking out and had grounded him, meaning that he now had to wait until they did their last check on his room at 12:00 to sneak out. 

The lack of sleep was starting to catch up to the highschooler. Handling 3 separate nightlife identities was hard enough, but doing so while exhausted was even harder.

After pulling an all nighter to study for a test the night before, he had gone to Selina’s apartment dressed as Ace, and had both costumes not been mostly black he would have been undoubtedly caught before he managed to fix his mistake.

Puzzler once spent a whole night sounding like Stray, and he didn’t think that his “sore throat” lie was all that believable.

Tim accidentally made a cat pun instead of a bat one when engaging in vaguely flirty banter with Spoiler as Ace and Harley had set him down to have the talk, stating that she would love him no matter who he liked and she would be happy to serve as a wingman for him and Catwoman’s protege. It would be funny if it wasn’t so embarrassing.

Third, Cassandra Wayne definitely knew something.

Tim’s “rumors” were right. 2 weeks after Cass had first joined their table Black Bat made herself known. By pinning Puzzler to the ground.

The next day Cass spent the entire lunch period staring at Tim. When he attempted to throw her off by invoking a mix of Stray and Ace’s mannerisms she stopped staring, instead choosing to freak Tim out more by smiling knowingly. At his wide eyes she mimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key only throwing Tim off further. Cass was too smart to not have known, but there was no reason she wouldn’t tell if she did know, right?

Last, but not least, and the worst of all:

Jason Todd was alive.

~~~~~~~

I have no clue where i was going with that last line, but i see a vision, so I'm hoping it will come back to me, but if not, any suggestions or constructive criticism (or a better puzzle themed name for tim) would be helpful

#If there are grammar issues i blame the fever #also i am now more concerned about my dc obsession #Cause beyond the fact that i apparently wrote this #i also kept hallucanituion Diana Prince (voiced by Grey Griffin) working through the problems on my AP CSA Exam #I might be in a little too deep #tim drake #batfam #dc #selina kyle #the riddler #catwoman #edward nygma #harley quinn #harleen quinzel #fanfic #wip

[happybird16]

This was supposed to be a short drabble about how Levi’s hair feels against your palm, but…

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, Creampie, cockwarming, anal fingering, reader is female bodied but no pronouns are mentioned, Levi is a bit dommy, Levi discovers he likes a bit of pain..

Length: 3k-ish

Note: @levmada you are entirely to blame lmao, making me think of how Levi’s undercut would feel.

The majority of this was written during my lunch break ksndmfkskms. Unbetaed, please tell me if you see any glaring spelling or grammar issues!! Comments and reblogs are appreciated!!

As Levi comes down, panting hot breaths into your ear, still quivering from the strength of his orgasm, eyes wet from overstimulation, you swipe your hands in a long smooth stroke along his spine. Sticky and wet with sweat, he shudders against you.

You love these moments. As good and adventurous as the sex always is, it’s always the moments after that fill your heart with warmth. Resting heavily against one another, warm skin against warm skin, bare and excessively intimate. Gasping, breathing each other's air, exchanging kisses, slow and lazy as your limbs fill with lead. Caressing each other, soft and slow, soothing one another, helping bring each other down from that high peak.

“Are you alright?” Levi breathes, gripping your hip softly. His voice is a little hoarse, rough from his previous fevered vocalizations. His grey eyes search yours, the lids heavy with lassitude.

“Yeah,” you croak, chest still heaving, just like his. Likewise, your throat feels just as raw, dry from and rough from pleasured screams. Truth be told, you're a little sore, but it’s a perfect sort of pain. A dull ache in your thighs that you revel in. “I should be asking you that.”

“M’ fine,” he murmurs softly, pressing a wet kiss to your shoulder. He’s so perfectly heavy, bleeding warmth into your form.

“Can we stay like this? Just for a bit? ‘Wanna feel you.” You want to soak in this moment, to feel his weight against you long after you’ve caught your breaths. If you had your way, this moment would last forever.

He’s still inside you, softened but still warm. You can feel the stickiness of your slick and his seed, warm against your walls. As he shifts, some leaks from your fluttering entrance. You don’t want him to leave.

“Mhmm,” Levi mumbles, wrapping an arm around your back to pull you to his chest. At your neck, his forehead nuzzles into your skin. “Just for a bit. We need to clean up.”

Levi sounds so tired, resting heavy on top of you with all his weight. Raising one hand, you wind your fingers into his hair. Cupping his neck softly, you press your nails into the prickly grit of his undercut, the short hairs scratchy against your fingertips.

You love caressing him there. The baby-hairs, freshly shaved tight to his sensitive neck, are almost soft, yet somehow sharp. Just dragging your fingers along the scratchy hairs brings a pleasant buzz to the back of your head, the sensation welling goosebumps along your spine.

Levi’s reactions are always beautiful, every time you do this. Eyes fluttering heavily, he always releases such cute little noises, soft gasps and quiet murmurs. He finds comfort in the touch- though he’ll never outwardly admit it, not even to you- often letting you smooth your fingers into his hair whenever you're cuddled up together on the couch. More often than not, he ends up falling asleep to the soft caress.

A hot and heavy mass on top of you, Levi is still trembling lightly, quaking with the echos of his release. Chest heaving, limbs quivering and eyes still distant and dazed, he’s still pulsing softly inside of you. At the soft touch, his breath catches -a cute little hitch deep in his throat- and he whimpers right in your ear. Without thought, he tilts his head, leaning into the caress.

“F-fuck,” he groans, right into your neck, suddenly so much heavier on top of you. You can feel the vibration of the deep rumble against your chest, the wetness lingering on his cheeks as he nuzzles into your pulse.

“You like that?” you ask, grazing the tips of your nails along the shorn hairs. Eyes fluttering, Levi shivers in response, his hips jolting up and into you thoughtlessly. “Is it nice?”

“Yeah,” he breathes out sharply, almost groaning, “Don’t stop.” Suddenly his soft and lazy caresses, one arm wrapped around your back to work soothing circles into your shoulder blades, the other softly caressing your hip, become firm grasps.

Blood still hot with lingering lust, skin still flush and over sensitive, the prickly sensation of your nails has him nearly delirious. All lingering lassitude has vanished in the wake of a heady surge of desire. Every part of him feels overly sensitive, the normally comforting sensation now painfully arousing. Already, Levi can feel himself throbbing, blood filling his recently spent cock.

Inside you, you can feel him thickening. The girth of him filling with blood to stretch and pulse against your walls once again. “Oh,” you gasp, fluttering around him as he thrusts into you with a sharp jab. “Already?”

Raising his head, Levi’s eyes scorch into yours, hot with urgent desire once again. Another sharp thrust, the sound filthy and slick from the mess of cum already between you, makes you gasp, nails digging hard into his scalp. Levi only groans, filling you with another jab, hips snapping against your own.

“You started it,” Levi pants, rising to hover over you so he can fill you with even harder thrusts. You’re gushing, overly sensitive from your recent peak, slick and seed oozing out to froth around the base of his cock, white and wet.

“Did I?” Was it his hair? But you’ve done that before and he’s never…

Loosening your grip on his scalp, you pull your nails away from his skin. Immediately, Levi hisses, raising the hand pulling at your hip to bring your nails back to his undercut. “Don’t stop.”

Is it the pain? Feeling him throb, hot and heavy against your pulsing walls, you dig your nails hard into his skin. Inside you, he almost lurches, eyes falling closed as he groans beautifully.

“F-fuck! Hah hahh! Again!” Levi pants, eyes pinched tight, his grip on you almost bruising. The last word is so high and airy it’s almost like a plea.

He sounds so desperate. Shifting your grip, you trail your nails into the gritty short hairs once again. This time, when his hips jolt with a loud moan, they twist, the head of his cock sliding perfectly against that spot deep within your walls.

Already, you can feel Levi leaking inside of you, gushing precum to join the mess already sloshing inside your cunt. Every thrust is achingly deep, hard enough that you have no doubt you’ll still feel him there tomorrow.

It’s a struggle to meet his thrusts. The slide of him, the fat tip of his head perfectly angled to brush against your g-spot, has you mindless, all but fucked out. Holding your hips, Levi aids your attempts, pulling you up and fucking into you with hard circles of his own. “Levi!” you whimper, hand almost falling free as the edges of your vision fills with stars.

“Don’t let go,” he grunts, leaning his head into the sharp bite of your nails. Raising a hand from pulling your hips to his, a thumb swirls at your clit. “Fuck you’re soaked.”

You're so wet that there’s barely any friction, the digit winding aching circles into your overly slick and puffy bud. “M’ sensitive,” you slur. The touch is almost painfully pleasurable.

“You can take it,” Levi grunts, winding quicker loops onto your puffy clit. “You always take me so well.”

Every hard thrust bounces you, his balls slapping heavily into your cleft. The sound is so loud, a sticky slosh that fills your mind with delirious fuzz and tightens the rapidly twisting knot in your belly. “S’good!”

“Yeah?” Levi asks with a breathy moan. “Can you cum again?”

“Mhmm,” you confirm, struggling to keep your eyes open and watch his face. You’ve cum so many times tonight, despite the excitement, you're still so tired and heavy.

“What was that?” Levi asks, pressing you hard into the mattress. “I want to hear you say it.”

“Y-yes,” you pant.

“Yes what?” Levi urges, thumb twisting hard on your clit. “Louder!”

“Y-,” you start, voice cracking, still raw from earlier. “Yes! I can cum!”

“Good girl,” Levi praises, groaning at your resulting flutter. “How are you still so fucking tight?”

Somehow, Levi feels even bigger than before, stretching you so wide it’s delicious. “M’ so full.”

“I came in you twice earlier. Think you can take another load?” Abandoning your clit, a finger prods teasingly at the pucker of your asshole, winding circles around the pink rim. “Or do you want me to put it here?”

You’re so soaked, even your ass is coated in slick cum. Prodding the tight picker, Levi presses a finger into your hole, right down to the first knuckle. It’s easy, the slick slide of it into your anus, and he thrusts it bit by bit right down to the knuckle.

“Levi, ahh! Ah f-fuck!” The stretch is so tight, so new and so good that you almost forget to breathe.

“Do you want that?” Levi grunts, silver eyes almost molten as he bears down on you. “Do you want me to fuck this tiny hole? Fill both of your holes with my cum?”

A second finger twists in easily, curling and pressing against your insides and stretching you so much. This time you do forget to breathe, quivering and whimpering until your lungs begin to burn. Filled with his cock and his fingers, it’s almost too much, the pleasure nearly aching.

You almost want that, to gush sticky white from both holes, but..

You bare down, clamping your walls hard around him, resulting in a strangled groan. “Don’t leave!”

Incensed, Levi’s thrusts slow to an aching crawl, his fingers still twisting and twirling, stretching your rim wide around his knuckles. “You want more cum in your pussy instead? Are you sure?”

“I can take it! I can take it!”

“Can you? Are you sure?” Hips tilting back, the head of him threatens to slip from your gummy grasp, catching at your rim. The fingers in your ass curl, his thumb rubbing tauntingly along the rim. “This hole feels needy too? It’s twitching, just begging me to spread you wide and fill it with my cock.”

“No! In! In!” Wrapping your legs around him, you clamp down hard to keep him in, just the tip slipping teasingly along your entrance. Nails digging back into his hair, you relish the immediate groan the rumbles through your torso, so deep you can feel it down to your toes. It’s a revelation, the way his eyes flutter, thighs shaking as he helplessly fills you back up without intention. You need to remember that…

“Another time then,” Levi decides with a dazed grunt. “In where? Say it!”

Using the harsh grip, you pull him forward to mash your mouth with his in a desperate kiss. It’s hard, wet and messy, all hot breath and lips, both of you groaning into each other's mouths. Slipping your tongue into the wet heat, when you slide his tongue with yours, you aren’t sure who it is that whimpers. “In my pussy! Please!”

Hips jolting into yours, they swirl in small circles as he fills you hard and fast once again. The angle is perfect, his pubic bone mashing deliciously against your aching clit. “Yeah? You want me to fill you up?”

You pant, chest heaving as you clench hard, gushing and trembling. “Please! I need it. I'm so close!”

“S-shit, I am too,” Levi groans, pressing his sweaty forehead to your shoulder. Thoughtlessly, you scrape your nails into his scalp, trying to bring him closer. Hot breath bathing your neck, the depth of his resulting groan makes you ache. “F-fuck, your going to be leaking bits on me for days.”

You're so close, you can taste the strength of it on the tip of your tongue. Already your thighs are shaking, your pussy fluttering nonstop, gushing with each anticipatory clench. Have you ever been this wet before?

Levi grunts, shifting his free hand to bend one of your legs up towards your chest. It’s so much tighter. He’s so much deeper, like this, bending you nearly in half, your knee right against your breast. It’s so good.

“Ah ah, Levi I-” Still, two fingers twist and writhe in your ass. It’s so much.

“Ahh hah,” Levi pants. “I can feel you clenching. Are you gonna cum for me?”

Desperate for something to ground you, claw into the fabric of the pillow behind your head. You can’t respond, not really, your tongue is too thick with pleasure. Instead, you scream, barely managing a rough attempt at his name, “Lee!”

“Cum,” he orders with a sharp bark, filling you to the hilt, his balls tightening. The fingers in your ass lunge deep and twist. “I want to feel it on my cock!”

With a wail, you fall helplessly over the sharp edge. Pulling taut, muscles stretched tight, you shudder and cum so hard your vision flickers white, ears ringing high and metallic. He watches as you ascend your peak, heated gaze drinking in the drop of your jaw, the twist of your brows. The scream you release is music to his ears, the sweetest of melodies.

Toes curling, one hand claws frantically at the pillow behind your head, tugging and stretching the soft fabric. The other claws as well, right where he wanted you to keep it, nails scratching hard into the short baby hairs of his undercut. Distantly, you worry about leaving marks, even making him bleed, the thought barely a glimmer as you drown in ecstasy.

Overwhelmed by the sharp pain of your nails along the back of his head, Levi follows right behind you. Groaning, deep and rumbling against your breast, his eyes roll back. Shuddering, mouth agape, he throbs, thrusting in deep and gushing into your cunt. The warm strings of his seed, splashing against your walls, sharpen the last echoes of your orgasm.

As you flutter the final echoes of your orgasm, struggling to gather the bits of your brain that seem to have melted out of your ears, Levi groans, collapsing bonelessly on top of you. Heavy and warm, his head rests on your breast as he gulps in air. When your hand finally falls away from his head, he sighs.

“W-” you start, struggling to catch your breath yourself. “W-what was that? You’ve never been so-” Aggressive? Feral? You aren’t sure what word to use, none of them feel exactly right.

You don’t need to think about it too long, Levi’s eyes sliding open, shimmering gray meeting your own. They’re tired, exhaustion crinkling the edges. As they trail along your face, worry lingers heavily in the gaze. Raising his head, he starts, “Was it too much? I-”

You can feel his apology, even before it spills from those kiss-swollen lips, so you interrupt, “No no, it was..” -fantastic, mind blowing- “It was good. Was it the pain?”

“Mhmm,” Levi grumbles, sighing heavily as he rests back onto the pillow of your breast. When he speaks next, his eyes barely open to look up at you, gifting you with the slimmest peak of warm silver. The hand at your hip shifts, caressing your side in one smooth stroke. “Maybe? I’m not sure.”

“We could explore it, if you’d like?” you ask, thoughtlessly reaching up to smooth your hand through his bangs. His hairs such a mess, his part barely visible in the sweaty mess of inky black strands.

Levi jerks away from your touch, his chin digging into your chest. “Watch it! Are you trying to kill me?”

“Hah!” you laugh, realizing what he thought you were attempting to do. Instead, you wrap your arms around his back, sliding your nails along his spine. “Can’t go again, old man?”

“Fuck off,” Levi grunts, the curse is softened by a huge yawn. “Three times is more than enough, didn’t you get your fill?”

You smile down at him, a filthy, salacious tilt of your lips, quirking your brows at his unintentional phrasing. Purposely fluttering around him, despite your exhaustion, you tease, “Have I?”

“Stop that,” Levi hisses softly, before huffing and nuzzling his cheek into your breast. The sight makes your heart ache. Rolling his eyes, he complains, “I can’t feel my legs.”

“A taste of your own medicine,” you tease with a soft smile. “Need me to carry you to the bathtub this time?”

“Just,” he yawns, eyes heavy, “just give me a minute. I’ll clean us up. You can bask or whatever the fuck it is you do.”

“Happily,” you hum, following his lead and closing your eyes. Just like before, you take your time enjoying the soft intimacy of post coital bliss. Reveling in the heave of his chest against your belly, the soft puff of his breath, moistening the skin of your chest. The weight of him, inside and out, soft inside and hard muscle lax, stretched out on top of you. Limp and heavy, not one ounce of his mass is held at bay for your supposed benefit.

Running you fingertips along his sweat soaked back, you enjoy the light twitch of his muscles. All the tension in his back, the weight he carries in his shoulders and spine, is long gone, leaving him limp and pleasantly soft. Even the scent of him, spicy and musky, fills your nose and feeds the pleasured buzz lulling your senses.

Eyes heavy, it’s difficult to peel them open and look down at the head on pillowed your breast, inky hair spilling across your skin, the stands a soft tickle. The sight makes your hand itch, aching to rise and caress him, to feel it against your palm once again, despite the heaviness in your limbs.

Wait. At some point during your basking, the hand trailing mindless circles into your side has fallen still, resting heavily on the mattress by your side. The rapid fall of his chest has steadied, as has your own, but his seems too steady. A deep, consistent lull -in, shoulders rising as his belly fills, brushing against your own, then out, stiffness bleeding away from his spine as he puffs out warm air to brush against your skin.

“Levi?” you call softly, confirming your suspicions. He’s fast asleep.

The sight fills your chest with unfettered warmth, something seizing high in your chest. He’s going to be so upset in the morning, you think, feeling the mess cooling between your thighs where you're still entwined. So much for cleaning us up.

You smooth back his bangs, drinking in his face. All of his features are lax and soft, his usual scowl giving away to soft cheeks and beautiful fluttering eyelashes. Lip quivering, he mumbles a bit when you gently caress the fine hairs of his undercut.

Tugging his right hand up from the mattress, you spin the band on his ring finger, the metal warm from his skin. It’s simple, plain silver, just wide enough to cover a third of the way to his first knuckle. You have a matching one, plain and simple, the band thinner on your own ring finger.

You can’t believe, after all these years, you're still discovering new things about him.

On top of you, Levi mumbles, goose bumps welling along his back as he shivers lightly. You smile as he presses further into your warm embrace, nuzzling his face between your breasts. Tugging what you can of the bed sheets up to cover his back, you wrap your arms around him, pressing a quick kiss to the top of his head. You hope you wake up just like this. “Goodnight, love.”

#I’m very sleepy #I still need to eat lmao #Levi x reader #Levi/reader #Levi Ackerman smut #n.sfw #myaotdrabbles #maybe I’ll think of a name for this eventually #attack on titan smut

[goldenempyrean]

maybe a sickfick where nat has like the worst cold but has to hide it because she and reader are going to the movie theater that night. and R is kind of realizing that something is wrong with Nat but she blames her symptoms on allergies, by the time they get to the cinema, Nat is miserable and feverish and shivers throughout the movie, Nat sleeps in the middle of the movie because of the high fever but Reader thinks it’s only because Nat is tired after a long day dealing with “allergies”. by the end of the movie R has to shake Nat awake only to realize she is scorching, and she takes her home and takes care of her…sorry if gets too long…it’s just something i’ve been wanting to read for a while, i hope it’s not much of a bother!!

White Lies

Hello hello! This request has been sitting in my inbox for literally ages, very sorry about that! Im trying to get them all done as fast as possible but some cold or something has deiceded to come and kick my ass for afew days so thats been "fun". Anyway hope this is good enough! :) Enjoy (Ignore any grammar issues, im hopeless with those)

Summary: Nats not feeling great, theres no way she'll admit it though. Especially not when you've got plans to go out. But does it all get too much? Wordcount:2,329

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 

“Fuck... Why today?” Natasha mumbled to herself as she leant over the bathroom sink, groaning at her rather messy appearance in the mirror. Of all days to wake up with a burning throat and a mind-numbing headache, why today? 

It was the early hours in the morning when Natasha had woken up. She’d felt more tired than usual that night but had blamed it on the fact she’d been training harder for the last few days. It was only after she swung her feet over the side of the bed, it all hit her at once.  

An uncomfortable congestion settled in her sinuses as she dizzily stumbled towards the bathroom down the hall. Luckily you were a pretty heavy sleeper so she didn’t have to worry about waking you up, especially not this early in a morning.  

She quietly and carefully closed the door and allowed herself to lean over the sink, sighing. Now Natasha knew she was sick, of course she did, but there was no way that she was going to tell you know that. The pair of you had only been officially dating for around 7 months now and you’d made plans to go out that night. There was a new movie coming out and you couldn’t wait to see it, infact you had booked tickets literally months in advance. 

Now Nat knew you. If you found out that Nat wasn’t feeling even anything less than 100% you would immediately cancel and force her to stay home, even if it meant missing the one thing, you’d been looking forward too for weeks. That’s why she made herself a promise; in no way shape or form would you find out that she was sick. 

Seconds later Nat found herself stifling two sneezes into near silence, wincing at the pain it had caused her throat. Maybe this was going to be harder than she thought... 

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 

It was another 3 hours before you had woken up. You rolled over to find Natasha’s side of the bed empty, this wasn’t out of the ordinary though so you thought nothing of it as you stretched and yawned widely. It was then that you remembered what you had planned for tonight and you couldn’t help but smile as a warm buzz of excitement flooded your body. 

You pulled on Nat’s hoodie which was hanging on the back of the door, nuzzling into it for a moment before padding out go and find your girlfriend. 

As you walked into your open living room you smiled seeing Natasha sat on the sofa, presumably working on a report on the small laptop on her knees. 

“Good morning beautiful.” You beamed, making your way to the small kitchen to pour yourself a drink, “Can I make you anything?” 

“Do we have tea?” Nat called out; her voice was followed by a sniffle which she was praying you didn’t hear. 

“Yeah.” You responded hiding the small trail of confusion in your voice. Nat rarely drank tea so you found it strange that she had actually asked for it. Plus, you couldn’t quite pin it but there was something off about her voice. Was she- 

Luckily for Nat, the whistling of the kettle interrupted your thoughts and you poured yourself a coffee, remembering to make her a tea. Thankfully you seemed to lose track of your thoughts as you handed Nat her drink. 

“Thank you darling.” Natasha accepted it gratefully and shifted over to make room beside her as you sat down. 

“Anything interesting?” You nodded down towards her laptop as Nat sipped her drink. 

“Just finishing up some- Hh'itsschiew! S'cuse. Just finishing up some reports from the last mission.” She finished with a sniffle, however the steam from her drink seemed to irritate her nose further as she ducked her head into her elbow, “H’huhtschiew! Hitschiew!” 

“Bless you! Somethings certainly made you sneezy this morning hun’.” You mused as you kissed her warm cheek. 

Shoot! She had to think of something fast, “Oh it's probably just hayfever.” Natasha replied hastily. She hated lying to you but this was for your own benefit... At least that’s what she told herself. 

“It's almost October sweetie.” You raised an eyebrow. Nat’s allergies only really showed themselves in the early weeks of April so it was strange that she was experiencing them. 

“Uh- Its ragweed pollen.” Natasha blurted, thinking fast. Though her sudden exclamation did come with a repercussion as she muffled a cough into the shoulder away from you. 

You had no other reason not to believe her, plus her response seemed to be logical so you shrugged and accepted her answer without a further thought. 

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 

As the day passed slowly by and Nat's ‘allergies’ only seemed to be growing worst. Her voice was completely stuffed with congestion and she kept not-so-secretly sneaking off to the bathroom to go blow her nose.  

You desperately wanted to help her in some way, just to do anything that might help but every time you offered Nat shut you down, assuring you that she was fine - despite the fact her nose had turned a slight shade of pink and her voice sounded like it had been ground with sandpaper. 

When Nat came back from the bathroom for what was probably the 5th time that hour, she flicked on her phone and hoarsely announced, “We need to start getting ready, our tickets are booked for 5 o’clock.” 

You felt a wave of excitement wash over yourself as you registered her words. You instantly sprung up from your seat on the sofa. “Okay! I'm just gonna quickly jump in the shower first, that good? 

Nat shot you a brief smile as you passed her before she looked up towards the light, her eyelashes fluttering as she scrunched up her nose. 

“Hh’hitssiew!.. ii’hischiew!...T’schiew!”  She sneezed down into her cupped hands, sniffling as she lifted her head to look up at you, sighing as she saw your concerned expression. “I’m fine.” 

“I didn’t say anything love.” You sighed before closing the bathroom door. 

It didn’t take you long to shower and get yourself ready. You had already planned what you were going to wear days in advance anyway. You quickly dried your hair and styled it casually before pulling on your outfit. Looking over yourself in the mirror, you checked that everything looked good before making your way back out into the living room to meet Nat who had already gotten herself ready. You couldn’t help but admire her beauty for a moment, even with her red sniffly nose she still looked beyond amazing. 

“Hheh..Hehttshoo! Hh’itschieww!” 

“Bless you Natty, you all ready to go?” You wrapped your arm around her waist as you both walked towards the main door. Making sure to grab your keys from the table. 

“You got everything?” Nat mumbled from beside you as she took the keys from your hand and unlocked the door. 

“I think so,” You responded, offering to lock up. 

“I got it.” Nat said as she stepped out into the hallway, a shiver shooting through her body as the cool AC hit her. 

“You sure that you’re okay to go ‘Tasha. We can always cancel if your allergies are this bad.” You offered. 

Nat smiled. Of course, you would be willing to cancel the one thing you’d been looking forward to. Of course, you would. That’s just who you were. She’d gotten this far, there was no way she’d admit it now, not when it was only 20 minutes away. 

“I'm okay Y/N, it’s just a little colder than I expected.” Nat spoke softly as the pair of you walked down the hallway towards the elevator. 

“I could run back and grab you a hoodie?” You asked as you waited for the elevator to get to your floor. 

“I’ll be fine, let's just hurry so we’re not late” As if on cue the elevator dinged and the doors opened as she finished her sentence, stepping aside to let you go first “After you sweetheart.” 

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 

It was only a short walk to the theatre, luckily you happened to live only afew blocks away. Though on the journey there you did notice that Nat wasn’t really interacting much, only responding with one-word answers and hums. 

Finally, you had arrived, the two of you stepped inside and you quickly pulled up the tickets on your phone and were told which screen you would be in. Scanning over the various confectionary items, you couldn’t quite decide on what to get.  

“Want anything?” You asked Nat who was quietly stood beside you, looking over the drink menu. 

“Um, I’ll get a cherry-pepsi.” She decided, “What are you getting?” She asked as you finally figured out what you wanted. 

“Some strawberry Haribo’s and a Dr Pepper.” You said cheerily as you approached the counter. 

“Hello! Welcome to MyTheatre, can I get you anything?” The cashier greeted you both with a smile and you wasted no time ordering, making sure to order Nat’s along with yours. 

“I can pay.” Nat mumbled from beside you before ducking into her elbow to muffle a small cough. 

“Nope.” You popped the ‘p’ before turning to kiss her, “My treat.” 

After a minute the kind cashier handed you your order and you passed Natasha’s drink along to her which she began to sip almost instantly. 

“What screen number was it again?” You spoke as you looked over the numerous screening rooms. 

“Three.” Nat answered with a damp sniffle which caused you to look back at her for a moment, unsure whether to address it. 

Ultimately you decided against it as you held open the door for Nat and you both made your way to your seats, the warm feeling of anticipation sweeping over you as you settled. After waiting for so long you were finally here! 

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 

The movie had begun pretty promptly after you’d taken your seats. And boy did it meet your expectations. You were blown away by the graphics and the acting, maybe that way way you hadn't noticed that Natasha had slumped against you roughly 20 minutes in. It was only after you were past halfway through the movie that you noticed. Her body was almost limp against you, worried you whispered, “Nat?” There no response from her so you carefully leaned closer and that was when you realised that the poor dear was asleep. The poor thing must be exhausted, you were about to gently nudge her awake when you decided against it. Nat never sleeps in public; it was better to let her sleep if she was this tired. 

You tried to focus back on the movie infront of you but it was almost impossible. You couldn’t help but constantly check back down at your girlfriend beside you. This continued throughout the rest of the film until the end credits began to roll and people got up from their seats to leave. The small overhead lights in the theatre flashed on and you were able to see more clearly. 

You gently shook her shoulders, “Sweetie you need to wake up.” You hushed in a quiet voice. It took another few light shakes before Nat made a sleep noise as she slowly woke up. You went to move the hair from her face when your hand brushed against her head. You felt an alarming level of heat radiating from her so you pressed the back of your hand against her forehead, a sinking feeling of guilt and concern washing over you as the heat from her met your hand. Shit. 

“’Tasha you're blazing hot! Why didn’t you tell me honey, I could’ve taken you home.” You said worriedly, helping her stand. 

You couldn’t quite make out what Nat’s slurred words as you exited your screening room, shielding her eyes from the bright light as the pair of you stepped into the main lobby. 

“Let's go in here for a moment.” You pulled her into the theatre's bathroom, thanking God that it was a little less bright in there. 

“’M sorry.” Nat mumbled as she leant over the sink before sneezing down into her cupped hands, “Hh..heh'kshoo! H’tsschiew! Hheh'kshiew!” 

“Bless you sweetheart.” You went into a cubicle and tore off afew sheets of toilet paper before handing them to Nat who was sniffling thickly against her knuckles. 

You waited for Nat to finish blowing her nose, running your hand down her back in an attempt to comfort her, “So it wasn’t just allergies, your-” 

“I am so fucking sick.” Nat interjected, finally admitting what she had been longing to say all day, “I was gonna tell you but-  hii’hischiew! You’ve been looking forward to this for ages and I didn’t want to ruin it for you.” She admitted with another set of damp sniffles before she broke off to muffle a series of raspy sounding coughs into her elbow. 

“It's okay, you’re okay.” You rubbed small circled down her back, “You could never ruin anything sweetheart. I care about you so much; I'm going to call us a cab then you’re going straight to bed.” You opened up your phone and placed an order for an uber. 

You planted a soft kiss to her burning temples as she rested her head into the side of your neck, “Next time just tell me if you don’t feel well Natty, this is what happens when you push yourself to get through the day instead of just taking it easy.” You chided her lightly. 

“I will next time.” She sniffled against you pulling her arms around your waist, not caring who saw her. 

“Thank you Natty, our cab should be here in afew minutes, let's go wait in the lobby.” 

“Wait.” Nat stopped you before you opened the door to the lobby, “Let's just stay like this for a minute longer.” She pulled you back towards her, sinking into your warmth. 

“Take your time baby, I’m here as long as you need me to be.” 

#sickfic #snzfic #marvel sickfic #whump #marvel snzfic #fluffy #mcu #natasha romanoff #sick natasha x reader #sick natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff whump #natasha romanoff sickfic #natasha romanoff snzfic #sick!natasha x reader #whumpee!natasha #marvel whump #snz #snzblr #goldenempyrean

[violettelueur]

— GOJO SATORU + NANAMI KENTO + GETO SUGURU || ASKING FOR A SECOND CHILD

↳ featuring : gojo satoru + nanami kento + geto suguru from jujutsu kaisen

↳ warnings : grammar issues

↳ form : headcanons

↳ published : 14 march

↳ pronouns : she/her

↳ request : I'm having baby fever rn helppp 😩 Can i req gojo, nanami & geto asking their wife/girlfriend for another baby 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

↳ barista’s notes : right now, i have been hearing so much about genshin imapct’s new 1.4 update and CHILDE + VENTI IS COMING BACK... i- ʕ ᵒ ᴥ ᵒʔ at this point...i might put real money or same up into this game because I WANT BOTH OF THEM AND THE NEW LEAKED CHARACTERS I HAVE BEEN HEARING ABOUT  ╲ʕ·ᴥ·　╲ʔ other than that, i hope you enjoy your cup of classic black coffee (jujutsu kaisen request!) and please come again soon! 

Gojo will joke about it a few times here and there, after the birth of your first child - like one day you both will be walking around the school and he will just randomly say “let’s have a second kid~”

Of course, you know he is the joking type so you will just play along with it and agree to his little request, not knowing that he is, on the low, being serious.

Of course, he would give you physical hints like hugging you from behind, kissing your neck, giving you more affection than he already does.

He will make your son ask you for another child as well - he has the whole thing planned out from the start.

“You want a little brother or sister right? Like a play buddy?” 

“Gojo Satoru, what are you telling our son?” - not the full name…

Gojo will also make his students ask you if you are going to have a second child - he bribed them somehow, don’t know how but he did.

It gets to the point where you believe is no longer a joke and he is being serious - Gojo seems like the type to never admit what he wants because there is no fun in that, he needs to prolong it to get his teasing into the situation.

When you come up to him with the question of “do you want another child?” he will act like you’re the one that has been wanting one like “another child~ honey, when have you been wanting one?” - like...excuse me.

Of course, you confront him with the ‘evidence’ of his trick and he will finally admit that he has been thinking about it and just wants to expand the family more.

If you have been wanting a second child, you would agree to it and Gojo will immediately drag you to the bedroom - because how are baby made kids?

If you ask him to wait because you want your son to grow up a bit first and you want to make sure the timing is right since you both are so busy right now, Gojo will understand but will still joke about having a second child.

Unlike his fellow sorcerer, Nanami is more serious about the situation of him wanting another child with you.

He will think about his schedule as well as yours and wonder if it’s really the best time to ask for one due to his occupation - since you both had your daughter when he was such a salesman.

Like in his mind, he really does want another child with you since your firstborn has grown up and is already in nursery/elementary school and he really wants to expand the family.

Of course, Nanami will wonder about you as well since it’s a joint (mainly yours) decision - it’s your body that is going through the process and not his.

Nanami will also ask your daughter since he wants some support and, of course, your child is so excited that she might get a sibling (it’s boring being the older child)

“Dear, I wanted to ask...if you want a sibling? I don’t mind if you don’t”

“A sibling? Like a little brother and sister? Can I dad?” - yep that’s the confirmation he needs from his other precious girl.

When he feels confident asking you, it’s probably when you come home from work or him (if he is doing overtime) and he will ask you to come sit with him because he wants to discuss something.

You know, you’re probably pretty anxious since he seems so serious about something.

Once you are seated and he helps you remove your jacket, he will finally ask you if you want a second child and it’s fine that if you’re not ready because he isn’t going to force you.

If you agree and tell him that you are ready for a child, he will gently pull you into his arms and just hold you since he’s really happy that you want to expand your family - it’s his way of thanking you as well.

If you tell him that you are not ready since you are worried about your guy’s life and want to wait for it, Nanami will understand but the fact that you said you wanted to wait, just gives him some hope that one day you will bring a second child into this world.

All of you should know that Geto is basically like Gojo and will joke about, in the beginning not because he is hiding his true intentions (lowkey he is), he’s just preparing you for the serious question.

Of course, since you know he is someone that just jokes about every day - since he is just that type - you will agree with a teasing tone and that would get a smirk from him.

Of course, Geto will get your son to ask you for a sibling since he managed to persuade them to want one.

“Mama, can I have a baby sibling please?”

You will probably choke on your drink in shock since you never expected your child to ask this question but when you look up to see Geto smiling at you, you suddenly knew who was to blame for this.

When you pick up your son, you would tell him that you’ll have to think about it and wait for you to be ready and being the good child your son is, he will just smile and nod since he knows that there is a good 50/50 chance he will get a sibling to play with.

Once your child leaves the room with a smile on his face, you would look at your significant other with raised eyebrows but he will just continue smiling.

“Come on, it would be so cute to have another mini you and me, wouldn’t it?”

And when he is saying that to you, he would just approach you timidly (not really) and pull you into a hug while peppering you with kisses to convince you.

If you agree to his statement, he will just smirk because he got what he wanted but he is also really happy that you want to have another child with him - he’s probably insecure somewhere deep inside him and worries that you wouldn’t want another child with him because he believes you deserve someone better.

If you ask for him to wait, he will pout for a few minutes because understanding the decision since he knows that carrying a child really tires you (he’s learnt from your first pregnancy)

© violettelueur 2021 : written and published by violettelueur - do not steal or repost

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jujutsu kaisen headcanons #jujutsu kaisen headcanon #jujutsu kaisen hcs #jjk headcanons #jjk headcanon #jjk hcs #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #gojo satoru #nanami kento #geto suguru #satoru gojo #kento nanami #suguru geto #jujutsu kaisen gojo satoru #jujutsu kaisen nanami kento #jujutsu kaisen geto suguru #gojo satoru headcanons #gojo satoru headcanon #nanami kento headcanons #nanami kento headcanon #geto suguru headcanons #geto suguru headcanon #gojo satoru x reader #satoru gojo x reader #nanami kento x reader #kento nanami x reader #geto suguru x reader

[vickchan2]

JESSE BLACKTHORN WAS MURDERED BY HIS OWN MOTHER [PART 2]

ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE, PLEASE FORGIVE MY GRAMMAR MISTAKES

lol I wonder if Cassie has daddy issues? She really knows how to portray parental psychological abuse.. 

Part 1: https://vickchan2.tumblr.com/post/643878993806884864/jesse-blackthorn-was-murdered-by-his-own-mother

WHY I DON’T THINK JESSE WAS TRULY SICK

Because Cassie made sure to let us know how Thomas had a frail health when he was kid (just like Jesse). Gideon worried about that so much he even tried to discuss that with Tatiana (who refused to help him) in A Lightwood Christmas Carol. Nonetheless Thomas got better over the years and grew up a healthy (and very tall!) young man... Still, many characters remember often how Thomas used to be a sickly, small child...

Why Cassie keeps reminding us about his past health problems?  Because he has grown up so tall? No, because it shows Jesse might have recovered too. 

(ON A SIDE NOTE: REMEMBER CECILY TELLING ANNA HOW SHE USED TO BE QUITE SICK DURING HER PREGNANCY?? HELLO, THAT REMINDS ME OF JESSE AND THOMAS SITUATION)

However, Jesse never realized his health had improved because his mother made him believe he still was a sick kid... (Yeah, Jesse did start training, but he still felt weak because of the poison and thus didnt realize he had recovered. That explains the talking about his weak state, fevers and stuff we heard about him)

(For better understanding of the issue, I recommend this buzzfeed article about Dee Dee Blanchard and Gypsy Rose: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/michelledean/dee-dee-wanted-her-daughter-to-be-sick-gypsy-wanted-her-mom)  

Dee Blanchard suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy,  a mental disorder which causes a parent or other caretaker to exaggerate, fabricate, or induce illness in a person under their care. Dee Dee Blanchard family even confronted her once because they suspected she had poisoned her stepmother. 

And for years Dee Dee made her daughter believe she was a very sick girl. )

In the CHAIN OF IRON case, I think it has to do with power struggles, but I feel Jesse situation resembles Gypsy Rose greatly, except he was the one who ended up dead instead of his mother.) 

WHERE WAS I? OH, YES...  WHY TATIANA WOULD DO THAT TO HER OWN CHILD?

Because she is Benedict daughter 

Just kidding! I know Gideon and Gabriel are amazing fathers. 

Well, we all know Tatiana slowly descended into madness over the years. She never got over her loss and started to hate and blame her brothers (and everyone else that helped to kill her Worm father). Anyway, it is quite obvious she developted a desire for vengeance ever since (Belial even says he killed Barbara because she requested it). But how did Tatiana met Belial in the first place?

Because Tatiana discovered her father notes and started to study dark magic to summon demons herself. (Benedict had known sexual desire for demonic women, so of course he would know how to summon one for himself). Seizing the oportunity, Belial showed himself to her and probably promised a very tempting reward: vengeance against everyone whom she despised and wished to destroy in exchange for help to make James Herondale his ''physical vessel''. 

Belial clearly was the puppet master and probably instructed Tatiana to adopt a young girl who could be used to seduce James in the future and make him vulnerable to his attempt to take over his body (not because the poor Jesse needed company in that creepy house).

That probably explains why Grace received her type of power to make men do her biding but that bit was easy to guess in the previous book. ( it is important to know Grace most likely her powers at age of ten, right after Jesse death). 

For his next step, Belial decided to involve Jesse. He needed a Anchor and Jesse was the perfect choice for the role, if only he were dead... 

But first he had to convince Tatiana to kill him and he knew exactly how... 

Like I said before, I believe Tatiana poisoned her son slowly over the years to make him think he still was unhealthy (maybe she even poisoned him under the guise it was a medicinal remedy for his illness). I think Tatiana did that to keep him under her thumb and prevent him from leaving the house to become a true Shadowhunter (at time of his death, I believe Jesse had a strong desire to leave his home but he stayed anyway to look after his little sister and Tatiana knew it was a matter of time before he left). 

That being said, it wouln’t be too hard for Belial to make Tatiana murder her child if he told her about his plans of bringing Jesse back to life as soon he achieved his goals. 

And that’s all, folks. I’m so sleep deprived these I can’t even think about anything else to say. You are welcome to tell me if this theory sucks. 

#jesse blackthorn #grace blackthorn #gracelet #herongraystairs #tessa gray #tessa x will #will herondale #thomas lightwood #thomastairs #christopher lightwood #jessa #james carstairs #the merry thieves #Matthew Fairchild #james herondale #jordelia #cordelia carstairs #lucie herondale #the infernal devices #the last hours theories #the last hours #charles fairchild #charlotte fairchild #annabel blackthorn #tid #tlh #tda #the dark artifices #Ty Blackthorn #gideon lightwood

[livesbeneath]

the end of all things.

pairing: noah x female mc (harley blanco)

summary: it’s three am, and her laugh is in his head. it almost makes him want to live.

word count: 2.8k.

author’s note: i decided to try and revert back to my old epic poem-esque style for this work, and i have to say, i am extremely excited about how it turned out!  this piece has been a labor of love for me, and i really hope you all enjoy a brief journey across canon with a little added perspective from noah and mc.  i wrote this fic mainly while listening to  the end of all things  by panic! at the disco, hence the name. i highly recommend giving the song a listen since it’s gorgeous - and really helps set the mood. i apologize for any grammar / sentence structure issues, as i tried to proofread the best i could, and thank anyone who takes the time to read!  feedback in any form is deeply appreciated!  (and a big thanks to @gayvathewitch for being my first set of eyes <3)

disclaimer: i do not own these characters / some of the dialogue present. creative liberty has been taken to make this story unique, and i do not intend to use it for profit in any way.

whether near or far, i am always yours. any change in  time, we are young again. so lay us down. we’re in love.

i. bravery

She asserted herself as the bravest in the group at age seven. She picked up worms after rainstorms, rode her bike without a helmet, and tried a new vegetable every month. She jumped into the public pool without holding her nose and didn’t wear swim goggles.

Despite being a pup, Harley led the pack. She was destined to grow into her claws.

ii. cowardice

He always looked slightly anxious. He was cautious, moody, protective. He often hid under his covers at night when he heard the wind blow through his window. It was broken, and refused to close all the way.

Noah wasn’t a wolfish young boy. He was more the shadow that hung behind the sun.

iii. third

He decides eight o’clock in the morning is too early to be awake. Noah suppresses a yawn, eyelids drooping. His mom says that he’ll be able to walk to school after he turns twelve. Until then, he’s stuck on the bus.

“Where’s Jane?” Harley asks quizzically, her Monsters Inc. lunchbox sat on her lap. The two girls always sat together. Noah usually took the seat across the aisle from them - but today it had been claimed by Grant Warner, and he was a fifth grader.

“She has a fever.” He frowns as he stares at the empty space beside her. “Can I sit?”

“I don’t know-” she grins, pulling on one of her own pigtails. “Can you? Do you know how to sit, Noah?”

“Shut up.” he grumbles as he plops down. She knows he doesn’t mean it, and that only makes her giggle harder. The sound makes him want to shove her lunch onto the floor. That is, until he hears his mother’s voice in the back of his head.

You know, boys only pick on girls if they like them, Noah.

Frowning to himself, he sinks lower into the seat, not bothering to shrug his backpack off his shoulders. Her voice was too loud for such an early morning.

“Are you nervous?” she answers before he can even take a breath. “I’m not nervous. I can’t wait to tell Jane all about it!”

“Third grade is gonna be just like second grade, y’know.”

Her spirit is seemingly indomitable, as she simply cheers in response. Her second grade year was a blast - and his was filled with butterflies. Annoying butterflies.

Butterflies he’d like to squish.

iv. sleepover

Mrs. Marshall had packed her children a travel-sized bag of cheesyfish, their own separate flavored toothpastes, and mismatched pairs of socks. She didn’t stop at the front door of Harley’s house to see her children off. Her migraines were getting worse - and a quiet night free of her kids was just what the doctor ordered.

Noah was shocked when Harley’s father answered the door. He didn’t see her parents much. In fact, he was pretty sure they were supposed to be in Boston on business in a week.

Immediately, the twins were whisked to the backyard where the rest of their friends were waiting. Andy was ripping clumps of grass out of the ground and throwing them at Lucas, which was highly amusing to the other children.

“Harley!” Jane says from beside him, a sly smile on her face. “Tell Noah to stop being such a big baby about Mr. Red.”

Harley’s mouth forms an o-shape, her eyebrows raising. “You don’t want to go play with Mr. Red tonight?”

“I’m not a baby! I just think - what if your parents see we aren’t here?”

“That’s why we have a tent, silly! And blankets and pillows to make props! We know Mr. Red can’t really play with us in the light.”

He bites his lip. “It’s gonna be really dark.”

“We can bring flashlights!” Harley smiles. “Or, we can stay here. I want to go to help protect everyone, but you remember the playtime rule, don’t you?”

A few feet away, Jane breaks a twig in half with a clean snap!

“Everyone plays together!”

v. whispers

Her first mistake was not making it to the gym early. If she had, maybe she could have snagged a seat at the top of the bleachers, somewhere high up, a corner against the wall where no one would bother her.

She’s all too aware of his lazy eyes. Tired as they may be, they burn into her back as she stands there like an idiot, contemplating a daring escape out the closest exit.

“Hey, Harley! Sit your stupid ass down unless you wanna watch from the garbage can!”

To her chagrin, Noah makes no move to assist her as she stands there. She doesn’t expect him to, but it would have been the most efficient way to make Cody shut his mouth.

“Hello? You’re blocking our view, and there’s a spot right there!” Jocelyn blurts, waving a hand towards the only seat left open in the whole place.

She exhales before turning at a snail’s pace to meet Noah’s eyes. He sits there expectantly, and Harley assumes that he already knows his answer to her question before she’s even asked it. Swallowing her pride, she offers him a reluctant smile. “Hey, Noah. Do you mind if I…?”

Can you? Do you know how to sit, Harley?

“Knock yourself out.”

He takes his time scooting to the side. Harley shoots Cody and Jocelyn one last glare before stepping up and squeezing beside Noah, crossing her arms across her chest as she plants her feet firmly on the platform below. Any attempts at small talk will be futile, and yet-

“So… what’s been up with you? We haven’t really talked since…”

His voice is a flatline. He shifts uncomfortably in his spot. “Yeah, I know.”

Harley shakes her head slightly as she glances around, her eyes not exactly focusing in on anything, not even Lucas as he approaches center floor to begin the assembly. The gymnasium rumbles around them as the students welcome their class president. Both stay still, letting the vibrations from over a hundred feet stomping madly drown out the rumbles of awkwardness situated in their stomachs.

They fall into a steeled, not-quite conversation. Occasional jabs at Lucas’ discovery of hair gel and Stacy’s cheermates inch them closer and closer to dismissal. After the bell, they’ll hopefully never have to do this again.

“Why do people like her so much?” Harley huffs offhandedly, eyeing Britney in the sea of pom poms before them. “They’ve got to know how horrible she is.”

“And?” Noah begins. “She’s hot and she can do flips. We can’t compete with that.”

She turns to look at him, a curious half-smile on her face as he shrugs. It’s somewhat comforting to know that they remain similar despite the ten years of radio silence between them.

It isn’t the same with everyone else, though. Some of them are still stuck in the gutter of the social pyramid, some of them seemingly free from it, parading around the gym like they own it.

“Huh. Andy actually made the team this year.”

Harley can’t help but grin at that. “Good for him! I can’t wait to see him play.”

Noah yawns as the basketball team captain takes the podium, his speech a carbon copy of every other student-written rallying cry, right down to the obnoxious Westchester Wolves howl.

However, one element manages to catch them both off guard: the flickering of the gymnasium lights.

Then, a plea from Lucas to stay seated. A microphone full of feedback. A broken stereo system.

With a loud BANG!, the doors of the gym fly open, and the lights flicker back on.

She feels a hand clamp around her arm. A shiver up her spine.

“God! What are you-”

He speaks with a frightening concern. “Shut up! Do you hear that!?”

“Hear what?”

“Ssssshhhh!”

The music sputters and dies as the lights shut off completely. A voice, completely alien and horribly familiar.

A whisper.

“Everyone… plays… together.”

vi. resurgence

They all started spending time together, but only out of obligation. It wasn’t as if cops could just arrest Redfield.

She understands Noah’s anger, but it doesn’t make the sight of his face twisted in rage any easier to see. It’s a constant reminder that maybe they could have spared themselves years of loneliness if one of them had been tough enough to speak up.

Harley wasn’t going to stand back anymore. Not after the assembly. Not after finding Dan. Not after what he had told her in the hardware store.

“Mom blames me, y’know. For Jane… and for dad leaving right after.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“It is. She’s said it to my face. Regularly, actually.”

It’s moments like that, like him looking so paralyzed when a monster charges at him, which spark up remembrance in her. They not only make her realize how much she’s missed him, but how much she’s always wanted to be there for him. To protect him. Something about him ignites the hero in her.

She finds where he sits at lunch and plops down.

He wonders why she didn’t ask before doing so.

vii. effortless

The cobblestone around Britney’s pool proved to be terribly unkind to any kind of shoe that required balance to walk in. Decked out in gold and heels, an ensemble that was a giant leap from her normal bomber jacket, it almost made Harley wish that she hadn’t agreed to take a walk with him.

Almost.

Jocelyn’s laugh and the rest of the party fades out behind them as they reach the edge of the backyard, the gentle lapping of the pool water calming Harley’s nerves.

She feels the urge to reach down her throat and rip her heart from her chest in an attempt to silence it. From the moment she had seen him in his natural habitat, gracelessly tossing potato chips into the pool, her heartbeat had been on the fritz.

Nevertheless, she appears just as collected as ever, even as the two of them share a grin. She takes note of how much lighter he looks when he does so.

“So I gotta ask-” she begins. “Why’d you decide to come tonight.”

He looks her over subtly. His hands begin to sweat. “It’s dumb.”

“I bet it’s not! What if I tell you something dumb?”

“Depends on what you got.”

She runs through multiple replies in her mind. There’s “I think you look nice with your hair long”, along with “I felt my stomach lurch when you laughed earlier”. There’s also-

“I got points off my language arts homework because I misspelled orange.”

His lips turn upward, and he doesn’t work to suppress a chuckle. “You mean the most phonetically sound word in the English language?”

“See? Now that was dumb.” she watches him shake his head, taking a breath.

“I came because…”

Because you would be here. Because she made things a bit easier to bear. “Well, being with your friends in a place you hate is still better than being alone, right?”

He drifts from her in that moment, the grill a few feet away giving him something more stable to think about. She approaches - relentless as always - a smile on her face. He wishes he could be so easygoing.

She speaks so easily, and he doesn’t think she realizes the impact of the stuff she says. Noah doesn’t know what it is about her that makes her so much easier to talk to. So easy to snap at, and then confide in seconds later. He knows she deserves better than his polar opposites. She would have a much better time playing spin the bottle with Stacy’s brother.

And yet, she doesn’t go. Not when he digs up skeletons from his past, not when he mentions his wishes for the future. He barely realizes he’s talking about Baby Jane’s, something that he’s never mentioned away from pen and paper, until the words leave his mouth. Until she happily asks “Will you let me be a waitress at Baby Jane’s someday?”

Something about it is so effortless. Something about them is so…

“Now, what do you say we go back to the party? See if Britney has any hot dogs?”

He shakes his head as music begins to blare from the house. “You go ahead. I like how quiet it is over here.”

Harley’s face practically glows as she recognizes the song playing, and she turns back to him, enthusiastically sticking her arm out. “Are you sure? Come on, come dance with me!”

“Hey, I bet Andy would dance with you.” he can’t help but smile, pointedly trying to ignore the adorable way she bobs along to the bass.

Instead of replying, Harley decides to kick off her heels, one of them landing in the pool as she goes. She shakes out her hair, brunette tresses falling over her shoulders and down her back, moving from side to side as she begins to groove along with the sound.

Laughing, she extends both her arms, making grabby hands at him and calling out. “But it’s fun! And it’s Franz Ferdinand! You know Take Me Out, right?”

He doesn’t bother to recall if he knows the song or not, and smiles as he playfully waves her away, standing only to go and fish her shoe out of the water.

Sticking out her tongue, hips swaying, she turns and dances off to where Andy is sitting.

He watches her go, a blush spreading across his cheeks as he marvels at just how plucky she is.

Some things never change.

viii. reverse

He made a bold move of his own a few days later, bell ringing overhead as he showed up unannounced, joining her for all things coffee and Redfield related. She had initially been alone, probably for a reason, as it jostled him to see her so worked up.

After a particularly tense session of rehashing the past, the sound of her pencil furiously scribbling away in her notebook dedicated to Mr. Red is the only thing between them. He shuffles his feet as he sees her violently wipe tears of frustration from her eyes. A sickness pools into his chest as he realizes how much of this she’s taking on by herself  -  and in that, he sees his own reflection.

“I don’t know what to do.” she huffs, dropping her pencil to tug on her hair.

Unwilling to hash out the future in its entirety, his hand grazes hers before pulling away. Instead of something to hold, he gives her a small smile.

“If all else fails, you can always wait tables. Baby Jane’s is gonna need staff members.”

It’s a nice thought.

ix. sidestep

The night was young as the teens celebrated their victory. After spending what seemed like years fearing every shadow that fell beside them, the strobe lights at homecoming seemed almost too good to be true.

Noah drifts off to the side as a slow song begins, feeling his stomach begin to churn as the clock keeps ticking. No matter how he tries, he can’t will the hands to move any faster.

Harley also feels sick, but mainly because she’s just polished off her fourth cup of punch in fifteen minutes. That, and the fact that they’re the only two who haven’t found someone to dance with.

Neither of them work up the courage to make a move.

Maybe he could have if he didn’t know what was coming.

x. betrayal

What was coming could only be better than what had gone.

He tells himself this as he watches her, dress ruined, drenched in Cora Pritchard’s blood and riddled with tears, leave the dogs to deal with the horde closing in on the ruins. This is what they - what he - had to do.

This only makes him sicker as he leads her inside. No amount of hope will ever dull the knife in his pocket. The way he feels about her only makes it sharper, only makes it more painful as she grapples with it against her throat. He thinks it remarkable how valiantly she fights. She thinks it horrific how this is when he finally decides to grow some balls.

Her survival instincts briefly overtake her heart. “Noah, you traitor! Let go of me! If Redfield has hurt any of our friends, I swear-”

The venom in her voice shatters him inside, but he keeps his focus on his sister, on how sweet it will be to finally free her.

He thinks of how when he dies, he won’t ever feel the pain of hurting those he loves again.

xi. together

But as always, she has a plan of her own.

When there is no one left but the two of them, both staring confoundedly at the puff of smoke that was once Redfield, her mind begins to race.

Harley watches his feet drag across the floor as he approaches her, his appearance that of a boy dissolved by his own actions. Noah wants nothing more than to dissipate. He wants nothing more than to make things right. To be brave for once.

Unfortunately, bravery is all she has left.

xi. bravery

So, she sacrifices herself.

xii. cowardice

And as for him?

He runs.

in these coming years, many things will change. but the way  i feel will remain the same. so lay us down. we’re in love.

#it lives in the woods #ilitw #noah marshall #noah x mc #noah ilitw #mc x noah #playchoices #choices ilitw #fics

[sosa-sketch]

Fright or Flight: Chapter 2

Parings: Prinxiety // Logicality // Platonic LAMP

Story Summary: Virgil and Patton investigate the New Prince Castle, when a brutal accident kills Patton. Patton wakes as a ghost and meets friendly ghoul Roman, who has been haunting the castle for 20 years. Virgil is determined to bring Patton back to life and brings Logan, the ghost expert, to help him out. Time is quickly running out, and the four must work together to undo death. If only it was as simple as Logan made it sound.

Unknown to them, a secret entity in the castle does not plan on letting them succeed.

Previous Chapter   Next Chapter 

When Patton first met Virgil, his last intention was to become friends with him. Virgil had built up a notorious reputation over the first few months of school, and his grades did nothing to disprove his status. Patton wasn’t the type to judge a person’s character based on rumors nor looks. No one was a higher believer in the benefit of doubt than Patton! However, Virgil’s first impression did not help his case.

Virgil transferred into Patton’s English class the second semester due to a schedule change. When the teacher stated a new team project was to be completed, Patton did not shy away from offering to be Virgil’s partner. He understood how difficult it could be being the new kid in a class full of friends and cliques.

The project was hefty, an collection of novel analyzing, essays, vocabulary, and journal entries. Patton was not looking forward to the Shakespearean project-Shakespeare’s language was alien to him. It occurred to Patton that pairing up with the soon-to-be-dropout may not have been his best idea. Nonetheless, Patton refused to be jaded.

The first day of the project, Virgil refused to touch the work.

“There’s no way I’m touching this project.” Virgil sneered. “Especially about Shakespeare.”

“Huh?” Patton had not fully processed Virgil’s words. “Is it because you don’t understand it?”

“Sure.”

“Neither can I! I guess Shakespeare really has our brains shaken up! Maybe we can ask the teacher to go over it for us?”

The teen huffed and shook his head. Virgil laid his head on the wooden desk and his eyes slipped closed. He napped for the rest of the period.

His behavior continued for weeks. Patton had tried everything in his power to get Virgil to help him out. Patton’s seemingly endless supply of compliments and encouraging gestures served no help.

Patton’s mind had conjured countless excuses for Virgil since Virgil himself refused to give one. At the beginning the excuses had seemed feasible. Lack of sleep? Family issues? However, by week three, Patton was already scraping the bottom of the barrel, trying to justify Virgil’s dismissive attitude with clones and possible mind control. Virgil was no closer to lifting up a pencil, there were ten days left of the project, and Patton still understood little to nothing about Shakespeare. Patton was flying solo and time was ticking.

The final week before the project was due, Patton caught the flu.

Patton would chalk up the flu to the top three sucky sicknesses of his lifetime. His fever was raging, his skin drowning in sweat while the insides of him iced over. Patton couldn’t tell when being awake ended and when sleep began. The only alarm in Patton’s body was the churning in his gut that rushed him to the toilet.

Understandably, the project was the last thing on his mind.

Patton would not remember his Shakespeare mission until the Sunday before it was due, when he was shaking off the final remnants of the flu. The realization hit him like a train, but by the time he went flying off his bed and hurriedly logging on to his computer to check the time, Patton knew it was hopeless. There was no way he could get the project done in a few hours and counting. Not when all his energy was going into fighting of sneezes and headaches.

Patton was dejectedly scrolling through his email filled with newsletters from adoption sites and animal protection agencies when a subject line caught his eye: “English Project.” Linked to the email were word documents and an audio file. Perplexedly, Patton opened the email.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: English Project

Patton,

so apparently you’ve been sick. class is way more quiet without you their, which is wierd.

i think i did everything you hadn’t done. it’s gonna be really mispelled and confusing and shit. sorry. i’m not the best with righting. feel free to fix anything.

get well soon.

-V

p.s. sorry for acting like a jerk. i owe you a explanation monday.

Patton hugged his computer screen and laugh with relief. He had no idea why Virgil was so nervous. His ideas were brilliant. A week later, Patton would see an A in his gradebook for the Shakespeare project.

There was a reason why Patton never lost faith in people.

True to his word, the next week Virgil explained his mistreatment to Patton. Virgil struggled with dyslexia. While he was getting tutoring in overcoming his learning disability, Virgil’s writing made him incredibly insecure. His old teacher always let him work individually, but the new teacher wasn’t having it. Before class, the teacher pulled him aside and told Virgil he was no different from any other student and would have to work with a partner. Virgil, determined to spite the teacher and anxious to seem like an “idiot” in front of Patton, would pretend to sleep the whole period.

“All your writing took was a quick grammar fix. The ideas were so good! I’m not just saying that to say that, they actually were! I could never think of something like that.” Patton reassured enthusiastically.

Virgil flushed a bright red. “I didn’t do much. Shakespeare is a lot easier to understand with audio.”

Patton listened to the audiobook of Macbeth that night. Virgil clearly wasn’t giving himself enough credit.

Virgil and Patton quickly grew close once the project was done. Virgil was still quiet, snappy, moody, and detrimentally insecure, but he began to open up more as the months went on. By senior year, Patton and Virgil was joined at the hip. Two peas in a pod.

Virgil had grown a lot since freshman year.

Being joined at the hip with Virgil meant that Patton got to understand Virgil by the simplest change in body language or expression. It also meant that Patton became aquatinted with anyone close to Virgil.

Patton already had a bad feeling while Virgil’s tone had shifted on the phone the night they were chatting about yearbook quotes. Remy sending Patton a text only confirmed the ball of dread in his stomach.

Rem: pat can we talk ?

Patton: You don’t even have to ask! Everything ok?

Rem: it’s about v

Rem: have you guys talked recently ? out of school

Patton: We talked last weekend. Over the phone. Why? Is Virgil fine??

Rem: idk. he came over to my house a couple nights ago at like 5 am. talked about some ghost shit.

Patton: He woke you up to talk about ghosts??(language!)

Rem: looking for affirmation that he wasn’t some obsessed ghost freak. i told him nah

Rem: but tbh he kinda is obsessed

Patton: He is passionate about his ghosts! But that’s not a bad thing.

Rem: v strongly disagrees. the whole thing about the yearbook and ghost quotes really messed with his head

Patton: I didn’t mean anything bad by it! It was just an idea! I promise! I’ll apologize to him!!!

Rem: wait no thats not what im saying. no one blames u

Rem: is he doing any ghost stuff anytime soon

Patton: Yep. He’s going to visit a castle!

Patton: Is that bad?

Rem: don’t you remember last time v became paranoid abt something? he pulled some real stupid stuff just to prove ppl wrong

Patton: Yeah. I know.

Patton: Gosh now I’m worried :(

Rem: i just dont want him doing anything he’ll regret on the trip. can u just…idk watch out for him pls ? ik v can take care of himself. but sometimes he gets into this headspace that’s self-destructive

Rem: tbh i dont like his ghost stuff as it is. i dont need him doing something dumb either

Patton: I understand Rem. That’s really sweet of you <3 <3

Patton: I’ll look out for him! I promise!!!! :-) :-)

Rem: ty. dont tell v abt this convo tho

Despite feeling uneasy about it, Patton understood Remy’s request to keep silent. Telling Virgil about their conversation would only push Virgil away and make him defensive. It’d be impossible to look out for him.

Virgil had already given Patton a way in. Patton had to talk to Logan for Virgil and get any supplies he might need. Patton loved visiting Logan in and of itself. Maybe Logan could help him out.

Logan’s business was located near small shops clustered along the beach. It was a hotspot for tourists, where knickknacks and souvenirs were sold and expensive attractions were advertised. Patton walked along here with Virgil sometimes, stopping at the arcade or mirror maze. Patton had met some of the most interesting people in the small touristy town.

Among the attractions was a dark blue shingled building with a pointy-roofed top. Painted letters on a wooden board spelt out “Afterlife Exposed.” Patton stepped through the door and a bell gently ringed, signaling his arrival.

At the sound of the bell, a tall, dark-haired man turned around. His navy suit blended in with the darkness of the shop. The man’s lean body was captivated beautifully in the suit. Patton quickly averted his eyes, blushing furiously.

“I have been expecting you-oh. Greetings, Patton. What a surprise.”

“Hi Logan!” Patton waved enthusiastically. “Who were you expecting?”

“No one. It’s a new rule Father has implemented. I must say it to every customer to ‘set the mood,’ as he calls it.” Logan dragged his hand over his face exasperatedly. “I find it quite ridiculous. But business shall be business.”

Logan’s father technically owned Afterlife Exposed. But he was always hidden in the back, gathering supplies or experimenting. Logan was currently studying entrepreneurship in college in order to take over the family business someday.

“How may I help you today, Patton?” Logan inquired, stepping around the counter to stand in front of him. He was even taller up close.

Patton filled Logan in about the New Prince Castle family murder and Virgil’s plan to investigate the castle for one of his ghost routines. Logan nodded politely the whole way through.

“I see. What an intriguing case. What exactly does he need from me?”

Patton shrugged cluelessly. “Anything you think might help, I guess.”

“What’s his budget?”

“A coffee and cake pop from Starbucks, if he uses his gift card.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “And he sent you to purchase something from here? Why, he couldn’t even afford a keychain.”

“Come on, Logan! He’s one of your most loyal customers and between us, he’s going through a rough patch. Can’t you help him out? Please?”

Logan massaged his temples and sighed. “Patton, it’s just not something the business can afford to do right now. My Father and I have been dealing with a sort of rough patch as well. You and Virgil have my sincerest apologies-truly, you do.”

Patton nodded dejectedly, “I understand.” Spotting Logan’s hesitant expression and tense form, he rested a hand on Logan’s shoulder and grinned. “Really, I do. I don’t blame you.”

Logan gave a small, tight-lipped smile in return. Gently shaking Patton’s hand off his shoulder, he clasped his hands together tightly. “Well, is there anything else I can do for you?”

“I’m not too sure.” Patton pursed his lips in thought. “Well, actually. I was wondering if you could tell me the dos and don’ts of ghost hunting. The yays and nays. The cats and dogs-actually no scratch that, both of those would be a yay.”

“With all due respect, Patton, I think Virgil has got that covered.” Logan reassured. “He must have asked me a dozen times prior to his first investigation.”

“Oh yeah, I know. It’s for me.” Patton corrected.

Logan raised an eyebrow in perplexion. Patton had never shown an interest in ghost hunting when Virgil wasn’t to be found.

Patton thought quickly. “I just want to understand more. For when I talk to Virgil. Sometimes I really don’t get half the explanations coming from the kiddo’s mouth.” It wasn’t a lie. “Just…how do you deal with ghosts?

“I see.” Logan clicked his tongue. “I’m sure Virgil could explain it to you more in depth. But, if you’re ever in doubt, chalk it up to one thing: respect. Is what you’re doing respecting the afterlife and their home? Are you portraying common courtesy? Treat them with the same respect as the living, if not more. There are exceptions, as with anything, but for the most part, that should keep you out of trouble with spirits.”

“Respect.” Patton repeated.

“You have strong morals, Patton. If you’re concerned about involvement with the afterlife due to your closeness with Virgil, I would not worry. Lack of respect is the last of your weaknesses.”

Logan pulled out his phone from the back of his pocket. “I apologize, I must return to my work. However, if you or Virgil have any more questions, feel free to give me a call.”

Patton gushed and thanked Logan, jotting down his number. Logan flushed a gentle red and held out his hand for a handshake.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Patton.”

Patton swatted Logan’s hand away and brought him in for a hug. “Thank you, Logan.”

Logan awkwardly pat Patton on the back before ungracefully untangling himself from the embrace. “I was only doing my job. Now, I understand it’s none of my business, but I recommend getting some rest. You look exhausted.”

“High school has permanently carved bags under my eyes.” Patton shook his head defeatedly.

Logan gave an amused smirk. “You sounded like Virgil.”

Patton beamed. “Like father, like son!”

Just as Patton was about to turn around to leave the store, something in the corner of the room glistened, catching his eye. “Hey Logan? Just one more thing?”

Logan hummed at him, encouraging Patton to continue.

He pointed to the object at the corner of the room. “How much can I get that for?”

 “Walkie-talkies. I sent you to Logan Berry, one of the smartest, most knowledgeable people about the afterlife in this town, and you come back with a Ghost Buster walkie-talkie.” Virgil grunted, dangling the toy by its antennae.

“You can have the Casper the Ghost one instead.”

“What? No! Ghost Busters is better, anyway.” Virgil groaned. “That’s not the point. How about advice? Did Logan say anything?”

“Just to respect the ghosts. Have common courtesy. Which you better be doing anyway, even without Logan telling you to do so.”

Virgil threw his hands up in exasperation and fell down into his sofa as the cushions engulfed the skinny man. “Obviously I respect them! The last thing I need is coming home possessed and cursed! He knows I know that. That’s really all he said?”

“Besides giving us his number.” Patton confirmed. “Which I already gave you.”

Virgil grumbled. “Whatever. One day I’ll get enough money to- wait. The walkie-talkies. There’s no way you could have bought them with my money, I would not have had enough. Please don’t tell me…”

Virgil got a glance of Patton’s sheepish look and groaned. “Patton, we have a rule! No buying each other anything!” He buried his head in his hands. “I can’t pay you back. You know that.”

“Hey…” Patton took a seat next to Virgil and laid a comforting hand on his knee. “It’s okay. They weren’t expensive. You don’t have to pay me back.”

Virgil looked at Patton in between his fingers. His voice was muffled against his palms. “You know how I feel about that, Pat.”

“Virgil, come on.” Patton pleaded.

Virgil shook his head. “Thank you. But, you need to return them.”

Guilty silence settled among the two, but neither made a move to leave. Both were lost in their own worlds when an idea struck Patton.

He nudged Virgil. “I know a way for you to pay me back without money.” At Virgil’s unimpressed look, he protested, “Seriously! It would mean a lot more to me than whatever these walkie-talkies cost.”

“Yea?” Virgil lifted his head from his hands. “What is it?”

Patton stared at Virgil’s stormy eyes as his heart pounded. In all honesty, this was the last thing Patton wanted to do. He was terrified. But, he thought back to the conversation he had with Remy, and the last time Virgil did something senseless unsupervised due to paranoia. “I want to go ghost hunting with you. At the New Prince Castle.”

Virgil’s jaw dropped. His eyes darted around Patton’s face before he shook his head and gave a weak chuckle. “Sure, Pat. Whatever you say.”

“No, I’m serious!” Patton insisted. “I’ll respect the ghosts and do whatever you tell me to do!”

Virgil was dismissing Patton before he could finish his sentence. “No, no, no. You hate ghost stories, Pat! Especially ones that are spooky and gruesome. You’d hate ghost-hutning. It’s dark and there’s lots of weird noises and tons of spiders. No way. I’m not adding more guilt to my conscience.”

Virgil made a move to get up from the sofa, but Patton refused to let the conversation drop. He grabbed Virgil’s hand and pulled him back to the seat. Virgil landed with a clumsy thump.  

“Kiddo, I know I hate all those things. I’m sure I’ll be scared. But, you’ll be there too! I love you more than I hate all those things combined.”

“Patton, we can do something else together. Go to the movies. Or bowling. Normal teen stuff.” Virgil reasoned.

Patton retorted, “But ghost hunting is important to you.”

“It’s not that important. It’s a simple hobby. I don’t care that much about it.” Virgil cut off.

“I know, I know!” Patton quickly backtracked. “What I meant was that ghost-hunting has been a cool way for us to bond. It intrigues you-a perfectly normal amount-and I like seeing you happy! Just like you go walking with me along the shops by the beach even though it’s super crowded and you hate it.”

“Patton, what’s your point?” Virgil grilled.

“My point is I want to try this thing that you enjoy with you. Just like you try things for me. It’s senior year, Virgil. No one hates thinking about it more than me, but we don’t know what things are going to be like after high school. I want to find a husband, start a family. Maybe study veterinary science. You could have a publisher for your writing, become a famous author, and move. I want to do this with you. I want to get over my fear.”

Patton stared at Virgil hopefully and held out his hand. “What do you say? One more big adventure for the dynamic duo?”

Virgil stared at Patton, looked down and roughly shook his head, froze, then stared at Patton once more. Virgil’s foot rapidly tapped against the floor, creating a dizzy, distracting melody. Finally, Virgil pulled his hair and glared at Patton. “You’ll be careful?”

Patton nodded eagerly.

“And you’ll stick with me no matter what? At all times? I want you in my sight.”

Virgil dramatically groaned, closing his eyes and throwing his head back. “I guess you can come.”

Patton shot up from his seat, whooping with joy and hopping around the sofa. “Thank you, Virgil! Thank you! We’re going to have such a great time!”

Virgil peeked one eye open and gave a soft grin. “Yeah, I guess we are. You’re sure you wanna do this?”

“Never been more sure of anything in my life besides my love for you and cats! I pinkie swear it.”

Patton and Virgil intertwined pinkies before Patton winked and let go, embracing Virgil.

“Let your moms know you’re going to be gone for the weekend.” Virgil smirked. “We have a haunted castle to explore.”

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #sanders sides fanfiction #roman sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #remy sanders #deceit sanders #LAMP #CALM #platonic lamp #hurt/comfort #family fluff #fluff #logicality #prinxiety