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#i waited a little before posting this so it wouldn't seem as targeted as it would have had i posted it at the time. lol

gotham-daydreams · 7 days

Text

Not Now (PT. 1)

[Platonic! Yandere! Neglectful Batfam × Gender Neutral! Sibling Reader]

[Warnings: Mentions of Neglect, Mild General Yandere(ish) Behavior, Mild Arguing, Awkward Tension(?)]

(Sorry, forgive and forget isn't an option anymore. Sort of proofread and lightly edited. If you thought the 2nd chapter was long, you're in for a little treat. A little more focus on Dick this time with some sprinkles of the others, and a bit of Tim in the beginning. Meeting some of the reader's friends now. The 2nd part is longer... and sort of where the 'real' stuff happens, but this part of the chapter is still important imo. Take your time reading this, and remember to take breaks!)

Tags: @bigcandlesmolbrain, @d4mi3nn , @mindscape123, @143637-hrrm, @lilyalone, @ceramic-raven , @bruhfan-3 , @i-thirsty-boi , @yandere-enthusiast , @1mawh0re , @vanessa-boo , @agent-nobody-knows , @myeagleexpert , @waitingforanarchicaddiction , @mottysith , @simpingfor-wakasa , @imjustheretogetalif , @toast-on-dandelioms , @instantmiraclekryptonite , @luvr0cksadie , @littlefeather345 , @generosityheart , @emmbny , @sereinitysmind , @love-zami , @angstylittleb1tch , @kiiyoooo , @andrasia , @aenishas , @gyarukitti , @ash1 , @samohxt2-0 , @books-are-everything , @kurai-hono-blog , @veryrascalbiscuitbagel , @lavender-moony

@vikkus-main, @ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhha, @iloveanimeandkpop7, @spacecerealbowl,

If you aren't tagged then I'm sorry! I may have missed you, or tumblr was being weird and it wouldn't work :']

Chapter 3 of this post. Chapter 2. Part 2. [Series Masterlist]

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The night was young when everything went to chaos.

The streets were empty for a change, with no one daring to step outside. With those who once roamed them making an effort to quickly step inside, and wait out the rest of the night. Deciding to be more careful, and not tempt fate one too many times for once.

There was something different about tonight, that much everyone knew, but what exactly was going on was anyone's guess. Something was in the air that made it thicker, and harder to breathe. The atmosphere felt different, and weighed down on the city's residents. No civilian or thug was safe from the sudden change and the effects it had on Gotham. Not to mention that the vigilantes — the people who dared to protect Gotham during its darkest hours — seemed more focused than usual.

Not in the way where they were more focused on targeting crime in Gotham, and getting rid of her more corrupted and infectious roots, but in some… other way. Like they were focusing on one particular thing, and ignoring everything else in the process.

What that thing is, no one knew, but most were wary and cautious enough to not get in the way. Unwilling to find out what would happen if they got caught in the crossfire of whatever was happening.

However, this is still Gotham. Where some saw danger, others saw opportunity. So they tried to start something, thinking they could sneak right past the heroes of the city, and fly under their radar more easily compared to previous nights because of how focused they seemed to be on something else.

Yet, just as the fire began to lit, it was snuffed out.

A heavy stomp stopped the flames from even daring to light, killing it before it could even think to rise. The stomp itself coming down much more swiftly and heavier than before, digging the thugs it hit into the ground. They, the vigilantes who dared to protect Gotham and their citizens night after night, were harsher that way. More brutal than the city had ever seen them before, and that was quick to kill off some sparks that were trying to light. They were quicker, faster, and hit a whole lot harder. As if just wanting to get things over with, and quickly move on.

It was almost like they were rushing, and whoever thought that wouldn't be entirely wrong.

They just wanted to put all of their time and energy into finding you, but still had half a mind to take care of the crime in Gotham. Since, they'd have to deal with it anyway if they wanted things to go as smoothly as possible. Not to mention the off chance that some thugs could be messing with you, and so they'd get to swoop in and save you if they ever ran into such an altercation. Though, they didn't want to run around and just hope for that chance, so they also chose certain places and people to interrogate and search for. Taking out any and all thugs as well as minor criminals along the way.

As if anyone in their way was doomed from the day they were born, and dared to step foot in Gotham. As if they were cursed the very moment they dared to live in this damned city at all.

Nevertheless, some went after your teachers while others went to search through places you had been to for one reason or another. Whether it was for a performance or otherwise, it didn't matter. The fact that you had been there before was the only detail they cared about.

Finding you, and any information about you came first. Everything else was secondary.

That's why Tim was more focused on trying to find more… personal information about you. From your email, to where you lived, and who your friends are — he wanted to know everything. Even if he already had your phone number, you weren't responding or picking up whatsoever. Which wasn't exactly helping him calm down.

If only he could track your phone somehow-

["You have any new information yet?"]

Jason suddenly spoke up, making Tim scoff and narrow his eyes at the computer screen he was looking at, as if it was Jason's face.

How annoying.

"You've asked that question several times in the last fifteen minutes."

["And? Do you have any new information, or what?”]

Tim could only roll his eyes, having been scrolling through so many social media posts and pages, that he had lost count of exactly how many he had gone through or looked at. All he knew was that the total amount was quickly approaching triple digits.

Anything mentioning you caught his interest, and eventually he had found your public account — which, as expected, just held dates for your performances and when a new album or song of yours would be coming out. There were also a few previews of songs you would be playing at the time, had written, or both, and as much as Tim would like to listen to them all, he couldn't. Not right now anyway. He had to focus, for you.

… Though he'd keep it in mind for later.

"Besides more places where Y/n has performed, and when? No. Who could've guessed."

Jason scoffs, which almost made Tim smile a little but he quickly wiped it off his face, focusing again.

["Guys, let's not fight, alright? Just focus on finding Y/n."]

Dick suddenly spoke as well, the sounds of a fight slowly dying down could faintly be heard in the background.

["I'm not trying to start a fight, but y'know what would help with finding Y/n? Some fucking new information."]

["Language!" Dick sighs before continuing, "Look, just calm down-"]

["I am calm."]

["-and focus. We'll find them."]

Jason clicks his tongue, clearly getting upset.

Tim couldn't say much, seeing as he's already a bit upset himself, but that wasn't really saying much either. All of them were getting progressively frustrated and annoyed, but it was the source of those feelings that were different for each and every one of them. You were a big part of it, of course, but their anger wasn't directed towards you — not for Tim, anyway. Never.

Rather, it's the factors that surrounded you, and maybe their hate and guilt towards themselves, and what they've missed in your life — is what really drove them to try as hard as they are now. They all want to see you, but they have their own separate reasons despite how similar they may seem.

["How the hell can you be so sure? They could be getting killed, or being tortured right now. We need to find them as soon as possible- and you'll never guess what we need for that to happen."]

Tim could practically hear the eye roll in Jason's voice.

["We're all trying to find Y/n as fast as we can! Have a little faith, they can fight-"]

["You don't actually believe that, right?"]

["..."]

Dick's silence spoke volumes, but some of them understood it better than others, because they feel the same way. Fighting in tournaments and in controlled environments is different than fighting out in the streets, and in Gotham no less. No amount of trophies or medals could change their minds on that. Nothing could.

["See? Even you don't believe it."]

[Dick sighs, "Look, let's just keep looking while Babs and Tim grab more information, alright? We have to be patient."]

["That's reeeal rich coming from the guy who rushed out of the fucking Manor, the very second he heard Alfred didn't know where Y/n was. Weren't you the first one to start looking for them in the city?"]

["Y/n isn't going to be dead in the next few minutes, Jason-"]

["You don't fucking know that."]

Again, a brief silence passes as Dick just sighs again.

["Grayson does have a point, Todd."]

Damian spoke up, causing Tim to roll his eyes almost instinctively. Just remembering that he was technically working with the youngest Wayne, made his mood worsen. Though he just pushed his annoyance to the side, and continued his search.

If it were up to him, he wouldn't be working with half of the family, but that's the thing — he didn't have a choice. None of them really did. Finding you was just that important to them. You, in general, had become that important to them, and in just a few mere hours no less. Even if it left a few of them biting their tongues, and hiding their clear distaste for having to work with certain people. Still, they tried to work together to the best of their ability.

Tim just took a breath, still listening in on the conversation as he scrolls through even more websites and pages. A collection of photos and announcements leading him down a rabbit hole of posts, and finding some accounts that Tim was beginning to think belonged to your friends with how often they commented, the things they'd say, and how you'd respond. Even if the majority of those comments were on older posts, it was still something. So, he dug deeper.

Eventually, he came to the conclusion that your personal account was private. Since, he found one of the accounts he thought belonged to one of your friend's, and they mentioned an account Tim couldn't access. Of course, he hacked it and got in, but there still wasn't anything of use from what he could see. The occasional pictures were nice, even if they didn't show your face too often, but they didn't give him any information he could use to locate you. Hell, even the account itself didn't have a set location listed, and nor did your email. With the only thing he could gather from posts you privated being that you were still in Gotham, at the very least.

However it did seem like you not only didn't post too often, but were careful about what you posted even on your private account. Not to mention who you posted about as well, and how you worded things. As if you knew someone would be looking through your posts someday, and try to find you. As if you knew Tim would be looking through your page, and try to find you by the little bits of information he thought you'd accidentally leave behind. However, all he found was mostly inconclusive with his current objective. The most he could gather was that you either lived in an apartment, were staying with a friend, or settling at various hotels and such just to have a roof over your head. Though not much else.

Sighing, he kept looking.

Just where are you?

["Oh yeah? How so, demon spawn?"]

["Jason-!"]

["L/n knows how to fight, they can surely take care of themself for a few minutes." Damian states. Cutting off Dick, and ignoring the name Jason used to refer to him.]

["Oh, so you believe that?" Jason scoffs.]

["I haven't been given a reason to think otherwise."]

["Right. Okay. So let's say that Y/n isn't dead for a second here. Do you know how many enemies they could potentially have? Or just how many people want them dead? They're known as a Wayne kid, and a musician too, apparently. Anyone could be after their head, or want to squeeze some money out of them for all we know. How are they supposed to fight against threats like that?"]

["And you think they aren't prepared for that? With how much time has passed, I doubt they'd still remain ignorant to such risks. Especially with the career they've chosen as well." Damian scoffs, as if frustrated and offended on your behalf, "No wonder L/n left."]

["Damian!" Dick exclaims, the youngest Robin's words clearly uncalled for.]

["What? You don't truly believe they just ‘ran away’. Do you, Grayson? Even Father doesn't believe such nonsense."]

Tim could only remain silent, but he had suspected as much as well. He didn't particularly enjoy agreeing with Damian, but for a change, it seemed that they were on the same page.

After all, the more Tim looked, and the deeper his research went, the possibility of you having left, instead of ran away, was turning into a clear certainty. Not to mention that various details he noticed in different posts, seemed to indicate that you had no intentions of coming back home, further proving that thought to be true.

It wasn't really even through posts you made either, but instead posts your friends had made. Various pictures and videos shared on their accounts showing the pieces of your life that the family had missed out on. Showing Tim what he had missed out on.

From parties and celebrations that were held for your accomplishments and your friend's, to events you attended with them instead of someone from your family. To smaller things such as various study sessions that were held, sleepovers and all the fun activities you did with your friends, to sneaky photos taken of you practicing, and how nervous you used to be behind stage — only to later show how confident and comfortable you had grown in more recent pictures.

He saw your life and nearly every part of it he had missed through someone else's eyes. Through the camera lens that captured how much fun you had, or just how happy you were during the time the photo was taken, or how calm you looked as you set up your instrument and prepared to play it, and how focused you became when you did. Videos that showed you getting into the zone, and displaying your amazing skill and talent that Tim never saw up until now. That the rest of the family never knew about until recently, just because they couldn't put a few seconds to the side to even try and give your music a listen. Just because they never made time for you, and now they were finally paying the price for it. Finally realizing what they had truly lost, and why the occasional, soft melodies that would play at night had stopped entirely.

They had pushed you away, and you left. That was the true reality of the situation.

Yet the others didn't seem to believe it, or maybe refused to. Seeing as no one dared to say anything else for a few moments.

["... Bruce?" Dick hesitantly spoke up, he clearly didn't want to think about it. Let alone consider it.]

A heavy sigh could be heard before Bruce said anything.

["It's a possibility." His cold, calculated voice pierced through the air. It was less clear, but he didn't seem too fond of the idea either.]

["'Possibility'? Father, you can't be serious-" Damian tries to speak up, only to get cut off.]

["Exactly! Yeah! It's only a possibility, and we won't know for sure unless we find them." Stephanie pitches in, clearly trying to stay a little positive despite the situation.]

["Right…" Dick took a breath, "Well, what do you think, Tim?"]

"..."

Tim's silence said everything, and besides, he was much too focused on a particular thing he managed to find to really be paying attention anyway.

["... Tim?"]

["To think that Drake would be the only other sensible person here. Unbelievable."]

["Look- we don't know for sure, okay? But anyway, how did the interrogation go? Find out anything?"]

The rest of the conversation fell into the background. Tim would roll his eyes, but again, something else had caught his attention, seeing as he found a rather peculiar post.

On one of your friends' accounts, there was a post that showed you and two other people. All of you were wearing formal clothes, and stepping out of a theater that Tim recognized. The person taking the selfie had an arm wrapped around your shoulders, and he noted that they were the owner of the account. The other person was hugging your arm, and did bunny ears behind your head. All of you were smiling, and you looked so… happy..

Tim shook his head, and just focused on the individual hugging your arm. He didn't recognize them, not completely anyway, but noticed how their account was tagged in the post, and how it was an account he hadn't looked into yet. So, he went to their page and scrolled through their various posts. A particular detail already catching his interest as he scrolled down.

This person seemed to spend a lot of time with you…

Not that your other friends didn't, but this person seemed to have more posts with you in them, compared to the other accounts Tim has looked through thus far. There were many photos of you both hanging out, with some other personal posts sprinkled in here and there — but Tim isn't here for that. He's looking for you, so of course he ignored posts that didn't involve you.

Most of the photos showed you both hanging out and doing various activities together. With Tim's heart squeezing the more he saw, and further began to realize just how much of your life he had missed. Though he pushed it all to the side, just as he has been doing this entire time.

He could feel terrible about all the nights you spent away from home, and how no one noticed, later. He could feel guilty about all the time he's wasted not being with you when given the chance after he found you.

Only then, once you were safe again, once you were home, would he allow himself to feel the full weight of all he hadn't done. Though only when you were home, would he let himself fully see and realize just how little of an impact he had on your life. How he may as well have just been nothing but a figment of your imagination with how often he was present, along with everyone else.

Though, for that, he had to find you first, and he will, so he kept looking.

Eventually, he did stumble across a curious post. One that not only confirmed his suspicions, but also gave the most important piece of information Tim could've found right now.

It was another photo taken without your knowledge, seeing as your back was facing the camera, and a bit of your friend's face could be shown. You were moving some boxes into a building, and your friend seemed to be covering their mouth with their other hand — as if they had been laughing and were trying to cover it up. The caption of the post said how you lost a bet, and now had to move in most of the boxes yourself, but how they'd help you if they saw you genuinely struggling. Only to put in parentheses how viewers of the post shouldn't tell you that.

However, what caught his interest was the text on the image itself, and what parts of the building were shown.

['First day of moving in!!! Already making my bestie hate me by having them do all of the work♡ They're the best! Look at them go ♡♡'] The text in the photo read, with the building itself having a number, among various other details to suggest that it was an apartment building.

Tim felt his heart leap to his throat. No way, had he really…? No. No, he couldn't get his hopes up, but he searched for the building by using the other photos your friend had taken that eventually got him a street name and number. It didn't even take him a minute to find the exact building that perfectly mirrored the one in your friend's photo.

He tried to not work himself up too much, as he didn't waste any time finding the building's security system, and hacking into it. He didn't want to get his hopes up, only to end up disappointed. He didn't want to think about certain things or make up assumptions, only for them to turn up untrue. Yet, his heart rate increased as his hands began to shake despite his efforts.

No way, he thought. No way.

Getting into the system was a breeze, but Tim could hardly focus on that as he immediately looked through the building's security footage. He matched the dates of both the post and footage, and found you bringing in boxes, just as the photo had shown.

He watched you go into the elevator and took note of what floor you went up to, and eventually what apartment you walked into as well once you got there. Tim even observed as you took a second to yourself, sighing before going back down, and doing the process all over again — and even how you had to use the stairs at one point. Seeing as your friend had the bright idea to 'race' you, and see who could get most of the remaining boxes to the apartment in the least amount of time. It was a close tie, and your friend had won, but that's besides the point.

Tim went through other footage just to make sure he had the right information, and knew for certain that you lived in this particular apartment with your friend. For all he knew, you could've just offered to help them move in that day, so he had to be sure. He had to be certain. He couldn't afford to be wrong this time around.

Yet with all the footage he was able to review, and all the dates getting closer and closer to the current day, he was able to confirm it. He saw you walk in and out of that exact apartment on that exact floor, and leave and enter that exact building multiple times. With the amount of time that's passed, it made sense — even if Tim couldn't figure out where you had stayed between the few weeks you had presumably left the Manor and when you moved in with your friend, but that hardly mattered now. What did matter is that he found out where you live, and now had your address.

He almost couldn't believe it, staring at the document where he has been listing all of the information he's gathered from this search.

Having just finished writing down your address, it all felt so unreal.

He's done it. He's finally done it.

"Holy shit." Tim cursed under his breath, disbelief clear in his voice.

["Language, Tim."]

Bruce's voice suddenly sounded, causing Tim to jump before he quickly tried to settle down.

"Right, sorry." He apologized, placing a hand over his racing heart. God, that scared him more than it should've.

["Did you find anything?"]

Someone tsked at the question – while Tim just looked at his screen, still processing all that's happened, and suddenly feeling unsure.

Should he just keep this to himself, so that he could go after you? The others didn't know where you live… they didn't have to know yet. This was a golden opportunity — should he really be giving this up?

["With how long it's been? And all he's been able to find out? We'll be lucky if he even knows if Y/n is dating or not."]

["Jason, c'mon.." Dick tried to pitch in, dragging on.]

["What? I'm just saying-"]

"I know where Y/n lives." He found himself blurting out, Jason's words irritating him more than they would've. More than they should've.

["... Really? Where are they, Tim?" Dick didn't waste a moment to ask.]

["Yeah, just spill already so we can go get them."]

["Send me their location."]

["Send me the info too!"]

Tim could only sigh, rubbing his temple as he tried to collect his thoughts. Of course he just had to run his mouth before thinking things over. Of course he had to let that little comment get to him. Of course he just had to allow it to get to him so much that it made him give up the most important piece of information he had found out tonight.

Of course. Just great.

["Guys, I don't think it's a good idea for all of you to just go and see Y/n."]

Barbara finally spoke up, voice calm and collected.

["Why? I mean, I get that seeing the whole family all at once might be a little overwhelming… but I don't see why a few of us can't go." Dick questioned.]

["Because it's been months since they've last seen any of us? There's a reason why they haven't gone back to the Manor, and still haven't picked up your or Tim's calls."]

["... You're not saying-"]

["I'm just suggesting that maybe only one of you should go to kind of… test out the waters. We can't be sure of anything, and the best way to see how we should go about things is to know how Y/n feels about us first."]

["But we need to bring them home, they're not safe out here." Jason pointed out, already not liking the idea.]

["I know, but we can't just show up and expect them to comply because we're family. For all we know, they might-"]

["Okay! Um, I think we get it now." Stephanie interrupted, the idea already bothering her.]

["Fine, then I'll go." Jason proposed, sounding like he was just finishing up taking out a few thugs, if the faint noises in the background were anything to go by.]

"And why's that? I already have the location, so I'll go." Tim pointed out, already gathering his stuff, preparing to leave as quickly as he could.

["Because if they try anything, I'll be able to stop them. What're you going to do with your scrawny, lanky arms?"]

"They won't fight me, Jason." Tim sighed, as if that was obvious, "and besides, I thought you didn't think they could fight anyway?"

["I don't, but anyone could take you down without even trying."]

["Jay! Ugh," Dick groans, "Look, I'll go, okay?"]

["Oh yeah? And why should you go instead of me?"]

["Because at least I won't scare them off, and if anything happens then I can handle it too."]

["I'm going." Bruce stepped in, speaking as if the decision was already made.]

["If Father is going, then so am I." Damian chipped in.]

["The last person Y/n needs to see right now is definitely you, demon spawn." Jason scoffed.]

["You'll just scare them before you even get a word in, Bruce!" Dick tried to reason.]

["Hey, um, what if I go instead? At least I won't intimidate them or push them to come with us too hard." Stephanie suggested.]

Tim sighed, "Look, I can go and reason with them. Again, I already have the location so it makes sense-"

["No." Bruce said flatly.]

"But why!?"

["Father already said that he and I are going to see L/n," Damian stated, as if it was obvious, with a small scoff. Adding on, "Todd may also have a point."]

"So?! I already have the information, and I already said that Y/n won't fight me!"

["We can't say for sure what they will and won't do," Dick said, trying to deescalate the situation, "like Babs said, it's been a while. We don't know how they'll react or how they feel about us."]

["Is this you just trying to seem reasonable, so you can go see them first?" Jason asked, unconvinced.]

["What?! Of course not-!"]

["You're not really convincing anyone here, Dick…" Stephanie pointed out.]

The back and forth went on for a while. None of them could come to an agreement, as they all want to see you. They all want to be the first to actually meet you, and to experience what they all have found out about you first hand. Even if certain individuals were more guilty of that than others, the point still remained.

They just want to see you so much, could you really blame any of them?

Barbara sighed at the chaos, the arguments and defenses just getting more and more ridiculous. Eventually, just boiling down to certain people trying to prove that they want to see you more compared to others, and therefore should be the first to see you.

They all miss you, or desperately want to see the idea of you that they had created in their heads, but that wasn't a valid reason for why they should go and see you either. Especially considering how important this meeting would be. Since it would change and determine a lot of things, depending on how well or awful it went.

"Guys, look, just- whoever's the closest to the location should go." Barbara suggested with another sigh, which thankfully caused the constant arguing to stop for now.

["Fine, alright then." Tim agreed, albeit reluctantly.]

Barbara could only be a little thankful for the cooperation, but slowly grew confused at the silence that followed.

"Tim?" She asked, only to get another sigh as a response.

["It's Dick."]

["What? Really?!" Dick exclaimed, clearly happy at this turn of events.]

["Yes." Tim confirmed with a small groan, the frown evident in his voice.]

"Well, that settles it. Dick, you're going. Tim, send him the address. The right address, okay? We don't need more arguments or complications on this." Barbara says, "Don't push them too hard. The last thing we need is for their opinion of us to get worse, Dick."

["I know, I know. It'll be fine! I've got this!" Dick still sounded a little too happy, before suddenly going quiet.]

Barbara could only hope for the best at this rate.

["Did he seriously just turn off his comm link, and leave?" Jason asked as his voice rose, clearly upset.]

["Seems like it. Can't say I'm surprised since he sounded reallly happy to be able to see Y/n." Stephanie confirmed, sighing softly.]

["This is going to go poorly." Damian grimaced with another scoff.]

["Yeah, well, we can only hope he doesn't mess up too badly."]

["Let's try to think a little realistically, Tim." Jason said.]

Barbara just let out a huff as she looked at the screens in front of her. A little hope never killed anyone, but really, she didn't have a good feeling about this.

Maybe Dick really wasn't the best choice.

—

You were still calmly sitting in your apartment, messing around with the instrument in your hands. Since you've been switching between the ones you have every now and again, trying to find a particular melody you were looking for, but hadn't found just yet. You didn't have easy access to as many instruments as you did a few months ago, but you learned to work with what you had. Having taken home the very first instrument you bought yourself, and a few more of your favorites that could fit in the apartment that you managed to get your hands on for a decent price.

Sure, you did have other places you could go to that allowed you to play the other instruments you didn't have, but you liked to play at home if you could help it. There was just something about being in a comfortable space while composing a song or melody, that just felt nice. You truly felt at home, a feeling you didn't realize you missed until you left the manor and finally had a space that you could truly call your own. A feeling you didn't want to let go of, if you could help it.

Your life was still busy but it was beginning to slow down. You dedicated more time to things you actually enjoyed, but also made an effort to take care of yourself and hold onto good habits you had developed over the years. Though you were still trying to let go of some bad ones, you were making progress.

You felt… happy here. At peace, even.

You were surrounded by people that saw you and even recognized you, and were beginning to see that you had a family of your very own all along.

Unlike the family you were adopted into, your friends showed their care and support — and if anything, made sure you wouldn't forget it. With you showing the same care and support back, and your efforts being recognized instead of pushed to the side. Being reciprocated instead of leaving you with nothing, and making you feel more alone and unwanted than words could describe.

Sure, it wasn't perfect, and you've had your fair share of arguments and times where you needed space, but that was okay. You didn't need perfection, and you didn't need constant happiness. You just needed love and care, and that's what you found. Among other things you didn't ask for or necessarily need, but appreciated deeply regardless.

You felt like you had finally found what you've been searching for, and nothing could make you happier.

Yet, somewhere in your heart, you knew it couldn't last forever, and as if hearing your worries, an abrupt knock echoed throughout the apartment.

You paused what you were doing, humming curiously to yourself as you turned to look at the front door from your position on the couch. Who could that be at this hour? It certainly wasn't your roommate, seeing as they were sound asleep in their room, and you could still hear their snores despite being in the living room. So who else could it be?

Maybe it was Ms. Harry again, seeing as she had a bit of an odd tendency to knock on the wrong door sometimes. After all, she was old, and her memory was slowly getting worse, but she was always quick to fix her mistakes. So you just shrugged and turned away, convinced that it was another one of those nights where she just so happened to mistakenly knock on your door. So you let it be, knowing that she'd correct herself on her own and move along.

However, another set of knocks sounded.

They were a little louder this time, as if the person on the other side of the door really did want to be noticed. Which made you pause and look back at the door, taking a brief glance at the clock.

It was getting late, and not many people were out and about during this time of night. Not the people on your floor, anyway. Though, you still tried to think of anyone who could be at the door right now.

Besides your roommate, not many of your friends lived particularly close. With the amount of them that would not only be up at this time of night, but would also personally come to bother you without sending a text or anything, being even smaller. The more you think about it, the shorter the list of potential people got, and you don't know if that should make you more confused or worried. Maybe a bit of both, but you weren't sure.

More knocks sounded. Again, they were louder compared to the last set, if only by a little.

Well, whoever was at your door was being rather persistent, so you decided to at least check it out.

Reluctantly, you set the instrument you had been fiddling with for the past hour to the side. Sighing softly as you got up from your spot on the couch, and quietly approached the door.

Moving about as silently as you could was an odd habit you couldn't shake, and while your friends have joked and commented about it, you suppose it was just another remnant of your life in the manor. A life you were still trying to gradually leave behind.

Regardless, you made your way to the door, and yet here — right at the foot of it, an odd feeling began to blossom in your chest. You couldn't make sense of it, but as you reached for the knob, you found yourself stopping. It didn't feel like a good idea to open the door, and though you couldn't figure out why, you just took a small breath and pushed the feeling to the side.

Clearly, you were having a weird night, but just to humor yourself, you decided to 'comply' with whatever this feeling was, and check who was at the door by looking through the peephole instead.

It was only then did you understand.

You took a few silent steps back, putting your hand over your mouth as you kept your eyes on the door. Tingles of unease slowly crawling down your spine, and your heart began to beat against your chest harshly. You don't know if what you saw was real, but you didn't want to check again. Once felt like enough, especially since your legs felt like they were sinking into the floor.

How… how did they know where you live?

You took a breath, trying to calm your nerves as you took a few more steps away from the door. You have no idea what's going on, but all you know was that you don't want Dick knowing where you live. He might know the floor and building, but you refuse to give him the exact room if you could help it. So, you quickly moved to your room and got ready, a quick plan forming in your head.

Changing was easy, and so was gathering the stuff you thought you'd need for this. Not exactly too worried about the shoes you put on or anything like that, as your heart leapt from your chest to your throat when more knocks came, basically pounding against the door.

Fuck. He was getting impatient.

Picking up the pace, you made any last minute adjustments you could to your appearance, before quickly deciding that you looked good enough to be outside. Rushing to a window, you didn't waste any time opening it, grabbing onto a pipe that was exposed on the side of the building, closing the window, and sliding down the pipe until you reached the ground. Thanking your past self for having done that enough times to be used to it.

Knowing for a fact that you heard more knocks on your way down, you hurriedly rushed back into the apartment building and basically ran to the elevator. Thanking the gods that it had opened when you first called it, you rushed inside and hit the button for your floor. Hurriedly tapping on the button that closed the elevator doors as they slowly shut, as if that would make them move faster somehow.

As the elevator rose, you prayed that it wouldn't stop and that it'd go straight up to your floor, not knowing if you could afford to risk losing time like that. Especially when the thought of a certain vigilante breaking down your door because you didn't answer it, popped into your head.

Your hands were sweaty, your heart was racing, and you could hardly stand still as you waited for the elevator to reach your floor. Staring at the counter above the elevator buttons as if that'd make the numbers go up faster, and occasionally glancing at the doors as if they'd open at any moment. Questions and possibilities rushed through your head, but you hardly had any time to think about any of them as a small ding sounded, and the doors finally opened. Ignoring how the small sound made you jump a bit, you tried not to look too nervous as you stared at the hallway in front of you.

Oh god, you were really doing this.

Not wanting to waste any more time, you stepped out of the elevator and took a breath. Trying to calm down your heart a bit as you gathered your composure, and acted as normally as you could manage. Walking forward, you rounded the corner, and there he was in all of his tainted glory.

"Di- I- I mean, Nightwing?" You call out, trying to grab the vigilante's attention before he did anything rash — and you seem to have caught him at just the right moment. As he seemed just about ready to bust open the lock to your door, and break into your apartment. Which, he thankfully pulls away as he whips around to look at you, clearly surprised.

You were almost too grateful to have caught him just in time.

"What are you doing here?" You took a few steps forward, but nothing more. Not wanting your efforts to go to waste right away, even if you knew it was only a matter of time when it came to these guys.

"Oh! Y/n- hi! I didn't, um, I didn't see you there." Dick greets with a smile, acting oddly nervous, which makes you raise a brow. "How long have you been, uh, standing there?" He asks, probably trying to see if you saw how he was about to break into your apartment. You both know you did, but you could play dumb for now.

"Um, I just got back so… not long, I guess? Why?" You tilt your head to the side, taking note of how Dick seemed to visibly relax.

Was he always so… tense?

"No reason! I was just wondering, but, uh," He glances to the side before looking back at you, and taking in your appearance. He took in every little detail he could, and wow… you really were different from what he was expecting, but in the best way possible.

Your voice was different than he remembered, and everything about you was just so… fitting, even if he's never seen it before. Even if he didn't remember having seen the style of clothes you wore on you before, or seeing the accessories you had on your person either. You really look like you've grown up now and have become an adult, with your own sense of style and fashion. Having all these little ways to show how you've grown, and become more comfortable with yourself.

Dick couldn't help but love it as much as it hurt him.

"It's good to see you." He couldn't help but blurt out, smiling softly. Though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

You only fiddled with your sleeves, averting your eyes for a moment as you purse your lips into a thin line. The way he looks at you made you feel uncomfortable to say the least, and his whole demeanor was nothing you have seen from him before. Not directed towards you, anyway, and you couldn’t help but struggle trying to remember the last time he smiled at you in person. All you could remember was seeing his back turned towards you as he walked away, a flash of a pathetic smile showing on his face briefly before he continued walking forward. Never looking back...

Maybe you've just grown too familiar seeing his smile in photographs and painted pictures, instead of in person.

Yet, how he looks you over now — and seems to take in every detail he manages to find — isn't exactly making this the most comfortable situation to be in. You feel exposed, and rub your arm before stopping yourself. You couldn't afford to show signs of weakness or vulnerability. Not with him. Not while he was in the suit.

Taking in a short breath, you gave a small nod. Managing to look back at Dick, and push down your nerves. The last thing you want was for him to notice how you truly feel, and point it out, or feel some kind of obligation to do something about it. The last thing you need was for him to stick around for longer than he has to.

"Yeah, um, anyway- that didn't really answer my question…?" You hesitantly point out, unsure if you should've mentioned anything at all, but feeling the need to do so. Even if you rather not be in this position, you prefer this over him breaking down your door.

"Did something happen? I- I don't know how much help I can give since… y'know- I'm not a crime-fighting vigilante in latex, but I can see what I can do?" You try to joke a little, mostly for yourself and to further ease your nerves as a few small chuckles escape you. Yet it doesn't help as much as you would've liked.

Did they always scare you this much?

"Oh, no! No, no, no- nothing happened! I just wanted to, um, come see you, is all!" Dick admits, and even if that may have been enough reasoning for him, it wasn't for you. It just doesn't make sense, and maybe that was the years of being put off to the side — or almost outright ignored — talking, but you couldn't imagine him just randomly popping out of nowhere, just because he wants to see you. There has to be a reason, even if you don't know what that reason would be.

"By going to my friend's apartment…? That doesn't really make a lot of sense.. um, Nightwing."

"Oh. Uh, you don't live here?" It was so weird seeing someone like Dick be so openly nervous. Was he always like this? You couldn't really tell, but if there was something going on he wasn't hiding it very well. It was almost like he was trying to not mess up or something, but you don't know why.

"No… but I do visit often? I mean, that is why I'm here and everything-" A few nervous chuckles escape you as you scratch the back of your neck, once again averting your gaze. "If you want, we could talk over a cup of coffee? I know a good place nearby, and even if I'm sure you can't exactly dine-in or anything, I could just take it to-go or something." You hesitantly offer, getting the feeling that Dick wouldn't leave easily, and still thinking that if there really is something going on — you could give him a chance to talk about it, at the very least.

"Sure! Yeah! But, uh. Is that really a good idea? It could be dangerous, and I think it's for the best if we stay inside or go to your place instead." Dick suggests, causing you to furrow your brows in confusion.

"My place?"

"Yeah, I mean I would offer mine but Bludhaven isn't exactly close, y'know?" He snickers. Yet it only made you pause. The smallest bits of a bad feeling beginning to form in your stomach.

"I- I don't think that's a good idea…"

"But it's better than hanging around outside or something, right? This is Gotham, after all." You didn't like how Dick says that. Saying it like you didn't already know. Like you were ignorant of how bad the city you live in was, despite having experienced it first hand on multiple occasions.

"I know, but there has to be some other place we can talk, then just my place."

"Well, there is the-"

"No." You immediately shot it down, already feeling like you knew what he was going to say, "Not there. Let's- let me just grab the coffee first, and we can figure it out from there, alright?" You didn't want to deal with more than you have to, and you weren't going to go back. Not now. Not ever, if you could help it.

"Oh, sure! I'll just tag along," Dick said simply, almost as if it was obvious, as he smiles, approaching you casually.

"I-" You pause before just sucking in a breath and giving a small nod, a weak smile displaying itself on your face, "-yeah, sure. That- that works." Even if you don't want Dick to follow you, it is better than having him just stand at your door, anyway. Though you still aren't exactly comfortable with the idea, you didn't have many options.

"Great! I'll meet you outside!" Dick grins before leaving through the window at the end of the hall.

Now by yourself for a while, you exhaled deeply, not even realizing how long you've been holding your breath.

You aren't sure if you could do this, but you don't feel like you have much of a choice anymore as you just try to steady and calm down your racing heart.

Making your way back to the elevator, you try to not think too much about what's going on as you step back inside, and push the correct button, waiting for it to descend.

Your heart felt heavy in your chest, and despite how you try to ignore it – you could feel that something was wrong. Though you just chalked it up to how you aren't used to Dick talking with you, or smiling towards you – or really anything at all when it came to him. You tried to, anyway, but you were slowly beginning to doubt it.

There was something in his smile, and the way that he spoke that just felt strange to you. Even if you haven't had many conversations or interactions with him, you could still catch how different he seemed tonight. Though you weren't entirely sure. After all, you didn't know much about his personality or usual antics, just as he didn't know much about you as a whole.

On any other occasion you'd try to let it go, but doing so didn't feel right this time. It feels stupid, and almost as if you'd put yourself in more danger by trying to, so for now you'd just keep it in mind. Even if nothing came of it, at least you were being cautious, right?

You aren't sure, not entirely anyway. Since it was always hard to tell what is and isn't a good decision with Dick and the others, but you don't have much time to dwell on it as the elevator doors open once again.

All you could do was just hope that this would end as quickly as it started. For both your and Dick's sake, but mostly for your own.

Nevertheless, you step out of the elevator and make your way out of the building. There, you saw Dick leaning against a lamppost, before looking at you. The smile he gave only made the pit in your stomach grow bigger, but you tried to return the gesture the best you could.

Neither smile reached either of your eyes.

"So, you know where it is?"

"Yeah- it isn't too far from here. Just a few blocks away, it's not that far of a walk."

"Great! You don't mind leading, then?"

"No, um. I can lead."

"Perfect, let's get going then." Dick says, his smile growing a little bigger as he makes his way over, and stops beside you, waiting for you to lead the way.

You just gave a nod, taking a nervous step forward as you both began to walk. You knew the directions by heart at this point, and so you just let your own feet guide you along the streets of Gotham. With Dick following right along, humming under his breath.

An awkward silence fell over both of you.

You try to not think about it too much, knowing that the detail would only further bother you, and make you feel more nervous than you already are. So you drew your attention elsewhere, and focused on the city itself instead.

Not many people were walking about, which immediately struck you as odd since Gotham was always so lively despite how dangerous it is. Even if more people were out during the day, there were still lots of people who were out at night for one reason or another. Granted, most of them are dangerous, everyone knows that, but some just simply went about their business. The city was dangerous, but that didn't stop people from going about their lives. Even if it did make it easier for thugs and the like to hide within the crowds.

Still, the change was noticeable. Gotham wasn't exactly known to be quiet, let alone this inactive. It felt strange, and when you glance over to Dick, you couldn't help but feel a little surprised that he didn't seem all that bothered by the change. If anything, you were almost getting the impression that he hadn't noticed it at all.

So, you just keep looking ahead, and focusing on other things. Deciding to not comment on anything if Dick wasn't.

Yet you still couldn’t shake it.

The absence of sirens in the air and occasional gunshots didn't sit right with you, and even the amount of people driving by wasn't as much as it'd usually be. The city didn't feel busy, let alone as alive as it would've been on any other night, and it's bothering you. It's like some sort of silent evacuation is going on, or a lock down of some kind that not everyone was informed of. There were more whispers than there were shouts, and a kind of awkward peace, instead of striking violence and chaos.

You couldn't believe it, was this Gotham's first real quiet night?

CRACK.

Perhaps you spoke too soon.

A sickening crack sounded from somewhere within the city, the noise so loud and sudden that it immediately caught your attention, as you looked in the direction of where you heard it come from. You could've sworn you heard a scream that followed right after, only for it to swiftly get cut off.

It was only then did you really take a look around, and notice how the people you passed by looked equally tense and nervous. An unsaid, but shared feeling of tension and anxiety hung in the air, and now that you noticed it — you couldn't ignore it.

What didn't help was when you saw someone in an alleyway cocking their gun, only for them to swiftly get roped into the darkness, causing them to drop their weapon in the process. A sickening pop sounded, and then deafening silence followed. The only evidence that anyone had ever stood in that particular spot, was the gun the thug had dropped.

Through the shadows of the alleyway, and faint light from the moon, you could almost make out a figure in the darkness. Yet just as they turned to look at you, your eyes darted away.

You swallowed the lump in your throat.

"Are… are you sure there isn't anything going on? It seems oddly… quiet, tonight." You point out hesitantly, small tingles dancing down your spine, and they were far from pleasant.

"Hm? Oh, well, I guess you could say something is happening, but the others are taking care of it." Dick reassures as he waves his hand dismissively. "Though that's why I think it'd be better if we talked inside. The last thing I want is for someone to eavesdrop on our conversation, and for you to get caught in the crossfire of everything." Yet you couldn't help but feel like it was a little too late for that.

Being associated with Dick, and the others — let alone being someone that they'd actually turn to for assistance or anything — already made someone prone to being caught in any crossfire that dealt with their vigilante work. Even if the person didn't get caught in between things by some miracle, it would be hard to ignore the newly painted target on their back. Being known for having a connection to Batman, and anyone he had taken under his wing one way or another, had its problems, and you already had to deal with your own fair share of trouble just for being known as another kid who got adopted by Bruce Wayne.

You wouldn't be surprised if you suddenly had to deal with more trouble just from this conversation alone, since word traveled around fast in Gotham, but you didn't want to think about that right now. You'd just deal with that when the time came, if it ever did.

Still, you didn't fully believe Dick. Your feelings of the situation becoming more messy, and unclear as you try to piece things together. You couldn't tell if what was going on was something to worry about, or stress over. Since Dick was acting so dismissively about it, and yet the effect it's having on Gotham was unmistakable. Is it big enough to cause the city to go quiet, but not dangerous enough to worry about? Or is it something else entirely?

You took a breath. Maybe it's best if you just think about it later. You already have enough on your plate as it is, and the biggest thing you have to worry about right now is Dick. All you have to do is find out what he wants, and handle things from there. That's it. That's all you have to do.

So, you nod hesitantly. Still not looking at Dick as you said, "Right. Okay. That… that makes sense, I guess," but your voice betrays you despite your best efforts as it wavered slightly. Still, you make sure to add, "but I still don't think it's the best to talk at my place."

Dick only gave a nod, saying, "Alright," and nothing else.

Your body refused to relax after that.

You still couldn’t shake the odd feeling you were getting from Dick, even if you couldn't exactly pinpoint what's wrong or where this feeling is coming from. The distant sounds of snaps, cracks, pops, and cut off shouts and screams in the distance didn't help much with that either. Especially when they weren't far, and sounded like they were only a few blocks away from you, with the distance slowly growing shorter each and every time a new sound echoed across Gotham. Especially when you realized that the snaps and cracks were the sounds of bones breaking, and the pops were joints getting dislocated. Which caused various memories to pop into your head that you tried to shove away.

Small beads of sweat began to roll down your neck. Your hands feel clammy, and you try to steady your breathing once you realize it was wavering again. You try to fix any outward reaction you notice you were displaying before Dick could catch on, fiddling with your sleeves as you try to reassure yourself.

You're going to be okay.

CRACK!

You're going to be fine.

SNAP!

You're going to make it through this.

POP!

You could tough it out.

"AAAHHH-!" CRUNCH.

This would all be over soon.

So, you try to ignore how the pit in your stomach continues to grow with each second that passes. How each sound causes you to tense, and sometimes jump the smallest bit, but you try to ignore that too.

You glance over to Dick once again, only to catch him immediately turning to face forward. The detail made you pause and furrow your brows, had he been looking at you?

You shove the thought to the side and face forward again as well. A weight of some kind begins to form in your chest, yet you still try to push on and keep walking.

Seconds turn into minutes, and it's only now that you fully realized how long this short walk felt. The sidewalks stretched on, and the streets never seemed to end. The traffic lights felt like distant glimpses of life and civilization that one would catch in fog, with the small amount of cars on the road not helping with that feeling. Dark clouds begin to form overhead, and cover the inky black sky. With the full moon looking down at you. Its sight pinned on you, staring in silence.

Maybe that's why you were so relieved when the diner finally came into view, and you found yourself holding back a sigh of relief. You had to stop yourself from running over, and rushing inside so that you didn't have to walk beside Dick anymore. Further reminding yourself of how awkward this whole experience has been for you thus far. Which didn't help with how you are feeling at all.

"How do you like your coffee?" You decide to ask, seeing as the diner was only a few steps away at this point.

"What?" Dick asks, seemingly snapping out of whatever trance he was in. With your question bringing him back to reality.

"Um, how do you like your coffee? Since, y'know. That's what we're here for?" You repeat, giving Dick a confused glance.

A look of realization flashed across Dick's face as a small 'ohh' left him. "Right, yeah. Uh," he stumbles at first before saying his preference, with you just nodding along.

"Okay, I'll just go inside and order so… you can just wait out here?" You said, unsure as you glance at the diner, only to look back at Dick.

"Yeah, I can do that." He agrees with a simple nod and small thumbs up. Making you nod as well as you took a breath.

"Right, okay. I'll just, um, head inside then." You exhale sharply, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, "It shouldn't take too long." You stop once you're in front of the door to the diner. Folding your hands into fists, squeezing your fingers and digging your nails into your palms, before releasing, letting your fingers relax, before repeating the process a few more times.

"Got it." Dick nods again, and you return the gesture as you open the door and step inside. Once again holding yourself back from letting out a sigh of relief, as you made your way over to the counter. A weight of some kind being lifted from your shoulders the moment the smell of food, and freshly brewed coffee hits you.

It's only when you reach the counter and see your friend did you finally sigh deeply, and heavily. You rest your arms against the counter and let your head hang low, a feeling of exhaust and fatigue slowly eating away at you. Not being in the immediate vicinity of Dick definitely made you feel exceptionally better, especially now that there’s a wall between you and him.

"Y'know, lots of people have been comin' in and sighing just like that, tonight." The waitress points out as she makes her way over to you. Her comment causing you to lift your head, and look at her. She gave you a little smile, amused by your antics, but you could see the little worry that hid behind her eyes.

"Really?" You ask, allowing yourself to relax a little, now that you were in the presence of a friend. You didn't see Jessica outside of the diner much, but that was never a problem since you've been a regular for a while now. You had met when you first began coming to the diner late at night for coffee since you couldn't sleep, coming around just when the place was about to close. It was only after a few more nights passed that you both began to talk, and really connect. You like to consider her one of your closest friends because of all she's done for you, and not just because she knows how to make your coffee just the way you like it.

"Yeah, it's kinda weird but there's seems to be somethin' going on tonight. So I guess it makes sense." Jessica says with a shrug, "Anyway, you want the usual, I'm assuming?"

You perk up at that, "Wait, you think something's going on too?" You couldn't help but ask, though made sure to also say, "Oh, and that'd be great. But I'll… um, take it to go this time, and I'll have another coffee for my…" you glance over your shoulder and look at Dick. He had his back turned to the window, and looked to be talking to someone with what you assumed to be his comm link.

You turn back to Jessica, a crooked smile on your face, "My acquaintance…?"

"I can't think of anyone who doesn't. Everyone can tell that something ain't right about tonight. Hell, even Jim looked bothered when he came in. I swore he was shakin' like a leaf, and looked like something was out to get him too." Jessica replies, writing down your order on her notepad mindlessly, already knowing it by heart.

"Jim? Like the commissioner?"

"Nope, I'm talkin' about the guy who came in from Metropolis."

"Oh." You said, before slowly nodding as you thought about it, "I guess that makes sense. Though, I didn't think that guy had a single nervous bone in his body, to be honest."

"Well, y'know what they say; Gotham changes people. It can even make people like him, who're barely present with the rest of us, get a little shaken up every now and again." Jessica hums, looking at what she has written down for a moment.

"Right… yeah."

Jessica sighs softly, looking at you with unsaid care and concern before speaking up again, "Anyway, does your…" she drags out the 'r' as she glances behind you, before looking back at you. Waving her pen in the air as she gestures towards the window, "'acquaintance' want anything else?"

"No, um. Just the coffee will do." You rub the back of your neck, making sure to mention how Dick said he likes his coffee. Jessica only gave a nod as she wrote it down.

"Alright, but I gotta ask. Is that guy bothering you?" Jessica asks as she starts to brew the coffee, shooting you a certain look, "I can get William to have a chat with 'im if he's causing you trouble. He won't like it, but he'll do it, y'know."

The question catches you off guard, but you quickly shake your head, and try to adjust the smile on your face to look less obvious. As much as you don't want to be in this situation, you at least want to hear Dick out. If there's even the smallest chance that he really does need something from you — you want to help. You don't want to be the reason why whatever is going on is prolonged any further, or if a solution they have is delayed.

Despite everything they've done to you, and the little they've given you throughout all of your life, you want to do this one last thing for them. That's all.

You could afford to do this one last time, you thought as much anyway.

"I'm fine, he- he isn't bothering me… I promise." You try to reassure your friend, mustering the most convincing smile you could as you watch her work. She clearly knew what she was doing, since it looked as if it came so naturally to her, and you wouldn't be surprised if it did, with all she's told you in the past.

"Well, alright. But if he does anything you can always shoot me a text or give me a call. I can't do much myself, but I know people."

You huff at her words, an easy smile making its way up your face as your shoulders relaxed, "I know. Thanks, Jess."

"Don't mention it. After all, I've gotta look out for the person who gives the best tips." She snickers, a smile of her own beginning to show itself. You can't help but laugh lightly as you just shake your head, and look away.

The soft tune of old melodies plays in the background, filling the space of the diner and washing away any awkwardness that may have been present otherwise. Some jazz begins to play, and you couldn’t help but tap your foot along with the rhythm, the voice of the singer taking all of your worries, and whisking them away.

The other customers are quiet for the most part, but seem at ease for the time being. The outside world almost seemed so far away despite being just past the windows, but there was some peace to be had with that. The street lights gave off a homey feeling with their soft orange hues spilling into the diner, the quiet from the outside only making this place feel more safe, in a strange way.

"So it's just for the money, huh? And here I thought you genuinely cared about me." You chuckle, fiddling with your fingers mindlessly.

"Of course I do. But I'd like to see you work in customer service and living off of tips," Jessica chuckles as well, "Maybe then you'd see how that's just me appreciating you more, hon'."

You just shake your head, "Right, whatever you say."

"I'm being serious, Y/n. Even the boss appreciates you, and your wonderful donations." Jessica snickers, beginning to pour the coffee into two cups.

"You make it sound like he runs a charity, and I'm a big donor."

"Of course he does! Except, y'know. It isn't your typical charity, and we gotta work our asses off to ‘give back to the people’. With your money making up about… hm, seventy-five percent of my paycheck?"

"Jess!"

"No, no. You're right, it's more like eighty-three. Maybe even eighty-five at a push." She laughs, giggling at the expression you make as you huff, before laughing a bit yourself.

You both continue to joke lightly, laughs and giggles being shared as Jessica makes your order, and you patiently wait. A light, soft sort of smile resting on your face, and you almost forget what had made you so tense in the first place. Which was one of the reasons you love this diner so much — it felt like a home away from home, even if it was only a few blocks away from your apartment. Jessica just added onto that comfortable vibe you got from this place, and your mind always felt so quiet when you're here.

It almost made everything feel like it'd be okay, and that as long as you remain inside, nothing bad could happen to you.

Unfortunately, it was only that. A feeling, and nothing more. Your current situation only made that detail all the more apparent.

"Welp, here you go. They're both hot and ready, so be careful, okay?" She smiles down at you before snickering, "Though you don't gotta tell the guy that if you don't want to."

You're confused for a moment, not entirely sure who Jessica was talking about until it suddenly hit you. Right, Dick.

You laugh along, but it wasn't as genuine as it was before, and died down much quicker. As if scared that he'd hear both of you from past the window now. The thought alone made you suddenly hyper-aware of his presence outside. "Right, yeah.."

Grabbing the two cups, you slide them towards yourself and stare down at them for a moment, finding yourself hesitating again. You don't know why you were taking so many pauses, but this whole thing just didn't feel right to you. Though you couldn't exactly pinpoint why, you knew the reason was different than why you were so awkward around Dick, and reluctant to talk to him.

"... Are you sure that guy isn't bothering you?" Jessica asks again, leaning against the counter as she places a hand over one of yours. You couldn't meet her eyes, knowing that if you did it'd just make things harder for yourself. So you look off to the side, unsure.

"Yeah!… He's just.. yeah." Was all you could really say. You don't want to say anything that would make Jessica worry more, but most importantly, you don't want to make it harder for yourself to leave. You got this far, would it really be alright if you leave now? If you took back the words you said, and just went back home? Probably not.

You hear Jessica sigh, causing your heart to feel heavier in your chest. "Look, I get it if you don't want me to get someone to handle him, but if you don't want to stick around, and don't want him to see- I can let you out the back." She offers, giving your hand a small squeeze. Trying to reassure you, and give you something to work with.

You perk up at her offer, looking back up at her in slight surprise, "Really?" You ask. The sense of hope and relief that washed over you didn't make you feel any better, and only furthered the conflict going on in your mind.

"Yeah. Especially if it'll get you away from that weirdo." She chuckles with a slight smirk, trying to lighten the mood a little.

You think about it for a moment, just looking at Jessica as countless thoughts rush through your head. Why did this have to be so complicated? Why are you making this so hard for yourself? The choice is so simple, so easy, and yet you just couldn't take it, but why?

You look back at Dick, and make eye contact.

You both stand there, staring at each other for a while, and the music playing in the diner suddenly didn't feel so comforting anymore. Your shoulders lost their weightlessness, and gravity seemed eager to try and pull you down to the floor.

Dick is the first to look away, presumably resuming his conversation with whoever he's been talking to this entire time, but you didn't. You don't.

Turmoil and conflict is clear in your eyes. You could see it through your faint reflection in the glass of the window that separates you and Dick. Which, from that alone, you begin to feel worse.

Even if you did leave, would that change anything? Would you be able to actually leave Dick? Or would he catch on? They already know where you live, and even if you managed to fool Dick momentarily, you doubt that he believes your little lie now if he is talking to the others. Yet if you went back to him, what would happen? Where would you both end up going?

You look back down at the two coffees, and sigh. Either way, you’re faced with uncertainty. If you left now, there's no telling if you'd actually be able to get away. Yet if you went back to Dick, you couldn't even imagine what would happen next. It felt like you were stuck in a lose-lose situation; having to pick between two different types of poison, and deal with whatever consequences that came with the kind you chose.

Holding the cups a little tighter, you think it over for another moment before shaking your head. Taking in a breath, and letting yourself calm down a bit.

"I think I'll be okay, but thanks for the offer, Jess." You gave her a little, appreciative smile, "I'll just message or call you if anything happens, like you said." Jessica didn't seem entirely sure of your decision, but nods anyway.

"Well, if you're sure, then alright. But the moment shit goes south, you know who to call."

You nod, and give her a small ‘thank you’ as you paid and left. Taking the drinks with you as you did so, the warmth of the diner slowly leaving you, and now being replaced with the cold breeze of the night.

"Sorry that took so long, I would've told you otherwise if I had known." You apologize as you turn to Dick, flinching at his close proximity. Since, you didn't realize just how close he had been standing to the door until now.

"It's no big deal! Besides, it didn't take that long." Dick said, dismissing your apology as he kept up that smile of his. You only nod, handing him his coffee, which he gladly took.

"If you say so.." You glance off to the side again, remaining quiet for a moment before looking back at Dick, "You were talking to the others, I assume?" You decide to ask, not exactly sure if you should've said anything, but you didn't see the harm in doing so at the moment.

"Hm? Oh, yeah! I uh, I was." Dick confirms with a small, awkward nod.

"Is… everything okay?"

"Yep! Things are going well. Great, even!"

"Oh. Alright then."

Another beat of silence passed over both of you.

You clutch the cup in your hands, its heat pinching and nibbling at your skin through the sleeve. You took a glance inside the diner, and noticed that while Jessica is doing her job, she's still shooting looks and glances your way past the window. She furrows her brows as you both made eye contact, and you could tell what she was going to do just from that alone.

You shake your head, and play it off as if you were just pushing a thought away once you look back at Dick, shoulders rising and almost locking into place as you try to stop your smile from dropping. Holding it at just the right height, and making sure it didn't look too crooked.

"So, um. How about we walk and talk? Just so that we're doing something instead of just standing around- y'know?" You suggest, a wry chuckle escaping you as your eyes wander off again.

"Sure, yeah! We can do that," Dick nods along, and you give a curt nod in return.

"Great!" You begin to walk off, only to be stopped by Dick as he grabs your sleeve, causing you to flinch a little bit. Whipping your head around to look back at him, your heart stopping for a moment as something flashed in your eyes, before it quickly disappeared.

For a split second, you look at Dick as if he was about to kill you, or something similar to that. Like he was going to hurt you in some unimaginable way by just trying to grab your attention.

Though Dick just pushed that little detail to the side, he couldn't help but keep it in mind. He didn't want to think about what it could mean, but couldn't forget it either. Since no matter how quick it was, or how short it lasted, just seeing that expression on your face and directed towards him — it hurt worse than any injury he could possibly receive in any shape or form.

He didn't want to believe what seemed to be the undeniable truth.

So, instead, he tucked it away in the back of his mind. Still managing some kind of smile as he looks at you, hiding behind a face of confusion.

"Isn't your place back that way?" Dick asks, gesturing behind him with a tilt of his head. He notices how you swallowed — taking note of how nervous and on edge you seem to be. He's known since he first saw you, but he didn't think anything of it. He doesn't want to. He doesn't want it to mean anything.

So he ignores it. Pushing it away until he can't see it anymore, despite it being so clear and right in front of his face.

He prays to every god he knows, and hopes to every heaven he's aware of — blind and ignorant to the fact that they have long since shut him out. The light and grace they'd give, forever out of his reach.

His little wishes couldn't help him now. Not when they never helped you.

"I-" You couldn't help but sigh, shaking your head and gathering your thoughts, before speaking again, "I already said that I don't think that it's a good idea to talk there, Dick. And I don't think it's smart to have this conversation here either- so let's just walk as we try to figure this out. Please?" Your weak smile begins to strain as you take a step back, grabbing Dick's hand and tugging him toward you. You hope he'll listen, if only this one time.

Dick looks to the side, unsure as he weighs his options before looking back at you, and suddenly he's hit with all the convincing he needed.

You look at him pleadingly, almost silently begging for him to comply and just come along with you. The moon, albeit partially covered thanks to the dark clouds passing overhead, lit up your eyes in such a way that further emphasized the emotions you were feeling, but left unsaid. How the internal conflict and struggle you were experiencing, made the color in your irises shine that much brighter, and how such a little thing took Dick's breath away.

Suddenly, for a moment, he realizes how soft your hand was in his, despite the fabric of his glove in between them. Even if it is just for that split second, he can't help but… love it. Love you. So how can he say no? How could he say no when he's slowly beginning to see all of these little things about you in a different way? When his guilt was slowly shifting to something else? Something worth trying for?

How can he deny such a little request from his little sibling? Especially when you look at him like that? He can't. So he didn't. Unable to stop the soft but partially happy smile that grew on his face.

You found it uncanny and misplaced, but he found it fitting and refreshing in a way. A way he hadn't felt before — not in a while, anyway.

"Sure, alright. Let's get going then!" Dick replies after a second of silence had passed, holding onto your hand and walking beside you when you began to move again.

You didn't say anything this time, just nodding as you focused on walking away from the diner.

Yet, Dick couldn't help but look back at the establishment. Curious as to why you wanted to move on from it so quickly, and wanted to see if he could catch anything in particular that might've caused it. Not that Dick was complaining by any means, but he couldn't help his own curiosity.

It was then that Dick and the waitress from inside the diner made eye contact. Causing Dick to narrow his eyes, and the waitress doing the same back with a certain look in her eyes.

He didn't like it, and even if the impression he's getting was far off the mark, he didn't care enough to change it.

Yet, when you and Dick pass the diner, your phone suddenly vibrates.

Oblivious to how Dick's gaze lingered on the diner for a little while longer — or how he was even looking back at all — you fish your phone out of your pocket once you shake Dick’s hand off mindlessly, not thinking too much about the action as you check your notifications.

There, you saw that Jessica had left you a message.

['Be careful with that one. I'd watch your back if I were you, hon.']

You were confused to say the least, but before you could think to respond, Dick turned back to you and suddenly spoke. Smile ever present, eyes trained on you.

"So, where are we going?"

"Oh- um, I'm not entirely sure." You admit, pocketing your phone quickly without much thought. Hoping Dick didn't see what the text said, but you didn't count on it. Not much slipped past him or the others in any given situation, not unless it was something dealing with you. Though, with his attention on you now? You couldn't be too sure of what he would and wouldn't notice. Not anymore.

After all, just knowing that he could see you now, and is actually talking with you, along with the fact that you've been in his space for over a minute was… a new experience. You didn't think you'd get this far — you never have before, and so this was all new territory for you. All you knew, and could gather from how things were going thus far, was that slipping away wouldn't be as easy as it was before. Not with his eyes trained on you like they were now.

"Well, that's fine but we still shouldn't stay out for long. It isn't safe." Dick pointed out again, causing you to sigh and nod your head.

"I know, but I still-" you cut yourself off, and took a quick breath before continuing, "it doesn't feel right going back to my place. Besides, not many people are out tonight… and as weird as that is- at least not many people will be around to eavesdrop on our conversation, if we did talk out here." You said, shrugging your shoulders, and taking a slow but small sip of your coffee. It burned your tongue, but at least it gave you something else to think about.

"That doesn't exactly make Gotham any less dangerous, and besides- those who are walking around, and are still out and about, could be from a worse crowd. You should know that, Y/n." Again, you didn't appreciate how he spoke to you like that. Talking as if you were ignorant to that possibility, or just generally unaware that Gotham was a bad place filled with even worse people.

"I do, I'm just saying-" you try to defend yourself, looking at Dick before immediately looking away. You don't like how he looked at you, and how much taller it made him appear, "Gotham isn't just filled with criminals, and besides… most people look like they're rushing to get home anyway." You comment, noticing how a group of people — presumably friends or roommates, maybe even 'coworkers' to a certain degree — rushed inside what appeared to be an apartment building. Along with how a family quickly got inside of their house, ushering their kids inside before hurriedly closing the door behind them.

"It's like some kind of apocalypse is going on…" You mutter, narrowing your eyes at the sight, before just focusing your attention back on the sidewalk ahead of you. You didn't recall getting a memo of any kind, or an alert if something like that was really going on. Though, your best bet to figuring anything out was unfortunately through Dick, by the looks of things.

Dick rubs the back of his neck, a strange feeling of nervousness, and something close to embarrassment, radiating off of him as he chuckled. The strange detail caught your attention, causing you to look at him and notice that his smile had become uneven, before he fixed it when he noticed you were looking.

You couldn't help but raise a brow, silently questioning Dick with your eyes, a small hint of suspicion growing behind your gaze.

Dick just shrugs, fixing himself the very next moment, which only causes you to narrow your eyes. Were they actually causing some kind of apocalypse? Surely not… right?

"Then that's just all the more reason why we should head inside too." Dick said, giving your hand a soft squeeze. Forcing you to acknowledge that you were holding hands once again – but when did he grab it? You don’t remember feeling him hold it again until now… but that wasn’t important, not now anyway, "I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Y/n. I'm just worried."

You grew quiet at that, a mix of emotions beginning to swirl around in your chest before you just shove it to the side. You couldn't tell if he was joking or trying to be genuine….

Though, your heart and mind seemed to agree that he wasn't being serious, and maybe that's why you didn't like how he looked at you.

Taking your hand back once again, you shook your head dismissively, "You're a vigilante, right? One of Gotham's finest, and looking over Bludhaven at that- if anything happens I'm sure you can handle it." Huffing, you add, "Even then, I can handle myself."

Dick's eyes linger on you for a little longer. The hand that had been holding yours twitched, and he kept it there for a second before letting it drop to his side, his smile beginning to die down before he sighed. "Still, I think it'd be better if we tried to avoid something like that all together."

"I think it'd also be better if we could avoid something like that happening at my place."

"It won't, not with me around."

"So now you're confident that nothing will happen?" You laugh lightly, more air escaping you above all else, and disbelief clear in your eyes and tone. "You can't be sure. Someone could follow us there and find out where I live."

You snicker again, not fully believing that you were actually having to tell Dick all of this, "I mean, it might not matter much to you but-"

"It does matter to me. I don't want you to get hurt, or anyone else to come after you." He took another breath, and you bite your tongue. Reframing from mentioning how it was a little too late to be saying that now. "Look, I understand if you don't want to go back to where you're staying, but if that's the case then we can just got to the-"

"No." You speak up before he could even finish. Already knowing what he was going to say, and the mere thought of going back to that place made you feel uneasy. Causing you to clutch your cup with both of your hands, barely registering its heat.

"I didn't even get to say where…" Dick sighs again, just pushing the detail to the side for the moment, "Can you at least tell me why? I don't see why we shouldn't."

"It just-" You didn't want to say it outloud. Not out here. Not with him around, and listening to every word that fell out of your mouth. "I just don't think that's smart either. Again, someone could follow us back there and find out about… you know."

"Well, then someone else could just take you back-"

"Wouldn't that seem suspicious if someone saw, though?"

"Now you're worried about being seen?"

"Like you weren't before-"

"Y/n, please. We can't just stand around here and talk about stuff all night. Either way, we have to go somewhere." Dick tries to reason, adding on, "Look, if you don't want to go to your place or the 'other' place, how about we just-"

"No."

"I didn't even get to finish!"

"I know what you were about to say, and just-" You took a breath of your own, sweat rolling down the back of your neck as your hands began to shake a little bit. Your nerves were getting to you. You could feel it with how your chest became heavier, and how it was getting progressively harder to continue walking — as if your feet were slowly sinking into the cement below you.

"I don't think it'd be the best to go there either." You mutter, looking off to the side.

"Why? I can sort of understand the 'other' place-" he didn't, but in his attempt to get through to you, he said otherwise, "but why not there? Again, we can't just wander around all night and talk out in the open like this, Y/n. You should know better than that." Dick states, furrowing his brows as his gaze remains pinned on you, never once looking away.

You wish he would. By the Gods did you wish he would look away just once. Yet such a blessing had yet to be given, if it would ever come.

With every second that passed, your doubt only grew.

"I just don't see why we can't go to any other places? Somewhere that isn't personal, or technically considered to be personal since it could reveal your identity and such- and I don't think I have to give reasons why someone knowing where I live, or used to live, would be bad too- but… yeah. Just-" You gather your thoughts, looking down at your cup of coffee for a brief moment, "Just somewhere that isn't necessarily connected to either of us, or could reveal potentially personal or sensitive information on one or both of us? Like the park, or some random rooftop…? You guys still have talks up there, right?" You manage to slide in a little joke, but the laugh you gave is more awkward and nervous than anything, so you just clear your throat and continue.

"Or- or just an abandoned building or something? If you still really want us to be inside? Since Gotham has some of those… maybe too many of them- but that's besides the point." You try to suggest, hesitant to even say anything but managing somehow regardless.

You still couldn’t bring yourself to look at Dick – so you missed how his brows creased, and his smile was just barely holding up. His hand twitches again, but he tries to stay mindful of the coffee he's still holding.

"Are you serious?" His tone made you press your lips into a thin line. Your nails begin to dig into the sleeve of your cup. "I get that you're paranoid, but are you serious right now? Y/n, c'mon." An odd warmth began to bloom in your chest at Dick's words. It was far from pleasant, and lit like a match, with the flame itself bursting to life. It started much larger than you were used to, and controlling it was more difficult than you expected.

"I'm just saying…"

"Saying… what? That we either stay out in the open where anything can happen, or a clearly dangerous place where we're most likely going to get jumped? 'Cause if that's what you're saying, then I don't even know what to say, Y/n." Dick really can't believe you right now. Just how long have you been living in Gotham, exactly? Who were you even living with? He couldn't understand what you were thinking suggesting such a thing.

He had a feeling you may have been unaware of the true dangers of Gotham, since he and the others had kept you away from such things – from what he could tell. Not to mention that you didn't have any intention of becoming a vigilante yourself, from what he remembered, but for you to turn out like this? He had no idea you were so oblivious, and if he had before, he never would've let you out of that apartment building. He never should've to begin with, clearly.

"No! Of course that's not what I'm saying!" You couldn't help but yelp in surprise, finally looking at Dick as you held your coffee closer to your chest. You felt offended that he honestly thought you'd think something so stupid, but you didn't know what was worse. How he didn't seem convinced, or how he looked as if he believed himself more than you.

"Then…?" Dick drags on, gesturing for you to give an explanation. Almost daring you to say something that proved him wrong, or went against his point.

You huff harshly, the warmth in your chest beginning to turn hot as you went on to say, "I'm just saying why can't we go anywhere else, that isn't technically connected to you or me in some way?"

"... And your solution to that is to go to a public area, stay out in the open but on the rooftops, or go to one of the abandoned places around Gotham where something bad will definitely happen?" Dick rose a brow, with you restraining yourself from rolling your eyes. Instead, you manage a sigh – smile long gone from your face.

"Those were just examples, Nightwing." You hold back a scoff, clutching your cup a little tighter, "We don't actually have to go to any of those places, or do those things. I was just trying to suggest ideas, not say; 'Hey, we should go to that one place by the bay that's been abandoned for around five years and have our talk there. Since surely nothing will happen, and a gang totally doesn't hang around that area.' Or something like that."

"That's oddly specific," Dick gave you a questionable look before shaking his head, "but still. Those places and areas aren't safe. At least the places I suggested are, and if something happens, then there's security measures in place for that."

"How do you know if my place is secure or not?"

"Are you trying to say that it isn't?"

"No- but it's not like I have a super complicated system or hypersensitive security like- y'know. The other places. So what would make my place so safe?"

Dick sighs, "Fine. Alright, maybe your place isn't our safest bet right now. Even if I feel like I can definitely handle protecting a single apartment." You didn't even bother to say anything, just rolling your eyes and shaking your head instead.

"I don't want anything to happen to my place, Nightwing."

"You really don't think I can't defend one room?"

"I don't live alone, D- Nightwing. I don't just have myself or my things to worry about." You couldn't help but say, scoffing under your breath. However, Dick could only blink, a little confused.

"You… have a roommate?"

"Yeah? Who do you think I was referring to when I said I was visiting a friend?"

"Oh! I thought that was a complete lie. I guess that makes sense, but why would you need a roommate anyway? Does your job not make enough money or-"

"Does that really matter right now?" You gave Dick a pointed look, hoping that he would take the hint and drop the subject, "We're trying to find out what the fuck to do, not delve into my personal life."

"Alright, fine- no need to get all worked up." Dick put his free hand up to show that he wasn't trying to start anything, and was trying to keep this peaceful and civil, "But why don't we just go to one of the other two areas? They're secure, and I'm sure your friend won't get hurt if something ends up happening while we're there."

You open your mouth to say something, only to shut it and look away. You clutch your cup a little tighter.

How could you tell Dick that you just don't want to be in the manor again, and that you didn't want to go back — without actually having to tell him? How do you tell Dick that you don't feel comfortable being in a space where you knew the rest of them would be, and that you'd rather have to just deal with him than anyone else? That you had a bad feeling about going to any of those places with him, and you don't trust him or the others at all?

You'd rather avoid going to the manor if you could help it, and you had more than enough reasons for feeling that way. Though, would Dick understand? Would he accept your reasons, and see why you wanted to go somewhere else? Maybe not, and even if he did understand, there was no guarantee that he would value your personal comfort over your 'safety'. There was no guarantee that he still wouldn't try and get you to agree with him.

You also wanted to avoid going to the clock tower. Seeing as just dealing with Dick was… difficult, to say the least, and if you could barely handle one — you couldn't imagine what it'd be like to handle another. Since there was bound to at least be someone else at the tower, just waiting for you to arrive.

The thought alone made you feel uneasy.

-------------------

[Chapter 3, part 2]

#yandere batfam #platonic yandere batfam #gn reader #yandere dc #platonic yandere #yandere x gn reader #yandere batfam x reader #yandere dc x reader #yandere dick grayson #not series

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judesmoonbeauty · 18 days

Text

Love Begins From a Mean Lie: Jude Jazza Collection Event Story❥︎

Fan translation only. Not 100% accurate. Please expect grammatical errors. Cybird owns everything. Feel free to re-blog, but please do NOT post my translations elsewhere. What I obtain is what will be translated. Dividers: @/natimiles

Jude told me he needed to talk to me about our mission, so I went the common room.

It seems like everyone is out today, so there's no one else in the room.

Jude: Tomorrow's mission location has changed.

Jude put a map on the table, explaining somewhat languidly, as if he was bothered by having to explain it to me.

Jude: I had originally pinned it here.

Jude's fingertips tap the suburban mansion he was planning to strike tomorrow.

Jude: The new location will be here.

A fingertip moved to the northwest, pointing to a mansion hidden in the woods.

Kate: Originally, we had two locations in mind because the target owns a vacation home in the name of a relative.

Kate: Why the change?

Jude: It rained the day before yesterday. There was a landslide ‘n the road was blocked.

Kate: I see......That’s why the change was made to where thelandslide didn’t occur. Got it!

The day after Jude told me about the change of mission site. I entered the mansion with Ellis.

(The the place Jude told me about, is here right……?)

(.…….How is it that the time is right, but there is no sign of anyone?)

I waited for a while, but in the end no one showed up at the mansion.

Ellis:...it’s time for us to go home, Kate.

Kate: What?

Ellis: Even if we stay here, nothing is likely to happen.

Kate: ...... yes, that's right. Was the information incorrect?

Kate: And Jude hasn't arrived either. Maybe something happened on the way here…….

Ellis: Jude will be fine, don't worry.

Kate: ..... perhaps, Ellis. Do you know anything about what's going on right now?

Ellis: …….

Ellis: ….This is for your happiness Kate.

Kate: Even if I wanted to know, would you be able to tell me?

Ellis looks down hesitantly at my words.

Kate: ....If you tell me, I'll be a little happier. Maybe.

Ellis opened his mouth with a heavy heart, as if those words were the deciding factor.

Ellis: Actually…….

Victor: Oh, Ellis and Kate, you're home early! I believe we were supposed to be on a mission today......

Kate: Has Jude returned?!

Victor's eyes widen at my angry look.

Victor: Jude? No, I haven't seen him yet.

Did something happen?

Victor: …..Oh, speak of the devil! Welcome back Jude.

When I turned around at Victor's words, Jude had just returned.

His clothes are covered with what looks like blood.

(Ellis was right......!)

Ellis: Actually, Jude said he didn't want you to be a part of this mission Kate......

Ellis: He lied about the location change.

Ellis: Kate, I was told that you would be happier that way, so I followed suit.

Kate: In other words, Jude is currently carrying out the mission by himself?

Ellis: Yeah. It wasn't that dangerous of a mission.….

(I was worried since I heard that Jude went alone, but...it looks like the mission was completed successfully.)

(That’s good. But…..)

Kate: .......Jude, why did you complete the mission by yourself?!

Jude: Ha, isn’t because you’ll get in the way?

Kate: Even if I get in the way…….please explain that in advance!

Jude: Even if I explained it to ya, ya wouldn't get it, would ya?

Jude: You’re gonna follow me with your gutsy, "I'll do my best," and I don't wanna go through the trouble of convincin’ ya.

Kate: …….

Jude: .....Ya should be sleeping in a castle. Princess.

Jude left without further ado.

(I'm a member of the Crown too, even though I’m just a fairytale keeper…..)

Ellis: Jude said it's for your happiness that he didn’t let you join the mission Kate…..

Ellis: I'm sorry….. From the look on your face right now, it looks like that was a mistake.

Kate: ……No. I think Jude didn’t take me because I’m unreliable.

(.....Don't be discouraged, don't be discouraged.)

(I need to prove I’m not unreliable and make sure this never happens again.)

Then, in between my next mission, I decided to independently research the mission I couldn't go on.

Jude always looks disgusted when I go on missions with him.

(…..However, it’s rare that I’m not even allowed to accompany you like this time.)

(There must be some reason...)

Reviewing the documents, I summarized the victims, perpetrators, and the background that led to the incident.

(Oh! Maybe ....)

Kate: …. Jude, could you please read this?

After dinner, I handed Jude, who was reading a newspaper in the common room, the report I had compiled on the incident.

Jude: …….Won’t forgive ya if ya waste someone's time and it's no good.

Kate: Yes!

After that, Jude finished reading my report in no time.

Jude: …And?

The cold amethyst eyes look at me as if testing me.

If I had just met Jude, I would have been timid in the face of that gaze.

(....But it's different now)

(I want Jude to approve of me, so this is not the time to be scared...!)

Kate: The reason why Jude didn’t take me on the mission the other day was because of one of the culprits, right?

I point to the culprits listed in the report that Jude returned to me.

Kate: He worked at the post office at the same time as me....... A delivery man, same as me.

Jude: …..

Kate: You kept me away from the mission because you thought I might have known him, didn’t you?

Kate: To keep me from getting hurt.

Jude: …..Ha, you really have a good head on your shoulders, I'm jealous of ya.

Jude: After bein’ tortured so much, what kinda thought process makes me look like that?

Kate: ….. Because I don't think you're a cold person from the core of your heart.

Jude: That again.

Kate: I'll say it over and over again. Anyway, please don't do this again!

Jude: Hah…..

Jude: You're very spirited, and that's all very well……But, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re a small fry ‘n a liability in combat.

Jude: I don’t think ya understand the most important issues about that?

Jude stood up abruptly, grabbed my hand, and rolled me onto the sofa in the common room.

Kate: …..

Jude: ….. Look, there's nothing you can do about it.

(If things continue like this, Jude will continue to look down on me...I can't afford to be choosy about my means.)

(If this happens, I have no choice but to aim there……!)

I swung my foot up as hard as I could to kick him in his vital point but......

Jude: Are you an idiot?

Jude catches my leg with one hand and easily stops me.

Moreover, Jude lifted my leg in his grasp and pushed it open.

Kate: No, please don't!

My skirt was flipped up, in a disarrayed un-lady like state.

I tried to move my legs to close them, but Jude didn't budge.

Jude: ‘Cause you’re a perverted woman who likes to aim for that place..…this position suits ya.

Kate: ……

Jude: If ya kick me here, you’ll be in big trouble. And if ya fail, you’ll be tormented by an angry man.

Jude: Do you want the same thing done to ya here?

Jude's knee, which came between my legs, pressed there.

Kate: …..

Jude: ….C’mon, give up.

Kate: …..I don’t want to.

Kate: If someone I knew was involved in the incident, it would be sad and painful, of course.

Kate: .....But I'd much rather not have my mission schedule changed to keep me away, and for Jude to do something reckless.

Jude: To keep ya away?

Jude: Why do I have to put my body on the line for ya? Don't make me say it again. Don’t be conceited.

Kate: You let Ellis go with me so that nothing would happen to me.

Kate: If all you wanted to do was get me out of the way, all you had to do was lie and leave me alone.

Jude: Ha…….you’ve got a mouth on ya.

Kate: .....Even if it's a dangerous mission or a hurtful mission, it's not a reason to give up.

Kate: I am prepared to that extent.

Jude: So, it’s all about guts.

Jude said as if he was spitting it out and he finally let me go.

(...I guess he was taken aback)

(Jude’s right, what I'm saying is gutsy no matter how far I go…..)

(Maybe I should train my body so I don't get left behind…..)

Jude: ...If ya wanna negotiate with me, use your brain more.

Kate: …..what?

When I tilted my head to see what he meant, Jude pointed to the report I had just shown him.

Jude: The report’s not that bad.

There's a lot of ways to negotiate.

Jude: What’s that head for? Decoration?

Although it was only a word or two, they certainly acknowledge what I did, they were words that showed me the way.

Kate: As the fairytale keeper, you’re telling me to negotiate with you by highlighting how I can help you, Jude. I will!

Jude: Hah, do whatever ya want...As long as you’re useful, it doesn't matter to me whether you're a princess or a knight.

Jude: Those who can be used are worked to the bone.

With that, Jude left the room.

I swore an oath in my heart as I followed behind him.

(I’ll do my best to gain more recognition.)

(To prevent Jude from telling a lie to protect me again.)

[Master List]

“…it doesn't matter to me whether you're a princess or a knight.” - Jude Jazza

Idc why he said it, I’m marrying him for it!

#Jude Jazza #ikevil jude #cybird translations #ikevil translations #ikevil JP #ikevil spoilers

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weixuldo · 1 year

Text

Allow me// ch 4

Vader x Reader

a/n: Hello hello!! sorry for the wait! I will say that were entering more of the “x reader” content that I know most of you are looking forward to heh, but who doesnt love a good slow burn?? hah ty for reading :)

Your boss is not happy about your absence yesterday

warnings: Cannon typical violence, force choking, real choking (and not in the fun way lol), Death, implied death, cursing, anxiety

_____________________

“You never arrived at your posted station yesterday officer y/n, so where in the galaxy were you?!” your red faced manager shouted at you as he dabbed at the sweat forming above his bushy brow.

“I was pulled aside to complete-”

“I don’t give a fuck about who asked for your assistance, you report to me. And unfortunately your task was not completed yesterday so who do you think got chewed out? Me!” he huffed, not allowing you to finish your sentence. This was causing a bit of a scene in the semi-public hallway.

If he weren't always like this, a passerby might think he was going to go into cardiac arrest.

“Sir, I am truly sorry, but when Darth Vader himself asks for your assistance, you can't really deny him,” you tried to explain calmly.

The winded man in front of you let out a gargantuan laugh, “You're tellin’ me… Darth Vader? The most revered Sith lord in the galaxy… asked for your help?! Hah! You gotta be outta your mind little girl”.

“It is true sir, I didn’t get a chance to tell you after I finished because It was late and our wing was closed”.

“Oh yea, I'm sure you did get back pretty late” he laughed.

“Pardon?”

“We all hear what the troopers say about you little miss, surprised you didn’t take your knee pads yesterday, well with all that dick you’ve been sucking”

Wow, this puny man was really proud of himself, wasn't he. It was honestly disgusting.

“I do not think that is appropriate workplace behavior, sir” you tried to remain as cordial as possible; with basically the whole executor aiming for the target on your back, you felt like you had to be on your very best behavior all the time.

“Yea, well in my department, I make the rules and since you carelessly neglected your duties yesterday, I’m giving you the highly acclaimed task of cleaning the restrooms in the communal sector, and once you're done with that I think I’ll give you a task all the way in the bridge” the man smiled a toothy grin before insisting time was “of the essence”.

The cool bathroom floor made you shiver as your knees hit the tile, you went through so much schooling and apprenticeships to do ….this.

Wonderful.

To make it even better you had to keep the door open because the cleaning chemicals needed to be aired out or else they would be too strong; that gave your whole department the lovely view of your ass bent over the toilets, scrubbing away the grime.

It was humiliating, but what were you going to do? Defy your manager and possibly lose your job? No.

It was bad enough that everyone here seemed to hate you, why would you lose a decent paying job too?

You sighed as you heard some of your co-workers snickering;

“I bet that tile is uncomfortable”

“I wouldn't worry about it, she’s probably used to being on her knees hah!”

Finally, you reached the last stall and you were getting high off of the fumes of the cleaning materials. You felt gross and you were getting a headache, your boss didn’t even give you the health regulated mask to use as you worked with the chemicals.

You were gathering up the cleaning bottles and rags when you heard the bustling of your office grow silent. That wasn’t normal, usually there were at least a few yappy voices gossiping about some dumb drama within the department.

You were inclined to peek around the doorway of the bathroom, but you decided not to do anything that could get you yelled at…again.

Suddenly you heard a hushed voice, “He’s coming”.

At that, your senses heightened. Could it be?

Him.

You had no reason to be excited for his arrival, after all it's not like you were in a fantasy story where he would whisk you away and make you his-

The familiar sound of the steel door sliding to the side filled the bay and in came those heavy boot steps, patterned breathing, and demanding aura.

Darth Vader was here.

“My Lord, how may I be of assistance” your boss bowed at the dark figure before him; his face finally cooled down from the bright red it was when he yelled at you earlier.

“I need to speak with one of your mechanics” the Sith spoke, surveying the room.

“Yes, of course! We can get you someone right awa-’

“You misunderstand, General. I need one specific mechanic” Vader corrected.

“Oh! My apologies, who may you be in search of?” Your boss recovered his mistake, though you could see the redness creeping up the back of his neck again.

“F/N L/N.”

Did you mess up your details yesterday?

You felt less worried for your safety then you once did because you had shared a few one-on-one moments with the dark lord.

But

His sudden appearance in your wing did confuse you.

You peeked around the bathroom door’s opening and saw your boss nervously glancing at the bathroom door.

“Ohh, um, of course My lord…. Though might I add, if some repair was done incorrectly I apologize on behalf of the mechanic’s branch… she tends to do faulty work– and we will deal with her accordingl-”

“Quite the contrary, general.”

The-now- red faced man blinked in surprise at the Sith’s words.

“M-My Lord?”

He stole another glance back to where you were.

“What is in the bathroom that is so interesting that you cannot focus on our conversation?” The cloaked figure demanded as he made his way over to where you were.

Quickly you scurried away from the entrance and went back to cleaning on the other end of the facility; You'd rather not be caught actively eavesdropping.

The Sith stomped into the bathroom with a determination that gave you butterflies. His helmet turned towards you before he commanded you to rise.

Oh… maybe he was frustrated with you.

Your excitement turned into uncertainty as you followed the man out of the restroom.

“Leave the bucket” he added, talking about the pail with all of the cleaning supplies and rags.

You stepped out of the chemical filled bathroom and inhaled a deep breath of clean air; as you followed the flowing cape of the man in front of you, everyone’s eyes were on you.

Vader suddenly stopped, causing you to almost run straight into his broad shoulders.

“Would you care to explain why a mechanic of the empire was wasting time sanitizing the restroom facilities and not a cleaning droid?”

“Well, My Lord, she had not arrived at her posted work station yesterday, so we thought it best to punish her accordingly” Your boss replied with a nervous toothy grin.

“Who approved that method, General?”

“Well- Umm” the shorter man stammered.

“Because I see no advantages to this situation. More work is delayed and the cleaning is less efficient”

Damn, he really just implied you didn’t know how to clean a toilet.

“Yes, Of course My Lord, My apologies… it will not happen again” Your boss profusely apologized.

“Very well. I am not pleased when workers take their own liberties when abridging protocol on MY ship” The Sith proclaimed irritably.

The sleazy man cowered and stepped aside, allowing the cloaked Sith passage.

“Y/N, you are to come with me” Vader spoke, without turning to look at you.

Your whole body felt tingly as you walked behind him (and not in the fun tingly way…. More like dread). You weren’t used to him taking a demanding tone with you.

You followed him out and his squadron followed closely behind you; the hallway was silent except for the shuffle of the trooper’s boots and the man’s breathing. What had you gotten yourself into?

Only around halfway down the hallway the man in front of you suddenly stopped, prompting you to halt abruptly behind him. You were so close that his cape brushed the tip of your nose before you took a few steps back.

Vader slowly turned his head to the side as if he were sensing something. Was he feeling your fear?

The profile of his mask seemed more and more ominous with every second.

You were about to ask him what was the matter, but before you could he walked past you back towards where you both just were.

Were you supposed to follow him?

He had already entered the room when you caught up with him. You weren't sure what he was doing, but you sure didn’t expect to see him choking your boss in the middle of the room.

The smaller man had no chance as the dark giant held him firmly in his gloved hand. It was almost sad how much your boss was struggling; he kicked his feet and clawed at Vader’s iron fist.

“Would you care to repeat what you just said, general?” Vader questioned.

All the man could muster was broken chokes and gasps as his face turned bluer by the second.

“First you think you can change protocol and then you have the audacity to insinuate my business with one of your mechanics” he scoffed before dropping the man from his grasp.

He fell hard with a thud and gasped for air.

Vader straightened his form and took a look around the room at all of the terrified workers.

“Do not be so ignorant as to think I do not hear your childish gossip on my own ship.”

Suddenly you realized what this was all about…

the rumors.

Of course a mighty sith lord wouldn’t want to be talked about behind their back, especially if people were insinuating they were getting their rocks off, but there was a certain double standard among the men of the galaxy. It was seen as something to be proud of when a man would bed many women or have “sex slaves” (for lack of better terms).

You really didn’t understand why he was so heated… was it because it was you?

A sudden wave of nausea washed over you; was he only disgusted because they were pairing him with you? Did he think you were that embarrassing to be associated with?

Vader turned his attention back to the man on the ground.

“Pathetic” he huffed before turning back to the gallery of shocked workers.

“Let him be an example for you all”

In a swift motion he turned his clench fist and the man’s neck snapped with a sickening crack.

Your eyes widened and you heard others gasp; you had only ever heard of the Sith’s capability, never seen it.

Vader turned on his heel and promptly left the room, strutting down the hall quicker than he was before; you were frozen for a moment, but then you hurried after the Sith. Hopefully what he needed you for would be something less… deadly.

___________________________

The room was freezing and the fabric of your uniform was not doing much to help with the cold.

After the ordeal at your workplace, Vader brought you to a room that you had not previously seen. In keeping with the rest of the ship, the room was the rich obsidian that you grew accustomed to. There was a large seat in front of the window that beautifully displayed the vast view of space.

Currently you were seated on a couch that was in front of the chair; much to your surprise it was a pretty comfy one.

None of the troopers entered the room with you and the Sith, so you worried this was it. You were going to die.

He asked you to take a seat but then disappeared into another connecting room.

In his absence, you recalled all of your interactions with him, trying to figure out what grounds he had to kill you? Nothing you had done was out of line, it was more the mistakes of those around you… but what were you going to do, protest the Sith’s plans?

You became sad when you reminisced on your feelings for the man… What a fool you were. You really thought that the cold and stoic man liked you. You thought you were connecting with him- and he even allowed you to drop formalities around him-

What went wrong?

You were too naiive, that’s what was wrong.

Your nerves began to settle a bit when he hadn’t returned, it had been around two hours by now. Whether he wanted to play a cruel waiting game or not was becoming more and more irrelevant to you.

You were sure your fate was sealed, so what was a few more hours? Plus you had a very emotionally taxing day and your lack of sleep was catching up with you.

This couch was feeling more and more appealing and your eyelids were getting heavier and heavier…

Maybe a little nap wouldn’t hurt, you would just make sure to set an alarm on your watch for you to wake up.

yeah… just a quick-

***

a/n: alrightyyy thank you for reading and if you guys have any questions about the pacing of this story or enigma, dont hesitate to shoot me an ask! Love you all :)

taglist: @vadersassistant @sxoulohvn @khaleesihavilliard @kashasenpai @darling-murdock @beautifulbearpolice @salvatoresister1 @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @blueninjablade3 @jujuba096 @missmannequin @jellydodger @mirastark @wyvernthekriger @duckyhowls @monada43 @lauriidoesstuff @vienettacream @ray-rook @itswhatever06

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mysticdragon3md3 · 9 months

Text

I noticed some dialogue from the Nimona movie, and now I'm wondering if Ambrosius was bullied by the other Institute kids in his class. And did Ballister and Ambrosius end up so close, partially because they were ostracized together?

During that scene with the knights surveying the collapsed statues, Todd declares "This is his fault!" And then other knights joined in with Todd, to gang up on Ambrosius. You can hear them almost booing Ambrosius, while agreeing with Todd. The one clear "Tell him, Todd!" gets subtitled. But you can also hear "Yeah, that's right, Todd."

It sounded like all the other knights in Ambrosius's class were eagerly waiting for any excuse to attack him. Really sinks in the pressure Ambrosius felt to conform. They probably hated him because of the special treatment he gets as the direct descendent of Gloreth. Even in that very scene, the Director gives him special treatment, instantly giving him command of the mission to arrest Ballister, as soon as Ambrosius expresses interest in leading the mission. She even cites "We have a descendent of Gloreth to lead us!" Even though Todd was much more enthusiastic and probably reflected more of the same motivations/sentiments as the Director, she still chose the descendent of Gloreth.

Now it becomes clearer why Ballister and Ambrosius became close: They may have both been ostracized by the rest of their class, and only really had each other.

(Instagram post by the official storyboard artist estebravo mentions that Ambrosius and Bal met as children and agreed to go to school together, but I mean their likely mutual ostracization probably brought them even closer, since they would have been isolated together, from the rest of the class. https://www.instagram.com/p/CvK56M3vCEo/)

Ballister gets ostracized because he was the one commoner, "intruding" upon a space filled with the nobility class. Ambrosius gets ostracized because, as the descendent of Gloreth, he was always going to get special treatment. And considering Ambrosius's lack of motivation to become a knight (citing estebravo's storyboards that were cut from the final movie), the rest of the class probably hated him even more. Ambrosius probably didn't have to work as hard as Ballister, to prove he was worth taking up his spot in the Institute class, but Ambrosius would have had to work hard to make the special treatment he was likely given, probably seem more earned. After all, if his skill could justify his special treatment, almost or as much as his status as Gloreth's descendent, then the rest of the class probably would have to admit it was at least partially valid.

That probably wouldn't stop the bullying, but it would probably stop the bullying from being overt, constant, or from as many classmates. They'd at least hesitate before sabotaging his equipment or something. Or they'd worry about the consequences of getting caught going after the Director's "golden student". Maybe it'd be enough to get half of the would-be bullies to chicken out.

On the other hand, if they couldn't take out their frustrations on Ambrosius, it just might make them take it out onto Ballister even more, since he was the more "acceptable" target. I wonder how often that gave Ambrosius a guilt trip, or motivated him to beat them up in return. Imagine little Ambrosius having another parent-teacher conference in the Director's office because he keeps getting into fights, "disgracing Gloreth's legacy", and disappointing his parents, who I assume are very invested in their pride as Gloreth's descendants. No wonder Ballister has to hold Ambrosius back from defending him in the movie. Not just because Ballister cares about Ambrosius getting into trouble, but also because the ones Ambrosius beats up, probably come back to bully Ballister even harder for it. It's a bad cycle, that I'm sure they learn to navigate better as they grow older. Unfortunate they act like they have to placate it, even during that "locker room" scene.

I've heard some reaction videos call Ambrosius his class's number two knight, after Ballister. But if they're referring to ranking by skill level, I realized, do we ever actually hear the movie state Ambrosius's skill ranking, compared to his classmates? We know Ballister was number one, and he worked harder than everyone else. But I like the idea that Ambrosius would have also worked hard to make his special treatment seem justified. Maybe not just to keep off the bullying, but maybe also to prove it to himself. Maybe with Ballister's personal training being so demonstrably effective, Ambrosius would have asked Ballister to help him train, get tips, or just spar together a lot. If Ambrosius trained most often with Ballister, then I could believe Ambrosius as the second most skilled knight in his class.

#speculation #headcanons #processing thoughts #goldenheart #ambrosius goldenloin #netflix nimona #ballister boldheart #skill level #bullying #ostracization #shunned by the rest of the class #pinkfluidnf #ambrbalnf

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vnmpior · 1 year

Text

ROOKIE ☆ MISTAKE

SIMON "GHOST" RILEY

x reader

summary: you and ghost are on a mission to take out a diamond dealer, but something obviously just had to go wrong. "the objective is complete. that means that price will be happy, even if we're not."

note: heavily based off of this asmr vid i came across lmao. just thought i had to put it into writing and add a bit more (i was rolling around giggling listening to it when i was trying to sleep). so if it seems similar to my other post, i had to keep most of the events in here similar to the video so i didn't have much room to work with. ty for the love on my other post! this will have 2 parts :) i just wanted to make pt.1 the whole vid

not proofread // gender neutral

pt. 2

☆☆.

"all right rookie, listen up," price's voice came from your radio. "you'll rendezvous with ghost. the mission itself is simple, you're taking out a diamond dealer, who's been causing no end of trouble for the local community."

you glanced out the opening that was supposed to be a window, but had no glass. the sun was quickly setting, and you knew once it got dark your job was going to be a lot more harder.

"-so, it's important that you take him out as quietly, and as quickly, as possible." you didn't get to hear what he said before that, but you knew it wasn't that important in terms of the mission. you weren't that experienced when it came to working in the field, but you guessed that taking out one man wouldn't be very hard.

"the only thing is," price sighed, "uh, well, he's a highly decorated sniper from spetsnaz."

oh. fucking fantastic. you groaned, rubbing a hand up and down your face.

"i just had to fucking jinx it," you mumbled.

after a momentary pause, as if he had heard you, price continued.

"he's most likely on the hunt for you as well, so when you meet up with ghost, make sure you spend some time to survey the area."

the fact you had ghost with you made you more hopeful. he's one hell of a good shot, and there's no way you weren't completing this mission with him at your side. you basically have to sit back and relax.

"do everything you can, to protect yourself, and whenever you're ready, take out the target. this is your first test rookie. i've got expectations for you."

you got ready to press the button on the radio to reply that you understood, but price continued.

"and, about simon. he can be a little. . . off. but don't let that put you off. if he insults you, he's sarcastic. or he'll always make your life hell." the man on the other side chuckled. "that means he likes you."

waiting for the confirmation to speak, you were cut off by, "alright rookie, price out." and nothing else was said.

you slipped your radio away, waiting for ghost to appear. you've heard a lot about him, but mostly from other rookies, who feared and respected him. you didn't know what to expect.

it was a few moments of silence before you heard the footsteps of someone coming, you held your gun ready just in case it wasn't ghost, but quickly lowered it once you saw his telltale mask.

he made his way over to you in silence, all the way to where you were standing near the window. you slightly scooted back on instinct, and before you realized what you even did, ghost noticed.

"what's the matter?" he said in his accented voice. "don't believe in ghost stories?"

"what?" you replied.

"have i got something on my fucking face?" he probably said that in response to your wide eyes.

you bit back the snarky and know-it-all response of "that fucking mask", and instead quickly replied no.

he turned his head away from you, looking back outside.

"i've been here for 45 fucking minutes," he paused. "and you- you didn't even fucking clock me once. not once."

you stayed quiet.

"my conclusion, my calculation, my epiphany, is that you, must be the rookie that price has been fucking banging on about for the past few weeks. i would've asked but, only a rookie would not be able to clock that they was being stalked, followed, or otherwise, shadowed."

it was true, you hadn't noticed him until he purposefully made his presence known with the way he stomped over to you. you didn't even know he was here for as long as you had been.

"only a absolutely fucking numpty could be the rookie. and only an absolute rookie would make that mistake." he continued on.

price was right. this guy practically shits out insults.

"you are the rookie," he pointed at you as if you wouldn't know who he was talking about. "that i've been sent to fucking babysit."

"simon, i-"

"no, no, no, no," he cut you off. "listen here gorgeous, you don't get to call me that, yeah?"

you nodded. why is he all worked up at you using his real name? you knew better than to ask him that and pushed the thought to the back of your mind.

"lieutenant, or ghost. you understand?"

"yes," you replied.

"copy, or affirmative, or that yankee doodle jargon, you know. tell you what though, they're fucking good soldiers. so, now that you and i are, acquainted, what's on the menu?"

you raised your eyebrow in confusion and question.

"what's the op? or have you uh, lost track?

"no lieutenant." you began to fill him in on the mission, basically replaying everything price had said to you.

he didn't reply, which seems like something he likes to do. leave you in utter and awkward silence while you think of how to not anger this towering man.

"so, where are you from? you have an accent." you made a pitiful attempt at restarting the conversation as ghost tapped on the side of his gun, still surveying the outside.

"you always ask your superiors personal questions like that all the time, do ya? you must be a real fucking heat at the barracks."

price really did not prepare you for ghost's insults.

"they fucking love me at the barracks." the corner of your mouth downturned. you couldn't see the expression he had, which has been bothering you this whole time. he barely shows emotions in his eyes, and you can't even see the rest of his face.

"i'm from manchester, i've just uh, spent too much time with that southern softie, price. but uh, your small talk is wearing thin my even smaller patience. so why don't you do us a little por favor, shut the fuck up."

you almost burst out laughing when he said that, but quickly turned away so he wouldn't see. didn't need him to have something else to reprimand you for.

"alright rookie, you have a look around?"

"no, sir." you didn't even think about it.

"no. of course you fucking haven't. i guess you fucking youngsters think that due diligence is a hollywood actor. do you fucking do your job at all, twat?" he scoffed.

"fear fucking not, as abrasive i might be, i'm at least, organized." he pulled out something that looked like a piece of metal that reflected the sunlight. "do you know what this is, rookie?"

"what? is this a fucking trick question?" it was such a random object, and you don't remember seeing something with that specific shape before.

"it's not a trick question, the fuck do you think it is?"

"a mirror?" you got ready for him to make fun of you or groan that you were such a rookie, but instead he nodded.

"that's right. 10 points for hufflepuff. it's a mirror. i use it for my makeup, so i look pretty in the morning."

"well, i bet you do a good ass job every morning, lieutenant. under the mask, i bet? you should show me." you weren't gonna lie, you have been thinking about what's under the mask ever since you first saw him, and this was the perfect moment to ask.

he angled his head towards you and let out a breath of air that you were going to consider a laugh.

"negative. the mask doesn't come off."

"are you ugly, sir?"

"on the contrary. it's not because i'm ugly. quite the opposite, actually. i don't wanna dazzle the enemy by my beauty." he gestured towards his face.

"anyways, this mirror has a different purpose, yeah?. i place the mirror, ever so delicately, on the shelf, just there." he did as he said, and you locked eyes with him. "i angled this specific one, at 46 degrees. do you know why?"

"no, i don't." what type of questions was he asking you? you let out a sigh. price gave you two challenges. the diamond dealer, and then ghost.

"it's my lucky number- no. because, while you were, daydreaming, like a lovestruck teen, i was out there hopping from different key points, putting up mirrors. no, i'm vain. i like to check myself out before i go to fight. what the fuck do you think?" he then told you to hold your gun up and aim your scope at the mirror, telling you to adjust it.

he proceeded to teach you about how you could use these mirrors to create an effect like a camera obscurer, and how it gave you a bird's eye view of the field.

"just a trick of the light. reflections." he explained to you, knowing the look of amazement in your eyes. "not magic."

you frowned. "well, thanks for ruining that for me."

the sun was quickly setting, and you didn't know how long it would take for you to make contact with the target. you've actually become comfortable with ghost, although he was constantly cursing you for being new. but you believed price when it came to the fact that it's because he's being sarcastic, not because he truly hates you.

"now , what's your name? don't want to have to call you rookie all the time."

"you don't know? i would've guessed price would've told you."

"of course i know," he growled. "i'm being polite. you can't walk up to someone already knowing their name, can you?"

"same could be said for you," you narrowed your eyes. didn't he just say small talk pisses him off?

"well, i'm called ghost. but i ain't that fucking spooky, mate." he chuckled.

you were about to introduce yourself, the way you would as if you had met him in a bar, but something shot past your face, causing your ears to ring.

"holy fuck, what was that?" you looked to see a hole in the wall to the side of you, a bullet lodged in it.

"well, that's obviously a fucking bullet. and neither of us shot anything, so it's an enemy sniper."

you rolled your eyes. "i know that, lieutenant."

"go on, have a look."

you moved over to the window, looking through the scope of your gun. you knew that he was definitely not on the floor, given the fact he was a sniper, so you focused all your attention on the rooftops and high points that he could be shooting from.

"you see anything?"

"not yet. he's hiding fucking good."

another high-pitched noise flew right by.

"well you better hurry up. they almost hit me."

you looked at him in worry, expecting to see him grazed.

"oh, i don't mind. take your time." he sarcastically urged you to continue.

after a few seconds of trying to find the source of the bullets, you heard the next bullet before you barely felt it. it made contact with you, but thankfully, it wasn't deep. you let out a cry, and ghost glanced sideways at you.

"guess i better stop playing around," he lifted his gun up, and he almost immediately found the sniper, letting out two shots, but not before the dealer could hit him in the arm.

"ah, fuck," he said. "fucker really got me. at least, our mission is completed."

"does that shit not hurt for you or something?" you questioned his lack of notice to his wound.

"of course if fucking hurts, rookie. you think i'm actually some type of ghost? can't feel pain?"

"fucking christ, you know what i mean, lieutenant." you frowned.

ghost let his gun fall to the floor, and he began examining you for where you got shot.

"it's bleeding quite a bit. but while you've got, a concerning gash, i would appreciate your help in dealing with mine first. then i, pinkie promise, i will help you, rookie."

"what should i do?" you also stranded your gun, walking over to ghost.

"i just need you to hold the torch. it's too dark for me to see shit out here. now listen, don't get any ideas but i've got to take a few layers off, so, no fucking peeking."

you spun around quickly, but there was an urge inside you to turn around and see what was going on. you heard the rustling of clothes and gear and the light sound of them falling to the floor. you got too curious, and couldn't help yourself.

you angled your head a little bit to at least see what was happening in your peripheral vision, but you got caught.

"do you want a fucking second bullet hole?"

"no thanks," you went back to staring at the wall in front of you, wondering how you got to this point. being shot on your first mission with ghost has got to be something no one has ever done.

"all right, fuck," he breathed out.

you decided that that was your que to turn back around, and you gaped at the big hole in his arm, and not over his built body or

"jesus christ, ghost. you're telling me that shit doesn't hurt?"

"no. this hurts quite a lot, but i'm just not crying like a baby about it." he held his arm in front of him, examining the wound.

he then proceeded to pick up some things from his pile of clothes and gear, holding up a flashlight for you to take.

"here. hold this torch." you took it and turned it on, resisting another impulsive urge to shine the light in ghost's eyes just to see what color they were.

he got a pair of tweezers and began attempting to get the bullet out, with him groaning and making other noises that you would've felt uncomfortable hearing if it wasn't for the fact that it was ghost with a whole piece of metal in his arm.

"shit, can you hold the fucking torch still?" you fixed your grip on the flashlight but couldn't help your shaky hands.

after a while, he finally drops the tweezers and instead switches it for a pocket knife.

"you're not much help," he flips the knife open and uses it only for a little bit, hissing through his teeth.

you can see the bullet, and ghost goes back to the tweezers. he continues the rotation between the two for minutes, and you're starting to think he won't be able to get it out himself here.

"if it don't come out, it don't come out. but i would prefer if i didn't have to macerate my whole fucking arm in the process," he sighed.

a few moments with only his heavy breathing filled the room, before he finally had the bullet in his tweezers.

"fucking finally," it took him a bit for him to calm down his breathing, and after a bit it was almost like he was good as new.

during this whole ordeal, your whole body has been throbbing. given the fact that this was your first time getting shot, though, you're going to consider yourself lucky that a bullet didn't lodge itself into you.

ghost suddenly had tissues in his hand, from who knows where, and began cleaning up around his wound.

"sorry if this isn't the most. . . hygienic field surgery. but soldiers, can't be choosers, can they?" he grabbed a roll of bandages and began wrapping it around his arm tightly. he still was letting out little sounds, trying to get used to the hole in his arm. he began lifting it up and down, and flexing it, and you watched as his veins became more prominent.

"maybe if i just fucking saw him before he shot you, this wouldn't have happened." you didn't know why it took so long for you to even find him, with how quick ghost spotted him and took him down.

"it's not your fault, it's mine. i was acting like a knob. trying to show off, impress you. but, if you fucking tell anyone that i got shot, acting like a twat, you'll be the ghost." you watched as he wiped the blood from his arm, and you shut off the flashlight.

"you didn't have to do anything during this mission to impress me, lieutenant." you shook your head, smiling. "i've heard enough about you to think you're one of the coolest motherfuckers i've met."

he stared at you, and once again, you couldn't tell what was going on with him. was he smirking? was he unamused by your compliment?

"enough kissing up to me, gorgeous," he pointed at your laceration. "a promise is a promise."

you followed his command to hold out your arm.

"look, we're twinsies." he held up his injured arm. "it's cute, right?"

"we're basically best friends now," you responded with a wink.

"what are you fucking on," he sighed. you still had that shit eating grin on your face.

he took the flashlight from you, and held it up, along with his pocket knife.

"it's a clean cut. you're very lucky, mate. but don't get too cocky. there's a bit of debris in there." to your relief, instead of using the knife, he decided to use the tweezers.

you tried ignoring the discomfort of him quite literally digging in your arm.

"price is going to fucking love this," he muttered under his breath.

you being flinching every time the cold tool made contact with you, and ghost was fed up about it.

"hold still. you're fidgeting." you used your other arm to hold the one he was working on still.

finally, after what felt like hours of you sweating, trying to be still, he finally pulled away and wiped the tweezers off, then began to wipe you off.

"they're never gonna leave me alone about this. they're always gonna remind me of that time i got shot with a rookie on a simple mission."

"a new experience, huh?" you bandaged up your arm yourself and the two of you got ready to leave, gearing back up and putting everything away.

"alright, you did, okay. not fucking amazing. you're not gonna win any medals or rewards or prizes. but you did alright, rookie. i'm proud of you."

you flushed at the praise, sheepishly putting your hand behind your neck.

"here. there's one thing you can do from now on, if you want. if you want, you can call me, simon."

"really?" you exclaimed. you're probably one of the only rookies he's allowed call him anything but lieutenant or ghost. you mentally high-fived yourself.

"don't get to excited. c'mon, let's go see the captain before he thinks that we have. . . eloped." he turned his back to you and began making his exit. you were slow to hear what he said, and he stopped, looking back at you.

"fucking c'mon then. jesus christ." he said as you ran after him.

you hoped that you would be able to work with simon a lot more after this.

☆☆.

part 2? when i feel romantical

#simon ghost riley x reader #ghost x reader #simon ghost riley #ghost mw2 #mw2 imagine #cod mw22 #cod mwii #mw2 #cod #simon riley x reader

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pandorasword · 1 year

Text

Chaeri as the 8th and youngest member of BTS.

Chaeri's Masterlist

❒ Requested ✓

「 A compilation of Chaeri and Jungkook caught on camera 」

Video posted on YouTube by chaekooknation

Hello everyone, this is chaekooknation speaking! I'm back with a compilation of videos and super-zoomed images of how Chaeri and Jungkook act when they think they're not in front of the cameras I'd like to remind everyone that this is a video purely for the enjoyment of fans who, like me, believe there's something more than friendship between the two of them ♡

clip one ⸻ 🎬

⠪ September 2018; Canada ⠪ At that time the members were on tour for the 'Love yourself world tour' ⠪ After the last Canadian stage in Hamilton we know that they stayed a couple of days there before leaving for New Jersey ⠪ We know this in particular because of a dinner they had one of those evenings ⠪ We all remember videos and photos posted by the staff of one of the most exclusive restaurants there ⠪ These include a video of Chaeri and Jungkook that is a bit suspicious, don't you think? ⠪ When she noticed that someone from the restaurant staff was filming her having her hand on Jk's face she made a shocked expression ⠪ Sis, why be surprised? You live constantly on camera ⠪ Unless you were about to do something that others should not know about ⠪ Anyway, she became smooth again after a second and moved her hand to the back of his neck ⠪ SUS

clip two ⸻ 🎬

⠪ 22.04.2017; After a vlive ⠪ For this picture we have to credit our Jin hyung who posted them on weverse without them knowing ⠪ I quote the description "Armys our maknae stayed with you as long as she could. Can we all agree to scold Jungkook for not letting her sleep in peace? Turn off the lights!" ⠪ Chaeri and Jungkook had spent almost an hour chatting with us armys ⠪ "I am in Jungkookie's(hotel) room now, when we say goodnight to you I will go back to mine." ⠪ SHE NEVER DID!!!! ⠪ Isn't it adorable the way he keeps his arm around her body?

clip three ⸻ 🎬

⠪ 2019; SBS Gayo Daejeon Music Festival ⠪ Photo taken by a group of fans from afar ⠪ Seems to be right after the show ended, probably they were waiting to leave ⠪ Fixing his coat is such an intimate and loving gesture ⠪ I wouldn't do it with just a friend. Would you do that? ⠪ Chaeri is always so caring, when it comes to him a little bit more ⠪ It was so cold that year, I'm sure she didn't want him to freeze ⠪ The way he looks at her!!!

clip four ⸻ 🎬

⠪ [BANGTAN BOMB] Meeting with Megan Thee Stallion pt2 | A night out

⠪ It was decided at the last minute there would be two Bangtan Bombs with the rapper: The first to meet her and the last to spend an evening together ⠪ Megan is amazing and beautiful, meeting her was a pleasure for all members, it's obvious ⠪ Chaeri might have been annoyed just for a moment perhaps ⠪ That way she tries to hold on to his coat and then retreat realizing she is being filmed makes me think (and laugh) ⠪ I don't think she felt threatened by Megan's beauty ⠪ Perhaps she was simply bored with all the attention she was giving Jungkook ⠪ Jealous Chaeri >>>>

clip five ⸻ 🎬

⠪ 2016; ISAC ⠪ We had to zoom in a lot to get a good look at them ⠪ We remember the impact Chaeri had on the show, fighting to make the competitions mixed and no longer only for men or only for women ⠪ The camera was focusing on the other members, Chaeri and Jungkook could only be seen by those paying close attention ⠪ The way she hit the bull's eye of the target every time during the competition must have made Jungkook very proud ⠪ But do you see the way he looks at her at the end? ⠪ Google search: How to find someone who looks at you the way Jungkook looks at Chaeri

clip six ⸻ 🎬

⠪ 2018; Mama in Hongkong (Backstage) ⠪ I loved how nonchalantly Chaeri spent the time before the performance eating rather than rehearsing ⠪ We know how much Chaeri hates to be bothered while she's eating, but this seems like an appreciated interference ⠪ Very low photo quality but we had to zoom in a lot too to make it clear who it was ⠪ The glasses Jungkook is wearing are seen back on her at the end of the video, during the goodbyes

clip seven ⸻ 🎬

⠪ 2016; Suwon ⠪ At that time their fame was still growing, there were not as many armys as today ⠪ BLESSED SOUL, THOUGH, THAT FOUND HERSELF IN THE SAME PLACE WHERE THE MEMBERS DECIDED TO GO ICE-SKATING ⠪ I tell you, it was hard to find this video ⠪ They are totally in a world of their own ⠪ Don't you think JK teaching Chaeri anything is the best Jk? He is always so careful with her ⠪ She clearly terrified ⠪ I bet he wanted to burst out in laughter ⠪ I wish there were more moments of that day to share together

clip eight ⸻ 🎬

⠪ BTS in the soop; Season one ⠪ Is it just me or does it seem like they were kissing at first!? ⠪ The guys' cameramen give us joy every time and I don't think they even know about it ⠪ They were filming some of the boys outside the house but if you look carefully in one of the windows you can see these two silhouettes ⠪ To me it's obvious it's the two of them ⠪ What song do you think they were dancing to? ⠪ PLEASE we need to know

clip nine ⸻ 🎬

⠪ 2021; After the episode '131' of RUN BTS

⠪ If someone asked me to show them a video about love I would show them this

⠪ The fact that Jimin accidentally caught them behind him during his vlive makes it even cuter

⠪ This is how they act when they think the cameras are off

⠪ Chaeri smile with her eyes when she's close to her Jungkook

⠪ Who would touch her hair like that if not someone deeply in love?

⠪ We have to thank our Chaekook fan n1 Jimin for the video and the producers of RUN BTS for throwing water on them for all that time

⠪ Looks to me like she's also wearing a men's shirt…did he give it to her?

Thank you all for watching my video! It seems quite evident that there is something more between the two, what are your opinions? Stay tuned for more Chaekook videos Bye!

#bts 8th member #bts female member #jungkook x reader #jungkook imagine #jungkook scenarios #bts eighth member #bts au #bts au fic #bts imagines #bts female addition #kpop female member #kpop female oc #bts x reader #bangtan sonyeondan #bangtan #bts

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sophieinwonderland · 20 days

Text

Today is the day I make one lucky cringizen's dream come true!

I've had this screenshot saved for over a month, knowing this day would come! So congrats little cringizen, your wish is finally granted!

Because I'm going to talk about Aspen's bullying of Custom-Emojis, and recount my two minutes in Aspen's server!

So let's see if I can sum this up. Aspen, an anti-endo TikToker, goes into the Custom-Emojis server. She barely says or does anything there. She gets banned for conduct in other places. Rather than moving on, Aspen plays victim while mocking people's triggers, and says she was banned for saying hi.

You can find the story from Custom-Emojis here:

Aspen escalated and is now allegedly openly admitting to bullying Custom-Emojis.

I do say allegedly because these screenshots are from r/systemscringe and I don't actually know what the context is for that second one. But if it's legit, yikes!

Now, I normally wouldn't get involved in this drama. Mostly because I think both parties behaved pretty poorly. Aspen blew a ban out of proportion instead of just moving on, and chose to mock people's triggers in retaliation for banning her. Obviously terrible. But... I also don't support Custom-Emojis following up by telling people to mass report her TikTok. Both seem like massive overreactions that only furthered the conflict.

There are no mature adults in the room.

So why am I talking about this?

Well you see, I have a funny story to share!

See, a while back, when r/systemscringe added Aspen to their hit list, I wanted to see what the deal with her server was. Was it really as bad as r/systemscringe claimed?

So... I joined it... just to see.

I never actually got to find out!

While casually scanning, before posting anything at all, I read people talking about me just joining. They recognized my name. A few were explaining to the mods who I was and that I was an endogenic systems. I think they mentioned I was a tulpa too.

One of them even mentioned following this blogs for the laughs. Which, if you're here now, hi! 🙋‍♀️

And then, everything went black. Well, gray. Point is, I was kicked from the server! Instantly! In what was probably less than 5 minutes having said absolutely nothing!

All for the crime of being an endogenic system.

And at the time, I didn't comment on it. It seemed... disadvantageous. r/systemscringe was focused on Aspen. Aspen and her server was focused on r/systemscringe. Why interrupt that? Why get in the way of ableist anti-endo factions tearing each other apart?

But with this latest incident, I had to talk about the sheer hypocrisy of Aspen's community at being outraged over Aspen getting banned while doing the same exact things!

It's just too funny to not point out the hypocrisy of Aspen and her followers!

Wait... Aspen's Here?

Okay, so everything above I wrote Thursday or Friday. I didn't post then because other things were going on and I wasn't quite ready to get dragged into the drama. Then surprise, Aspen made a new Tumblr! And one of her first acts was invading inclusive tags.

Expanding on what this anon says, the pluralgang tag isn't merely where endogenic systems hang out. It's a tag that was made explicitly for the inclusive plural community.

As a reminder, the "plural" label originated from non-disordered system, and has always been inclusive to all plurals for nearly 30 years. The plural community is our community. And hate isn't welcome here.

Oh, did I mention she tosses around ableist slurs?

Putting aside the blatant ableism against people with schizophrenia with that slur, let's reiterate that the existence of non-disordered and endogenic plurality is back by actual psychiatrists. This is not schizophrenia. It is not a mental disorder.

Transgender Mental Health by Eric Yarbrough explicitly states that you can be plural without trauma or a disorder.

This is a book that was peer reviewed and published by the American Psychiatric Association.

The ICD-11 states you can experience the presence of multiple "distinct personality states" (the same term it uses for alters) without a disorder in their entry on DID.

The existence of non-disordered and endogenic plurality is FACT!

And anyone who says otherwise is either ignorant or lying.

...

Oh, and since I'm sure this post will get around to r/systemscringe and one or both of its servers, be sure to check out my debunk of r/systemscringe's lies while you're here. 😉

Also, as always when an anti-endo invades inclusive and pro-endo tags, my response is going into anti-endo tags. If any anti-endos don't like this, please take it up with Aspen. I'll respect boundaries as long as the boundaries of our community is respected. Otherwise... 🤷‍♀️

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rootsofdread · 1 year

Note

Hiii! Always glad to see new dbd blogs!!

May i request Wraith, Nurse, Joey and Susie with a big tryhard s/o, who's pretty much throwing the game the moment they know it's them? Like they are a pain in the ass for every other killer, but for those they r just going around giving free hits n' hooks, never finishing gens, following the killer around and so on.

Feel free to skip this one if u don't feel comfortable writing it and good luck!! I'll be looking forward for all of your future posts :D

so glad to see you too! i hope i don't disappoint with my posts <33

Philip Ojomo / The Wraith:

Philip is always confused about it, to be honest. He knows you do it because you love him — that, he'd never be confused about. It's the fact that you let him kill you every time…Ultimately, though, he supposes that he prefers that over someone else killing you. He needs to protect you, and if this is the way he has to do it, then he'll accept it.

He does enjoy the help, though, like when you block exits for others when he uncloaks behind all of you. He likes sending you to be with the other survivors for just that reason. And to make sure you don't accidentally blow his cover.

Or he'll use you to draw out the others by either leaving you down or putting you on a hook. He cloaks and stays nearby to wait for your signal. That, and he prefers being close to you to watch out for you.

He will insist on you staying behind him when he's chasing everyone else around, to make sure you don't get in his way. Both so he doesn't hurt you when you don't expect it, and to ensure precision against everyone else.

He's always especially protective of you around other killers. He knows your antics must make you a popular target for the more aggressive of them. He's always looking out for you.

Sally Smithson / The Nurse:

Sally wishes you wouldn't offer yourself up for sacrificing, at least not so easily. She loves you and prefers not to hurt you. But she will, if you want it. She appreciates that you're willing to do anything to help her get ahead.

She will ask that you stay out of the way while she works, she rathers you stay out of danger until it's necessary. She saves you for last.

She does enjoy seeing you take a break from other trials with her, more free to run around and do what you like. She finds it sweet that you trust her so much.

She feels a bit bad when she blinks away from you on accident, and always looks back to check on you. She always does her best not to leave you too far behind, she doesn't like making you catch up with her.

It does make her feel quite special knowing you give all the other killers a hard time, and only give wins to her. She's not used to so much devotion from somebody. Loyalty. It means so much to her, honestly.

Joey / The Legion:

Joey loves it, because it gives him so many opportunities to show off, both to you and to other survivors, by getting you in on the trick he wants to pull off. He is delighted having a partner who'll just hand trials to him, it fuels his ego.

He will specifically tell you to give everyone else a hard time, knowing you’re already doing that and would just do it anyway. He just likes to encourage you. Plus, he kind of likes seeing all the other killers’ blood boil over how much of an ass you are. It makes him proud.

He kinda likes having a groupie that follows him around and helps him with kills. It brings him back to his brief days in Ormond before being taken into the fog: where he felt like he was on top of the world for killing someone, taking matters into his own hands.

He’ll use you to screw with the other survivors, try to earn their trust by seeming like he doesn’t have a favorite, downing and hooking you in front of them, only to viciously betray that little bit of trust he’d taken just minutes later.

It does amuse him when you try to be a pain before you realize it’s him in your trial. When you smack into and taunt the mysterious killer, you'll hear him chuckle a bit. He gives you a headstart before running after you, still laughing a little.

Susie Lavoie / The Legion:

Susie honestly finds it adorable that you'll do anything to give her a win but give every other killer such a hard time, it makes her feel special and she loves that. It sends her into a very huggy giggle fit when she sees you being such a pain in the ass for everyone else.

She probably uses it to tease other killers. "Well, if you weren't so mean, maybe you'd catch a break!" — things like that. She knows it's not true, she just hopes it frustrates them even more.

Like Joey, she really enjoys showing off in front of you by mindgaming other survivors, catching them off guard, mori'ing them. Anything she thinks you'll be impressed by during a trial, she'll do it and will always be looking over at you and waving.

She'll often ask you to go scout out where the other survivors are in a trial and sell them out to her, because she knows she can count on you to help her.

She always thanks you for taking hits very sweetly, and will thank you with a kiss when she throws you onto a hook. If there are other survivors alive, she'll hang around for a little while to make sure nobody comes to save you. And to chat.

#inbox #hope u like my interpretations of joey and susie...there's almost nothing canon about them so i'm winging them #but i'm happy w this so i hope legion enjoyers enjoy :-))#philip ojomo #sally smithson #dbd joey #susie lavoie #dbd imagines #dbd x reader #dbd x you #philip ojomo x reader #the wraith x reader #sally smithson x reader #the nurse x reader #dbd joey x reader #susie lavoie x reader #the legion x reader

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horizon-verizon · 2 months

Note

Isn't it like wrong to call Viserys a rapist? He groomed Aemma and Alicent but he didn't rape them in a sense he didn't go like Aegon with Dyana. There are many types of rape of course but like it seems wrong

*EDITED POST* (4/13/24)

Ask comes in response to this reblog/post. This is about the show, yes?

No this isn't like anything with Aegon raping Dyana, taking her surprise and her yelling at him to stop. BUT I'd say that seeing that your wife doesn't want you to touch her means she hasn't given consent. Alicent was very obvious in her lack of desire to have sex with Viserys.

We have no scenes of show!Viserys marrying and living life with Aemma before episode 1, right? So we have to assume that in HotD, he also married Aemma at the ages in the original story/the bks. Age is definitely a matter we can look at here to determine grooming or no grooming, but since this is a world where:

most noble marriages are arranged and those marrying often do not actually get to choose their legal partners

where the marrying AND consummating persons can be under our (American, idk abt other nations) legal age of 18

we need to see who pursued who before the betrothal (not the marriage, the betrothal) AND why they did so? Because there is a difference b/t:

someone trying to preemptively make their future spouse more comfortable with them so the eventual consummation isn't awkward or a "failure" or stressful or something else I add below about the anxiety to perform one's duty

--AND--

them claiming they are doing such only to get the target to fuck them/be more vulnerable to their influence.

There's no strong proof of him wanting a sick sense of control or influence over Aemma before they married or betrothed. There's no proof of Viserys asking or pushing for a marriage with her for the express purpose of fucking with a child, because he wanted to have that type of control over her or any child. And they were arranged to be wed. He was around 16 to Aemma's 11 when they married and they consummated their marriage when she was 13.

Under this context, the 2 years of waiting might have been seen as "too long", as much as it shouldn't have been, but for whoever were willing to marry Aemma off at her 11 yrs of age are probably those who also applied some pressure to said couple to consummate, EVEN IF the couple actually liked each other, too.

Even without some external entity actively or purposefully making that sort of pressure--either maliciously or impatiently, like ordering a consummation versus constantly asking about it--the couple themselves could have both felt anxious to perform their "duties" to & for their parents/authority figures/families. But we simply don't know for sure and it wouldn't be mutually exclusive.

The couple lived & grew up in a world with little concept of a strong "legal" age, or a boundary for girls that was also enforced by laws. A world where doing your duty to your families, to your "God", to the authority figures around, to oaths you take you were often held as higher ethical standards than doing what some of us moderns would think is an ethical duty to "humanity".

Adult!Viserys expressly chose Alicent, though. And with Alicent being very obvious, I don't see how he couldn't have seen Alicent's reluctance or hesitance in all the times they had sex (at least 4 for each child)? From what little we see, they don't seem to be a couple where they (really Viserys) at least watch for each other's cues or signs of desire in bed. AllegedlyLola on TikTok says it best of HotD!Viserys (but much can the same shoudl be said for his book version): he says he loved Aemma, that he will always love her, etc. and pedestalizes Aemma to the degree that Rhaenrya could never be Baelon, her siblings can never be her, and all to never really give us a real picture of who Aemma was so he does not have to divulge how some of his actions have ruined Aemma's life. Helaena not having kids or at least stop having them before Rhaenrya becomes Queen/he dies would have even helped Rhaenyra...smh. He doesn't ever think to not let his daughter Helaena marry at 13 & have TWINS not long after (as Aemma died in part bc she started having children WAY too early after they consummated their marriage); he forces his daughter to marry Laenor to fix a problem he created instead of actually thinking about what would be better for her claim and position--which is not to marry a gay man!, esp when everyone knows he is gay; I mention Alicent already...this is the same guy who marries a 15 year old but gets angry with Daemon for seducing his 19 year old daughter and saying she is just a "girl"...bro...Add on the fact he allowed a faction against his heir and be lead by his second obviously hostile Hand & wife exist in court instead of properly intervening and diminishing Otto and Alicent's influence over Rhaenrya so she wouldn't have to escape to Dragonstone...no self reflection, just constant deflection, ignoring, placating the wrong people, putting his foot down at the wrong moments, not pursuing certain avenues or voids of information like in the Vhagar claim incident AND allowed the same thing that happens to his first wife happen to his next wife and his two daughters...ugh.

Getting back to Alicent, remember, consent is not a one-size-fits-all. You need to constantly ask for it and confirm it.

Keep in mind that this is an HotD Watsonian reading/analysis. The writers chose to make show!Alicent so vulnerable and defenseless to introduce something that modern viewers would easier think of her with their no-under 18s (and in certain age gaps, really under 25s) rule without making them really think about what these people themselves were going through. It's easier to assess a medieval setting or circumstance with the rules of conduct that we follow and know and then apply to them as if they would 100% understand how we think INSTEAD OF us FIRST trying to understand how they would think & react to what they have had to live with or learned so that we may expose how/where the double standards are.

I'm not saying that we should go back to marrying 15 year olds, I'm saying take a breather and assess how these people will think & act and assign the "fault" of such to the world instead of just them. Where it's appropriate. I am also not saying that you shouldn't feel uncomfortable, either. I'm saying do the activity fiction requires of us and see through the characters' eyes to understand them instead of trying to enforce you own views right away and all the time to find the nuance.

Example, this Youtube commentator perfectly describes Alicent's mindset within the lens & contextual vocabulary of what the feudal world asks of its people, acknowledging her victimhood but still holding Alicent accountable/showing/implying how wrong she isr:

#viserys i #asoiaf asks to me #alicent and viserys #viserys and alicent #hotd characterization #viserys i's characterization #alicent's characterization #character ages #aemma arryn #hotd #asoiaf

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local-pirate-king · 2 months

Text

I decided to just post fanfiction here as well as on AO3, instead of just posting updates here. So here's the one fic I made so far.

Pure Chaos

ch1 Not dead

Astarion x male durge fanfic

Warnings: to this chapter.. none, I guess

Summary: After being abducted by alien squids, Nerah doesn't remember a thing from his past life apart from his name. He will do anything to remember, but first it would be best to get rid of the parasite in his head.

words: 1463

|/\/\/\|]::::::::::::::::::>

He should be dead, he should, but he wasn't. The ground was truly under him and no blood in sight. Or well, not his own. They have... landed the ship. Nerah woke up in the still fresh crash site and it smelled awful. The sun was shining, water flowing and smoke floating in the air. Not any worse from yesterday, honestly. Possibly even better. Yet he was still in unfamiliar territory.

He finally stood up despite the ache in his back from sleeping on the ground. Who knew how much time passed, though he wasn't about to figure that out. There was nothing in his head, no memory before the nautiloid, only the urge to stab something. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be anything to stab other than corpses.

Nerah casually started to loot the dead bodies, stopping for a second to admire a particularly gory one, his tail happily wagging behind him. He recognized one of them as the woman from the ship, the strange artifact was still in her hand and he reached out for it, without much thought.

"What are you doing?" He quickly withdrew. Oops, not a corpse.

"You looked quite dead." It was said in a rather casual and matter-of-factly way. Nerah didn't mind being honest, why would he.

"I assure you that I am not." Shadowheart wasn't amused, but who would be after being mistaken for a very dead person. "Not yet."

The thought of piercing her with a dagger dashed through his mind, he wanted to stab someone after all. Despite how lucky he was until now, it wouldn't be the best idea to try his luck any further. "Any idea where we're now?"

"I don't recognize this place, but it's an improvement on where we just came from." There was no arguing with her logic. "First things first, we need supplies, shelter and most of all a healer. There are still these little monsters in our heads."

"Aren't you a cleric?" Upon further thought, he realized that this is indeed something that a mere cleric may not deal with. On the other hand.. "Wait, did you say 'we'?"

"We need each other and we both know what's at stake. I couldn't think of better company." No matter how unbelievably it would sound, Nerah wanted to say that he didn't need her. But he knew nothing about those worms and squids.

"Alright. Let's go."

"Before we go. I wanted to thank you again for freeing me." He wanted to casually brush it off, but in fact Nerah did think about leaving her there. "It would've been all too easy to run past my pod, but you didn't. I'll remember that." She gave him a grateful look, which he honestly didn't care about. "Lead the way."

Nerah froze in place for a while. He didn't expect to be the one to lead her, he didn't know where to lead her. But eventually Nerah simply walked the way he didn't come from, which was so far only leading one way. Until the paths devided, but upon arriving at a locked door, he chose the other way.

It led right to the crashed nautiloid, the terrible smell intensified and Nerah noticed the brain creatures, realizing that they were about to attack. Shadowheart realized that as well and prepared her weapon, just as he grabbed his quarterstaff. He was excited with the anticipation of a fight. Exactly what he needed to sate the dark desires.

His first spell hit the target, a firebolt. The creature let out a piercing screech. Shadowheart hit one with a guiding bolt, killing it. Before they could attack again, one of the things came too close to Nerah, it's life ended with the hit of a quarterstaff. The impact resulted in a disgusting squelching sound that made Nerah grin with bizarre satisfaction. Last one died quickly, this fight lasted too short for Nerah's liking.

At least his magic didn't escape his grasp this time. Unlike on the nautiloid, where he lost control while fighting imps and his magic acted on it's own. That wasn't an ideal situation. Nerah wondered if it was always like that. Will his memory ever return? There was silence for the time being, only interrupted by a distant voice. Until a moment of realization.

"Do you hear that?" He asked while trying to figure out a source of the voice. Shadowheart gave effort to listening for anything only now.

"You're going there, aren't you?" She replied after Nerah finally found the right direction. He scoffed with a murmured 'of course not', then went forward. In the direction of the voice. Leaving Shadowheart to roll her eyes and follow after him.

There atop a hill was an admirable looking elf. He would make such a beautiful corpse. Nerah got lost in thought, imagining all the wonderfully awful ways he could disfigure him. His pondering was, however, interrupted by the center of his thoughts himself.

"I've got one of those brain things cornered." One and cornered, that was the perfect opportunity to fully enjoy killing it. He would love to sink a dagger into the tender flesh of this absurd brain with legs. Nerah briefly revisited the memory of the squelch as he hit one of them, it was truly euphoric. "You can kill it can't you? Like you killed the others."

He didn't even waste time replying. After pushing the distressing damsel away - or rather damsel in distress - Nerah made his way to where the elf was pointing.

Something was rustling in the bushes as he waited in anticipation to dash forward and slice one juicy brain with his dagger. The mentioned weapon was already in his hand, that familiar weight of thin sharp steel and black leather adorned with elegant rubies. It was a masterwork, ready for the art of murder. Made to carve, slice and stab, until the body couldn't be recognized anymore. Yet despite the anticipation, all that came out was a boar. He was disappointed, before a dagger that wasn't his own appeared at his throat. The unexpected movement startled him and Nerah reflexively jumped back, knocking both of them to the ground.

This little series of events resulted in two surprised idiots rolling on the ground, but one idiot recovered earlier and so Nerah had a dagger at his throat once again. The pale elf was dangerously close to his... everything. "Not a sound. Not if you want to keep that darling neck of yours."

For the first time in the life he remembers, Nerah has been threatened. It was dangerous, unusual, exciting. There was something great in the thrilling act of being threatened, Nerah would remember this moment to the end of times.

"And you, keep your distance, no need for this to get messy." His words reminded Nerah that Shadowheart existed and was still here. Despite the minor annoyance of being interrupted during such intimate moment, he liked the word messy in every way. They exchanged a few words that Nerah didn't care about, before the nice elf turned his attention to him again. "I saw you on the ship, didn't I? Nod."

Nerah did nod, even though he wasn't paying much attention to the question, it feeled unnecessary. He didn't even realize that he was smiling like a madman, but did notice that the elf looked uncomfortable, which he wasn't sure why. Before anything more could happen, there was that mind connecting again.

It happened with Shadowheart and the gith he didn't remember the name of, while on the ship. Now it was happening again. He looked upon the streets of a city. The place was familiar, but memories of his past were still shrouded with shadow, therefore Nerah couldn't say why it was familiar. For a moment he saw light and felt a flash of fear, then the elf's memory faded from his mind. The pale beauty seemed more uneasy than ever before. "What was that."

Nerah wondered if he saw something that he himself didn't remember, perhaps there'll be time to find out later. "The tadpole, I suppose. It connects us."

"They took you too. I saw it during... whatever just happened." The disturbed expression clearly gave off the message that he saw more than that. "And to think I was ready to decorate the ground with your innards. Apologies."

Nerah already liked this guy. "No need. I can't say my mind didn't wander in similar places. Anyway. I'm glad we settled this... this."

"Indeed." Whatever the elf saw in Nerah's mind, he got over it. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Astarion. I was in Baldur's Gate when those beasts snatched me."

Nerah smiled in his usual madman way. "A pleasure to meet you. I am Nerah."

|/\/\/\|]::::::::::::::::::>

on AO3

Thank you very much for reading ❤️

next chapter

#bg3 fanfiction #baldur's gate 3 fanfiction #astarion x durge #astarion #astarion x male reader #aide writes

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rayisatadbitcrazy · 5 months

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XVI The Tower

silly little secret life fic about lizzie dying that I haven't posted to ao3 yet

Fandom: Secret Life SMP

Characters: Ldshadowlady, Dangthatsalongname (Scott smajor)

General tags/warnings: Major character death, canon compliant, angst, trying to kill a man just cause your husband asked you to

Word count: 1424

Lizzie smiled as she hopped down the steps, her space buns grazed the cold stone. The target followed behind her, every few steps she cranes her back to look at Scott.

“Lizzie,” he didn't sound nervous. Good. False sense of security or something, “We've been friends for a long time.”

Oh? “We have.” The rough granite provided a good break of emotionless gray.

Scott took a breath, Lizzie could almost feel the staircase closing in on them as tension cut through the air, “I need you to be honest with me.”

“Yes.” Honestly, she didn't frame it as a question, a warm welcome for Scott to continue speaking. Something short. Something to just show she was listening.

“If I walk in here am I gonna die?”

“If you walk in? Like–do you think it's trapped?” She hadn't actually thought about that. What if it was trapped? She didn't trap it, but that wouldn't stop someone who'd been spending a lot of time in the end from trapping the end portal.

“Maybe.”

“Do you want me to go first?” Jeez, how long is this staircase? It seemed to go on forever, “And I'll show you it's not.”

“Eh, I think I want to go first.”

“You want to go first.” The smile was evident in her voice, although she could be far from happy, “Okay, you go first.”

Finally, they made it to the portal, Lizzie had become quite desensitized to the glow and whispers that came off from the eyes in the frame. It was creepy. But Lizzie loved creepy. And cute things. Cute-creepy! The portal was creepy-creepy, though.

“I can't believe I'm fulfilling all of my dreams by having people come to the end and my slumber party! Why couldn't everyone do this last week?” She sighed as she stepped up the stone brick stairs, a black void filled the middle of the portal, specks of green and blue and purple came out from it.

They nodded at each other, promising to see each other on the other side as they jumped into the slimy substance that transported them to the end.

The purple atmosphere greeted her, her heels clicked as she landed on the obsidian platform. This has proven to be a dangerous place, when she'd been here before to watch the dragon fight.

Scratch that thought. This whole world had proven to Lizzie that it was unforgiving.

She was murdered. That wasn't kind or fair. She didn't deserve any of the crap she got slapped with last week. Today she swore revenge on everyone.

Everyone but Joel. Joel. That's why she's here. To kill Scott for Joel.

Scott was already across the cobblestone bridge that led from the floating stone to the main island. The yellowy endstone was bright in contrast to the almost ashy-purple air, she squinted as she balanced across the two-block wide bridge.

Click. Click. Click.

“Ah, do you remember when we were last here, and the Ender Dragon was here? Wasn't it great?” She reminisced, following Scott up a makeshift staircase that had been mined out for the sake of easy access to the mainland.

Scott held out a hand, helping Lizzie up before she took off running, “Now follow me, just over here!”

Lizzie laughed, leading Scott to the furthest cliff side of the floating island. Honestly, she would've thought Scott smarter than this. Following a red name, to the end, to the void, to the edge overlooking certain death, was kinda stupid.

Oh well, if he wanted to make her job easy she wouldn't complain.

“There's something I need you to see!”

“To be fair, this works for me,” Scott's monotone voice almost echoed here. “because Jimmy's been hunting me down all day. So…”

“Oh yeah, he's never gonna find you here!” She bounced, leaning up and down on her heels as she waited for Scott to catch up. “Nobody is ever going to find you here!”

Scott laughed, his hand shot up to cover his mouth and his eyes crinkled as he closed them, “Why'd you say it like that?”

“Say it like what?”

He looked away, the beginnings of a sentence he'd never finish left his mouth.

“Okay! Follow me!”

This part of the island ended in a point overlooking the vast emptiness of purple. Just purple.

“Oh, this looks like the edge of the world.”

“Yeah it's just down here, “ Lizzie fished an ender-pearl out from her bag, holding it in her hand. “Follow me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, follow me. It's just–is it?” She peered over the edge, pretending to search for something specific. She only found a void.

“I don't think I want to.”

“It is! It's right there!”

Scott is smart. Whatever she thought before was a lie. He walked over, water bucket in hand, “Can I place some water down? To be safe?”

“I was gonna give you an ender-pearl to be safe!” She huffed, holding up the small crystal-like balls.

“Oh, yeah? That'd be good. Yeah, I'll take that.”

“Just in case. Here's the ender-pearl.” She dropped it down on the edge of the cliff, watching with wide eyes as Scott swiftly went to collect the item.

The moment he turned his back, she grabbed her axe and swung, the metal of her weapon clanked against his diamond shoulder plate, leaving a wicked dent in the blue armor.

“Lizzie!” He gasped, slipping past her.

“Oh.” She looked guiltily at her feet, shifting them slightly. “This has not gone very well.”

“You did three hearts of damage!”

Oh! “Wow! That's quite a lot!” She swooped in and attacked again, this time she didn't hit as hard as she meant to, leaving a scratch on an elbow pad he wore.

She almost hit him off the edge. She saw the fear in his eyes. And oh gods. It was delicious. Fear and tension fed her as her eyes darted all around Scott. Pairs of glowing purple eyes shine from behind him.

If she killed Scott, not only would Lizzie be getting revenge for herself, but she'd be helping Joel. It was a win-win for the only two important people involved.

“That was one heart of damage.”

“Oh…” She looked down, “That's not a lot…”

“No–” Scott tried to begin, but was shoved to the side.

Lizzie screamed, large hands gripped her throat. She met Scott's gaze for a moment before she was thrown backwards. Her elbows scrapped the uneven ground, cutting open the skin that grazed the stone. Her blood stained the ground as she slid across it and off the edge. She tried her best to grip the side, but the creature came for her throat once more.

The enderman banged her against the ground, beating her face into the stone. She wildly gripped for something—anything—ws she got pushed closer and closer over the sudden edge of the island. It grabbed onto her as they fell into the void, forcing its hands around her throat. Tears welled up in her lashes, she clutched the goopy item in her hand, the calming blue-green failed to do anything.

She stared at it in its ugly distorted face, its glowing purple eyes, stunning it for enough time to push it away from her.

She fell, only being able to attempt to catch her breath as the creature flailed just next to her, more concerned with the fact that the was void eating away at it than how Lizzie glanced at it.

Scott stared down at Lizzie as she fell, watching as the oxygen left her lungs and the void consumed her.

Her hands were the first things to numb in the cold, turning purple. It hurt. It hurt so badly.

This is all a bad dream, she decided. All a bad dream.

She's going to wake up at her sleepover, the whole server surrounding her, Joel holding her hand, cake with candles in the middle of her house.

The tingling pain moved from her fingertips to her bloody elbows, then her shoulders and chest. Her lungs collapsed. She couldn't breathe. The creature had stopped screaming. Maybe it accepted its death.

She couldn't think straight, the lack of oxygen got to her, making her dizzy. She had to force her eyes to stay open.

The ender-pearl! She knew it wouldn't work, but she tried anyway. Throwing it as hard as she could, up at the island.

This was embarrassing. Her whole life was embarrassing.

The last thing she heard was an explosion, muffled by the noise of the wind in her ears.

#ldshadowlady #lizzie ldshadowlady #secret life #ldshadowlady secret life #fanfiction #fanfic #traffic series #traffic smp #trafficblr

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ofallthingsnasty · 6 months

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I know I haven't been following you for that long, but I have gotten invested in your fanfics and ocs so FAST. Not even kidding when I say that I spend tons of time just daydreaming about your fics lol They just scratch that itch I have for dark stories, it's amazing😭😭😭 And damn all these character lore drops are just watering my crops😫 Especially the bits about Evan and Micah.

I knew I was right to be scared of Evan since the beginning but yikes on bikes, I didn't expect him to straight up resort to maiming you if you act out ⊙▂⊙ I imagine that if the reader did ever manage to escape while Evan was out, it wouldn't be at all out of character for him to go "well reader, looks like you're losing the 'having both of your legs privilege'🙂" And he would feel super bad about it, but he would still do it. Probably while crying and saying something along the lines of this is going to hurt me more then it's going to hurt you, while the reader is begging and crying for him to not do it. Ughhh I got chills just typing this out💀Yeah Evan scares me quite a bit, anyways amazing character cant wait to see more of him lol🥰

And our favorite resident jerk Micah Bell, I do hate his guts but I have always found his character really morbidly fascinating and fun to witness in game. I sit there and go 'wow this guy is such an asshole.....why isn't he in more scenes and missions?(look if you hate him then that means that Peter Blomquist did his job perfectly👌) Micah is definitely one of my favorite villains ever and my goodness you have done this awful and nasty man justice in 'through the briar' 😖 And that bit of lore you posted just adds to it. Micah already doesn't like the reader in the slightest, in the beginning he saw her as an annoyance, an easy target to bully, and a opportunity to one up Arthur. But from what you posted, if the reader ends up pregnant he seems to genuinely resent you for the situation "you" put him in. To Micah you just had to have the utter AUDACITY to get pregnant, when he just wanted to have a little fun. And now he has to do all this work to look after the reader and their children (by work it means he probably shows up once a month, twice if he's feeling extra generous. And hands you a single can of beans that prob expired three years ago, 15 dollars and a quarter, don't forget the quarter💀all that to feed maybe 2-4 kids? Gee thanks for the help🙃)

I imagine whenever he does come home its like walking on eggshells for the reader and the kids, cause Micah is looking for any reason to get verbally and physically abusive towards them, especially the reader. (btw do you think Micah has even a hint of affection for his children? I know he doesn't love you in the slightest💀 but maybe the kids got a fraction of his cold, dead heart😭😭) In the little escape attempt from Micah scenario you have planned, I can honestly see him calling the reader an 'ungrateful bitch' for running from him after all he's done for you🙃🙄 That he didn't have to do "right" by you after you got pregnant, but he did. And this is how you repay him? And after that little speech....yeah it won't be pretty for the reader🫥

Anyways enough of my rambling😅As you can see your fics are just feeding my brain hahaha (holy crap this is a long ass post I'm sorry lmao💀)

Oh my god, this is so sweet!! I am amazed that my writing could have such an influence on anyone 😭💕 You don't know how much internal back-and-forth I did before I finally was able to publish 'through the briar' - because I thought the concept was so silly and had big, big self-doubts but that fic really showed me that there is always someone who wants to read whatever idea it is one has 💕💕 So, thank you, really!!

I knew I was right to be scared of Evan since the beginning but yikes on bikes, I didn't expect him to straight up resort to maiming you if you act out ⊙▂⊙

Yes, yes you definitely should!! I only scratched the surface of his true nature in 'capture kill' but I was trying to leave some hints for the readers - I see him as a very 'classic' yandere, like the ones I used to read about when I was younger. Desperate, lovesick, willing to go to hell and back to have you - the only thing that holds him back is his little wolf pack because following their code is intrinsical to him. He's easy to underestimate, especially for a defiant darling.

I imagine that if the reader did ever manage to escape while Evan was out, it wouldn't be at all out of character for him to go "well reader, looks like you're losing the 'having both of your legs privilege'🙂" And he would feel super bad about it, but he would still do it. Probably while crying and saying something along the lines of this is going to hurt me more then it's going to hurt you, while the reader is begging and crying for him to not do it.

Yup, exactly! Like I said, it's all for the "greater good" - he already fucking hates what happens to you in 'capture kill' but again, he'll surely be the one to impregnate you and then you two can forget all about this, right? Then he will have earned you fair and square - and no one can take you away from him.

I sit there and go 'wow this guy is such an asshole…..why isn't he in more scenes and missions?

gdfdsgh same!! I would KILL for more lines like "No need to keep your face covered now. It's just you and me, sweetheart." during An American Pastoral Scene (link with timestamp for your viewing pleasure ehe) - I soaked all these missions up like a fucking sponge, both absolutely disgusted and captivated.

Absolutely. You look at him a little funny and he'll be going off in an instant, laying into you as though you're his personal punching bag. For his kids? I think it's complicated. Again, he did write to Amos - whether it's to stake a claim on his kin or because of some brotherly love, we can't know - but I do think that even that man can't help but melt a little (like on a molecular level) when a little horde of Bell children vies for his attention. That lasts for three exact seconds, then he's back to cussing them out. What I'm trying to say is that he has his moments, as many abusive parents tend to have.

And I agree SO MUCH with everything you've said about Micah and the reader-character. Really, the only good thing about him is that he's gonna die in a couple of years. Although that would leave you in even rougher shape, financially. Maybe we can both hold hands and dream about John magically coming into money and helping her out or something 😭 She is so fucked. I feel so fucking bad for my own creation, especially because she's a really shy, nice little lady. She really doesn't deserve it.

(Don't apologize omg!! I really enjoyed reading your thoughts!! It's the highest form of praise that my writing makes you think™, it means I did something right 😭💕)

#sodaequalsbubbles #ask #capture kill #through the briar #OC: Evan

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saedii-gilwraeth-simp · 8 months

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Redemption for cheating Tyler or Saedii getting back at him/ finding someone better for her?

Okay there is another one of these asks in my inbox so I will answer this properly when I do that one but for now, this is where my brain has gone every time I've looked at these asks, so here.

Follow up from this post.

*Saedii*

In the end, it is Fin who finds her on the target range deep in the bowls of the Aurora Academy's Tank training wing. She had managed to track down a supply of small axes that she was steadily launching at the targets, imagining her Besh'mai's face on all of them as the axe cracked the wood into splinters, one bullseye after the other.

Fin seemed calm enough to wait for her as she worked down the row, watching her work her anger out and occasionally blink away tears blurring her vision.

Eventually, she runs out of axes and turns to the Betraskan.

"Any particular reason you're here, Finian?" she asks. He frowns.

"I'm here because my friend is going through something shitty and I want to be here for her," he replies evenly, as if the answer is the most obvious thing in the world.

"And should I assume Tyler is at your place, being comforted by your wife?" Fin scoffs and shakes his head.

"Nah, he tried but Scar likes cheaters about as much as I do. Our apartment is quickly turning into a Tyler-free zone," he says and Saedii's brows pinched. They must really have issues with cheating for even Scar to turn her back on Tyler. "I feel like the answers obvious, but are you okay?" he asks. Saedii can tell that there's no pity in it, just concern, and she appreciates it.

She watches Fin for a beat, not really sure how to answer the question. Her heart feels wrong in her chest, like someone had cleaved her open and jumbled up all the ventricles and chambers and valves. And that wasn't the only problem. She sighs and reaches into her pocket and pulls her uniglass out of her pocket, handing it to Fin when she finds what she wants to show him.

He takes it and stares at the screen for a beat.

"Shit," she nods. "Does Tyler know?" she takes the uniglass.

"I came here to tell him. Congrats, you're now the first to know," she says bitterly, taking the uniglass back and glancing at the sonogram on the screen before pocketing it, trying her damndest not to cry.

"Okay I'm going to hug you," Fin warns and then his arms are wrapping around her shoulders and he tucks her closer. Fin and her are basically the same height so it's easy to let her head fall onto his shoulder.

She's generally not the biggest hugger in the world but today had hurt. She had just opened her heart to someone and he had crushed it so instantly it had struck the oxygen right out of her and on top of all of that, she was dealing with all the new emotions her hormones could throw at her.

So she lets Fin hold her and they both pretend not to notice when her shoulders begin to shake and she starts sobbing into his uniform collar.

Later, she watches a little numbly as Scarlett and Fin make a bed out of their couch for her. They move in a synchronicity that she envies right about now, but she's not going to say anything to them. It wouldn't be fair to get angry at two people that were helping her just because their relationship wasn't falling apart like hers was.

She can't find words to say to them - even those as basic as a thank you - but she has a feeling that they aren't feeling very talkative either. Fin seems more introspective than anything, trying to theorise what her options were, but Scarlett was another story.

Even with a fraction of her mother's gift she inherited, she can feel Scarlett's simmering rage like it's her own. Even though Scarlett looks as calm and comforting as she normally does, Saedii can tell she's seconds away from rushing out of her apartment to go and yell at her brother some more. Her energy is as red as her hair. Saedii not used to people being willing to go to bat for her like that, but it's strangely comforting, especially knowing how close the twins were.

The apartment is quiet as Saedii gets ready for bed, but she can hear Fin and Scarlett behind their bedroom door. Well, mostly Scarlett ranting. Saedii can't hear exactly what she is saying, but her tone is angry and incredulous and she can hear footfalls, like Scar is pacing.

Eventually, the conversation fades and Saedii is left in the dark and soelnce with her thoughts. She curls further into herself on the couch, pressing her face into the pillow to hide how her eyes are watering again.

She damns her whole life as she begins to cry again silently. She prays she falls asleep soon so she can stop. She prays that all of this day was just one terrible dream and that when she wakes up, Tyler will still be the man she fell in love with.

Would it not be the funniest thing if I do the next part and it was all just a dream that Saedii was accidentally sharing with both their brains?

#aurora cycle #saedii gilwraeth #tyler jones #finian de karran de seel #scarlett jones

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severide-kelly · 2 years

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Don't Read If You Don't Like Spoilers!

Okay, so as filming has started, there's info dripping into my twitter feed and while I won't post anything out in the open here, I will discuss spoilers so don't read if you like to see the show unspoilt.

So, here we go....

Based off of this tweet:

So, it seems like the honeymoon will be interrupted by (I would assume) Campbell himself, coming after Kelly with a gun.

So things that make sense to me: *With Campbell's Chicago operation ruined, it makes sense that he comes after Kelly as he feels he wrecked it all for him and it's finally time for Campbell to do something about it.

*I wouldn't be surprised if he had someone else with him as Campbell doesn't seem to do much dirty work himself and has plenty of goons. If Campbell isn't here for this, I would say that the story won't be over until he is caught.

*But, as the bad guy, Campbell hasn't had much screentime or even any dialogue so it feels like it's a short-term story. I feel like this might get wrapped up fairly quickly and then they move on to something else.

*Also seems that Campbell would wait until he assumed the couple are sleeping and then tries to kill Severide as that's always been his target. I saw a theory about the place getting shot up and the car getting ruined but the guy isn't going to turn up with a machine gun and start blowing up the building. He wants to kill one man and he'll do that as directly as possible.

*I imagine a scene where Campbell stakes out the place way into the night. He's going to want to make sure they're both asleep. There's no point in his kidnapping or trying to threaten Kelly in any other way, he's just going to want to shut him up for good. It makes sense that there's a gun.

*He needs to break in quietly, but there's a chance they didn't bother locking the door behind them as it's a relatively secluded area and they aren't thinking about Campbell being a threat. So it could be easy for him to get in. If it's not unlocked, I imagine it's not the trickest place to break into anyhow, it is a cabin they don't use most of the time.

*I think perhaps Campbell will either come across one of them as he's sneaking through the cabin- either one of them gets up for a drink/pee. They can easily have several shots fired in a tussle without anyone getting hurt, or only getting a minor injury.

*There's the chance that Campbell still gets away or that this still isn't Campbell that is here. It could be muscle hired and if it is, even if the guy is captured, with Campbell still at large, Severide would still be in danger.

Personally, I'd love to see this storyline continue.

Severide isn't a character who has a lot of fear. He doesn't in his job, or with confronting people. But he's never had people come after him like this before and now he has Stella to consider too. It'll be interesting if they did have this affect him a little. The effects of all this should be kinda significant. He had the guys beat him up, another guy tries and stab him (sort of), who he then accidentally killed and then potentially someone trying to shoot him. Even Kelly must have a point where he's like this is too much, and be a little freaked out.

I'd also opt for having him injured by gunfire just to make it a little more 'real' for him. He gets through several rough calls (like chimneys falling on him) without a scratch, so having him actually get hurt would do something to give him a bit of a wake-up call. It's not like it has to be serious, but I'd have it have been close to being serious.

#Chicago Fire #spoilers #Kelly Severide #Stella Kidd

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violetjedisylveon · 10 months

Text

A Secret Guardian

Summary: Kuniya(oc) weighs the pros and cons of looking after a young, orphaned and recently abandoned Ezra Bridger.

Word count: 750

Warnings: mentions of death, abandonment, betrayal.

A/N: If you haven't read stuff from my Loth-Werewolf AU, I suggest looking at this post for an explination of how it works. But quick summary, Loth-Wolves can change into a bipedal, humoid form and Ezra's mom is one of them. His dad is still just a human. So fluffy puppy Ezra!

Rebels Loth-werewolf AU link here.

________________________________________________________________________________

Kuniya supposed xe could have just left the pup alone.

He wasn't part of xyr pack, even if he was part of the larger clan-pack, and he seemed to be handling himself just fine.

His father's species gave him a degree of safety he wouldn't have otherwise. To all others, he was just a human Loth Werewolf.

Sure there were rumors about his mother never going full human and what that could mean, but they had been easily brushed aside with her injury and the statement of that sort of transformation being too rough on her "human" body. Her sellout purple eyes were equally easy to explain away with some distant non-human ancestor.

Kuniya snickered, Mira had always been brilliantly clever, masterfully stealthy and impossibly strong willed. Or stubborn.

Maybe a little too stubborn. Xe thought.

It was her stubbornness not to abandon the settlers and come back to the safety of the pack that led her to her current fate. Arrested and taken away and most likely dead.

That stubbornness had orphaned her son.

She easily could have done the same, or even better work if she had left that cursed, noise, rancid smelling city. She could have turned her husband, the human would walk through lava for her, and raised her pup without issue with the safety of a pack, could have given him the support and family he needed. Loths didn't do well in small numbers.

Hell, Mira frequently visited even though she supposedly lived in the city with her husband.

Loths needed other Loths.

But, xe knew the clan-pack leaders had stopped questioning Mira's decisions long ago.

And it wasn't like xe was biologically related, (xe was as far from the pup as one could be without being from an entirely different clan) and therefore more obligated to take the pup in. Xe certainly wouldn't be expected to care for the pup themself, at barely fourteen, xe wasn't old enough yet.

So Kuniya could totally leave the pup and wait til some of his actual family came and claimed him. He had met them before and liked them well enough.

They would certainly do far better than the settler Mira had entrusted her son with. The filthy rodian had turned tail and ran straight to the Empire first chance he got.

The pup's pack would come for him.

It was fine.

The pup would be fine.

So why do I keep coming back?

Kuniya of course, knew the enormous risk of trotting into a city as a wolf in broad daylight, and while the blank slate-ness of humans made it easy for xyr to pass for one, xyr eyes and other less human features would give them away. Yet here xe was, crouching on the roofs with only a hooded cloak to hide them, risking everything to obsessively watch over a pup that wasn't even part of their pack.

To the rest of the galaxy, and most importantly, to the Empire, true Loth-Wolves were extinct. It was important to keep it that way while the species recovered and guarded their homeworld. And xe was risking it for this one pup.

Kuniya hadn't even been particularly close to Mira. Her son was hardly an acquaintance to xyr.

Xe felt that pesky tug towards the child again, the signal he unknowingly gave off. Since his birth he had been suspected of being gifted, all of them had some gift, others had it stronger. He was strong, growing stronger with age. Less controlled too. He was painting a target on his back by existing.

Kuniya knew there was more than that compelling xyr to watch over this pup, to take care of something so small and fragile that had been abandoned. To protect him.

Xe knew the pup's situation reminded xyr of xyr own.

To be young and have your parents stripped from you was something xe wasn't sure one could recover from. Though alone for a bit, xe had been quickly reunited with xyr pack, the wound scarred neatly. This pup had been alone for longer and betrayed. If xe didn't do something, that scar wouldn't heal properly.

And that was why xe was watching over this pup, just to keep an eye on him until he was found by his family and taken to safety, away from the leering eyes and taunts of those other than them.

And if that part of the pack was too busy or unable to provide for another pup, well, Kuniya certainly wouldn't mind having a little brother.

________________________________________________________________________________

Damn, I really like giving traumatized children less than stable caregivers.

Anyway, what do you think of this?

I am very excited to see how this story developes and goes and for once, I have a concrete end goal in mind. So I know where it's going I just gotta take it there.

Which is exciting!

Imma draw puppy Ezra soonish and Kuniya and then probably both of them together being little shits.

I hope you all have a good day, whatever that is for you!

VJS Out!