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scandeniall · 3 years

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cause u were my baby

pairing: atsumu x (implied black)f!reader (ur Aran’s sister but if u wanna imagine youre adopted go ahead no physical descriptors)

summary/warnings: honestly just based off my boo by usher. ur life around atsumu over the years (from kids to adults)/implied nsfw at the end when ur adults, bad words, thats it./timeskip spolier

a/n: format might be weird because i was initially doing these as headcanons but kept going and it changed. also also started with a sakusa version based on this song so um tune in next whenever i finish it oop-

wc:4.4k

It started when we were younger, you were mine

You’re not exactly sure when you’d met Atsumu. It seemed like he was always around. From the first day Aran came home trailing two considerably shorter twins behind him you’d been intrigued.

“Aran you never told us ya had a sister!” When they found out your name and exclaimed how cool it was there was no way you could’ve predicted your future.

Eventually it became a tiny school girl crush, on one of them as kids (you couldn’t quite tell them apart for the longest). You’d be overly happy whenever Aran brought them around, and always asked to tag along with him, but only when he mentioned he’d be seeing the twins.

You’d watched over the years as your brother only grew closer to them and as a result so did you, sorta. In middle school you’d come back from hanging with your own friends to hear the twins bickering while your brother just continued in with his homework. Being in the same year, you’d occasionally be dragged into helping them out, or sharing answers when it was too hard and “they’d learn it later, but need the answers now.”

At some point during middle school you’d grown an official crush on Atsumu, opting to take his side more often than not within his competition with Osamu. Despite that, nothing ever came of it as kids.

The older you got, the more attractive they’d seem to get, but you never paid much attention. After all, once you reached the world of high school, your young crush practically disappeared. Instead you’d taken a liking to all the new people you were exposed to.

As they got more and more passionate about volleyball and you parted class ways you never really saw them, except for the occasional times they’d come to your house. Even then, the conversations were short. Growing more confident, and friendly you’d still jokingly take Atsumu’s side to which he’d parade around like he’d won the lottery. “At least someone thinks I’m right.”

Of course you’d heard about Atsumu’s lack of popularity among his teammates. You’d overheard Osamu telling him at lunch one day to be nicer, and you couldn’t help but laugh at the lack of care he showed for others thoughts on his personality. As long as he was doing his job as a setter all’s good.

“Don’t think you’d say that if they decided to throw you in a ditch one day,” you’d tease hovering over their lunch table. “Maybe you should be a little nicer,”

“If they suck, then they suck.”

For the rest of your first year your conversations took on similar natures. One of you’d overhear something then butt in for a few moments before returning to your regularly scheduled lives.

You’d watch as the two of them grew into their volleyball skills, alongside your brother cheering from the sidelines as much as you could. Come your 2nd year Their notoriety and your connection to them caused a spike in your popularity. It was something that came to the irritation of your brother.

“Another date?” Your brother eyed the way you searched for the perfect pair of shoes while you waved him off.

You’d heard about the twins biggest fight. Osamu admitted that he’d be quitting volleyball after high school. Heard about the way Atsumu reacted, seen the way they stopped sitting together at lunch

“Shouldn’t ya be with yer friends,” the blonde twin mumbles, continuing to stab at the rice he’d brought for lunch. Or that Osamu packed, which is precisely why he couldn’t eat it. You slid into the empty seat in front of him, not even phased.

“Atsumu you need to make up with your Osamu. You two are driving Aran mad. And more importantly you need each other.” Your hand stops his that were previously stabbing at the food, by knocking the chopsticks out. With a sigh, you move the bento he’d been messing over and replace it with your own lunch. “Since you’re on your whole anti Samu stance, figured I’d get you some non Samu food. I’ll be eating this by the way.” You were intentional in keeping your voice light not wanting to further upset the firecracker. “I’m waiting on my thank you.”

“For what. Tryna get me to talk to the traitor-“

“Atsumu. He's your brother. Grow up. I’m just trying to help out my friends-“

“Yer just Aran’s sister who has a stupid crush on Samu. That’s why yer taking his side,” at that your eyes widen and the annoyance starts to set. Before you could refute he cuts you off. “We’re not friends. Never have been and never will be. Go hang out with Samu if you’re that desperate”

Silence settled upon the two of you before you swallowed the lump that had started to form.

“You’re right. We’re not friends and I’m just Aran’s stupid little sis how could i forget,” your tone is mocking as you gather up your own food. “You clearly have some issues to work through with Osamu and you’re upset but I’m not gonna be your verbal punching bag. Keep the lunch,” you sigh before standing. “I’ll see you around, maybe.” Atsumu couldn’t pinpoint it then but there sense of finality in your voice might’ve aided in the further irritation he carried through the rest of the day.

You’re not even sure when the twins got back on good terms. One day they’d started hanging back out at your place with Aran however you made it a point to never be around. It wasn’t until your brother’s graduation months later that Atsumu caught you for more than a few fleeting seconds.

“He’s really graduated huh-“ you were sitting in the empty gym after the ceremony. Everyone else had gone outside before you ditched your family with the promise of catching up and being back for Aran’s celebratory dinner. However Atsumu had watched you slip back in and curiosity killed the fox.

“Hey Tsumu,” you hummed, eyes glued on the chairs covering the floor. You only glanced at him once you felt the bleachers creak and did as he settled next to you.

“Why’re ya in here (Y/N)”

“Just thinking. I’m gonna miss him-“

“Arans really leaving us for the big guys huh- they grow up so fast.” The lightness in Atsumu’s voice has you smiling before shaking your head before focusing back on the gym floor.

“Not Aran. Well- yeah I’m gonna miss him too but I’m talking about my boyfriend. Well ex who kinda broke up with me yesterday. Something about going off to Uni and needing something new. Seeing him here too was weird.”

Atsumu just nods. He’d heard that you’d started dating some 3rd year shortly after your disagreement. According to Aran and even Osamu the guy wasn’t necessarily a bad guy but wasn’t really a good one either. “(Y/N) could do better but if she’s happy,” he’d listen to Aran complain before, a rarity from a guy who tried seeing the good in people. And it was true, you were happy. Extremely so.

“Sorry about that,” you just give him another nod before he sighs. “M’sorry about blowing up at ya a while back too. Saying that we weren’t friends,”

“Is Miya Atsumu apologizing for someone.” Your fake shock is accompanied by you turning your body to face his. “Do I need to get this on camera for proof. Where’s Rin.” The way you pull out your phone pretending to film has him laughing before jokingly telling you to shut it.

“You worked things out with Samu?”

Atsumu only shrugs. “I’m still pissed but we still have 1 more year. And I gotta focus on being happier and more successful.”

“Do I even wanna know?”

Instead of responding Atsumu just stands before offering you a hand. “Ya going to the party?” He was referring to the one the parents had planned to celebrate the graduates. It was at your house but you weren’t sure if you were gonna actually show or just hang with a friend for a few hours. You still hadn’t taken his hand up and he looked at it expectedly.

“Hadn’t decided. Kinda sad ya know,” you joke before taking it.

“All the more reason. Forget about that loser. Besides if Aran finds out I knew ya were sad and did nothin’ he’d kick my ass.” You thought for a moment before caving, not even noticing had neither of you had let go.

That was the start of it all for you two. Following the party you’d rekindled your friendship with the twin and as break started the two of you grew closer. There’d been many nights when you two would sneak out and go on late night adventures. Convenience store runs. Scooter rides or even to parks to help him practice. You’d even started hanging around when they had official team practices to where he’d started walking you home.

Your first kiss happened on one of those walks. Your arms had brushed several times as he complained about poor spikes or missed serves and how they weren’t gonna be Karasuno with that performance.

“They’re stressing you out just how you stressed Kita out captain”

“And yer brother,” you nod as your hands brushed again. “How’s he doin anyways,”

“Pretty good. Just practicing a lot and stuff. He’s always tired when we talk.” Another brush. You start tuning Atsumu out as you debate on making a move. The two of you had gotten considerably closer to the point where people had teased calling him your boyfriend. However you could’ve been imagining it and the chemistry. Maybe he just saw you as a sister much like Osamu but picked up on your feelings and didn’t wanna hurt them and ruin things.

“Hey Atsumu,” the way you stopped had him confused. However before he could question it you started. “Do you like me? Like-like me?”

He thought for a moment before answering just with a shrug. “Well yeah. Course Aran would kill me for some of my thoughts but—yeah.” You weren’t even sure why you were so surprised with the ease of how he admitted it. He always said what he meant and all you could do was nod before managing to could out something that sounded like “good”

“Good. That’s all ya gotta say? C’mon (Y/N) give me something. Do ya like me?” With a nod from you he finds himself surprisingly flustered before doing the same as you. Only this time he’d moved closer head lowering. “Well that’s good”

The two of you started dating shortly after and into your last year. It wasn’t something that went unnoticed either. The way he’d lean against your locker trying to be cool, definitely falling more than once. The few people that had been privy to your quick makeout sessions when you’d meet up in empty hallways while you were supposed to be using the restroom. The way you’d started eating lunch together more often and if people played enough attention they’d noticed that you often shared drinks because “things taste better when they aren’t yours.” Then the most obvious, how you’d hang around early at games and stayed after and how he was so excited to beat Karasuno at nationals that he’d actually made out with you in public. (Aran had nearly murdered him upon finding out about that)

After graduation you two had gone off to different places and it was a struggle. There were arguments about not making time for one another. Between your academics and his pursuit at going pro, it was a struggle. But things were always made worth it. The time you’d created and sent him a care package and he texted you back a selfie with the basket with tears in his eyes. Or how you made the 3 hour train ride down for important matches or during your school breaks because he’d sounded super down about not being able to nail a new serve.

There were times where he’d stay on video call with you long after he should’ve been in bed because you were stressed about finals and up still studying. Then the time he surprised you by coming down for a milestone birthday. He’d showed up at your apartment at some odd hour completely exhausted and ready to fall over the second you opened the door.

“Atsumu?”

“Surprise baby,” he slurred using the last bit of his energy to hug you tightly. “Happy birthday”

“Tsumu what are you doing here,” you’d pull away however he attached himself back to you arms locked around your middle and face buried in the side of your neck.

“Talk later, sleep now.” You find yourself nodding before prying his hands off your and intertwining them with yours.

“Let’s get you some sleep Tsumu”

There were the late night drives as young adults listening to old school music and singing your hearts out just having fun. It was during the holidays and you two had both gone back home to be with your families.

“Hey babe technically this is us.” Atsumu is the one to turn the radio down as a familiar song starts. “And you were my babyyyyy,” His screeching fills the car causing you to laugh and swat the hand that had been casually resting on your thigh off. “It started when we were younger-”

“Atsumu shut up and pay attention to the road.” You smile as his hand immediately finds its way back on you. “But you are my boo.”

The night the Jackals beat the Adlers you were sure Atsumu would want to go out and party and you were more than fine with it. However while waiting for him to finish up you’d gotten word of his celebratory plans from a post game interview. “Just gna hang at home. Watch a few movies, eat a cheat meal, ya know.”

It’s about an hour later before Atsumu meets up with you at the stadium's entrance. You notice how his hair hadn’t fully dried as he shifts his duffel bag to the other arm to grab your hand on your preferred hand holding side as the two of you make your way across the parking lot. “Are you sure you don’t wanna go out with the guys?”

The squeeze of his hand confirms his decision. “I’ll see em’ tomorrow. We haven’t spent much time together these days. As the two of you approach the car you let go before asking him if he wanted you to drive. After he confirmed he was good to you slipped into the passenger seat listening as he tossed his bag in the back before sliding into the driver's seat. “Besides,” his hand makes its way towards your cheek, guiding your face to his. “I can think of a much better way to celebrate.”

“Is that so?” Your tease is quiet as you inch closer lips only a hair away. He’s the one who closes the space and you immediately reciprocate. Your lips immediately move against his mumbling a “congratulations” against his lips. You indulge it for a moment before pulling away to press kisses up his neck until you reach his ear before whispering something.

“Are ya serious?” At your nod he lets out a groan that you can’t help but laugh at him. “Yer gonna be the death of me one day”

“Love you too.”

The day he found out he’d made the Olympic team had been cause for celebration for more than one reason. The two of you had been getting ready for a regular day of running errands when he got the call. After hanging up he yelled for you so loud it could have gotten a noise complaint from neighbors.

“Atsumu why are you yelling. Im in the bathroom not fucking Antarctica.”

“I’m on the Olympic team baby.”

Following that you decided to turn the day into an Atsumu day something that made his heart swell. From the way you kept telling him how proud of him you were to watching his favorite movie even though you hated it. Once you insisted on making his favorite for dinner he knew it was time. In return he convinced you to get dressed in something other than sweats to eat dinner on your couch. “I just think we should take some pictures so I can show off my biggest supporter,” is what he told you with a shrug when you questioned it.

You also shouldve known something was up when he insisted that he had desert covered, because the man couldn’t bake for shit. “It's a delivery, cmon have some faith in me.”

“I do baby. In everything except for baking.”

You’d just finished eating dinner and the two of you were cuddled on the couch watching another movie, one of your boyfriend’s choices. You’d shifted uncomfortably for the fifth time before looking at Atsumu. “Can I change yet, these jeans aren’t comfortable anymore.” You were caught off guard when he moved so that he pulled you so that you were straddling him.

“Better?”

“Not at all,” you rolled your eyes while he just laughed, fingers squeezing at your hips.

“Just wait til desert, yer brother’s on his way with it now.” He placed a quick kiss on the skin of your collarbone before pointing at his phone for you to hand to him. “Did he tell ya he's on the olympic team too?”

“He's my brother. I was gonna treat him to dinner tomorrow. You tell Samu yet?”

“Not yet. Was gonna do it after Aran left.” You don’t miss the way Atsumu tries to hide the messages on his phone, his brightness all the way down, something he usually hates. Before you can question anything he's pulling you so that your lips meet his. “Stop looking so concerned,” he whispers against your lips.

“Yer so fuckin pretty baby,” the way his fingers tighten against your sides and the way his tongue slips into your mouth has the quietest moan coming out of your mouth. You pout as he pulls away settling for kisses along your neck instead. “You’ve been so good to me today. Can’t wait to get to bed with you.”

Before anything could go any further a knock on the door interrupts. “It's probably Ojiro,” you whine, mildly annoyed at your brother for interrupting you from where things were headed. “Tsumu let go,” you frown at the failed attempt of getting off him. You've met with a quick kiss before his palm comes firm against your ass, a yelp escaping. With that he lets you go laughing at the scowl you shoot him as he goes to get the door.

You don’t even bother to look at the two yet you can hear Aran’s scold that the two of you were disgusting.

“How’d ya know we were even doin anything”

“Your lips are swollen.” After that the two of them get into a whispered conversation that you can’t pick up on no matter how hard you try to listen. Before you know it your brother crosses through the apartment to place a box in the kitchen before joining you in the living room. “Congrats big bro,” you stand hugging him slightly before plopping down on the couch. He gives a smile of thanks before changing the subject.

“Miya here isn’t corrupting you too much right.” You both ignore Atsumu’s exclaim that he isn’t the one corrupting anyone has you hear him shuffle around in the kitchen.

When he gets back he brings the box, some plates and a few utensils. “What is it?” He nearly trips trying to set it all down before you get up to help him. After helping him you notice that he doesn’t sit back on the couch and looks off. “Tsumu are you ok?” You give your brother a concerned look but he just shrugs.

“(Y/N). could ya,” he nervously motions for you to stand back up and you comply confused. Grabbing his hand you watch him carefully, silently trying to check in on him. When he doesn’t answer you lean up to place a quick kiss on his lips. A silent “I love you,’ something that seems to calm him down. “I I love you too”

“You wanna sit down now?”

“Yeah just let me get this off my chest first?” Your nod is his signal to continue. “I don't remember when I met ya. At all. All I know is that there was this super cool guy with a super cool name and me and Samu kinda just followed him around. Then we found out he had a little sister.” You were used to some of Atsumu’s mindless babbling but the reason for bringing that up right then and in front of Aran was still going over your head.

“Somewhere along the way I fell in love with ya. I can tell ya that the first day I realized my crush was after Aran’s graduation. You were sittin in the gym and we just talked. You were sad about some loser and I didnt like that. Course I couldn't say anythin cause we weren’t even really friends then.” That pause is when what might be happening hits you and you freeze. It’s something Atsumu notices right away, eyes looking at you with concern. “Ya alright?”

The only thing you could do was nod offering a slight squeeze of his hand prompting him to continue. “Alright—where was I —ok. Then we got together and I knew it was love. Ya made me feel like I was I’m top of the world even when I was a jackass.”

“I almost thought we wouldn’t make it when ya when off to university. It was hard but we made it. we used to argue so much about stupid shit back then too. You were there before anyone knew who I was as a kid and have stayed with me all the way to being an Olympic athlete.”

At this point you watch as he begins to kneel and you’re hit with the fact that he’s really about to do it. You’re nodding before he even asks which causes him to laugh. “Let me finish alright.”

“I’m so in love with everything about you and after the announcement I realized we weren’t gettin any younger. You’ve been my boo since we were 17 and here we are almost a decade later. You’re still my boo and I want it forever. So (Y/N) will you marry me?”

You’re not even sure real words came out before you’ve tackled him to the ground in a hug immediately pressing kisses all over his face. Your eyes are teary as his hand rubs comforting circles on your back. The two of you are there for a few moments before Aran finally clears his throat.

“I can't believe my little sister is engaged. And to Atsumu no less.congratulations you two.” He shoots you both a warm smile as he watches the two of you. After getting up your arms fling immediately around Aran.

“Did you know about this,” the tears finally begin to fall as he just laughs confirming. “I can't believe you let him ambush me like this.” You feel your brother's arms embrace you at the mixture of laughing and crying.

“Hey, I knew he was proposing soon, not the day. He just called me up earlier claiming today was the day. Now stop crying and look at the cake.” Confusion crosses your face until you’re turned around to see Atsumu holding a cake that reads: marry me? (pls) the ring placed right under the words.

After you'd calmed down the three of you just sat in the living room catching up when you realized something. “Atsumu, you were so corny with the song reference.” Looking at Aran the two of you immediately burst into laughter. “I can't believe you referred to me as your boo. Out loud and in all seriousness”

“I got it on camera too. Got him in 4K” Aran shakes his head.

“I can't believe this. I propose and yet still clowning me. I miss when ya were all emotional,” your fiancé huffs. Despite that he doesn’t move at all from sitting so close that your legs touched. His eyes kept shooting at the ring on your finger and the desire to get you alone grew by the minute. At some point his hand slipped from the back of the couch to your thigh offering a squeeze.

It was then that Aran cleared his throat. “That’s my cue to head on out. I’ll see you tomorrow sis. Congrats again you two. Don’t—I’m not ready to be an uncle yet, s’all I gotta say.”

“After the Olympics work better for ya teammate?”

“How about never Miya”

The two of you bid your brother one last goodbye after the warning and before the door is even fully closed your fiancé is pulling you back into his lap. Your heart swells at the way Atsumu’s eyes look at you with so much love and your voice comes out way quieter than you intended. “Still can’t believe you quoted Usher”

Atsumu groans at that The hand that had been plaing with your, ghosting over the ring comes to a stop. . “I’m never showing anyone else that video.”

“It’ll be our little secret.”

“You're lying”

The smirk on your face tells him all he needs to know and all he can do is shake his head. “If yer gonna tell my deepest secret I’m gonna need you to make it up to me.” His hand slip around your waist, fingers skimming the space where your shirt had ridden up. you return the touch by trailing your hands until palms are placed again his chest.

“I think we can arrange something. Isn’t that right pretty?” The touch and hushed words were enough to cause heat to flare across your skin.

“What’d you’d have in mind?”

“A few things,” Atsumu leans close, placing kisses everywhere except your lips. First your close one. Then along your jaw. Right on the corner of your lips. “Think we’ve got some celebrating to do, fiancé.”

Atsumu forgot to tell Osamu that night and was ambushed the following morning after watching his private story in which Atsumu made you flash your hand to the camera with an obnoxious number of zooms with the caption: made the Olympic team and got my forever boo 🤪

#haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #atsumu x reader #atsumu imagines #hq imagines #hq imagine #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu imagines #atsumu imagine

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solalunar-eclipse · 3 years

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Scars You Can’t See - Chapter 8

Chapter title: Countdown

Word count: about 3500 words

Author’s Note: I tried to make this one slightly more light-hearted, but we’ll see if that worked out! Also writing fight scenes is difficult.

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...

At this rate, it was honestly a miracle that Tails hadn’t had to buy a new carpet yet.

Thankfully for Sonic’s sanity, his little brother’s determination to preserve their house meant that he’d been given lots of free rein to run around outside whenever he felt like leaving. He’d also been given fewer chores lately, as Tails knew from experience that Sonic did not thrive on order and routine like he did.

It had been three days since their visit from G.U.N. and their last contact from Omega- and Team Dark in general. Though he never said as much, Sonic was really having an issue with the fact that Tails had gotten to contact his friend twice by now, while he hadn’t heard from Shadow in ages. He tried his best not to worry, but it had just been such a long time since he’d spoken with the other hedgehog.

And Omega had said that Shadow was struggling...had practically had to relive one of his most traumatic memories….

Sonic decided that he didn’t care about any of the hybrid’s usual thoughts about expressing emotions or vulnerability- the second he got to see Shadow for real, that guy wouldn’t be able to escape the hug he had coming. The hero was practically determined to drag his friend (because they were friends, no matter what Shadow might say) to a therapist, too, since Chaos knew the guy needed it.

The blue hedgehog slowed down considerably and began to stalk through the forest instead, trying to get the majority of his anger out through his legs and movement. It wouldn’t do for Tails to see him like this…

Sonic’s thoughts circled back to how his hands were tied by what he’d promised Shadow- the hybrid had been so insistent, but now Sonic regretted agreeing not to go after G.U.N. Truthfully, the only reason he hadn’t broken his promise already was because while Tails was an incredibly clever and talented person, he could never forgive himself if the young fox got hurt. Otherwise, he would absolutely have long since blasted into G.U.N.’s headquarters, grabbed the commander by the front of his military uniform and told him in no uncertain terms that he had better stop hunting Team Dark and he’d better do it immediately. The hero had had enough of his friends suffering while he was forced to sit safe at home and wait.

His phone buzzed then, pulling him out of his tangled web of thoughts. Tugging it out of his windswept mess of quills, he saw that it was Tails calling and of course picked up immediately.

“Yeah, lil’ bro, what’s up?” he asked, hoping that most of the frustration had left his voice by now.

“Uh, Sonic?” the fox said, sounding pretty tense himself. “Since those agents came to our house a couple of days ago, I managed to hack into G.U.N.’s main server and now I can see some of what they’re doing- mostly where the organisation's sending people and all that.”

“Epic!” Sonic cheered. He began to wonder- could they use this to help their fugitive friends?

“Well, yeah, it would be...except that they’re sending an entire squad to our house. Like, right now.”

His grin froze in place. A squad of soldiers? The hero almost felt a grim sort of delight in that- finally, he’d be able to vent some of his frustration on the organization that had caused this whole mess. He hoped the house would remain standing, though. Tails had built it around a tree from scratch and was really proud of it.

Sonic decided he’d work that out once he got home, and just a moment later, a sonic boom exploded across the landscape as he took off.

…

Once the hero arrived at home, the duo began to set up the house’s various defense mechanisms- since they were a) very famous, b) hated by one of the most powerful supervillains in the world and c) one of them was an engineer, it was only natural that the house would be at least as well defended as a high-security bank vault. Sonic practically bounced around the house as he helped activate certain parts of their machinery, nervous tension running high. G.U.N. wasn’t going to be pulling any punches this time, he was sure of it.

Tails, by contrast, was absolutely calm. The fox was ridiculously mature for his age, and Sonic suspected that he instinctively knew by now when he needed to counteract his elder brother’s wild energy. Once everything was set up, the two built a makeshift barricade as a last resort at the front door, and waited.

Thankfully for Tails’s sanity, it didn’t take long for the trucks to arrive.

As the three trailer trucks parked outside his house, ten soldiers poured out of each one, while several technicians began to set up some sort of weird-looking prototype laser device. The fox laughed for a second at the sight of it in a way that sent a few chills down Sonic’s spine. His brother could be downright terrifying at times.

Tails scoffed. “Please. That laser doesn’t have the power output to break my shields….wait.

“What the heck?”

The four technicians had begun to hook up the laser to- of all things- one of Eggman’s old power cores that he usually used in his bases.

The young engineer tugged at his tails in frustration. “That’s so dumb! Sure, it might boost the laser’s strength, but there’s at least a twenty percent chance it’ll blow up in their faces! A small machine like that wasn’t made to withstand the amount of power it takes to charge an entire Eggman base!”

Sonic blinked and looked at his brother. “Those aren’t bad odds….”

“They aren’t good ones, either! I’d never let someone use a creation of mine with a one in five chance of failure. It’s just embarrassing! And it shows how far behind their engineers are!” Tails’s fur was fluffed up in outrage and irritation.

The hero almost laughed. “That’s what you complain about first? Not the fact that they’re gonna try and blow up our house?” he asked, his tone light. He snatched up the fox and rushed them both away from the front door as a precaution- that was definitely going to be their first target.

Sonic pushed Tails into the highest room in the house, before launching himself out the window and curling up into a deadly sphere of razor-sharp spikes. He vaguely heard one soldier yell something in a panicked voice, but didn’t pay much attention to it. He slammed into the ground, still in a ball, and tore off towards the laser cannon at top speed, leaving a cloud of dust behind him as he went.

Irritatingly, the soldiers’ gunfire spattered all around the cannon, making it impossible to tear the thing apart. Sparks flew across the ground as Sonic careened around it before jumping up into a running stance and taking off in their direction. The air snapped around him as he broke the sound barrier and landed a furious kick on one of the trucks, denting the heavy steel and flipping it onto its side.

Sonic stumbled as a loud explosion rocked the ground, but kept sprinting after a glance assured him that Tails’s shields had held against the blast. The hedgehog smacked one man’s rifle out of his hand, the sheer speed of the blow bending it in half (and was almost certain he heard a distinct ‘why do we keep fighting this guy with guns?’) before he moved on.

A dozen soldiers were on the ground either unconscious or groaning in pain by the time someone thought to radio for reinforcements- which they’d apparently had on standby ready to be helicoptered in. The blue blur wasn’t sure whether this high estimation of his fighting skills was something he should be proud of...or not.

The fur prickled on the back of Sonic’s neck as a humming noise filled the air.

A moment later, he threw himself to the ground as a red-hot laser carved a wide arc above him, slicing through the area where his midriff was a few seconds ago. He heard a faint yell of outrage from inside the house above all the noise, and stuck out his arm for a quick thumbs-up to Tails.

A couple of seconds later, one very familiar and well-used earpiece landed in the dirt next to him as the laser swung back across the battlefield to refocus on their shields. Sonic shoved it into one blue ear before running up the side of the second truck and backflipping to land behind several soldiers. “Miss me, guys?” he asked smugly, before smirking and delivering several well-placed blows to said soldiers’ kneecaps that left all three doubled over on the ground. None of them had even seen him as he moved, which was really a testament to Sonic’s skill.

Tails’s voice crackled to life in his ear as he sent another person flying. “Awesome job! By the way, they’ve already fired the cannon three times, so either their luck is going to be great with this next one, or else…”

The cannon’s shot breached the shields, but Sonic noticed as he ran that its casing was burning red-hot, and-

A shockwave blasted out from the cannon, making all four of its attendants fly into the air, yet in the seconds before they hit the ground, Sonic had time to:

Heave a lengthy sigh at their overestimation of the cannon.

Decide that even if they were working for G.U.N., a life was still a life.

Run around and safely place all four of them inside of a truck...

And avoid the explosion as it tore up the ground within a ten-foot radius of the machine.

(The hero had known for quite some time that being the fastest thing alive meant that he could do some really cool tricks.)

Dirt exploded in all directions, leaving a crater and a smoking lump of metal on the ground. Unfortunately, though, the house’s main defenses were down, and any second now, the helicopter would be there with enough soldiers to take out the rest. And his little brother was still inside...

As though he’d heard the hedgehog’s thoughts, Tails’s voice crackled to life through the speaker. “Sonic! The reinforcements are almost here- we can’t take them all, even if I come out there!”

“Not happening, pal, not unless you’ve got your mech.” Sonic insisted, putting on his ‘big brother’ voice. “Hey, wait- where’re they going?” he asked suddenly, watching as the remaining soldiers retreated to take cover behind one of their trucks. That wouldn’t really help them, but Sonic knew that they knew he couldn’t take the whole organization on by himself.

“They’re waiting it out until the rest arrive...but we won’t be here by then.” Tails said, sounding confident.

“And why’s that, pal?” He folded his arms, keeping one eye on the soldiers.

“Because-” and here Sonic suddenly heard a loud roaring noise coming from the back of the house, “-we’re going to get out of here!”

That was when the Tornado soared directly over their heads.

The G.U.N. soldiers certainly tried to shoot the plane down, but of course, they couldn’t keep up with Tails’s expert flying. Bullets embedded themselves into nothing but trees as it flew away into the forest, a blue streak taking off after it at top speed. Sonic kept up with the red biplane easily, just waiting for the right moment to...there!

He launched himself off a particularly well-placed branch, flinging himself high into the air before landing perfectly on the wing of the plane. “Alright, Tails,” he yelled, trying to make himself heard over the roar of the engine, “where to now?”

The kitsune winced and tapped his ear. “Earpiece, remember?” he asked, and Sonic cringed, realizing that he had forgotten what it was like to wear the little speaker while on the Tornado.

“Ahah, gotcha.” he said sheepishly. “So?”

Tails sighed, but not in an irritated manner. “Angel Island- nobody can find it if Knuckles wants to stay hidden. I called him up while you were out front and he said we could crash there.”

“Oh, sweet!” Sonic said happily. “It’ll be like a sleep...over…”

He trailed off weakly, suddenly remembering their home. “Sorry about the house, pal...I know ya worked hard on it.” The hero ran a hand through his quills, unwilling to meet the other’s eyes.

“It’s okay.” Tails said bravely. “I brought a few things-” he gestured to the backseat- “including all my blueprints, so I can always build us another. And besides…” here he leaned forward, catching Sonic’s eye, “home is wherever we are, so long as we’re together.”

The blue blur quickly nodded before looking down pointedly at the biplane’s wing, hoping strongly that Tails didn’t notice that his eyes had begun to glisten just a little more than usual.

(He did, though.)

…

Knuckles was happy to see them, of course, if a little less obviously so than usual due to the circumstances that had forced the two into this situation. The guardian immediately began to move the island to a new area where it would be hidden from view, while Sonic and Tails just relaxed and looked through the various items that the latter had thought to bring: a spare pair of shoes for Sonic, a toolbox and the aforementioned blueprints for Tails, plenty of food for the three of them, and of course lots of important technology.

As Tails left to go check on Knuckles, the blue hedgehog stretched out on the grass and heaved a deep sigh. What he’d give to know how Team Dark was doing right now…

…

Two days later, he found out.

The very moment that the team released the video, all three inhabitants of Angel Island sat down to watch it on Tails’s screen. The fox had been constantly monitoring the Internet for anything about the other team, especially their social media, so of course he was alerted the second anything came up.

Before they started the video, the hero had been vibrating with energy.

By the end of the section about the ARK, he was completely still, his eyes as wide as they could go.

Tails paused the video there, as the massive wave of responses was already starting to flow. Sonic blinked back to reality to discover that his nails had nearly torn holes through his gloves- that was how tightly he was clenching his fists. He rolled his shoulders, trying to get the tension to leave his body, but he couldn’t stop thinking.

How in the name of Chaos did Shadow watch that?

They agreed that Tails would watch the rest while the other two stepped up to support their friends, and support they certainly did. Both of their tempers were running hot, and more than once the fox, glancing over their shoulders, had to remind them that caps lock was not going to be helpful right now.

Not long after Team Dark had stopped responding to questions, Sonic and Knuckles sat back down to view the other part of the video. They watched in shock as the peace and power of that meeting was violated, people arrested just like that, and yet neither of them had heard anything about this event.

Immediately afterwards, the latter got right back onto his phone and started typing out absolutely vicious responses to some of the more ridiculous conspiracy theorists. His violet eyes were narrowed in anger as he tore into their ideas- while he might not be able to convince the people themselves, he could hopefully stop more from being sucked in.

Sonic, meanwhile, just lay half on his side in the grass for a minute, trying to restrain the urge to scream. Why hadn’t he done more damage to G.U.N. when he’d had the chance? Why hadn’t he been able to see that this ran so deep?

Sonic turned his head to the side to look at his brother. “Tails?” he asked, trying to keep his voice under control. “Where’s Team Dark gonna go next, d’ya think?”

The kitsune frowned. “I don’t know...but if I had to guess, they’re probably trying to figure out how deep this whole problem goes. That’s what I think we’d do if we were in that situation, at any rate. To find that kind of stuff, though, they’d have to head straight to Central City and hack directly into G.U.N.’s mainframe...which would be incredibly risky on a good day.”

Sonic shot upright. “What if they are gonna do that next?”

Tails shook his head vehemently. “After running away from the entire organization for so long? That’d practically be a suicide mission! Even if they somehow managed to escape with the information, G.U.N. would be able to hunt them down in no time!”

The two brothers stared at each other. “But that sounds like them….doesn’t it.” Tails sighed, looking down at the grass.

“Knux!” Sonic yelled, rushing over to where the guardian sat. “We have to hang around Central City, man. If the team’s gonna head anywhere, it’ll be there. And if they’ll be in that much trouble by the time they get out of there, we have to be there to pick them up.”

Knuckles leveled him with a stare so flat it put sheets of paper to shame. “Sonic. Literally three days ago, I helped you guys escape G.U.N. and we have been hiding ever since. And now you want me to move my island, with the last ruins of my tribe’s temple and my Master Emerald, within reach of an organization that would give anything to be able to take it all for their scientists to look at.

“No. Way.”

The hedgehog widened his stance. “Knuckles.” he began, stabbing a finger at the ground for emphasis. “Literally ten days ago, Team Dark escaped G.U.N. all by themselves and have been on their own ever since. And now you want us to leave our friends, and remember, your girlfriend at the mercy of that organization, for the sake of a giant rock.

“Yes way. Absolutely.”

Knuckles scowled and blushed, avoiding Sonic’s stare after that mention of Rouge. “I guess….if we stayed away from the city itself and out of sight….”

Tails decided that this was a slightly safer moment to chime in. “I’ll try and monitor the airwaves in the area- we can move away if we think they’ve noticed us!”

“All of this is assuming that they’re even actually there.” the echidna replied, seeming slightly irritated at being outnumbered.

“It isn’t the most logical place for them to go.” Tails agreed. “It’s ridiculously dangerous, and G.U.N. probably knows that. But, it’s also their most powerful building, which means that it’s going to have all of the more recent files there.

“While this video is some damaging evidence, it’s not nearly enough to permanently damage their standing overall...they definitely have the cash to sneak out of this level of bad press. A bigger release- now that we know this isn’t a one-time event- is definitely the best way to deal with them. And what better way to do it than to find all their super-secret files at the source?”

Sonic sighed. “Plus, I’ve got a feeling G.U.N.’s gonna underestimate that team’s habit of suffering to save others.” His shoulders sagged slightly at the thought, but he felt a little bit of the weight lift off of them when Tails leaned against him slightly with an understanding look.

The echidna watched them sympathetically for a moment before remembering that he was supposed to be arguing against them. “Well, why don’t they just go back to whatever place they busted first? That sure wasn’t in Central City.”

Sonic rolled his eyes. “It’s ‘cause they’d be expecting them there, knucklehead. Never return to the scene of the crime. That’s what they say in all the TV shows, right, Tails?”

“Well, while this is not a TV show, Sonic, you’re right.” the kitsune said, sighing. “That’s another reason for them to go to Central City.

Knuckles gave a mixture of a sigh and a growl, stalking back to the altar where the Master Emerald floated. “Fine. But if this goes south, I am blaming your-” he pointed a vicious finger at Sonic- “spiky butt for all of it.”

The hero grinned at his friend in a way he knew got under his spines, and was rewarded with a huff and another grumble. Yet the island still began to move, shifting eastward from the center of the country towards Central City.

Hold on, guys. Sonic thought, feeling properly hopeful for the first time in over a week. We’re on our way.

#shadow the hedgehog #rouge the bat #e 123 omega #team dark #scars you can't see #sycs #i tend to imagine certain scenes from fanfics as movie scenes #and i think that shows in the fight in this chapter #by the way #i'll try and release a new chapter every two weeks #but that schedule is very #very #VERY tentative #there should probably be about 13 chapters in all #give or take #hope you're having a nice day! thanks for reading!#(and i hope this chapter turned out alright too)#sol’s fanfiction

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bubblyani · 4 years

Text

Bail Out: 05

(Bruce Wayne x Reader)

A Bruce Wayne Multi Chapter Series

Chapter 05: “No Fun”

Summary: One fateful, drunken night gets you arrested for assault. However, once you get bailed out by Billionaire Socialite Bruce Wayne, surprising obstacles get in the way, forcing you to question all your choices in life, career, and in love.

Word Count: 8500+

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Swearing and Slight Violence

Author’s Note: So glad I could finish this on time. Now I’m impatiently working on the next part. When you read it, you will know why. Thanks again for the wonderful response. Enjoy!

Chapter LIST

The rapid sound of gunfire, infused with blood curdling screams, certainly forced your heart to beat right out of your chest. The beating, increased without any prior announcement shocked you, as if the live, blood pumping organ might literally fall out of your flesh vessel. The scene you witnessed, was never expected but only imagined in modes of fiction. Be it novels or films. However, when you truly got to taste it in the rusty reality, only then did you realize the gravity of its horror. And only then at that fateful moment, did you genuinely fear for your precious life.

Just when it seemed trouble had finally set you free.

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

(A Few Days Earlier)

Allison Hughs was your quintessential fun-loving, living in the moment party girl with complete control over the pace of her existence. Apart from all that, she was also a loyal friend, blindly following you to the ends of the earth in ranting.

“SHE DID WHAT?”

Her inquiry was loud and dramatic, to which you nodded. “Yep” you replied, “She straight up went there…”

Safe to say, the ‘She’ that was being mentioned here was none other than Clara Bennett, the Consultant who slithered her way into Wayne Enterprises, solely to make exaggerated inspections on HR Operations, and to make your cooperate life a living hell, drenched with self-doubt and insecurity. It certainly traveled up a notch when she proactively invited you to take part in a Basic HR Crash Course, that was mainly designed to New Recruits. Simply because she assumed that you would find the Course ‘helpful’ to your own line of work. The fact she indirectly implied a trace of incompetence in you caused so much embarrassment.

“The hell is that bitch’s problem though?”

Allison kept inquiring, as she wiped off the milk from her lips, “Seriously…” she muttered, standing by the opened refrigerator in her pajamas.

“Yeah” you continued to nod, as you stuffed a spoonful of cereal into your mouth, “..and Lillian…being my senior since day 1, didn’t even treat me this way” you added, with a full mouth.

Already dressed for work, little did you expect to see Allison awake and engaged while you had your breakfast, “I look like a fucking joke…”you muttered, after finally gulping the food down.

“Hey!”

Allison cried, pointing her index finger at you, “Don’t you dare give up” she said with seriousness, standing before you, “You need to stand your ground and carry on with dignity…” she continued, her tone quite similar to a heroic speech, “Make Lillian proud she left you in charge…” she added, putting both hands on the table. Leaning forward, she took a closer look, “This will be good for you…” finally as her voice grew soft, she flashed a soft smile. You could not help but look at her affectionately, as you exhaled deeply.

“Talking to you makes me feel so much better…” you admitted. Pleased, Allison stood up straight.

“That’s why I’m your hype man, Sweetie!” she said, turning towards the window, “Watch out Gotham! The Bruiser is here to SLAY-”

“HEYYY!!-” your shushes exited along with your embarrassment. Your friend covered her mouth quickly.

“Sorry, Sweetie….” Allison whispered, taking the hands away, “But it just sounds so badass…” as her tone grew normal once more. You shot her a deranged look.

“Do I look like someone who deserves the name?” you inquired. “Well…” she said, folding her arms, “…the fact you punched that guy is a good enough reason…”

Shaking one’s head with a chuckle, you watched her head to the bedroom with a maniacal laughter. The sudden vibration of the table forced you to look down at your phone. The chuckling stopped, permitting your pulse to quicken with liberty. Rubbing your neck nervously, you proceeded to read the text from the only sender who was capable to send you through an emotional wild ride: Bruce Wayne.

Sorry, long night. Good Morning!

Pausing for a few seconds, you exhaled loudly as began to type:

No worries. Hope your day goes well, Mr. Wayne.

Being an appropriate response, you sent without hesitation. Long night?, could it possibly truly mean a hectic night of crime fighting and city saving in disguise? A strong urge suddenly arose to pull up the search browser on your phone, and type in the words: Batman. And what appeared first in the results certainly made your eyebrows rise with curiousity.

“Ali….” You yelled loud enough for her to hear, “You’ve heard of a website called… ‘Where’s the Bat’?

“EH?”

Her response was equally loud and echoing, “Oh yeah…” she added, whilst you opened the web page, “…Matty was talking about it sometime back…” she continued, “Some nerdy site about The Batman…”

“Damn!”

The word abruptly left your lips as your eyes widened. For you were treated to such a sight, “Ali…get this…” you said, proceeding to read the description of the page, “Welcome to ‘Where’s the Bat?’ Your Online Resource for all things Batman: Gotham’s Caped Crusader…” you squealed excitedly, “Ha! It’s a freakin’ fan site! Oh! Oh!” you exclaimed as you continued to read out loud:

“… reliable sources from our very own admins and enthusiasts all over Gotham City…” with a whistle, you nodded, “These folks are not kidding around, huh?” you muttered, letting your finger slowly scroll down, “And they have posts on almost every appearance he made in the city…” you said out loud, yet it seemed that Allison was never interested.

The Website backdrop was in black, but encompassing a very beautiful design concept. The immaculate detail was beyond believable. Detailed posts on possible weapons owned, vehicles, fighting styles and costume, Photos ranging from Low Quality to High, even blurry videos by camera phones, it was certainly a network of information. Your eyes widened when you saw the recent post title:

Batman and The Bruiser?

“What the-?” Muttering to yourself, you clicked on the article.

“…also known as The Bruiser (Click Here for the Viral Clip) was spotted nearby when a group of muggers had reportedly attacked her. According to the anonymous source, Batman had arrived right on time. A clip of the incident may not be available, yet we did manage to find a small clip as he escaped the scene. And according to Gotham PD, the Caped Crusader had appeared once again to The Bruiser’s aid the night after. As much as we feel sorry for the bad luck The Bruiser attracts, we could only be nothing but envious of her opportunity to meet the Dark Knight twice. And some of us could not help but wonder: Could romance possibly be in bloom between the two?”

“What?” Nervous chuckles were all you let out as you whispered, “Hah! In your dreams, fanboys…” you uttered, closing the browser, “Batman would never go for a woman like me” you said, almost dropping the phone by its sudden vibration. For a reply was received.

You too. Stay out of trouble :)

“And you stay out of my head” you said to yourself, putting the phone back on the table. Covering your face, you could only groan with frustration. Ever since that evening at the hospital a mere week before, casual texts from Bruce Wayne began to appear on your phone, starting off on the very next day:

Couldn’t thank you for running that errand for Fox.

The errand, meaning the black box that Mr.Fox entrusted you with. A small yet long box which was quite light. The very box that granted you access to his penthouse and to the friendship with Alfred Pennyworth.

Just doing my job, Mr.Wayne.

You remember replying that day at office. It was not exactly necessary for him to thank you this way, yet his action was commendable. He did not hesitate to quickly respond:

Much appreciated.

Just when you thought it was the end, he greeted once again two days later. During an important meeting, for example:

Hi there! Is Ms.Foster enjoying the gift?

Once the meeting wrapped up, you made sure to respond :

Very much, from what I know. You’re making motherhood very easy for her.

You would be lying if you did not look forward to write him back. The manner your fingers tingled was quite evident.

That’s a relief.

Clearly with his corresponding reply, he displayed quite an interest in conversing with you, by finding meager excuses to obtain your response. Yet, a part of you wondered what his actual intentions were. Be professional, a phrase that lingered in your head always. A warning, more like. As much as the desire to carry on the message thread was strong within, you did not reply back.

Two days passed, and surprisingly you were dying with curiousity. Could it be that his intention to communicate had finally gone? Or could it be that you were finally missing him? Forming a clever excuse to obtain his signature, you liaised with Jessica, only to find out Bruce Wayne was currently on a business trip in Singapore.

Intoxicated with impulsiveness, your thumbs grew stubborn as they formed a message on your phone:

Heard you’re in Singapore. How is it?

“Shit! Roaming Charges!”

You sighed, your palm slapped over your forehead. Putting the phone away to enjoy the view of the bus ride, you sincerely hoped he would never notice. But to your surprise, the phone vibrated instantly:

Loving the Food here.

Despite roaming charges, he was kind enough to reply. And that touched you very deeply. Then again, money was never an issue for a man of his stature. him. However, you were not Bruce Wayne. Still, a few extra dollars seemed nothing compared to the inner secretive joy you indulged in as you replied:

Not surprised. The Bakkwa over there is to die for.

He did not reply. He did not do so for a day and two. You grew worried, if he was really knee deep in business, or literally knee deep in trouble. But the next morning, you were finally assured of his safe arrival back to Gotham, especially when you found a gift at the door. A Gift which came in the form of a beautiful red box full of Bakkwa, the Chinese sweet dried meat, one of your favorite treats. You did not miss the handwritten note inside:

You’re right. It IS to die for. - B.Wayne

Chuckling with happiness, you were only compelled to quickly text him a grateful reply:

The Bakkawa enthusiast sends her Thanks.

To which you finally received a reply this morning as you indulged on your cereal:

Sorry, long night. Good Morning!

Groaning in frustration seemed rightfully reasonable for you. Stressing out seemed rightfully reasonable as well. Who would not, when there was a storm that brewed inside of you. A storm of emotions that contained the sticky quality. The adhesiveness that was stubborn to the core. For if you look at the situation in it’s entirety, this was not your average instance of a man and woman forming a textual habit in order to know one another. You were an acting Head, informally socializing with the owner of Wayne Enterprises. Being in HR, you could already feel the weight of unprofessionalism heat on you. That guilt which already seemed to haunt you subtly. Thus, not responding further seemed logical, yet it certainly was a hard pill for you to swallow.

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

“You sure you don’t want anything? Coffee or Tea?”

You asked Officer John Blake, ushering him to his seat as you sat down. He shook his head.

“I’m good, Ma’am” he said with a smile. Smiling back, you were drenched with guilt. A week earlier, the police officer had requested to meet, yet with your unexpected work load, you reluctantly had to send him back the previous time. Forcing him to wait so long for a week was something you knew you would go to hell for. But John Blake did not judge, or as it seemed from his expression.

“Didn’t know you were running a tight ship here .” He said, looking back to witness the bustle in the main hall outside.

“Well, the Head’s on Maternity leave so…I’m stuck here, hehe…” You answered nervously, “Once again I’m so sorry Officer. You said it was something urgent?”

“It’s about the two attacks…” Blake said, capturing your attention. “Now I’m sure you’re probably wondering if those are simply coincidental or something more…”

“I honestly have been afraid to go down that rabbit hole, but yes I did wonder…” you replied. Looking sideways, he finally turned your way as his lowered his voice:

“I have reason to believe Erik Henderson may be connected to this…”

The image of the mocking man, and his bloody nose flashed before your very eyes. Given his anger, it could be a high possibility. Yet, you were in disbelief.

“What gave you the idea?” You inquired with curiousity. Blake kept his police his hat on his lap securely:

“The men who attacked you, the ones we arrested…” He said, to which you nodded in acknowledgment, “They were bailed out the very next day by-”

“-Henderson’s Legal Team?” You asked blankly, for you were still in disbelief. Blake nodded.

“I may be wrong” he said, “Bailing the people who attacked you, it could also just be a power move, maybe to scare you off…” he added, leaning forward, “So far we cannot be sure…” He continued, “But I think it’s best for you to keep an eye out-”

Your eyes suddenly darted towards the phone screen. For an email just appeared in your personal inbox with a title:

“Job Offer for General Manager”

Eyes widening, you were certainly not expecting that. Quiet for a few minutes, you found yourself staring at your own table, for you were confused beyond all measure with everything you just heard and saw.

“I’m sorry...” Blake began, shaking you from your thoughts, “ if I’m causing you any discomfort-”

“No…it’s alright” flipping the phone downward, you shook your head with a soft smile, “I just…all this was just so unexpected. Didn’t think there would be any possibility for anything like this, that’s all” you said, smiling even more, “I appreciate the information, Officer”

Truthfully, you were nothing but grateful to the man. Perhaps it was because he was the arresting officer who was in charge of that fateful night. Nevertheless, he was nothing but kind to you. Blake grinned widely.

“The Precinct still thanks The Bruiser for Common’s Coffee” He said, to which you were genuinely surprised.

“Oh! I’m glad-”

“BOSS!”

Greg’s cries forced both of you to look to the door. Distress never looked good on Greg. Giving a heavy sigh, he began:

“ I’m sorry to keep doing this but…” he said, “Clara’s gone off the rails!”

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

As he made his way down the Lobby through the crowds, John Blake made his careful observations, fascinated by all that he glanced upon in the Wayne Tower. “Officer Blake!” Stopping in his tracks, John turned upon hearing a familiar voice. He smiled.

“Mr.Wayne…” He addressed, “Didn’t expect to see you here” Smartly dressed in a pinstriped three piece suit, Bruce Wayne stood before the much younger man with a reciprocative smile.

“Well,” he began “You can’t just play hard….so…” Nodding in acknowledgment, Blake held on to his hat. With the silence between them growing longer, John began to speak:

“I’m actually just coming down after meeting one of your Senior Managers” He said, which caught Wayne’s attention.

“Who is…?”

When Blake provided him with the name, Bruce nodded nonchalantly. “Is this anything to do with the Henderson case?” He asked, suddenly growing serious. Surprised by his knowledge, the officer nodded.

“Yes….” Blake added. But then again, there was nothing to be surprised of. Given Wayne was in the hotel when it all happened.

“How did she take it?” “Surprisingly pretty well” Blake said, as he began to walk alongside Wayne ,“But she seems to have her hands full today, doesn’t look too good” he sighed, involuntarily empathizing with her. And given Wayne’s subtle yet concerned expression, Blake realized he was not alone there. Finally reaching the exit, the officer was compelled to do the unexpected:

“Since you were a witness to the incident,..” he began, making Wayne look at him, “ I think it’s probably best that you also know…”

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

You have always put your trust in Lillian Foster. That trust had lasted throughout your time in Wayne Enterprises without forsaking you for a mere second. Thus, you were certain she did the needful in approving the Revised Policies and Regulations before taking her leave. For you had personally witnessed it.

However, when a company email from Clara Bennett to Lucius Fox claimed HR was seemingly incapable of carrying out their operations under the current leadership, you were not surprised to find your anger making an appearance.

And the embarrassment you had to face when she even went so far as to copy you and your managers in to that said email. Professional was nowhere near this behavior. For this was simply child’s play. The panic all your department staff went through was understandable. Especially when they worked only to their very best.

“You wanted to me see me?”

Clara asked, as she entered your office. Raising your head up, you threw a cold expression her way: “Close the door please” Your tone was stern. Looking around, Clara furrowed her eyebrows. “But aren’t you supposed to-” “I’ll take my chances, Ms. Bennett” You interrupted her, lips forming a tight smile. With an uncertain nod, she closed the door shut, before taking a few steps towards you. Slowly getting up from your desk, you quickly walked over to her. It was now or never. “We saw that little email that you sent to Mr. Fox.” You stated, to which she did not flinch. Scoffing, your hands rested on your hips, “I know how things work: When people mess up, even after many warnings, they get complained about to the superiors…” you said in a matter-of-fact tone, “But…” you paused, as you were on a dire attempt not to explode, “how can you expect us...” Surprisingly you felt emotion trickling in, “...to take this lying down when you DIDN'T PERFORM EITHER OF THOSE ACTIONS?” With your voice surprisingly getting louder than expected, Clara found herself folding her arms in defense: “Look, I get it...” She said, her smile suddenly faded, “You don’t like me snooping around” You scoffed in disbelief, “Ms.Bennett, this is not you snooping around. This is you desperately finding excuses to make US LOOK BAD” you stated loudly, “I mean…What exactly on the policies and regulations are you complaining about?” You inquired. And to your surprise, Clara grew quiet before she finally answered:

“I just...” she paused, as if she was seeking excuses, “...don’t understand why the Policies couldn’t be circulated if they were revised” Your jaw dropped in disbelief, “What are you talking about??They were already revised and circulated” you answered with certainty, appalled by the childish games that were being played. “Well…” pausing again, “I don’t see them in the Public Folder”she said stubbornly, to which you sighed, rubbing your temples, “ And according to my sources, It’s Paula Yang’s responsibility, am I right?” Though authority was rife in her tone, you could sense the menace that lingered invisibly.

“Ms. Bennett...” you gritted through your teeth, taking your hand away, “Paula is on bed rest after breaking HER LEG...from a biking accident last weekend” you burst out, “...if you looked up on our employees with the SAME ENTHUSIASM you did on our work, then you would probably know that” you spat, fuming with anger, “But If you expect me to deprive her of her paid leave, JUST SO she could just limp over here to UPLOAD SOME POLICIES to a server? then you’re sorely mistaken! ” You cried out, panting.

Subtly shocked at your response, Clara stood silently. Given her reaction, it was quite evident something disastrous would soon follow. Your threw your hands up in defense.

“Fine” you said, “If you prefer to pin this error on me, please do. But… not the department” you said, as your voice grew soft , “...please” you breathed. Closing her eyes for a few seconds, Clara opened them once again, shooting you a stern glance.

“Do you know…what I was told about you before I came here?” She posed a rhetorical question, to which you rightfully did not answer to, “An unprofessional thug, with anger issues.” She said.

In all your years of working at Wayne Enterprises, this was the far from what you had ever heard from anyone. The silence ruled over the atmosphere for a few more seconds.

“So I came in with a mission...” Clara went on, “...to tame you. Or to rile you up enough to expose who you really were” she said harshly. Folding your own arms in defense, you took a deep breath:

“Well,” you began, “I believe I was angry For the right reasons. So no regrets here” you answered with confidence. Whatever consequence that may follow, you were not aware of, for your justified rage may possibly have outdone yourself this time. You only wished Lillian would forgive you.

“But…” Clara paused, “...from the way you stood up for your employees and your department…,” she said, as her expression softened, “ I guess… I was badly misinformed.” Confusion took over you for the next few seconds, as she looked straight into your eyes before taking in a deep breath:

“I’m sorry!” Your eyes widened, “P-Pardon?” Sighing, Clara reluctantly rubbed the sides of her thighs: “I’m sorry…If I insulted you in any way” she said shyly in a low tone, “Honestly speaking, no matter how much I tried to deny it, everything seems to be running smoothly” She added.

Relief quickly washed over you. Leaving you questioning reality all the sudden. “ I would gladly leave you all alone but..,” Clara smiled, “I’ve been contracted here for a while. So, I hope we can all cooperate together till I leave. Maybe a fresh start?”

Extending her hand to you, she presented a genuine smile. A smile possibly carrying hope to gain your trust. Sincerely impressed by her bravery, you smiled back: “Sure, Apology accepted” You said, shaking her hand, “I really appreciate it, Ms.Bennett”

“Clara, Please.” She insisted, “Ms.Bennett just pisses me off even more”

Chuckling together, you nodded, “Okay, Gotcha”

The phone rang loud to your surprise. Giving her a friendly wave, you quickly moved to your desk in a cheerful manner, growing even more cheerful upon seeing the extension on the phone screen.

“Mr. Fox!” You answered, as you sat down, “How can I help you?”

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

Since the fateful day she first laid eyes on him in his glorious return to Wayne Enterprises until now, Jessica would certainly never not blush whenever Bruce Wayne politely greeted her. Upon seeing her red face, he stepped into Lucius Fox’s office, walking over to find the CEO on the phone wearing a smile on his face.

“Don’t worry about it.” Fox said over the phone, “So you’ll come? Perfect…” He smiled, nodding at Wayne as he finally appeared in his eye line, “Hope to see you then” He added, hanging up the phone.

“I have to admit…” Fox began, ushering Bruce to sit, “… seeing you here every day at Wayne Tower is a happy surprise” He said. Bruce smiled.

“Everything alright?” He asked the CEO, “The Audits aren’t happening till another month or so..”

“No…” Fox shook his head, surprisingly impressed, “ I was actually wondering if you would…like to join me in the Company Dinner, this Thursday night. It’s a little gathering I normally do with the Heads of Departments...” he continued, glancing upon Wayne’s confused expression, “...to form a closer bond and… give them morale” He said, tilting his head. As much as the sentiment was kind, Wayne sighed with exhaustion.

“Mr.Fox, you know very well how I rather be stuck in the basement than go to that…” he said, slowly getting up, “I’m afraid I’ll have to pass”. Offering a polite smile, he turned around to make his leave. When opportunities to make a choice were given, he would certainly rather choose to not wear that mask in public. It tired him.

“She’s coming too”

Bruce froze, the moment Fox’s words reached his ears. Turning to him, he raised his eyebrows.

“She?” He began, “You mean…she?” He asked, highly emphasizing on the said pronoun, for both of them knew the person being discussed.

“Yes” Fox said, “Just got off the phone with her as you came in” he added, “I just thought you would like to know” with nonchalance, he casually put on his glasses.

Silently nodding, Bruce turned back to resume walking. Only except he halted once again, just to spin back around smoothly.

“Thursday…what time?” He inquired with genuine curiousity.

Being a man of his age, Lucius Fox could not help but smile at his response.

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

Being the workaholic, Lunch Breaks was nothing short of special for you. The moment the last bite of your delicious meal reached your lips, it was off to work once again, giving you ample time to finish your tasks. But this Wednesday, you cast that usual habit away, taking the luxury you rarely took during this entire decade.

Just to decide on a dress.

With your lunch on the desk and Allison on speakerphone, your eyes moved back and forth from two beautiful dresses on the website. With Mr. Fox casually inviting you to the Company Dinner, all you longed to provide was a good impression. Most women in your position would feel greatly pressured and stick to a salad just to fit into the dress. However, you were far too greedy to ignore the great Spaghetti Bolognese that was on the table before you.

“Sweetie, You know I love you, So why won’t you fucking listen to me?”

Allison’s echoed out loud, as you stared at the screen with concern. “Cause it’s a crazy idea, that’s why ” you said, stuffing pasta into your mouth, “Better go with the black one…” you said with a full mouth, pointing at the long sleeved black dress, “It’s tame, and I can just blend in with crowd” squinting, you attempted at imagining yourself in the outfit.

“Boo! BORING”

Allison’s response was quite obvious.

“Hey!” Clara’s whisper reached your ears, urging you to find her standing by the door with a smile. Ever since the intervention, the atmosphere underwent a surprising change, and all was well with the both of you. It was quite unbelievable how cooperative she had become. “I’m sorry but...could I borrow a twenty?” She asked politely in a whisper, all in order not to intrude your call. “Sure…” You whispered back, reaching into your bag to grab your purse, “Hah! Lucky you, that’s all I have” You grinned, fishing out the only dollar note as she headed over to take it from your hand.

“Hey! Hey! Sweetie, Did I lose you?”

Allison’s voice brought you back to the phone call. “No! No! You didn’t…Sorry! Argh!” Groaning in frustration, you looked back at the computer screen, “I don’t know what to do, Ali…” You muttered.

“What is it?” With her still standing there, Clara finally asked out loud. She genuinely looked concerned. Embarrassed, you pointed at the screen.

“No it’s just…” you paused, “I have to go to this Cooperate Dinner thingy tomorrow, and I don’t know what to get…” you added, “…the Black or the White”.

Silent for a few seconds, you stared at Clara as she rubbed her chin with seriousness, while making a careful observation at the screen. Finally, her fingers snapped loudly.

“The White One…” Confidence oozed out of her voice as she replied. Looking back at the dress, you took a deep breath. V neck on the front along with a low cut in the back, the pure white silk evening gown certainly possessed the potential to be a show stopper.

“I mean…Why be afraid to stand out?”

Clara’s words, they rang in your ears so loudly. Pointing at the dress, she continued:

“Wear this, and No one will be able to take their eyes off you” The manner in which she uttered, you were suddenly filled with enough power to head out to the battlefield. Her words, they were simply invisible embellishments to the dress, making it the armor and the secret weapon. It simply became powerful. And finally, you were convinced on which dress to finally purchase. Lips forming into a warm smile, you thanked her inaudibly.

“YAY!” Allison cried out on the line, “Whoever just said that, I agree with you” Chucking, Clara cleared her throat and looked at your mobile phone.

“Hey there…It’s Clara by the way…” she said to Allison. You suppressed a huge grin as you imagined Allison’s surprise upon hearing that.

“Oh…YOU’RE Clara?…” she said, pausing, “Well I like how you think, Clara” she said happily afterwards. Relieved by the sight of both your best friend and your new friend being acquainted, your eyes moved back to the beautiful dress.

“Wear this, and No one will be able to take their eyes off you”

Clara may be right. But you were a simple woman, and your wishes were just as simple. Little did anyone know how your heart simply longed for just one person to indulge your presence for the entire evening. But the possibility of that, was just your wishful thinking. You could only hope for the evening be as successful as imagined. As long as it had the perfect touch of jazz piano playing in the background.

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

With notes played with the fluidity of a free flowing stream, the jazz piano music was certainly better tonight than it was that Friday evening weeks ago. With tonight, you only hoped to replace the horrid memory of violence that linked the genre of music with an evening more refined. For tonight, you were no violator, nor a drunkard. You were merely a lady in a beautiful, silk dress.

Walking through the Lobby in your silver open toe heels, you came into the realization of how the dress simply became you. Contrary to your fears, it embraced your curves effortlessly, while the material was kind to you, caressing and cooling your skin.The dress itself contained a sense of assurance you would most likely receive from a trusted friend, some good Samaritan, kindly whispering positive affirmations. Fashioning the outfit with your Mikimoto pearls, you felt you were prepared enough.

You were punctual, fortunately. Lillian would have been proud. When you arrived at the reserved table, the other Heads were just about to take their seats. Cold, curt nods were passed on to you the moment they caught sight of you. Lucius Fox, however was humble enough to smile widely upon seeing you.

“I appreciate you coming in tonight…” He stated, as he politely ushered you to your seat, which granted you access between him and Head of Legal, Ted’s Boss, “This is usually Lillian’s gig” he said.

“Yes I heard,” you agreed while sitting down together, “And she does it flawlessly”

“I think you’ll be able to hold off your own” Fox assured, quite impressed by your appearance tonight. You smiled.

“Thank you, Mr. Fox” you nodded, looking at him, until he suddenly rose from his own chair.

“Ah! The man of the hour”

He said as he looked ahead, “…so glad you could come, Mr.Wayne”

The mere mention of that man’s name made you turn forward in a flash. Bruce Wayne was simply Suave incarnate. He certainly brought forth great depth to his presence everywhere he set foot on. You swore the airways inside began to dry out as your breath was taken away in secret. However, that breath was quickly stomped and discarded recklessly when you realized he was no alone. With a beautiful woman on his arm, he arrived at the table.

When that strong, sour feeling came over you, you were mature enough to admit it was simple jealousy. Yet then again, the playboy lifestyle certainly was demanding. The flashing smile Bruce wore slightly disappeared , when his eyes met yours from the corner of the table. With your sour jealousy stewing you, it was a sheer relief that he took his seat on the other far corner.

“Really Mr .Wayne, This is such a pleasant surprise” Mr. Kline, Head of Accounting mentioned with joy.

“Well, Mr. Fox is getting better with power of persuasion, I suppose ” Wayne said, looking at Lucius, “So...” rubbing his hands together, he smiled, “What are we all having? My treat...”

To everyone’s delight, the night certainly started off on a positive note. According to the trusted word of Lucius Fox, Sushi was the prime choice of food on every single dinner . It was the shared interest with all the Heads by coincidence. Thus, becoming a tradition.

Fortunately for you, you knew your way with Japanese cuisine enough to save your face. Wine and Sake were in abundance in the table, leaving most of the Heads and Wayne’s date quite excited with intoxication. It was certainly a surprise for you, to see the Heads break out into wide smiles and childish attitudes once the alcohol entered their systems. They did not speak much with you, which you were fine with. You were the new one there , after all. But with Fox next to you, you felt a fatherly figure watched over you. You listened to him with earnest, which was not so difficult with his charismatic voice.

You also longed for a distraction. A strong distraction from Bruce Wayne’s eyes secretly claiming ownership over you the entire time. Could he be watching Fox? Or you? You honestly did not know. As much as your inner heart jumped for Joy by the thought of him watching you, confusion ruled supreme.

The turn of the conversation topic from Work to Sailing suddenly tempted the Heads call Mr Fox over to the other side, forcing him and Bruce to change seats instead. His date did not even notice, as she was busy engrossed in her phone. Though you were at your element, calmly eating your maki rolls in silence, your heart beat increased in an instant when his presence nearby was confirmed. His aura gently murmured a greeting of affection, urging you to look up from your plate. Covering your mouth, you politely swallowed the food. With the others engaged in their own little world, it seemed that you and Bruce were suddenly left to yourselves.

“Thank you again for the Bakkwa”

You began, clearing your throat “…it was heavenly” you said, smiling whilst flashing your full red lips. Smiling back warmly, he leaned forward to the table.

“I don’t wanna brag but...” he paused, “I found that store all by myself” He said softly, as it was a dramatic secret. Eyes widened, you played along: “Oh! I find that hard to believe” You said, chuckling.

“Ask me the address, I dare you” He said blankly, making you chuckle harder. Nodding, you generously accepted his kindness. Be it text or face to face, talking to Bruce Wayne symbolized pure joy to you.

“Well, well, well…”

An eerie voice, a voice that haunted your intoxicated memories, and a voice that caused the hairs of the back of your neck to stand. It was a voice you knew well. So bloody well.

“Isn’t this a surprise?”

The entire table looked over to find Erik Henderson. With a gracefully beautiful and age appropriate woman standing beside him, Henderson was as smug as he could be. “Mr. Henderson...” Fox said. Henderson looked right at him. “Lucius...” He uttered, without casting a single glance at Bruce Wayne. The sight of him brought a sense of fear to you. According to Officer Blake, he could very much be responsible for all the attacks you were victim to during the past few weeks. The possibility was high. Thus, the intimidation was justified. Funny how the intoxicated group of Heads managed to maintain their frozen states for a few seconds. As if their buzz was killed right off.

“Well,..” Henderson began, maintain his unimpressed expression, “I wish you all have a pleasant evening” He stressed , slowly turning to leave. “And You!” A gasp left you the moment he spun back to point his index finger at you with such ferocity and anger. With bated breath, you wondered if time froze. Until he suddenly smiled at you. “You behave now...” He said mockingly, chuckling with power as he finally left the table. With the awkward silence taking control, embarrassment injected itself into you. The way he spoke to you was certainly disrespectful. So much so, your right hand quickly clenched into a tight fist , forcing you to revisit the trauma even now by his cruel words. All your anger, centralized into this fist.

But that anger suddenly vanished into thin air, the moment you felt Bruce’s palm rest over your fist. A literal warmth spread across every cell on your being, as his palm comforted you, and empathized with you more than ever. A few seconds of that sent you to a level of peace you never visited. The fact that a man such as he was with his inner conflicts could still heal you unexpectedly, it was magic to you. Finally looking at him, you nodded with gratefulness, leading him to take his away politely.

With silence still in charge, you were guilty of your past actions ruining tonight’s occasion as well. “Maybe it’s the alcohol but...” Kline slowly began, “...that Henderson’s face always reminds me of an…animal…” he remarked, breaking the ice, “l can’t place which one exactly...” He struggled, snapping his fingers away to remember. “A Bat?” Another Head inquired. “YES!” Kline yelled out loud, causing others to finally laugh and feel the comfort take center stage once more. Letting out a sigh, you were relieved to let them converse and make merry. You were occupied enough, recovering from Bruce’s sudden touch. “...and speaking of Bats...” Kline slurred out, “That Batman fella...” “-He comes up every time…” Fox yelled towards your direction with a sigh, while the others clapped in glee. Being so popular, it was no surprise that many consider Batman to be a celebrity of his own right. “-wonder if he ever has any off days?” Kline sniggered, red in the face with sake. “Ha! Like paid leave, you mean?” “And don’t forget insurance! Boy! that man needs a big one” “Hahaha!” “Mr.Wayne! Mr. Wayne!” Kline yelled at Bruce, “Any idea about him from the grapevine ?” He inquired. “What?” Bruce asked, “…that Looney!?!” He added with an amused smile, “Eh! Not interested” he replied with an unimpressed tone. “Why?” It seemed that everyone was curious. Even you were. “Because...” Bruce paused, “Well…he’s a Looney! That’s all….” he laughed, shaking his hand in the air with dismissal. His carefree laughter infected the others, except you. As you were too occupied observing him, you could not even focus. He may have not worn the cowl, but he was certainly wearing his mask. Noticing your stare, Bruce turned to find your face filled with a soft smile.

“You really don’t mean that about the guy, right?” You murmured softly. And all the sudden, that carefree expression of his slowly melted away to reveal his true form, unmasked. “No” Calm and collected, he shook his head with a gentle smile. A sudden urge to embrace him was birthed in you for some reason, it was certainly out of your control. “Hey! Lillian’s Backup!” You jumped upon hearing Kline call you out loudly. With all eyes on landing towards your direction, you quickly sat up straight, “What’s your take on him? The Batman?” Kline inquired informally. “Oh!” Pleasantly surprised, you were speechless for a few seconds. What were you to say really? “I -I rather not say...” you admitted, as you found yourself chuckling shyly. “Eh!” Kline muttered, seemingly unamused, “She’s no fun”he claimed, “…not like Lillian now, is she?” The others hummed together in agreement. They may have gotten lost in their own world of conversation once again. Yet, the words Kline blurted affected you deeply. “Well….” You sighed, “Nothing I haven’t heard before” “What is…?” Bruce’s inquiry made you look at him. Placing both your elbows on the table, you took a deep breath as you kept a brave, fixed gaze at him:

“You’re.. no… fun”

You said, in a low yet strong tone as you emphasized on every word with pain, “…that one”

“I find that hard to believe” Bruce said. He did not flinch. Instead, he accepted your stare and held on to it firmly. Even with the golden lights you were still able to make out the beautiful hazel green eyes of his up close. His gaze, it was as powerful as anything physical. As if his eyes could caress the back of your neck, brushing the loose hair from it, leaving nothing but shivers on you.

Finally breaking free from it, you sat back with a chuckle.

“Well” you began, “…you obviously haven’t met my ex”

You watched his eyebrows furrow the moment those words exited you. Taking a huge sip of wine, you pressed your lips together.

“He said I fall too fast....” you began, “or care too much...or something”

Revisiting that dark period in your life was akin to walking a thousand miles backwards, just to get your heart pricked by sharp, rusted nails. The mere image of it forced you to gulp more wine.

“Well, Where is he now?”

Bruce asked softly. Taking a third sip, you looked back at him:

“You mean after he cheated on me?” You asked, chuckling sadly, “…He flew off somewhere…with his new girlfriend” you said, sighing “Apparently I was too predictable and doesn’t play hard to get”

“Then…” Bruce began, “…what about you throwing punches at Henderson?”

“That?” You widened your eyes, “Oh that’s just the whiskey”

Laughter ensued, breaking the tension between the two once again. Truthfully, you felt much at ease right then.

“I bet you don’t have that problem, playing the field and all” You said, holding on to your wine glass. Bruce smiled.

“Ah! Getting too attached doesn’t help anyone, I guess” he answered. And for some reason, you could empathize. Now more than ever.

“True...” you agreed, looking at him. However, that warmth you carried for him was also enlarged, and suddenly emotion overpowered logic.

“I know this is the corniest you’ve heard always….” you paused, “…but when the right person comes along...it’s so worth it” you continued, taking a deep, shaky breath, “…even if your heart gets broken into millions...billions of pieces”

Your eyes locked onto his with every word you uttered, and to your surprise, he did not look away. For a moment, his gaze on you translated into deep belief. For a Moment, his gaze dismissed every other occupant in the restaurant, except you. For a moment his silence proved that anything was possible.

Until you realized, never was life that easy.

“But like I said…” You added, blinking away the heavy stare, “... it’s not your problem” You said, fiddling with your clutch purse mindlessly. “Actually I-” “Whoops!” You sniggered when the clutch purse dropped out of your hand. Laughing together, you both found yourselves bending down to search for it.

“Let Me get that-” Bruce volunteered, as he spotted the purse, grabbing it for you.

“Thank you” You murmured shyly, reaching out your hand to take it.

The mere act of a clutch purse being transferred from one hand to another never felt this intense. A circus act commenced inside your stomach all the sudden. The manner you found yourself blushing, certainly proved his effect as a whole. The warmth of his palm earlier, it brought protection and comfort in the time of danger. However, the slightest brush of his fingers just now, it birthed confetti of butterflies, causing the internal circus to go berserk.

As he looked you up and down, you prayed he did not notice the red on your cheeks. For this man had such power over you, it was sheer chaos. But a beautifully, addictive one.

“Your Dress...” he breathed, making your own breath shake, “You look very-” “Bruce!” A seductive voice emerged out of the blue, as you realized it was his date walking over to his side. Being one of Gotham’s most well known supermodels, she exuded beauty with her tall and thin frame and brunette locks flowing down her shoulders. Wrapping her goddess-like arms around his neck, she whispered a few words to him before heading over to the restroom area. Compared to her, you felt like a little cinder block. “She’s beautiful...” you muttered hoarsely, looking down at your wine. You heard him sigh uncomfortably. “Listen...” Bruce began, causing your heart to long for hope, “I-” “Would you like anything else, Sirs?” The emotional roller coaster unexpectedly finished its ride when an over enthusiastic waiter’s loud voice caused everyone in the table to look up. “No, Thank you...” Fox said, slowly getting up, “Actually, I think might head home now” “And I will join you” You said, standing up in a flash, “Ladies, Gentleman...” you nodded to the Heads, “...Mr. Wayne” Giving him a slight nod, you turned to follow Lucius Fox. You dared not turn back to see his face. That would just show weakness. Just walk away, it was the right thing to do. The longer you will linger, the stronger your attachment will be. The stronger your need to love him will be. And what would be the use of strengthening that existing love, when the odds were always in the way?

Seduced by the women with the highest standards of beauty and power, you obviously must seem like nothing for a man such as he. You were simply charity, the employee in need. Perhaps your ex was right, You really were no fun.

Besides, being jealous was never your right, not especially when you did not even pour your heart out. And when you would not even consider doing so, being tied to morals, ethics and rules?

And if he even had not shown you his own heart, what gave you the right to be angry with anyone, except yourself?

You asked yourself, why were you wasting your time?

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

Allison’s eyes grew wide with excitement the moment you arrived home.

Clutching onto her bowl of popcorn, she watched you close the door and lean against it to look back at her. Though her hair was in a messy bun, she still managed to pull off ‘homely cool’.

“So...” she began softly, “How did it go?” Silent, You took a deep breath, not knowing where to begin. “Well-” “-Did you make Wayne cream his pants?” Allison cut you off with glee, seemingly over excited. Jaw dropped, your face contorted with disgust. “Ali! …ewww” You exclaimed, seeing her perverted expression and suggestive eyebrows. Truthfully the thought of it brought some laughter soon after. You felt calmer. “Well, did he?” Allison was persistent. Pushing yourself from the door, you began to take off your shoes, “Well…” You paused, “I think he liked what he saw” you said smiling shyly. “Yeah?” Her excitement still intact, as you sat next to her.

“I think so…” you said, reminiscing those precious moments his blessed eyes watched only you, “…but…” you paused, “it doesn’t matter…”, Sighing, you shook your head frantically, “…cause he was with a Supermodel tonight so...” “Supermodel? Sweetie, I’m sorry” laying her head on your shoulder, Allison sighed in response. Patting her on the lap, you got up. Just like that, the little giddy excitement between two women suddenly crashed and burned upon knowing they were hopeless going against a supermodel.

“Hey! by the way…” Allison began, “…did you give money for Mrs. Hernandez’s going away party?”

You froze.

“Shit!” You cried out, “ I forgot!”

Mrs. Hernandez was one of the lovely tenants in the apartment building who will be moving out this week to go live with her son. All tenants were supposed to pool in for the going away party, today being the deadline. Opening your purse with haste, you groaned. “Damn it! I don’t have any change...” Of course you did not. Not when you gave away your last note to Clara yesterday. With the current use of cards and e-payment, you rarely used cash these days.

“Me neither, Sweetie” Allison replied, mindlessly staring at the television. You sighed. Transferring the money will not do as it wont be convenient for the others. And being a bad tenant was the last thing on your mind.

“Screw it!” You said, “I’ll just go get some now” Running to your room, you proceeded to change.

“Cool…” Allison uttered quietly, until she remembered, “By the way, can you also get milk?”Allison yelled to your room, “WE’RE OUT ALREADY!!”

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

If wearing an elegant dress brought out the glamorous woman in you, then leggings and an oversized black hoodie brought out the homebody. With the hood over your head, you dug your hands in the deep pockets whilst standing at the line for the ATM. What was taking so long?

Almost 11pm, yet the neighborhood was bustling more than usual. In fact, it fascinated you. Younger folk in higher numbers lingered hanging about by the Bodega. You wondered if a party was taking place somewhere nearby, as most of them wore clothes with a similar vibe. Some danced to the loud music that played, some drank sitting on the pavement, while some lined up in front of you in the ATM line. Was it a party? Or a flashmob? Or were you suddenly intruding the filming of a music video? It simply seemed so unrealistic. Could it be the sake and wine were forcing you to imagine all this?

Then moment your phone started to ring, you knew you were not imagining. Not when the phone vibrated in your hand, not when the name of the caller caused you to breath deeply.

“Mr.Wayne?”

His breath over the phone sent shivers down your spine so subtly. Attraction was indeed a strange phenomenon.

“Hey! Did you go home okay?”

He asked. Nodding, you looked around.

“Of course.” You replied, “Mr. Fox was kind enough to drop me straight home”

“Good. Good,” As he muttered in a rush, you heard him exhale, “ Listen, can we talk? ”

Nervousness took you over with a sudden burn in your face. What must he wish to say? Was he attempting to confirm what you already dread about? Was he fully acknowledging your desires to be futile and hopeless? You kept quiet as he continued:

“About tonight…I really-” he paused, “Where are you?” The loud cheers of some of the younger folk interrupted the conversation. Amongst the crowd, a lone figure walked over to the middle of the street.

“I’m at the Bodega nearby my place” you replied, trying to be nonchalant with him. However, somehow that lone figure standing managed to capture your attention, "Huh! Strange...”

“What is it?”

Your eyebrows furrowed the moment the figure turned to face your direction. Familiarity was quite strong in him. “There’s this guy here…” you said, “… who looks just like-”

You froze, “Oh no!” You breathed.

The moment the figure effortlessly pulled out a portable machine gun from his oversized long coat, it clearly dawned on you on who he really was:

“Mr. Slender?” You muttered to yourself.

Pointing the weapon upwards, loud and rapid shots were fired, causing panic amongst the public. The shock forced your hands to lose control, almost dropping your phone to the ground.

“Hello? Hello?”

You heard Bruce loud and clear, yet you were not in the right state of mind to respond. The chaos, certainly forced your heart to beat right out of your chest. The beating, increased without any prior announcement shocked you, as if the live, blood pumping organ might literally fall out of your flesh vessel.

“EVERYBODY ON THE GROUND, NOW!”

Mr.Slender bellowed, finally revealing his masculine and controlled voice. The public, including those inside the Bodega made their way to the ground. With Mr. Slender’s reinforcements inside the building, it was made sure no one were to reach out for law enforcement any time soon. Just when it seemed all had complied to his command, one obstinate young man rose up quickly.

“Hey man!” The man cried out, walking over to him, “Be cool…Be-”

“I SAID ON THE GROUND!”

Blood curdling screams erupted from the crowd when Mr.Slender brutally fired at the man, sending him flying back, falling on to the ground like a bloody piece of meat. Given the continuous reactions from the people nearby, he was certainly dead. Emptiness and fear swallowed you whole upon witnessing this.

“DON’T EVEN THINK OF BEING STUBBORN!! ”

Mr.Slender yelled out, brandishing his gun around, “MY DEMANDS ARE SIMPLE...”

He continued, “I’M LOOKING FOR ONE PARTICULAR PERSON…” he said, “AND I WILL NOT LEAVE…UNTIL THAT PERSON STEPS FORWARD!!”

Scenes such as these, they were never expected but only imagined in modes of fiction. Be it novels or films. However, when you truly got to taste it in the rusty reality, only then did you realize the gravity of its horror. And only then at that fateful moment, did you genuinely fear for your precious life.

Especially when the person he was looking for, was you.

——————————————————

Chapter 6 HERE

Tagged: @tealaquinn @ladyerina @kittenlittle24 @wholesumm @everyday-imfangirling @depressed-comrad @works-of-fanfiction @bale-is-a-babe @badsext @maddistyles17 @truly-insatiable @gooseyhouse @artsymaddie @quarterback-5 @mamooska8 @strangerliaa @jensen-impala @lilyofthesword @woodencupcake @fonduebitches

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#christian bale #bruce wayne #bale!bruce wayne #bruce wayne x reader #bale! bruce wayne x reader #the dark knight #the batman #batman #the dark knight rises #batman begins #bruce wayne imagines #bruce wayne series #christian bale characters

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justanotherpersonsuniverse · 4 years

Text

Okay so a while ago I wrote a chapter of a fic where the Miracuclass get thrown into a Persona Shadow world, however I lost motivation immediately for it and never continued writing it cause it sucked

HOWEVER HOWEVER! I STILL WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT THE SHADOW IDEAS I HAD FOR IT! Not in order, but Marinette’s shadow would most likely be last sense that was supposed to be the final boss of the fic. Note: I’m never working on it again, but I still wanted to throw out the ideas I had. Hope you like it!

The Shadows—

Marinette: Shadow Marinette is basically Saltinette. Has lost hope in the entire class. She’s very mean and demeaning, and does her best to convince Marinette that she should leave them. She’s a culmination of disappointments, pain, anger, spite, and the feeling of hate with her job as Ladybug because of how much it steals from her life. Shadow Marinette also carries much of her ptsd as ladybug with her, including Chat Blanc. She’s covered in red string that slowly starts to cover and wrap around her more, before it ties around her throat like a noose. Eventually, her monstrous shadow form becomes Lady Blanche, and the school turns into the rotting, broken, and fallen down remains of the Eiffel Tower. She confesses who she is as Ladybug, and jeers at the class at any time she has, but who she targets the most is Marinette, whom she practically torments.

Adrien: A caged bird. Shadow Adrien is a prisoner of his own heart, desperate for escape. He’s begging for death, for love, for acknowledgment. He sees himself as nothing and asks why “she doesn’t love me?”. Turns into a monstrous, corrupted, decaying, melting cat and bird monster(or I guess.. griffin) trying to protect a treasure box it’s chained to. The dungeon/palace is in the theme of a medieval castle.

Alya: So you know Yosuke’s shadow? How it was based on boredom but in the most realest sense? Where he was just looking for a story to be a part of because the life he lived up until that point was really plain, dragged out, and tired feeling of just monotony? Yeah, that. She feels like nothing, so she wants to be something more, like the stories she’s read, watched, she’s longing to be more. So that’s why she became obsessed with Ladybug, why she took her job as Rena with such hope and excitement. For the first time, she’s felt like she’s finally living, and she’s scared that it’ll go away. Most likely gets the design I gave her with my other fic. If you don’t know what that looks like, it’s a centaur like monster who’s skin is made up a ton of faces, bodies, limbs, and contorted creaming beings. The humanoid top side has two faces, one half being a camera, and the other a snarling fox.

Nino: Issues with his divorced parents, he feels like it’s partially his fault and it fucks him up. He carries a lot of his family on his back due to this, and it’s a feeling of incomprehensible guilt. His Shadow clings onto Nino and tries to smother him, before turning into his shadow form. I don’t know what this form would look like. A giant deformed lion turtle maybe.

Chloe: HOO BOY THATS A BUNDLE OF ISSUES. Pulling an Adachi here, the shadow’s monster form is quite literally just an inverted and corrupted version of her. Because she’s already a monster in her own eyes. Only thing that makes it different is that it has a yellow bandana covering its eye’s, because all across their arms and on her palms are blinking eyes. This thing is fucking out for Chloe’s blood, begging to just fucking die. To disappear already. Because if Mother doesn’t remember them, they’re as good as gone right now. Because mother’s approval is all that matters, right? Shadow Chloe, when defeated, just falls to her knees and just starts to cry from her eyes underneath her bandana. As it’s taken off, the other eyes bubble away and she just digs her face in Chloe’s shoulder, finally letting her pain out and being acknowledged.

Sabrina: A game show host, Shadow Sabrina puts Sabrina up onto one of those spinning roulette wheels, making the others literally have to play for her life. The stakes continue raising as she keeps telling them to just back out already! Sabrina’s gonna die anyways why don’t they just quit and move on! But they refuse, and it breaks her. She’s just supposed to be a puppet! They let her be a puppet! So why the hell are they doing this now?! Eventually everything falls apart and Shadow Sabrina doesn’t even get a chance to turn into a monster as she just falls to her knees. She tries to spit bitterly at Chloe only to receive a teary hug, and she crumples in her arms.

Lila: A mirror maze, Shadow Lila always being a step ahead and taunting. Her body is glitching, and she almost low key looks like light hope from she ra. Every mirror has a reflection of what she thinks of people, what she remembers events as, and her multiple personas she puts on. Shadow Lila is sick of it. And she as a shadow, she can’t lie, and despite being Lila’s subconscious, she asks her what the truth is. Because Lila lies to herself so much to the point that Shadow Lila herself isn’t sure what she is.

Juleka: I didn’t have any completely solid ideas for this, however! I had ideas of the class walking into like, a circus fair thing. Festival? Idk. And Shadow Juleka would try and throw Juleka into one of those water chambers while setting shit on fire. I was more focused on aesthetics than story. Think Coraline for this one.

Maybe one day I’ll draw these shadow forms. These are the only ones I had ideas for. Shame I abandoned that story, but thanks for hearing about my rambles, maybe one day I’ll do a rewrite

#Miraculous ladybug #miraculous au #miraculous team #miracuclass #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #chloe bourgeois #sabrina raincomprix #lila rossi #juleka couffaine #writing #persona #ml class sugar #chloe redemption #lila redemption #these kids deserve hugs

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mashounen2003 · 3 years

Text

Sonic opinions - 2

In large portions of every fandom, it looks like it prevails the idea that you can only take one of two positions: praising the story in every respect, including both the ideas themselves and their execution by the writers, or admitting not to like the story and not to praise any element of it at all. I think my ideas regarding the Archie-Sonic comics and the Sonic franchise in general cannot be pigeonholed into either of these two extremes.

More below the "keep reading" cut.

I loved all the world-building in Archie-Sonic, the elements the comic introduced, their many characters and the potential to tell stories about them; I also really liked much of the art and personal styles of several artists Archie-Sonic has had throughout its history, with very few exceptions (and such exceptions include Ron Lim, of course). That's why, of all the Sonic continuities, I often use the pre-reboot Archie-Sonic comic as the primary source for world-building elements and story ideas.

What really makes me feel bad about that comic, what motivates most of my criticism, is the ideas’ execution by the main writers, as well as aspects that I think are more linked to each writer as a person, the unique way in which each of them has written their stories.

Firstly, Michael Gallagher: the writer for the first few dozen issues of the comic had a terrible sense of humour, and this hurt the comic hugely since those first issues were fundamentally based on that low-quality comedy style. The characterization of the entire cast also suffered greatly from this; in Sally's case, something quite ironic happened too: Gallagher portrayed her as bossy, annoying, temperamental, usually bickering with Sonic, and now that's also how Sally is seen by many fans of the videogames’ continuity (at best). Other than this, not much more could be said about him.

Karl Bollers wrote quite decent stories with some nice comedy, with “Return to Angel Island” being his best work, one of the best stories in the entire comic and perhaps even one of the best in the franchise; but Bollers’s work was "torpedoed" by Ken Penders and then-editor Justin Gabrie, which ruined the stories’ final versions sometimes or led to elements introduced by Bollers being "retconned" and overwritten by whatever Penders smoked and decided to do when taking over. The characterization of Fiona Fox is one of the main examples, with Bollers's Fiona being a quite under-utilized character but with a great potential that would later be wasted by both Penders and Ian Flynn. Another similar case was Sally breaking up with Sonic: Bollers tried to give context to such a drastic decision by Sally and show how she was the one who was suffering the most at that time and also that both she and Sonic were partially right, but Penders and Gabrie didn't let Bollers develop this subplot properly and all we had was a quite infamous scene that unfairly made Sally one of the most hated characters. It’s also known of several plans Bollers had for future stories, and one of them was Antoine being corrupted by the Source of All and turning into a villain; this had the potential to be a good story by subverting the concept of the Source of All and making it an actual threat, but on the other hand, it’d have meant resorting once again to the resource of "this character isn’t doing anything, let's make them evil", something quite disappointing, which later would have disastrous results when Flynn did the same with Fiona a few years later. However, these plans of Bollers were just ideas, and the quality of a story created from them still depends a lot on execution. In the end, I can't say anything about how good or bad Bollers was as a writer, simply because I have no way of knowing what his stories would have been like if he had been given more freedom and had stayed as the writer longer.

There were two writers who influenced Archie-Sonic comics far more than any other writer in its history: Penders and Flynn. The first of them was a retarded pervert with an overly inflated and fragile ego. He became obsessed with the primitive, toxic ideal of "family" North-Americans have. He wrote nonsensical, contradictory stories, having already decided the end down to the last detail long before even thinking about how the story would come to that end (I also made this specific mistake a few times when I was just starting to write fanfiction, I must admit). He increased Fiona's age in order to be able to pair her with the Don Juan that Sonic had become, which also ruined Fiona's characterization forever. The issues 150s -right before being replaced by Flynn- were the worst part of Penders’s run, as Bollers was no longer there to put a stop to his madness in any way, and it was at this time when there was the most egregious case of Penders pouring into the comic his worst perversions and retarded ideas: he hinted at a sex scene in one of the most infamous cases in the history of the entire Sonic franchise, although it wasn’t infamous for the implied sex per se but rather because what happened was technically a rape by deception; to add insult to injury, the writer implicitly blamed the victim some years later when asked about it on Twitter.

I could go on talking about “Ken Perverts”, but I think that's not necessary and would be a waste of time since, as everyone here already knows, he's been the laughingstock of the entire Sonic franchise for years; @ponett even has a whole secondary blog, @thankskenpenders, mainly dedicated to this. On the other hand, there’s still another writer who has also contributed a lot and also made huge mistakes but is not criticized in the least by almost anyone, simply because he was better than Penders.

Ian Flynn usually reduced the characters to slightly oversimplified portrayals, similar to the personalities of the characters in the most recent videogames. Under his pen, Sonic was more sympathetic but his words sometimes sounded too empty and shallow, his apologies for past mistakes didn’t lead to genuine changes on his part, and sometimes he even seemed plain insensitive to all the tragedies happening around him, especially at the Mecha Sally Arc (I nickname Ian Flynn’s Sonic "Plastic Smile" for this). Admittedly, this had already happened several times with previous writers (Penders portraying Sonic as a Don Juan, as I already mentioned), and this is why I think the original Sonic from Sonic SatAM was always better for feeling more "genuine", less "empty", and more heroic and likeable as a result. Perhaps the only ones to escape the oversimplified portrayal have been Shadow and E-123 Omega, whose characterizations in Archie-Sonic were the best in the whole franchise.

Besides, Flynn had strong favouritism for Amy Rose, which only made things worse because this Amy was much more similar to the one in the videogames from Sonic Heroes onwards. Anyway, this also happened with previous writers, like when Amy wished to be younger at the cost of a chance to save Sally's mother and no one ever berated her for it.

Let’s look at the villains. Unlike the typical Eggman from the videogames, with his follies, eccentricities and other absurd aspects, the Robotnik “inherited” by the comic from Sonic SatAM was explicitly a genocidal bastard and crueller while at the same time being sane enough to realize everything he was doing (@robotnik-mun already spoke in detail about this once); however, Flynn tried to combine the two characters into the pre-reboot Archie-Sonic Eggman, and the result created some severe problems with the stories’ tone. Something derived from this was how Sonic let Eggman live and even felt sorry for his fall into madness, in addition to treating him as if they were the Sonic and Eggman from the videogames, Sonic X or Sonic Boom; it’s worth remembering this Eggman technically is a sort of reincarnation of the SatAM Robotnik (his exact nature is quite complicated and includes parallel universes, but yes, he’s supposed to be exactly the same as the SatAM Robotnik, with memories and everything) and this Sonic is supposed to have fought a bloody decade-long guerilla war against him just like his SatAM counterpart.

Scourge was turned into a massive Mary-Sue who achieved easy victories, as subtle as a huge neon sign saying "the bad guys win"; he was also an abusive manipulator towards Fiona Fox, and Flynn was unable to show that properly for fear of making his pet look no longer cool, which makes you wonder how alike Flynn and Penders might actually be in some ways. To clearly understand the horrible damage this has caused: it not only created a generation of young Sonic fans -mostly boys from the USA- who romanticize abuse either consciously or unconsciously, but also there are even women -including scholars, committed feminists and transgender people who are also activists for social justice- who either sympathize with Scourge or think Fiona made a right, wise, rational or informed decision by joining him in the story (I’ll not give names of those women, I’m not really eager to get into heated fallacious discussions about “the true meaning of Feminism”); to top it off, among the writers who started working with Ian Flynn either on IDW-Sonic or the last years of Archie-Sonic, there’s at least one person who got the job of writing official Sonic comics after gaining quite a bit of fame with a fan-comic where they used the pairing of Scourge & Fiona to inspire its readers to feel sorry... for Scourge. And speaking of Fiona specifically: the subplot of her career as a villain was ill-conceived, was built by using as a cornerstone the A-story of Issue #150 (that quite infamous and widely known story written by Penders where Scourge may or may not have raped Bunnie by deception), and was also seemingly "abandoned" as Fiona ended up merely being Scourge's new abuse victim girlfriend and her status as a traitor didn’t even have a significant emotional effect on the Freedom Fighters.

Flynn also followed something like a pattern of taking tropes from famous works and then using them when writing the comic but not actually understanding why those tropes had worked in the first place. Perhaps the prime example of this was Scourge giving Sonic the Joker's "One Bad Day" speech: it almost felt a bit like giving the same speech to the Batman of Batman vs. Superman, as Sonic had already had a whole "bad decade" and was still a hero despite it; also, Sonic's answer to that speech (telling Scourge it only takes a tiny bit of selflessness and decency for him to be a good person) wasn’t that great, not at all compared to the mildly masterful answer Batman had originally given to the Joker in The Killing Joke, and it even made Sonic look more like a bad judge of character.

Lastly, the entire Mecha Sally Arc was poorly planned, had some contradictions with itself and with previous stories, was stretched through dozens of comic issues no matter if that felt forced, and the main events and plot twists throughout the story arc were heavily based on shock-value without giving any substance to this or making it a bit more sense when putting it under scrutiny; meanwhile, Flynn always seemed to have quite a hard time when writing long story arcs, so these long stories looked like he was trying and outright failing to imitate Toriyama (someone quite known for putting together stories ad-lib according to what seemed most convenient at the time).

Despite this, it looks like those Sonic fans who are still interested in material outside of the videogames will keep buying and reading whatever Ian Flynn or one of his colleagues writes, simply because they’re better than Penders... even though it's been 15 years since Penders wrote something official about Sonic. Seriously, we should have gotten over it by now, instead of continuing to compare all material in the franchise with Penders's work, which sets the bar too low for any official content creator. Now that I think about it, Penders's work is to the North-American Sonic canon what Sonic 2006 is to the videogames: people can criticize the latest games all they want, and rightfully so, but if someone even casually mentions Sonic 2006, any Sonic game from 2010 onwards instantly becomes a masterpiece just for being marginally better than Sonic 2006; the same happens between Penders's work on pre-reboot Archie-Sonic and any other North-American Sonic comic written by Flynn after Penders left.

Right now it looks like it's also forbidden to criticize Flynn as a writer at all just because he's much nicer in his personal life and engages with fans more directly through his podcasts, or because Flynn is truly progressive while Penders claimed to be progressive and a feminist and was affiliated with the USA Democrats but his work showed how misogynistic, perverted, retarded, reactionary and downright sick he was. Also, now saying something about Flynn other than total blind admiration for him and his work, even asking for the Freedom Fighters to return in the IDW comics, has become synonymous with agreeing with those assholes who cry "Rally4Sally" or "Udon4Sonic" on Twitter: "nostalgic" fans of SatAM and Penders's work on Archie, in their 40s or 50s, deeply conservative and absurdly paranoid, who claim that those new inclusive cartoons such as Steven Universe or She-Ra "are ruining their childhood", are mad at Flynn just because he hinted Sally and Nicole may be a lesbian couple (and in a rather platonic way, not even romantic in the traditional sense), and try to justify their own warped ideas and fantasies about SatAM by ignoring any “liberal” political messages SatAM may have had at the subtext level.

#sonic fanfiction by mashounen #sonic opinions by mashounen #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #archie sonic #sonic comics #sonic satam #michael gallagher #karl bollers #ken penders #ian flynn

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when-they-write-stuff · 4 years

Text

Lasagna with the Side of a Relationship

pairing: sterek

wc: 2616

notes: a little bit of sheriff stilinski getting introduced to derek with a side of some stilinski family feels! a commission for the lovely @fox-stilesx

“Pass the cheese.”

Silence was his answer and Stiles glanced over to see Derek staring off into space for the third time that morning, a terrified look on his face. Sighing, Stiles crossed the kitchen and draped his flour-covered hands and arms over his boyfriend’s shoulders, nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck.

“Derek, don’t you dare have a heart attack about this. I need a real and breathing boyfriend to show my dad and I can’t bring him a dead body or he’s going to have some serious questions.”

Derek made a strangled noise at the back of his throat and Stiles sighed, going on his tiptoes and pressing a small kiss against the side of the man’s temple.

“Stop freaking out. My dad loves you.”

“Lie.”

“Okay, my dad likes you.”

Derek turned around and gave him a flat look. Stiles ran a hand through his hair, effectively getting more flour in it as he shrugged.

“Okay, he knows who you are.”

“Yes, because he tried to arrest me on multiple occasions.”

“He was just doing his job.”

“Would it be his job to shoot me on sight?”

“No, that would be illegal.”

“I still haven’t forgotten that time you told me Argent gave him wolfsbane bullets.”

“For his own protection!”

“And what about your protection?” Derek asked, his voice turning soft. “He’s your father, Stiles. He’ll do anything to make sure you stay safe and far away from the big bad wolf.”

Stiles took the man’s hands in his own, threading their fingers together. “If he’s my father, Derek, then he’ll also want my happiness. And that involves being with the big bad wolf.”

“We should probably keep the big bad wolf part out of the conversation.”

“Wouldn’t want him to think we up to strange things in the bedroom,” Stiles said with a grin, wiggling his eyebrows as he grabbed the shredded cheese and turned back to Derek’s best attempt at lasagna. “Now would we, Sourwolf?”

“You’re seventeen,” Derek said flatly. “I’m going to make sure he understands that there’s nothing going on in the bedroom at all.”

“I’m almost eighteen!”

“But still not.”

“Fair,” Stiles said absentmindedly. “And he might shoot you if there was. Something going on in the bedroom, that is.”

“Sure this can’t wait until your eighteen?”

Stiles glanced back over his shoulder to see Derek looking pale again. Setting down the cheese, he turned back toward the man and pressed a soft kiss against his nose. “I’m willing to wait, dude, if you want to wait. I mean, it’s only four months if you can deal with the fact that I’m not allowed to come over to the loft anymore cause my dad has questions about where I keep disappearing off to—”

“You’re a menace.”

“That is true,” Stiles said, pulling back. “But I’m your menace.”

“Not if I make you wait the four months.”

“We’ve already made the lasagna, Sourwolf, what kind of person lets all of that hard work go to waste? I mean, I could probably eat it all in one sitting, but then you’re going to have to deal with my stomach ache later.”

“Oh god, no.”

“Shut up, I’m not that bad when I’m sick.”

Derek huffed, clearly remembering the one time Stiles had a cold and spent the entire time bemoaning about how he was going to die. Stiles rolled his eyes, turning back to the dinner dish, and eyed it for a moment.

“Do you think we need to add more cheese?”

“I think we need to put it in the oven or we’re never going to get to your house in time.”

“Looks who’s all excited to go now!”

Derek just reached past Stiles and grabbed the pasta, sticking it in the oven. Then he grabbed a handful of the abandoned flour and let it rain over Stiles’s head, smirking at he spluttered. “You need a shower. Go clean yourself up.”

“Giant furry asshole!”

“Shower, Stiles. Go.”

Stiles stopped spluttering and glanced up at him through flour-coated lashes. “Wanna join me?”

Derek let more flour rain down. Stiles doubled over in a coughing fit, waving a hand through the air as he stumbled away. He was pretty sure Derek was grinning the entire time.

The fluffy asshole.

He was lucky the Sheriff wasn’t around to see this kind of abuse.

The thing is, the Sheriff knew his son was bringing someone over for dinner.

He’d started suspecting it for quite a while now; when he could hear soft voices from Stiles’s room, knowing better than to push in without knocking. And every time he would knock, he’d always find Stiles sitting on his bed all alone even though he knew someone had just been there.

So yeah, he knew Stiles was seeing someone. John wasn’t an idiot. And he thought he could make a small list of who Stiles was probably seeing. But then he decided he would just wait until Stiles was comfortable enough to come to him.

Which, he was pretty sure, was what tonight was about. Stiles had been shifty all week, mentioning something about an upcoming ‘cheat day’ so John better not be sneaking off to eat any fries on his lunch breaks. Not like that stopped him, but it was something to keep in mind.

When the clock hit six, his doorbell went off. And had it been any other occasion, the Sheriff would’ve been surprised. But he wasn’t. In fact, when the doorbell went off, he was almost relieved.

Finally, the week of silent questions was over.

But when he opened his door to see Derek Hale standing on the step next to his son, the Sheriff was admittedly taken off guard.

But really, he shouldn’t have been.

The number of times the Sheriff had seen Hale leaping from Stiles’s room at night, parking his Camaro a few blocks away and creeping through the yard like a burglar, or just looking awkward whenever he and the Sheriff were in the same proximity should’ve been a told tale. But… Hale was Hale. This was Derek Hale.

The same Derek Hale that John had been trying to put behind bars a year ago.

He looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

“Stiles,” the Sheriff said, turning his gaze toward his son. Stiles shifted from foot to foot, a bright grin on his face, and he was holding a bag of garlic bread, John noticed. Glancing back at Derek, he realized the man had a foil-covered dish in his hands.

Well, that was an image he was never getting out of his head.

“Hey, pops! You didn’t make dinner, I hope.”

“I was just about to get started.”

He knew Derek could hear his lie, turning his gaze to give the man a ‘test me’ look. Derek’s face only paled further and he swallowed hard before nodding. “Sir.”

“Hale.”

“You, uh, have a lovely home.”

“Is the first time you’ve seen the doorstep part of it?”

Stiles’s eyes rounded and Derek’s face when from white to red. The color spread all the way to the tips of his ears and the Sheriff resisted the urge to grin, pushing the door open wider and stepping aside.

“Come on in, boys.”

Stiles went in first, shooting him a very obvious ‘don’t mess this up for me’ look, to which John only smiled. Derek followed close after him, shoulders hunched and eyes fixed on the floor. The Sheriff might have enjoyed his current power a little too much.

“So, Derek, how are werewolf things?”

“Dad!”

“Uh,” Derek still looked terrified. “Good, sir.”

“Good? No issues?”

“None, sir.”

“Curious,” the Sheriff said, guiding them toward the kitchen. “Because Stiles was missing for two days last week with the excuse of being at Scott’s house. But when I called Melissa, she said Scott was missing with the excuse of being at our house.”

This time, it was Stiles who turned bright red. John didn’t miss the furious look that Derek shot the boy and he resisted the urge to grin again.

“But everything has been all good, right?”

“... Yes, sir.”

“Great,” John said, gesturing to the table. “Let’s eat, then.”

Derek shot Stiles another furious look, Stiles shot John another warning glare, and John was just pretty sure he was the one winning here. And he was getting garlic bread and lasagna out of it.

He waited at the table while Derek and Stiles moved around the kitchen, getting out plates, silverware, and exchanging quick conversations. The Sheriff watched until some of his smugness slipped and then he felt like he was looking in on something personal, quickly turning his gaze away.

Suddenly, he wasn’t sure this was a game to win at all.

By the time they were all seated at the table, John was pretty sure he just had to get through this night. Because if he was right— if Stiles had brought Derek Hale into their house for a reason— then that might be all he could do right now.

It was quiet for a little bit. Then John cleared his throat. “You make a mean lasagna, Hale.”

Once more, Derek’s ears turned red. He was picking at his food and when he met John’s gaze, he didn’t look nervous anymore. Just a little sad.

“My father taught me, sir.”

Oh.

“Derek’s great,” Stiles said, jumping into the conversation. “He makes the best chicken parmesan and his scrambled eggs are godsent... not that I’ve ever had them. Because I’m never at the loft in the morning or anything.”

The Sheriff resisted the urge to groan. Derek looked like he was about to stab himself in the eye with his fork.

John figured at some point or other, he was going to have to come out with it. As this might as well have been an opening. “Are you sleeping with my underage son, Hale?”

Stiles promptly choked on his garlic bread. Derek looked like he’d had a mini heart attack, fork clattering to the floor. He quickly leaned down to grab it and John was pretty sure he stayed underneath the table much longer than necessary, not coming back up until Stiles had stopped coughing.

Even then, he still looked terrified. “No, sir.”

“But you are dating.”

“Dad!”

For the first time that night, Derek held his gaze. The Sheriff had to admit he was a lot surprised and almost a little intimidated. “Not yet, sir. But I’d like to be.”

“Derek!”

“So you’re here because…”

“I’d like to ask for your permission.”

“Is this a marriage proposal, Hale?”

Stiles was just making spluttering noises of protest now, but it was clear both John and Derek were ignoring him. John held Derek’s gaze and the man held it right back, but there was a small tick to his fingers. “It’s just dating, sir.”

“Of my underage son.”

“I wouldn’t… do anything. Not until he was eighteen.”

“So you want to be doing something then?”

“Dad!”

Derek quite obviously flinched at that. He finally dropped his gaze, glaring at his plate for a moment, before slowly shaking his head. “I would never take advantage of Stiles, sir. He’s seventeen and he’s smart, but he’s not an adult. Not yet. I don’t— I wouldn’t—”

The man looked sad and terrified and broken all at the same time. John felt his resolve weaken and only hated himself a little bit for that. Taking a deep breath, he sighed and then tapped his fingers on the table.

“Derek,” he said, cutting the man off. “Okay.”

“... Sir?”

“You have my permission.”

Derek stared at him. But Stiles just groaned, grabbing his empty plate, shoving himself up, and stalking toward the sink. “I feel like a cow being sold at the market.”

“If that was the case, we’d be bargaining for you, Stiles.”

“Oh great,” Stiles said, shooting him a look. “I’m not even worth a bargain.”

John and Derek rolled their eyes at the same time.

John stayed seated as Derek stood up, grabbing the lasagna dish and once more avoiding his eyes. He watched his son and the older werewolf moving around the kitchen together, stray, almost unconscious touches passing between them as they rinsed off the plates, put away the food, and smiled; soft and secret.

And John couldn’t help but feel his chest constrict a little. More than anything, he wished Claudia was here. She would tell him if he was doing the right thing or if he was making a mistake. Setting his son up for heartbreak. Giving his seal of approval to a man four years older.

But when he looked at Hale, all he could see was the fifteen-year-old boy with an ash-stained face and eyes full of tears. Not a monster, not a predator. Derek’s face softened whenever he glanced over at Stiles. There was almost the hint of a smile tugging at the edges of his lips.

He looked innocent. He looked... happy

The Sheriff pushed himself up, moving over and laying a hand on Derek’s shoulder. Both Hale and Stiles went rigid and the man gave John a careful look.

“Sir?’

“Let’s go have a quick chat.”

Once more, he paled. Stiles opened his mouth but the Sheriff silenced him with a look and Stiles sighed, giving Derek his best reassuring look.

“Don’t worry, dude, the wolfsbane bullets are upstairs. I think.”

The Sheriff rolled his eyes. Derek just paled even more.

John led him out of the kitchen and into the living room, toward the door where he was sure Stiles couldn’t listen in. Derek didn’t say a word, but he was tense underneath the Sheriff’s hand. John supposed he really wasn’t that surprised.

This time though, it wasn’t for John’s amusement.

He let go and eyed Derek for a moment before speaking. “You should know that Stiles is my life, Derek.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“And I would kill anyone who ever hurt him.”

“I wouldn’t—”

“As I’m sure you would as well, Derek.”

Derek snapped his mouth back closed and gave the Sheriff a wide-eyed look. John raised a brow and slowly, the man nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“You’ll take care of him.”

“Yes.”

“You’ll never put him in danger.”

“Never, sir.”

The Sheriff looked at him for a moment. Then he held out a hand, which Derek blinked at before shaking. “Call me John, son.”

It looked like a little part of Derek’s eyes cracked. Silently, he nodded.

“He’s not eighteen yet, Derek.”

“No.”

“So, I expect—”

“Please,” Derek said, cutting him off. The Sheriff raised a brow and Derek blushed. “Sir— Sheriff— John. I understand. I… better than you know. I understand. He’s not eighteen. I would never do anything.”

“I trust you.”

Once more, Derek looked a little broken. He dropped his gaze and John smiled, squeezing his shoulder again.

“Come on, I have ice cream in the freezer that Stiles doesn’t know about.”

“John?”

The Sheriff smiled. He thought he liked the way that sounded; everyone always called him Sheriff. It was almost like he didn’t have another name or something. “Come on, Derek.”

Slowly, the man followed him back into the kitchen. Stiles waited with wide eyes and bated breath and John smirked at him.

“Derek is staying to eat ice cream.”

“But we don’t have any—”

“I went grocery shopping this morning.”

And as Stiles started to splutter, John just grinned. Because yeah, this wasn’t a game. And he’d never wanted to put himself directly into his son’s love life. Not once. But he was still pretty sure he was winning.

And he got lasagna, garlic bread, and ice cream out of it.

- -

(if you enjoy my writing, consider supporting your struggling student writer? You can also request a prompt if you’d like!). https://ko-fi.com/rh27writer

#teen wolf #sterek #stiles x derek #derek hale #stiles stilinski #sheriff stilinski #all the fluff and humor #stilinski family feels #idiots in love

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sweetwritertanya · 4 years

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The Most Memorable Halloween

A/N: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Here it is, my last story for this special month, the thirteenth story I promised you guys! And… it’s a OT7 fanfic! I usually prefer to write only for one member at a time, but for this story I wanted something special so I included all of them. The relationship with the reader can be read however you like, be it romantic, platonic or just as a friend! Up to you! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this series and that you like this story for the finale. Love you guys and let me know what you think!

Summary: You take all the members of BTS to go out camping during the Halloween weekend. Just the eight of you. What could possibly go wrong?

Warnings: HORROR! But not quite, just a spooky idea I had and wanted to share! Hope you all like it!

Word Count: 4769

There was a particular difficult issue that you always knew would come up when you first got to know the seven boys of BTS. Getting close to them, befriend them, caring for them would end up being incredibly frustrating during special days, like birthdays or Christmas or Valentine’s Day. And the reason why was simple: they were rich and already had any and everything you could envision them wanting for themselves.

Coming up with gift ideas became so stressful to you, that the boys had to put on an intervention one day and make you promise that you would never buy any of them a present ever again. So, since then, special days were celebrated with kind words and long messages to each other, lots of food and drinks if you could all be together and an overall good time in each other’s company.

And yet, when a friend of yours got a job as park ranger at a beautiful national park with amazing views, you got an idea. That particular park was closed down as they were redoing some of the roads and adding trails for hikers, being safer to just close off access to any pedestrians or campers for the month of October. So, if your friend could get you and the boys into the park, no one would be there to recognize them or bother them. And they had the weekend of Halloween off just in time.

It took a bit of persuading, but it’s not something Taffy hadn’t done before for her friend’s or something you had done for her back in the day. It would be just for the weekend, when no one would be working in construction either way, and she would be at the station in case anything went wrong.

In your eyes, it was the perfect gift you could give them. The boys liked camping, but they only ever did it with a bunch of cameras, never really just by themselves. They have been talking about a trip like this for months. And you could offer them just that.

“Have a good stay up there, babe” Taffy’s voice came in through the walkie talkie she gave you as you met her at the station to come in.

“Thanks, I owe you big time, queen” you radio back at her, a smile on your lips as you look out the van’s window while you continue up the path.

“Yeah, you do. Just watch out for wildlife and new forks in the roads. They haven’t put up the new signs yet” she warns.

“Will do. See you tomorrow.”

With that you decide to keep the walkie in your backpack before you ended up losing it.

“I still can’t believe we are actually doing this!” an excited Taehyung next to you says, a boxy smile and sparkling eyes thrown at you.

“It’s going to be fun. We’ll put up the tents, make a fire and eat some s’mores…” Hoseok chips in, sitting across the table from you with that usual cheery smile of his. “We’ll drink some beers and dance under the stars!”

“Yeah, I don’t know about the smores” Yoongi warns, on the other side of the moving van, body leaning against the window on his side, but looking your way. “We didn’t buy any marshmallows, so unless you packed some, no can do.”

“What?!” Hoseok turns around in his seat to talk to Namjoon, who was currently on the passenger side upfront, next to a driving Jungkook. “Say, Namjoon, did you buy the marshmallows like I asked?”

“Hum? What?” He does his best to turn around in his seat and look at us, but you can only see half of his square jaw and one of his slim eyes as he stretches, short hair covered by a cap.

“The s’mores for tonight” Hoseok persists.

“Oh, crap. Sorry, totally forgot about it!” Hoseok sighs in disappointment, and Namjoon feels guilty about it. “Should I go back and buy some?”

“No, of course not. It’s okay, another time we’ll have some” Hoseok remains positive and smiles brightly again, much to the leader’s relief.

“Yeah, this won’t be the last time we go camping, surely” Jimin, sitting next to Hoseok across from you and Taehyung, comforts him although he didn’t seem to need it any longer. “If I remember next time, I’ll buy you some myself, hyung.”

“How’s it going, JK? Is it much longer?” Jin yells as he leans to try and see the driver from his seat across from Yoongi.

“What?” Jungkook asks back, turning his head towards us slightly but keeping his eyes on the road and hands steady on the wheel.

“How much longer?” Jin repeats.

“The last sign I saw said two miles to the camping ground” he answered.

“Okay, good job!” Jin compliments the youngest.

Soon enough you arrived at the camping site, some bathroom facilities nearby that your friend gave you the keys to use as well some wooden tables and benches. There were tall colorful trees surrounding the clearing where you would all be staying tonight, with a beautiful view to the peak of the mountain, high on the sky, so much further away.

The boys all jump out of the van even before Jungkook managed to shut the engine off, screaming and stretching their legs as they walk outside into the grass and fresh air. Jin and Namjoon both ask you for the keys to the bathroom since they had to go for a while, only for Taehyung to steal them out of your hands and go first, with a shouting angry Jin and an annoyed resigned Namjoon following after.

You help Yoongi and Hoseok taking out all the necessaries in terms of food preparing, while Jimin and Jungkook tried to set the two tents up. When the rest of the members joined, things picked up quickly and you, Jin and Yoongi got a station ready for cooking while the rest of them took care of everything else.

It was early afternoon when you all arrived, but the night was commencing by the time you all sat down to eat. The hours felt like minutes, not a moment passing by in boredom with these boys around. Be it Jin telling you his silly jokes as he sliced the ingredients next to you, Yoongi asking you to taste every dish he prepared multiple times to know if it was good, Namjoon trying his best to help only to look at you with guilty eyes as he holds in his hands a broken part of the chair he and Hoseok were assembling. Hobi laughing about it in disbelief with you. The three younger members all struggling to put up the tents at first, calling you to help them but you only end up stuck under the fabric of the tent when they let it fall on you.

Not a dull moment with them. And so, hours went by like minutes.

By the end of dinner, you are all sited in chairs around the fireplace – Namjoon siting on one that was missing an arm, since he broke it – all watching the starry sky in comfortable silent, interrupted occasionally by a remark or two.

“Thank you for bringing us out here, Y/N. You’re the sweetest” Jimin murmurs in a chair next to you, his hands moving from his lap to brush at the skin of your fluffy arm in a gentle manner.

“Oh, you are welcome, ChimChim. Anything for you guys” you assure him, patting his hand that stays placed on top of your wrist.

“I didn’t think we’d ever get to be out and about like this ever again, just us without cameras, without causing trouble” Yoongi confesses, with a bit of a slur and his accent coming out due to the few beers he had to drink.

“Yeah, me neither. It’s all thanks to you, sweetheart” Namjoon agrees, throwing you a dimpled smile that had you smiling right back at him.

“Guys, please, stop it” you say as you grow a bit embarrassed and uncomfortable.

“Ohh, I think she is blushing! Look at Y/N’s cute chubby cheeks going red!” Taehyung points out, a long index finger pointing playfully your way, a mischievous look in his eyes.

“Maybe the beer is getting to her head only now” Jin proposes in a chuckle, leaning forward to look at you with puffy lips tugging up.

“Shut up! It was only one beer, how lightweight to you think I am?” you try and defend yourself.

“Pretty lightweight if I recall from that night at the karaoke…” Jungkook chips in.

Knowing exactly the night he was referring to, and mortified that he would spill all the embarrassing bits to everyone, you end up taking your slipper and throwing at him. But he just catches it and giggles, throwing it back at you with measured strength.

“Wait, guys, shush!” Hoseok suddenly gasps from the opposite side from you, turning in his chair to look at the woods behind him. “Did… Did anyone hear that?”

“Is your mind already playing tricks on you, hyung?” Jimin questions.

“No, no, I heard something. Like a branch snapping” Hoseok persists, on edge. “A-Are there bears in this mountain or something?”

“You hear a branch cracking and your first thought goes immediately to bear?” Yoongi wonders, not sounding amused. “How about a rabbit, a fox or even a coyote before you think of something like a bear?”

Yoongi did have a point, and nobody heard anything except for Hoseok, but seeing how concern he was, you decide to appease him.

“I’ll call Taffy and ask her about what wildlife we are dealing with, okay, Hobi?”

“Thanks, Y/N, you’re a real angel. Unlike you guys!” He pouts at the rest of the group after throwing you an appreciative look of relief.

“Hey, Taffy, you there?” you say into the walkie-talkie you took out of your bag.

It takes her a minute or two, but she does respond.

“Hello there, gang. What’s up? Already bored?” she jokes.

“Nothing like that. Just wandering, what kind of animals are there in the mountain? We won’t be seeing any bears or anything like that, right?”

“Oh, we had some bears alright” she says through the static and Hoseok yelps while the rest of them widen their eyes at the walkie in your hands. You heart skips a bit in unexpected fright, but then she continues. “But since we are closed, there won’t be any large hairy gay men around any time soon, sorry to disappoint!”

A collective sigh of relief and a chuckle or two are heard around the fireplace and you pursue your lips as you close your eyes, imagining just smacking the back of her head if she was there with you for scaring you like that.

“Very funny, thanks for that” you sarcastically reply.

“No problem, anytime. But yeah, there’s only like foxes and wild cats to watch out for in here.”

“Good to know, we’ll be careful.”

“I see the smoke. You guys around a fireplace?”

“Yeah, we finished eating and we’re just relaxing before hitting the sack. Don’t worry, we’ll set it out before going to sleep” you promise her.

“Alright. Make sure the nine of you cuddle up for warmth, it will be cold tonight” she teases.

You know she is trying to tease and embarrass you, but you frown at what she says with a strange feeling instead. The boys don’t seem to pay it much attention apart from Namjoon and Jungkook, who look at you frowning as well.

“You mean eight. There is eight of us, me and the seven guys” you correct her.

The static goes silent for longer than it should and you realize that you have a bad feeling. Hoseok must have sensed it, cause his expression seems to mimic yours.

“She must have just counted wrong” Namjoon tries to calm you down.

“Hey” Taffy’s voice returns from the walkie and you don’t even realize you are now leaning in the chair, holding the device in front of you for everyone to hear it. “You guys all went down to the fountain to gather water, didn’t you?”

It was Jin who answered, a bit more serious now than he was before.

“Yeah, the buckets would be heavy to carry back to the camping site so we all went to help.”

“There are cameras every ten miles up the path and I saw you in one of them” she explains. “I’m looking at the recording right now and I count nine people walking by.”

A chill runs up your spine and your throat closes in on itself as you feel nauseated. This was not right; something was not right.

“Y/N, get everyone out. Come back to the station, there is someone else in the park!” your friend’s voice commands with assertiveness.

“OH MY GOD! I knew it, I knew it! There is A KILLER in here!” Hoseok starts to panic and, as much as you feel on the verge of terror yourself, you try to remain calm the best you can.

“Hobi, calm down” you say, running to him and placing your hands on his arms, rubbing them up and down through the sweater he had to try and keep him steady.

“Everyone on the van. NOW!” Namjoon orders and it takes less than thirty seconds for everyone to run inside the vehicle and leave all the stuff you had outside behind.

Instead of sitting, everyone seems to be looking out the windows with suspicion, into the dark distrustful woods, all the vehicle’s door locking as the sound of the motor roars to life. Only to stutter and crumble. Seven the heads suddenly snap to the driver’s seat, where Jungkook was again turning the key on the ignition. And the same happened.

“What the hell Jungkook! Get us out of here!” Jimin cries out, showcasing he was just as scared as Hoseok was looking right then.

“I’m trying! The van won’t start!” you can hear the guilt in his voice as he continues to try and try again to start the motor, but it just won’t work.

“We’re sitting prey! WE ARE SITTING PREY!” Hoseok is shaking profusely next to you and you hug him for support. His arms wrap around you as he leans his head against yours and breathes.

“No, we’re not. There was a ranger’s jeep on the side of that cabin next to the toilets, remember?” Namjoon starts, sounding a lot more confident than the clumsy man looked. “If we can get inside that cabin and find the keys, we can drive back to Taffy and wait for the police.”

“That’s IF we can even get to the cabin without encountering whoever is out there and IF we can get in and IF we can find the keys and IF the jeep even works!” Jin points out in a very matter of fact speedy speech that is difficult to keep up with. His nervousness was beginning to show. “How about we just lock ourselves here? Lock the van and wait for rescue? Y/N’s friend must have already called the police by now, we can wait here for them.”

“And be sitting ducks? Hell no!” Yoongi disagrees, biting at his nails before he speaks again. “I’m with Namjoon on this one. Whoever it’s out there, is just one person and there’s eight of us. And we don’t even know if they mean us any harm, they haven’t done anything yet.”

“Except messing with our van” Jungkook sighs irritated, giving up on starting the vehicle. “It worked perfectly before, someone must have messed with the engine.”

“Exactly, which means they wanted us here. They planned for us to stay here so, I say let’s get out there and try our luck with the jeep” Yoongi perseveres.

“You’re assuming they didn’t think we would wander off on our own, hyung! You don’t know! At least here we have four walls between us and whoever is out there, they wouldn’t get in” Jimin objects, sitting down and hugging his knees to his chest.

“Y-Yeah! S-so what if they shut the engine? We s-still have power so we can stay warm all night while they freeze outside!” Taehyung sides with Jimin, speaking for the first time in a while with evident fright in his voice but putting on a stoic front.

“What do you think, Y/N?” Jin asks you, coming to your side and taking your free hand into his while your other one was still around a terrified Hoseok’s back.

“I… I… I don’t know” you confess, completely undecisive. “Both ideas have their pros and cons. I don’t know which would be best, honestly.”

“Well, we do need your keys to try and get into the cabin. You still have the set of keys Taffy gave you, don’t you?” Namjoon asks.

“Oh, yeah, in my pocket” you say as you take them out. There were two other keys besides the ones for the toilets. “You think one of them is for the cabin?”

“Must be, right? It would make sense to have them all in one set if they’re next to each other.”

“I say let’s split up” Yoongi suddenly declares.

“What? That’s the worst idea, have you ever seen a horror movie?” Jungkook refutes. “We should all stick together, keep each other safe.”

“Well, we can’t seem to reach an agreement on what to do and we’re just wasting time. And this is not a horror movie, Jungkook, this is real life. We need to make our move and fast” Yoongi counters back.

“Let’s vote. Who wants to stay on the van?” Namjoon questions.

Jimin, Hoseok and Taehyung immediately raise their hands.

“Okay, who wants to try and get to the jeep?”

Namjoon and Yoongi raise their hands. Both Jin, Jungkook and you stay neutral, unsure of what to pick. But Yoongi was right, you had to make your move sooner rather than later. So, with a deep breath, you go and stand between Namjoon and Yoongi, your decision made.

“I want to try and get out of here. Siting here, doing nothing, just creeps me out. I’ll go with them.”

“No, Y/N!” Jimin pouts with worry and stretches his arm to pull on yours, but you shake your head. Seeing his sad expression, you take his face in between your hands and peck at his forehead.

“If we get to the jeep, we’ll come back for you so we can all leave this place together. No one gets left behind” you promise them.

“I’ll go with them too” Jungkook decides, getting up from his driver’s seat and joining the group. A protective hand lands on your shoulder and you feel a little bit better.

“Then I’ll stay on the van. Keep an eye on them” Jin decides.

“Okay, that’s settled. Everyone, we’ll open the door, gather our things and we’re running” Namjoon says.

“I bet Yoongi is wishing he stayed in the van right now” Jin teases to which Yoongi just scrunches up his small nose. He wasn’t much of a fan of running and neither were you, but you both would have to for now.

“Stay safe, all of you” Taehyung wishes, coming in for a hug. You hug him back and try not to let negative thoughts go over your mind.

“I better hear the motor of the jeep coming soon, okay?” Hoseok asks, obviously nervous for you all.

“We’ll be right back” you promise again, rubbing his arm up and down before leaving.

Jimin holds your hand again, not wanting to let you go, but giving up once you move out of reach. Jin opens the door for all of you to step out and kisses the top of your head before you descend from the van.

You grab your backpack and it’s on.

All of you run towards the cabin, staying close to one another and away from the edges of the woods where there was no light. It was like any shadow could be someone, hiding, ready to strike. But there were four of you. People used to say there is strength in numbers. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to testing that.

The cabin was not particularly far, but in the context of the situation you were in, it felt like a continent away. The seven hundred feet distance took much too long for comfort, with the night sky darkening with each step. The running footsteps of the four of you were so loud you couldn’t tell if someone was following you. You just kept going, trying not to slow down the group with your poor running speed, especially with Jungkook staying right behind you.

When the cabin was just a few feet away, when you struggled to get the keys out of your pants’ pockets while you ran, that’s when you all heard it. A faint noise of glass being broken. And screams.

“Oh my God, oh my God…” you whisper with a trembling voice.

All of you stopped in your tracks as you look back at where the screams were coming from. From the van. Something happened in the van.

“Fuck! Jungkook, stay with Y/N and get to the cabin! Find that key and meet us by the van, we have to go back and help them” Namjoon orders in an almost shouting command, those dark and bushy eyebrows pulled so closely together in apprehension and fear that they almost meet at the bridge of his nose. He was trying to remain brave, but he was just as scared as you all were.

“N-No! I need to go to! We need to help them!” you refuse, already trying to walk back to the van, but Jungkook’s arms come around your shoulders and he keeps you pressed to him while you struggled.

“Focus, Y/N! Me and Yoongi are going back, you two go get the car. NOW!”

They were already running back as he speaks, decision already made despite your aching heart. The youngest members pulls you along with him to the cabin, even as your head remains looking back, heart at your throat and praying to any God out there that they were all fine. That everything would be all fine.

“C’mon, Y/N… I’m sorry but we need to get the car and fast.” Jungkook presses, one hand around your back keeping you running forward to the cabin.

“T-They are okay, r-right?” you force yourself to speak despite the lump on your throat. “They can’t b-be… be hurt…”

Your voice ends up dying in your mouth as he looks away with clenched jaws, not able to give you the response you wanted. Not having a response to give, probably being just as terrified as you were. All of his hyungs were back there in danger, relying on him and you to go and get them out. With that in mind, you force yourself to focus on your tasks again.

You try the first key on the lock and it doesn’t fit. Hands shaking, you try the second key. It goes in. You turn it on the lock and a nervous and relieving chuckle escapes you as the mechanism of the latch opens.

“Okay, okay!” you utter as you open the door and get in.

“Right, search for the key of the jeep! Quick!”

Letting go of him, you start searching the small cabin. Every drawer, cabinet, even under the rug gets searched. The plan was cemented around finding this key and getting to the jeep. The key had to be here, it just had to be. You went into the bathroom, even rummaging through the med kits in hopes it was somehow lost in there. It came to you then, that you still had the walkie talkie with you in the bag.

“Kook! I’ll try to ask Taffy on the radio again” you yell out to him, already taking the walkie out of your bag. “Taffy, can you hear me? Taffy, are you there?”

There’s only static. And silence.

The back of your neck breaks into goosebumps. It was silent. The cabin had gone absolutely dead silent. Not a single step, not a single breath, not a single movement was heard.

“Kook?” You step out of the bathroom slowly, wide restless eyes searching around the hallway and peering into the bedroom next to the restroom. Much to your terror, no one’s there. “… J-Jungkook?”

No one answers. You voice cracks as you call for him when walking into the dark living room, tears of distress gathering at your eyes that strained to see with only the moonlight coming in through the windows. The white light bounced off the furniture, the sofa and cabinets and the table. But no Jungkook. There was no one at the cabin. You were suddenly all alone.

“Oh no… oh no…” you whisper into the darkness, completely frozen as you don’t know what to do anymore.

Your body crumbles beneath you and you feel at a complete lost. So, you just do what you’ve been avoiding all this time: you break down and cry. It starts in small sobs but soon you are drenching your hands as they hide your face, crying your heart out.

“CODE RED! CODE RED!”

It all happens so fast you can barely keep up. Eight figures jump out from behind the large sofa on the other side of the room, a loud bang releases a bunch of confetti suddenly into the hair and someone crunches down in front of you with a hand on your shoulder. Through your tears, it takes you a while to realize it’s Jungkook.

“W-What?” is all you manage to say as you sob.

“Damn it, guys! I told you this would make her cry!” a voice you recognized too well says. It was Taffy, standing among the boys with a tray of food in her hand.

“Hey, Y/N, it’s okay, you’re okay” Jimin, who came to squat down next to Jungkook and took your hand into his, says in a calming sweet voice.

“But… the van and the screams…” you whisper back, your brain trying to make sense of the mess you found yourself in.

“Sorry, sunshine! We didn’t mean to scare you this much!” Hoseok apologizes. “Someone dropped a glass cup while we waited and it scared me, so I may have screamed a bit too loud.”

Hoseok shoots a look at Jimin, who whispers another ‘sorry’ to you. Your eyes wonder around all of them and you find yourself staring blankly at Jin, who just shrugs.

“Happy Halloween?” he expresses.

“We may have gone a bit overboard. But we were also trying to prove a point! We agreed to not get each other gifts anymore and you went ahead and planned all of this for us. So, we planned something for you too” Namjoon starts explaining.

“We definitely over did it. She’s crying, hyung!” Taehyung points out, with a guilty expression.

“Yeah, we’re not the best at coming up with a plan at the last minute like this. All of this was just supposed to spook her, not terrify Y/N like this. And there should have been a lot less running!” Yoongi complains.

That brings a chuckle from everyone except you, as you are still processing it all.

“S-So… So, this was all fake? To scare me for Halloween?” you sum up their explanation the best your jumbled brain could.

The guys and your friend all share a look, before answering you in unison.

“Yes.”

Slowly, you stand up, your bulky legs no longer shaking, eyes closed as you inhale deeply and exhale soundly. When you open your eyes again, there are eight pair of worried ones staring at you. And you only had one thing to say.

“I hate all of your stupid faces!”

It’s a lie and they all know it. To apologize and earn your forgiveness, you are suddenly pulled into a group hug by the boys while your friend turns on the lights of the cabin and prepares the fireplace.

You spend the rest of the Halloween night hearing all about their malicious plan, the preparations and outrageous ideas they came up with before settling on this one. You never thought you would be grateful to only have gone through this situation until you heard some of their ‘spookier’ concepts they had. And, although you wouldn’t admit it to them, this would be the Halloween you would tell everyone about until your old years to come. It would be the most memorable Halloween of your life.

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unpopularly-opinionated · 3 years

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WandaVision season finale spoilers, it’s rant time

Okay biggest issue out of the way first cause it was my biggest WTF and kinda peeve of the episode: Where the fuck is Vision?

Like I kept waiting for the last minute reveal of “surprise, I’m still alive!” but it never came which made me feel like I was insane to think it’d ever happen. Like fake Vision touched real white Vision’s head to give him his memories, and then it cuts away to a Vision flying away wearing his normal colors so it’s unclear if it’s the real Vision or still the fake one...

But then they build up this big tear fest like “omg, they’re gonna disappear, it’s so sad” and like, sure for the kids it was sad I guess, but it completely and utterly falls flat on the tear fest because the whole time I’m sitting there thinking “but he’s the real Vision now, so he won’t disappear???” AND THEN HE DISAPPEARS AND I’M LIKE WTF?

So I thought, okay, maybe that was the fake Vision we saw fly off and the real Vision is still off somewhere, I guess. Surely we’ll see him by the end, or even the end credits scenes. NOPE. He fucked off into oblivion so hard that I genuinely don’t even know if he exists anymore. I don’t know if that was meant to be a whacked out parallel to Age of Ultron when it’s ambiguous as to whether or not Vision killed Ultron or if he let him go, but if so it didn’t work, like at all. I’m just left kinda let down cause it seems like a HUGE continuity issue.

I’m glad they actually made that book the Darkhold because I was gonna be kinda let down if it wasn’t. It’s like the big scary book in Marvel so if it wasn’t something noteworthy it’d be dumb. Weird though that they didn’t do a big bad villain on top of Agatha though. I guess the plot to Doctor Strange is going to be about how Wanda fucks up the multiverse trying to bring her family back using the Darkhold.

Also, I do like that she kept Agatha around, so she’s just trapped as Agnes now until Wanda needs her I guess, but now I wanna know where the fuck she’s gonna live. Is she still gonna live with Ralph, cause I thought that was only because she was controlling his mind, but now that he’s no longer being controlled and she no longer has her magic, I’m curious what happens to her. I mean when you think about it logically for just a few seconds, Wanda created a brand new person with a brand new identity, no assets, no information, no nothing, and she dropped her in the middle of a town and said she has to live there. But live where? And with what money? With what job? What experience? Shit’s just funny how they leave that hanging.

HUGE letdown that they didn’t do a “no more Mutants”-type scene though. Like that was the scene they had to do and they didn’t do it. Huge huge huge letdown. I understand the setup for introducing Mutants isn’t there yet, but they could’ve figured something out. Truly, what I thought they’d do was instead of wishing in Mutants, I thought for sure there’d be an altercation between her and Hayward where he says something along the lines of “we have enough superheroes already” and then Wanda counters with something like “No, we don’t have enough superheroes. We need more superheroes” and like she waves her hand, the Hex goes global, and then that gives Marvel an excuse to intro other supes from other properties like Fox, Universal, or Netflix.

Speaking of the Hex though...something that I’ve thought was kind of dumb about the way they’ve explained her powers is that logically-speaking, Wanda should absolutely be able to just make w/e she wants out of thin air, including Vision and her children, and logically it should be a million times easier than making the fucking Hex. I mean they even explained in the show that the Hex was self-sustaining, meaning that even if they killed Wanda, the Hex would remain active. So how the fuck can’t she do the Hex on an astronomically smaller scale to do essentially the same thing she did when she made Vision and her children out of nothing? Just fuckin’ wave your hand and wish yourself up some kids and a husband, no sweat.

I feel like their excuse for why she can’t do that is “she doesn’t know she can do that” but come the fuck on, by the end of the show she quite clearly has a grip on the whole Hex magic schtick. She abso-fucking-lutely can do that, but that wouldn’t be entertaining so Marvel has to just pretend it doesn’t exist.

#random rant #WandaVision #Marvel #hella spoilers #don't read if you don't want spoilers

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shadow-scenarios · 4 years

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Can you do Ren/Akira, Ryuji, Yusuke and Akechi with a female s/o with adhd and sensory processing disorder. So she’s hyper sensitive to the sounds of like clothes rubbing agents clothes or hair rubbing agents her ear. So she can’t lay down in pillows correctly and stuff. Also she’s very hyper and stuff. Sorry if this seems random I was just diagnosed with sensory processing disorder and I’m about stressed about it lol. You don’t have to write about it if you don’t want. Thanks, love

Hope you’re okay, Anon!! I’m actually getting tested for ADHD after all of the COVID-19 stuff is over so I know how you feel, honey. This might be slightly ADHD focused because I know what it’s like to have that, but I did some research into SPD. I hope you like these. :)

Of course you can request the boys, they’ll look after you. Sending you my love!!

- Nexus.

Joker { Akira Kurusu }

✧ Akira is the very observant & insightful type, so he seems to be able to help her whenever she cannot communicate properly what is wrong. He would never baby or coddle her because of the hypersensitivity but he understands that it is an issue.

✧ He finds it incredibly endearing whenever she is hyperactive or super invested into something. Listening to other people is his forte & hearing someone just be excited about life brings him so much joy.

✧ In terms of touch and feeling, he is the ultimate gentleman. Before he even thinks about pulling her into a hug, he will ask if that is something she is okay with. Always keeps a hair clip around in case she ever feels overstimulated & checks out the sleeping conditions she has in order to help her get a better night of sleep.

✧ If she struggles with diet due to not liking the texture of certain foods, he will make a list of the things she does like & make sure the fridge in LeBlanc is stocked properly so that he can make her a proper meal. Akira believes nutrition is very important!

✧ Occupational therapy is always an option & although it may be difficult, Akira would be there to support her if she chose to go. If she did not want to go, he would also find that fine because in the end it is what makes her the most comfortable.

Skull { Ryuji Sakamoto }

✧ Ryuji does not pick up on the signs at first because he simply does not know. If she were to tell him it was ADHD & SPD, he would immediately take an all-nighter research how to best help her. He is very protective of her after he learns some of the symptoms, probably to the point where it is slightly uncharacteristic. If anyone ever said anything bad about her, he would absolutely flip his lid & tell them to ‘ eff off! ’.

✧ Absolutely loves it when she is hyperactive!! He is a very enthusiastic person in general so he encourages her to speak her mind about the things she loves. Makes an effort to lower his voice as well, since sometimes it may cause hypersensitivity & he would never want to hurt her.

✧ Tries to learn how to cook from Akira & fails miserably, so he learns what kind of soft drinks or ramen she likes so that he can buy it from the vending machine after school.

✧ Definitely asks Ann about clothing that is less likely to be uncomfortable & tight for her. They end up spending a whole day {with regular breaks if needed!} trying on clothes and seeing what feels the best. Would absolutely never judge her for it, he is incredibly sweet throughout the entire experience.

Fox { Yusuke Kitagawa }

✧ Yusuke is innately empathetic & is therefore very helpful about it all. He is slightly too dramatic sometimes though. If everything is not perfect for her, then he insists that it be made correct.

✧ Art often helps him unwind so he suggests trying it. Even if she is not very good, he would teach her how to improve with gentle words. Suggests fingerprinting as a starting point for a stimulating activity that is not too much.

✧ Being as passionate about art as he is, Yusuke never minds listening to his significant other talk about her own interests. He understands that he can also be impulsive at times.

✧ Money is something Yusuke struggle with but damn it if he does not blow all of his Yen on something that she says is very comfortable. He is knowledgeable in that finding good clothes can be difficult & he would never turn down the opportunity to make her feel better.

Crow { Goro Akechi }

✧ With his detective intuition, Akechi most likely figures out the symptoms & links them to something like ADHD or SPD before she even tells him. Super kind about it all!! Asks if there is anything he can do to make her more comfortable & makes a list much like Akira would. He knows exactly what it is like to have problems with no one to help.

✧ Finds out what kind of materials make her more comfortable & privately orders outfits made out of them. His job allows him to be flexible with money & he believes that the comfort of his significant other is more important than having riches. He sticks to holding hands with her if she is okay with it and if she does not like the feel of his gloves, he would even take them off.

✧ Makes even more of an effort to keep her out of the public eye. If anyone were to crowd around her with cameras or asking questions when they went out, he would immediately turn up the formalities & politely ask them to leave, indicating that they were not wanted.

✧ Never judges her for hyperactivity and listens with intent. Although most days he comes home rather tired, a cup of green tea & listening to her talk for a while would be enough to revitalise him. Instead of people prodding him about investigations or the Phantom Thieves, listening to someone ramble is quite cathartic. May even end up talking about some of the light philosophy he reads if that makes her comfortable.

✧ In terms of sleeping arrangements, Akechi makes sure that everything is comfortable for her. If she dislikes the pillows, he will get rid of them. It is not particularly difficult for him to fall asleep with all of the jobs & work in the Metaverse he needs to complete so to him, sleeping positions are not as much of a priority.

Word Count: 900

Publish Date: 27.09.20

#{ joker }#{ skull }#{ fox }#{ crow }#{ totally didn’t forget tags lmao }#{ i hope Anon likes these :( }#persona 5 royal x reader #persona 5 royal #p5r #persona 5 imagines #akira kurusu x reader #ryuji x reader #yusuke x reader #akechi x reader

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thanksjro · 4 years

Text

More Than Meets the Eye #13- Swerve Doesn’t Have Any Friends

Okay, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way.

It’s a FUCKING SPORTS BRA AND RUNNING SHORTS ALEX.

And don’t think I don’t see that friggin’ cleavage alien back there. You ain’t slick.

I’m going to make it a law that all comic book artists learn how to draw clothes that don’t vacuum-seal themselves to women’s bodies. Milne gets six months for this infraction alone, and Roche gets a year for the initial bra crime he committed back in Last Stand. Learn how women’s underwear works, you ninnies.

Our issue opens up with Swerve stretching his radio personality muscles.

Oh, Guido Guidi, whisk me away to flights of fancy!

Our artist for this issue is none other than Guido Guidi, ascended from fanwork to deliver us from evil with his near-superhuman ability to emulate other artists’ styles and just make things look really pretty. He was responsible for the mythos pages in the 2012 Annual, AKA the best part. He also filled in on some of the art for Last Stand of the Wreckers, not that I really noticed because he’s just that good.

Swerve lets Blurr know that while it might have looked like the Lost Light had exploded, thus killing everyone onboard back in issue #1, that isn’t actually what happened. I’m glad someone filled in the Cybertronian populace on that.

I was never great at math, but those speech bubbles might be phoning it in a bit.

Swerve says that he’s having a great time on the quest, despite all the hiccups, and we get an explanation for why this long-range communications system hasn’t been seen prior to this point. It’s been broken for a while- most likely due to the quantum jump that started the series off with a bang- but Blaster managed to get it running again. Good job, Blaster. With this little setup for our framing device out of the way, we get into the meat of the story.

Swerve is being nosey about things that weren’t any of his business, happening in a closed off room, when Drift drags him down the hall and hid him away for safety. Swerve doesn’t much appreciate being manhandled, but there’s a method to the madness here.

Drift’s nose has vacated the premises once again, so we’re just going to have to deal with that. And how shapely does one have to be to be known as “the guy with the legs”? I mean, Drift is RIGHT THERE.

Drift uses his own powerful legs to kick down the door to Cyclonus and Tailgate’s room. It turns out that the horrific screaming wasn’t the sound of a murder or sexual relations taking place, but rather that of Cyclonus singing in Old Cybertronian.

My god, he’s completely enamored with this unrepentant murder machine.

We are just all up in Cyclonus’ grill for this panel. Nothing but lips. Was this specified in the script? Because it feels like it might have been specified in the script.

Old Cybertronian, or the Primal Vernacular as some might call it, was last seen in general when Rodimus channeled the will of the trapped Titan all across Tailgate’s chest. It was last seen spoken when we met Vos, the terrible murder gremlin who turns into a gun and uses his face to cause puncture trauma.

Comic books are wild, y’all.

Now that we’ve established that no one’s being killed, Drift goes back to what he was doing earlier, with Swerve deciding to tag along because he’s horrifically lonely. He invites Drift to come room up with him, because I guess if you’re going to sell off your comatose roommate’s bed out from under him, you might as well go for the guy who’s third in command, is probably one of the hottest guys on the ship, and slices people into chunky salsa if they try anything funny.

Drift politely declines, and awkwardly removes himself from the conversation when Swerve doesn’t take the hint, returning to his sword lesson with Rodimus.

Oh thank god, the obnoxiously pink room is back.

Ultra Magnus bursts into the room, appalled by the actions of his fellow crew members. Some of his concerns are well-placed. Others, well…

Is- is that another friggin’ retainer on those lower teeth? Why does this design choice keep showing up?

So Magnus has imprisoned roughly a third of the ship at this point, and Rodimus suggests he take a chill pill. Magnus doesn’t even know what a chill pill even is, so we’re forced to make use of our most dangerous weapon- the threat of a good time, courtesy of Swerve.

The fact that Ultra Magnus hasn’t reduced Swerve to an oil stain on the floor is genuinely astounding. The guy has zero respect for bureaucracy or proper business management. It has been MONTHS, you dinky little man, get your act together as a business owner.

Swerve takes the bribe, and soon everyone’s shipping off to Hedonia, where the drinks are plentiful and the women… well, most of the Lost Lighters don’t even know what a woman is, so that aspect doesn’t really come into play. Thanks, Furman.

Also, Rung’s back to normal. Don’t worry about it, not a big deal.

Swerve isn’t having much luck on his Roommate Quest, as Tailgate spurns his advances, stating that he’s good kicking it with Cyclonus, mainly because they’re both old as shit.

I see we haven’t quite hit the threshold on the “Cyclonus is allowed to have friends now” meter. Give it a few more issues, I’m sure we’ll get there.

Man, zero for two for Swerve on trying to get a hot roommate. Maybe third time’s a charm?

Rodimus pops into the back of the shuttle to remind everyone that their entire race is more or less despised by the entire galaxy, and to play it safe by using their holomatter avatars.

The revamp by Brainstorm and Rung is truly a blessing, because the avatars in IDW were awful to look at up to this point.

Y’all, that is HOT ROD. Jesus wept.

Getting back to Tailgate’s questionable taste in companionship, Tailgate asks if Swerve and Blurr connected right away. Swerve gives him an affirmative, then starts listing off the guy’s racing stats until Ultra Magnus plops down between the two of them, drawn in by the melodious sound of statistics.

Magnus is having a hard time relaxing, but he’s giving it his best, and I think that’s very commendable of him. It’s hard trying new things.

On the surface of Hedonia, it would appear the B-Movies are having a Pride event in the entertainment district.

Okay, moment of truth- show us those avatars!

Oh thank god, they aren’t totally hideous. Though, isn’t Rewind old as shit? I guess youth is a state of mind. Still, I can’t believe we missed out on silver fox Rewind.

Rung’s line is in response to folks at the time claiming that Rung was a self-insert character, which is interesting, because we’ve already seen what a self-insert looks like when it’s Roberts doing the inserting, and we’ve also seen his Mary Sues.

Rung, while an original character who had appeared in Roberts’ pre-professional works (a single line of text in Eugenesis, where he was a psychiatry play-on-words), he isn’t what I’d consider a Mary Sue. Mary Sues are usually stunningly beautiful, beloved by their peers, insanely talented in ways that no other character is, and typically have some sort of connection to another character that more or less forces them into the story despite not needing to exist.

Mary Sues don’t get their friggin’ heads exploded, or exist in a constantly-forgettable state. Sure, he’s the only therapist we’ve ever seen in the Transformers franchise, but there was kind of a massive need for that sort of character to be created, seeing as all of these sons of guns have PTSD and clinical depression. And, as we’ve seen in previous issues and will continue to see later on, he’s really not even that great at it.

That isn’t to say that he doesn’t have certain traits befitting such a characterization, merely that they don’t add up to equal that sort of whole by issue #13. Transformers (2009)-era Drift is way closer to a true Mary Sue than Rung is.

Anyway, where the hell did Tailgate get to?

They really just let Frodo Baggins in this bar all babybjörned up, huh? Does Tailgate even know what a baby even is at this point? Does he just think he’s a very small person? How much human media has he consumed? We haven’t gotten into the reproductive process for the continuity yet, but fresh Cybertronians aren’t exactly a one-to-one to human infants. Damn it, Roberts, what the fuck am I supposed to make of Babygate?

Whirl’s off in the corner, disguised as a 12-year old girl who’s fucking STRAPPED. Magnus has disappeared, but Rewind locates him pretty easily as Rung makes a comment about Magnus needing to make an appointment with him.

Oh hey, Verity. Been a minute. Careful, ol’ six-eyes over there is leering at you.

The fellas come back to the bar as they truly are, and sit down for a round of drinks. Whirl gets Ultra Magnus a drink that sounds disturbingly like a Cybertronian equivalent to Milk Coke, and we get a little anatomy lesson. Transformers have something called a Fuel Intake Moderation chip, something that keeps them from getting drunk on pretty much the only thing they can consume. Swerve suggests Magnus turn his off so he can have a good time- which I don’t personally agree with, but this is Captain Stick-in-the-Mud we’re talking about here. Magnus gives it a shot.

And that’s a series wrap on Ultra Magnus!

No, the man’s just got no tolerance and has been knocked the hell out by his drink. Things begin devolving. Tailgate is crying. Skids has found out that Whirl didn’t give Magnus Milk Coke at all, but instead the equivalent of liquid cocaine. Swerve is convinced he’s going to prison. Rewind is filming the whole thing.

Nobody actually checks to see if Magnus is actually dead, until Rung gets around to it. Swerve, you’re a doctor by original trade, what the hell are you doing?

The boys sit Magnus at the table to wait out his nap. Hours later, nothing’s changed, except that they’ve started up the nemesis game, and Whirl’s decided he’s going to be rude about monoformers being monoformers. Rung gives a non-answer, because that’s just who he is as a person. Skids names Misfire as his worst enemy, only because he’s still missing a good chunk of memory and can’t remember if he had a worst enemy, but still wants to contribute to the conversation.

Rung, don’t be a dick, he did his best. You were right on top of Fort Max, it was a tricky shot.

Ultra Magnus finally starts waking up, and that’s the point where everyone decides to foot Swerve with the bill for the emotional labor he’s going to have to perform by explaining just what the friggity-frack happened.

Magnus starts laughing, then crying, then offloads his troubles onto Swerve. Magnus feels like he just doesn’t fit in on the Lost Light. He’s just trying to do his job and everyone makes fun of him, or disrespects his authority. He’s trying, he really is, but he’s just not built for post-war life. He’s actually tried to leave his position on the Lost Light, but they just keep pulling him back in.

Probably doesn’t help that Rodimus seems more interested in Drift’s opinion on matters than his own SIC half the time.

Oh no, he’s making digs at the things Swerve’s sensitive about. Where is Rung?

Magnus just wants to be understood, y’know? He’s a fully realized creation. He’s got interests. Like music! And the fact that Swerve is missing his Autobot badge!

This was the point where MTMTE was still bouncing back and forth on whether it wanted to commit to the crotch badge. It was a tumultuous time for everyone, very dark days.

WHERE THE FUCK IS RUNG

Magnus, having had enough of sharing his feelings, takes another sip of his cocaine and slips back into unconsciousness. Swerve admits to his limp body that people don’t actually like him, but rather only stick around because of what he can offer- namely, a good time.

The rest of the Swerve posse comes back, with Cyclones having joined the party. Rung shows off his new model ship, which gets Rewind started on his movie collection. He pulls up the opening ceremony for the Ark 1. Y’know, the Ark 1, that ship that Cyclonus was on that disappeared into the Dead Universe for six million years. The Ark 1 that Tailgate was supposed to be on.

Before we can get started however, someone throws the model at Rewind’s head.

That someone is none other than Cyclonus, who proceeds to fly into a rage, throwing tables and shoving the still-unconscious Ultra Magnus to the floor. My word, what a reaction! What could possibly be setting him off so much? Does he not like being reminded of his fated trip to the stars? Is this a manifestation of trauma from that event?

Who knows? No time for questions, Skids is too busy punching him in the face.

Tailgate intervenes, explaining that because Cyclonus and himself are so goddamn old, the engex Cyclonus consumed is wreaking havoc on his body. He tells the rest of them to go on while he tries to calm Cyclonus down. Interesting that Rewind doesn’t have any sort of input on this, given that he is also super fucking old, but there’s no time for questions! We’ve got to get Ultra Magnus back on the shuttle in the next 20 minutes, or else they’ll be stuck on Hedonia FOREVER.

They start throwing Magnus on the floor repeatedly, trying to get his t-cog to spin up. No dice, however.

It’s 4AM. Do you know where your Domey is? Because Rewind sure as hell doesn’t.

Okay, time for Plan B.

I’m guessing not, Rung. I’m guessing not.

Using Magnus as a trampoline does the trick, and the boys are rewarded with the sight of Magnus’ alt-mode… resting on its roof, upside down. They get him sorted, pile in the cab- Rewind is driving, which leads me to believe he at least has some experience handling a vehicle. Chromedome does turn into a car…

I don’t even know what that sort of activity implies for a Transformer. We won’t go any further down this line of thought.

The boys manage to get Ultra Magnus to the shuttle in time, and all’s well that ends well!

This is about the time that Blaster knocks on the glass at Swerve to wrap things up, seeing as he’s been at this for over nine hours now. There’s one last little aside before we’re done with our story, however, and it involves just what happened in the bar after everyone else left.

Cyclonus calmed down almost immediately after the rest of the guys left, paying for what he broke and inviting Tailgate to have a seat.

Well, I say invite, but it’s really more of an order.

If you’d already figured out at this point that this jumpy little marshmallow was lying about being the biggest badass who ever lived, a gold star for you! It turns out, dear Tailgate has been crafting a fabrication, spinning a yarn, telling a tall tale since Day One on the Lost Light. The story has been feeding us a steady diet of fish the whole time!

Red herring!

Red herring of Tailgate’s own design! Autopedia’s mods are a friggin’ joke.

Tailgate was supposed to be a the Ark 1 launch, but it was because he was on the cleanup crew. Boy’s a sluicer, and his arm SHOULD say "waste disposal”. Through a cunning use of his wits and cold reading, Tailgate faked his way through the dismantling of the bomb on Temptoria. A smart boy, he is, if not a bit self-centered.

Which brings us to why exactly Cyclonus freaked out in the bar: he wasn’t having an episode, but rather faking a reaction to prevent Tailgate’s lie from being exposed. He still thinks that Tailgate should come clean about this whole thing, before things get really messy, but it wouldn’t be an issue of MTMTE without some raw-ass emotions getting thrown about.

Cyclonus, who hasn’t allowed himself to feel anything other than simmering rage or national pride for over six million years, is beginning to feel something for Tailgate.

That feeling is sympathy, and maybe a little pity.

He offers to teach Tailgate a song to help him feel better, because that’s what he does when he has feelings.

And given that Cyclonus seems to sing often enough that Tailgate’s gotten used to the horrific sound, it might be that Cyclonus has feelings a hell of a lot more often than he lets on.

Roberts, how many times are you going to make Tailgate cry? How much pain are you going to subject him to before you’re satisfied?

The scene closes out on the two of them getting their karaoke on in the empty bar, in the god-awful language that is Old Cybertronian. I can only imagine that they get kicked out of the bar pretty quickly after this.

Getting back to the present, Swerve has finally, finally finished his story, closing out with an invitation for Blurr to come visit Swerve’s.

Blaster gets ready to shoot one hell of a voice message at Blurr, but there’s a problem; the number Swerve has isn’t long enough to be a personal hailing frequency.

Yeah, turns out that Tailgate isn’t the only liar on board the Lost Light.

Four million years ago, Swerve met Blurr at a publicity event, got way too friendly with a celebrity, pestered the guy until he gave him a fake number, and has convinced himself that he made a life-long friend to this very day.

Big oof.

Later, back at Swerve’s, Swerve is busy cleaning the glassware when Ultra Magnus comes in, sober and having just gotten out of surgery to fix his fuel tanks. Guess that second sip of Nucleon really wasn’t a good idea.

Swerve tries to tell a lie about what happened the night before, only to have the dawning horror that Magnus remembered the entire night, as he’s presented with a new badge. Swerve, bolstered by the fact that, while Magnus didn’t enjoy the previous evening, he appreciated having company, begins to ask Magnus if he’d want to room with him.

Wow, zero for three! That’s rough, buddy.

Kind of a bummer end to this whole issue, but it was still decently light, tone-wise, for MTMTE. A great deal of fun was had, in between all the mortifying reveals of our characters inner demons.

...Well, shit.

#transformers #jro #mtmte #issue 13 #maccadam #Hannzreads #text post #long post #overthinking about robots #incoming analysis #comic script writing

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