#his gloves were pretty much brass knuckles. like they could have just

[erikatsu]

hey, wrio. thanos called he wants his knock offs back 😭😭

cw: questionable wrio splash art leaks.

side note tho: am i tripping or does he have heterochromia???

#mini meltdown in tags 😅 #i decided finally. #if they go thru with this #i am rage quitting #i actually hate it #the more i look at it #the more my eye twitches #like. so far they have done keeping one aesthetic to characters #done well* #this looks so... bad?? #why does he even need them if heizou uses his bare fists 😭🤚 #maybe if they were gray and maroon instead of #blue/gray and gold??? #wheres the meme of the cat gagging #why does mhy clown the pretty cryo boys 🥹 #they already broke their families was that not enough for them??? #his gloves were pretty much brass knuckles. like they could have just #gave him brass knuckles???? #am i not getting it?? am i on candid camera?? #im not seeing the vision and im definitely not understanding the the design choice

[avvail-whumps]

Hi!

I loved your latest chps of guns of hire. Can you write something in Roy's Pov? Especially what happened between chp 21 and 22. Kind of like what was his reaction and what his did/say to others. Even if it's in Joey's Pov or omniscient . I just want to know what was going on when Leo passed out.

Also I'm comparatively new to tumblr so idk much stuff. If any mistake happened from my side. I truly apologize. 🙂

When Leo sagged unceremoniously in his embrace, Roy felt a twinge of something, akin to annoyance, worm it’s way into his chest. He could feel his blood soaking into his gloved hand, trembling body losing all of its strength, and got to work lowering him down onto the ground.

Leo went down like a rag doll, his legs curled awkwardly under him and his body twisted into Roy’s chest.

The mercenary hummed, keeping him close as he stared at the matted blond hair under his chin, having almost lost the golden colour it had when he’d first saw him. He brushed it back, eyeing the damp sweat on his clammy forehead, breathing thin and ragged.

He was skin and bones now.

The contract had been a slow five week tale that Roy wasn’t pleased with at all. He’d wanted to put a bullet between his clients eyes simply for his arrogant attitude, and the fact that he’d attempted to weasel his way out of the initial fifty now, fifty after agreement.

Roy didn’t have it in him to deal with people like that. He didn’t think he’d ever had it in him to deal with people to begin with. Most were just money to him anyway. Maybe that was the nature of being a contract killer, but he didn’t care.

His little lion, on the other hand.

That had woven into a completely different story before he could even realise. The distinctive urge to have something, someone, all to himself for his gain and pleasure. The notion that people were little money bags with value by their head didn’t seem to resonate for Leo.

Roy hadn’t intended to keep him alive to begin with.

What had been the point? The secretary was never meant to be in that building to begin with — his client had wanted Jacob dead, and Roy planned efficiently to make that happen. His contracts weren’t meant to go awry, but the unpredictability always got his adrenaline going.

That terrified, tear filled look on his face when he’d walked out of the office had burned itself into his mind. His little pleading voice and the way he’d hesitantly obey when he was asked. Some people were a pretty picture when they had a gun to their head. The secretary had been no exception.

He knew it would have been easy to extract any information he needed out of him when he was securing him tightly to the chair in the basement. It frustrated him a little to have to put in some extra work that was above what he was payed, but he finished his contract regardless. Leo was a loose end he just needed to tie up, and he’d been wanting to use his brass knuckles for a while.

Blow off some steam, maybe.

It was a little surprising that Leo had actually been innocent. A bonified “wrong place wrong time”. Roy had shrugged and stored the information away without a second thought.

Oh well. The secretary had seen his face.

The gun was looped securely in his belt as he assured him his story checked out, deciding that he could at least give him a merciful death. Tell him to close his eyes, watch him shiver in anticipation when he pressed the barrel in between his eyes. He might have made a little desperate noise when he realised, but Roy would have been ready to pull the trigger before it could get any further than that.

But then Leo had looked up at him with something like hope in his eyes. Glimmering through the surface, just barely, like a dim fire ready to chew on more fuel. What was it he’d said again?—will you let me go?

It was then he got this thrill. A thrill straight down his spine, adrenaline sparking in his very veins. So he decided to keep him.

There was something about Leo that kept that distinctive thrill going; maybe it was truly because he was pretty when he was in pain, or maybe it was because Roy liked the idea of having something belong to him. Something that was his, and his alone, to make and break. He wanted Leo to know that too. He wanted him to believe it.

The door creaking open jolted him out of his thoughts. He craned his head round to see Joey standing in the doorway. For a man who barely reacted emotionally on his face, he could see the way his eyes widened slightly at the sight of Rafi’s mangled corpse on the ground, and Leo’s rapidly deteriorating condition.

Joey looked almost stunned into silence. “Roy, he’s...” Shuffling of feet became more apparent as the other two joined the scene. Roy ignored them, only interested in his lion. He gently scooped him up, setting him down on the bed.

“What the fuck?” Bran snapped, his jaw clenched and his eyes wide in shock. He was staring at Rafi’s body. Sean, the bearded man, looked distant, but his eyes had hardened inexplicably. “What the fuck, Roy? You fucking killed him.”

The mercenary scoffed lightly under his breath. “He deserved it.”

“He de—” Bran stopped abruptly, raking his hands through his hair. He laughed bitterly, but Roy simply got to work stripping Leo of his shirt, and tossing a silent glance to Joey and Sean. Joey was less hesitant to help than Sean, but regardless, the message was clear.

He dies, and you’re next.

“You psychotic piece of shit,” Bran snarled, anger bubbling over. “Do you think you fucking own us like you do that pathetic thing? That we have to bend to your every will?”

Roy raised a brow. He didn’t bother turning around to face him when he spoke.

“Rafi broke the one rule I gave you all,” he muttered, unable to fight the urge to stroke his finger in the crease of Leo’s brow. He was frowning hard in his state of unconsciousness, grimacing, chest rising and falling with little wheezing puffs of air.

“He ain’t fucking dead, is he?” Bran shouted angrily, hand waving through the air. Joey was fixing up an IV for him, and Sean was standing between them, eyes flickering over to Roy in discontent.

“He’s right,” he grumbled. “Rafi might have taken things too far, but he didn’t kill him.”

Bran was fuming. Practically steaming from the nose. When Roy ignored the comment and continued to admire the pained face on his lion’s features, he blew up.

“For years, we stuck our fuckin’ necks out for you,” Bran snarled, his voice spitting venom. His eyes had flared in a fiery rage. “Rafi too. And that’s how you’re gonna fucking repay us? Repay him? You’re a fucking joke.”

Roy hummed, his lips curving into a small smile. Seeing Rafi ontop of Leo upon entering the room had made him act somewhat irrationally. It had been a split second, a moment of seeing the dying struggles and convulsing body (the one that belonged to him, and only to him), and the gun was in his hand before he had a chance to stop and think.

Even if he had, the conclusion would have been the same. Rafi with a bullet in his head. Maybe it was the possessive urge to keep other people’s hand off of him. Because he’d kept Leo for himself, and no one else.

Roy gave Leo one last glance over, before rising to his feet. He turned and met Bran’s fuming gaze with a cold one of his own.

“Do you want to be next?”

Bran bristled venomously. “Fuck you.”

“Do you think that means anything?” He cut off, his eyes narrowed. “The fact that you took pity on me when I was sixteen? Do you think that makes us friends, Bran? Because I couldn’t care.”

“Of course you fucking don’t,” Bran scoffed. He was shaking his head, fists clenching and shaking. Roy’s gaze didn’t let up. “I’m out of here by the end of the week. I’m done.”

The big man surged out of the door, and with a darkened glare, Roy settled his gaze on the remaining two. “Anyone else?”

Joey looked away, and Sean had his hardened eyes pinned elsewhere. Roy made a huffing sound, and shook his head from side to side in disbelief. He ran a hand through his hair, and decided to go get some fresh air to clear his thoughts.

The violin he had brought with him was still standing against the wall by the front door. It brought a small smile to his face.

. . .

When he returned back to Leo’s room, he noticed that Rafi’s body was gone. The blood had been mopped and cleaned away, including the beer can and spillage that must have happened during his struggles.

His eyes instantly darted to the bed, where Leo was sleeping away soundly, covers tucked up to his chest. Joey and Sean had treated all his wounds as much as they could, wrapping his ribs and changing old bandages for newer ones.

His hair was still slightly damp, but all the dirt and grime had been washed out.

Roy sat on the edge of the bed, gently tangling his fingers through it. He looked calmer like this. No crease in his brow, no grimace on his face. Roy had missed his little lion while he was away.

A soft keening sound hummed in Leo’s throat, and Roy watched as his eyes dazily flickered open. They were unfocused and hazy, barely able to pry themselves open. Roy felt him stir, and his hand gently carded through his hair.

Leo clumsily looked around for him. “Roy?”

His lips twitched. “I’m here, lion.”

Weak fingers fumbled for his shirt. He shifted a little closer, watching wordlessly as the secretary’s breath quickened, and he weakly tried drawing himself closer.

“Roy...” He whimpered, choking on a tearless sob. “Please, please. Please, don’t go.”

He hummed, his eyes shimmering. He had missed this. As much as he enjoyed when Leo would have a little bit of fire lit up inside of him, the thrill always intensified when he was like this. Clinging onto him, refusing to let go. Begging for him to stay; the way he was so eager to obey him sometimes. Roy was confident that Leo didn’t even realise just how adorable he was at times.

He always reacted so nicely to his touch, leaning into it keenly without even realising, knowing he would only ever get this from him. The thrill surged.

Roy leaned down, gently cradling him into his chest. His lion kept mumbling and murmuring in that soft, broken voice of his, shaking and trembling like a leaf in the wind. He was hardly conscious, but maybe that was what made it so exciting.

“Please don’t leave me...” He whispered, his voice cracking. “Please...”

Roy’s lip twitched into a smirk. “I’m here, lion.”

Leo whined softly. “Don’t go...”

He was dragged back into unconsciousness not a moment later, and Roy gently eased him onto his back once more. He tugged the blanket and duvet over him, stroking the hair from his face with feather light touches.

As his thumb softly stroked the scarred initial on the inside of his wrist, Roy quietly thought to himself, yeah, I’m glad I didn’t kill him.

#guns for hire special #leo and roy request #whump #whump series #whump tropes #whump fic #whump scenario #whump writing #whumpblr #whump community #whumper #whumpee #leo and roy #multiple whumpers #writing #my writing #ask #guns for hire requests #avvail whumps

[thatshadowgastwhore]

If the Mighty Nein went to Camp Half-Blood!

What’s this? My two favorite fandoms? Couldn’t be. Enjoy this brainchild; VM, BH, and EXU: Kymal characters to follow soon

Fjord

Cabin #3 - Poseidon

This one is the most obvious one. My man is a sailor who got his powers from a water god, there’s no one else he really could be. 

I think that we keep his orphan status, and have a satyr be sent to sniff out potential demigods in orphanages, where he found little Fjord. He came to camp when he was fairly young, and lived there year-round starting at about nine years old. However, I don’t think he would have been claimed until three years later when he was twelve, despite obviously displaying water powers before that. 

As for his powers, he inherited hydro and cryokinesis (manipulation of water and ice) as well as underwater breathing and extreme temperature resistance. He did not gain the ability to speak with equine animals, but he can communicate with sea life. His weapon and fighting style are similar to the show; he has a falchion. 

At camp, he’s a pretty chill guy. People might originally be intimidated by his ‘Big Three’ status, but he’s actually pretty gentle, and does a lot of work with welcoming new campers and making them feel like they have a home and are safe, because that’s what older campers did for him when he first arrived.  

Beau

Cabin #1 - Zeus

I struggled to place Beau into a cabin. She could be with the Ares kids, or the Athena kids just as easily. But I ended up deciding on Zeus, because I think that his kids are just as combative, and she has lightning gloves. Also, she has Slow Fall, which could be retrofitted to flight. 

Beau definitely still got into a lot of trouble and fights with Thoreau, who would have been her step-dad. I think her tendency towards acting first, thinking later (as a teen) would have led her into a fight that she couldn’t win on her own: one with a monster. She was rescued not by a satyr, but by another demigod, probably Dairon (who I would put into Athena’s cabin btw). She was claimed immediately when she got to camp, because she inexplicably managed to survive on her own all the way to sixteen. 

Her powers are controlling the winds/fight and electrokinesis. Her fighting style is still very much so martial arts, and her weapons are a gift from Zeus: twin electric brass knuckles that allow her the chance to stun and shock her enemies. 

At camp, she and Fjord have a kind of unlikely friendship. Everyone is friends with Fjord, whereas most people are afraid of Beau. She’s the daughter of Zeus who can and will punch anyone who crosses her, and is kind of mean. But to those who are her friends, she is unrelentingly loyal and kind. Many younger campers tell whispered stories of the blur of cobalt blue who’s mere presence had scared off people who were bullying them. 

Caleb

Cabin # 20 - Hecate

I considered his place being with Hephaestus due to his affinity for fire, but he doesn’t exactly fit that mold. And as a wizard, Hecate is also a very good fit. And hey - magic fire is also good.

Caleb’s parents died when he was very young, around seven, in an accidental house fire, and he was taken in by his rich great-uncle, Trent Ikithon, who was abusive in every way, and gas-lit him into believing that his parents deaths were his, Caleb’s, fault. Eventually, when he was thirteen, he ran away from Trent, and before getting to camp, met up with Veth. She knew that she was a demigod at that point, and essentially took him in, very Luke and Thalia. They were discovered accidentally by a satyr who took them to camp, and he’s been there ever since. 

Like all children of Hecate, Caleb possesses mystiokinesis (the ability to manipulate the Mist). While he has a natural affinity for creating fire, usually amber colored, he has a great interest in using the Mist to change things into other things, and not simply through illusion. While turning people into animals is easy enough for many in Cabin #20, Caleb is known to change the properties of things with uncanny skill and ability. (Besides the rest of his magical abilities.)

At camp, Caleb is seen as a bit of an oddball. He’s chronically anxious and dislikes being in groups of people. He has a magical cat that is always with him, and he can look through the eyes of, and is for some reason friends with the loud and abrasive Beauregard. Even among his siblings, he is quiet, mysterious, and kind of quietly intimidating, and is constantly asking Chiron for a quest to take care of “the monster who raised me.” 

Veth

Cabin #7 - Apollo

Veth was very tricky for me. My first instinct was to put her in Hermes, for her sneakiness and love of taking trinkets. I considered putting her in Dionysus due to that iconic never-ending flask. But in the end, I thought I would honor her more positive traits, and focus on her skill in archery.

Veth has the misfortune to have been on her own for a long time, and knew specifically that she had been kicked out because of her demigod heritage. Knowing that she had powers and could use them allowed her to survive on her own, and later with Caleb before the two were taken to camp. 

Veth’s talents from Apollo came not in the form of musical prowess or healing, but in the bow. While most of her siblings favor a longbow, she is uniquely proficient with her hand crossbow. Her accuracy is so uncanny, that she has never been known to miss a shot. Her crossbow was simply found in the armory collecting dust before Veth found it and decided to make it hers. 

At camp, Veth is both an extremely friendly, and highly avoided character, due to her propensity to take shiny things. Usually nothing valuable, but she is known to be able to take the button off of someone’s coat - while they’re wearing it. However, she is a good friend to all who do right by her, and is extremely close friends with the brooding and quiet Caleb. 

Jester

Cabin #11 - Hermes 

Oh, Jester, Jester Jester. Somehow, every option is viable, and yet none work besides this one. She already has a god to look to for inspiration in Artagan, which is how I finally settled on the trickster Hermes. 

Jester absolutely still grew up the same way, and the Ruby of the Sea is the Sally Jackson of this AU, and Hermes is also a criminal, so really, Gentleman vibes all around. However, unlike Sally, Marion sent her to camp when it became dangerous for her not to be trained in her powers. She spends summers at camp and goes home for the rest of the year. 

But what powers does she get? I settled on being able to turn herself invisible for the trickery aspect, as well as having a natural affinity towards forgery. Besides her invisibility, her mere presence can make other people stealthier by proxy.

At camp, she is extremely popular and loved by all.  She and Veth are known to run a detective agency of sorts at camp, and it’s unclear whether the two of them commit the crimes so that they have things to solve or not. Either way, she is always willing to lend an ear, or a hug, or this candy and pop that she stole from the nearest gas station before pranking someone else. 

Mollymauk

Cabin #10 - Aphrodite

There’s something intrinsically Aphrodite about Mollymauk, just in the way that he holds himself. He sees himself as a canvas for beauty and art with all his tattoos, and adorns himself with baubles and jewelry. 

Molly suffered a traumatic head injury when he was young that gave him complete anterograde amnesia for everything before the accident. It isn’t known who or where his biological family is, but he found a new home with a carnival that happened to be owned by a son of Dionysus named Gustav. Gustav recognized both him and Yasha as demigods, and after patching them up, took them to camp, so that they could have an actually life

Molly’s devil's tongue is reflected in the charmspeak that he inherited from his mother. Besides that, he also takes after her more fickle and vindictive side in the other abilities he gained. Unlike many of his siblings, he chooses to fight with swords, and he uses them to help channel these abilities. Molly’s blood allows him emotokinesis, or the manipulation of emotions. When shed, it allows him to project it outwards, and when contacted or consumed by a target, allows him to manipulate them specifically. 

At camp, people are thankful that he isn’t malicious, because his abilities are truly scary to imagine in the wrong hands. He gets along well with the Dionysus kids and their revelry, and in general is fun loving and hates a dull moment. He and Jester often team up to raise the energy of the camp.  

Caduceus

Cabin # 40 - Persephone

I waffled so hard between Hades and Demeter, death and plants, for this man before remembering how dumb I am and that the compromise was staring me in the face. The Queen of the Underworld and goddess of springtime: Persephone.

Cad’s upbringing was tricky to marry into this world’s setting. I think that he hasn’t known anywhere besides camp, and that Persephone specifically gave baby Caduceus to Chiron to figure out how to raise. Chiron contacted two of his former students. His parents were demigods themselves who had their own children, and happily adopted little Cad into their family with them. He eventually started staying at camp full time, but his whole family stays at camp during the summer.

Because his mother is the goddess of springtime, Caduceus is able to communicate with both plants and animals, and can grow plants and heal wounds. On the flip side, he is also able to raise skeletons like a child of Hades might. However, his springtime associated powers are stronger in the spring/summer and weaker in the fall/winter, and vice versa. 

Caduceus is an extremely calming presence at camp. When one is exhausted from everything else that is happening, they can usually make their way to Cabin 40, nestled further into the woods than any other cabin, and have a cup of tea with him. He also is often found sitting and speaking with Hestia at her hearth, and of all of the demigods at camp, has the closest relationship with his godly parent. Persephone so rarely has demigod children that she definitely gives him a lot of attention. 

Yasha

Cabin #5 - Ares

Wouldn’t it be fun to have sweet, gentle, Yasha be in Ares? People often wonder if he’s actually her dad until they see her filled with righteous fury and become practically unkillable in combat. 

Yasha, was forced out of her home after the first monster attack when she was a child for “attracting demons.” Gustav found her all alone and kindly took her in. She and Molly became fast friends, and when Gustav realized their heritage, he took them to camp. She and Molly are very close, despite their polar opposite personalities, 

As for her powers, when in combat, Yasha attains a nearly unmatchable spirit. Anyone who has ever attempted to defeat her in melee combat has walked away with fear in their eyes. This rage allows her to shrug off major wounds in the moment and keep fighting. The damage will catch up with her later of course, but she will keep fighting forever to protect her loved ones. 

At camp, Yasha is pretty shy and closed off. She doesn’t get along particularly well with her cabin mates, and frequents the Demeter and Persephone cabins often to speak with them about flowers and enjoy the serenity. Many are afraid of her large sword and quiet and mysterious nature until they get to know her. 

Essek

Cabin #6 - Athena

Of course I’m going to add in Essek. Literally, why wouldn’t I? Essek was surprisingly easy to place for me. He thinks that he’s the best choice for literally anything, loves knowledge and research, and hates anything illogical. For such a complex character, he is a textbook child of Athena

Essek was the child of a well-known senator, who in shame after having a magic baby show up on his doorstep, hid him away from the public eye as best as possible. Every time that Essek was ever noted by the public for questioning something that his parents supported in Congress, he caused a scandal for the family. Eventually, Essek began making deals for things his parents wouldn’t let him look into with their opponents in the next election, and in an attempt to keep Essek from losing his father’s senate seat, they shipped him away to camp, where he has remained ever since. (with the exception of when his father needs him to make some sort of appearance so people know he’s not dead).

As far as his abilities, I’m giving him straight up Matilda powers, because that much brain power, and he gets to move stuff around with his mind. Also, it fits into his graviturgy speciality from the show. 

At camp, people don’t like Essek that much. They think he’s pretty aloof and stand-offish, but anyone who really knows him knows how much of a nerd he is.

#critical role #percy jackson ay #mighty nein #m9 #Fjord #beauregard lionett #caleb widogast #veth brenatto #jester lavorre #mollymauk tealeaf #caduceus clay #yasha nydoorin #i thought way to hard about this #enjoy fellow critters and demigods #there is way more where this came from #whether you like it or not

[heliads]

Crows

Everyone has a symbol on their palm that somehow relates to your soulmate. You have a crow, which led to you joining the Dregs in Ketterdam. Every Dreg has a soulmate symbol that in no way relates to you- except Kaz Brekker, as no one has seen his palm at all.

masterlist

You stare at the crow inked into your palm. It stares back at you.

You hesitate for a second longer, then snap your hand shut, letting the unblinking eyes of the black bird disappear back behind your fingers. This is the price of a soulmate, of wandering too far from your home and never finding the one person you were meant to belong to. This is the price of being a canal rat, a Grisha, of being anybody still foolish enough to believe in a soulmate in the midst of all this darkness.

Soulmates may technically be real, but people only believe in them as much as they do Inej’s Saints, or anybody else’s long-held dreams. Between the wars and Shadow Folds springing up across the world, it’s getting pretty hard for anyone to find their soulmate at all. It’s supposed to be simple- one mark on each person’s palm to designate their soulmate, a mark that will disappear at the first touch of their hand on yours. Sometimes, you wonder what mark would be on your soulmate’s skin: a flame or sparking coal, maybe, for your branch of the Small Science, or a skull, for all the death that seems to shadow your path.

The crow has been on your palm for as long as you can remember, as long as anyone has ever had a soulmate. It was there when you were born, but judging by your trend in luck, it’ll probably be there until the day you die. Soulmates aren’t for girls like you, girls who flee their homes to trade a life amongst the Grisha for a death in the gray-streaked streets of Ketterdam.

You were born an Inferni, that much is true. You witnessed the Ravkan civil war, and you were there to flee it for safer tides. You weren’t sure what cruel twist of fate landed you in Ketterdam, one of the worst places for a Grisha, but you were at least able to keep your identity a secret. You’d seen what happened to the luckless Grisha trapped inside neverending indentures, and you know what tortures would await you if word of your firestarting habit got out. So, you never spoke a word, and pretended you were just another otkazat’sya traveler in need of safe harbors.

You hadn’t been wandering the canals long before your path turned into the Barrel. It wasn’t an intentional choice, just an eventual fate that you would end up in the worst part of the twisting sidestreets. There was no escaping the Barrel, not unless you were a wealthy mercher or some other lucky sap who the Saints blessed with the ability to avoid getting dragged down into the muck like everyone else. You learned the names and locations of all the gangs like everyone else: Black Tips, Dime Lions, and most notably, the Dregs.

Your breath had caught in your chest when you heard of them. They frequented the Crow Club, some were called the crows themselves, their leader had a crow on his cane. Everything seemed to point in a glaringly obvious arrow towards your soulmate mark: a crow for a crow. Where else could you have ended up?

You knew better now. You had met Kaz Brekker, the boy with the crow cane, and you knew that any chance of finding a soulmate among his crew was near impossible. You had been walking home after dark one night when you found yourself set upon by a duo of thugs. Not Dregs, possibly Dime Lions with a bone to pick, angry that the Dregs had such control over the pigeons of Fifth Harbor. They had been expecting an easy mark, somebody they could thunk over the head with a pair of brass knuckles and walk away without a scratch. They weren’t expecting you to beat them into the dust in a matter of seconds.

No matter your status or location, you were still a Grisha, and you’d been trained by Botkin long enough to be able to defend yourself. When the goons were finally laid at your feet, unconscious, you had allowed yourself a moment to smile. It was easy to feel low, a gutter rat in the canals of Ketterdam, but being able to use your fists again almost reminded you of the training halls at the Little Palace.

Enjoying this one brief memory, though, was a slip that you shouldn’t have made. When you looked up, you weren’t alone- a boy stood before you, gloved hands clasped over a crow’s head cane. You didn’t particularly know who he was, or make the connection between him and the Dregs, and moved to get out of the alleyway before he decided to make the same mistake as the thugs. He had slid his cane in front of you, fast as lightning, stopping you in your place. “I think we should speak about your future in Ketterdam.”

You were annoyed at this sudden interruption. “I think you should leave me alone.” You had retorted, using your hand to move his cane back in front of him. You had also been irritated, both by the fight and this boy’s brashness, and slipped your hand into his pocket for just a second to retrieve a newly shined pocketwatch. No one could have possibly seen it, this tiny movement, and the boy certainly didn’t, as he let you pass without another word.

You were still grumbling when you got back to the ramshackle building you called an apartment complex, and your landlady had raised an eyebrow when she saw you. “What, have you finally realized that it was a fool’s errand to come here?” She asked, and you shook your head. “No, just bothered by some guy with a crow’s head cane. Weird prop to carry around.” The woman had blanched, face suddenly seeming to age a decade in a second.

She had bustled over to you, voice low as if terrified that the boy might be able to hear her. “That’s Kaz Brekker, you fool. He runs the Dregs. Saints, he might even run this city.” She had hurried away from you then, forcing herself back to her work. Even then, you had known she was wrong. There was nothing the Saints could know about Kaz Brekker, nothing they could even hope to involve themselves in.

You had shaken the experience away, climbing up the stairs to your apartment. When you pushed open the door, however, you saw that you were not alone. The boy from earlier was back, this time leaning against the far wall. He gestured for you to close the door, which you did, albeit hesitantly. You had no idea how he got in- you had changed the locks when you first arrived at the apartment all those weeks ago, barred the windows, made it impossible for anyone except you to make their way inside. Yet here he stood, with knowledge of both where you lived and how to get there before you. It was impossible. Well, impossible for anyone except Kaz. The Barrel was his home, after all, and you doubt Dirtyhands had ever bothered to knock.

His fingers tapped the crow’s head of his cane. “I don’t think we quite finished our conversation. You could do more than just wash dishes, you know. The Dregs could always use a new member. That, and I’d like you to return what you stole from me. I’m impressed, actually. No one is that good at pickpocketing except me, and no one would try something that daring except for, well, me. I think you’d fit in nicely with my gang.”

You had folded your arms across your chest. “And I’m meant to believe that my pickpocketing was impressive enough to warrant a visit from Dirtyhands himself?” Kaz had shrugged, the movement stiff in the darkness. “You can believe whatever you want. I just want to see if you’ll take a good offer when you see one.” After a while, you had accepted, and Kaz had left, but not before whispering something in your ear. “If you steal from me again, I will cut off both of your hands. I don’t tolerate theft, not from me.”

You had heard enough threats to know that he meant good on this one. As it turned out, however, Kaz would not have to fear theft from you again. You found a home amongst the Dregs, a home you weren’t likely to give up due to the thrill of pickpocketing Kaz Brekker. You had a room at the Slat, a place at the table, a voice in the masses. It was something you weren’t willing to trade away.

Even amongst the many crows of Kaz Brekker’s gang, however, you still couldn’t let the issue of your soulmate go. You can remember one night, late into the night’s bells when you, Inej, Jesper, Matthias, and Nina had all made the journey up to Kaz’s office, slumped against chairs and floorboards and chatting the night away. Kaz was sitting at his desk, apparently doing paperwork, but you did notice that he kept coincidentally chiming into conversations even when he said he wasn’t paying attention.

At some point, Nina steered the conversation to soulmates. She held up her now blank palm, proclaiming that at some point it had held a wolf’s head. She had been terrified, she said, terrified that she would have a drüskelle or some other weirdo for a soulmate. Matthias had acted affronted at that, but if he was feeling particularly charitable he might relent and tell the gathered Crows about how he’d had a heart on his hand, and how frustrated he’d been when it had disappeared the second he’d locked Nina away on that slaver’s ship.

Nina had turned to Kaz then, intent on poking the bear and having some sort of fun that night. “So, Brekker, what’s your soulmate mark? Or do you not do that sort of zealot human thing we call soulmates?” Kaz had raised his eyebrows, looking distinctly bored. Of everyone in the room, you’re pretty sure that only you and Inej would be able to tell that he was holding back a smile.

“I’m not entirely a monster, Zenik. I do have a soulmate.” Nina had leaned forward, intent on clarification. “Then what’s the mark? We can’t just take a gander at your palm, remember? They’re hidden by your gloves.” Kaz had let his papers fall back to the desk with a thunk, turning to her with an expression laced with both exasperation and studied disinterest. “It’s a fire. A small flame. Happy?”

Nina had looked fascinated. “Beatific. I wonder what that means. An Inferni, maybe?” She wiggled her eyebrows at Kaz. “Maybe it’s supposed to show that they’re devilishly attractive. Really hot, get it?” Kaz had made a sound that was either a dry cough or his best attempt at a laugh. “Hilarious, Nina. I see why you’re a Heartrender- you could make a person want to die based on your jokes alone.”

Nina had acted affronted, making sure everybody knew that her jokes were hilarious, thank you very much, but you couldn’t help but think about the repercussions of this. What if Nina’s first guess was right, and Kaz’s soulmate was an Inferni, like you? If your tattoo was of a crow, and Kaz’s was of flames, then surely it was too much to just be a coincidence. You’d never know, anyway, because soulmate marks only disappeared on flesh to flesh contact. Kaz always wore gloves, so you’d never find out the truth. Besides, you remind yourself, the chances of this were superbly unlikely. A crow could mean anything, so could a flame. You need to stop getting your hopes up.

Despite the possibilities and impossibilities, you’ve still been running with the canal rats long enough to know that you can’t dwell forever on what might have been. You’re a Dreg now and you need to focus on that instead. When Kaz announces an upcoming settlement with the Razorgulls, yet another one of the gangs that roam the streets of Ketterdam, you’re eager for a chance at something entertaining after a long while of nothing. Kaz will meet with the leader to negotiate their way through a claim on the various pigeons coming and going from the harbors, and that will be that.

However, this is the Barrel. Negotiations are rarely easy. This is why, when Jesper arrives as Kaz’s second, he’s shunted aside to a separate room to stay out the duration of the meeting. Kaz and the leader of the Razorgulls are on the opposite side of the street in an empty courtyard, far away from any help should they need it. Kaz was prepared for this, as always, and set up a plan. Inej will shadow Jesper, making sure that he’ll have a way out if he needs it, and you’ll be shadowing Kaz himself. You’re not sure why Kaz chose you instead of his faithful Wraith, only that he rarely makes decisions based on nothing and you would do best to follow his judgement. The times he’s let you down are few and far between.

You and Inej split up, staying amongst the rooftops to avoid detection. She follows Jesper and the Razorgulls’ second into a crowded tavern, and you head towards the abandoned courtyard. Ahead of you, Kaz’s cane taps against the crooked cobblestones as he wends through desiccated hedges and marble statues severely lashed by time. The Razorgulls’ leader is waiting for him there, but you can’t follow now. Instead, you stick to the edges, climbing stairs and making your way into the empty buildings that watch over the courtyard like silent sentries.

You’re not sure what trouble you’ll be walking into, only that it will exist in some crooked form. There’s no logical reason the Razorgulls would want the seconds in another building unless they were planning something, and no reason Kaz would agree to this at all if he wasn’t sure you could have his back when he needed it. As you creep along the buildings, keeping a careful eye on the proceedings through the few broken windows, you notice that the two gang leaders have begun to speak. You can’t quite hear what they’re saying, only a few whispers here and there.

You’re just rounding a corner, ready to make your way into a neighbouring building, when the lights flash off, landing you in darkness. Instantly, you panic. Lighting is scarce here, only the moonbeams and a couple of oil lamps, but there’s no reason they should have shut down this quickly. You hear footsteps on the stairs, along with two pairs of voices: Razorgulls, discussing how important it is to stick to the shadows so Brekker can’t see them.

Your heartbeat thuds in the dark as you realize they haven’t spotted you yet. In fact, they have no idea you’re there at all. When Kaz was giving directions for the negotiations, he specifically told you to make sure that you weren’t seen, even if rival gang members showed up. If you want to go along with his plan and make sure he lives to see the end of this shoddy deal, you’ll have to stay in hiding.

This, however, is easier said than done. If the lights were on, you would be able to see the wooden beams of the floor and tell which ones would creak and which wouldn’t, which large shapes of furniture to avoid and which holes in the floorboards you should step over. A chill washes over you as you realize what you’ll have to do. You move your fingers together, quick as scraping flint against steel, and a small flame materializes at the pad of your index finger. It’s small, barely visible to anyone except you, but it’s enough to help you get out of the room before the Razorgulls notice you.

Even as the thrill of using your Grisha power after so long sends a charge of energy through your veins, you can’t help but feel uneasy. The only reason you’ve been able to survive in the Barrel and avoid unwholesome indentures is because you never used your power, not once. Even if it was necessary, this still feels bad.

You’ve found a new hiding place in the corner of the room and move to extinguish your flame now that it’s no longer useful. However, it’s been too long since you last used your powers as an Inferni, and your concentration wavers. The flame grows brighter and you start to panic, eventually clamping down your mind and forcing the fire to disappear.

The disappearance comes too late. The Razorgulls have seen some light in the shadow that wasn’t supposed to be there and are now edging your way, careful not to let you out of their sight. You have no choice but to take them down, standing over their unconscious bodies and feeling a wave of nerves crest over you. Kaz specifically said not to mess with the gangs, but you had no choice. You can only hope that this won’t ruin his plan too much.

Quietly, you step through the room and unlock a window, letting the panes move open in the wind. Now, you can hear the voices echoing up from the courtyard, and your heart sinks as you realize that things aren’t going well. The leader of the Razorgulls has revealed his ace in the hole, that he’s got guns trained on Kaz right now. Kaz just laughs, the sound as cold as rocks scraping against a ship’s hull, ready to damn a hundred men to the depths of the ocean.

“Do you, though? Who are the men you sent up- Dirk Struik and Niels ter Avest? Your coffers may be deep, but mine are more extensive. Gentlemen, take down this man, if you please.” Your stomach twists as you realize Kaz was counting on the men you just knocked out. Without them, he’s alone with a man pointing a gun at his skull. There’s no way around this- you’re going to have to break your most cherished rule again.

You thrust your palms out in front of you, letting tendrils of flame arc out of your hands and cascade onto the leader of the Razorgulls. He twists in agony, burns appearing on his skin. He only suffers for a moment or two, however, until he becomes unconscious due to the pain. Kaz’s head jerks up, staring at you. You don’t think you’ve ever seen Kaz Brekker truly surprised, but he most certainly was not expecting this.

You don’t think there’s anything you can do except try to explain yourself. You jump down from the open window, letting your heels land lightly on the stones of the courtyard. Kaz seems frozen in place for a second, then moves forward until you’re standing only a few feet apart. Your breath comes wild in your chest. Kaz speaks after the longest of moments. “Where were the guards?”

You hold up your hands uselessly. “They saw me. I had to take them out.” Kaz’s eyes dart to your palms, faster than a sharpshooter pulling the trigger. He takes in the smoke still curling around your fingers, then the crow mark in the middle of your hand. When he speaks again, his voice has lost its icy edge. He just sounds like a boy again, young and confused.

“You never told me you were an Inferni.” You sigh. “It was a secret I needed to keep. You know what happens in the Barrel, the indentures and the tortures. If I used my powers, I would have died a long time ago.” Kaz jerks his head in a harsh nod. “I don’t blame you for surviving. We have all committed worse crimes to live” Your voice gains a confidence it didn’t have before. “Then what do you blame me for? You’re upset, anyone could tell that. If it’s not with me keeping my Grisha abilities a secret, then what is it?”

Kaz hesitates, as if pulling himself back from a yawning chasm. “Me.” You stare at him, at the indecision wracking his brow, then at the way he’s pulling at the glove at his palm. His hands almost seem to shake, like he’s still not sure that he’s doing the right thing. He pulls the glove off, inch by inch, seeming to dread every second that his hands aren’t covered by the black leather. At last, you see it- the mark on his palm, the flame sparking into being right there on his hand.

He reaches out tentatively. “I need to know.” He manages, and at last you understand. You move your own hand slowly, stopping when it’s only a few inches away from his. Kaz squares his shoulders, as if preparing to jump from another broken building, then closes the distance and lets his hand rest lightly on yours. As you watch, your soulmate tattoos shimmer for a second and then vanish, erasing from your skin as if they’d never been there at all.

Kaz lets his gaze linger on the empty skin of your palm, and then he seems to come back into himself, snatching his hand away like he’s flinching from a blow. You can see it in his eyes that he regrets this, that he can’t keep his hand there, but you understand. You can understand quite a lot from him.

Kaz’s voice is like the grating of metal. “I’m not somebody you want as a soulmate. It won’t be easy. It won’t be good.” You laugh quietly in the night. “If I wanted something easy, I would have never come to Ketterdam.” Kaz nods at this, something almost like relief in his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.” You manage. Something almost like a smile flits across Kaz’s face. “Good. We have much to discuss.”

#kaz brekker #kaz brekker imagines #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker oneshot #grishaverse #grishaverse imagines #grishaverse oneshot #shadow and bone #shadow and bone imagines #shadow and bone oneshot #six of crows #six of crows imagines #six of crows oneshot #kaz #kaz imagines #kaz x reader #kaz oneshot #soc #sab #soulmate au #soc imagines #soc oneshot #sab imagines #sab oneshot

[barry-j-blupjeans]

also 7 from misc with blupjeans too if you want to :)

7. “If I die, I’m haunting you first.”

--

As much as Barry loved Taako and Lup, he still really hated adventuring. The whole situation with Sizzle It Up was... well, they didn't really talk about it, but it had been bad. And now that they couldn't rely on merch sales to pay their stay anywhere, they had to make do with other jobs. Lup and Taako, of course, had done adventuring before. Barry doubted there that there was a job in existence that Lup and Taako hadn't already tried.

But before this, and before Sizzle It Up, Barry worked at a university science lab. He wore rubber gloves and lab coats and safety goggles. Someone tell him why adventurers didn't have safety goggles when your eyes were a weak point right in the middle of your face.

"A lil gold for your thoughts?" Lup asked, nudging his side.

"I'm not in the mood to die tonight," Barry said before he could stop himself. "We were gonna have pot roast."

"We'll still have pot roast," Lup said. "This is just... a detour."

"A detour is like, going past the park instead of going past the drugstore," Barry said. "This is going to slay a terrifying beast instead of getting carrots for pot roast."

"It can't be that bad," Lup said. Barry ignore the very tight grip she had on her umbrastaff. "I'm a kickass wizard, you're... you've got plenty of skills-"

"Thanks."

"So we'll be fine," Lup continued. They reached the end of the street, a few feet from the alleyway where the horrifying, disgusting monster that had been terrorizing Phandalin lived. It was getting dark out. Taako was going to be incredibly upset that they were taking this long to get carrots.

Lup reached into her bag, searching for something. Barry hadn't brought his sword because he hadn't thought it was necessary. He kind of wished he had now. Scratch that, he really wished he had, because now Lup was pulling out brass knuckles and handing them to him. They were pretty heavy and a little bit tight on him, but it'd make do.

Inside the alleyway, something made a growling sound.

"This is a bad idea," Barry whispered nervously, adjusting the brass knuckles and choosing not to ask why Lup carried these around with her.

"It's fine," Lup said reassuringly, readying her umbrastaff. "It can't be that bad or we would have already heard about it. Phandalin isn't that big, right? You ready?"

"If I die, I'm haunting you first," Barry said seriously. "I'm ready."

Lup passed him a grin (he ignored the funny feeling in his chest he got from it) and stepped towards the alley. She cast Dancing Lights and a few balls of light popped up around them. The thing inside the alleyway hissed. Lup turned the corner, pulling Barry in with her. The Dancing Lights filled up the alleyway, showing them, clear as day, the monster lurking inside.

"Oh, hell no," Lup said. A small, scraggly-looking cat hissed up at them. Barry could practically feel the relief pouring into him. "I'm not killing that thing."

The cat let out an admittedly terrifying yowl. Lup softened.

"It's not, uhm. It's not as bad as I thought it'd be," he said. Lup crouched down and the cat backed up a few feet. "We- we can go now, right? It's just a cat."

"Barry," Lup said, glancing up at him. "Look at it."

Barry looked again. It was very... cat-shaped. It sent a glare in his direction that made Barry understand why other people thought it was a terrifying monster. When he looked back at Lup, she was already making her way towards it. He knew that look in her eyes.

"What happened to pot roast?" Barry asked.

"Taako will appreciate a cat much more than he'd appreciate food," Lup said. And while Barry didn't necessarily know if that was true, he really couldn't say no to Lup. For anything. It was starting to become a problem. If anything, the cat was the least of his worries.

"What's the plan?" Barry sighed, slipping the brass knuckles off.

#blupjeans #barry bluejeans #lup #taz #mine #asks #boatwizard2 #ise cube writing #i feel. weird about writing recently #hopefully this is at least semi in character but idk sdlkfsd

[honey-dewey]

Pepper Spray

Pairing: Jack ‘Whiskey’ Daniels/Reader

Word Count: 2,181

Warnings: None

The Statesman parking lot was the only thing you hated about your job. Mostly because it was dark as the night and terrifying even when you were clutching a weapon. Of course, when the time comes to use said weapon, you may or may not have accidentally used it on the wrong person. Oops.

 You loved your job. A well paying and not too hard job at the Statesman distillery and apparently, secrecy agent service. You mostly worked with the papers, filing and sorting and re-reading. It was hell on the feet and worse on the eyes, but you knew every inch of that building and all it’s goings on. It was truly an ideal job. 

However, the one and only thing you hated about your job was the parking lot. 

It was far away from the building, shrouded in darkness that the lights never touched. You’d put pepper spray on your keychain after a month of working at Statesman, and had hesitantly asked Ginger to make you a discreet weapon after you’d used your pepper spray once on a creep at a bar. She’d given you brass knuckles that you’d thankfully never had to use, but just knowing you could protect yourself was comfort enough. Even if you weren’t on Statesman property, the feeling of being protected was one you loved. 

Fridays were, of course, always hectic. Weekly mission reports were due on Friday, and between the fact checking and the grammar checks and the sorting away, you’d spent an hour extra at work. It wasn’t a bad thing though, as you got paid overtime and the bulk of the work was sorting away the new reports. However, your late night work antics meant that by the time you left the office, the parking lot was dead dark, and you clutched your pepper spray as you made your way to your car. 

Humming to yourself, just some annoying song one of your coworkers had been playing all day, you walked past the security booth leading into the parking lot. 

A noise behind you made you spin around, heart beating overly fast. The noise sounded distinctly like the security booth door opening. Your finger itched on the pepper spray trigger, getting ready. 

You continued towards your car, now on high alert. With the security Statesman had, you were fairly certain whoever was around wasn’t a huge threat to your safety, but you had to be certain. More than likely, it was just Tom, the security guard who usually sat in the booth. He left sometimes, to grab food or take a bathroom break. You took a breath, trying desperately to convince yourself it was just Tom. 

When you finally had your car in sight, you heard footsteps behind you, falling in line with yours. They were heavy, heavier than Tom’s, and they were regular, masked slightly by the sound of your own. Whoever was behind you was trying to hide their steps. Squaring your shoulders, heart beating loudly in your ears, you whirled around and immediately sprayed your pepper spray. There was no time to assess the threat, you just prayed your aim was true. 

It, thankfully, was. Your target, however, was not who you expected. 

“Whiskey?” 

Agent Whiskey, or Jack as he preferred around the office, was standing in front of you, his face and shirt bright orange as he attempted to process the fact that you’d just pepper sprayed him. 

“Oh my god!” You said, panicking as you realized what you’d just done. “I am so sorry!” 

Jack made a pained noise as the spray took its effect, and you immediately jumped into action. “C’mon,” you said, putting an arm around him. “I am so sorry,” you added again.

He didn’t respond. You sighed, slightly worried that this could be the end of your career. After all, you’d just pepper sprayed one of Statesman’s best agents. A mistake like that was pretty damn big. 

By the time you had him back in the building, Jack’s eyes were swollen shut and his face was soaking wet from the tears he was involuntarily crying. He couldn’t talk, so you simply busied yourself with setting him in a medical exam room and searching for what you needed. 

You’d gone through the paperwork on these rooms and their set up so many times that you knew every square inch of the space. And all the receipts for medical purchases went through you as well, meaning you also knew exactly what was stocked. 

Thankfully, Statesman had what you needed within reach, and it took you almost no time at all to find the nondescript bottle of saline solution and put it on the countertop. Along with that, you put on gloves, just to protect your hands. 

You carefully, while describing your actions so as not to send Jack into a panic, took his hat and jacket off and led him to the tiled corner of the room with the eye wash station. 

“I’m going to spray your face with this saline solution,” you said, uncapping the bottle. “It’s cold, but not super cold. It should help for when we flush the spray off your face with water.” As you explained, Jack shuffled on his feet, clearly eager to make the pain subside. 

“Three,” you said warningly, rolling the bottle back and forth in your hands, hoping you could warm the liquid a bit. 

“Two.” Jack tensed, although whether it was out of pain or anticipation, you had no idea. You could only hope it was anticipation. 

“One.” You sprayed the liquid all across Jack’s face, although it was more like splashing him with water from a cup. The saline solution dripped down his face and onto his shirt, mixing with the tears he’d shed. You put the bottle down, expertly guiding Jack over the eye wash station and turning it on. 

“Fifteen minutes,” you said, taking your gloves off and dumping them into the trash. “At least. After that, we’ll wait for your eyes to open and give you a rest period to let the burn subside, which could take a while, but should resolve itself in an hour or so.” 

Jack ended up needing a break around the eight minute mark, leaning back and taking multiple deep breaths, his eyes still shut and his throat still pretty much unusable. He rasped out a few words about his stained shirt, and you took the break in eye rinsing to help him take his shirt off and have him wash his hands. Once that was done, he went right back to the eye wash station to complete his time. 

Once Jack’s fifteen minutes were up, you helped him sit down and dry off, his eyes still swollen shut. Thankfully, his throat was starting to clear, and he was able to talk to you. 

“How in the hell?” He rasped. “I didn’t know you worked here in medical.” 

“I don’t.” You put the mostly empty saline bottle away, making a note on the whiteboard near the door that the room needed more. “I do the paperwork. I just happened to have to pull papers on an accident involving pepper spray today, and had to Google how to relieve the burn to fact check the papers. This room is familiar because I keep track of all the supplies and blueprints. Really, I just know a lot about everything that goes on in this building.” 

Jack took a breath. “Fuck.” 

You laughed. “Sure. Fuck.” 

Grabbing a few tissues, you carefully wiped away the residual tears and water off Jack’s face. His eyes blinked open, still red and swollen, but not too bad anymore. 

“Hey,” you said happily, glad to see his eyes open. “How’re you feeling?” 

“Like shit,” Jack muttered, raising a hand to rub his face, but you caught his wrist before he could. 

“Don’t rub,” you warned. “That’ll make it worse.” 

Jack nodded. “How long before the burn stops?” 

You shrugged, thinking back to the pepper spray paperwork. “An hour. But you probably won’t be fully recovered until tomorrow.” 

Sighing, Jack leaned back. “I guess we’re gonna be stuck here a while.” 

Eventually, you grabbed a washcloth and soaked it in cool water, laying it across Jack’s eyes. The swelling was, thankfully, going down, as was the redness. His eyes had finally stopped watering as well, meaning he was mostly able to see again. 

As Jack’s face got better, you two talked. Not about anything important, just simple things that could distract Jack. You learned he had a ranch, and he eagerly told you about his cow. 

“Her name is Bella,” he said, showing you a photo on his phone. You smiled. Bella was absolutely beautiful, with soft looking tan fur and big brown eyes. “She’s a highland cow, which is why she’s so fluffy.” 

“I didn’t know you had pets,” you said, sitting back and checking your watch. “Bella’s adorable.” 

Jack shrugged, putting his phone back into his pocket. “I inherited most of it from my brother,” he explained. “He died a while back, right as I joined Statesman. Mom always expected to get the ranch, but my brother said she didn’t have the heart for it. So he left it to me.” 

“Huh.�� You stood, dusting yourself off. “Does your mother suck?” 

“Nah,” Jack responded. “She’s just not very motherly.” 

You laughed. “Well that explains it. We should probably get going, by the way. It’s getting late.” 

So you and Jack walked out to the parking lot, you silently fiddling with your keys. 

“Can I drive you home?” You blurted, watching Jack head off towards where the Bronco was parked. 

He stopped, turning back to you. “Pardon?” 

“I’m just worried your eyes aren’t up to scratch yet,” you elaborated, nervousness making you shuffle your feet. “And I’d feel better if I got to drive you home.” 

Jack shrugged. “Yeah. Sure.” 

As he got into your car, he looked around, impressed. “What kinda car is this?” 

“A mustang. Shelby Cobra to be specific.” 

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Is it a ‘67?” 

“Yep.” You busied yourself with backing out, the old mechanics of the car a familiar comfort to you. 

“Huh.” Jack leaned back. “Impressive.” 

You smiled, waving to Tom, who was in the security booth. “Thank you. It was my dad’s, but he gave it to me because I helped him repair it when I was young. Where’s your house?” 

Jack put his address into his phone, putting it on the dash and maxing the volume so you could hear the directions. 

“So why’d you pepper spray me?” He asked eventually, breaking the silence. 

You snorted. “Why were you sneaking up on me in the middle of the night?” 

“I had a question.” 

“Mhm,” you hummed, making a turn. “What question?” 

Jack fiddled with his jacket zipper, seemingly nervous. “Just wanted to ask about my paperwork. Ginge needed to know when my last eye exam was, and she told me to find you.” 

You laughed. “It couldn’t have waited until tomorrow?” You asked. “Also, it was three years ago.” 

“How in the fuck?” 

“Champ needed your file yesterday so he could compare your sharpshooting record to one of the other agent’s scores,” you explained. “And on my way back down to the records room, I read it over. It’s a long walk and I needed some entertainment.”

Jack shook his head in disbelief, a small smile on his lips. “You are unbelievable.” 

You grinned, turning and pulling into Jack’s ranch. “I’m fairly certain being unbelievable is my job,” you pointed out, putting the car in park. 

As Jack opened the car door, you heard excited mooing and saw a dark figure racing over. 

“Bella!” Jack said eagerly, petting the cow the same way one would pet a dog. “Hey darlin’. How’s the ranch?” 

Bella mooed again, headbutting your car. 

You got out, coming around to scratch Bella’s ears. She butted into you too, sending you back a couple of steps. 

“Be nice,” Jack scolded playfully, shaking a finger at Bella. “This is a guest!” 

Bella mooed yet again and trotted off. 

“I’m sorry about her,” Jack said, turning to you. “She’s a people cow.” 

You merely shook your head, laughing. “It’s fine. By the way, is there any way I can make tonight up to you? I did kinda pepper spray you. Can I make that right somehow?” 

Jack chuckled, leaning on a fence post. “Come ‘round here again tomorrow at six. Wear something nice.” 

“Are you asking me out?” Of all the things you expected, this was not it. 

“Yeah,” Jack said. “What’d you say? Please keep in mind I was pepper sprayed an hour ago.” 

You snorted, getting back into your car and putting the window down. “It’s a date.” 

As you backed out of Jack’s ranch, he waved at you, and you waved back. 

Once you reached your own house, you fell onto your couch and eagerly texted Ginger, telling her about your upcoming date. Within seconds, she was calling you. 

“What?” You asked, giggling and heading into your kitchen for a glass of water. 

Ginger took a deep breath. “Did you just score a date with Jack goddamn Daniels?” 

“Yeah?” You said, leaning against your counter. “I mean, I kinda pepper sprayed him first, but yeah, I got a date!” 

There was a pause. And then, 

“I’m sorry, did you say you pepper sprayed him!?”

#kingsman the golden circle #kingsman #agent whiskey #jack 'whiskey' daniels #agent whiskey x reader #agent whiskey x you #pedro pascal #my writing

[round-and-round-about]

oc creation thoughts, mostly about names, inspirations and general development info. not sure if anyone wants to read this, but im in an oc mood right now.

František Kafka (The Magpie)

-His first concept art was made in 2019! That version kinda sucked but it did have the base ideas of current František (bird theme, black and white color scheme, two-tone gloves)!

-He’s Czech because uhhh I wanted to learn how to spell Czechia so I didn’t need to look it up every time.

-Did you know that his name is actually pronounced ‘fran-ki-shek’? I sure didn’t when I picked it! Anyway his first name doesn’t have any special meaning, it just looked cool. I had A Lot of last name candidates, most of them bird-related, but Kafka stood out because: 1. it’s cool, 2. it means ‘jackdaw’ and jackdaws are like magpies except not.

-I had many ideas for his codename, but decided to go with a simple animal name. I chose Magpie because they like shiny things and they’re pretty. (also I want to think he kind of sounds like a magpie when he laughs)

-I made his whole being in like, 2 nights and I’m proud I haven’t changed him much.

Gustav Schlösser (The Taxman)

-His biggest inspirations were the dudes in this music video (also the song shouldn’t fit him but it does). Also like, general shady asshole energy was a big inspiration.

-I wanted a character who was either Swiss, Bavarian or Maltese so I just made his dad Swiss and mom Maltese lol.

-His name doesn’t have much meaning it just sounds like the name of someone who’s a shady asshole and also Swiss. (also I threw in 2 Maltese names in the middle to balance it out, those have no meaning either)

-Ngl I don’t love his codename but it’s the best I could come up with and he feels like the type of guy to name himself something ‘cool’ instead of something that makes sense.

-At some point I decided that he needs some wild boar motifs, he still doesn’t have any. I gotta sort that out. 

Jyrki Laukkanen (Iron Fist)

-I had an idea for a rockstar type of guy who used brass knuckles and sang karaoke in his spare time, decided to make him Finnish.

-At first he was gonna be more Frederik (super popular finnish singer) inspired but I couldn’t get him to “feel” right and then I remembered that Tapani Kansa (another popular singer) existed, and was kinda hot when he was younger. His whole deal is basically based on these two images, and his face is heavily inspired by Tapani.

-Okay so Jyrki is a pretty generic manly name and Laukkanen is a pretty generic surname. I wanted to name him Taisto (battle) but it didn’t fit. Also wanted to name him Varma Kosto (certain revenge) but that didn’t feel right either.

-Choosing a codename for him was hell. My first thought was Verikarhu (blood-bear, play on the word verokarhu, tax collector), but that didn’t fit him at all and was too close to Gustavs codename. My second thought was something akin to Volvo Markkanen, but Jyrki is no gentleman criminal, so that didn’t work out.

Then I realized that in Finnish brass knuckles are called fist irons so Iron Fist came pretty naturally from that.

(-Additional note: he speaks Finnish in a heavy south-western dialect because that’s the only I know how to write and also everyone thinks it’s the ugliest dialect. And it kind of is.)

#my oc #cs oc #carmen sandiego oc #here are my evil european boys i like them and i hope you do too #i was gonna put some little personality notes here but its already pretty long so thatll be another post in the future maybe

[unbelievableholland]

Season of Reunions Part 2: Tougher

<<Previously  Next>>

Pairings: Mob!Hollands x sister!Reader

Warnings: Mentions of death, murder, blood, violence, and weaponry.

Words: 3,147

A/N: Got Part 2 done! Thank you for all the notes on the prologue and part 1! I hope you like this part! Classes are starting btw, so if i don’t update as fast, it’s mostly because our Christmas break is over. I’ll try my best to update as often as I can, I promise!

Summary: You, Y/N L/N, were adopted by 2 mysterious agents. You knew you were adopted and you never thought about your original family. Being content with the life your parents gave you, why would you? That was, until your parents are killed and you’re left to fend for yourself and with a lot of questions unanswered.

 (Moodboard made by me. Pictures gotten from Pinterest and Instagram. Credits to the original owners ❤)

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“N/N, listen to me. Remember the game hide and seek? We’re going to play okay? You hide, and don’t come out until I come get you. Got it?” She was panting. She looked scared, but of what?

Why does mommy look scared? Mommy is never scared.

“Y/N?”

Your mom’s voice pulls you out of your thoughts.

“Yep. Got it”

Your mom looks around. “Good. Now, go hide.”

You start running to find some place to hide as your mom gets up. You hear a lot of footsteps and muffled voices.

It’s probably just mommy and daddy.

Your little legs carry you upstairs until you find your bedroom door and head inside the room. You see the tiny closet next to your bed.

Hmm, that’s a good place to hide.

You waited a few minutes, and a few more.

Why were they taking so long?

You decided that you should probably go out now and show yourself before they get tired of looking for you. You were getting really good at this game.

That, was when you hear something break and someone scream. You panic. Running out of the closet to check what happened and to see if your parents were okay.

“Y/N, baby, you stay there. Wherever you are just- stay there!”

Why was your mother screaming? Is she hurt??

You contemplated going down.

Mommy told me to stay here. Maybe I should-

*BANG*

That- that was a gunshot. You were sure of it.

Sprinting, you make your way down the stairs, hiding behind the wall beside the stairs, peeking at the living room.

“Where is she? Where’s the girl?”

An unknown man is pointing a gun at your mom. Tears make your way down your face. Covering your mouth so that you wouldn’t make a sound. Especially when you saw your dad on the ground. Blood pooling around him and on his stomach leaning on the couch. Barely breathing.

The man’s back is facing you, as he grabbed your mom by the hair. No matter how errified her eyes looked, she still had on a tough exterior.

But the moment she saw your small figure behind the wall, she looks at the man while her face morphed into one of pure and utter horror.

“I don’t fucking know who you’re talking about. It’s only my husband and I who lives here.”

Her chest is rising up and down. Scared of what they might do if they saw you. You turn around trying to hide, since you knew it was what your mom wanted.

That was when someone grabbed your arm and took you to the man in front of your mom. You scream. Trying resist and punch the man’s legs, you even try to bite his hand in an attempt to escape.

“I found her”

You quickly sit up, breathing heavily. Your head looking from left to right. You feel sweat make their way down your forehead and down your back. Heart beating as fast as it could. You couldn’t help the tears that formed in your eyes. You couldn’t stop them. So, you let them fall down your face, curling around yourself while your shoulders start to shake uncontrollably.

Inhale, exhale.

It’s just a dream. You’re safe, you’re okay, you’re fine.

Taking a deep breath, you slowly start to uncurl yourself and try to stop your continuous gasps and tears.

It’s not like you’re not used to it.

Pushing the blanket off of you, you stand up so you could go to the bathroom to wash your face. Your breathing still a little abnormal.

You make your way to the bathroom and turn on the sink. Splashing your face with water and wiping it with the towel behind you and making your way out.

Gosh. When will these stupid nightmares stop?

The moment you step out of the bathroom, you remember to text Jo a good morning. You know what? Maybe you’ll call her this time. Just to ask if she’s doing ok.

Typing up her number, you press the call button.

“Hello? Y/N? Why are you calling at 5 am in the morning? Is something wrong?”

Whoa. It’s only five? I thought it’d be much later than that?

“Hi, uh, Jo uhm, I’m fine. Just checking in to ask how you were doing?” You aren’t lying. That dream just really messed you up.

“I’m okay. Just- wait, you had another nightmare, didn’t you?”

You nod. Forgetting that you are only on a phone call. As if sensing your answer, Jo sighed. She knows you well enough to know what might have happened.

“You know it’s just a dream, right? I don’t know what you dreamed about, but know that I’m okay, and that you are too. No matter what happens in your dreams, remember that it’s only in your head and that it isn’t true. Please, next time you have one of these nightmares-tell me. Don’t cover it up. I’m here for you, okay?”

You know she’s right, and that you should really tell her what’s been going on.

The people following you and shooting at you, but you don’t want her to be included in this mess. You want to keep the only person you care about safe. The fear only intensified after that nightmare. You wouldn’t be able to take it if you lose her like how you lost your mom and dad. No, not Jo. Not ever.

“Okay.”

“I’m going to go back to sleep. You should too. Goodnight Y/N, I love you.”

This is why. She’s about the only one that cares for you. You swore to yourself to protect her as much as you can.

“Night. Love you too”

The click on your phone telling you that she had hung up. You know that you are not going to be able to fall back asleep. It’s one of the things you find hard to do. Paranoia really messes with your head. Especially at night, and with knowing that people are after you for— whatever reason.

Going out of your bedroom, you make your way down to your training room. Not before grabbing a pair of legging and a sports bra, of course.

You had a pretty spaced out training room. It has punching bags, dummies, and prototype weapons. It also has an area with gym equipment and closets for when you only want to exercise. The room of course, has a bathroom/shower room and a few accessories like a flat screen T.V and speakers.

Walking up to the closet and kneeling so you could open the dresser under it and getting your hand wraps to protect your knuckles. You got the white ones because it was the comfiest. You had about 5 pairs of hand wraps. All in different colors. You even have boxing gloves and a lot of running shoes. A whole

walk-in closet of them actually.

Around your wrists is a hair tie that you use to put your hair up in a messy bun. Proud of yourself for remembering to tie your hair before wrapping your hands. It was annoying to keep forgetting about how hard it is to have your hands wrapped then realizing that you still have to tie your hair up.

Today, you plan on actually training instead of just working out, because of how rusty you’ve gotten. You want to be prepared just in case someone ever decides to attack you again. Like, maybe practicing some weaponry as well.

You have a wide variety of weapons. Some hung up, and some laid out on a wooden table at the back of your training room. The prototypes are the ones on the table, and the real ones are placed hanging on the wall. They are pretty secure so that there’ll be no way of them falling and possibly injuring you.

When you think about it, it’s scary how much of them you have. I mean, whenever you wanted one, you would just have to tell Jo and she’d give it you as soon as she could. No questions asked. They range from knives, to brass knuckles, to nunchucks. You have a wide variety of specific weapons, like your knives. You have butterfly knives, pocket knives, you even have a Karambit. That one is your favourite. You have guns as well. Those were hidden though. The more… dangerous ones are placed somewhere else. All of the weapons you have though, you’ve mastered. You made it a point to get the hang of each and every one of them before you asked Jo to buy new ones.

You look at the table with the weapons on placed accordingly on top, but decided on practicing with kicks and punches on the punching bag instead. It’d be a good workout anyway.

Turning around and walking towards the black punching bag. You let out a huff. It’s been a while since you’ve trained. A few months maybe? It’s not because you don’t want to. You love training actually. You guess it’s just because of the people following you. You didn’t really want to be reminded of them, so maybe that’s why you stopped?

You do know that, if you don’t keep up the training, there’ll be a bigger chance of them actually catching you. That is, if they only plan on catching you.

You don’t want to think about that right now though.

Ok, time to actually start training now.

Holding your hands up and balling them into fists in a protective manner. You punch it. Lazily at first.

You punch it again, a little harder this time.

Thinking about it now, you actually miss the pressure on your knuckles. The adrenalin after each blow.

You punch it twice, then three times, until you are punching the bag continuously. Even ducking from time to time as you got better at imagining your opponent. It was easy to get the hang of it since you’ve been doing this for a while. You just have to get a rhythm for your movements.

Jab, hook, duck, elbow, hitting the bag and going around it until you are breathless enough that you have to actually stop.

You’re panting. Hands on your knees, sweat going down your body and adrenalin coursing through your veins. You raise your hand up to wipe some of the sweat from your forehead. Breathless, you sluggishly walk towards the water bottle inside the bag placed on the table.

Sliding the zipper to the right, sufficiently opening it, you grab the bottle, twisting the cap open and taking a sip. Looking down and seeing- wait, what?

How did the notebook get there?

Yes, THE notebook. You don’t remember getting it from the drawer, and you certainly do not remember placing it in your gym bag. You didn’t even have a reason to put it there.

You close the bottle and quickly put it back in the bag, pulling the zipper closing it.

You don’t want to think about that right now.

You want to train more but you are also exhausted. It was then when your phone rang. The only person you know that has your personal number is Jo, so you didn’t bother looking as the caller I.D.

“Hello?”

“Y/N! I’m free today! Do you go out for pizza?”

Well, it was certainly Jo.

“Really?? Sure!”

Come on, how could you turn down pizza?

“Ok, meet me at the park at 2:30 PM and we’ll go to Pizza Euforia, ok?”

“Got it”

Hanging up, you smile to yourself. A genuine smile. Pizza Euforia is one of the places you would visit with Jo whenever she had free time— which, rarely ever happens. You can’t complain though since you know she has a job and a life outside of yours.

You hurry to your bedroom and go to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready. It’s already 1 o’clock and you still hav to actually go to the park. Which is a few minutes away from where you live. It’s not that far, but it still takes time.

It’s been a few minutes since you took a shower, and now, you’re trying to decide on what to wear. Usually, it would be easy for you, but for some reason, you couldn’t find anything good in your closet. You look at the clock in top of your dresser and see that it’s already 2 o’clock.

Fuck it.

You grab some high-waisted jeans and a black crop top to pair with your combat boots and run out the door. When the guards saw you, they just opened the gate since Jo already told them that you two had plans.

Going to the park was easy. You know your way around it since that’s where you usually like to hang out and take your mind off of things. You expected to get there in about 8 minutes, but to your surprise, you go there in three because of how excited you were.

“Jo!” Seeing her here and outside the house was rare, so obviously you squealed the moment you saw her.

Too distracted and too focused on Jo, you failed to notice the dog that you are about to bump. You only saw the cute grey pup when you are so close to hitting them with your feet, so you jump to avoid hurting the small grey dog. Completely unprepared for that jump, you are completely unprepared to land as well.

You feel your heart drop to your stomach when you see the ground getting closer to your face. It all happened so fast. Jumping, tripping both of your ankles then falling on your face.

Ouch.

Still laying on the grass, grunting as you try to roll over so that your face isn’t smushed against the dirt. Seeing the dog run quickly to you and lick your face. Hmm, probably a dog’s way of apologizing.

“Tessa!” Snapping your head to where you hear the voice, and seeing a somewhat tall figure running towards you. Kneeling beside the dog—Tessa, you presume— then asking you whether you were fine or not.

He looked pretty young. Probably near your age. He had brown hair which appeared red in the sunlight and a lot or freckles. He actually looked familiar. You don’t know why, because you are sure that you’ve never seen him before. Maybe he looks like someone else that you know?

“Uhm, hello? Miss? Are you okay?”

Oh shoot. You forgot that he asked you a question.

“Yeah, I think I’m fine”

To be honest, you don’t know if you’re fine or not. You have a pretty high pain tolerance. You could have broken a bone or something for all you know.

“I’m really sorry about Tessa. She gets really excited sometimes”

Hmm, British. Course he is. You’re in London for Christs sake, what did you expect?

“Oh it’s fine really. I wasn’t really looking at where I was going” You both were still sitting on the ground. Where’s Jo? Everyone at this park probably saw you falling.

“Not from around here are you? I mean, you have a weird accent”

He chuckled. Not in a teasing way. More like, he’s just trying to make conversation. As he was speaking, both of you proceeded to stand up. The pain in your ankles fading away.

“Well, I’m originally from America, but I moved here when I was 8 so I guess some English accent got mixed with my American one”

It’s true. You do have a weird accent. Living here for years, you got some of the English accent from Jo. Mixing with your American accent.

“Cool. Oh uhm, I’m Paddy by the way” he held his hand out.

“Y/N” You shook his hand, but felt something weird on his finger. A ring perhaps?

You turned his hand so that is was facing you and looked at the ring. When you saw it, immediately recognized the way it looks and the matte black paint on it. It looks exactly the same as the one in the notebook. Damn. How did you even forget about that ring? Are you seriously this forgetful?

“Uh, where did you get this ring?”

When he sees you looking at the ring, he quickly pulled his hand away from you. It kind of looks like he’s hiding it from you, but why?

“It’s a— a custom family ring.” He looked nervous now.

A what? A custom family ring? If it is a custom family ring, then why do you have the same one? Having the same ring as his entire or at least, immediate family can’t possibly be coincidental. Right? What the actual fuck is going on?

You open your mouth to say something

“I—”

“Y/N! Are you okay? Are you hurt???” Jo placed her hands on your face, looking at every angle to check for bruises or scrapes.

“What— Jo stop— I’m fine Jo.” You take both of her hands off of your face.

“Jo?”

“Oh, hi Paddy”

Jo knows Paddy?

“Wait— you know him?” now she looks nervous.

“Uhhh yeah, we’ve met before. Actually, you know what? I think we need to go now. Pizza Euforia might be packed if we get there late.” She tugs on your hand and pulls you away from Paddy to head to the pizzaria.

“Bye Paddy!” she waves a goodbye while she drags you with her.

Jo is acting strange. You’ve never seen her like this. So, you pull your hand away from her. Maybe you could try ask her? If she won’t say anything, you can always try to make her slip in some way.

“You know, maybe we should just order pizza. Let’s go back to the house.” You don’t even let her answer before sprinting back to your house.

Once you get back; Jo following you, of course; You went straight to your bedroom. Seeing that Jo followed you inside, you locked the door and stood in front of it.

“You know something don’t you?” You are very suspicious of Jo now.

“What do you mean— what are talking about?”

“You know Paddy, and you were acting really weird around him”

You know you’ve got her cornered now.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Y/N”

“You know about the note book don’t you? And the necklace inside? Heck, you were probably the one who put it in my gym bag! If you were the one who put it there, why?” It makes sense now. Jo is the only person who has keys to your house. If she new Paddy, she probably knows about his ring. She probably knows about your ring.

“What note book?! What necklace?? I mean— even if I do know about that ring why would it have something to do with Paddy? And no, I was not acting weird around him at all”

Gotcha.

“I didn’t say anything about a ring, Jo”.

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Tag List:

@spideylovin @used-avocado

#tom holland x reader #tom holland and you #tom holland au #harry holland x you #harry holland x reader #sam holland x reader #paddy holland #Tom Holland x sister!reader #Sam Holland x sister!Reader #Harry Holland x sister!reader #Paddy Holland x sister! Reader #harrison osterfield #harrison osterfield x reader #tom holland imagine #sam holland imagine #harry holland imagine #Paddy Holland imagine #harrison osterfeild x reader #mob!tom #mob!harrison #mob!au #mob!haz #Mob! Sam #Mob!Harry #harry holland x y/n #sam holland x y/n #thomas stanley holland #tom holland angst #harry holland angst #sam holland angst

[chaoticgremlinwholikescheese]

CHAPTER 17

JACK’S POV:

“Merry christmas!” Race shouts. The boys cheer, their faces bright. The building is freezing, but none of us feel it. The presents sit under the tree, hastily wrapped in newspaper and butcher paper. The tree is one we picked up off the street, but it’s perfect. It’s decorated with ornaments made out of buttons and bottle caps. The tree is lit by some candles nearby, the scent of the wax flowing through the air along with the pine. 

The boys are clustered around the room. Some are chatting, some are playing cards. Katharine and Alex are sitting together talking about the last suffrage meeting they went to. The two of them talk non-stop now. It’s nice to see them getting along so well.

What's left of the food sits on the table. Davey brought some of his mom’s meatloaf, Katharine brought some of the fancy food from her house, Alex came with a batch of cookies, and the rest of us managed to scrounge up some sodas and snacks. It’s not the nicest feast, but it’s pretty damn good for a bunch of newsies.

“Hey, Les! Come over here! We need ya to place the star on top of the tree!” Finch shouts. Les runs over, a big smile on his face. Finch hands him the star, which is actually just a rusty piece of metal. He hoists Les onto his shoulders and holds him up as he places the star on the tree. “Looks perfect!” Alex shouts out. 

“Presents time!” Specs yells. Everybody hurries to gather around the tree. “Les, you go first. You’re the youngest.” Albert hands him a small box and Les opens it. “My very own newsboy hat!” He proudly puts it on and it falls over his eyes. “Ah, you’ll grow into it.” Jojo says, slapping him gently on the back. 

Little by little, gifts are exchanged. Crutchie gives everyone a pair of gloves that Alex helped him sew. They’re a little lumpy and a little threadbare, but they’re the best pair of gloves I have ever owned. Spot got Race a nice silver kazoo and Race got Spot a pair of brass knuckles. All of us pitched in to get Davey a brand new book from the book store. He started reading it immediately. 

I got a new set of paint brushes, with real wooden handles. It’s perfect timing too, my old brushes were pretty much destroyed. Katharine receives one of those new fountain pens. It even has a silver tip. I saw some of the shops selling them on 11th. 

Everyone is playing with their new gifts, exchanging thank yous and hugs. The energy in this room is tangible. Everyone’s hearts are glowing. “Hey Alex. Come up to the roof with me, I have something to give you.” I whisper. Alex and I grab our coats and climb up the fire escape, leaving the noise of the party below. 

The night air is cold and our breath freezes into white clouds. I can hear cars and people moving below, the street lights tiny below us, like a reflection of the stars above us. The moon is almost full and it looks down on us. We sit on the edge of the roof, feet dangling over. It would be scary if we didn’t know that we had someone there to catch us if we fell.

“I know you don’t celebrate christmas, but I got you something anyway.” I reach into my pocket and pull out a small cardboard box. I hand it to her and she slowly opens it, tucking the box into the lid. Her mouth goes wide as she pulls out the necklace. “It’s the soda cap from our first date. I wanted to save it for something special.” 

“Jack…” her voice is soft. She puts it on, gently holding the cap. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” She wraps me in a hug, giving me a long kiss. 

“We should probably go back inside before they wonder where we went.” Alex says. I nod. We climb down together, coming back in through the window. It looks like no one noticed we were gone. They’re all still clustered around the tree.

“Oh! Look!” Jojo crows, pointing to the space above the window. I look up and see a thing of mistletoe hanging from the frame. “That wasn’t there before.” Alex mumbles. “Your welcome.” Katharine winks, crossing her arms. “C’mon, you hafta kiss! It’s the rules!” Mike shouts. I roll my eyes but I turn towards Alex.

She stands on her tip toes and we kiss. Everyone cheers and wolf whistles. I pull away and grab Alex’s hand, leading her over to the group. We join them around the tree.  Alex leans her head on my shoulder and I wrap my arm around her. 

I feel safe here, surrounded by my family. It’s odd and mismatched, but it’s the only family I could ever want. We’re definitely not perfect, we argue and fight. But in the end we always make up and get along. We know that we would fight for each other, that when one of us needs help we’ll be there. And that’s the only thing that really defines family.

#family doesn't break fic #jalex #jack x alex #jack x ofc #newsies #newsies fic

[supergirlfics]

Batwoman

A/N: Welp, like I said, trash for Kate Kane. There will probably be more of this and hopefully I got the voices and character at least sorta right. With only half a season, not much to go on, but I think it’s okay. Enjoy!

Okay, I realized the perspective changed several times throughout the fic, so I’v got that fixed. It is now at least 99% second person. 

“Well, aren't you just the most adorable little thing,” The woman grinned impishly. “We can have so much fun with you.”

You gulped. You didn’t know what she meant by “fun” but you knew you didn’t like it. Her smile sent chills down your spine. She gripped your chin in a surprisingly hard grip, her face only an inch from yours. 

“You just have the most beautiful face. It will work well.”

“W-what do you want?” You asked.

The woman stepped back, white hair bouncing as she did. “I just said, didn’t I? I want your face.”

“Just . . . just let me go. Please,” You begged.

“What? You don’t want to play with dear Alice? I must say, I’m horribly disappointed. And for the insubordination, you will have to pay a price. I can’t do anything to harm that pretty little face, but the rest of you, well . . .” 

Before you could register what was happening, a knife plunged into you shoulder. A scream echoed from your lungs as you felt it twist inside you before Alice slowly dragged it out. Blood poured from the wound, tears stained your cheeks. Your breath came out in heavy wheezes as pain continued to shoot through you in shockwaves. 

“Now, would you like to play?”

You didn’t answer, only stared at the blood seeping down your shirt and onto the ropes that fastened you to your seat. 

“I asked you a question,” Alice growled. “When I ask, you answer.”

“N-no . . . please don’t hurt me.”

Alice cocked her head to the side. “I see. My dear girl, I won’t hurt you. I’ll only make you suffer. It’s you who decides whether it hurts.”

The cold metal of spiked brass knuckles pounded into your stomach as Alice rammed into it with her fist. She was smiling. Enjoying the sound of your screams as the punched you repeatedly. When she finally stopped, you head hung limply. You were soaked in blood. Every inch of your body shook in agony.

And that’s when somebody else entered the room. He was a scraggly looking young man, with long hair and a thin figure. You didn’t know why, but just seeing him sent a chill down your spine. He carried an heir of unease.

“That’s my face?”

“Yes, Mouse, that’s your new face. Do you like it?”

“It’s a girl.”

“We do what is necessary, Mouse. Remember, you needed a woman’s face. It will fit you just fine. Do you like it?” There was malice in her voice the second time she asked that question. 

“Yes, Alice. I like it. It’s a good face. It will be useful.”

“Useful for what?” You squeaked.

Alice knelt down in front of you and caressed my cheek with one gloved hand. You tried to draw away, but it only caused you to gasp in pain. “Useful for Mouse. Nobody wants to see his face, but if we place yours on him, the world will never know the difference. There are oh so many things he can do with this face.”

Alice’s words sent a shiver down my spine. I squeezed my eyes shut as she ran her hands over my face as if studying it. Feeling every bump and curve. 

“Oh my . . . you’re very warm. You may be striking a fever. No doubt from those awful wounds. But don’t worry, my pet, I’ll bandage you up.”

“Leave me alone,” You whispered. You couldn’t keep the fear from your voice.

“No can do. But don’t be nervous. I’m very good with a bandage.” 

The cleanliness of the bandages she used was questionable. In a place like this, no matter how many times something had been sanitized, you still couldn’t be certain it was clean. 

They moved you to a bed, and though you tried to fight and protest, you were too weak. It only caused more pain and more blood. You were lightheaded, dizzy. And you could only stare as they tied you to the bed posts. 

“What a good girl, finally listening. You stopped fighting. It’s a shame you won’t be alive much longer. I have grown rather fond of you.”

“Please don’t kill me,” You squeaked.

“My dear girl. If only it were in the cards.” She grabbed a wad of gauze and pressed it to the wound in your shoulder. You cried out in pain and Alice tisked. “Not very strong, are we? Can’t handle a little pain?” She pressed harder.

“Stop,” You gasped.

“I’m sorry, but I thought you wanted to live a while longer. Besides, the flesh is better when fresh. However, I do not wish to hear your screams. Mouse, gag her.”

A dirty cloth was shoved in your mouth and tied behind the back of your head. It tasted horrible and made it difficult to breathe. You struggled against it, but Mouse was much stronger. It wasn’t much of a fight. 

She smiled sweetly at you as she fastened the gauze the your skin. It was a sickly sight - how could one so terrible feel so good about what they were doing? It was as if your pain gave her great pleasure. She moved to the wounds on your stomach, which somehow hurt even more. You were certain that, in this filthy place, they had already become infected. 

Your flesh wouldn’t be too great after that. 

Tears streamed down your cheeks.

Alice wiped them away with a knuckle, a little too gently. “Don’t cry. You’ll stain your cheeks.”

~~~~

“We’ve got reports of a kidnapping,” Sophie said. “Young woman, early twenties. Her name is (Y/N). Discovered missing after she failed to show up for work for several days, a coworker went to see if she was okay. There are signs of a struggle, blood on the floor. We don’t have long if we want to find this girl alive.”

“Where was she taken from?” Kate asked, stepping toward the screen.

“The Orchard apartment complex.”

“That’s near the morgue. Have there been any other abductions?”

Sophie shook her head. “Not from what we’ve seen, though we will be keeping an eye out.”

Kate nodded, eyes still not leaving the screen. “Show me the crime scene photos?”

Sophie simply nodded and did as she was asked. 

Kate silently studied them. It showed an apartment that looked as if it was usually very clean, however, chairs were thrown aside, dishes broken, a vase lay in pieces on the floor. “What floor?”

“Fifth,” Sophie said.

“Are there any security cameras nearby?”

Jacob stepped forward with another image. “Only this one, about a block away. The street is busy, making it nearly impossible to identify the escape vehicle.”

“Play it,” Kate said. She was looking for something, though nobody was quite sure what she was searching for. Again, she studied it silently for several minutes before raising a hand. “There. That’s the vehicle.”

Jacob paused the video. “How do you know?”

“It belongs to Beth.”

The crows all exchanged a look. “We need to go,” Sophie said.

Kate was already gone. She ran back to Wayne Enterprises, trying to ignore Luke as he bombarded her with questions.

“Whoa, you came in a hurry, what’s going on? Is it Alice? Did she do something?”

“Can you shut up?”

“That’s incredibly rude. Okay, but I’ve been working on a new piece of tech and -”

Kate shoved him out of the elevator just before the doors closed. “Not the time, Luke.”

It wasn’t long before she had donned the suit, equipping herself with everything she might need, and rushed off. 

~~~~

“N-no . . . No,” You cried as Alice pulled out a small knife. 

“Oh hush,” Alice snapped. “Your pathetic whimpering is starting to get on my nerves. Obviously, the gag didn’t work, but I’ll make sure you can’t talk anymore. I may need your face, but your tongue is free to dispose of.”

Your mouth was forced open and a cold metal clamp bit down on your tongue. Something pierced painfully through it, so no matter how you struggled, you couldn’t draw your tongue away from the clamp. Though you tried to scream and tear away, you couldn’t. Mouse held your head steady as Alice brought the knife to your tongue. 

You had never been more afraid. Had never cried so hard. You had gone through a lot in your short life, but this was by far the worst. And you were powerless.

“Beth!” The voice drew away Alice’s attention from me. “Let her go.”

“No can do, sis. I was just about to cut out her tongue. Care to watch?”

Through my tears, you were able to see the woman standing on the other end of the room. She wore an all black suit and had long, dyed red hair. She looked almost like Batman. 

“Touch her and you’ll regret it,” the woman growled. “Beth, this is not okay.’

Beth moved the knife from my tongue and ran the side of it along my face, stopping to press the tip against the side of my neck. “Her face is just what we need. And nobody will miss her. She’s alone. Uncared for. No family . . . No friends. The perfect victim.”

The woman slowly stepped closer, raising a gun. “Let her go or I will kill him.” 

The gun wasn’t pointed at Alice as you’d expected, but rather, at Mouse. 

“You wouldn’t.”

“You really think so? You’re the one that means something to me, not him. He’s the one who took you and turned you into this. It would be easy.”

Blood dripped from your neck where the knife cut into your skin.

“You’re not a killer, dear sister.”

The gun went off. You jumped, eyes squeezed shut. There was a gasp and you felt the pressure release from your neck as Alice dropped her instruments. When you opened your eyes, you saw the Bat . . . woman, with an incredulous expression as she looked around.

A second woman rushed in a moment later, followed by several people in Crows Security uniforms. 

You could hear screams behind you, no doubt from Mouse, as you could also hear Alice speaking to him. “Mouse . . . You shot him!”

“That’s right,” the second woman said. “Don’t worry, it’s not fatal. Arrest them.”

Alice threw something. You saw it zip past you and the moment it hit the ground, the room was covered in a thick fog. You coughed as the smoke filled your lungs. It stung your eyes and made you feel dizzy. 

Through the fog, you could see the bat woman approach you. “I got you.” The clamp was removed from your tongue and the bindings from your wrists and ankles. She lifted you into her strong arms, holding you close as she walked from the building. The second woman was close behind.

“Hey, Batwoman, you can’t take her.”

“She needs help, Sophie. You do your job, I’ll do mine. I’m taking her to the hospital. Catch Alice.”

Sophie didn’t say another word, just allowed Batwoman to carry you away. 

#Supergirl #Supergirlfics #Supergirl Fics #Supergirl Imagine #Supergirl Imagines #Batwoman #Kate Kane #Sophie Moore #Mary Hamilton #Alice #Mouse #Alice and the Wonderland Gang

[timeforelfnonsense]

Mistress Wit

Wyll x Criella

Rating: T 

Ao3

With Patch 3 out now, I decided to make another bg3 oc to romance Wyll! Dafni will still be the main character so to speak of my bg3 writing with Criella serving as a secondary protag & member of the party in Sunshine and Starlight. She and Wyll will also be getting their own little collection with Dafni & Astarion serving a similar role! However, as my writing is pretty ship centered you wouldn't really need to read one to enjoy the other!

                                                     Prologue

Criella brought her hands above her head, fists pounding against the transparent shield that kept her snuggly trapped in the mind flayer pod. If she could just find a weak spot…

Ah-ha!

It was faint but, Criella spotted a hairline fracture in the upper right portion of the glass. Perfect. Her tail dipped into the worn leather bag strapped to her thigh seeking her tinker’s tools. If she could just find her mallet she’d be able to shatter the glass and free herself from her confines. She reached for the top of her head, pulling her goggles over her eyes. With one precise strike, the mallet made contact with the pod’s lid. What had started as a single small fracture now spread across the whole surface in a spiderweb of spits and breaks. Carefully, her fingertips traced the somatic symbol needed to cast a gust cantrip.

“Ventus!” With the command spoken a small tempest broke free of her palms sending shards of glass flying across the clearing.

Her boots hit the ground with a soft thunk, the collateral of her escape crunching beneath her feet. She scanned her surroundings nose wrinkling with repugnance. This was definitely not Waterdeep. She’d crashlanded in some sort of hinterlands located god knows where. She brought her fingertips to her temples rubbing away the tension with little circles. She needed to locate civilization and quickly. It was only a matter of time before the dangerous effects of the tadpole squirming behind her eye would manifest.

She dug around her bag until her hand found its target. A spyglass forged of brass, runes of her creation glowing across the tarnished cylinder. Pushing her googles back up, she pressed the scope to her eye looking out into the forest. Her mind tingled, the Spyglass of Clairvoyance reveling a small settlement nestled in a nearby grove. It was no city of splendor but it was a lead. The only one she had anyway. Perhaps, whoever called the grove home would be able to point her towards the nearest healer if they didn’t have one of their own. Her body ached from the top of her horns to the tip of her tail. Even if they couldn’t see to the parasite they could ease the discomfort of being crammed into a pod had caused.

----------

Criella sat atop a traveler’s chest, her tail flicking idle from side to side. The groves healer had just set out alongside a mercenary band just recently. Meaning her only choice was to doodled among the druids until their Master Halsin returned. She let out a huff of air, blowing away a stray strand of straight, lilac hair from her eyes. If someone were asked to rattle off a list of locations they might find Criella Wit of Waterdeep, a druid’s grove would certainly not have been among them. She’d never been one for nature’s charms. Given the choice between a bustling market or a quiet glen, Criella would have picked the crowded walkways and noisy rabble of the city to the glen every time. At least she was among kin. All around her other Tieflings mulled about weary faced as they set to packing up what little they had. Criella’s gloved fingertips tapped out an anxious rhythm on the side of the chest. Criella knew better than most that right and wrong could be terms with objective definitions. But turning out helpless refugees and children? That was wrong by every definition. She had sat in Zevlor’s quarters discussing the events that lead his people to take refuge among The Oak Father’s servants. They had come from Eturel originally- Collateral damage in the wake of post-Decent xenophobia. People who had once been treasured friends and neighbors became easy scapegoats for the suffering Elturel’s people experienced in the hells. Her grip on the chest tightened. Were it not for the black leather gloves her pointed fingernails would certainly have left a mark on its suede surface. Well, if the druids weren’t going to help she would. She pulled out a well-weathered note pad and nub of charcoal. She could adapt her design for the Protector canon with relative ease. She’d have to find a way to streamline and simplify it given her the groves appalling lack of anything metal. What she wouldn’t do for steel and iron! Perhaps their smith would have some to spare though she doubted it by the state of his forge. “What are you drawing?” a tiny sing-song voice asked. Criella glanced up from her work. A little tiefling girl of no more than 10, was staring owlishly over the edge of her notebook. Criella’s lips quirked, tuning the book so the girl could get a better look at her scribblings. “It’s a diagram of an Eldritch Canon. I’ve made hundreds of the things but today I’m working on one just for you and your friends. To keep you safe.” She explained, tapping the tip of her finger to the sketch, “It’s sort of a… a mechanical cleric! If anyone gets hurt on the road it might be able to help.” “You can make that?” The child whisperer reverently. “I can make anything.” Criella winked, “Just give time and the right tools.” “Could you teach me?” She asked, her lower lip quivering ever so slightly, “I want to be able to make anything! I want to help! I’m not good at fighting or sneaking like the others maybe I’m good at making things!” Criella let out a chime of warm laughter. The little girl’s eyes were full of wonder and optimism despite all she and her kin had endured recently. She’d too had been more interested in tomes and tinkering as a girl. While her peers were swinging sticks and imagining themselves as knights and guardsmen, little Ella would climb the tallest tree in the yard and name it Blackstaff Tower. “Well I can’t teach you how to make everything in just one day but, I can show you a few things.” Criella brought her hand to her lips, sharp teeth tugging the grove from her left hand. With a heartfelt smile she extended her hand to her would-be apprentice, “They call me Misstress Wit of Waterdeep but since we are friends, you can call me Criella.”

Wyll walked the length of the makeshift training ground. Adjusting postures and offering up every word of tender engorgement he knew. The tiefling children had been ecstatic to meet a ‘real-life hero’, bombarding him with sweet, curious questions the moment he stepped through the gate. After such a warm welcome teaching a few sparing lessons while he waited for Halsin to return, was the least he could do. These children had already witnessed more than many noble old men would in their whole lives. They should have been chasing frogs, enjoying their childhoods without fear. Not training for battles they couldn’t win. Despite the cheerless nature of his thoughts, Wyll put on his warmest, bordering on a fatherly grin. “Not bad! Not bad! Now, remember not to keep yourself so open.” He instructed demonstrating his instruction for a little boy with rusty hair, “Like this.” “Keep it up little one. You’ll be a fine warrior one day!” A lovely voice called. The gentle, golden timbre belonged to a statuesque tiefling woman. Wyll’s heart sputtered a bit when her soft silver eyes fell across his face. A dazzling smile on her rose-petal pink lips. Walking beside her was a child- Nalia, the little girl with a missing horn. He’d invited her to spar but she’d only blushed and ran off. “Wyll! I look at what I made!” Nalia shouted dragging the pretty-pink woman along behind her. When she reached the ring she pulled free a small metal gadget no bigger than her palm. The steal contraption glowed with a soft purple light. It’s slivery surface marked with an inscription: Be Brave, scrawled in infernal. “Aren’t you clever!” He said crouching down to admire her handiwork, “What is it?” “It’s an eldritch canon!” She rolled her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world The woman stifled a giggle, covering her grin with the back of her gloved hand. “Is that safe?” He asked cocking an eyebrow at the smirking beauty. “Yes! think of it as a mechanical cleric, Wyll!” Nalia said winking at her companion, “I’m going to be an artificer just like Mistress Wit!” “That’s right!” Wit nodded, “I think you’ve done enough work for today apprentice. Go on, take the rest of the day off...” As Wit trailed off a strange feeling began to unwind in Wyll's mind. The sights and smells of an unfamiliar harbor city danced across his senses. He could almost feel the sea breeze on his face. He saw a workshop so organized and meticulous it reminded him of his time with The Fist. He felt the uneven surface of cobbles stone under his feet as he tore after a thief, tears stinging at his eyes as the hooded figure mad off with the last project he and a half-drow woman had planned before she left. Lastly the memory of being confined to a pod and dragged to the hells. Wit blinked back at him dazed. Her slender nose wrinkled, her lips turned down in a worried grimace. “We should talk.”

Criella sat across from the Wyll at a shabby picnic table, poking at her gruel with a wooden spoon. The old woman had called it vegetable soup but remind her too much of the oil she used for in some of her machines to be palpable. “Not much for stew eh?” He teased taking a long sip of his bowl, “You haven’t spent much time in the wilds, have you?” “I am I that obvious?” she giggled, “I’m from Waterdeep- I’ve lived there all my life. Not much work out here in the woods for someone in my line of work.” Wyll tilted his head, bringing his chin to rest along the top of his knuckles, “Oh? And what is your line of work Wit?” He hadn’t heard of her? How strange. She was something of an arcane darling back home. If you asked someone where to inspired spellwork or magical mending. If they had any sense they would give you one answer: Wit and Wander. Well- Just Wit since Zoria had left for Neverwinter with her new wife…. “I’m many things; wizard, artificer, genius. Take your pick.” Wyll chuckled raising his tankard in approval of her assuredness, “Impressive.” “And what about you Wyll?” She said playfully, “Let me guess? You are a soldier. Mercenary? No, you are too upstanding to be a sellsword.” “They call me the Blade of the Frontiers.” He stated with a proud nod before continuing “Monster hunter. Hero. Protector of the common folk.” “The Blade of Frontiers? Now that’s a name!” She whistled, “And I thought Misstess Wit was a clever epithet! Now tell me Blade- How did you find yourself aboard the nautiloid?” Before he could respond the sound of a war horn rang out across the grove. Zevlor sprinting past them as shouting about a goblin siege at the front gate. Both adventures sprung to their feet as panic spread among the refugees. “Alright Blade.” Criella purred pulling her storm canon from the holster at her hip, “Let see if you live up to the legend.”

#bg3 oc #Wyll #elf writes #bg3 early access #Criella Wit

[sugarbooger513]

Moving On- Chapter Four

Warnings- Mentions of sex, cussing(is that a warning?), some heartbreak, toxic relationship, and some very fluffy, in love Aizawa. Enjoy <3

"Nah, dad, I'm full." Lilith smiles at papa and dad respectively. They both smile lovingly at their bonus daughter. "It's nice having the two of you home. Really, it is." Jasper look up from her phone with a grin. "A week at this place was very needed, honestly. I missed being around my old Daisy Mae." The eleven year old dog lets out a happy whine when she hears her name. Lilith nods and scratches the Shepherd's fluffy neck. "We totally use y'all for the cute dog. You know that, right?" The parents shrug with small chuckles. Jasper's phone buzzes, so she grabs it from the table and answers the call without looking at the ID. "Daedalus speaking." "Jas, I have a question." She smiles at the small chuckle on the other end. "What's up, Sho?" Lilith perks up at the sound of her old teacher's nickname. "Mic and I need sparring partners. You and Lilith wanna join?" Jasper looks over at Lilith, who nods eagerly. "Sure. Where-" "Mic left to get you not long ago. He should be there in two or three minutes." Of course Mic is already on his way. "Well, let me change and Papa or Dad will let him inside." "See you soon, Jas." She hangs up and rushes to her bedroom to put on some clothes that allow her to move a bit more freely. Meanwhile, Lilith goes to the front door and opens it to a very shocked Hizashi. "Hey, kid. You two ready?" "I am, but Jas is changing. Come on inside." He smiles at her politeness and walks in so she can shut the door. "I'll warn her when she gets out here, but Joke is gonna be there to watch." Lilith scrunches her nose at that. "And I'm not supposed to say anything about that?" "Well," Mic scratches the back of his neck, "if she steps out of line, I won't get mad at you. I can't speak for Sho, however." "Eraser will get over it." Mic is about to ask her to behave when Jasper comes out of the room. Instead of her shorts and tanktop, she's now in a loose, short sleeved shirt and some sweatpants. She reminds him a lot of Aizawa since her wardrobe seems to mostly be black. Mic throws his arms open, like he does every day, and scoops Jasper into a tight hug. "I missed ya baby!" "Geez, boomboom baby, don't crush me! I missed you, too!" They all three say goodbye to papa and dad before they walk to Mic's car. "Jas," Mic glances over at her from the driver's seat, "I'll tell you what I told Lilith. Joke insisted on watching the sparring." "Okay, but she better not throw a fit if Sho and I happen to bump into each other." Mic smirks. "I'll call her out on her bullshit, okay? That's the best way for Sho to keep some sort of sanity." Other than that short conversation, the car ride is quiet. Well, as quiet as a car ride with Mic can be. He sings whatever random song pops into his head. Rather than going to the school, Mic takes them to his and Aizawa's shared apartment. Outside, Aizawa is calmly wrapping his knuckles with tape while his girlfriend is rattling on about something. To be honest, he doesn't even know what she's saying. When he hears a car door close, Aizawa looks up and smiles at the sight. Lilith seems ready for this, Mic is already pulling leather gloves on, and Jasper is just.. here. Her blue eyes meet his, and both of them smile. "Hey, booboo eye." "Geez, hey Jas." He can feel Joke glare a hole through the back of his head. Jasper glances at Aizawa's bare arms, shocked that he isn't wearing his usual hero costume. Instead, he's pretty much wearing the same thing she is. "Christ, Sho, I thought you were scrawny." He tilts his head, suddenly aware of her looking a bit worriedly at his toned biceps. "Oh, that. It's nothing." "Hey, who is pairing with who?" Mic's question snaps Jasper's attention from the fact that Aizawa is built. Joke quickly chimes in. "I mean, guys against girls sounds fun." When Aizawa shakes his head, she glares even more(if that's possible). "I work with Mic all the time, and Lilith is pretty much Jasper's partner. I'm thinking support quirks versus physical quirks." Joke tilts her head. "So you and Lilith?" Aizawa can't help but chuckle. "Nope. Jas, you're with me." Jasper knows she should stand up for Joke, at least a little. She's obviously pissed that Aizawa wants to partner with her. Still, he has a point. Working with other quirks has great advantages. She shrugs, meeting Aizawa's smirk with one of her own. "Okay, Eraser. I would love to work with you." "Then we should talk strategy. Two minutes to debrief with our partners?" Mic nods in agreement and waves for Lilith to follow him. Joke follows Aizawa and Jasper when they move farther from the other duo. Still, the two friends ignore her presence. "Okay," Aizawa glances towards Mic, "you've worked with Mic. His quirk is devastating. However, he can't use it at full capacity during a spar." "Lilith's quirk is strong, too. She'll make them weapons, I'm almost sure. Honestly, you should keep her quirk cancelled." Aizawa nods understandingly. "Are you comfortable having a one on one with Mic?" "I won't let him beat me in close combat, Sho. Who do you think I am?" He smirks at her retort. "I trust that you can take a beating, Jas, don't worry. Still, I have my scarf, so don't freak out if I randomly yank you out of his reach." "Just yell my name beforehand, deal?" "Deal." Joke glares at Jasper as she giggles with Aizawa. How dare she call him Sho like it's okay? They don't know each other well enough to be on nickname terms. But.. he did call her Jas rather than Jasper or Daedalus. "Y'all ready to get your asses beat?" Mic's teasing remark makes Aizawa's eye twitch. When they walk in front of the other duo, Jasper pulls brass knuckles from her pocket and slips them over her fingers. Mic notices and smirks. "Remember your eye drops, Sho?" "Shut up and throw a punch, man." Mic shrugs and immediately reaches for Aizawa's scarf. Jasper doesn't waste anytime landing a kick in the blonde's abdomen to knock him back while Aizawa gets out of the way. It seems they planned to go after the opposite people because Lilith rushes cold air straight at Jasper. She'll always tell people, as simple as a quirk like cloud manipulation sounds, it has so many uses that it's crazy. Suddenly, the cold is gone and Lilith let out a weird growl of frustration. "Damn you, Eraserhead!" Aizawa lowers his goggles over his eyes with a smirk. "Come after me then, brat, or are you too scared?" He really knows how to push her buttons. As soon as Jasper takes her attention away from the two of them, Mic has the front of her shirt gripped in his fist. "That really fucking hurt, baby, so I apologize for this." She covers her ears, but his laughter makes her curse. His free hand goes into a fist and he lands a punch directly to her diaphragm, knocking the wind from her body. Rather than dropping her, He actually slams her into the hard dirt, which causes tears to prick the corner of her eyes. "Givin' up already, baby?" When her eyes open, he freezes at the bright orange color. He knows that he has to move, keep out of her sight, but it's too late. She smirks and glances beside her. Luckily enough, there happens to be a beetle. "Hey, Mic, I see that your biggest weakness is bugs." "Fuck." As soon as she throws the beetle on him, he lets out a loud yell. "Hey, Mic," Lilith yells from behind him, "you were supposed to warn me if you were about to- fuck!" Apparently Aizawa cut her words off. Jasper jumps to her feet, taking the opportunity to kick Mic while he's freaking out from the beetle. Once he's on the ground, she turns to see the situation between Aizawa and Lilith. Aizawa, like Jasper, specializes in hand to hand combat, so he isn't uncomfortable being in a deadlock with his former student. What does bother him is the fact that her quirk is just like....his old friend's. Even though her quirk is cancelled right now, her eyes shimmer blue just like his. It's too much of a coincidence. He would never tell her this, but that's why he gave her such a hard time as a student. He never disliked her. In fact, he saw her potential faster than any other teacher did, but he let the fact that she was like his old friend get to his own head. Lilith throws a punch, easily connecting with Aizawa's jaw. He smirks from it, already wrapping his scarf around her ankle. "Fuck!" He lifts her into the air easily and sends Jasper a nod. "I think we won this-" When he cuts off, he drops Lilith from the air and throws his scarf at Jasper. When it wraps around her waist, she notices Mic getting up and turning the dial on his speaker up. Aizawa yanks his sparring partner towards him, accidentally pulling her into his chest. "Sorry, but cover your-" Mic lets out a loud yell just as Lilith throws her own hands over her ears. Aizawa covers Jasper's ears with his large hands, and opens his eyes, cancelling Mic's yell almost as soon as it started. "Okay! We're done! Fuck, my eyes hurt.." Aizawa takes his hands from Jasper's head and starts rubbing his irritated eyes. Jasper rushes to where Lilith is sitting on the ground. She smiles at the white haired girl before she extends her hand to her. Lilith grins and gladly takes the help in getting up. "Yeah," Lilith pops her neck with a sigh, "he isn't aging fast enough." "Hey, if he didn't have your quirk cancelled, you could have beat his ass." The two girls laugh. Aizawa and Mic give each other a high five. "Here, Sho." Mic digs in his pocket for a bottle of eyedrops, which Aizawa takes gratefully. "Thanks, man. That was fun." "You enjoy working with Jas?" Aizawa rolls his eyes before throwing his head back to use the drops. The cooling sensation makes him sigh softly. "Of course I do. She's a very talented pro." Mic drops the subject when he notices Lilith, Jasper, and Joke walking towards them. "Sho," Jasper places her hand on his sweaty back, "thanks for covering my ears. That shit would have hurt." "Trust me," he chuckles, "it did hurt." When her gaze turns to worry, he throws his sweaty arm around her shoulders. "It's fine. I live with the guy, so I have a bit of a toler-" "Shouta." He grimaces when Joke calls him by his first name. "Yes, Joke?" "Get your arm off of her. Now." "I'm sorry, but I didn't realize that Eraser was dating his mom." Jasper is quick to yank Lilith to her. A real fight wouldn't be a good idea at this moment in time. Mic even gives her a pleading look that speaks 'let me handle it'. "Joke," Mic does great at keeping his voice patient, "we're all just having a good time. Don't bring it down with all your jealousy bullshit." Joke scoffs. "Whatever. Shut up, Mic." Something behind the friendly gleam in his emerald eyes ignites. "Okay, Emi, here's what we aren't going to do. We are NOT going to disrespect me when I pay half the rent here. We are NOT going to boss around Sho like he's a child. And finally, we are NOT going to disrespect OUR friends." "Mic," Aizawa gently places a hand on the blonde's arm, "allow me, please. I appreciate your concern, but she's my girlfriend." Joke smirks, obviously thinking that she won the argument. Aizawa narrows his grey eyes at her slightly. "I need you to leave, Joke." "What?!" He holds a hand up, obviously treating her like she's an unruly student. "I'm not dealing with this today. Today I'll be hanging out with my friends. I need a break and I would like to spend it around these three." When she stomps her foot, Aizawa is reminded of a toddler not getting their way. The difference is that it can be slightly amusing with a toddler. "Joke, go." "No. You're my-" Jasper doesn't meant to interrupt the tantrum, but something about it finally pushes her over the edge. "Shut the fuck up, Joke." Mic slaps a hand over his mouth, and Lilith has to do the same to keep from laughing. Aizawa stares at Jasper, shocked. Joke turns her glare to Jasper, who has her arms crossed over her chest. "Excuse me?" "I don't think I stuttered." Aizawa goes to stand between them, but Lilith reaches out and grabs his arm. When he looks confused, she shakes her head. She knows Jasper better than anyone else. If there's one person who can show Aizawa that he can do better, it's her. "I don't think you understand, Jasper, that he's my boyfriend." "I don't think you understand, Emi, that he isn't your property. Sho is allowed to live a life with friends that you don't hang out with." Joke scoffs. "Who the hell do you think you are, anyways?" "Oh," she fakes a wide smile, "where are my manners? I'm the All-Knowing hero, Daedalus, and if you don't respect my friend's wishes and leave then we're going to have an issue between us." "You enjoy being a smart ass?" "Kinda, yeah." The two women stare into each other's eyes. Joke's shine from possession and anger, but Jasper's only show how protective she can be. She's usually a patient person. It's really hard to annoy or piss her off, but Joke seemed to find the one thing that makes her blood boil. Joke is a bully. That's all there is to it. "You don't scare me, Daedalus." Jasper smiles in what could be taken as either sweetly or sarcastically. "I prefer it that way, hun. Now, skedaddle before I teach you how to play thirty-two pick up." She sees Joke throw a punch, so she raises her arm to easily block it. "Oop, too slow." With a quick swipe of her foot, Joke is knocked on her ass in the dirt. Aizawa, having seen enough, activates his quirk and wraps his scarf tightly around Jasper's wrist. She looks back at him, shocked to see anger in his eyes. "Sh-Sho, I'm.. I'm sorry." "Joke," he ignores Jasper's apology, "leave, now. You raised a hand to my friend, and I will NOT tolerate it." He knows Jasper would beat Joke in a fight. Why would she? Well, Aizawa wouldn't let Jasper fight alone, that's why. "Fine, but if I leave, we have to have a talk about our relationship!" "Later. As of right now, I'm not sure we have one." That makes everyone freeze. Even Mic's jaw drops. Joke shakes her head, laughing out of sheer disbelief. "You.. you don't mean that. You're just angry." "We'll discuss this later. Leave before I get angry." He isn't already angry? Joke slowly backs away, eventually getting in her car and driving away. Jasper tugs at Aizawa's scarf, which he quikly takes off of her wrist. "I apologize, Jas. I shouldn't have wrapped your wrist so tightly." She looks at the forming red mark and lets out a small chuckle. "Hey, it's nothing Rumi hasn't done to me before, booboo eye." The comment makes his cheeks flush, but his laughter makes the tightness in her chest release. Lilith takes a grand opportunity. "She really prefers the kinky stuff. Ropes were fun, so was the cho-" "Lilith!" "But you can't ever expect her to be on top. Gives her real bad-" "Lilith Maebh Clarey!" Lilith chuckles and crosses her arms over her chest. "What? I'm not wrong." "I-I don't need everyone knowing!" "Oh, but they haven't experienced it, Jas." Mic's eyes suddenly shoot open from the realization. "Woooooah! Have you two..?" "Banged? Yeah, about two years ago. It was fun." Lilith is chuckling, but Jasper buries her face in her hands. "Jas, I promise I look like more of a hoe than you do. I have slept with more than two people." "Can my bedroom stuff just STAY in the BEDROOM?!" Lilith snickers, and Mic quite literally falls onto the ground laughing. Aizawa, however, walks over and places a gentle hand on her shoulder. When she uncovers her bright red face, he smiles softly. "If you're worried that you'll be judged, don't. I'm your friend." Her crystal eyes widen as a smile graces her soft features. A moment of poor judgement cause him to slide his calloused hand from her shoulder to her cheek, caressing it like he should be doing with Joke. Jasper's breath hitches, but she can't force herself to back away. This is wrong. Still, she leans into his hand, enjoying the way he runs his thumb along her cheekbone. Her smaller hand comes up to rest on the back of his, which makes him let out a long, content sigh. What he would give to pull her in just for a small kiss. He wants to be able to laugh at how much he has to bend down to press his lips on hers, or how she would have to stand on the very tips of her toes to keep him from craning his neck too much. What he would give to be in a different universe. A universe where an angel like her could possibly feel the same for the crabby side character.

"This is disgusting." Mic chuckles at Lilith's whisper. Still, she can't keep from beaming at the sight of her best friend practically melting from Aizawa's touch. "You caused this. You did it on purpose, you cheeky minx." She winks at Mic. "Of course I did. I don't see Mirko and Jasper lasting, and I want this to happen. Joke doesn't deserve Eraser. He's a good guy." "Are you a little infatuated with him yourself?" Lilith makes a gagging sound that seems a little too realistic. "As if. You have a better chance at getting in my pants." He raises a blonde eyebrow and smirks. "I do, now? How.. how good of a chance?" Lilith winks, yet again, at the over enthusiastic blonde. "I don't know, Mic. How good of a chance do you want?"

"Sho, you're too sweet." "Try telling Mic that." Her eyes wander to his bare bicep, and she notices scars littering it. "Do you have a lot of scars?" "I mean, I guess so. I don't pay too much attention to them once they're healed. I just hate that the one on my face is so visible." "I.. I like that scar." "I know you do. It gave you a clever nickname for me." She rolls her eyes and he finally pulls his hand from her face. "There's a pond not too far from here. You wanna go feed some ducks.. or something." Her eyes lighten up, and he feels his heart skip a beat. "I love ducks! Hey, Lil- where did Lilith and Mic go?" Aizawa glances where he last remembers seeing their two friends. For some reason, there's now no sign of them. Jasper shrugs. "Maybe they're screwing." "I.. I don't want that image in my mind." Jasper giggles and pats Aizawa on his back. "So.. ducks?" "Yeah, lets go see some ducks before I think about that image anymore." Aizawa leads the way towards the pond. It isn't super fancy or anything, but he likes to take a walk there when work and Joke get to be too much. He really expects her to disregard it entirely. Still, the way she beams when she sees one of the ducks makes him feel... alive. The two of them sit in the grass. When his legs brushes hers, her cheeks warm. "Do you come here often, Sho?" "Mic is my closest friend, but he's super fucking loud. I just sometimes.. I need alone time. Joke doesn't seem to understand that." "Am.. Am I invading that time?" His slate colored eyes turn to her. "You, Jasper, could never invade my alone time." Jasper's giggle makes his heart thump even harder than it already was. He pleas that she can't hear it like he can. A comfortable silence falls over the two friends as they watch a mother duck lead her babies into the pond. After a little bit of swimming, a few of the ducklings start to splash each other with the chilly water, which makes Jasper smile. Across the pond, two teenagers are walking, their hands clasped together. The boy even spins the girl in a circle, no doubt making her laugh. "They look so sweet together." Aizawa follows where Jasper is looking with a chuckle. "You think so?" "I mean, Rumi.. she doesn't let people know about us, really. I understand, though. She's a top hero, so she has fans.. and a reputation. Being seen with a support hero might.. might ruin that, you know? So it always makes me happy to see others so happy showing each other off." Aizawa watches as her eyes lose a bit of their spark. "You want that, don't you?" Her face flushes from embarrassment. "I mean, I don't want to seem ungrateful. I understand the privacy thing." "But you're allowed to want something, Jas." She bites her cheek slightly. She really can't lie to him. "I.. I don't want to be the center of her life. I really don't. I just.. something as little as holding my hand in public would be amazing. Sometimes I just want... I want.." Aizawa scoots a little closer to her, inviting her into the warmth of his embrace. It's not something he offers everyone. "You want..?" "I just want to be.. more appreciated than I feel.." There aren't any tears in her eyes, but he hears them. If she wasn't used to holding her tears back, she would be sobbing at this point. He wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her into his side. Jasper closes her eyes and lets out a shaky breath. The heat radiating from Aizawa is comfortable, and the scent of his deodorant is intoxicating. "Sorry, I'm still all sweaty from the spar." "No," she glances up at his face, "I don't mind. You actually smell really nice." He snorts at how cute she is. "Sho, that was the cutest noise I have heard you make." "It was not cute." "Shut up. It was." He smirks, suddenly shoving her back into the grass. "Oh really? Lets see how many cute noises I can pull from you!" He finds different ticklish spots around her ribs effortlessly, and each one makes her squirm like crazy. "S-Sho! S-stop it!" Even though she tries to sound intimidating, the constant laughter and giggles makes it a little hard to take her serious. "I don't listen to brats, Jas, sorry." "F-f-fuck y-you!" Her 'anger' only encourages him. He takes a few smacks to his arms, which sting, but not enough to make him quit. However, one kick knocks him off of her and into- "Sho! Oh shit!" Jasper leaps up and grabs his hand. He stands in the pond, water dripping all the way from the top of his head. Jasper covers her mouth and backs away as he starts ringing out his scarf. He lets out a small chuckle. "I deserved that, honestly." "Sho.. I really didn't mean to do that! I am so sorry!" He shrugs, now pulling his boots off to pour the water out of them. "It's really okay, Jas. Shit happens. Next time I'll make sure to move you away from the pond before I do that again." Despite him still dripping water, she can't help but throw herself into his arms. He feels her trembling and quickly embraces her. "Why are you shaking, Jas?" "I-I was so scared you would be mad.." He sighs and gently rubs up and down her back. "No, honey, I could never-" "W-what?" "I-I-I umm.. I could never be mad at you. Just.. should we go look for Lilith and Mic?" Jasper back away from him, her eyes scanning him. "Sure. Let me-" Her phone rings, and she sighs at the caller ID. "Hey, Rumi. What's up?" "Hey, are you still at your dads'?" "I mean, not at the moment, but I can head that way. Why?" She hears someone else's voice in the background of the phone call. "I know, Keigo- I just need to talk to you. Can you be there in thirty minutes?" "Sure. I'll see you soon. Love you." Like usual, Rumi hangs up without saying it back. "Sho, Rumi.. wants to see me in thirty minutes at my dads' place." "Well, lets go get Mic and Lilith. I should change, too." As the two of them head back to the apartment, Jasper can't help but let her mind wander. Why did Sho call her honey? Was it a slip? Why would it be a slip? Why does Rumi need to see her all of a sudden? Earlier she had told Jasper that she would be with Hawks again today. When they make it back to the parking lot, Jasper can already see Mic and Lilith looking around for them. When they walk closer, she can't help but notice that both of their cheeks are dusted pink. "Hey, there you are. Where did- why is Eraser wet?" "I fell into a pond. Why the hell did you two disappear?" Aizawa raises an eyebrow and looks at Mic. Mic can't lie to Sho. Even if he did, Sho would find out. "Oh, we uh..." "We had another sparring match. Just.. between us.." Lilith rubs the back of her neck awkwardly. "Yeah," Jasper snorts, "and between the sheets, right?" "...Maybe." Aizawa facepalms. "Our old student, seriously?" "Look," Mic holds his hands up, "she's an adult. It has been years, man." Aizawa sighs. "Whatever. I don't care, but Jasper needs to go back to her dads' house." Lilith tilts her head. "Rumi called me. She wants to talk, so once Sho changes we need to go." Aizawa quickly rushes into the aparment to do that. Lilith walks over to her friend. "Are you okay, Jas?" "I'm fine. I don't know what Rumi wants, but someone named Keigo was with her." "Keigo? If I'm correct, that's the number three pro, Hawks." She nods at Mic's words. "That makes sense. I knew she had a friend named Hawks." Lilith crosses her arms over her chest. "But why would she bring him?" "I have no idea, but it is weird, isn't it?" "Sorry, guys. I couldn't find my other boots." Jasper turns and smiles at Aizawa. Now he's in a black long sleeved shirt and grey sweatpants. He works his damp hair into a ponytail with a smile. "Coolio. Lets go!" Mic leads the way to his car with a grin. Lilith gets into the passenger seat, so Aizawa and Jasper get into the back. Jasper gets comfortable behind Mic since she's a good bit shorter than Aizawa. "You feeling okay?" Jasper smiles form Aizawa's concern. "I am, at least for now. We'll see what happens when we get there." He smiles at her, which actually makes her feel a bit better. Anything could happen, but she has her three closest friends right beside her. Because of that, she's going to be okay. Mic pulls into the driveway just as a car parks across the street. "Is that her?" "I guess. I don't recognize that car, honestly." Papa and dad come outside to greet their daughters and the guys, but the sight of Mirko makes them both tilt their head. "Pumpkin," Papa smiles, "did you and Mirko make up?" "I'm.. not sure. She said she needed to talk, so here we are. Dad, this is Aizawa, by the way." Aizawa holds his hand out with a slight bow. "Shouta." "John. It's nice to meet you. Hey, Mic." "Wassup, dad?" Jasper turns as Mirko walks to the porch. Behind her is a blonde haired man with large, crimson wings. Now she sees why everyone calls him Hawks. "Hey, Jasper." "Hi, Rumi. Do I get a hug? I haven't seen-" "I'm going to make this quick, and I guess in front of everyone, so can we all go inside?" Papa opens the door and waits for everyone to file into the living room before he shuts it. Jasper notices Hawks place a box on the floor gently. What the hell was he carrying? When Lilith notices, she goes and takes a protective stance next to Jasper. "Rumi?" Rumi's crimson eyes refuse to meet Jasper's, which slightly angers her. "Japser, I don't think it's going to work between us anymore." The room is silent. Still, in the silence is tension. There's anger radiating from Lilith, Aizawa, and Dad. Everyone else is confused. Why now? Why with that guy no one else knows? "Rumi, is this because of the job, really?" Hawks places a gentle hand on Rumi's shoulder. "It's kind of shitty to be.. having an affair with the white haired girl while saying you're loyal to Mirko.. don't you think?" "FUCKING EXCUSE ME?!" Lilith's outburst makes everyone jump. Jasper grabs one of her arms while Mic grabs the other. Still, it takes Aizawa cancelling her quirk and using his scarf to hold her still. "Lilith, calm-" "She knows DAMN well that we don't do anything! That's a god damn lie! You just texted me the other day asking about Jasper and now you have the god damn NERVE!" Color leaves Rumi's face as dad crosses his arms. "Tell the truth, Mirko. She deserves it." "T-that is-" Papa holds his hand up, cutting her off. "You know it isn't. You can't tell us lies about our daughter and expect us to believe it." Rumi finally sighs. "Fine. I like someone else. I lied, she never cheated on me." The confession slightly calms Lilith down. It's enough where everyone can let her go. Jasper sighs, ignoring the nauseous feeling in her gut. "Can you at least tell me who? I'm not mad." "Hawks, okay?" Now everyone looks at the poor guy, and he turns bright red. "W-woooah! I never-I swear- Mirko what the hell?! That's fucked up!" Her eyes shoot open in shock. "Y-you don't like me?" "What? Of course not! What gave you that idea?!" "You were always with me while she was work-" "Yeah, cause I'm your friend and I was under the impression that she was cheating on you! This is fucked up, man!" Lilith finally walks to Mirko and raises her fist, but Hawks grabs it in his hand. "What the- Okay, bird brain!" When her foot lifts, he's brought to his knees. Jasper looks away from the absolute cheap shot Lilith got on the poor guy. "I'm going to turn you into a fucking key chain, Mirko." "Try me." "Enough!" Aizawa shoots his scarf out and yanks Lilith into his grasp. "Calm down for now. Handle this later. Look at Jasper!" Lilith finally takes a long look at her friend, and every bit of anger leaves her body. Jasper is staring at the promise ring Mirko got her. She can see so many emotions swimming in her eyes as she takes it off. "Rumi, I'll pack your stuff from the apartment when I go back. For now, here." She flicks the ring at her ex girlfriend with a sigh. "Jasper, wait, maybe I-" Jasper shakes her head and goes to open the front door. "Get out of my house. Both of you." When they walk out, she slams the door in Mirko's face. Aizawa takes his scarf off of Lilith so she can go to Jasper. "Jas? Are you okay?" Jasper tries to smile, but the wall finally breaks. Thankfully, Lilith is there waiting to pull her into her embrace. "It's okay, Jas, I've got you." "I-I knew.. I knew it wouldn't work, so w-why am I-I so hurt..?" Lilith buries her face in the honey colored curls on Jasper's head. "You're allowed to hurt, Jas. You're human." When she sees Papa and dad walk over, she slowly pushes Jasper from her. Jasper meets her parent's eyes and tries to smile again. "I'm okay.. I'm a big girl.." Dad kneels in front of her with a smile. "I know, angel, but even adults need love." Papa nods and kneels beside his husband. "You might be an adult, but you're still our pumpkin. Now come here and let us hold you." She can't help but fall into their familiar embrace. Aizawa and Mic watch quietly, and Lilith goes to place her head on Mic's arm. "Lilith," he whispers, "you think she'll be okay?" She nods. "She's strong. She just needs time." Mic wait until Jasper stands again to go over and kiss the top of her head. "Is there anything I can do for you, baby?" She chuckles dryly. "Just please forgive how ridiculous I look right now." Mic chuckles and gives her a bone crushing hug. She looks to meet Aizawa's eyes. When she does, he stops leaning on the wall and walks over to her. "Sho, I'm so sorr-" "No ma'am." The tone makes her eyes widen. "You have no reason to apologize to me. I'm sorry you have to go through this. However," he reaches towards her, "you'll never go through it alone." His thumb wipes tears from her cheek. For a little while, the two of them forget about what's going on. In his eyes, she sees a Prince. The Prince is in a hopeless relationship with a Princess form another kingdom, and he only keeps it because it's the right thing to do. Her? She's just a local of the kingdom who happened to get a job serving the king. The two form a bond, but they could never be. In her eyes, he sees a strong Princess. He's nothing but a fool, the one no one pays attention to. Yet, for some reason, she graces his dreary life with a vibrant smile and a laugh that can brighten the darkest days. Yet, one person keeps them from each other, and getting rid of that person makes him look more than a fool. He looks evil when getting rid of her because only a few people know the truth. Only one has seen his tears, and only few others have heard the stories. "Sho.." "Y-yeah?" She smiles and walks close enough to lay her head on his chest. His thudding heartbeat brings a sense of comfort. "Thank you. I.. I don't deserve a friend like you." He wraps his arms around her with a sigh. 'No, my dear, you deserve so much more, but it isn't my place. Not yet...'

@katgalle​

#shouta aizawa #aizawa shouta #bnha aizawa #mha aizawa #aizawa x oc #present mic #mha #bnha #ua staff #mha oc #bnha oc

[ramblesanddragons]

I Want To Learn To Fight

Needed a small break from A Man Made of Stone and here’s a little late entry or week four of @stanuary while I play with writing style. The theme was fight.

Warnings: Some violence but nothing graphic.

AO3 link!!

“Grunkle Stan, will you teach me how to box?” Dipper says after a few days back in the shack.

“I mean I can sure but why do you want to?” Stan peers over his paper at the kid, he’s grown since last summer but he’s still not built like a fighter. Of course, Ford wasn’t either.

“It looked like good exercise?”

“Nah, if I’m doing it, I need to know why,” Stan folds the paper and looks the kid in the eye, “I’m not gonna judge you. What’s up?”  

“You’re not going to judge me huh?”  

“With this? Nah.”

“Okay fine,” Dipper gets closer to whisper to his grunkle, “It’s my noodle arms. I’m just tired of being so I don’t know...noodley.”  

Okay Stan can buy that. He stands and heads upstairs. “Is that a yes?”

“Come on kid we’re headed to the mall.”

Stan knows that his gloves are still way too big for the kid so he buys him some gloves (and pockets a bit of new tape for their hands.) When they get back home, they find some sort of decent space to learn. Between the elder twins, the younger twins, Soos, Melody, and Soos’ Abuelita the shack was pretty full. Soos’ renovations have done a great job of giving everyone a space (and got rid of a lot of the triangles) but they end up having to set up shop in a part of the lab. If Ford minds, he doesn’t say and goes upstairs to find Mabel with a pat on Dipper’s head.

Dipper pulls on the gloves and swings wildly. “Alright I’m ready!”

“No, you’re not. Come here and I’ll teach you to wrap your hands.” Stan starts by doing his own and then has Dipper try and copy. The kid is sharp and has it right by his second hand.  

“When you get into a random fight you don’t have time to wrap your hands. What’s the point of it now?” Dipper asks trying to get used to the feel of the wraps.

“To make sure your hands are in one piece when you don’t have the time. You mess up your hands and wrists here you’re screwed out there. Why are you worried about random fights anyway?”

“Just an observation. Anyway, I’m ready to hit things!” He says with a fire behind his eyes.

Stan laughs, “Not the way you’re standing.”  

A gentle shove immediately puts Dipper off balance so they start with lessons on a grounded fighting stance and footwork. As to not disappoint the boy too much Stan does let him take swings at his gloved hands before they call it a night. Dipper’s out of breath by the end.

“Look kid, I know this isn’t what you were expecting but I’m tryin’ to teach ya right. If you want to stop, I’ll understand. If you want to keep going though, I think you could throw a decent punch.” Stan expects Dipper to be frustrated, which he is, but is surprised by the boy’s smile.

“I should have figured I need to know the basics first. It’s okay I want to keep going. This was fun and I want to learn.”

Stan smiles back.  

Over the next few weeks, the lessons continue. Foot drills, hand drills, basic punches. The kid has always been bright and he may not get the practice of it right at first, he gets the theory down. Stan changes up his teaching a bit, does some reading and tries things out with the kid. What worked for him doesn’t always work for Dipper and he tries to figure out a way that does. Dipper really starts to shine when Stan starts talking about reading a situation and analyzing an opponent.  

One day after a good session the boys head back upstairs to find kitchen the same way it has been during these sessions, covered in papers of art. Ford and Mabel spend most boxing times drawing together. Dipper talks about the lesson while she shows off her art (Dipper and Stan fighting a giant robot) and they head to bed.

“Sounds like it’s going well.” Ford’s smile is soft. He’s adding details to his drawing (Him and Mabel as cats per her request) and stops to observe his twin.

“It is. He’s good. He’s ready to start sparing but I’ve got 200 pounds and a couple of feet on the kid. I know how to pull my punches but I don’t want to hurt him by accident. By the way I’ve been meaning to ask ya if you ever figured what got this boxing thing in his head?” Stan unwraps his hands and leans back in the chair.  

“Well he does admire you and I believe he wishes to strengthen his body for his own reasons.” Ford starts to talk while beginning a new sketch as Stan starts snoozing, missing most of what his brother says. Ford manages to talk his brother into actually going to bed and, afterwards, walks down to the lab inspired.  

“What the hell is this Sixer?” Stan gawks the next morning while Dipper laughs at it. In the lab is a 13-year-old sized robot made of gears and pillows.

“I made Dipper an adequate sparring partner. Programed with what I recall from our boxing lessons and it has an interface you can run much like one of Soos’ video games. After calling up Fiddleford for some input it should be ready.”

“AWESOME!” Dipper immediately goes to wrap his hands.  

“Heh. Thanks Ford.”

“You’re welcome.” Ford begins to walk up the stairs and chuckles as he hears Dipper say, “Hey, not the first time I’m fought a robot!”  

A few more weeks go by. Its Gravity Falls so the supernatural is everywhere and the Pines family is right there in it all. There hasn’t been that many repeats of last summer’s nightmares and Stan is thankful for that. With his brother around it’s easy to keep the kids out of trouble or at least help fight it off. Of course, one night everything goes to hell and it had to be Pioneer day.

Stan and Ford find themselves at one end of the town square when the screaming starts. People run off or jump into their covered wagons. A horde of shambling zombies our pouring out of the graveyard.  

“Ahh Dipper I hope this one ain’t on you.” Stan mumbles as he pulls on the familiar brass knuckles. Ford pulls out his pistol.

“I don’t believe he would do this twice, he told me how badly things went last year. Something else is wrong.” Ford fires and takes the heads off of three zombies while Stan crushes a fourth.

(They’d later discover that a small rift had opened in the grave yard and was leaking out necrotic energy from a dying dimension. Rifts that came out of nowhere were as annoying and common place in Gravity Falls as deer causing problems in the roads after the events of the summer before. Easly fixed but annoying as hell.)

“It’s fine,” Stan says as he bashes two zombie heads together, “We’ll just sing them dead again although you’re singing this time. I hope you still have that zombie bite cure somewhere Sixer!”

“I do but the victims of the bites still need to be in one piece for it to work Stanley. We must find the kids before they’re torn apart!” Stan’s punching becomes a little more desperate and wilder as they make their way through the town. Ford has a theory and Stan thanks God his brother is right as they round a corner and see that all of the kids made their way to the local karaoke bar.  

It’s a hell of a site. Melody and Soos are trying to break down the door, Pacifica is trying to break a window with her heels while Mabel uses a knitting needle, Wendy has he axe to keep one half of the zombies away, and (to Stan’s utter horror and pride) Dipper is holding the other half off on his own. His stance is flawless and he’s using his smaller, quicker size to his advantage. The elder Pines twins reach the kids just as Dipper knocks the jaw off of one of the monsters. These things are mindless though and it’s hard to read an opponent that doesn’t think. Dipper almost takes a bite to the ear as a zombie lunges low but Stan catches it and tosses the thing across the road. Dipper and Stan stand back to back as Ford ushers Pacifica out of the way and blasts the window open with his fancy space gun. He crawls in with Mabel and pulls Pacifica in too. Soos halfway tosses Melody in the window screaming, “Sing for our lives my songbird!”

“Okay?!” Melody yells back.  

It takes agonizing seconds for Ford to get the power to the bar going as the rest fight off the zombies. Stan’s about to toss the rest of the kids into the window and block the way before one gets on his back.

“Get off my Grunkle!” Dipper screams and drags it off of Stan. He tosses the thing and manages to get it almost as far as Stan’s zombie.  

Suddenly the music starts behind the fighters and it takes a few verses for Stan to recognize it. “Big boat keep on burnin’! Proud Cary keep on turnin! Swimming! Swimming! Swimming down the river!” Melody, Mabel, and Ford are having the most terrifyingly fun time of their lives as the zombies start to explode.

By sunset the town is doing clean up and the “Never Mind All That” law will be in full effect by tomorrow. The Pines have found themselves back home. Everyone else gets cleaned up while Ford orders a ton of pizza. Dipper makes as far as the porch before flopping onto the couch. Stan joins him.

“Look Grunkle Stan it wasn’t me this time,” Dipper starts.  

“Yeah I know,” Stan pats Dipper’s head, “You were incredible out there today by the way. I know I’m still tough on ya...”

“You’ve taught me how to fight back,” Dipper says as he pulls himself to a sitting position.

“Last summer after the first zombie attack, I wanted to learn how to do what you did but I was so caught up in... well a lot of things and I kept meaning to ask you but things kept getting crazier.”  

Dipper kind of smiles and looks at his slime covered hands, “I realized that maybe I could be smart and strong and if anything bad like last summer happened ever again I wanted to be able to fight it.”  

“It’s best to out think than outfight most of the time kid if you can but I get that. But why me? Ford’s become some sort of nerd outlaw in the past 30 years. You could learn from him?” Stan knows the kids love him. (That was one of the first facts he knew after waking up from the memory wipe.) He doesn’t know if he deserves it but he’s happy that they do. Oh, he knows that Dipper relates more to his nerdy brother, which doesn’t hurt Stan’s feeling. It’s important for kids to have someone to relate too doesn’t matter who. He loves Dipper always.  

Dipper lets out a small tired laugh, “I’ve always admired how hard you fight for us and I want to be like that. To be able to fight for my family.”

Stan beams.  

“It’s totally not because I want to spend time with you too. No not at all,” Dipper finishes with a study but not hurtful jab to Stan’s stomach.  

“Yeah, yeah. Sure. I just figure I can teach ya something useful while I’m stuck with you little gremlins. Now come on get cleaned up. You gotta eat and then get some rest. You’ve proven you’re past all the baby stuff. Lessons are about to get a whole lot harder starting tomorrow. Ya up for it?”  

“Bring it on.”  

#Gravity Falls #Gravity Falls Fanfiction #Stanurary 2020 #my writing #I am still terrible at grammer #Man Made of Stone is still happening but I hit a block #It's getting worked though though #this was fun #Family bonding #fluff #violence against the undead

[no-d4y-but-tod4y]

A continuation of the first kiss fic! Unfortunately I’m on mobile so I don’t think you can link to posts, but Part One is called Close Encounters if anyone fancies having a nosey.

What else do you do during this quarantine. Enjoy!

———

A Talk In The Morning

Alma woke up late that morning.

Her mind had not stopped racing enough for her to fall asleep for hours. It was as if a broken film reel played endlessly inside her head, producing pictures and words and thoughts and feelings all at once with no chronological sense or obvious pattern. They moved too fast for her to comprehend all of them, but the general gist of her imagination last night boiled down to this:

I kissed Frankie.

I mean it certainly took long enough.

Frankie kissed me.

It was even more amazing than I thought he would be.

We kissed.

I really like him.

I really really really like him.

What the fuck do I do now.

Eventually her mental and physical fatigue became too much and she drifted off with a pleasant knot in her stomach and a big dumb grin on her face.

But that was last night. Everything looked different in the daylight.

Alma decided she’d better get up and dressed. Today’s itinerary didn’t start until noon, but these hours of free time were obviously supposed to be used for networking with the other patrons, showcasing your own portfolio and achievements, and generally just a chance to make a good first impression. More fool any overnight guest who used the late start as an excuse to stay in bed.

Ignoring the urge to tear out of her room to find him, Alma took her time getting ready. She showered, dried her hair properly rather than towelling off the excess and letting plaits a la Pippi Longstocking do the rest, and stood in front of the wardrobe still wrapped in a fluffy towel.

She had packed all of her best outfits - after all, she wanted to look smart - but now, even the one or two designer pieces in her collection looked shabby. What would Frank be wearing? The image was vivid in her mind, surrounded by the luxury of his private suite.

Perhaps he’d go more male coded, with a velvet blazer over a white shirt with a ruffled collar tucked into a pair of high waisted trousers - she pictured pleather but couldn’t be sure - complete with a pair of black crocodile printed patent leather boots. He would tame his hair just a bit, but not so as to lose his distinctive curls. She saw him using a cane, retratctable with a large brass bulb fixed atop the handle. He’d have enourmous fun with that. tapping shyer guests on the nose, twirling it like a baton and making it seem alive with the skill with which he danced with it, and inevitably thwacking various guests on their backsides.

Or maybe he’d take advantage of a wonderfully new group of people to shock, and lean towards his signature habits to the extreme. A rich black corset fitted as tight as Frank’s organs would allow, blinding to its spectators with thousands upon thousands of Swarovski crystals. A few tassels probably wouldn’t go amiss, unless the hotel proprietor owned any cats. Meshed gloves to match, frilled delicately at the cuffs to match the fishnet stockings everyone knew so well. Frank didn’t strike Alma as the type to treat complete strangers with an entirely new wardrobe, so perhaps he would wear thigh high boots with this look. Shiny, dagger-like, ridiculous. She hoped he’d brought his fringed jacket with all his personal decorations. She especially liked the Union Jack flag on the back. If he slung that on over his arms he’d probably wear a cap. Pseudo-pilot style. Leather, of course, studded, complete with a glinting badge on the front, sporting crimson lipstick marks and reading “SEXY”.

She liked that hat.

But never mind the drool - what about her?

Keep it simple, she thought to herself. Don’t try so hard.

She pulled a black ribbed polarneck over her head, layered underneath a pretty blush pink pinafore dress. A pair of black tights and comfortable suede ankle boots and that was all she needed.

She spritzed some of Frank’s favourite perfume across her neck and collarbone.

Someone knocked at the door. A familiar voice trilled ‘Housekeeping!’

Her heart leapt. She bolted across the room and opened the door before she could even think about playing it cool.

Frank gave her the warmest smile when she opened the door. It made her glow from the inside out. ‘Hello, darling.’ She stood there, not quite sure what to say. Still mesmerised. ‘I brought you breakfast. May I come in?’

She stepped back immediately, letting Frank pull a small maids cart on wheels behind him like a suitcase. The cart was full of all her favourites. Pancakes, waffles, cereals, toast, fruit, cheese, preservatives and conserves and of course heaping piles of chocolate pastries.

Frank unloaded all the food onto the table in the corner of the room with cutlery, drinking glasses and warm plates. The sustenance also included orange and cranberry juice (though not in the same bottle) breakfast tea bags and instant coffee.

Alma ventured closer to the table - closer to him - to look at the spread. ‘Frankie...you brought all of this for me?’

‘Why of course I did, sunshine!’ When Frank moved quickly, his hair didn’t look attached. It followed along behind him like a video game lag, giving the impression that he wore a wig. Don’t be shy now, have whatever you like.’

‘I’ll never be able to eat all of this.’

‘I’ll take whatever’s left back downstairs.’ He giggled. ‘I stole it from there anyway. Tuck in then, before it gets cold.’

‘Frankie, I...you’ve set the table for two.’

She couldn’t believe it had taken her that long to cotton on.

He made an elaborate gesture of turning back to the table and pretending to appear surprised. ‘You know darling you’re absolutely right. Why ever did I do that?’ He made himself comfortable and tucked a napkin into the front of his top (her suspicions had been only half right. He wore a mid bust corset under a sheer long sleeved top, dark, and embellished with rhinestones, with the classic stockings and high heels. It would have looked tacky on anyone else, and in the right lighting Alma could see his nipples) and fanned it out over his chest like a bib.

He extended his arm out towards her, palm upturned. Long arms into long hands into long fingers. Another dashing smile.

She’d only kissed the man once and was already hopelessly in love with him.

‘I suppose we’ll just have to eat together.’

All of a sudden she finally snapped out of her trance and found herself moving again. Right towards him with no fear or insecurity or inhabition. She didn’t know how long she’d been sitting on his lap and kissing him before she realised it. At least he was kissing her back.

Even so she jerked away, surprised at herself.

‘I’m sorry Frankie I shouldn’t-.’

‘Shh. Don’t.’ He placed his fingers over her mouth and traced the shape of her lips soothingly, stroking her neck and shoulders with his other hand. She wished she wouldn’t tremble so much.

He could peel the pinafore from her frame and the rest of he wanted to, and she would let him, but they both knew it wouldn’t come to that. Yet.

She wanted to cup his face or stroke his hair, start returning the favour for all those other times. Having Frank touching her was not a new thing: a very tactile and physical person, he was always holding her close, stroking her hair, kissing her knuckles and very occasionally caressing her face. Always careful, always gentle. But despite the obvious reciprocation, this was still strange and frightening.

‘You can touch me, darling, it’s okay.’

She suppressed a whimper. How did he do that?

He gently grasped her wrist and brought her hand up to his face, leaning into her palm. For a moment, he sighed and closed his eyes.

‘See?’ He murmured, turning his face to kiss her palm. ‘Five fingers still in tact.’ He squeezed her hand and smiled at her. ‘Go on now, budge up. Can’t very well enjoy the most important meal of the day like this.’

Alma moves away and sat opposite him, not that she wanted to. At least her hands had stopped shaking.

She had to at least try to eat, although her stomach was already full with knots. There were so many thoughts screaming and running around in Alma’s brain that she didn’t even know what she didn’t know. But Frank has gone to so much trouble to keep his word and protect her privacy at the same time, the least she could do was enjoy it. Even if she did have to watch Frank slather his toast in Marmite.

In the end, they managed to eat about half of it. One small nibble of toast made her suddenly ravenous, and she packed away more than she expected. Three pancakes, two rounds of toast, a chocolate crossaint a slice of watermelon and three glasses of orange juice more, in fact.

Frank plucked a gleaming red apple from the selection of fruit and took a large bite. Looked at her for a while, chewing.

‘Wouldn’t it be funny if I threw this at someone?’

Willpower gone, she just fell about laughing. It felt good to get a rush of emotion out, even if it was hysterical giggling.

‘Oh Frankie I’m so full up.’ Alma sighed, leaning back in her chair and pushing her plate away from her. ‘I couldn’t possibly eat another bite.’

‘Mm. I think you’re right there, sunshine.’ Frank patted his stomach. What stomach, Alma scoffed, he didn’t have a stomach. He could eat anything and have it go right through. He had a body akin to chiseld marble. ‘Here, darling, you wash the glasses and I’ll take this outside.’ She leapt up and gathered the glasses and cups in her arms as Frank stacked the plates and stored them in the cart.

She precariously carried the dishes over to the sink and turned on the water. She hoped she hadn’t been staring.

After cleaning the utensils and wiping down the surfaces, Frank came back in, which surprised her, and collapsed onto the sofa with a relieved grown. She stayed by the sink, unsure whether she was allowed to go to him or not. Weren’t they supposed to be back downstairs?

‘Are you planning to stand there all day?’

She cursed to herself under her breath. Frank really did have eyes in the back of his head.

‘Come here, darling. I don’t bite.’

She crossed the open plan area and stepped over Frank’s legs - thank heavens she didn’t catch her foot and trip over them - and perched on the cushion beside him.

‘Oh for the love of-.’ Frank hoisted Alma on to his lap and adjusted her legs so she was straddling his waist. ‘There.’ He grinned and tapped her on the nose. ‘Isn’t that better?’

She was so overcome she didn’t say anything. Her face was on fire. She must have looked really attractive.

Frank sighed, a little exasperated. ‘You mustn’t be so bashful, sunshine. What is it? Hmm? Don’t you want to be close to me?’

‘No, that’s not it. I just-.’

‘See, you won’t even touch me now. Put your arms around my neck and see what happens.’

She did, and shuffled a bit closer. She wrapped her legs tighter around him, rather than leaving them danglng in mid air and having her feet go to sleep.

‘See? Easy, isn’t it?’

She chuckled softly but didn’t say anything.

‘Are you embarrassed by me?’

She shook her head.

‘Do I frighten you?’

‘No.’

He cupped her cheek in his hand and she instinctively leaned into his palm. She loved the feeling of his smooth skin and long fingers, particularly when he stroked her cheek gently with his thumb.

‘You like me.’

She took hold of his wrist to keep him there. Her voice would not give a straight answer.

‘Alma, you can’t keep staring at me in silence. You have to tell me what you’re thinking.’ He exhaled gently, the familiar smell of him muddling with her comprehension. ‘Do you want to take things further with me?’

She couldn’t look at him. She nodded.

When Frank spoke, his voice was incredibly soft. ‘Then what’s stopping you? It’s almost like you’re scared to admit it.’

‘I am,’ she whispered. Keeping her gaze firmly on Frank’s knees, she continued, ‘I’ve never done this before. I don’t know how. Everyone will know. And they’ll wonder. And they’ll stare. No one would believe someone like you would choose to be with someone like me. I’ll ruin it, I know I will. Once you get to know me properly you’ll realise you made a mistake. I won’t be what you thought you wanted, I won’t be able to satisfy you in the way you need, I won’t be what you deserve. You deserve so much better. And I certainly don’t deserve you. I’m too anxious, I’m too intimidated, I’m too average. You’re intelligent and attractive and confident, in nothing like that. Nothing like you, even though I wish I was. There’s an entire world of people who’d fall over each other to get to you and it can’t be the right decision for you settle for me.’

They sat in silence for a few moments.

Frank gently pushed her head down to his shoulder and stroked her hair soothingly. He rocked her in his lap like a baby, and his lips caressed her hair when he spoke.

‘You already know I don’t understand why you think like that. But you forgot to mention one other thing.’

Alma could barely hear her own voice. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

‘You forgot to ask me what I want.’ He pressed a lingering kiss to her temple. ‘And believe it or not, sunshine...I want you.’

She buried her face in the crook of his neck and tried her hardest not to cry.

‘Come on, sit up. Let me look at you.’

She hid her face behind her hands. ‘I can’t...’

‘No, don’t cry,’ Frank said rather firmly. ‘You can, you’re just feeling a little overwhelmed.’ He wiped away the tears as they fell all the same. ‘What do you need, my darling? Would you like me to come back later?’

She shook her head resolutely. She managed a feeble, ‘Stay,’ and burst into floods of tears.

‘Oh, sunshine. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He peppered her in gentle kisses, hushed her, reasoned with her but nothing seemed to be working. He couldn’t work out whether she was overcome with tears of joy or utter dismay that a weirdo like him had fallen for her. ‘Okay, darling, come on. That’s enough now.’ He stood up, hoisting her to his waist and plonking her into her own seat. He got some tissues and a glass of water and knelt down in front of her. ‘There we go, try and calm down now. You can blow your nose in this but don’t give it back.’ She managed a tearful giggle and he smiled warmly in return.

‘I’m sorry Frankie I just-.’

‘Shh. None of that, darling. I know.’ He winked reassuringly. ‘Now, it’s completely up to you whether you want to stay and finish the day, or you want to go home. I don’t want you getting over-excited.’

She sniffed. ‘I want to stay with you.’

‘You won’t get in trouble if you leave early.’

‘I want to stay,’ she repeated, much firmer this time.

‘Alright, darling.’ He reached out and stroked her hair behind her ear, running hid hand down to the back of her neck and grazing his nails over the skin there. ‘May I kiss you?’

She let him kiss her on the mouth. She responded with an endearing level of gentle tenderness. Like she was afraid of hurting him. He was delighted to discover she had own endearingly shy way of showing romantic affection.

They sat together with their foreheads touching.

‘You have a bit of mascara on your face.’

She laughed and pushed him away from her to go to the bathroom. When she emerged having pulled herself together, Frank offered his outstretched hand.

‘Come on then, darling,’ he said. ‘Let’s go for a walk.’

#my writing #my fic #my favourite obsession #selfship #selfshipping #selfship community #self shipping community #self ship fic #f/o #f/o fic #angst #romance #i WILL get better at writing during this quarantine #i will practice and form a routine and develop writing habits and an audiecne and become a better writer #putting it out into the universe

[thatslayer]

Larger Than Life || Bruce & Faith

@beguilcd

               "No, stop. Faith. You're thinging the thing wrong," Tony's a disembodied voice if you're not right in front of the screen streaming his feed. He's in the suit, camera almost disorientingly fixated directly on his face but tilted at a weird angle thanks to a blast from some sort of enemy in whatever fight he happens to be in today. Somehow, managing to balance that fight with training Fury's newest recruit, "Turn them over and look for the seam next to the blue seal, there should be a silver snap. Press that, it should open. Those aren't gauntlets, don't put them on your wrists - holy!" he dodges something or other, the background noise sounds like a collapsing building but there shouldn't be any buildings at all where he is, "Think of them more like boxing gloves. No! Brass knuckles. They snap around your hands, should fit comfortably."

"Right," if it looks like Faith's not listening, it's because she's not. Tony talks a lot, a whole fucking lot, and she finds it's better to try and do than to wait for his instructions because God knows he beats around the bush. She could grow old and die waiting on him. Only, it's probably a good idea to start listening because when Tony flat out tells her not to try and snap the targets around her wrists, that's exactly what she's trying to do.

               She pauses, comically in mid-snap, then snarls something under her breath and starts to fix the damn things to her hands, "I look stupid, or something?"

---- Tony knows better than to answer that. Faith could bust open his suit with her bare hands if she wanted to and he's not going to shake her up and leave her alone with all his equipment to rip his life's work to scrap. Not that he thinks she would, he just sort of thinks she would.

If he didn't need his eyes right now, he'd be rolling them. Instead, he mumbles something to his suit's computer that Faith doesn't catch then throws back to her, "Got em on? Good Slayer. Now, they can take a punch or a blast. Those eye drones are equipped with some pretty bad-assed lasers, if I do say so myself. They're gonna wanna shoot you once the system's activated so don't activate it until you're in the enclose-"

                 ZAAAAAAAAP!!!!

     Faith, who was entirely listening, slowly straightens back up from a crouch and looks down at one of the targets she's wearing like boxing gloves. It's smoking, chipped from the laser's direct hit. She’s clearly impressed. Looks back up at the eye drone, hovering in front of her while the light in it's mechanical laser eye slowly fades, "Whoa..."

         Tony winces, but it's barely there. Sort of like a nervous tik but he dramatically shakes it off and sighs, "Like I was saying, don't power it up until you're in the enclosure in the middle of the room. Sensitive equipment, billions of dollars. Yadda-yadda. Trying to avoid tragedy, here."

                 "Yeah, yeah," she's on the move, passing one of the stakes in Tony's field generator to get into the center. The drones follow, hovering behind her like terrifying metal balloons while she finds her footing and whips out a fighting stance that doesn't look like it'd be particularly good for actually fighting, "Shield up!" and, on command, the stakes light up blue beams between them, a milky field to keep the lasers from hitting anything important. Faith squeezes her hands into fists and both the drones flash her way, shoot thick, white laser fire. She blocks one with the target on her fist and dodges the other with a somersault.

          "Good. Good. You're doing good." Tony's not actually looking. He can pretty much figure out she's not dead, thanks to the grunting, and he sounds distracted, "Don't wait for them to fire, try and dodge where you think they'll be. Should be easy, they're after your hands, so. Do you want an espresso creme? I think I want an espresso creme. I mean, war going on so obviously later." and, when the door opens, Tony's screen turns towards it, "Oh, it's just you," it's flippant, like he didn't know Banner was set to show up today, "About that meeting thing we were gonna do? You know, about the plasma..." Tony glances at Faith, suddenly remember she's alive and gently clearing his voice, "The, uh, thing we were gonna discuss? I kinda got involved in a land war in Asia, so rain check? Hey, are you craving espresso creme or is it just me?"

                      "Where they're gonna be," Faith grinds out to herself through clenched teeth. She's trying, fuck knows strategy's not really her thing, but when the drones start coming her way she's on them before they're on her. Grabs one like she's grabbing someone by the top of the head and swings it at the other. They smash into each other and the second drone hits the floor, sparking and looking a bit like a smashed melon. Faith crouches, gets ready for the other drone when she sees Bruce walk in. It's a split second she doesn't have and when the remaining drone starts to power up, she doesn't notice. She's almost too late when she dodges, hits her ass and hits it hard, "Whoa, off! OFF!" and it takes her a moment to realize she needs to squeeze her fists, again. It works, the drone's light fades and Faith awkwardly picks herself up off the ground, dusts her butt off, "Banner, hey." subtle cough, "Didn't see you come in. Shields down!"

#beguilcd #largerthanlife #Hope this works! #Pardon the length of it.

[carry-on-my-pretty-weeper]

Catching Lightning Chapter 4

Author: carry-on-my-pretty-weeper

Character(s): Peter Parker and Reader

Word Count: 1k+

Warnings: cursing, guns, attempted robbery 

Author’s Note: I got so excited for this chapter that I may have sketched what I said y/n was sketching at the end of the chapter but you know it happens.

Masterlist to the series!

You unlocked your front door and let Peter and yourself inside. “Dad I’m home and I brought Peter!” you yelled into the apartment. You listened for a response but got none. 

“I guess he’s not home,” you replied more to yourself than Peter. Peter only said oh before he started getting out his homework to which you groaned.

“You said that we were going to watch a movie not do homework,” you complained. He replied that you guys could watch the movie as soon as you finished your homework. 

You regretfully pulled out your homework and started to work on it. But that’s when you felt something. Something just felt wrong and you didn’t know what it was. Peter had his panic face on but tried to pretend nothing was wrong.

“I got to uh go get something for my assignment, I forgot it at my place, so uh I’ll be back,” he stumbled over his words. He’s been doing this a lot lately giving some half assed excuse before running off. When you tried to ask Ned about it he just denied it and changed the subject.

He left his stuff but grabbed his backpack and ran out of the apartment. You still felt the off feeling so you locked the door behind Peter and climbed through your fire escape. Peter was nowhere to be found but that was for the better because you didn’t have a good feeling about what was about to happen. You started running and you didn’t know where but you knew you were going in the right direction. 

Once you arrived you were shocked by what you saw. Mr.Delmar’s shop? When you were about to walk inside you realized what was happening. There was a guy who was very close to Mr.Delmar while he was guestering with a gun. Goddammit why did everyone have guns? Mr.Delmar had the same expression as the woman you helped before. You were about to storm in when you saw Spiderman crawling on the ceiling. The Spiderman! Before Mr.Delmar could give him the money Spiderman shot webbing at the guy’s hand which stuck it to the counter. Then hopped onto the floor in a crouched position and stood up. He shot off two more webs one for the gunman’s mouth and one for his leg. You could tell by the way Mr.Delmar’s face was moving he was thanking Spiderman. You couldn’t tell what Spiderman was saying because of his mask. That would be a great idea for yourself. Wait what? 

You continued to watch Spiderman as he was making his way to the door right where you were. Oh shit! You quickly ran to the flower shop next door and pretended to be looking at bouquets. He swung off into the streets of Queens. 

You raced home and basically scaled your building running up the fire escape into your room. You flopped onto your bed and closed the window where you sat and thought. What were you thinking “great idea for yourself”? I mean why would you think that? It’s not like you were going to be the next Spiderman. I mean you could be. You wouldn’t be half as good but still it would be a waste if you didn’t help people with your powers. You didn’t want to be selfish. Just as you were coming to a conclusion you heard a knock at the front door. You hop up and check the peephole and guess who it was out of breath and at your door. That’s right Peter Parker! You unlocked the door and let him in. “Did you get the stuff you needed?” you asked while you got comfortable on your couch.

“What?” he asked confused.

“You know the stuff for your assignment? The reason you left?” you pried.

“Oh uh yeah I did! So have you picked out a movie for us to watch yet?” he asked trying to change the subject. Grilling him about anything that could lead to him spilling the beans about being Spiderman was the last thing he wanted. He sat next to you while you were flipping through Netflix and found your unfinished episode from the other day. Looking over at him with a smile that said ‘pleeaasse’ he conceded and that’s how you two ended up in the middle of a Supernatural episode about a clown who would murder parents after befriending the children. When the dad told his son that clowns were his friends you yelled no the hell they’re not! Then later when the little boy says the dad was right and the clown killed the dad you yelled I freaking told you! Peter jokingly shushed you. Which you responded about how he should never trust a clown. He promised to never trust a clown as long as you were quiet the rest of the episode. So you sat facing the TV and sucked in deep breaths through your teeth whenever you got scared. The episode finished and you nearly burst with all the commentary you were holding in.

It was then you realized how close you were to him. I mean sure you guys have been this close before but that was before you started to kind of, maybe, probably not crush on him. So you pretended to need water. You got up and got a glass and pounded the ice cold drink. You could feel your throat strain under the chill but you didn’t care. You needed to distract yourself from the totally not forming feelings between you and Parker. 

“I think it’s time I got going,” Peter said as he turned his head to face yours.

“Okay, well be safe okay? We don’t need Spiderman coming to save your ass. Actually that would mean that you’d get to meet him forget what I said do everything dangerous,” you joked. Oh you had forgotten to tell him about seeing Spiderman at Mr.Delmar’s store. But he already had one foot out the door, you could always tell him later. In reality you knew you weren’t going to tell him. He would give you his panic face and you’d never hear the end of it. He’d probably get you a babysitter to go with you everywhere. You loved the boy but he needed to chill it with the protective stuff. It was like having another dad. Plus you could protect yourself and that was before the powers.

His laugh brought you back to earth as he waved goodbye. After closing the door behind himself you walked to the computer in your room and started looking sewing patterns. If you were going to be a vigilante than you needed a secret identity. Which not only included a costume but a name. You’d get back to the name later, it needed to be thought out and amazing. Looking in your closet there wasn’t much you could make into an outfit. So grabbing a piece of paper you started sketching out designs for outfits. They weren’t half bad. You knew taking a fashion class last semester would pay off. But who knew it’d be for something like this? 

You decided on black, blue, and yellow for the colors. Then thinking of mobility and actual function you determined that a fairly tight jumpsuit with a hood would do the job. Also putting padding on the knees would help with soft landings. Thinking more towards what benefit your suit could be to your powers you thought of sewing it all with thin copper wire. That would turn your suit into one big conductor of electricity. Adding brass knuckles could not only help with fighting but would add a little electricity to the punch. It needed to be unexpected. Sketching gloves with holes for the brass knuckles your mind raced with different ideas to add to your secret identity. 

Shit, you looked at the time you spent a good couple hours sketching and writing you forgot about your homework. You picked up your bag and spilled all the contents of it onto your desk. You grab a piece of homework from the mess and start working on. But your mind kept wandering back to your secret identity. 

You were going to be a superhero.

Tags:

@stevieboyharrington

@fandomlover03

@markusstraya

@speggehi

@thetimidsarcasticcat

@condy-wants-a-cookie

@feline-space 

Author's Note: This is how I envisioned y/n drew the suit.

#peter x reader #peter parker #peter parker x reader #peter parker x you #peter parker x y/n #spiderman #spiderman x reader #spiderman x you #spiderman x y/n #spider-man: homecoming #marvel #marvel imagines #marvel fanfiction