#actually same with being a woman. sorry bella | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

zapreportsblog · 7 months

Text

❝HUSBAND❞

✭ PAIRING : Edward Cullen x Reader

✭ FANDOM : Twilight

✭ SUMMARY : When Edward proposed to Bella he expected her to accept after all they were mates? Right? Wrong! Bella rejected edwards proposal breaking his undead heart in the process, not being able to withstand the aftermath Edward leaves home; only to return 2 years later but this time he’s married?!

✭ AUTHORS NOTE : I already know there is a story on here called the same story with the same cover (on quotev at least) mines had been edited to a clearer form, (again on quotev) that was my old account, (marveluserlovesmarbel again on quotev was my old and very first account) one of my first actually. If I can remember the login information from it I’d log back in and post my stories from their over here but for now enjoy the remake of said story :)

✭ QUOTEV VERSION

✭ HUSBAND MASTERLIST

✭ CHAPTER TWO : A Surprise Homecoming

Inside the Cullen home, a sense of curiosity and anticipation hung in the air. The family gathered at the entrance, drawn by Alice's sudden vision and the excitement radiating from her. Her golden eyes sparkled as she clapped her hands together.

"I just had a vision," Alice announced, "Edward is coming back, and he should be arriving any minute now."

Everyone exchanged glances, surprised and eager to see Edward again. Moments later, the sound of an approaching car could be heard, and they watched as Edward pulled into the driveway. As he stepped out of the car, they were taken aback by the presence of a woman in the passenger seat. Edward opened her door, and they exited the vehicle, both smiling warmly at the Cullen family.

Edward greeted his siblings with hugs and was bombarded with questions about his trip. Carlisle suggested they continue the conversation inside, and they all moved into the house.

Once inside, Edward introduced the woman beside him. "Everyone, this is (Y/n). We got married."

The room fell into stunned silence. Carlisle was the first to break it, his face a mixture of surprise and happiness. "Edward, this is wonderful news, but since when did you get married?"

Edward explained, "We got married a year ago."

Alice gasped, fake outrage coloring her tone. "And you didn't let me plan your wedding? Unacceptable!"

Laughter rippled through the room as they realized Alice was teasing. Edward smiled, "Honestly, after Bella, I didn't expect to find love again."

Esme stepped forward, her motherly warmth enveloping them. "Well, I'm happy you did, son." She turned to (Y/n) and asked, "Now, how did you two come to be?"

(Y/n) laughed, her eyes sparkling. "I tried to kill him."

Bewildered looks crossed the faces of the Cullen family. Jasper scoffed and nodded. "That explains it."

”I’m sorry what?!”

”What can I say, it’s in my blood to hunt creatures like Edward,” (y/n) says with a laugh.

“Hunt? Are you a hunter?” Esme asked with slight hesitation.

”Yeah. My last name was Winchester but i guess it’s now (Y/n) Winchester Cullen, decided to keep my last name you know.”

Jasper can’t help but scoff, “Figures.”

Everyone was still puzzled, and Jasper elaborated, "The Winchesters are a hot-blooded family of hunters."

Edward added, "We're also mates."

Rosalie, never one to hide her feelings about Bella, couldn't help but ask, "Wait, aren't you and Bella mates?"

Edward explained, "When I met Bella, it was her blood that called out to me. She was my blood singer, which is why I felt such a strong connection to her. I deluded myself into thinking I loved her for her. But when I met (Y/n), I instantly felt the mate bond."

The family began to understand, and the room filled with smiles and warm welcomes for (Y/n). It was a surprising turn of events, and everyone felt a sense of joy and acceptance as they welcomed Edward and his new love back into their immortal lives.

┉

As the Cullen family settled into their cozy living room, the girls - Alice, Esme, Rosalie, and (Y/n) - conspired to have some girl talk out on the balcony. They silently made their way outside, leaving the boys to their own devices.

On the balcony, a sense of camaraderie and curiosity enveloped the girls. Esme leaned against the railing, looking at (Y/n) with a warm smile. "So, (Y/n), how did you find out that Edward was a vampire?"

(Y/n) leaned against the balcony and looked out at the starry night sky. "He did a good job hiding it at first, but after a few weeks, I noticed something unusual. One day, he reached out for something, and his hand caught the sunlight, causing it to sparkle like diamonds. I couldn't ignore that."

Rosalie's eyebrows arched in interest. "And what did you do next?"

(Y/n) chuckled. "I did what any person would do in this situation—I did some research. I found out about the myth of vampires sparkling in the sunlight, and it all started to make sense."

Esme nodded, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "You were pretty observant."

(Y/n) shrugged. "I guess I've always had a knack for details."

Rosalie, intrigued by the prospect of conversation, leaned in closer. "Have you encountered more of our kind?"

(Y/n) thought for a moment before responding. "I've hunted vampires, but they're of different vampiric natures. Some of them don't sparkle, instead, they burn in the sunlight. Others have special jewelry that allows them to go into the sunlight without a problem."

Alice leaned forward, her golden eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Tell us more about the supernatural creatures you've encountered."

(Y/n) began to share stories of her encounters with various supernatural beings, including werewolves, shape-shifters, and even ancient mythical creatures. The girls listened with rapt attention, enjoying the opportunity to learn about (Y/n)'s adventurous life.

Back in the living room, the boys decided to go on a hunt, giving the girls some privacy. Edward proposed the idea, and Emmett, Carlisle, and Jasper readily agreed. With their departure, the girls had their opportunity to get to know (y/n) better.

In the heart of the dark woods, the Cullen brothers and father continued their hunt. Jasper, after a moment of contemplation, decided to address the questions that had been gnawing at him. He turned to Edward and said, "You look well."

Edward chuckled, his voice a wry whisper. "What's with the small talk, Jasper? You know I can hear your thoughts going a million miles a minute."

Jasper sighed, his concern evident. "Why a hunter, Edward? I know she's your mate, but you could've pulled away."

Edward's eyes, glinting like polished onyx in the moonlight, met Jasper's. "You know I wouldn't have been able to pull away if I felt the pull."

Jasper persisted, his voice tinged with worry. "She's a hunter, Edward. She's dangerous."

Edward countered, "And I'm a vampire. I can be dangerous too."

Emmett, who had been silently listening, finally chimed in. "I mean, they both can kill each other at the end of the day. Can't we move on from this topic?"

Jasper was unrelenting. "No, he's putting us all in danger. Aside from her being the very thing that kills us, she's also a human."

Edward's brow furrowed, and he asked, "What's your problem, Jasper?"

Jasper's voice grew more serious. "Listen, you've never faced a Winchester before. I have. Trust me, you don't want to cross their path."

Before the argument could escalate any further, Carlisle intervened. "Gentlemen, I suggest we drop this argument for now. I see something." He pointed toward a deer approaching through the trees, reminding them of the primary purpose of their venture. The brothers refocused their attention on the hunt, leaving their concerns and debates for another time.

The Cullen brothers and father, fresh from their successful hunt, made their way back to the house. Emmett carried the lifeless deer, a triumph in his strong arms. As they approached the house, their senses picked up the unmistakable scent of a familiar visitor. Bella Swan had arrived, her red beat-up pickup truck parked near the house.

Bella hesitated by the truck, her posture awkward and uncertain. She called out to Edward, "Hey, Edward. It's been a while."

Edward's face remained a mask of emotionless grace, but he kindly greeted her with a simple, "Hello, Bella."

Bella continued, "I didn't believe Charlie when he said he saw you passing through Forks. He said he saw you with someone. I take it you've brought a friend?"

Before Edward could answer, (Y/n) appeared, coming outside with a warm smile to greet him and the others. She rushed into Edward's arms, showering him with affectionate kisses on the face.

"My love," (Y/n) said, her voice filled with both relief and happiness. "You've been gone for so long, I got worried."

Edward's stoic facade softened as he held (Y/n) close, returning her affection with a warm embrace. Bella watched their reunion with a mix of emotions, perhaps sensing that the connection between Edward and (Y/n) was deeper and more profound than she had ever experienced with him.

422 notes · View notes

obessedwithfictionalmen · 3 months

Text

Co-Stars pt.8

Callum Turner X Actress! Reader

Summary: A bad joke is made about Y/n and Callum won't stand for it.

Warning: Joe Koy/ Swearing/ use of Y/n/ mention of being naked

Word count: 1.1k

Yn's outfit:

Award season was going well, she won an Emmy and now she was nominated for a Golden Globes for Best Performance by a Female Action in a Drama series. Unlike the Emmy’s, she was now nominated as if she was a main character, and it was amazing. The cast walked on the red carpet, again, getting yelled at by photographers. ‘’Good luck tonight, Y/n, I hope you win!’’ one yelled. It made the woman smile. ‘’Boys how does it feel to work with this amazing woman’’ without saying a word, they all start to kneel, to pay their respect to her. ‘’Oh my god’’ Y/n laughs. She takes a pose for the photographers and the boys get up. ‘’I love you guys’’ she says to her co-stars.

They didn’t know who the presenter was, so Y/n had to google him, but at the same time, Florence Pugh came to the table and asked for a photo with her. Her phone was towards the camera, her google research was exposed. But the ceremony started, Y/n was nervous, she was against really good actress, like Emma Stone and Bella Ramsey. ‘’Now Master of the Air was amazing! But I didn’t get why each time we saw Y/n on screen, we saw her naked, I mean, was the only purpose of her character, being naked? You’re playing in a series about WW2, not Sex Education’’ that was supposed to be a joke, but no one laughed. Y/n was looking at the presenter with a death stare before taking a sip of his drink. Joe nervously laughed. ‘’Sorry about that’’ he continued his speech but when he ‘apologized’ the camera went on Y/n and Callum. ‘’You better be sorry, asshole’’ Callum mumbled. He hid his mouth when he insulted him, but he didn’t understand why he thought making this joke was supposed to be fun. ‘’He clearly didn’t watch the hole show’’ Austin said to Y/n, which made her smile.

‘’And the winner is…’’ her heart was going to burst out of her chest. ‘’Y/n Y/l/n for her role in Master of the Air’’ She got up her chair, kissed Callum, hugged Austin and Antony, took off her shoes and made her way to the stage. She hugged Meryl Streep, she was presenting the award, when Y/n got to Joe, she didn’t hug him. She took the statue and came closer to the mic. ‘’Oh my god, wow, thank you so much. That’s amazing!’’ her voice cracked from the emotions. The crowd cheered for her. ‘’This series means so much to me, my wonderful co-stars, I love you so much. I don’t want to say the same thing as my other speech, because I did more than being naked in every scene, so I won awards, and people actually know who I am.’’ The crowd laughed at the comeback for the woman. Joe faked laugh and looked at the ground. ‘’To all the people out there, that are scared to pursue their dreams, don’t give up. You can do it, dreams come true! I got men kneeling for me, I won awards, and I got made fun of on national television! Thank you and good night!’’ she said, making the crowd laugh again. Callum was so proud of his girl; she stood up for herself and she did it the funniest way possible.

‘’The Golden Globe for the best drama Television Series goes to…’’ Drew Barrymore opened the envelope, the cast all held hands, silently praying. ‘’Master of the Air!’’ she exclaimed, stomping around in excitement. The cast got up, followed by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman. When they all got on stage, the trophy was handed to Gary. Callum and Y/n held hands; it was special to be on stage together. ‘’Wow! Thank you so much, this is amazing! This T.V show is, I think, really important to understand history and its darker parts. I’m going to stop talking or I’ll take all the time’’ Gary laughed. The mic was given to Tom Hanks. ‘’Like Gary said, this series is the third, we did Band of Brothers and The Pacific, but Master of the Air is the last and to see it getting so much recognition fills my heart with joy’’ he said, tears in his eyes. Steven stepped forward to talk. ‘’Thank you to everyone that made this project happen, to our beautiful cast, thank you for accepting to follow our crazy idea, love you all’’ he blew kiss to us. Austin stepped forward. ‘’Thank you so much. This type of series, uh, I think, needs to be done so the next generation can understand what really went down. Thank you so much!’’ Y/n smiled; Callum stepped forward. ‘’And finally, thank you to everyone that really watched the show and saw that Y/n wasn’t always naked!’’ that made the cast laugh. A Y/n face palmed, but she was happy to see that the joke wasn’t forgotten and that the guys didn’t like it. ‘’Yeah! Y/n is amazing!’’ Barry quickly said. The woman laughed as they all left stage. Backstage, they all hugged, even the directors joined in. ‘’I’m so proud of all of you.’’ Tom Hanks said.

‘’So, Y/n, a picture came out, can you explain what you were googling’’ the journalist asked, making the woman laugh. ‘’Uh, I didn’t know who Joe Koy was, so I looked him up’’ she simply said. ‘’About the joke he made, your co-stars became protective, what does it mean for you?’’ she was tired of this question, each interview station, they asked that question. ‘’Personally, I thought it was low, I mean, it wasn’t the fact that she was naked that made her win an Emmy and a Golden Globe, so yeah. But I think he learned his lesson’’ Callum answered. Y/n smiled and leaned her head against him. ‘’Thank you, good night’’ the journalist said. They could finally leave this place. Y/n has her statue in her hand, it was really beautiful. ‘’It’s going to fit perfectly beside my Emmy award’’ she said in the limousine. Making her co-star giggle. ‘’Like we told you before, we got your back, we weren’t going to let him disrespect you like that’’ Anthony said. Y/n thanked him as they made their way to the after party.

#callum turner #callum turner x reader #callum turner imagine #master of the air #golden globes

200 notes · View notes

yandereloverwritesstuff · 2 years

Text

Super Psycho Love Part 3

Watch your back, your new stalker admirer didn't get to the top of the food chain by being gentle.

Yandere! Jock x Nerd! Reader

Part 1, Part 2

Content Warning: Stalking, Sexual themes, Manipulative behavior

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that." The stern gaze of Mrs. Eisenhower, the European history teacher, met his, "I'm not going to arrange to have her tutor you. She has too many obligations as it stands and I've never once seen you show an interest in your GPA in all the years you've been here. If you would like to proposition her, you can do so personally." She said with pursed lips and raised, barely there eyebrows. Ms. Eisenhower adjusted her bejeweled bifocals and swiveled her desk chair back to face her desktop.

His blood pressure leaped and his face soured. Any person on campus would and could have predicted the outcome. Eisenhower was the unnecessarily proud sponsor of the speech and debate club and harbored a deep resentment of the politics that gutted their budget. She was a stocky, straight-laced woman with a frizzy ginger bob and a penchant for handing out lunch detentions. He had gotten so used to preferential treatment that some part of him had forgotten teachers could actually use the word no.

"I'm sure coach would appreciate it if you would help me out with my grades."

She scoffed and took a sip from a mug with Catharine the Great's face plastered on it. "I'm sure he would too. That doesn't mean I will."

He shoved the chair roughly as he got up, storming out of the classroom. Students eyed him wearily as he stomped by. He knew you would probably reject him outright if he asked directly and was planning on a teacher to strongman you into interacting with him. It wasn't implausible; he was barely maintaining a 2.0 GPA. Of course, he'd need help from one of the most promising young minds the school had to offer.

He kicked a trash can and it weakly coughed up an apple from the previous lunch period.

The ripe scents of sweat, mildew and too-sweet body spray hung heavy in the girls' locker room. You suppressed a coughing fit as you navigated the perfumed clouds of Japanese Cherry Blossom and Love Spell, looking for an empty bathroom stall. Changing in front of the other girls may have been tolerable if your class was made up of literally any other group of teenage girls. You held your change of clothes to your chest in a death grip.

Bella and Lauren, a fairly-popular junior, were talking in front of the dirty, stained sink mirrors.

"I mean he hasn't asked me officially yet, but we talk all the time." Bella propped a thin, artificially tanned calf on the sink, slathering some fruity lotion on it, "Yeah, no, I think he'll definitely ask me to be his girlfriend soon."

You tried to duck out of their line of sight.

"Didn't he go upstairs with Jordan H. at Connor's party a few weeks ago?" Lauren asked, absentmindedly fixing her strawberry-blonde hair into a messy bun.

Bella frowned, "Yeah well, Jordan's a sophomore slut anyways. He would never be serious with someone like her."

You crept behind the pair quietly, hoping to check the shower stalls. If they were empty you could be in your next class in under ten minutes. She turned abruptly and narrowed her eyes. You never understood the appeal. Sure, she was nice-looking, but in a very conventional cookie-cutter way. There were probably a million girls walking around the western hemisphere with the exact same combination of facial features. Bella had a face one could forget directly after talking to her.

"Hey, you," She eyed the plaid bundle in your arms, "do you dress like that for religious reasons?" Lauren giggled and murmured a weak stooop, lightly swatting Bella's knee.

"I just like the way it looks." You said blandly.

"You do know that it's the 21st century right? It's not a sin to show your kneecaps. They put it in the constitution or something." Bella grinned, and Lauren clasped a well-manicured hand over her mouth to hide her laughter.

"Yeah, something like that." You kept your head down and continued past them. After a minute in the very back of the locker room, where the fluorescents flickered unpredictably, you found an empty shower stall. You ripped back the powder pink curtain, trying not to look too closely for roaches in the dimly lit corners. The mold that grew in the grout of the shower was bad, but it was better than dealing with Bella's snide remarks or complaints about her kinda boyfriend arrangement with one of the school's linebackers.

"What? I was just trying to help her. I don't know since she's probably never seen a cell phone or used the internet. She's totally trapped in the 1950s."

"Wait, do you think that means she's racist?" Their laughter echoed through the locker room.

Just four months and then you'd be done.

He waited for Bella. Really though, he was waiting for her so he could see you.

You were one of the first ones out, briskly walking towards the wide gymnasium doors, boldly painted in the school colors. Your pigtails fluttered dutifully behind you. Adults always made sure to emphatically tell you that you'd find your kind one day – that there's this hypothetical far-off date where you'd magically stumble across people that just got you. It always felt more obligatory than anything.

When Mrs. Eisenhower told you how kids like you were the future, it seemed more like she was assuring herself that there was a way to change the systems made by people like Principal Mulligan, where rewards were distributed among the chosen select few. Or maybe it was the idea that people like her could be a part of those few that motivated her. The chess club had to hold no less than three bake sales on top of selling magazine subscriptions and chocolate bars to get to nationals, but neither the football nor cheerleading team had to worry about anything like that. The school covered it all and even had air conditioning in the buses. They wouldn't want their overly aggressive meatshields to get overheated. Something, something, grumpy 200-pound 'roided teenage boys are a liability.

When you felt the hand on your shoulder your head snapped back.

It was him.

"Bella should be out soon." You mumbled, readjusting your worn leather satchel. It wasn't intentional, your curtness. It just never occurred to you before that he would have any reason to speak to you.

He was surprised that you felt real, that there was soft flesh and fabric underneath his palm. You smelled nice, like honey and a little bit of sweat. He could definitely give you a good sweat if you'd let him be alone with you for a few hours.

He thought of the ice baths Coach made the team take after conditioning. Stinging, numbing, definitely not arousing. Not like your pigtails and flushed cheeks and the way you had to peer up at him because of the height difference.

"Can I help you?" You ask gingerly, warily eying the hand on your shoulder. It was definitely still there.

"Yeah, I need a tutor for European history. I know that you're smart and could probably help me." His brows were lightly furrowed.

"Oh." You said lamely, crossing your arms over your chest, "I don't think I have the time for tutoring this semester. I've got a pretty busy schedule." His hand was still on your shoulder. God is this the lady killer no teenage girl could get over? You briefly glanced at his bicep. He was both bigger and dumber than you originally gave him credit for.

"Wait, you don't understand. I really need this, like really."

"Why? You're set to graduate, right? Just focus on football and you'll be fine." You remove his hand from your shoulder cautiously. It's heavy and calloused and feels unnatural in your soft, pristine scholar's palms.

His face flushed a deep, beet red. You didn't know that it wasn't frustration, but something else entirely.

"It's not about graduating. I'm grounded until I can get my grades up. Mom's worried about me being accepted into her Alma Mater –apparently, just football may not be enough to get a scholarship." It wasn't actually a total lie. It's just that his mom already gave up on getting him to give a shit academically after freshman football season. He never listened to her anyways.

"My schedule won't allow it. I'm sorry." You looked around the gym. Some passing juniors looked at the two of you curiously, equally confused as you. Others, mostly boys snickered to themselves like they were already in on the joke. Either way, you knew deep down that no one was going to help you get out of this one.

"Wait! What if I paid you to help me?" He blurted out. You waited a beat. If he was willing to fork over his (or his daddy's) money, he probably wasn't going to try anything inappropriate. You figured whatever that semi-pained, constipated expression on his face was the closest thing to sincerity he was capable of expressing.

"How much?" You asked sharply.

"So you do have time. " He grinned teasingly.

"Depends on the pay."

"If you can get me a B, 30."

You scoffed, "70".

"60"

"65"

"62"

"65"

"65" He agreed, "So you'll do it?"

"Yes, I can do Sundays and Thursdays – no later than sundown."

"Alright, cool." He nodded and slipped his phone from his back pocket and handed it to you. "I should probably get your number so we can talk to each other and shit."

And shit. God, how was he getting all these girls to sleep with him? You wanted to roll your eyes, but you knew for a fact that Anastasia Beverly Hills was supposed to release a new eyeshadow palette before the holidays, and your Mac quads were almost entirely pan only. You knew your parents wouldn't just hand you money without asking what it was going towards. If you were cautious they were borderline neurotic. But they didn't have to know you were getting paid to tutor...

You hesitated a moment before you entered the digits on his cracked screen. Something in the way he looked at you, focusing intently on your hands as they hovered over the number pad, made you feel uneasy.

"There. Don't text me at weird hours." You unceremoniously handed him his phone back, unaware that his home screen was a photo of you taken the first time he followed you home. Why would you check that? As far as you were concerned, he didn't even know you except for passing each other in the halls occasionally.

He watched you walk off, blood rushing to places that it shouldn't be right now. He didn't plan on attending his next class, but when Bella draped her small, petite arms around his shoulder he suddenly felt deeply interested in hearing what Ms. Donovan had to say about that second act of Macbeth he didn't read.

"Hey handsome." Bella purred softly, before following his line of sight. She frowned when she saw you scurrying away. "What did she want?"

"I need a tutor. My mom's pissed off at me again. I only just got my dad to give me my keys back, but no parties until I bring them up again." He shrugged. "I think all she ever does is school and I have her in European History."

"Hmm," she pouted, "that's bullshit for your mom to do. It's senior year and on top of that, you have to deal with the fundie too. Totally unfair." Bella's arms snaked around his waist. "Maybe I could help take your mind off of it? You always skip English class anyways."

He softly pulled away, "I should go if I want any hope of attending homecoming, sorry."

Bella's frown deepened, but she let him go. "We're still going together, right? Like you said?"

He froze. He forgot entirely about that. In fact, he wasn't sure if he actually did say that; if he did, he must have been wasted.

"If. If I'm going." He corrected, "But I need to fix my grades first."

He'd been talking to her since the summer after sophomore year, but he never enjoyed her presence. She was his cheerleader, in the unofficial pairings the school divided them into, and now he was stuck pretending to tolerate her long after he came on her back.

He'd much rather be stuck with you, or you stuck with him – whatever was more realistic. As he walked to his English class, he knew he'd be jacking off to your shared encounter later tonight. He caught the sly way you eyed his bicep, your shyness. He wanted to see your body drip with sweat, down the valley between your tits and on your thighs. You looked like the repressed librarian type and he could definitely, eagerly help with any curiosity you might have. The thought of you shyly admitting you've never done anything before him while gently stroking his dick with your soft, cautious hands carried him through his last few periods. God, he wanted to break you.

#yandere x reader #yandere jock #yandere x y/n #yandere imagines #yandere x you #yandere scenarions

629 notes · View notes

piglet26 · 5 months

Text

Reylo. Sorry, but it's not abusive

Star Wars is not selling abusive relationships to young girls nor conditioning them into aspiring to them. Reylo is not propaganda from disgruntled single middle aged woman. It wasn't promoting abusive relationships when Luke still found love for his father despite Darth Vader cutting off his hand. Luke fans, young and old, were not attacked as being dumb or needy for liking Luke or how he viewed his father. It damn sure wasn't considered abusive when Anakin choked Padme and she still held hope for him in her heart. Or, that Obi-Wan still held a love for Anakin despite everything Darth Vader had done. Then there was Reylo.

Being a Reylo is not something I feel I need to defend. Let me love what I love in peace. That's what I believe. I did not actually see any of the sequel trilogy until after it was concluded. I was not on any fandoms during the rollout and marketing for the films. Thank God. However, I have gathered enough to understand it was horrible how Reylos were being regarded. It was beyond patronizing. I'm not new to fandom, hell I've been on soap opera fandoms for quite some time and believe me that's a savage space, but wow.

I want to clarify some of the feedback against Reylo and reaffirm why it's such a compelling pairing. Further more, I regard it as an compelling attribute to the Star Wars universe that only added to the franchise.

Now I've seen the domination of woman twisted up and called romance (see Twilight and 50 Shades of Gray), but I don't think people understand WHY those relationship were as such. Rey, on her own, is one of the strongest and most badass female leads to ever appear on the big screen. Despite people thinking she doesn't have a personality she is a resourceful, tough, innocent, loyal, hopeful and strong. She has agency unlike Bella Swan. She is not sexualized by Kylo Ren unlike the 50 shades girl. Her gender is neither a hindrance nor an advantage. She has the agency to save herself, but she is also saved.

Which is really one of the main issues. There is the patronization of Rey as a character, the people who like her and the people who like the pairing. While those 50 shades of gray books didn't buy themselves rather than listening to why Reylos liked the pairing they were told why they did and then dismissed. Or, there's the men that wanted Rey to be with Finn because Finn was the "nice guy" who they identified with.

Rey doesn't need a love interest - not all heroines need love interests, but why does it imply she's weak if she does have a love interest? Heroes infamously have a female counterpart which helps make them viable. It doesn't make them any less interesting as an individual.

Kylo Ren and Rey are NOT a couple but instead representatives of opposing sides in a war. This is the most important part. From the get-go they have an intense dynamic. Both have had visions and dreams of the other and they recognize something in one another. Kylo Ren did kidnap Rey, however, if you consider fighting your enemies “abusive” or interrogating war prisoners as “domestic violence”.............well, that is odd.

As quotes about them

What if your soulmate in the Force was your enemy? Circumstance, pits them against each other, but the Force bonds them together. They understand each other almost from a point of view of fate. And yet, fate has made them enemies.

While Kylo Ren is fascinated by In the moments of the interrogation, gender and sexuality have nothing to do with Kylo’s actions. J.J. made the conscious choice to show us the same scene twice (Kylo Ren interrogating his enemies) so the audience can spot the differences between the two. Sorry J.J, you trusted people too much.

We're able to see very clear aggression and abuse come from Kylo Ren for Poe. He has zero interest in him personally. He needs information and he will get it. The force and his ability to read someone's mind is a tool within his disposal. Now why isn't Poe's interrogation considered sexual assault?

"You know I can take anything I want" HE CAN READ HER MIND! He's not talking about raping her for God's Sake! He asked her to freely provide information and she didn't want to. However, he has a tool to use against a girl adding his enemies - a tool he'll use if she doesn't want to snitch. She knows this he already read her mind - so why not give the information freely?!

Rey also invaded his mind, so did she mind-rape him too?

The line that fans almost never seem to talk about in The Force Awakens is when Kylo says to Rey “Don’t be afraid, I feel it too.” What did he feel? The best I'm able to understand is what they felt was their force dyad igniting or fulfilling.

Ren becomes personally invested in Rey. Not with her cause, or her affiliation with the Resistance, but with her and what he wants from her.

“Kylo chased Finn and Rey outside Starkiller Base to fight them! He threw Rey against a tree!” Well she was going to shoot him..... I would've thrown her against a tree to save myself. His issue in that moment was Finn. Finn was the "traitor" in questioned and his unfinished business. They fought, but really it was a dueling exercise. Kylo Ren wanted to test her skills and her powers. If he wanted her dead there was a convenient edge to push her over, hell he offered to teach her. Rey was the one to go ape and almost kill him.

Again, I'm not implying that they aren't messy - they are. For literary nerds this is why they are a compelling heroine/villain. Ultimately one will greatly affect the other. The tension in between them is why it's great.

Ben Solo, least we forget, is himself an abuse victim. This is canon. While Kylo Ren has learned abusive techniques, they are at war. Applying abusive characteristics to a fictional character in a war setting without any attempt to incorporate the story is bizarre. Why was he able for the first time to stand against his abuser? Rey. He couldn't stand up for himself but he stood up for her. Ultimately, Kylo Ren wanted to 'break the wheel" that's what he claimed. If he was honest, he'd admit he had no clue of how to do that.

Most abusers are charming and irresistible when you first meet them. Ben has NEVER dishonest with Rey about who he is. Rey is very aware of the horrible side of him and even refers to him as a monster. He affirms her accusation that he is a monster.

During their force bonds because of the nature of the bond Rey is in a position to hear him out and try to understand how he became the monster he is today. When she learns that he didn't become this on his own, that Luke, his parents and Snoke contributed to his downfall she had hope in him. It's also important to make the distinctions that when she has a vision of him, it's as Ben. It's like a bipolar personality. When Kylo Ren goes all Darcy marriage proposal - she reject him. She rightfully spurned him when he resorted to cruelty to sway her to his side. Rey turned down Kylo as long as he was the ’bad guy’, and only kissed him as Ben ’the good guy’.

“He only wants to use her for her power.” Oversimplification that Rey is actually guilty of. Kylo Ren is lonely and within Rey he finds not only an equal but the most intense emotional connection he's ever had. The most intense connection she's ever had. Let's not forget they are probably both virgins. Then they are in each other's head. That's intense. When Kylo makes his plea to Rey it's out of not only loneliness but truly wanting her for her.

Also, Kylo doesn’t say he wants them to rule together as “master and apprentice”. He wants Rey to be his empress, his queen which is what Rey means. He’s literally proposing by offering her the entire galaxy. Ultimately Reylos see them as two equally powerful archenemies dedicating themselves to defeating the other but also find themselves strangely drawn to each other in ways they might not want to admit. Then two soul mates on the other side of a conflict.

This is built on the idea that hate itself is a sort of twisted form of love. It is, or, rather hatred is born from things like fear, pain, betrayal and love. Their connection is complicated. One minutes they last out at one another and the next they lean into each other. People can regard this as toxic. Others, like myself, regard this as the gray side of love. Reylo represent the yin yang of the force. The light and the dark craving each other and finding themselves frustrated.

Notice how many hero/villains find themselves telling others that only they are allowed to kill/harm their nemesis, in a subconscious effort to protect their nemesis from others. And they may also get strangely jealous when their nemesis fights other people.

Other people give this argument because they believe the popularity of antiheroes in media is a sign of society’s moral decay. The First Order for all we know is not a fascist society. We have no idea the ideology of the First Order. We know their clothing was inspired by the Nazis.

Red String of Fate: the two connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break

Kylo Ren and Rey BOTH want to be together, believe in the other, but are held back by their individual idea of what means. How is that abusive?! Maybe it's back to thinking little girls won't be able to understand the complexity of Reylo. Huh, well little boys can understand the complexity of Batman and Joker. If little boys are smart enough to realize the difference between fiction and reality and are able to watch a love/hate relationship between a good guy and a bad guy, I’m pretty sure the girls can handle it too. Rey has hope and belief that Kylo Ren can be good, she won't stay by his side while he's doing bad.

What is Reylo? In a way. Iconic

#reylo #star wars #rey star wars #ben solo #rey skywalker #kylo x rey #finnrey #kylo ren #ben solo deserved better #ben solo x rey #rey palpatine #rey #reylo au #star wars fanart #disney star wars

54 notes · View notes

thecatfarm · 3 months

Text

A lot of the criticism I read about Poor Things is centered in denying Bella any actual agency over her body when it concerns sexual experience, and, not gonna lie, it doesn't actually sound any different than arguments I've heard about how some people on the autism spectrum, or people with Down syndrome, can never consent to sex, their sexual agency completely removed.

"They are a child, actually" they say of the 55 year old woman masturbating over there, and who they refuse to explain condoms to, in case she decides she can have sex if she finds out, so she has sex anyway, because she's a human with human urges.

And we're treating Bella the exact same way, and see neither the ableism in that, nor the sexism in it. We take away her right to agency, using infantilization as an excuse, and frame us saying it as feminism

And not only that -I've seen people go even further, arguing that Emma Stone herself couldn't have really consented to the scenes, saying stuf like "hey, we don't know how much say she had". We're saying this about a woman who was a producer on the film. Her being that, doesn't, for some people, give her enough agency to clearly chose to do sex scenes in the way she did them

We're now infantilising the actress, in the same way that almost everyone in the movie is infantilising Bella. In the name of feminist critique, no less.

And, I'm sorry, that sounds cruel, actually

#poor things #yorgos lanthimos

22 notes · View notes

thecarnivorousmuffinmeta · 2 years

Note

What would happen if Esme was Edward's mate? Carlisle transforms Esme and BUM! She and Eddie are in love. How different would be the dynamics in the family? Would Edward still run away to be Batman? Would he come back? And so on. (Sorry for so many questions xD)

I mean, I don't believe in mates, so I'm not the one to ask.

I guess it's more "what if Edward decided that Esme was Lover and not Mother"

He May Have Problems, but Not the Ones You Think

He's alright in the Carlisle arena. Carlisle upon turning Esme did not initially pursue her. Edward, in fact, had to point out Esme's feelings for Carlisle and tell Carlisle "you're totally into her two, man". The guy was oblivious.

So, if Edward goes for Esme, you don't have Carlisle too upset as he never realized he wanted to be with Esme either.

The trouble is Esme.

First, Edward is visibly and emotionally young. He looks baby faced enough to pass for fifteen, is in fact seventeen, and has the clear emotional maturity of a teenager. You look at Edward and you think "not a man yet". Esme, by all accounts of having been interested in Carlisle (who on meeting him was an older, professional, figure posing as an adult) is not interested in the younger men.

The ease with which she treats Edward as a son, as someone younger than her who needs her support, also speaks to her never considering him a romantic option.

Then you get to Esme's backstory. Much of her history is defined by her affection for Carlisle. At sixteen she meets this doctor who quickly leaves town and falls in love with the idea of him. She then meets back up with him, years later, is turned into this crystal person, gains a son.

She has no reason to not be interested in Carlisle in favor of Edward.

And Edward showing interest in her... Well, it may bring her back from Planet Esme because how do you tell Carlisle this is getting weird that his pseduo-brother/son totally wants to bang you.

I imagine as Edward makes his intentions clear they develop an extremely uncomfortable relationship.

Edward is Also Edward

Edward has two paths (both of which are likely for him). One is that he gaslights Esme into thinking she's actually in love with him and not Carlisle. Being a telepath, this is more convincing than you'd think, as he can say both thoughts you've had (and hadn't) back to you and convince you, "You're totally thinking that"

The trick, of course, is for Esme to not feel horrified and guilty for creeping on Carlisle's son. Which means that Edward has to gaslight Carlisle to make it okay to gaslight Esme. It's a giant mess.

Edward also would likely consider himself unworthy of Esme and may push her together with Carlisle (who he sees as a far better person) anyway. He may also leave regardless out of frustration at his failing relationship, disillusionment with Carlisle and with Esme, etc.

Basically, I imagine everything's pretty much the same except Esme and Edward... don't talk to each other much.

Then Bella Happens

Trouble is, Bella still smells. Now, either Edward can accept that his only interest in Bella, his growing obsession, is due to that smell or he can be in love with her. We know what choice he made in canon.

In this one, I imagine it's even more so. Finally, he's moving on from Esme. He has found a real, pure, love untainted by bitterness that he never thought possible. He has found a woman perhaps even more perfect than Esme.

Esme, I imagine is very flummoxed but chooses to be supportive because thank Jesus, Edward's finally moving on. Esme is more invested in this relationship than she even was in canon.

If this works out, Christmas dinners will no longer be the most awkward events in the planet. She can have a life of not walking on eggshells anymore.

THIS HAS TO WORK OUT.

Esme's probably crying with relief at the end of Breaking Dawn, as she feels like she just survived a horror movie, when at all turns it looked like Bella Swan was going to die. But THEY MADE IT. DEAR GOD, THEY MADE IT.

#twilight #twilight meta #twilight headcanon #twilight renaissance #esme cullen #edward cullen #edward/esme #anti edward/esme #carlisle cullen #carlisle/esme #bella swan #edward/bella #anti edward/bella #twilight shipping #meta #headcanon #opinion #shipping

113 notes · View notes

luxurybrownbarbie · 1 year

Note

I'm sorry but I always did think Emrata was BORING! Like people see a skinny white woman with defined cheekbones, a small nose and a pout and go nuts. But I said that once in a room and everyone told me I had internalized misogyny? Reminds me of this post that was swirling around earlier this year about Bella Hadid giving us nothing compared to actual supermodels who came before her and the notes were filled to the BRIM with people saying it wasn't a nice thing to say because she supports Palestine and hated her nose job, two things which had fuck all to do with her lack of modeling talent.

I just get tired of us uplifting every single woman who finally understands basic feminist theory as the second coming. Am I happy she has come to understand how terrible that music video she was in was? Yes. And I glad she’s discussing the power dynamics and imbalances inherent in the systems she worked in? Yes. Do I think she needed to write an entire essay book about a subject she just became truly enlightened to? Absolutely not.

Mind you, it was still full of whorephobia and casual slut shaming, so what exactly has she learned? Hmm.

She regurgitated the same points we’ve been hearing since 2014. It’s boring. It’s the Lena Dunham, Amy Schumer-esque feminism we’ve all outgrown. One dimensional.

Now Bella… is she in the upper tier of the models we have now? Yes. Does that mean she has anything on the greats of the 80s and 90s? Absolutely not. Personally, I like her. But I’ve said it before. She’s got a very heavy spirit, and I think that does manifest into her being a very withdrawn and rather “boring” person. But I also know her memoirs in twenty years are going to be much darker than we all think.

#answered

21 notes · View notes

strangeswift · 2 years

Note

WHAT ARE UR WEDDING HEAD CANONS FOR THE PARTY?!?!?

Full disclosure I am generally bleh about marriage so if these kinda suck that's why.

I already talked about the Duzie wedding here!

Lumax wedding would be small and intimate. Lucas's parents wanted a big wedding and offered to help financially, but both Lucas and Max wanted to keep it small. It's beautiful though. Everyone is there.

Max wears a simple white gown, no frills or puffy sleeves, but it's beautiful. Lucas wears a really fancy tux. Lucas also practices his vows in the mirror beforehand. El is Max's maid of honor of course. (If I was being self indulgent I would make it Mike but 🙄 I'm being realistic because the integrity of my headcanons is important to me.)

Lucas doesn't pick one best man persay, but unofficially it's Will, because he's the one who plans the bachelor party and gives the speech at the wedding. (Dustin is too busy with work for wedding planning and Lucas trusts Will a little more than Mike, especially not to embarrass him during the speech)

Because Will planned it, Lucas's bachelor party is actually just a DnD campaign (Will consulted Lucas on this beforehand and he enthusiastically agreed) and the Will the Wise costume makes an appearance. (The party still plays as adults but they don't do costumes. But this is a special occasion!!)

Max's bridesmaids are El, Erica, any new friends she made out of Hawkins. (I think Max and Erica are gonna become really close and jokingly gang up on Lucas all the time.)

Now. The moment we've all been waiting for.

Byler wedding.

Well. There isn't one.

Mike knows better than anyone that love doesn't equal marriage. As does Will. They didn't have the example Lucas had with his parents. And they wouldn't be able to legally marry until they were older, and by that point they've been in a committed relationship so long that they don't really see the point.

(This is prob me projecting because I don't want to get married.)

But hypothetically.

Jonathan is Will's best man. Nancy is Mike's maid of honor not bc I'm implying Mike is like the bride just because I want it be be Nancy and Nancy is a woman so chill tf out (also if I was being self indulgent it would be Max but you already knew that).

Not in a church. Outdoor wedding. OH OH! Forest wedding. I'm reopening twilightgate. it's just Bella and Edward's wedding. (Also projecting cuz if I did have a wedding it would be just like that.)

But anyway as I said headcanon integrity is important to me and I feel in my soul that they would not get married. Sorry.

El would probably get married though. She'd have to wait until same sex marriage is legal and also when she's out of her lesbian heartbreaker era and finds a keeper. Hopper would walk her down the aisle and the entire party plus Jonathan would be in her wedding party.

Her dress would be flashier than Max's was, probably sparkles and lace. Will is the best man, he and Mike plan the Bachelorette party together. Will's speech at the wedding makes everyone cry. Mike gets tipsy and gives a speech about how he loves her so much and he's so glad it is not him marrying her because as a teenager he thought that's what was going to happen and it haunted him every day. Will has to cut off this speech but El finds it hilarious and loves it, because she relates.

Also Mike and El dance together like at the Snowball AH PARALLEL but platonic this time obviously. In fact, El dances with every member of the party and Hopper and Jonathan and Joyce. She dances with everyone.

Tysm for the ask!! <3 I had a lot of fun with it

#lesbian el hopper #lumax #byler #silly headcanons #asks

30 notes · View notes

vintageseawitch · 2 years

Text

okay so this has been bugging me for a while. like, ever since my obsessive beast side clamped its jaws on Twilight like it never has before (for this franchise at least lol), & for more than anything, the Volturi. they're fascinating to me. when i found out Marcus' tragic backstory & finding out why he is the way he is? FREAKING CAT NIP. that clamping jaw isn't letting go anytime soon. i'm such a sucker for old sad bois as i've already stated on here more than once lol.

THE THING IS THO is that smeyers has potentially RUINED it for me at the same time if i were to only ever go by book canon (which i don't lol). as i stated above, the Volturi have become my favorite out of this outrageous franchise, but also quite a few other things that don't involve the main moronic trio. what a toxic dumpster fire that nonsense is lmao. the Cullens themselves fascinate me more than the ridiculous "love" triangle.

ANYWAYS you know how in the book Marcus was surprisingly surprised when he noticed Bella & Edward's bond & how "strong" it appeared? that bond that was formed by obsession, possession, power imbalance, control, & emotional abuse? yes yes YES, eddie boI is SO CONCERNED for her humanity & soul, but really, i think he LIKES having the power here. i don't think he consciously realizes this, but i can't unthink this theory. another thing: "realistically" (lol), would he be still as fascinated in her if she wasn't still in possession of her "heroin"-like blood? yes, her mind is amazingly silent, but that's not what ultimately kept him from coming back, was it? he was a massive asshole to her at first but kept coming back, gaslighting glory & all, & this young woman with poor self-esteem who had to grow up so fast because of a child mom & clueless dad (movie Charlie, i like you the most) somehow was able to overlook this. in the end, his being a supernatural being literally dazzled her to stick around despite his complete & utter bullshit. watching her while she slept?? SO ROMANTIC (she's such a 17 year old i can't even-). would she actually stick around with this ludicrous, angsty boy when she became a supernatural being herself?? BUT I DIGRESS. anywho so despite all this smelly emotional baggage (since Marcus' gift shows what's honestly there no matter what their own thoughts would show Aro), & Marcus thought their connection was like that of him & Didyme, what exactly does that say about THEIR connection?????

I'M SORRY, THIS IS PAINFUL BLASPHEMY, because i love Marcus so much & only wish for him to have peace & happiness, & i'm sure Didyme was lovely & wonderful, but smeyers has a penchant for thinking abuse & power imbalances make for true romance. there was a hint - can't remember if i read this in the twilight wiki or someone else's headcanon, sorry - that Didyme's power causes withdrawal when you're suddenly not around them anymore. not quite like Corin's, but enough, & that is partially why Marcus is essentially catatonic. Bella & Edward, while there may be some love there, is actually NOT a healthy love. it's sad, really. Bella has more personality with almost everyone else than when she's with Edward or hell, even the other Cullens!! it's not her fault, but her humanity makes her essentially inferior to these stunning, graceful, impossibly strong, supernatural beings. Edward has her on a pedestal & a completely unrealistic one at that. she has good qualities of course, but she's hardly perfect. they refuse to see each other, warts & all. theirs is a love that only belongs on paper because irl... yikes. so after all that, even "seeing the truth," Marcus compares himself & Didyme with these two dunderheads. smeyers i'm guessing was attempting to be beautifully poetic & earth-shattering here but it just makes it approx 57298592x more depressing, because i don't think Edward & Bella's love is beautiful & so by book canon i don't think Marcus & Didyme's was, either.

fuck you smeyers for doing this to Marcus & Didyme. i feel sorry for Bella too but you made her your self-insert who wasn't above being unbelievably self-centered (i gotta remember Bella's only a teenager but so many of her choices & behavior is just too much to handle. i actually kinda loathe her & i know i ranted about eddie earlier but ohhh boy i can shout about him even more lmao) so my sympathy only goes so far. but most of all for Marcus, who's just now kinda there, mourning for a love that rivals something so hideous. I HATE THIS.

i have a few WIPs that will give Marcus a second chance at happiness because while i've read some good fics both on here & ao3 & ff.net, there are still quite a few others who kill him off or outright ignore him. he has so much POTENTIAL. he fascinates me. i crave his happiness. i want him to find out that it's OKAY to find joy again. what happened with Didyme, & Aro being canonically the one to do it, ironically also fascinates me in a morbid way. i'll be doing what i want with that canon as well lmao i truly don't think Aro is that horrible, but not according to smeyers of course lol!

so in summary smeyers, your "epic romances" are really "epic romanticized abuse" & the tragedy here is you had to drag two beautiful characters into it for shock value. your books ruined them & many have corrected this crime & i'll be contributing my own writing to aid in this at some point soon 😤😤😤

28 notes · View notes

screechthemighty · 2 years

Text

Oh shit I finally updated that The Batman fic I started like. Months ago??? Sorry about the delay, Moon Knight happened and well. Y’know. Full chapter is below but I’ll be including an AO3 link as well! (As a quick CW, this chapter does include a hostage situation involving a gunman. No one gets hurt, but with America being...’Murica lately, I figured better safe than sorry.)

a symbol of hope - chapter two

November 22

"What about this one?"

Clark leaned over to check the photo. “Oh, that one, definitely,” Clark said. The picture was from a press conference the day before Clark’s interview with Bruce Wayne. Bella Real stood at the podium, out of focus as she talked about Renewal. Bruce Wayne stood to her left, elevated slightly from the steps and the height difference, fully in focus. Looking at the reporters, but with a more somber expression. Almost mournful. I see your suffering, that look said. I want to help. It definitely fit the man Clark had spoken to the day before. “It’s perfect.”

Jimmy Olsen beamed. “I thought so! Still bummed I couldn’t go with you...”

“Interview was contingent on it just being me,” Clark said apologetically. “I don’t think I would’ve been able to get anything out of him if I had company. And I don’t think he would’ve been comfortable enough for a good photo.”

“Yeah, fair.” Jimmy flipped through a few more pictures before putting the camera away. “So, we’re hitting the food bank today?”

“Yeah, then trying again for the mayor. I’ll live if I can’t get a quote from her, but it’d be nice.” She’d definitely given enough press conferences to draw from. And he had managed to get an interview with Bruce Wayne. That was the impressive part. “Shoot, incoming!”

They barely got away from the road before a truck rolled by, sending up a splash of water where they’d just been standing. It had started raining again the night before, and the streets flooded by morning. It wasn’t as bad as it had been, ankle-deep at worst, but it gave Clark flashbacks to trying to shovel the driveway while it was still snowing. By the time you reached the end, there was already a good half inch covering up all your hard work.

“How is it that we only drove like, two hours to get here, and I feel like we’re on a different planet?” Jimmy asked. “Where’s all this rain coming from?”

“No idea,” Clark said, “but I get what you mean. We’re almost there, though.” He forged on ahead, checking the GPS on his phone to make sure they were actually going in the right direction. “And it shouldn’t rain again today. Hopefully.”

Jimmy looked doubtful. Clark didn’t blame him. Rain seemed to come and go in this place, regardless of what the weather man said.

The food bank wasn’t too busy when they arrived, though Clark had a feeling that would change soon. They checked in with the manager, just to be sure they were still okay to be there, before they started making their way around the room. Not everyone was willing to speak to them, but some were. It took a lot of courage, Clark knew…or a lot of desperation.

“The kids are managing okay,” said one woman, Eva Patterson. Her husband had been injured in the flooding. They didn’t know when he’d be back to work. “We were lucky. Our apartment is on the fourth floor and there wasn’t too much structural damage. We have friends staying with us until they find someplace else.”

“How many have left the city entirely?”

Mrs. Patterson laughed. “None. Where would we go? We can barely afford to live here. And even if we could...” She glanced between Clark and Jimmy nervously, as if expecting them to judge her. “Gotham is our home. Call us stubborn, but we don’t want to abandon it that easily.”

That was a common sentiment. And maybe they were stubborn, but Clark understood. He’d probably do the same if it were him and Smallville. “Well, thank you for talking to us, ma’am. Do you mind if we get a picture?”

That was usually the hardest sell, but fortunately, Mrs. Patterson didn’t seem to mind. The first shots were, to Clark’s eyes, really good. She looked tired, but strong. Bolstered by finally getting the help she needed. Then her face changed, the smile going confused.

Then horrified.

“Oh, fuck...”

Clark looked over his shoulder.

There was a man in the doorway. Damp. Face smeared with the dirt and grease of the city streets.

He was holding a gun.

There weren’t any guards in the room. Why would there be? Who would steal from a smaller place like this in the middle of the day? The police and national guard were busy elsewhere. That left a room with, by his count, maybe ten people, most of whom froze at the sight of a weapon. These were church volunteers, mothers trying to bring home food before their kids got back from school, a few homeless people too exhausted from last night’s rain to do anything but stare. Jimmy Olsen, who was a new hire photographer from a city with a shockingly low crime rate.

And him, Clark Kent.

Clark had seen guns before. Pa had walked him through the basics of gun safety, because there was a shotgun in the house in case a coyote got too bold, and just because Clark was indestructible didn’t mean he shouldn’t learn. He’d never actually used one—never had to, never wanted to. But he was probably more familiar with them than anyone else in the room. The sight still chilled him. Something about the modern sleekness of it felt more dangerous than even the shotgun had. The man holding it just stared at them all, as if he hadn’t expected to actually find himself there. “...take it easy...” Clark said. He tried to angle his body so Mrs. Patterson was behind him. Will it ricochet if it hits me? She won’t get hurt, but will someone else? “It’s okay. The food is free. You don’t have to...”

And now the gun was pointed directly at his head. Would that be easier or harder to play off as he missed? Headshots were hard, especially when your hands were shaking as badly as the gunman’s, but...

I can’t believe I’m thinking like this. There’s a gun pointed at my head. Someone could get hurt.

“Where is he?” asked the gunman, his voice hoarse.

“I don’t...”

The first shot hit one of the lights right behind Clark. He’d instinctively dodged, but he had a feeling it hadn’t been meant to hurt him. “Him! He’s still watching, right?! He has to be!” Someone stood up, only to find the gun pointed at them instead. “Don’t!”

Ten people. Technically they outnumbered this guy. But they were all tired, scared, just regular people. Rough as Gotham was, Clark doubted anyone was really ready for something like this. He knew he could’ve taken out the gunman without getting hurt, but could he do it without hurting the man?

Maybe I can talk him down. Maybe...

But not with everyone else here.

“It’s okay,” Clark said. “He’s just scared. There’s no need to escalate.”

“Nobody moves.”

“Okay.”

“Nobody goes anywhere until...” The gunman blinked heavily. He looked exhausted. “I want to talk to him.”

“Him who?”

“I need to talk to the Batman.”

Jimmy made a startled, strangled laughing noise. Fortunately, the noise didn’t set off the gunman further. “I don’t think he’s...” The gun moved back to Clark as he spoke. “...here. But if you just let me call...”

“No! No cops, no...they’ll just send me back. I can’t go back there. Put the fucking phone down!”

Clark heard the clatter of a phone hitting a tabletop as he scrambled to get between the gunman and whoever had tried to make the phone call. “Okay, okay, no cops.” Though he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be that easy for very long. “Okay. You want to talk to the Batman. So do I. I’m...” He slowly, carefully reached into his breast pocket for his press pass. “...I’m a reporter. I’m with the Daily Planet. Maybe we can help each other out.”

The man hesitated. He didn’t seem...opposed to the offer. Good. Take the opportunity. “How about this? Everyone else goes, and I’ll stay and help you figure this out. Okay?”

“Clark!” hissed Jimmy.

Sorry, buddy. Only one of us is bulletproof, and I’d rather be shot with only one witness around. “No tricks, I promise.”

The man hesitated again. Looked around his shoulder, then around the room. He gestured with the gun. “Kitchen. Kitchen, now.”

“Okay, okay.” Clark started backing up. “Jimmy, get everyone out of here.”

“Clark, I’m not...”

“I’ll be fine. Just get everyone out, okay? Try to...find me the Batman, I guess.” He felt ridiculous saying it out loud, but what else could he say? “Go. Please.”

He half-expected Jimmy to insist on staying. But Mrs. Patterson was clinging to his arm, and Jimmy Olsen wasn’t an idiot. He knew his best bet to help Clark would be out of the building. That didn’t stop him from looking guilty as he started guiding the people closest to him towards the door. “Go..go on..”

The gunman steered Clark into the kitchen, away from any windows. Everyone else fled. Jimmy was the last out the door.

“I’ll be fine,” Clark repeated after him.

Physically, anyway.

It wasn’t even 10 a.m. It wasn’t even 10 a.m., and he had a hostage situation. Single gunman holed up with a reporter from Metropolis in a food bank, asking for the Batman, at fucking 10 a.m. Didn’t help that the reporter’s buddy, a photographer named James Olsen, refused to leave the scene. “Sir, we’re doing everything we can to help your friend,” Jim said, for what felt like the millionth time. “You’ve done everything you can.”

“I’m not leaving him,” Olsen said. He was still trembling, clutching that camera like it was a lifeline, but the stubborn set of his jaw said he wouldn’t be talked out of this. “I go when he’s safe.”

Fucking hell. “Can you at least wait over there? Please?” He turned back to one of the other officer. “What’s the word from SWAT?”

“Nothing yet.”

“Shit.” SWAT was under equipped after the flooding got into their armory. Police were short staffed in general. Guard couldn’t spare anyone. His best bet probably was the Batman, but he didn’t come out during the day so much anymore now that the situation was stable. The hostage still had his phone on him. They didn’t have a hostage negotiator on call, but...it might be worth risking. “Let’s just try to keep this from blowing up until they get here.”

He’d gotten the reporter’s number from Olsen. Dialing it felt almost as risky as trying to storm the building, and Jim couldn’t help bracing himself for the sound of a gunshot. It rang. And rang. And...

“Clark Kent speaking,” said the voice on the other end. “You’re on speaker.”

So the gunman would hear. Better than nothing, he guessed. “Mr. Kent, this is Jim Gordon of the Gotham PD. Are you hurt?”

“No, no, I’m not hurt. Ben and I are just talking.”

Ben. The name didn’t immediately ring a bell. “I can’t see you from out here. Where are you?”

“Further back. He...”

“You send any officers in here, I’ll shoot him,” snapped a second voice. Male, trembling, slightly distant. That had to be the gunman. “Understand?!”

“We’re not sending anyone in. I just want to talk. What do you want the Batman for?”

The line was silent. Jim had to turn the volume up, but he thought he could hear...footsteps, pacing, mumbling. Hand over the mic. Someone else speaking in a hushed tone. The hand pulled away. “Ben wants a third party. He’s been having some trouble and he doesn’t trust the police to manage it.”

Of course not. Trust in the police was low as it was for law-abiding folks. “I’ll do what I can, but...until then, can we at least see you? Get a visual confirmation you’re unharmed?”

Again, a hand covered the mic. More muffled conversation. When Jim’s phone buzzed, it was with a request for a video call. He accepted.

Jim had a feeling he’d walked past five guys who looked exactly like Clark Kent on his way to work today. The vivid blue of his eyes was his most noteworthy feature. That, and the fact that he was remarkably calm. There was no sign of the gunman. “He didn’t want to be on-camera,” Clark Kent said. He glanced up briefly, then back at the screen. “Is Jimmy okay?”

“Worried about you. Won’t leave the scene, actually.”

Kent smiled briefly, almost fondly. “At least tell me he’s getting pictures.”

“Seriously?”

“I’m a journalist, sir. Might as well get something out of this other than a fun dinner story.” The amusement faded quickly from Kent’s face as the offscreen gunman hissed something. “He..really wants to talk to the Batman, sir. Not sure if there’s anything you can do about that, but...”

“Just get him down here!” snapped the voice before the screen abruptly shook. Jim heard Clark Kent try to protest, but the line went dead. No gun shots, no cries of pain, but...

Damn it.

“Don’t tell me that signal is the only way you can talk to him,” Martinez said skeptically.

Jim sighed heavily. He had asked the man about a phone number. Batman had just stared at him for a moment before turning back to the case files. He did that a lot. “New plan,” Jim said. He looked to his left, where a few TV news reporters had started setting up. It went against everything he’d usually do in a hostage situation, but if it was the only way... “Here’s hoping he’s not that nocturnal.”

Seriously, man. We’ve got to get you a phone.

“Master Wayne?”

Bruce flinched away from the hand on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure what he’d been dreaming about, but it bled over into his half-awake state, flooding his body with the sense that he was in danger. He wasn’t. It was just Alfred. “What?” Bruce asked, his mind scrambling to catch up. “What is it?”

“I’m sorry to wake you sir, but you might want to see this.” He passed a phone off to Bruce. There was a livestream. News conference with a local channel. Jim Gordon speaking to a reporter. Talking about...

“...has made it clear that he wishes to communicate with the Batman. I’m not sure why he decided to come here for that, but...”

Hostage Situation in Downtown Gotham.

Bruce was suddenly very awake.

“Where?”

“Food bank. I’ve already got the address and...” Alfred stepped aside as Bruce scrambled out of bed. “Pot of coffee.”

Bruce wanted to turn it down, but...no, adrenaline would only go so far. He could multitask. “If anyone asks, I was up late doing...whatever it is people like me do at night. Won’t be able to return any calls.”

“Of course, sir.”

The coffee was still a bit too hot as he choked it down, but he powered through. The slight burn helped him wake up more. Suit on. Grab the bike. Check the address. He knew the location. It was one place he’d guarded during a food transport. Probably why the gunman had thought to look for him there. But in the middle of the day? He must have been desperate.

Desperate enough to take a hostage.

I hope I’m not too late.

Ma’s gonna kill me.

Of course, Ma would know that he wasn’t in any physical danger. But you tell any mother their son had decided to put himself in a life or death situation and she wasn’t going to take the news well. He’d be grounded for at least fifty years if she had any say.

At least the others are safe.

“So,” Clark said calmly. The recorder in his pocket was already running. The audio quality probably wouldn’t be the best, but it was better than nothing. “Why do you want to talk to him so badly?”

The gunman—Ben, no last name given—kept pacing back and forth in front of the back doorway. Clark probably could have bull rushed him by now, but something about the desperation in his eyes made Clark stay. There’s something more to this. I have to know. “I know you said you can’t trust the police. Is it because of what happened with Carmine Falconi?”

“No. No, not that. They don’t...they don’t care. They just send you back to that place, every single time. I try to tell them, but they don’t listen. It’s just the hole or the cell...”

“The cell where?”

Ken’s eyes narrowed. Stay calm. Redirect. “Look, I’m not from here, remember? I’m from Metropolis. I’m not in anyone’s pocket here in Gotham. Besides, if something is going on, I can make sure a lot of people know about it. We’ve got one of the biggest readerships on the Eastern seaboard. I’m pretty good, too. Managed to get an interview with Bruce Wayne yesterday.”

Ben still regarded him suspiciously. Clark couldn’t blame him, he really couldn’t, but it was a very scary few seconds. “Arkham,” Ben said finally.

Oh, boy. “The, uh...”

“Not that one. They’ve got other ones. Smaller ones. Places they stick you when they want you to just shut up. They move you around and no one notices and nobody cares...” Ben stopped pacing. The fear in his eyes was back, and worse. “He’ll care. He has to care. Someone’s gotta...”

He trailed off again, his eyes going distant. He had a persistent tic in his right eye. Honestly, Clark was wondering if the tremor in his hands was nerves or something neurological. Ben seemed acquainted with the mental health system in Gotham...not that Clark could armchair diagnose, not his place, but something was wrong. I’ll have to be careful. For his well-being if nothing else.

“Why don’t you want to go back to Arkham? Are you afraid they won’t believe you there?”

“They’re the ones that did it. They stuck it inside me.”

Oh, dear. Clark didn’t want to agitate the guy, but he didn’t want to accidentally play into any delusions either. That definitely wouldn’t help. “Stuck what inside where?” Clark asked carefully.

Ben didn’t answer. He started pacing again. Clark knew he should have been afraid, but he mostly felt...pity. The man was terrified. Desperate enough to point a gun at a room full of strangers and turn to a vigilante for help.

What happened to you, Ben?

“He’ll listen,” Ben whispered. “He’ll listen. He’s got to...” He stopped and looked at Clark. “You think I’m crazy.”

“No,” Clark said immediately. “I think...clearly something’s upset you. I think you want help. I know...” He breathed in and out slowly. “Whatever you’re experiencing...the fear is real. And I can’t imagine what that feels like. I’m sorry, Ben.”

“...fear.” Ben swallowed nervously. “That’s what...he always talked about. The doctor. Always going on about that.”

Interesting. “The doctor...your doctor at Arkham?”

“No. Yes. It’s...he wasn’t supposed to be. But he always just...butted in. Asking questions, giving me treatments I didn’t...I didn’t want them. Not just the meds, either. The surgery.”

“Surgery?”

“In my head.”

“Like...electroshock?”

“No. No, they carved out part of me and they stuck it in...they...” He abruptly pulled off his hat, turning his head just enough that Clark could see the side. “You see?”

Clark did see. The scar on his head was a tidy u-shape, almost on the direct back of the head. Clark wasn’t a neurosurgeon; that scar could’ve been from anything. But it did look too tidy to have been from an accident. “That looks...pretty fresh,” he said. “How long ago was this?”

“Before the flooding. A few weeks...months? I don’t know, time is all...” Ben turned to face him again. “I don’t know.”

He looked so distressed. Despite himself, Clark took a deep breath, blinked a few times, and focused on the man’s skull. He was just grateful the act didn’t change his eyes in any way. Far as Ben knew, Clark was just trying to steady himself after a very stressful day. He had no idea that Clark could see through his skull now. Into the eyes, the brain, and...

Wait.

Clark struggled to keep a straight face, to not to react to the solid lump of something nestled in the man’s skull. The shape was vague, partially obscured by the brain, but it wasn’t organic, that was for sure.

What is that?!

“This...doctor,” Clark said. He was impressed by how calm his own voice was. “What’s his name?”

Ben winced and looked around as if he expected the man to appear out of thin air. Even when he finally spoke, the name came out in a whisper, full of dread.

“Crane.”

The sound of the motorbike was probably the best thing he’d heard all day. Especially when it was accompanied by startled gasps and murmurs.

It’s him.

The Batman cut an entirely different figure in the daylight. You’d think he’d look ridiculous—and, honestly, he still kind of did. The effect was best in the shadows, at night. But he walked with such confidence that you couldn’t help feeling a bit intimidated. Everyone got out of the way pretty quickly as he walked towards Jim. “I’m getting you a phone,” Jim said.

“I can get my own phone,” Batman replied. His eyes slid to the food pantry. “Just one hostage?”

“And one gunman. We think they’re still in the kitchen. Hostage is Clark Kent, Metropolis boy here to do some reporting. We only got a first name for the gunman. Ben. Witnesses say he’s...forties, white, about 5’8”, gray eyes...”

“Broken nose,” said a quietly awed voice. Jimmy Olsen had snuck back over. “Uhm...his clothes were army surplus, I think. Kind of dirty. He had a hat on.”

Batman gave Olsen a once-over. “You were inside?”

“Yeah. With Clark. I wanted to get a picture, but I was worried if I tried...”

“You did the right thing.” Batman turned his gaze back to the building. “How long until SWAT gets here?”

“Couldn’t tell you. Once we hear from them, ten minutes? But that’s once we hear from them.” And who knew how long that would be when they had to scramble to recover equipment from other places and other people. “You want me to call, let them know you’re here?”

“...yeah. Might not take it well if I just walked in.”

That was for damn sure. Jim pulled out his phone and redialed Clark Kent’s number. He was briefly worried the man wouldn’t pick up, but after a few rings...

“What?!” snapped the voice on the other end.

Ben, not Kent. Damn it, could be a problem. “This is Jim Gordon again. Is Clark...?”

“’m fine,” called a voice, muffled, off-mic. “I’m not hurt.”

Thank God for that, at least. “I got what you asked for. The Batman’s right here. Do you want me to put him on?”

There was a pause. It sounded like the phone exchanged hands before another video call request came in. Taking a video call and having to check that the damn Batman was in view wasn’t how he expected today to go, but it wasn’t the weirdest thing he’d done this month. Not even the weirdest thing he’d done in the past two years. Clark Kent was visible on the other end, but again, not the gunman. Kent’s eyes went wide. “Oh, geez,” he said. “You actually...uh. Hi.” Kent glanced off-camera. “Yeah, that’s...definitely him. I think.”

A second face peered into the camera. Grey eyes, like Olsen had said. Skin battered and wrinkled. Bridge of the nose a bit misshapen. Ben leaned back out of camera just as quickly. “I want to talk to you,” he said.

“I heard,” Batman said calmly. “You send the reporter out and...”

“No, no, he stays until we’re done. I don’t trust the rest of them. You can come in. Just you.”

“I’ll be fine,” Kent added quickly. “Don’t worry about me, just...let’s hear him out, okay?”

Again, he was remarkably calm for someone who probably still had a gun pointed at him. How long had he been doing this? Jim glanced the Batman’s way. Their eyes met briefly. The Batman asking permission without saying anything.

“...just get the hostage out alive, okay?” Jim said quietly.

“I will.” Then, louder, “I’m coming in the front door.”

“Okay. Okay.”

The line went dead. Jim sighed. “I’m trusting your judgment on this, but once SWAT gets here...”

“Right.” The Batman nodded. “I’ll be quick.”

Well. That didn’t bode well for Ben. Jim almost felt sorry for the poor bastard.

Then again, he did ask for this.

Why would anyone do that?

The space was silent. Food left discarded on tables. The lingering scent of stress sweat. One light out. One casing on the floor. No one had been hurt yet.

Batman intended to keep it that way.

The kitchen door opened a crack as he approached it. Clark Kent stood on the other side. Eyes wide. Awed. “Hi, uh. Sir.” He opened the door wide enough to let Batman in. Wide enough to reveal the gun pointed at the back of his head. “Sorry to wake you, but Ben could use a hand.”

“...so I’ve heard.”

Ben, no last name. His eyes were bloodshot. The fact that he held eye contact with Batman, and the fact that his expression was one of relief, wary as it was, spoke volumes. The element didn’t look at him like that. Desperate, frightened people who needed help—or, at least, who thought they did—looked at him like that. That was good; it increased the chances they could get out of this without injuries. “Inside,” said Ben with a quiet, shaking voice. “Please, they might see.”

A nebulous they. Not the first time he’d heard something like that. Real or imagined, didn’t matter in that moment. It was real to Ben, influencing his decisions. So, Batman stepped inside. “Lower the gun,” he said calmly. “I’m here now. You can let the reporter go.”

Ben hesitated. A moment of clarity—too afraid to let the reporter go, but nervous about saying why. Probably thought he was pushing his luck as it was. Fortunately... “I think he’s a bit worried about the police,” Kent said. His voice was still level, still shockingly calm. “Tell you what, you put the gun down...I’ll stay of my own free will, okay? Do you mind if I take notes?”

Dedicated. Foolhardy. But his presence seemed to calm Ben, so Batman didn’t try to argue. “Okay,” Ben said. “Okay.”

He was shaking. Not just from fear. Coming down off a high, perhaps. “I need help,” Ben whispered. “They’re going to come for me. I can’t go back there.”

“Where?”

“Arkham. Satellite inpatient. The one...” Ben’s eye twitched. The twitch seemed to worsen as he struggled to remember. Neurological, maybe. “Near the bank. Down the street from the train station.”

He knew the one. It had been one of the worse hit buildings. Batman had been sure that many surviving patients had fled, become a part of the homeless population. This confirmed it. “Why can’t you go back?”

“The doctors hurt me. They hurt other people. They...” Ben turned his head. “He saw it. He knows.”

He was Clark Kent. “The scar,” Kent explained softly. “He said it was in the past months.”

It was an obvious mark on the man’s head. From a surgery, if Batman had to guess. He’d seen similar marks on cancer patients. Craniotomy, to remove a tumor. Possible that he’d had brain surgery, the stress of the situation contributed to a delusion...perhaps the tumor grew back...

“They put something in my head. Not just me, others. They’re out there, and they’ve been hunting us down. Trying to get us back. I can’t, I won’t...Crane will kill me this time, I know he will...”

“Crane. One of the doctors?”

“Yeah.” Ben stopped pacing. “Please. Help me get it out. I’ll tell you everything that I know, just get it out of me. Please.”

Feeding into the delusions of an unwell person could make things considerably worse. He knew this better than most. But taking him to the hospital could confirm the true nature of his injury–a tumor, brain damage incurred during the flooding, whatever it was. At the very least, it had a psychiatric ward not run by Arkham, a place where he might be able to find healing without the shadow (real or imagined) of the institution.

“I can speak to Detective Gordon,” Batman said carefully. “They may want armed guard around you, but we should be able to take you to Gotham General.” Perhaps not in an ambulance–they didn’t want to take more from the already strained emergency services–but he could think of something. “I can’t guarantee what treatment they’ll recommend, but I promise I will not let them send you back.”

Ben mulled over the words. The tremors in his hands made gauging his mood difficult, but after a long pause…

“Okay. Okay.” Without being prompted, he held out the gun, grip-first. “Okay. Thank you.”

Everything went smoothly from there.

They were, somehow, able to get a private ambulance out. Batman had no idea what strings Gordon had pulled for that, but he was truly grateful. It pulled up near the front door, blocking them from the prying eyes of journalists. Ben started trembling violently; Batman rested a hand on his shoulder, quietly trying to reassure the man. Still here. I keep my promises.

“I’ll be right behind you,” he said quietly. “I need to speak to Gordon first.”

Ben, despite his tremors, went without complaint, leaving Batman outside with a beleaguered James Gordon and a still-hovering Clark Kent. “Can’t wait to see what the HIPPA release forms are going to look like,” Gordon noted dryly. “Mr. Kent, we have a medical team ready for you as well if...”

“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Kent said immediately. “Not in shock, I think.” He turned his attention to Batman as he reached into his breast pocket. “He didn’t really tell me anything different than what he told you, but if you want the recordings, transcripts...” He held out a business card. “If you think any of it will be useful, I can give you what you need.”

Interesting. Most would have dismissed Ben’s behavior as the actions of a delusional man—shown him some compassion, perhaps, but not taken it seriously. Kent, though...

“You think there’s something more to this?” Gordon asked as he intercepted the business card.

“I mean...” Kent adjusted his glasses. He seemed embarrassed. “I know, it probably sounds ridiculous, but...call it reporter’s intuition? I just don’t think he got spooked like that over nothing.”

He’s either naïve or he’s onto something. Difficult to say which. “We’ll reach out if we need any further statement,” Gordon said. “Are you sure you’re all right? You don’t need anything?”

“...is it too much to ask for an interview with the Batman?”

Batman was sure for a moment the man was serious. Kent eventually cracked a smile, sheepish, perhaps sensing the comment hadn’t landed. “Yeah, I know. Shot in the dark. I’ll get out of your hair. Thank you.”

He slipped off to join his friend, Olsen. The start of their conversation was just audible as they moved further back into the crowd. “Clark, you scared the shit out of me-”

“He’s gutsy, I’ll give him that,” Gordon noted. “Well, time to see if they have space for us at Gotham General. I just hope the roads are clear.”

They were clearer than they had been–clear enough that getting to the hospital was easy. It was a flurry of activity from there–doctors taking Ben off, trying to figure out how exactly they were supposed to handle the presence of a costumed vigilante, Ben loudly insisting he wasn’t going anywhere unless the Batman was there. It took a lot of conversation to convince him to let Gordon go instead. James Gordon, at least, existed as a legal entity. The Batman…not so much.

Hopefully this won’t be a recurring issue.

Batman waited nearby, as close as the orderlies would let him. He could feel a lot of eyes on him. It was difficult to gauge the reactions; there were a lot of unreadable stares, people looking away the second they felt he was staring back, inaudible whispers. Almost more alarming were the people who actually did speak to him.

Thank you for what you did.

My sister was in that apartment building on Fifth…she might have drowned if you hadn’t…

A lot of people are still alive because of you. I hope you know that.

He did know, academically. But there was something strange about hearing it. It made figuring out how to respond difficult (not that he’d ever been that good at speaking to people to begin with). Fortunately, most who spoke to him said their piece and left. The ones who did linger for longer than a few seconds didn’t seem to expect a response, and were content with a slight smile and a nod. It was the best he could manage.

He hoped that they knew what it really meant.

You’re welcome. It’s the least I can do. You don’t have to thank me.

He was not so caught up in the strange experience of being seen that he missed the slight commotion happening down the hallway. There was a cluster of hospital staff around one person–Gordon, he realized. They were all pushing to see something in his hands.

It wasn’t a tumor. It couldn’t have been. Not with the way they were reacting.

Not with the look on Gordon’s face as he approached. “Outside,” was all he said. Plausible deniability. Can’t show you these files in front of people.

Batman followed him outside. The second they were away from prying eyes, Gordon opened the folder. “Don’t suppose you have any idea what the hell this could be?” he asked, his tone weary.

The pictures were all of a man’s skull–and whatever it was that was nestled against his brain. It had too many right angles to be natural, and the bright glow of something metal under the x-rays.

He wasn’t delusional.

“The doctors don’t know?” he asked.

“They don’t have any idea. It’s like nothing they’ve ever seen before.” Gordon put the files away. “They’ve got Ben on some medication. Once he’s stabilized, I’m going to try interviewing him. But something tells me this is…going to need your unique expertise.”

He probably wasn’t wrong.

“It seems like your reporter friend had quite the interesting day,” Alfred noted.

“Not my friend,” Bruce replied wearily. He glanced at the screen. Clark Kent was on-camera, being filmed from a distance while speaking to someone else. He looked shaken, but eager. Of course he is, Alfred thought. He has just been saved by the Batman. “He asked for an interview when he was out.”

Alfred had to bite back a laugh. He may not have known the man for long, but that made sense with what he’d seen. “Dedicated to his work.”

“Yeah.” Bruce sat down heavily in a chair. “Do you know anything about brain implants?”

Brain implants. Alfred really thought he’d started getting used to the strange questions that came with this job. Now he’d lived through a terrorist who dealed in riddles and was staring down brain implants. “Nothing off the top of my head, no. Why?”

“The gunman was convinced that someone had put a device in his head.” Bruce cycled through the footage on his contact camera before stopping on one frame. “He wasn’t wrong.”

Alfred wasn’t sure what to make of the image. The camera’s quality combined with the lack of detail in an x-ray meant the device’s exact nature was lost, but it certainly wasn’t supposed to be there. “The doctors don’t know?”

Bruce shook his head. “They handed everything they had over to Gordon. The gunman said it was done to him against his will at one of Arkham’s inpatient facilities. Whatever this is, it’s not a standard treatment. And he was afraid. Afraid beyond…” Bruce stopped mid-sentence to yawn. “...whatever else is haunting him.”

Alfred hummed quietly and surveyed the work space. It was uncharacteristically messy. Granted, Bruce’s work system probably looked chaotic to an outsider, but Alfred knew the difference. At that moment, Bruce had too much open on the computer, a half-finished journal entry, and had moved several items without putting them back. He was unfocused. “Perhaps you should get some rest,” Alfred said. “I can look into the brain implants, but you need to sleep.”

Bruce looked towards Alfred, his jaw set in a stubborn line even as his body struggled to keep from slouching. Alfred sat down in a nearby chair with as much finality as he could. I might not be able to force you, Master Bruce, but I am not leaving you alone until you rest.

“...fine,” Bruce sighed. He didn’t seem to be in pain when he stood. That was a nice change of pace. “Whatever you can find.”

“Would you like me to start looking into the facilities as well?”

“If you have the time. He was staying at the one by the bank. Thank you, Alfred.”

“Of course, sir.”

Alfred waited until Bruce had left before getting started. He was tempted to check the security feeds and make sure Bruce had truly gone to bed, but…no. he’s not a child. He doesn’t need you hovering.

Alfred looked at the still paused video feed again. He’d seen all manner of repairs to the human body during his time with the late Master Wayne, and had mates from the service with prosthetics, screws, metal plates in all parts of their bodies. If one person could appreciate the marvels of modern medical technology, it was him.

This was nothing like that. He might not know what it was, but seeing a foreign body secured to the organ that controlled the body, the self, with no indication of what it did made his skin crawl. This wasn’t right. And if Arkham was involved, heaven only knew what sort of secrets this could unearth.

Alfred just hoped none of those secrets hit too close to home.

#the batman #the batman 2022 #fic: a symbol of hope

7 notes · View notes

cancankiki · 2 years

Text

Where you Belong Ch4

Marcus and Bella story

Warnings: none, just sweetness.

Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Masterlist of stories

Bella awakens and stretches and hears movement. She looks at the chair, but doesn't see Marcus, panic rises. Suddenly he walks in and smiles, "I hope I didn't wake you. I am sorry you didn't sleep well last night."

Bella looks confused, "Actually I slept better than I have in a long time. I just move around a lot. Always have. The more I move, the better I sleep. It's weird." She knows she's mumbling and can feel herself blushing.

Marcus hides his smile, "They just brought up your breakfast. Do you want to eat now or freshen up first?"

"I'm going to freshen and get dressed, then I'll eat." she garbles out and quickly heads to the bathroom for a quick bath. No way to shave her legs, oh well who cares anyway. She sees clothes folded neatly and some hung up in the bathroom. Marcus must have done this while she slept. She chooses the skinny black jean, long sleeve gray shirt, and the black, knee-length cardigan. All the clothes, seem to match the black theme and she wants to make sure she fits in while still being comfortable. She will have to wear her sneakers again since she doesn't have any other foot wear.

Upon entering the sitting area, she finds Marcus sitting in the same chair as last night, looking at papers, and sipping a tumblr. She stifles a chuckle and smiles. He looks like an average, human dad.

Bella sits down and looks through all the food. It actually smells good. She is going to enjoy eating, her last day of food is going to be filled with decadence and not worrying about calorie intake.

"How often do you feed? Do I make it more difficulty for you by being here?" she asks as she nods to the tumblr.

There was that deep rumble in his throat again with a smile. "No you being human does not test my abilities to control myself. First of all, you are my mate so I cannot harm you. Second, after many millennia I have been here I have full control. I did not need to go last night just thought I would, enjoy my drink while you have your coffee. I can go about a week more active. I will need to feed more often."

She is not sure why that makes her smile, but it does. "I was actually giving some thought to what I would like to do today. I know I can’t but actually go, but before everything is gone. Is there a way to gather all items from my father's home? I want to keep some memories of my parents."

"Of course we can make sure that happens. In fact, I could have your house packed up with everything for you to go through at a later time."

"Thank you." Bella chokes back her tears remembering her dad and knowing the grief her mom will feel.

Marcus see the sorrow on her face. "Do you need more time?"

"No!" Bella shakes her head. "I was planning to end it all, remember? I wanted to be found and then Alice found me and forced me to come here. I was planning on turning myself in and begging for you all to kill me once he was saved. At least this way I can cherish their mementos and memories."

Marcus hides his anger, once again recalling how that Cullen boy tricked and played with her like a pet. The vile words he said to her in front of all of them. If Carlisle knew about any of this he would be destroyed, not caring how much Aro protested.

"After breakfast, I am going to leave you in the capable hands of Heidi for a bit. I need to talk to my brothers regarding a few topics. While I completely trust any of the top guards to protect you, I know you would feel more comfortable with Heidi as she is a woman."

Bella nodded and thanked him. She wondered how long he would be, but didn't want to think she was demanding he answer or couldn't be left without him. Surely he had many duties to attend to.

"I can hear your heart beating faster. Do not hold back, especially in these rooms."

"I was just wondering how long you would be? Not that I am telling you what to do."

"You have every right to ask me that. I may be a few hours, three perhaps. If I am needed for more, I will come tell you myself."

As she finished her last bite, she cleaned up and started piling up the plates, silverware, and cups on the tray. "Where should I bring all this?”

"We'll leave it outside my door. They will take care of it."

She was about to pick it up and carry it, she was stopped by a chuckle. "Absolutely not. I will carry that for you."

Marcus had to hide a smile as he watched her face form into a an exasperated expression. "I am capable of carrying that. I am not that weak."

"I have no doubt you are exceptional and strong, you have shown that to me in just a few hours. As your mate, I can not let you do that. You need to let me carry this for you. It is all about give and take, this is something I will not mediate on."

"Mediate on? Really? is that what they said back then?"

He looked at her, shocked, then let out a roar of laughter. "Yes, I guess that's a bit antiquated of a verb."

Down in the lobby, they found Heidi waiting for them. "You look fabulous, Bella. Great choice of clothes." Heidi smiled and held out her arm. "Let's go meet some of the guards, then the queens are so excited to meet you."

Before Heidi turned away with Bella, “Heidi, I know I don't have to say this, but please be careful with Bella. Guard her as if she is your life."

Heidi felt his grief and worry. "Yes, of course Master Marcus. You have my word. I will put Bella's safety above my own."

Marcus walks toward the records room, the guards open the doors, then close them. Once they are firmly shut Caius can’t help but spit out. “This is why we must destroy every single Shapeshifter.”

Aro more calmly asks, “How much information do you know?”

“I don’t think she told me every detail. Or perhaps she’s unable to remember. Alice and Edward knew what would happen by leaving her alone.”

“The Cullens have been informed their presence will be requested upon a future date once we have more information. They do not know of Edwards demise. They think he’s imprisoned with Alice” Caius sneered.

“Where is Bella now? Dear brother.” Aro inquired.

“She is currently in Heidi’s care, in which she promised me she would guard Bella with her own life. I know she would be safe with any of our higher guards, but thought it was best to keep her with a woman.”

“How is this going to effect your bond with her?” Caius asked concerned.

“I have absolutely no romantic feelings for her at all, but we share a strong bond. When I shared this information with her, she was quite relieved.” He pauses to smile, “She told me an eighteen year-old being romantically involved with a 40 year old man is quite creepy. Besides the past trauma which we don’t know, the full details would not make for a good romance anyway. We both need to heal in our own ways, but I am wholeheartedly intrigued by her.“

They were interrupted by a knock on the door and when it opened Chelsea appeared. Marcus immediately concerned. “Is everything alright with Bella?”

Immediately replying “Yes, Master Marcus. Bella is quite safe and truly cracking us up. Many of the guards are now involved in an expensive, multi layer bet to see who can guess and bring the items which represent her favorite dessert, color, and smell. I think some other items were added on to the list as well. Chelsea pauses to giggle. “I was sent by the queens to see if you wanted to participate as well. Bella said she would not be giving you the answer. She’ll reveal her answers at the end of the day.”

Marcus can’t help but rumble with laughter. “What is everyone adding?“

“Well, some have added money ranging to a few hundred dollars, others added in shift coverage, and there are a few special mementos in there as well.”

There was silence as the kings tried to process how a human could not only be so comfortable with vampires, but have them all wrapped around her finger so quickly. “What did the queens think of Bella?” Aro inquired.

Chelsea smile widely, “They absolutely adore her and were amused by her reaction of them looking like Greek goddesses from mythology or figures right out of her history books. She told them that she had so many questions. Though they were horrified to find out how poorly women are still treated in the human world compared to our world.“

Chelsea went to leave, but turned around laugh, “She even made Jane smile. She apologized for blocking the pain. She knew it upset her. Can you imagine a human apologizing to a vampire for hurting their feelings?” Her laughter could be heard as she walked back to the group.

#Bella and Marcus #Bella Volturi #Volturi are the good guys #Fuck the Cullens #Bella Belongs in the Volturi

1 note · View note

emilysshortstories · 3 years

Text

Paul Lahote Part One

trigger warnings: ??? Nothing yet but not promises that will keep in later parts

words: 1543

It’s in those moments of deep desperation that you find hope. Or it seems to find you. When I left home to live with my uncle, miles away from my home, desperation was the only thing on my mind. Desperately running away, I didn’t want to face that part of my life that I already felt as though I was behind. I wanted to start fresh. I still do, so why does the reason I came here matter? My uncle, Charlie, agreed that he wouldn’t tell a soul about the events that lead me to his home, not even his own daughter. Who never really dropped the subject of course, but knew it wasn’t any of her business. I wasn’t naive enough to actually believe that I wouldn’t have to face problems here, but I think that’s what drew me here. Different problems, and that’s what I got.

When I first moved here my cousin, Bella, had a boyfriend who she spent most of her time with. She still introduced me to everyone and showed me around, but when he moved things shifted. Bella completely shut down, she was always quiet and reserved, but this was different. She was numb. It took her a really long time to talk to anyone, and when she did, it was only me, Charlie, and her friend Jacob. They were always working on these two motorcycles together, sometimes I would join them. Jacob was nice, clearly had a massive crush on Bella even though she always denied it.

One day when I tagged along I met Quil and Embry, they also seemed nice but I didn’t talk to them much. I didn’t talk to anyone that lived on the reservation actually, not until I had to stop Bella from doing something stupid. Feels like I’ve been doing that a lot lately.

She was pissed. I’ve never seen her this angry before. I was a little scared to get in the car with her, but the fear of what she was going to do with this anger overpowered me. I stayed in the car when she stormed into Jacob’s house, but practically leaped out as I saw her approaching “Sam’s cult”. I was too far behind her and couldn’t reach her until she had already slapped one of the boys. “ALRIGHT” I yelled at Bella, getting in between them and seeing the boy start to shake in anger. “What you’re NOT gonna do is pick a fight with Mr. Mc steroids over here.” I continued while looking the boy up and down. We made eye contact. I didn’t want to but I froze and felt something turn in my gut while he immediately stopped shaking. I quickly shook it off and turned back to my crazy cousin. “Lets leave. Get in the fucking car John Cena”, pointing to her truck. I heard a bit of laughter as we walked away, but didn’t turn around. I didn’t even dare look in the rear view mirror as I drove off.

After Bella calmed down she admitted that slapping a 7 foot Greek sculpture wasn’t the smartest move. “They did something to him, I know it. Jacob’s too scared to tell me what’s going on but I’m gonna figure it out.” Bella said with gritted teeth. “Listen, you know Jacob better than I do so it’s your call, but maybe consider the idea that it’s none of your business? You and him have been friends since preschool. I feel like if it was necessary for you to know, he would have told you”. By the time I finished my speech Bella had already shut down. Just like she was before. Broke my heart seeing her like this. Maybe I should talk to Jacob or the “cult”, just be civil about it.

So that’s what I did. The next day I drove to Jacob’s house, but Billy said he wasn’t home and to try Sam’s place. Well, he said Jacob wasn’t home and I begged him to tell me where he might be. For some reason he caved and told me where to find him and not Bella. I tried not to think about it too much or let my anxiety get the best of me while driving.

When I knocked on the door, I didn’t expect a small, sweet woman with a huge scar across her face to answer the door. “Hi, can I help you?”

“Yes, I was looking for Jacob?”

“Are you Bella?”

“No, I’m Y/N, Bella’s cousin.”

“Oh. OH!” She seemed really surprised to find out this information. “Jacob it out with Paul right now. Working. They will be back soon though if you would like to come in, the rest of the crowd is here. I’m Emily, Sam’s fiance.”

“Oh I can come back another time, I don’t want to intrude.”

“Don’t be silly, we are all friendly and we are dying to get to know you.”

What does that mean? I walked in and saw everyone I saw yesterday but Jacob and the boy Bella slapped. Paul. “Hey Embry, how have you been?” I asked, seeming he was the only person I recognized. “Good, You?”

“I’m ok, just worried about Bella. Wanted to give Jacob a bit of grief for leaving her high and dry. She’s taking it a bit hard, but I also wanted to apologize for how she acted yesterday. Slapping who I assume is Paul wasn’t cool at all. I’m sure she feels really awful about it.”

“It’s not Jacob’s fault for leaving Bella. You don’t have to apologize for Bella, I think we have all wanted to slap Paul at some point in time.” Sam said.

“Got it, but is there anything I can do to get Jacob to talk to Bella again?”

“Jump in line, we all want him to talk about it so we don’t have to hear him monologuing all the time about it.” Embry said, before the third and last boy elbowed him really hard.

“So none of this is your doing?” I asked all the boys.

“Not exactly, no.” Said Sam.

“Ok. That’s some clarity at least.” I said with a smile.

“Why don’t you sit down, muffin, before the beasts attack them?” Emily offered a bowl full of muffins the size of Ohio to me.

“Thank you, that’s really sweet of you.” I said while taking a muffin and sitting next to Embry. Emily was right that the boys would attack the food, holy shit. “So why don’t you tell us about yourself?” Emily said, seeming excited and sitting across from me. “What do you want to know? I’m pretty much an open book.”

“What brings you to Forks?” The ONE question I hate.

“Running away from my problems, if i’m being honest. I’ve always loved the rain, needed a change, and my uncle, Charlie, offered me a room. So I took it.”

“I like that, where are you from?”

“Austin.”

“Texas?” said the only boy who I didn’t know.

“No, actually it’s a small secret base on Mars. I’m an alien.” This made everyone laugh, especially the strange boy. “Sorry, I never caught your name?”

“Jared, you always that sarcastic?”

“Yes, humor is my only likable personality trait.”

“I hear that” said Jared while raising his muffin. “What do you like to do for fun?”

“I write, read, and love watching movies and TV shows. I'm a big music lover but I think that’s just a side effect of being born and raised in Austin. Since moving here I’ve really taken up hiking though, it’s so beautiful here. Not just flat desert like in Texas.”

“The only TV show I watch is New Girl, nobody here seems to watch it.” Said Jared and before I even thought it through my favorite Schmit quote fell out of my mouth.

“You would have been my nightmare. We were on very strict instructions from Rabbi Schmolli not to say anything until the very last christian kid found out about Santa Claus. Ruining Christmas? Very bad for our brand.”

Everyone seemed to like me after that and conversation flowed freely. I really liked spending time with everyone and lost track of time until I saw that the sun was going down. “Oh shit, I gotta get going, I’m not used to driving on ice yet and don’t want to drive on these roads when it's dark. Thank you so much for being so nice to me Emily, it was really nice talking to everyone.”

“Oh but Paul isn’t back yet” Emily said quickly. “And Jacob.”

“I can give Jacob shit anytime and I’m sure Paul isn’t my biggest fan after what Bella did so I think it’s a good idea to head out now. Thanks again though.” I said and started making my way to the door.

“Of course! No problem, please come by again. I liked talking to you too and I’d love you to properly meet Paul.”

We walked out just as Jacob and Paul emerged from the trees, but as soon as Paul made eye contact with me, that same flip happened in my gut again before he took off running back into the woods. Guess that answers my question on if he’s mad at me.

#twilight #new moon #paul lahote #quil ateara #sam uley #emily uley #embry call #jared #jacob black #paul lahote smut #paul lahote imagine

166 notes · View notes

heecyon · 3 years

Text

Enhypen Little Angels Series: When they find out their s/o is pregnant

warnings: cursing, mentions of miscarriage and hospitals, collapsing, vomiting and couvade syndrome (for Sunghoon and Sunoo)

this happens before the og enha little angels

taglist: @skyaura-koo @serendipityclick @en-sun @envirae @exulansis-eun @gamezzzz

Pls tell me if I forgot anyone from the taglist and I'll fix it immediately.

I'll try to fix any grammar mistakes. Sorry for the delay

word count: 1,523 words

Lee Heeseung:

“Heeseung... What if i'm really pregnant?” Mina said bouncing on her feet.

Being nervous wasn't the words that she would use to describe how she feeling at the moment.

“If you are pregnant, then that means that our child will have the most amazing mother and the most amazing father.” He set his hands around Mina's waist, then accommodated his head on her shoulder.

“I'm not talking about that.” She sighed, looking at the ring on her finger.

“You mean... the loss?” Mina nodded, her gaze was sad and her eyes were glossy.

“It wasn't your fault jagi, and I know that you fear that the same thing will happen again, but I promise you that everything will turn out for good.” Heeseung placed a soft kiss on his wife's lips, then unified his forehead with hers.

“I think... I'll go check the test.” Mina said before placing a kiss in Heeseung's cheek and going to the bathroom to see the results.

He waited a few seconds and then...

“Heeseung, I'm actually pregnant!”

Park Jongseong

“How many times do I have to tell you that I'm fine?” Bella said looking at IV hooked on her hand.

Jay kept walking around the hospital room, he was a little bit mad, he thought that Bella hadn't taken care of herself as he told her to.

“As many times as you want, because it's not gonna work for me, or make me feel better.” He kept pacing around back and forth, trying to keep himself calm.

“If you keep rambling nothing will be solved.” Jay huffed, as he pinched the skin of his left arm.

“And if you keep dismissing your health nothing will get solved!”

Bella groaned, sometimes Jay could be way to stubborn.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I've been taking care of myself.” She pouted.

“It doesn't seem like that to me.”

Just in time the doctor appeared on the room.

“What is it doctor? Is she healthy?” She smiled at Jay and then at Bella.

“Well, there isn't any problem... Except that you have high levels of HCG.”

They both looked at the doctor completely confused.

“This high level of HCG only appears on pregnancy. Congratulations, you are pregnant.”

If they were confused before then, I don't know how to describe how they felt by the moment.

“Huh?!”

Shim Jaeyun

“Do you think is something bad?”

Jake shook his head, while looking around the doctor's office. He was way more anxious than what he showed, but he tried his best to stay calm for Teagan.

It had been days since Teagan started vomiting and having nausea, to the point that she spent most days locked in the bathroom and nearly fell down the stairs because of how dizzy she felt.

“I'm done! I'm taking you to the doctors!”

Teagan looked at him dumbfounded. Why did he wanted to take her to the doctors so suddenly.

“But I feel fine.”

“Being fine is not nearly falling down the stairs because of dizziness.”

Teagan hated hospitals with all her might, and always tried everything to avoid them, but guess who still drag her to the hospital? Jake!

The doctor finally entered the office, making the couple turn their gaze to him.

He gave them a small smile, before saying:

“I already have your lab results...”

Jake grabbed his wife's hand, trying to calm himself down a little and also reassuring her that everything will be okay.

In the best case he thought you had a stomach bug. In the worst case you could some kind of terminal illness.

... But gladly those weren't the cases.

“It seems like you have high levels of human chorionic gonadotropin.” Teagan looked at the doctor with a dumbfounded gaze.

“What those that mean?” Teagan looked at the doctor and then looked at Jake who was in shock, but then spoke.

“It means... that you are pregnant.”

Park Sunghoon

... It started when Sunghoon started having symptoms. Hyeyoung noticed how tired Sunghoon was does days and how he started having cravings... A lot of cravings.

“And can you please add an extra order of fries please?” “Thank you.”

He hanged up on the call while Hyeyoung looked at him weirded out.

“You sure you are okay?” She walked up to him, seating beside him on the sofa.

“Yeah, why wouldn't I be?”

“Well... because you are acting like a pregnant woman.”

Sunghoon giggled a little, before he realised that...

“Hyeyoung? When was the last time that you had your period?” The girl looked down for moment, and then she finally realised what was going on.

Now they were both looking at the positive pregnancy on their hands.

“Oh shit!”

“OH HOLY SHIT!”

Kim Sunoo

Another case of couvade syndrome...

“Ah! Noona! Sunoo-Hyung just fainted!” Aera ran to the studio and saw the boys fanning Sunoo to make him feel better.

Sunno saw Aera's worried expression and then smiled at her to ease her up.

“I'm fine jagiya. I'm just tired.” He stood up with the help of his oldest members.

He walked up to Aera, who changed her expression suddenly, she started feeling way to dizzy and all off the sudden she lost her balance and collapse on Sunoo's.

The rest of the members started shouting worriedly and asked the staff to call medical help.

“I guess we have the same condition or something.” Sunoo spoke when they where both in the doctors office waiting for both of their results.

“It's probably the flu, or a cold is kicking our butts.” Aera chucked and Sunoo giggled a little.

The doctor entered the room, with the results on his hands.

“Well it seems like Sunoo is pretty healthy and there is no reason for your collapse, except that you have couvade syndrome.” He frowned at the doctors words wanting a clear explanation.

“It's when a partner presents the same symptoms as their pregnant partner.” Aera was the one frowning at that moment. Was the doctor saying what she thought he was saying?

“I'm sorry, but my wife is not...”

“The fuck?! She's pregnant?!”

Yang Jungwon

This boy rushed to the hospital the moment that he got a call from her mom, saying that Mirae had fallen down the stairs.

He freaked out, but when he got there Mirae explained him that she had blacked out and that made her fall down three steps of stairs.

“Are you sure you don't feel pain or anything?” Jungwon played with her hair, while he sat on her hospital bed.

“Wonie, I'm fine, it's just a small bruise”

“And a concussion.” Mirae's mother blurted that out of nowhere. Which made the girl murmured a "Mom" angrily.

“Ah! I guess I'll stay up with you all night.” He said rubbing her shoulders.

“I also have something else to tell you...” She grabbed a strand of hair and started playing with it.

“Hmm?” Jungwon payed all his attention ontu her.

“The doctor did a few tests... Everything's okay, but...” She passed and stayed quiet for while.

“What's wrong Rae, you can tell me anything, remember?” Jungwon smiled showing his cute dimples.

Mirae sighed, inhaled... Then exhaled.

“I'm pregnant.”

Jungwon seemed in shock by what she had just blurted out, but then started laughing immediately.

He was happy, obviously he was... But then he paused.

“When did I made you a baby?”

Nishimura Riki

They where both visiting Niki's parents in Japan, they where on vacations so they used that to pay a visit to them.

Mei Lin wasn't feeling that good throughout the whole way to her in laws house, she felt like throwing up the ride in the plane, but she thought it was just motion sickness.

“You sure you are okay? If you don't feel well enough, we can stay at the hotel and go tomorrow.” Niki wasn't that sure of what to do at the moment, but he thought it would pass in a few hours.

“No, I think I still feel bad because of the flight, but it'll pass in a few minutes, I promise.” She said patting Niki's head before calling over a taxi.

They got home pretty fast and had dinner. They were both enjoying their time, but something about the food just made Mei feel nauseated. So she covered her mouth and nose with her left hand.

The family noticed pretty fast and Niki's sister was already looking for a pill to calm Mei's stomach down.

While Niki was rubbing her back, his mother commented.

“You know, this reminds me of the symptoms I had when I had a few weeks of pregnancy with Riki.” She laughed it off, but something about just made the rest of the family including Mei freeze.

“I think... I'll just go get a pregnancy test.”

Everybody's eyes widened and the thought of their daughter in law being pregnant was kinda shocking.

An hour later, a positive pregnacy test was on the couple's hands.

Niki and Mei were both in complete shock, they were happy of course... But still shocked.

“I wasn't expecting you guys to take me seriously when I said «I want grandchildren as soon as possible.»”

#enhypenwriters #enhypen #enhypen imagines #enhypen oneshots #enhypen ot7 #jay enhypen #sunghoon enhypen #jungwon enhypen #heeseung enhypen #jake enhypen #niki enhypen #sunoo enhypen

212 notes · View notes

itgirlification · 3 years

Text

supermodel (2) | jjk

your story with jungkook never seems to end, yet you’re still worried about how it’s gonna end.

pairing: ex-bf!jk x thick!reader

warnings: TOXIC (i cannot stress this enough shit is hella toxic), yn is kinda (very) dumb, jungkook is an actual asshole, borderline mental abuse, infidelity, more insecuritiiiies, mentions/hints of sex, etc.

part one part three

There you were in his arms again, with only your panties and his shirt on.

At this point, you couldn’t even explain yourself. You were guilty, but you know what they say; love hurts.

With his arms wrapped around you and you clinging to him like that, you couldn’t care less about what was gonna happen next. You knew you were probably gonna have a mental breakdown when you go back to the dorms but for now, you were okay.

After he came over that night, he contacted you again. He said he didn’t want this to be serious, he wanted it to be a solely sexual relationship.

“You know, you’re the first girl I’ve been with, who seems to like getting hurt and degraded”, he sighs against your hair. “Sometimes I feel like you can’t get enough of it.”

You stayed silent. What were you supposed to do anyway? Tell him he’s right and stay like this for a while or react defensively and start an endless argument? You chose the first one.

“You’re the only woman that’d let me do all this stuff and still love me. Maybe that’s why I came back to you.”

Holding back the tears, you cling closer to his larger body, as if you were using him as some kind of shield. He thought you were an easy target and forgiving. What else would a man want from a woman he was only interested in fucking, a side piece? Even if she’s in love with him, she was gonna ignore that just to spend as much time with him as possible.

“It’s not like you actually came back.”, you responded, keeping your voice as stable as you could. “We’re just fucking.”

Jungkook sighed deeply, most likely noticing your petty undertone. “Don’t be like that. We aren’t fucking right now.”

You weren’t sure what point exactly he was trying to prove, you agreed to be his side chick. Did he think you didn’t know what a side chick was supposed to do? Because you did know, you just secretly thought you guys were meant to be, you weren’t just some side piece.

Looking around the motel room, your stomach began feeling weird. He wasn’t usually cheap, but you guessed he thought a side chick didn’t deserve a better environment than a cheap motel room rent for a night.

“Because we literally just did.”, you calmly said. You weren’t trying to piss him off.

But Jungkook wasn’t having it. Out of nowhere, he shoved you aside and put his hands over his face, noticeably frustrated.

“What happened?”, you weren't sure if asking that was the best option.

Jungkook turns his body to you. “What happened?? You keep on fucking me up and being a bitch about all this and you ask me what happened?”

He was so furious, his eyes were dark and his face was screwed up. You were now both standing, his tall figure towering over yours.

You saw his hand forming a fist and it would’ve been a lie if you said you weren’t terrified. He hasn’t touched you once throughout your relationship, but you never know.

“I didn’t even say anything. Maybe you’re just a little too sensitive.”, you were pouring salt on a wound at this point, but you didn’t want to be weak and let him talk to you like that.

“Me, sensitive?”, his tone was dangerously serene, as he leaned closer to your face. “If I wasn’t here with you, you'd probably still be crying over me. And you know where I’d be? Laying in bed with the beautiful model I have the privilege to call my girlfriend. Yn, I don’t need you. Don’t get bold with me, ‘cause we both know who’s gonna be heartbroken in the end.”

You couldn’t look him in the eyes, what did you get yourself into again? This wasn’t Jungkook’s fault, this wasn’t anybody’s fault but yours. You should’ve never opened up, you should’ve never said yes to being his side piece, you should’ve never been his girlfriend, to begin with. You stayed silent, but your loud sniffs and your uneven breathing said more than you could at the moment.

“I’m leaving.”, he announced coldly before throwing his black leather jacket over his broad shoulders, leaving you half-naked, crying on the poor-quality motel bed you just had sex on. When he got out of the motel room, you looked outside of the small window, watching him leave in the car he drove you here with.

Now, you had no other option than to call Jane to pick you up since your dorm was a half an hour walk away from the motel and you didn’t have the energy to walk for even a minute.

You weren’t sure if you had the energy for all the questions Jane was gonna ask you when she sees your mascara smeared face and your messy hair. Not to mention the motel. You weren’t a motel type of girl and she knew that.

Still, you called her and she answered almost immediately. “Yn? What happened? I thought you were gonna sleepover at your parents’?”

Sleepover at your parents’ house? You had almost forgotten the bad lie you told Jane just to have sex with Jungkook in this cheap-ass motel. And to think you were convinced you two were gonna stay the whole night.

“Uh”, you quickly coughed to cover up the voice cracks you got from crying. “Yeah, it’s a long story, please pick me up. I’ll text you the address.”

About 10 minutes later, Jane arrived and looked at you like you were out of your mind when you got into the car. “Yn, what the fuck? I was so worried about you. And this isn’t your parents’ house, this is a fucking motel. Did you meet a guy? Did he do something to you? Should I call the cops?”

“No, no, no, oh my god, please don’t”, you knew she was gonna ask a lot of questions. “I lied to you. So what actually happened was me and Jungkook reconnected an-“

She rolled her eyes. “Of course it was Jungkook. So I’m guessing he left you here?”

You hesitantly nodded.

“So when were you gonna tell me you ‘reconnected’ with him? When did you even ‘reconnect’ with him?”, she mockingly asked you. You weren’t blaming her for being pissed off, you’d have been too in this situation.

“A month ago? I think..”, you muttered.

“Hm”, Jane nodded, sighing at your naivety. “And when did he even break up with his model chick?”

You awkwardly looked away and Jane was hoping it wasn’t because of what she thought.

“He didn’t break up with her??”, Jane was beyond frustrated. “So.. you’re like his side chick now? Are we gonna stoop that low for men, yn?”

Jane always wanted the best for you and you knew she knew what was the best for you too, you were just too foolish. And too in love with a man you can’t force into loving you again.

“I know but please can we not talk about this right now? I just don’t feel like it.”, you asked, looking down on your fingers, ashamed of yourself.

“Alright, I’m sorry, babe.”, Jane hugged your side quickly, before starting the engine and heading back to the dorm. “You know I just want what’s best for you.”

You nodded, looking out of the window with your head full.

“Bella just texted me and said her birthday party will be 90s themed? Can’t she be a little more specific?”, Jane barged into the room, looking down on her phone in disbelief.

Bella was a person you two met at college in one of your shared classes. She was a sweetheart, but she was a little spoiled too. The only reason why she got into the college was that her rich daddy bribed them, but you couldn’t be mad, your parents would’ve done the same if they had the money.

She was extremely extroverted, a people person. She probably never had a boring day in her life with all the parties she threw whenever her dad and his 20 something-year-old girlfriend were on vacation or business trips. She even had some celebrity friends and would just casually post selfies with them on her Instagram story like it was a normal thing to do. She was basically living the dream, clueless about what real life for others really was about.

Jane had a love-hate relationship with Bella ever since they met. She thought Bella was a nice girl, but it was ‘unbearable’ to have a conversation with her because she was too self-centered to talk about anything else than herself.

You shrugged. “Just wear something Aaliyah would’ve worn.”

“Hm. Fair enough. It’s really not all that deep, actually.”, She said. “So what are you gonna wear?”

“I don’t even know if I’m going, Bella’s parties are boring.”, you answered honestly.

You really weren’t sure if you’d go. You did feel like seeing people and having a little fun but it wasn’t like you ever had fun at any of Bella’s parties. One time, a guy puked all over a new dress you bought just for the party, and another time, you were forced to drink 4 beer bottles. You hated beer.

“Why not? It’s gonna be fun and you’re coming.”, she decided for you, making you playfully roll your eyes. “And wear that black latex dress, I haven’t seen it on you in forever.”

To say that Jane was a fashionista would be an understatement. She was too invested in fashion to be bothered with anything else.

“Alright, but only if we don’t stay for long.”, you tried to compromise with her.

She nodded. “We gotta buy her presents though. Is there even anything she doesn’t have?”

You sighed, annoyed. “C’mon, there’s gonna be at least 200 people at that party, it’s not like she’ll notice if we just don’t get her anything. Besides, she’s rich as fuck.”

Jane snickered at your comment. “Girl, you must not know her, she checks every damn person and probably throws them out if they don’t buy her a Chanel bag or something. Bitch is a little crazy.”

It was amusing because you both knew that was exaggerated. Bella wasn't that serious about gifts. But let’s just say, for the money that her dad had, she was a little too greedy.

But you were too bothered with your own life than to worry about other's.

As soon as you arrived at Bella’s mansion, two security guards were standing in front of the door. They let you in as you showed them your invitations. It was a little bit extra, but that’s just how Bella was.

The first thing you noticed when you entered the house was the smell of sweat and weed. Already? You weren’t really surprised though.

Bella was standing there, wearing a skintight red dress that, ironically, didn’t really fit her own party’s theme. But she did look absolutely beautiful greeting her guests with the biggest smile on her glowing face. She had her strawberry blonde hair down in elegant beach curls and there were some cute butterfly clips placed in them.

You could recognize that it was her birthday from miles away. She was basically shining.

“Oh my god, Jane, Yn!! I’m so happy to see you guys!”, an overly keen Bella came, hugging you both with strength. “Oh, I see you got me something, girls you know you shouldn’t have!”

She tried hiding her smile at the bags in your hands, freeing the two of you from them immediately.

“It’s your birthday, Bella. We can’t just come here without any gifts, girl.”, Jane smiled. “Happy birthday.”

You looked to your side, admiring Jane’s acting skills. “Happy birthday, Bella! I can’t believe you’re 23 now.”

“I know right, if you were a year younger, you’d be as old as your dad’s girlfriend.”, Jane joked around, making Bella hysterically laugh.

“C’mon, almost everybody’s here already”, Bella excitedly pushed you towards the living room.

The room’s stench was even more unbearable than the one at the entrance, leaving you covering your nose for a second leaving out an ‘oof’.

The 90s trap music was heard extremely loudly through the whole house and there were people dancing and grinding. There were some couples that sat on one of the many couches, acting like they were in their own little world. It wasn’t very pleasant to watch, but you just chose to ignore it. The stench was something you couldn’t ignore though.

You were already bored out of your mind.

A few minutes of pure boredom and dry conversations passed then the music stopped playing and you could hear Bella’s voice calling for everybody’s attention. “I’m gonna open the presents now, so everybody come here and Daphne, please bring the gifts here so I can open them.”

Daphne was Bella’s personal maid. She never really talked, but she did everything she needed to. She brought all the bags to Bella one by one and you could’ve sworn she was trying not to cry out of happiness.

“Oh my god, Jackson”, She cried out as she pulled a pair of Saint Laurent shoes out of a box. “These are so beautiful. You even got the right size. Thank you so mu-“

“Bella, I’m so sorry we’re late, we had to run some errands”, a soft-spoken voice interrupted, making everybody in the room turn her way, just to see the charming model with none other than Jeon Jungkook by her side. Wow.

As soon as you turned your head to see who it was, you turned back around, looking at Jane to make sure she saw what you saw. You sent her a questioning, almost panicking look just for her to shrug.

“Yuki! It’s fine, girl. Come here, I’m opening my presents right now.”, The birthday girl exclaimed, making Yuki immediately hand her her gift.

Jungkook was just walking behind his girlfriend, making no type of noise whatsoever and you prayed he wouldn’t see you.

They sat down at an angle where you couldn’t help but look at them though and you were sure he looked at you for a split second as well. They looked beautiful together.

Bella just continued opening gifts and thanking everybody dearly, but you weren’t paying attention to that. You just zoned out for most of it. Those were a lot of gifts she got.

You couldn’t help but steal another glance at your ex-boyfriend and the girl besides him.

She looked even cuter in real life. Her cheeks had a natural blush to them and her hair was long and healthy. She was thin and her skin tone was warm and even.

You’ve always been insecure about your hyperpigmentation, but she didn’t seem to have any problems with how she looked. She was near damn perfect. Perfect wasn’t real, but if it was, it’d be her.

Jungkook probably never had a problem introducing her to his parents or his friends. You always felt like he had difficulties with that while he was dating you. He just wasn’t confrontational enough to tell you he was ashamed to have you as his girlfriend.

You seemed to be stuck in your place while everybody else was either dancing or making conversation.

Jane was sitting next to you, talking to a girl with blond box braids about a new movie that recently came out. You heard what they were saying, but it sounded like a foreign language to you since you weren’t focused.

“Yn? Are you okay?”, Jane whispered in your ear, hugging your shoulder. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know they were invited.”

You shook your head. “It’s fine, Jane. It’s not your fault, I just kind of wanna go home.”

She looked at you apologetically. “Can’t we stay for a little while? I promise it won’t take long, I’m just actually having fun here.”

You had to admit you were being selfish, not just in that moment, but whenever it came to Jungkook. You’ve dragged Jane through all of your shit and never really thought about how she must feel like.

Nodding in response to her. “I’m gonna get myself something to drink.”

You finally stood up from your place, looking around unsure, feeling like you’re taking up so much space wherever you go, even when you were doing absolutely nothing.

You wore the latex dress, but only because Jane insisted and made sure you knew you looked good. She convinced you for maybe a second, but all those insecurities were coming back. You tried sucking in your stomach the whole night, but it just wasn’t enough.

You were asking yourself all kinds of questions. If your arms looked too fat and if your cellulite was visible, if your hip-dips were as noticeable to others as they were to you. You felt like everybody was looking and they were judging really hard.

All you wanted was to fade into oblivion.

You were feeling his eyes on your back and god, you wanted to look too but you fought the urge, just continued walking to the bathroom. You weren’t in the mood to drink after all.

Your gut feeling was telling you he was following, but you ignored it.

Until you were about to close the bathroom door and you saw black timberlands stepping between the door and the doorframe to stop you from closing it.

You sighed, opening the door, resulting in him getting in the bathroom with you.

“Why are you avoiding me?”, the handsome man facing you asked, brown eyes looking deep inside of yours.

“How can I avoid you when you didn’t even try talking to me?”, you asked back, looking away immediately.

You hated how your relationship was just a cycle of him hurting you and coming back, acting like he hadn’t done anything wrong. And he was so good at it too.

He chuckled darkly, letting his eyes glide down your body for a second just to look back into your eyes. “You know exactly what I mean, yn. Don’t play dumb.”

You did know what he meant.

“And? It’s not like I have anything to say to you.”

Jungkook came closer to you, softly wrapping one arm around your waist, whispering in your ear. “You don’t?”

You couldn’t believe how shameless he was, being so close to you while his girlfriend was a few meters away, outside of this door, probably thinking he’s getting her a drink or something. You wondered if he did the same thing to you when you were dating.

“Jungkook, stop. Your girlfriend is here.”, you tried to convince yourself you didn’t want it. “How can you even do this?”

“It’s nothing we haven’t done before, princess.”, He kissed your earlobe. “You can’t possibly think it’s okay when she’s not around, but not okay when she is. It’s the same thing.”

You knew he was right, besides, you were just as guilty as he was. You were messing around with a taken guy and the worst part was, you knew he was taken and you still did it.

“I know, but I wanna end whatever this is”, you hesitated to say. “It’s unhealthy and you already have a girlfriend, why don’t you go and kiss her, why me?”

You were avoiding this conversation ever since this started. Sometimes it’s hard talking about things you don’t actually want to hear about.

“What do you mean?”, Jungkook feigned confusion, but you knew better than to believe him. “It’s easier said than done, yn. We have a history together, you know that.”

“I do, but that’s all we are. History. And we should both get over it.”, you responded.

“But what if I don’t want to?”, it was more of a statement than a question, really. “What if I told you, you’re special to me?”

You were gonna have a meltdown if he continued with this. Why was he so fucking complicated? You knew he didn’t love you so what was it?

“But I’m not. The only reason why you come back is because you think I’m easy material. It’s because you were my first everything and it’s because you know exactly how much you mean to me.”, you cry out, tears coming up to ruin your makeup again. You wished you wouldn’t cry as much as you did. “You know I’ll always let you in, no matter what. I know I’m at fault too here and I’m not blaming you, but please for god’s sake, don’t make it worse on me.”

You looked in the mirror, almost not recognizing yourself. You felt detached from reality, but not in a good way at all.

Jungkook scoffed, looking down at you. “I know I shouldn’t have tried talking to you. It’s like you can’t even appreciate anybody showing you affection. I’m trying to prove to you, that you aren’t nothing to me and that’s the response that I get. Not everybody’s against you, yn, you’re just too insecure to notice. That’s why you haven’t ever had anybody showing you interest. It’s because you lack confidence and think the world revolves around you. But I did show you interest. In the past and now. But look at you. You haven’t changed at all, still the little yn who compares herself to other girls and thrives off of male attention, because you can’t believe that somebody could love you just for you when there’s skinnier, prettier girls walking around. So what if there are skinnier, prettier girls around? That’s reality, yn.”

You didn’t know what exactly you expected him to say, but that wasn’t it. Looking at him with big, teary eyes, is that really what he thought of you? Of course, it was. Because it was the truth. The cold, hard truth. Not sugarcoated. He knew you better than you wanted him to.

Without a single word leaving your dry lips, you open the door and run out, ignoring him calling your name and the weird stares people were giving you. You needed to find Jane.

Once you found her joking around with a bunch of random people, you go up to her. You most likely looked like you came out of a horror movie.

“Yn? What the fuck happened?”, she lightly took your face in her warm hands and caressed your cheek worriedly.

“Pl- please, can we just go home?”, you whimpered, thankful that everybody was respectful enough to turn around and focus on their stuff instead of ogling at you.

“Sure, sure. Come here”, she took you in her arms and walked you out of the mansion, not caring to say goodbye to anybody.

people who wanted to get tagged in pt. 2:

@1-in-abillion @sarcasmflowsinmyveins @chieftoadturkeynickel @madygswich @kb-bangtanenthusiast

thank you for the support love yall!! 💗

a/n: so i know most of yall probably wanted a happy ending but first of all this probably isn’t the ending:) and i wanted to portray it as realistically as possible. It’s really hard to get out of a toxic relationship especially when you’re so in love with them but i’ll see what i can do to make yn happy cuz girly’s going thru it. Btw this wasn’t proofread so there’s probably so many mistakes and i thought this was very underwhelming but i hope you guys like it thank you!

459 notes · View notes