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yellowocaballero · 1 year

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New Wave: Jason Todd vs. Annoyingly Perfect Cheerleader Barbie Stephanie Brown

Tim stared at him for another long second, face blank, and a few seconds of hot panic hit Jason before he finally spoke again. “You really aren’t anything like Steph.”

Yeah. Jason fucking got that.

It was always a bad thing. They pretended it wasn’t a bad thing. Oh, nobody ever said it was bad Jason wasn’t Stephanie fucking Brown. But they didn’t need to say it. Jason was a master of tactics and strategy, and he knew he was without resources.

Resources, in this context, being a goddamn fucking perfect blue eyed blonde haired hot white girl. Being peppy and happy and nice. Apparently being some kind of dumb genius who knew everything and everyone. Jason didn’t have any of that. Without any resources or allies, his idiot new life knocked him flat on his back every time. Jason wasn’t Stephanie Brown, and boy did they let him know it.

In which the next generation of inferiority complexes rise.

Now that my magnum opus Stephanie Brown superiority manifesto is done, I can FINALLY post its follow-up! This one was very strange to write, but that just made it all the funner. There's a lot I could say here that I couldn't explicitly say in the main story - and, most importantly, four years later I can finally work in MY childhood nostalgia. FINALLY!

If you aren't familiar with the AU, the premise is just that Stephanie becomes the first Robin in 1997. Not much more complex than that.

Story under the cut.

Christmas brought the inevitable.

Jason always approached the winter like an enemy combatant. He had a military biography phase six months ago, and it left him with a permanent sense he was General Custer in real life. December always left him feeling more like Napoleon embarking on a fool’s crusade against Russia in winter, but Jason knew how to learn from other people’s mistakes. He knew how to make the shelter rotations, whose couch to sleep on, which camps were a no-go and which were alright, and which abandoned buildings the fuzz hadn’t discovered yet. Jason knew how to live his own damn life. He always made it through into March’s other side, and that had always been good enough for him.

But not for Bruce Wayne. Because Stephanie Brown and Tim Drake were coming home, and Tim was losing ground to the colonizers. His worst enemies. The infractors.

(Objectively, Jason was the one moving into somebody else’s home. But he definitely wasn’t the colonizer here. He was gaining no resources but Legos and Nerf guns. The territory was up for grabs and he was going to defend it).

Tim Drake wasn’t so bad, if only because he was a known quantity. Known super obnoxious and ultra pretentious quantity. He had come home from MIT a few times (actual MIT!) to conduct mysterious business that seemed to involve a lot of disappearing into the Batcave and getting snippy with Bruce, and although he wasn’t particularly nice to Jason he wasn’t particularly mean either. Jason had bounced through enough group homes that he appreciated that.

The second time Tim visited - the first time Jason worked up the guts to actually talk with him - was the time to make his move. The opening gambit would be a scouting mission. He decided to push his luck and slither down into the Batcave, even though Bruce discouraged going down there without him. Guy didn’t make a rule about it. If Jason got caught he could pretend he was looking for Bruce in pursuit of following the rules. It was a gamble but Jason knew the odds.

The Batcave had been empty of Batman. There was only Tim Drake, sitting at a work table, bent over the deflated suit and holding a soldering iron. A chunky laptop balanced on the limp knees, and when combined with Tim’s giant goggles it gave him a creepy Young Frankenstein air. Bent over the Batsuit like that, he looked like a mad scientist dissecting Batman’s corpse.

Jason had carefully sidled up to Tim, keeping a healthy distance from the torch. Tim had split the cowl’s casing open like snapping open a skull to fish out the brains with an oyster fork, and he was doing something mysterious to the wiring inside. Jason couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Tim didn’t say anything until he finished. He pushed up the welding mask, shucking his gloves and shaking out his hair. “Can I help you?”

It wasn’t telling him to go away. Jason would press his luck until he was chased off. He sidled a little bit closer, gawking at the dissected Batsuit. “What’re you doing?”

“Installing some hardware to run a program I coded. Batsuit has facial recognition now. You’re welcome.” Tim took off the welding mask, carelessly dropping it on the floor. “You don’t need anything.”

Jason was baffled for a second before he realized Tim had meant the question literally - that he hadn’t been prompting Jason to talk, but asking if Tim needed to do anything for him. Practical guy who welded Star Trek tech into a superhero costume. But maybe he was right - Jason did need something from him. A measure of the situation.

Jason didn’t slide any closer, but he did tug a little at the hem of his fancy shirt. It was just red, but a fancy red. “Are we chill?”

Tim stared at him blankly. “Chill?”

“Uh. Cool.”

More stares. “Why wouldn’t we be cool?”

Was that a rhetorical question? Jason hadn’t met a normal person in months. “I’m kinda in your house,” Jason pointed out. “Eating your food. Being up in your space.” Being adopted by your legal guardian, but like in the weirdest way possible.

“I don’t really live here anymore,” Tim said slowly, “so…”

Great. Pure confusion. This guy didn’t have normal people emotions. Jason’s shoulders fell in relief. “Dope. I’ll just stay outta your hair. Won’t even know I’m here. Good talk.”

Tim stared at him for another long second, face blank, and a few seconds of hot panic hit Jason before he finally spoke again. “You really aren’t anything like Steph.”

Yeah. Jason fucking got that.

To be fair, Jason was pretty sure Bruce wasn’t doing it on purpose. His emotional intelligence was somewhere between rock bottom and zero. It was tragic, inconvenient, and not his fault, like he was a three legged dog. Jason got that he missed Queen of the Universe, but he didn’t bring up Tim in the same way. Granted, Jason already got the vibes that Bruce knew Tim was not normal whatsoever. Stephanie Brown was the paragon of normality to Bruce. Which was too bad for Jason.

Oh? You live in the East End? What do you mean you don’t know everybody in the East End? Stephanie Brown knows everybody.

Here’s a map, memorize it in fifteen minutes. What do you mean you can’t do that? Stephanie Brown can do that.

Why are you upset over your crook dad and druggie mom? Stephanie has a crook dad and druggie mom, and it doesn’t bother her -

Whatever. So sue him. Jason sucked. He wasn’t a genius mad scientist or perfection incarnate. It didn’t matter. So long as he stayed over the ‘return Jason like a lost puppy’ bar everything was chill.

They could throw him out if they wanted. Jason didn’t even care. He had blackmail material, he could squeeze them. He was pretty sure Selina would help him out, even if it was only to spite Bruce. That woman played cute and everything, but Jason had her number. Spite was the gas in her engine and she was moving a hundred and twelve miles per hour.

Jason was a soldier of life, who approached the world with a strategist’s grim mindset. Goal: stay in the semi-heated mansion featuring hot food and a security system at least until March. Impediment: Stephanie Brown and Tim Drake were coming home, highlighting Jason’s innumerable faults and subpar everything. Potential casualties: Stephanie and Tim’s presence could…end up with Jason kicked out for some reason, that part was fuzzy, but it was definitely a danger. Plan of action: be super polite, hope, and pray.

Tim came home first, blown inside with the blustery wind and spears of delicate ice. Jason had been working on homework in the library when he walked through the door, and pretended he couldn’t hear the clumps and noises of suitcases and warm-ish greetings and thumps of feet on hardwood. He waited several hours until he was comfortably pushing the perceptible threshold of purposeful avoidance before emerging from the library. Make an appearance - not avoiding you, look at my chubby cheeks! - and beat it. Plan of action, commence.

Tim and Bruce were sitting in the fancier family living room - not the one for guests or the more relaxed den, the one for family but in a slightly more formal way and Jason felt like a fucking idiot stringing these words together in this order - on the fancy couches, talking quietly with each other. Jason absently noted that Tim was sitting in an armchair perpendicular from Bruce on the couch. Sitting closer to each other, but not on the same piece of furniture.

They both looked up when Jason stopped at the doorway, absently clutching the doorjamb and wriggling a little. Bruce’s expression lightened, but Tim just blinked sleepily. Guy always looked half-asleep and a million miles away.

“Jason. You finish your homework?”

“He has you doing the Bat-homework?” Tim asked, blinking slowly. He was like a sloth at the zoo. “That’s a throwback. Stephanie did nothing but read those textbooks for months. They’re pretty tough. Frustrated the hell out of her.”

Bruce just smiled faintly - a big grin on anybody else. “I think the first textbook she read since sixth grade was a college textbook on forensic profiling. Finished it in a week and asked for the next one.”

Thirty seconds. It took thirty seconds. That had to be a new record.

“It’s just normal homework. And yeah, I finished for the week.” Jason swung from the doorjamb, gawking at Tim. He hoped it was subtle. Maybe not. It was still weird to see anybody else in here. Tim didn’t exactly come back a lot, and he always acted like they were work trips. Maybe they were? “Hi, Tim.”

“Yo. Settling in alright?” Jason nodded fastidiously. “Good. Tell Bruce if you need anything.” Tim turned back to Bruce, brushing Jason off. “It’s just too research focused. Everybody’s hung up on theoreticals and theorems. It’s not useful, Bruce. I could be five times as productive in industry right now.” Bruce ticked an eyebrow at him. “It’s not the classroom.”

“It’s just a change, Tim. It’s the change that’s bothering you, not the school. You picked MIT specifically for its resources and access. Those are worth suffering your peers.”

“Its resources aren’t being used properly. All they’re doing is diagnosing brain tumors and providing clean drinking water to Bialyans. Dr. Hagelstein just invented a clean superconductor without a turbine. Like, who cares.”

Jason perked up. “Clean drinking water? How are they doing it? Like, in a fancy new way?”

“Dunno. I skipped the grant acceptance speech. The Queen of Bialya was attending, so I used the window to install remote access software in her assistant’s laptop.”

“Uh,” Jason said.

Bruce didn’t even have the decency to be surprised. “Why would you do that?”

Tim gave Bruce an incredulous look, as if he had no idea Bruce could reach such depths of stupidity. “Nobody’s been able to make the human trafficking charges against Queen B stick. This is how I’m finally going to siphon her incriminating signed orders.”

“Do I need to give you the destabilizing foreign governments talk again, Tim -”

“What do I look like, the CIA? I mostly just wanted the link into the Light’s movements.” Bruce opened his mouth. “I swear to god they exist and I know for a fact Ra’s is a founding member. I need the conspiracy dirt so I can finally have some blackmail on that man. I don’t have anything and it’s pissing me off.”

“Don’t destroy the League of Assassins without clearance,” Bruce said absently. He scratched his chin, for all appearances deep in thought. “The signed orders could give the Justice League probable cause to legally assault her underground bunker system.”

“The one obviously filled with illegal Kryptonite? You just want the League to confiscate it before the US government does.”

“That was implied, yes.”

“I’m gonna go help Alfred in the kitchen,” Jason said.

The kitchen: where nobody committed international espionage. Anymore.

Tim was cool. He didn’t look, talk, act, or behave like a superhero, but he totally was one. Jason wasn’t certain Tim knew what and wasn’t legal, but everything he did was really important in saving Gotham. And becoming a world power. He was larger than life, strong like steel and just as impenetrable. Jason did not feel obligated to understand or bond with him. It felt stupid to even try, like an intern trying to talk about their girl troubles with the CEO. Tim obviously felt the same way, so Jason was really glad they were on the same page. He was a little worried about what happened to people who were not on the same page as Tim. Were they ever seen again?

Despite the questionable supervillain stuff, Tim was navigable. Cassandra Kane was also navigable. Very navigable - apparently she wouldn’t be home this break at all. Jason had never even met the woman, despite her legal status as Bruce’s long lost orphaned cousin.

She went in and out of the manor as she pleased, going wherever she wanted and doing God knows what. Jason was only pretty sure that Cass was a Batman thing and not an actual, legitimate jet-setting foreign cousin. He couldn’t say for sure. He didn’t exactly want to walk up to Kate Kane at a party and ask if Cass was actually her half-sister or if she was a mysterious Bat-byproduct that Kate was in on. Too awkward if he was wrong.

Apparently she used to stay home a little more often, but since Stephanie and Tim left for college she had left to go do…whatever it was that Cassandra Kane did…by herself. In…Hong Kong? Thailand? Indonesia? It was really unclear. Jason was fine with this. The woman was obviously no threat, even if absolutely nobody had ever explained what her deal was. Bruce and Alfred sounded really fond when they talked about her, and even Tim obviously cared about her. How this translated to ‘Cass is somewhere, doing wherever, she’ll be back who knows when, hope she’s having a blast’, Jason had no idea. Convenient for him, though. It meant he only had to worry about Stephanie Brown.

Apparently Stephanie Brown was coming back to Gotham tomorrow, but she was spending a day with her friends and family in the Bowery before moving into the manor. Jason heard about this at length - from Tim’s long-ass cell phone calls with her to Bruce excitedly talking with the equally excited Tim about their holiday plans together. Excitedly for the both of them looked a little like having a facial expression, but still - excitedly.

Jason’s name was coming up a lot during their plans. This worried him. It might put a crimp into his plans to avoid everybody.

He could already tell it would be pretty easy to avoid Tim. It wasn’t even that hard to play it cool around him. Cassandra would obviously be a breeze - he wasn’t entirely sure she knew he existed. Cass was another randomly appearing Asian cousin, she’d get it. But he could make no promises around Stephanie. He would stay stone against the chaotic tides of blonde women. He would not be moved. Jason was going to be as polite as Alfred and as saltine cracker as everybody in the house.

Jason and Bruce had a little ritual. They would hang out in the Batcave for a little while pre-patrol - just Jason spinning around in the chair in front of the Batcomputer as Bruce stretched and got ready for patrol. Then Batman would hop into the car, the revving of engines would scream into the air, and Jason would wave as Batman zoomed off into the night. Alfred would walk Jason back up afterwards - partly because it was his bedtime and partly because Jason still wasn’t allowed in the Batcave by himself. Alfred would get him settled into bed, making sure Jason brushed his teeth. He always forgot.

And when Jason woke up the next morning and brushed his teeth and walked downstairs, Bruce would be there. Every time. Always.

But Tim sat at the computer that night, doing something extremely scary on five monitors and talking intermittently with Bruce as he prepped for patrol. Jason walked down into the Batcave, saw them, and turned on his heel to walk straight back up again.

“Jason!” Bruce called. Jason froze on the steps. “Why don’t you come down? This is a good time to pick up some of Tim’s programming.”

“Bruce, it’s not going to make any sense to him.”

“He’s a very bright kid,” Bruce told Tim, making Jason flush. “You could teach him a thing or two.”

“I’m terrible at explaining things,” Tim said plainly. “I tried explaining my work to Steph a hundred times and she always checked out two sentences in.”

“Steph has a great attention span.” Bruce paused a beat. “But only for things she cares about. I don’t believe Jason is nearly as ADHD as she is.”

“Jason’s twelve.”

“Can’t stay!” Jason cried. “Making soup with Alfred upstairs! Good night, Bruce!”

He thumped upstairs at lightning speed, taking them three at a time, and narrowly escaped into the dim lights of the study before any more questions could be asked.

Jason had touched a computer, like, twice. Come on, Bruce. Why was he always acting like Jason was capable of doing anything so long as he put his mind to it? What, ‘cause Stephanie Brown could do it?

Jason put himself to bed that night, attacking his teeth with a toothbrush and angrily tucking himself under the covers. By the time Alfred came by to check in on him, Jason was glaring at The Magician’s Nephew and flexing how great he was at going to bed.

“I remember when that book was released. Created quite a stir among my cousins.”

“Narnia’s for kids, but sometimes you have to go back to the basics,” Jason said grimly. “Night, Alfred.”

But Alfred didn’t wander away, butler duties satisfied. He just ducked inside instead, walking in to stand by Jason’s bed. Jason curled up tighter with the book.

“Master Bruce has instructed me to subtly discover what you want for Christmas. Truthfully, I understand you would prefer that I propose the question more straightforwardly.”

Jason narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t y’all Jewish?”

“Yes, but far as we understand, you are not. Master Bruce wishes to make you feel welcome.” Jason couldn’t repress the quiet little scoff, immediately embarrassing himself, but Alfred just looked lightly amused. He gestured to the bed. “May I sit?”

Jason nodded and mumbled an apology. “We don’t have to do a whole thing ‘cause of me. That’s totally awkward.”

“It will be exactly as big of a thing as you want,” Alfred assured him. “Master Bruce is feeling celebratory regardless. This is Master Tim and Miss Stephanie’s first time coming home from college for winter break, and with our new family member I believe Master Bruce will want to make a to-do regardless.” Somewhat cannily, he added, “I also foresee Miss Stephanie forcing a celebratory event in the name of family bonding.”

There it was. “Does that woman control everything that happens in this house?”

Alfred smiled. “Between her and myself, I daresay so. But Miss Stephanie can often lose sight of other’s feelings in light of her enthusiasm, so I wanted to ask you directly what you wanted. All four of us will do our best to make it happen.”

What Jason wanted?

Jason wanted a lot of things. Jason wanted the whole damn world, frankly. Jason had never lost sight of what he wanted, not once - losing sight meant forgetting to work towards what you wanted. Even if Jason wanted a lot of things he’d never have - well, fire and dreams were the only thing that kept a kid warm in a Gotham winter.

But he couldn’t vocalize any of that. He’d never put any of those desires on his tongue, and he knew they’d stay nestled in his ribcage as long as he lived. What he wanted was no good to anybody but himself, and he wouldn’t devalue them by breathing a word.

Jason had only ever told one person what he really wanted. That had turned out alright. But it had been really scary too. Jason didn’t want to do it again. He didn’t know what he’d do if he heard ‘no’.

Still, everybody in this house was a dog with a bone, and Jason resolved to give a little just to get the man off his back. “A big dinner on the 25th would be nice,” Jason hesitantly volunteered. And he just knew he’d never shake Bruce from the presents thing, so… “If you want to do presents or whatever, we can do them then.”

Alfred beamed, and Jason gave himself a congratulatory handshake. Successful campaign, total victory, no casualties. Some ground lost, but that was a necessary sacrifice. “It is always nice to have an excuse for a large meal. A suitable celebration of our first year together. Splendid idea, Jason.”

A rousing success! “Oh, no hassle at all.”

But Alfred’s expression just softened, and he carefully smoothed the bedspread near Jason. Jason prepared himself for evasive tactics. “Is there anything you’d like to do with Master Tim and Miss Stephanie?” Jason’s poker face must have said it all, because Alfred gave him another steady look. “Would you be interested in spending any quality time with them while they are home?”

“Uh,” Jason said, internally sweating. “If they…want…?”

“Miss Stephanie will likely insist on it. But you should say no to anything that makes you uncomfortable, Master Jason. She’ll back off if you ask.” Alfred gave Jason a steady eye, making him sweat. “If space and quiet is what you need, Master Jason, you need only ask.”

The prospect was appealing, but Jason was far from lowering the fortifications. Those questions were traps. The last thing Jason wanted to be was trouble. “I’m chill, Alfred! It’s no big deal. Just kinda awkward, ya know? Not used to hearing people in the house.”

“That, I can understand. Adopting Master Tim changed a great deal in this manor. Hearing the sound of young footsteps running down the halls. Music blasting from the den. Messes everywhere. It had been a long time. A very welcome change, I believe.”

“Let me guess,” Jason said flatly. “Tim was super quiet and Stephanie was super loud.”

“Naturally.” Alfred stood up, fixing his slacks a little. “I am excited to see what sort of child you will be, Master Jason. I anticipate meeting the true you. When he is ready to meet me. Have a very good night, Master Jason.”

Alfred turned out the lights and closed the door securely behind him. Jason only rose to lock the door with his personal key that he kept under his mattress, like he did every night, and buried himself under the comforters.

The enemy hadn’t penetrated his territory. They’d fired a few potshots, but Jason’s fortifications had held strong. Jason was big, tough, impenetrable. Jason couldn’t be seen or touched. You couldn’t even tell if Jason was there or not - he never emerged from his stronghold, and he planned his strategies and tactics from the safety of his base camp. He was not the sort of general who fought on the front lines.

Jason had thought their goal was to break down his fortifications and overpower his territory. He had assumed them colonizers, trying to take over every inch of Jason’s new life and old heart. He hadn’t known their goal was the general himself. Stupid.

Stupid, stupid, stupid…

Today was the day. Huzzah!

Alfred was out picking up Stephanie - apparently her car was still in Jump, so the chauffeur it was - and Jason was left to gawk at Tim thumping away at a laptop in the dining room. He desperately wanted to know if Tim was doing super secret superhero spy stuff, but he couldn’t just ask. Tim never ignored him, but he never paid much attention to him either. The way they both liked it.

Tim routinely spent most of his time in his study (which Jason had never been inside and would never go inside if he could help it - there were probably lasers). The guy never just sat out in the dining room like this and worked his arcane cybermagic. Jason, sitting at the breakfast bar and steadily decimating an apple, felt trapped. How many times could he flee any room Tim walked into before the guy noticed? It was a toss-up - guy either had Bat-eyes and saw everything, or he only gave a shit about his mysterious computer stuff and didn’t notice anything. Jason was willing to put his non-existent money on Tim pretending the latter when it was really the former. He wouldn’t fall for the tricks.

But maybe he did, because when Tim spoke he was so startled that he almost fell off the chair.

“I should warn you about Steph.” Tim didn’t look away from his computer, and his typing didn’t slow. “She’s really a lot. Super pushy. Feel free to tell her to fuck off if you want.” Tim paused a beat, undercut by the keyboard rattling. “Am I supposed to curse in front of middle schoolers?”

“I won’t tell Bruce you cursed in front of a twelve year old,” Jason said, faux-loyally. Truthfully, he had the feeling Bruce would ask the same question, but it was good to cultivate a sense of camaraderie. “And yeah, sure. No problem. Super…excited to…meet. Her.”

“I’m glad it took you two so long to meet. She gave Bruce a really hard time about adopting you. ‘Specially since it was only three months after she left and two months after I did. She said he jumped the gun.” Tim’s fingers froze. “Wait. Did she say it was a good idea or bad idea…?”

That was an important difference, Timothy!

But Jason had no time to interrogate further. The sound of the front doors bursting open resounded through the lobby into the dining room, and Tim bolted to his feet.

“I’m home!” The voice was impressively loud, and Jason was momentarily taken aback by the thick-ass Bowery accent. That was not a Little Miss Perfect accent. “Wow, Alfie, you put the Ming back out!”

“It was finally safe from you,” Alfred said. “Let me take your bags, Miss -”

“Dope, thanks a million -”

“Steph!” Tim called, moving around the table, and Jason saw to his shock that he was smiling. Actually smiling. Like a normal person. “In here!”

And just like that, Stephanie Brown appeared at the doorway. She grinned brightly, and Tim grinned back, and she wasted no time in tackling Tim in a giant bear hug. Jason - regardless of what he wanted, despite how he felt - was struck dumb.

It was Robin. Robin, in the flesh. He hadn’t really put that together before. He knew obviously but it hadn’t really clicked until he saw her. Jason had seen the pictures and videos of her just like everybody else - seen the graffiti and street art and paintings - listened to every story and heard every tale - but apparently he hadn’t processed that Robin meant Stephanie Brown.

Seeing her in person hit differently then seeing Bruce in person. Bruce was an idea given a face - Stephanie Brown was a face larger than life, and the idea of Robin in the body of a woman felt like capturing lightning in a bottle. She was wearing low-rise jeans and a purple crop top stamped with a sparkly butterfly that showed off how insanely muscular she was, hair teased into her iconic Robin mane, and she was really super pretty. How could Robin just look like an undergrad? Why did Robin talk like a valley girl?!

Jason had lost before he accepted the challenge. He had lost from day one. He had lost the day Stephanie Brown became a super-smart, super-tough, blue eyed blonde haired hot white girl. And Jason had lost the day he was born. A homeless, go-nowhere kid who would only leave the Narrows when he inevitably went to jail. A brown kid with curly and thick black hair, skinny with an unpleasant and mean face, fucked up forever.

Why did Jason ever think Bruce might let him…

Stephanie Brown hugged Tim so tightly she picked him off the ground, making him wheeze and slap her shoulder. She only dumped him when footsteps came from another hallway on the other side of the dining room, revealing a smiling Bruce. Smiling. Like a guy.

“Stephanie,” Bruce greeted, somehow stiff as ever. “You look…tanned.”

“Six months and that’s what I get?” Stephanie asked loudly. Tim pinched the bridge of his nose. Bruce abruptly looked panicked. “Tanned? I live in California, Bruce, of course I’m tanned! Like, hello! What, no ‘happy to see you’? No ‘welcome home?’”

“Ah,” Bruce said.

“I bulked up! You don’t even care that I totally bulked up!”

Bruce’s panic deepened. “You said it was rude to comment on a woman’s muscles.”

“Muscles are totally in right now, B, keep up.” But Stephanie grinned, smile big and bright. “I can’t believe I missed you so much.”

Jason could only stare in horror as she hugged Bruce, tight and full, and he gently hugged her back. Defcon 5 event. Bruce didn’t hug. Bruce didn’t hug Jason. Well - Jason had told Bruce that he wasn’t allowed to touch him, ever, or he’d cut his hands off with a butter knife. Bruce had stuck to that rule religiously. Jason didn’t really know how to loosen the rule. He had no idea how to ask.

“He missed you a lot,” Tim snitched, because obviously Bruce wouldn’t. “He missed you so much. It was so embarrassing. I was embarrassed just witnessing it.”

“Say a little less, Timothy.”

Stephanie separated, unabashedly laughing at the embarrassed Batman, when she finally stopped to see Jason. Jason halted, halfway through eating the core of the apple. They locked eye contact, light blue eyes meeting dark ones, and Jason slowly readied the canons.

His throat was dry. His heart was hammering. The apple core was going down all wrong. Jason…

“Stephanie, I can finally introduce Jason.” Suddenly Bruce was there at his side, smiling encouragingly down at the frozen Jason. “Jason, this is Stephanie Brown. She’s a highly valued partner of mine. Stephanie, don’t overwhelm him.”

“Overwhelming? Me? Never heard of her.” Steph smiled at Tim, warm and happy. This woman did not stop smiling. She had a deadass California valley girl accent and she did not stop smiling. She extended a hand to Jason, who silently thanked God that she didn’t go in for a hug. Did they hug people in California? Californians probably did nothing but hug. “Jason Todd, right? I’ve, like, heard so much about you! I’m super sorry it took so long for us to meet.”

Jason quickly wiped his sticky hand on his jeans before shaking her hand, feeling the rough calluses. “It’s Jason Wayne.” They changed his name with his adoption, on Bruce’s hesitant offer and Jason’s instant acceptance. It was a strategic ploy on Jason’s part - a shared last name would subliminally influence Bruce into thinking of their arrangement as a more long-term, legal one. “Uh - nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“A Wayne with manners! I never thought I’d see the day.” Steph propped her hands on her hips, smile never fading. “Bruce and Tim could stand to learn a thing or two from you. But don’t get formal on me, okay? We’re, like, totes family.”

“Cool,” Jason said. “Thanks.”

Casualties: none. Damage to fortress: negligible. Outcome of first skirmish: rousing success. Jason gave himself a fervent pack on the back. Now he’d stay for five more minutes exactly before running back to the library to work on his workbooks. This family was awesome at forgetting Jason was in the room, if he could just flex that invisibility a bit more -

Steph clapped her hands, drawing the attention of the room. As if it wasn’t already entirely on her. Ugh. “You promised pesto sandwiches for lunch, Alfred! I haven’t had your cooking in six whole months and I’m going insane. Let’s eat as Jason tells me all about himself! Oh, and he’ll totally have to tell us what he wants to do over the break. We have so much family bonding in order. Tim, Bruce, are youse still trying to bite each other’s heads off?”

“Uh,” Bruce said.

“We’re over it?” Tim asked, as if Stephanie needed to tell him.

“Good enough. Holiday planning - go! Oh, but I have the craziest Titans story to tell you guys!”

Wow. They weren’t kidding about the forced bonding.

Alfred really went all out with lunch, and from Stephanie’s delighted squeals Jason could see that it was all her favorites. They had done Tim’s favorites when he came home too. Jason wondered when they’d do his favorites. Maybe when he went to college?

College. Hold out for college, Jason. You can make it ‘til college. Maybe Bruce would like him more than Tim by then - Jason wouldn’t try to drop out of Yale.

Jason received the annotated, fast-paced edition of Steph’s life over the next whirlwind twenty minutes. She had something to share about everything - from Jump City weather to how big of a pain it was to do her UC Jump premed college work and lead a superhero team at the same time. She had a mysterious autoimmune illness that let her miss as many classes as she wanted. Very convenient. She and Tim had absolutely no shame in disclosing their rampant lies. Superheroes had no morals.

Apparently Cyborg was super funky - a jock that could work a computer like magic. Beast Boy was a crazy time and a ton of fun to hang out with, even if he was totally immature. Raven was no fun to hang out with but she was, like, so wild. And Starfire - ha ha, she was super cool, anyway! Her college friends were totally nice too, but the Titans just took up so much of her time. Listen to me recount this entire fight with Mad Mod. Who’s Mad Mod, you ask? I am going to tell you all about it!

The whole table was enthralled. Despite himself, Jason was a little enthralled too. He tried imagining living in a big retooled ex-high rise complex that Tim bought on the cheap with Apple money - whatever that meant - with your four friends as you all fought the weirdest crime with no adult supervision. When your friends were half-demons and half-computers and sometimes-animals and always-aliens. He just couldn’t imagine it - it was a lifestyle too alien from his own. Complete with aliens! No wonder she’d been too busy to visit.

“But the Titans can do without me for one month. Vic needs the practice as a leader. I told them that I haven’t seen my boyfriend in six months and not to comm me for anything short of Raven’s dad picking her up for custody weekend. This month is one hundred percent for my friends, the week my old man is gonna make me spend in Louisiana, and you guys.” Stephanie clapped her hands, smiling broadly. “So! Jason, what do you wanna do? Bruce doesn’t know what money is, we can totally do whatever you want. The world is so your oyster. What are you thinking?”

Jason delicately nibbled at his turkey and cheese sandwich. It had no crusts. His life had gotten so dumb. “I dunno. Whatever youse are down for.”

“Come on, there has to be something. When I was your age I would have sold my left foot to go to Disney World. Bruce would be down for anything anywhere in the world. Or we could go shopping!”

“I have clothes?”

“Do you have clothes from the Disney store? Damn, maybe I was just really into Disney when I was your age. What do you like, Jason, what are you into?”

Jason slowly shredded the sandwich with his teeth. “Um…not much.”

“Jason likes to read,” Bruce volunteered, the traitor. “His reading level is amazing. He’s working on 100 Years of Solitude in Spanish.” Jason had finished that a week ago. He was on a Pablo Neruda collection right now. “But I’m not sure how that translates into an activity.”

“What about sports?” Stephanie asked encouragingly. “You play soccer, Jason?”

Jason mumbled a negative into a tea biscuit. The barrage of cannonballs did not stop.

“What about watching any sports? Bruce could get you tickets to anything.”

“I hate sports,” Tim said.

“This isn’t about you, Timmy.”

‘ “Jason obviously doesn’t care about sports either.”

“Jason cares about something. He’s a twelve year old boy, they’re all brainwashed by commercials and jingles.”

“Not Jason. I’ve never seen him express an opinion on anything.”

“Really?” Bruce asked, surprised. A cannon punctured the outer walls. A watchman pulled the alarm bell. All hands on deck. “Jason’s as opinionated as you, Stephanie.”

Jason’s teeth clenched. Man down. His arm had been blown off by a cannonball. He was bleeding everywhere and screaming bloody murder. The poor man had a daughter. Only five years old. Tragic.

“ ‘Course he is, he’s an East Ender! We’re all grit. I couldn’t believe it when you said you made friends with another kid from my neighborhood. After all that complaining about my accent, too! I’m even going kinda Cali in my civvie ID, it’s super fun. ”

“The Mad Hatter asks you to repeat yourself ‘cause he has no idea what you’re saying,” Tim said, bored.

“The Mad Hatter’s a punk bitch. The accent’s part of the Robin brand, it’s my whole hometown hero thing. I’m repping me and Jason’s hoods.”

The outer defenses fell, and the enemy streamed in. Screaming, crying, blood. Alarm bells pounded through Jason’s head. His soldiers were dropping like flies, cannonballs blowing their jaws off, and Jason felt the blood build up inside of him.

That was all Jason had inside of him. Just blood and war. Jason was a brave general who never gave up against the enemy forces, but Jason’s army had been eroded by a long and hard winter that froze most of his men away. The cold had worn parts of Jason down for years, and even when springtime thawed the frost he never saw those parts again. He just couldn’t find them. He was trying so hard to protect himself and Bruce from the blood, but he couldn’t help losing every battle.

“We aren’t from the same hood,” Jason said lowly. A war drum beat in his ears.

Stephanie looked back at him, all wide eyed and innocent and blonde. “Aren’t you an East Ender? I ain’t splitting streets here.”

“You’re from the Bowery,” Jason bit out. “Do I look like I’m from the Bowery? I’m from the Narrows. If I stepped foot in your hood I’d get hate crimed.”

“Ah. Yeah.” Stephanie sombered, putting her sandwich down. “Sorry, kid, I know it’s not the same. Like to think we’re not as bad as we used to be, though.”

“Cool. Awesome. I’ll give your racist-ass Ukranians the ‘not as hate crimey as you could have been’ award.” Jason pushed his chair away from the table and stood up, probably skidding the nice hardwood. “Maybe it’ll finally make up for me not being Doctor fucking Barbie over there.”

Jason ran away from the carved oak dining table sagging with teas and cakes and ices at top speed. Catastrophic defeat. Blame the general’s tactical mistakes. It was all his fault.

He preemptively grounded himself, locking the door to his room and burying himself underneath the covers with a defensive Narnia. When he started hyperventilating he ignored it, and when he cried a little he ignored that too. Jason was super good at ignoring things. He ignored just about everything.

Jason noticed everything. He just ignored it. He’d go crazy if he didn’t. All the shit in the world, all the evils he saw again and again and again. Every woman ever hit and every Mami sliding a needle into her arm. All the bad guys hurting the guys who ain’t never hurt nobody, just ‘cause they were there…

Jason did want something. He wanted something so damn bad, and he knew he would never ask for it. He wasn’t in the same galaxy as good enough, and there was no point in asking for something you’d never get. Bruce would probably laugh at him if he ever did ask. It didn’t matter that Jason couldn’t ignore bad things happening for one more second, for one more time - it didn’t matter that Jason wanted to do something about it more than anybody in the Narrows had ever wanted it in their whole lives. Jason was the whole damn problem.

He was so embarrassed. His war of attrition hadn’t lasted five seconds. His good streak had been ruined and Bruce was gonna get so pissed at him for being awful. And Bruce and Tim would get mad at him for being rude to Stephanie, and Stephanie probably didn’t feel anger ‘cause she was a saint but Alfred would look so disappointed in him and…

Maybe he should just dip. No, that was stupid. It was literally December. Bruce would give him a hard time but he’d deal with that. Guy wasn’t about to hit him. He was Batman. Batman didn’t do that. End sentence, end of story.

Batman didn’t hurt kids and Robin always made kids feel safe. Everybody knew that. Even though Stephanie Brown wasn’t making Jason feel too safe right now. But he knew that was his fault - a fault inherent in his own character, in his own heart - and not hers. Jason couldn’t remember what feeling safe felt like. He probably wasn’t sure how anymore.

Nobody came to fetch him or try to talk to him. Jason didn’t know if he was disappointed or not. He just aggressively read and read and read, until the first hints of winter dusk began to fall and he fell asleep much earlier than usual.

Bruce liked to tell the story.

He didn’t get a ton of opportunities, since he had to limit himself to people who knew his secret identity. In practicality, this meant that Bruce liked telling the story to his six friends in the Justice League and nobody else. Barry Allen said that Bruce had smiled while telling the story, which had given him a split second heart attack.

It wasn’t the full story. Jason couldn’t imagine that being the full story - plucky street rat tries to steal the Batman’s tires, the Batman takes pity on him and takes him home forever to live in his house and eat his organic cucumbers, happy ending for everybody. What kind of story was that? Jason would have yelled pedophile in two seconds. Stephanie would have berated Bruce for three hours instead of one.

Bruce didn’t mention this part of the story, but the minute Jason’s retaliatory attack with the lead pipe utterly failed he had dropped his weapon and booked it. Jason hadn’t exactly been terrified, but he knew getting caught would mean serious juvie. Worst case scenario, besides all the others. But he had worried his hair out for nothing - Jason ran ten blocks before realizing that Batman wasn’t chasing him at all. A clean escape.

Batman showed up at Jason’s squat the next night. Go fig.

That was the first time they really talked. Batman wasn’t exactly a talkative guy, but Jason had a unique skill for riling Bruce up into an actual argument, and they spent ten pointless minutes going around at each other about how Jason totally had people he was staying with - they’re on vacations, that’s why I’m not staying with them - fine, their pimp had come back and kicked him out - but I stayed with Mrs. Jiminez for three weeks! - well, her son got whooping cough, and I sure as hell couldn’t stick around to catch it - I’ll go back once he’s better, that’s all - yes, obviously I hit up the Church food banks, but you’re more likely to get mugged for food than actually walk away with food, and they prioritize the moms anyway - I don’t need goddamn foster care -

“You can’t keep couch surfing forever,” Batman had said. “You’re spending weeks on the street in-between shelters and friends. It’s not stable.”

“But it’s fine,” Jason had said. He knew it wasn’t great, but things didn’t need to be great when they could be fine. “The Narrows looks out for each other. I’ll just keep like this ‘til I’m old enough for a decent job, that’s all.”

Completely neutrally, Batman had said, “You could drug run.”

“This is entrapment.”

“You could have. You’re the right age for it. Why aren’t you doing that for money?”

“Because I’m not an idiot! That shit shortens your lifespan and lands you in juvie. And I don’t wanna help assholes sell meth to my friends, anyway. Bad enough they’re doing it. I don’t wanna be responsible for that, even a little. Life’s too bad for me to make it worse just for some extra cash.”

Batman had stared at him for a long time. Jason had decided he had won the argument, and thereby had obtained bragging rights forever that he had won an argument with Batman.

Then Batman put him in a foster home. Go fig.

Everybody knew social services was insanely evil and terrible, but Batman had spun half a dozen promises about how he’d personally assure that Jason found a good placement. Apparently he even put in a word with his contact at social services and everything. It landed Jason in a super awesome combo group home/boarding school (See, Jason, an education! Yipee!) under the benevolent hand of a sweet old lady called Ma Gunn. Look, Jason, if you’re so worried, the Batman will take time out of his busy schedule Being Batman to check up on you. Alright? Eat some cookies.

The first day had been fine. Nice, even. That was what he told Batman. He really had come to check up on him, knocking on his window in the middle of the night and helping hoist Jason to the roof so they could sit and talk. He had kept his promise.

“This doesn’t make you right,” Jason had grumbled.

Batman’s lip had twitched upwards. “I have it on good authority that I’m not right nearly as often as I think I am.”

“Atticus Finch you are not,” Jason agreed. “More like Odysseus.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because you know how to beat up mooks, but you obviously like winning your fights through tricking people instead. You’re both, like, theatrical.” Jason had thought about this. Extensively. He’d also gotten into arguments about it, but they were really arguments nobody else wanted to have. “And taking on crime in Gotham’s like taking on the gods. Equal amounts of impossible.”

Batman’s lip twitched up again, a little higher. “Would you call pride my fatal flaw, then?”

“Probably,” Jason said promptly. “You need a lot of pride to take on the gods. But that’s probably the only reason you started doing this at all, so I guess it’s a pretty good thing you have that fatal flaw in the first place. The best fatal flaws are the character’s greatest strengths. That’s when a story is really good.”

Batman slowly sat down next to Jason. It was pretty weird seeing him like that - sitting down like a guy, cape carefully tucked to his side like any theater performer would do it. Jason could see his jawline. He needed a shave. Batman, shaving! Jason wished he could shave. Maybe he’d be more like Batman if he could.

“What’s your fatal flaw, Jason?”

“Mami always told me I was too angry.” It was one of his clearest memories of her - the disappointment on her face. The way she looked at him. Jason never wanted Mami to look at him like that again. “Too much like my dad. She said I’m gonna lose my temper at the wrong person and get myself hurt one day.” Jason scuffed a battered shoe on the wobbly shingle, making it creak. “But I dunno. The only times in my life I’ve ever really helped people was when I got too angry to see straight. I’m always throwing logic out the door and deciding to do what’s right even if it’s a bad idea. If the trouble I’m always getting into helps other people out, then that’s trouble I’m okay with. Do you know what I mean?”

“I do.”

Jason had the feeling he would.

They talked for hours, long after Jason’s bedtime and probably long into Batman’s own work schedule beating up mooks. They only stopped when Jason couldn’t repress the yawns anymore, and Batman ended up carrying Jason back to bed. Jason had insisted he wasn’t tired, mostly because he wanted to keep talking about Emma and how Jason’s life dream was to be rich and set up all his friends with boyfriends who deserved them, but he fell asleep the minute his head hit the pillow anyway

When he woke up the next morning he thought it might have been a dream. What a weird dream that would be. What a weird and magical dream - one where Batman listened to everything Jason had to say and more, and one where Batman only left him because they couldn’t stay up talking any more. Jason hated himself a little for falling asleep at all. He wanted that night to go on forever. Now that he was in a nice little boarding school he would never see Batman again. For such an obvious sentence it was a little disappointing.

Two weeks later Jason stood in front of a burning brick building, flanked by a mob of rabid children, tying up an evil old lady and cracking open crate after crate of evil child brainwashing drug and dumping it on the cement sidewalk.

The police found him very quickly. They didn’t listen to a word he said, no matter how much proof Jason waved in their faces. He had been super careful to dig up a ton of proof, even taking pictures of the secret basement and the kid’s bruises and an audio recorded confession. Nobody wanted to hear it. Jason had to bite his way through a police station and dump his evidence on the Commissioner's desk just to get anything done around here.

The Commissioner had pinched the bridge of his nose. The bridge of his nose had thumbnail creases. “Kid, you just committed five different felonies.”

“She was brainwashing children!”

“I believe you, kid, I believe you.” Commissioner Gordon grabbed the first sheaf of pictures, flipping through them quickly and squinting at each one. Under his breath, he muttered, “Never thought I’d miss Robin. She’d know what the hell to do with you.”

“Is Robin dead?” Jason asked, freaked. He loved Robin. She was literally Robin!

“What? No, she’s off doing…Batman never said. Either ninja training or college, it’s a toss-up. I think she cried when she hugged me goodbye, I couldn’t believe -”

The landline on the desk rang, and the Commissioner obviously intended to ignore it until he saw the flashing ‘Priority’ button. He picked up the headset, bushy mustache wagging. “Andrea, what - Jesus Christ! How the hell did you - dumb question, never mind.”

Jason perked up. Something told him… “Is that Batman? Is Batman calling you on your phone?”

“Do you see a Gordon signal?” The Commissioner asked him. Jason shrugged, and the Commissioner turned his attention back to the phone. His eyebrows furrowed closer and closer at Batman talked. “Already? What do you - I can drop the charges, but that black mark on his file isn’t going away.” He grimaced apologetically at Jason. Jason, who had no intention of returning to Social Services ever again, shrugged. “He’ll probably have to spend the night in the cells until we drop the charges and find him an emergency placement, but - you can’t be serious.” He was silent for a long moment before exclaiming, “What kind of favor does he owe you - how big is that favor? You can’t be - it’s three in the morning, I - Batman! Batman! Dammit!”

The Commissioner dropped the headset back on the cradle and groaned, falling back into his seat. Jason cautiously sidled backwards from the desk. He was prepared to do a runner. He’d bitten his way into this office and he’d bite his way out.

“Kid, you sit right down in that chair. You are not moving until your emergency foster placement comes to get you.” The Commissioner kneaded his forehead, groaning. “Out of all the favors for all the Gothamites, why did it have to be this one…”

“Eh?” Jason said.

“You’re a very lucky kid, Jason Todd. And I’m praying for you.”

“Eh?”

It was the only appropriate response. Jason found out an hour later that the emergency placement was Bruce fucking Wayne. Bruce Wayne, who practically crashed into Gordon’s (he had been downgraded - Jason and Gordon were homies in Christ now) office, tie half-done and suit jacket limp over his shoulders. Jason wondered who the hell put on a suit at three am. He also wondered who the hell looked that panicked to be dealing with Jason, of all people. Had he heard about the biting?

“I’m so sorry I’m late, I’ve been having a heart attack for the past hour - you ever get woken up by Batman, Jim? That ever happen to you? How’d he even get my number?” Gordon opened his mouth. “Stupid question, sorry. Is that the kid? Hey, kid!”

Then Bruce Wayne grinned, big and anxious, and held out his hand. Jason shook it. Bruce sat down in the chair next to him, slouching and tucking himself into the chair a bit. It was pretty slick - Jason almost hadn’t noticed how freaking huge the guy was.

“Uh,” Jason said. “It’s Jason Todd.”

“Well, Batman could have stood to mention that!” Bruce Wayne exclaimed, offended beyond belief. “You know what he told me? He called me up and was all like - you remember the Rose Bowl? Yes, I remember the Rose Bowl, hard to forget - and then he’s like, I’m calling that in. He’s all like, you’re still registered as a foster parent, right? And of course I am, after that whole thing with Tim - Tim’s doing great, Jim, by the way, I would say that he says hello but we kinda aren’t talking right now, but he would say hello if we were talking - which Batman knows about, because he was the one who called me up about Tim in the first place - why me, Jim! Why is it always me!”

“I cannot possibly say,” Gordon said.

Bruce barrelled through, ignoring him. “So he tells me to get here pronto, there’s a kid who needs a roof over their head and apparently I’m the only one he trusts to provide that roof right now. Me! Can you believe it! He said the same thing about Tim! The kid could have had the mob after him - actually, it’s kind of common knowledge I don’t touch the mob, that’s probably why - none of that’s important right now. Oh, and then he hung up on me. Go figure, right? Have you eaten, Jason? I brought you lunch. And some hygiene stuff and a change of clothes. The butler fusses.”

Jason stared at Bruce. Bruce smiled anxiously at Jason.

“No hablo inglés,” Jason decided.

Without changing his facial expression at all, Bruce repeated the last few sentences in Spanish.

“Hindi ako nagsasalita ng ingles,” Jason rapidly made up.

Bruce repeated the last few sentences in Tagalog, poker faced.

“What the fuck,” Jason said.

“Rúguǒ nǐ yuànyì dehuà, wǒ yě huì shuō zhōngwén,” Bruce said, still smiling. “Dàn wǒ hěn quèdìng nǐ de yīngyǔ hěn hǎo, suǒyǐ rúguǒ nǐ yuànyì, wǒmen kěyǐ jìxù shuō yīngyǔ.”

Jason felt his psychological control over the situation slipping away. He had to maintain the upper hand. Establish dominance over rich people. “I’m a gutter child, my English is terrible,” Jason lied in Spanish, completely unapologetic. “If you make me speak English I’m gonna rack up more arson charges.”

“Whatever makes you comfortable, Jason!” Bruce said in Spanish. He turned to Gordon, switching to English. “There’s a lot of papers to sign, right? Just give them to me right now. Actually, can I duck out and grab Jason’s food first? Faking monolingualism takes a lot out of a kid.”

The food was good. It was super fancy rich people sandwiches. Bruce said that one of them had pesto before explaining what pesto was before Jason had to ask. Thoughtful of him?

That was roughly how Jason ended up in the passenger seat of a Porsche, nibbling his third sandwich and staring at the man in the driver’s seat. Gordon had muttered something about how Bruce was “as neurotic and awkward as ever” before giving Jason his business card and telling him to call before set another building on fire. Jason could definitely see the neuroticism: he went over the emergency foster placement papers once, twice, three times. He had detailed to Jason in completely fluent Spanish what exactly was going to happen the next few days and what he could expect, that he was going to get a key for his room and nobody would go inside if he didn’t want them inside, do you have any rules for me and Alfred (the butler - what was this, the Prohibition?) that you’d like us to follow? We can talk about my own later. Understood about touching you, thanks for telling me.

Jason watched Bruce drop the papers in his lap and slowly thunk his forehead on the steering wheel. His index finger was tapping the leather cover repeatedly in a steady staccato, a silent nervous tic.

Eventually Jason felt too bad for him to bear the silence any longer. In Spanish, he said, “Chill, man. It’s just for a few days, right?”

Bruce raised his head, glaring intently at the steering wheel. He still seemed a little half-manic. “Right. Just a few days. Then we’ll find you a good placement. I know people. It’ll be fine.”

“Oh, I am totally booking it,” Jason said sympathetically. “Nice try, though.”

“Jason, please stop trying to sleep on the sidewalk.”

“Why not?” Jason demanded. “It’s better than foster care. How am I supposed to believe that you’d find decent people, huh? Batman said he’d find decent people and he dumped me in an evil crime boarding school!”

Weirdly enough, that made Bruce outright wince. “Batman fu - Batman messed up. He really, really messed up. There is no excuse for how badly he messed up. Alright? But that’s not happening again. We’ll -”

“Who the hell would take me?” Jason asked, and Bruce quieted. “Who would want me, dude? Nobody in this goddamn city wants me around. I had to do something about that crazy old lady before she started baking kids into pies or something, and now I’m legally an arsonist. And if I meet any more evil people messing with kids then I’d do an arson on them too. I’d do a thousand arsons if I had to! Why the hell would anybody want me in their house?”

“Who wouldn’t!” Bruce cried, and Jason fell silent in bizarre shock. “You - you’re smart and passionate and kind. You took down an entire drug smuggling ring by yourself, Jason, that’s incredible. You’re a good kid. You’re a really good kid. Any parent would be lucky to have you.”

Jason’s eyes were burning, and his stomach was churning in thick knots. He was tired and confused and far away from home - far away from everything he had once considered home, and from everything he knew. He was in unprecedented territory. In a Porsche. As some rich guy told him he was a good kid.

“How would you know, huh?” Jason asked, voice thick. “I’ve never met you before in my life. How would you know something like that?”

“It’s obvious, Jason,” Bruce said quietly. “It’s obvious just looking at you.”

Jason stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and refused to say anything more.

An emergency placement. Bruce Wayne said the phrase frequently, almost as a shield - against a very unimpressed butler, during a very heated phone call which left him wincing repeatedly. It’s an emergency placement, I’m not - this has nothing to do with - not everything is about you, you know - it’s not about Tim either! - it’s an emergency placement -

When he hung up he looked haunted. Jason gave him a sympathy banana.

“That your girlfriend?”

Bruce took the banana, dead eyed. “It’s somebody who you do not want to get on the bad side of.”

“You on her bad side?”

“I might be in the dog house.”

“Ouch.” Jason started unwrapping his own banana, carefully peeling off the strings and dangling them into his mouth. “Hey, you ever read The Fellowship of the Ring? I heard they’re making a live action movie.”

“How on Earth are you supposed to capture the scale of Lord of the Rings in a live action movie?” Bruce asked, appalled. “It’ll be worse than that cartoon I saw as a kid.”

“There was a cartoon? Can we watch it?”

“Sure,” Bruce said. “I don’t have anything else to do right now.”

Even back then Jason knew it was a lie. He didn’t say anything about it. When Bruce took his big stack of scary CEO papers and sat next to Jason in the library, signing papers with a ballpoint pen silently as Jason read East of Eden, Jason didn’t say anything about that either. It always ended up with Bruce getting distracted and asking him about what was happening in the book, and then they would both get distracted as Jason explained the Biblical allegories, and the work would go forgotten.

He should do his work on time. Guy was always super tired every morning. Jason got in the habit of secretly making him extra-strength coffee and slipping him a big mug when Alfred turned his back. Bruce almost cried the first time he did it. Jason leveraged the gratitude to score free reign in the attic and upper floors.

That made for an incredible day of digging through heaps and heaps of boxes shoved away in dusty corners, digging his hands into antique World War II memorabilia and 19th century pocketwatches. Every box held the fragments of a dozen stories, and Jason eagerly took notes whenever a new object sparked a new idea.

This Vietnam soldier’s helmet obviously belonged to a brave soldier who died trying to save innocents during the My Lai massacre…some say that his ghost haunted the perpetrators until their dying breaths and cursed their family lines for a hundred generations. That cuckoo clock was obviously a gift from a baron to a baroness, aching for her love - but she had promised her hand to the baron’s brother, a humble watchmaker born out of wedlock. He made that antique gold pocketwatch stuffed in the bottom of the box, obviously.

He only got a little embarrassed about the whole thing when Bruce asked at dinner where he had gotten the inspiration pocketwatch stuffed in his jeans. He had no idea how to explain how important it was for literary purposes. But Bruce just listened seriously to the story of the baron, the baroness, and the peasant watchmaker. Then he asked if the enamel birds in the watchface had some sort of symbolic meaning between the watchmaker and the baroness, and of course they did, and Bruce listened to everything he had to say for hours on hours.

Jason meant to book it his second night there. But he got distracted staying up reading, and he slept past his escape window. The night after that he didn’t feel like it, and the night after that it was raining way too hard. The night after that Jason didn’t think about it at all.

On the seventh night in Bruce’s house, Jason heard a tapping on the window. His heart leapt, and he eagerly threw off the covers. There was a dark shadow shrouded over his window, and he eagerly unlatched it and worked the creaky wood open until he could shove it all the way to the top and see Batman hanging out on the windowsill, cool as you please.

“I thought you weren’t coming!” Jason cried, backing up a little in an attempt to give Batman space to swoop inside. He didn’t - he just stayed at the window, expression unreadable in the black night. “After everything that happened you aren’t bothering to check in on me again?”

“I trust Wayne. And I’ve been occupied.” Batman withdrew a file folder from his cape - what, did it have a kangaroo pouch or something? - and passed it to Jason. He flipped it open, squinting at the small text in the darkness. “Dossier of potential foster parents. Most of them are same-sex couples who are being stonewalled for regular adoption. Normal, middle class couples. One couple are both Mexican, and another couple is a Black woman and a South Asian woman. If you’d prefer…same race.” Batman paused, suddenly a bit awkward. “Are any of those the same race as you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Jason did not know. Mami spoke Spanish and that was all he knew. He didn’t look anything like her. Jason was a bit lighter than Dad and had different hair, and Dad had Indian reservation stories from his dad. Scary ones. That was all he knew about that too. The de la Cruces down the hall, who had half-raised him, were certain he was mostly Filipino. They were the first ones to blame for the rampant Taglish, and the Mendezes on the second floor who also half-raised him were to blame for the Spanglish. The foul mouth was all Todd.

Sometimes it left him kind of confused about himself - like he was a lot of things that he wasn’t and some things that he was. That there were a few things that he should be but was not. That there were some things he could never be even if he wanted to. He had a lot missing that everybody else he knew just took for granted - but you could say that about a lot of things in Jason’s life.

Every family in the dossier looked good. A lot of them were lesbian couples. That was really appealing. Not a single man but Jason in the house. No need to worry about anybody. Nobody to protect anybody from.

Somehow, Jason found himself saying, “Are these emergency placements too?”

“They’d be permanent. If you find no cause to burn down the house.”

“And what if I run away?”

“We’ll find something else,” Batman said. “We’ll keep trying.”

Middle class lesbians in the suburbs. People who’d speak Spanish or Tagalog with him. People who’d stay. It was a nice thought.

When Jason spoke his throat was dry. He didn’t really know why. Maybe he just didn’t want to know. “Bruce said he’d see Fellowship with me when it came out.”

“You can still do that,” Batman said instantly. “Wayne would keep up contact with you. If that’s what you want.” Batman halted hard before saying, “Is Wayne - satisfactory? As a guardian?”

“He’s not exactly an option,” Jason said, ticked off.

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Why did you ask it?”

“Call it curiosity.”

“What good does curiosity do?” Jason asked. Man, Batman could be so frustrating. New sentences. “He’s an emergency placement. He’s said it, like, ten times. Nobody’s going to let me stay with the top bajillionaire of Gotham. He only adopted that other kid ‘cause they were neighbors and family friends already. Bruce and I aren’t in the same universe.”

“If you could.” Batman was still perched on his windowsill, a long streak of night in the already absolute darkness. Nothing like the city. Night descended in the suburbs. The city never slept, and Batman never seemed so far away. “If anything was possible. And if you could have anything you wanted. What would you choose, Jason?”

Jason was silent for a long second, but in the end it wasn’t so hard to say. Moments with Batman never felt quite real, and Jason always found himself letting his guard down. He could tell Batman his heart’s desire - something he could barely even admit to himself.

Finally, Jason had to say, “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever said in my life. But he’s kind of like me, you know? I’ve never met anybody else like me before. Especially not in a mansion in Bristol. Isn’t that weird?” Jason paused, weird and uncertain. He felt new. He wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. “I don’t care about the money. I don’t want any of it. I’ve just never met anybody who thought the same way I do. It’s kinda dumb that we’re so similar…I dunno if I’m ever gonna find that again. I don’t want to ditch it, you know…isn’t that dumb? It’s dumb of me, right?”

Batman was silent for a long second, just long enough to embarrass Jason. Way to go off about how you’re BFFs with a billionaire, Jase. He definitely sounded like he just wanted the money. Like, hello! The money was what made things weird! He would rather they all live in a normal house that still had a butler for some reason. Less walking and better heating. Definitely less ghosts. What would Jason do with a mansion, anyway?

Batman didn’t say anything. He just gestured for Jason to move back a little, and once Jason scrambled back a few steps he effortlessly slid through the window into Jason’s guest bedroom. Jason had never really stood in the same room as Batman - all of their rendezvous were always outside - and it gave him a subtly different air. Less like a byproduct of natural and mystical forces and more like a guy. It fit better.

“He doesn’t fit the profile of your ideal placement.”

Weird fucking sentences from Batman today. “People aren’t profiles,” Jason said, baffled. “What am I, Robocop?”

“He’s almost completely inexperienced with actual parenting. You’d probably need somebody better suited to helping you process your life so far.”

“I’m pretty inexperienced with being parented, so we’d be even.” Jason was growing more and more confused. But something else was rising in him too - the exact opposite of confusion, small and strange and persistent. He didn’t want to look too closely at it, but he couldn’t turn away. “And I dunno who’d be perfect at dealing with a fuck-up like me. You know ‘em?”

“There has to be somebody.”

“I don’t want to live with somebody,” Jason cried, “I want to live with Bruce! I’m not saying he’d be perfect, but I want to give him a shot. He’s a good guy!”

“You don’t know him well.”

“I can tell just by looking at him,” Jason said. “I dunno what he wants, Batman. Or if he wants me here or not. But I can tell he’s a good person. Can’t you?”

Batman was silent. He was hard to see in the dark, nothing but an outline and smear of black amidst the empty bookshelf and creaky window, and impossible to read. But Jason could feel something in the darkness, something clearer and clearer, and he didn’t need to see it to believe it.

“Can you turn on the light, Jason?”

Jason silently turned around and walked across the room to the door, flipping the lightswitch and blinking hard as bright white light chased away the shadows. He turned around slowly, heart thumping a hard rhythm in his chest, breath catching.

But there had been no reason to be scared. He saw exactly what he had expected.

Bruce Wayne stood in his bedroom, cowl pulled down. His eyes were rimmed with thick purple bags, and even though his face was implacable stone there was something tight and fragile about the way he stood, like a glass ornament spinning on a Christmas tree.

“If Bruce Wayne could have anything he wanted,” Bruce rasped, “he would want you to stay. He would like that very much.”

Hot tears pricked at Jason’s eyes, and he knew his heart was burning. He knew Bruce was searching for something in his own face - shock, betrayal, confusion - but he knew Bruce couldn’t find it. Jason mostly just felt kind of overwhelmed. His life had gotten super dumb.

“Bruce Wayne’s a rich asshole who always gets everything he wants. What the hell do I care about that!”

“I’ve never met anybody else like me either,” Bruce said, and for the first time he was calm and sure - as if he’d come to a resolution in the last few seconds, at some invisible tipping point, and there was no turning back now. “Kids like you are one in a million, Jason. I’d hate to let that go.”

Ugh. Ugh! This sucked! This was so embarrassing! Jason wasn’t going to cry! He rubbed hard at his nose, reiterating his point that he was not gonna cry. Teenage boys didn’t do stupid shit like that.

“I’ll burn down your house if I have to,” Jason warned.

“I would probably deserve it.”

“You’ll have to get your act together.”

“I’ve been meaning to get around to it,” Bruce said, straight faced.

“We aren’t that similar,” Jason insisted, feeling the need to save face for some reason. Batman saying that you were like a mini Batman should have put any kid over the moon. But Bruce Wayne was kind of embarrassing. Miss Jason with that rich boy shit. “Your teeth are too good and you’re super neurotic.”

“Just around children,” the Dark Knight said seriously. “It’s a weakness.”

“I am your second foster placement.”

“If your first exposure to children as an adult were Tim and Stephanie as middle schoolers you would also be frightened of children.”

“Are you calling the Narrows orphan the least scary child you’ve dragged in here?” Jason paused a beat. “Wait. Who’s Stephanie?”

The beginning of the end, mostly. But Jason had no way of knowing that at the time.

Jason did not take evasive action.

That would imply he was avoiding anybody. A retreat. But that was far from the situation. The terrain (Wayne manor, for those following along at home) was an ideal site to take cover from the enemy, and that was exactly what he was doing. If they found Jason in the library then obviously he wasn’t hiding from everybody else.

That would imply he was scared of anybody. Jason was not scared of anything. He didn’t even know the meaning of the word, despite all of the other words he knew the meanings of. An enemy thinking you were scared (erroneously!) was a weapon in their hands.

Man, Jason really couldn’t wait until Stephanie and Tim left. He missed Bruce. Jason-and-Bruce, specifically - when Bruce let him read old Batman case reports and they talked for ages about the mistakes made by the bad guy, the cops or the city, Bruce, and Stephanie, and how to avoid making them next time. It was kind of fascinating watching the sheer quantity of mistakes Stephanie made in her first and second years as Robin before they quickly began to taper off into the stupidly competent vigilante everybody knew she was. It was downright funny how many mistakes Batman made. Less than Stephanie by far but still super noticeable in hindsight. Jason knew that the Batman-and-Robin perfection had been a bluff.

Bruce hadn’t taken him to the Zen garden in the museum district for ages. Yeah, it was winter, but Jason wanted to feed the koi. He hadn’t exactly asked to go, but what if Bruce was too busy and said no? It’d be super embarrassing.

Max embarrassment would be Bruce thinking he was scared. He might think Jason was a coward. Imagine Batman thinking you’re a coward. Other kids didn’t have this problem. If their parents thought they were lame then they were probably lame parents. If Batman thought you were lame then that said something about your character.

Jason set up camp in the library, but he couldn’t really focus on his books. He even lowered himself to check out the shelf of comics and manga (did Bruce buy Stephanie Sailor Moon? All of Sailor Moon!?), but after four volumes of Sailor Moon he was too restless to keep reading.

A sticky note was used as a bookmark halfway through volume three. It read: GEOMETRY PROBLEMS 1-10; PIAGET BOOK; PARTY DRESS - LAVENDER; MAKE TIM GO OUTSIDE (DATE?)(BRUCE →?)

Ugh. He was reading her Sailor Moon. Whatever, it was Wayne Sailor Moon now. Jason didn’t know what Stephanie was doing with the foundations of child psychology, but he didn’t want to find out.

The only times Jason outright asked Bruce if they could go outside and have fun was when he noticed Bruce hadn’t really gone outside and had fun in a while. He did not like sharing this trait. But that was mostly because Jason got kind of shy about asking for things, and he could only really summon up the grit if it was for the other person’s own good. Who spent so much time and energy on other people’s Vitamin D? She was obviously busy enough. Had she done all the emotional labor? No wonder everybody acted like she was in charge - they couldn’t really be bothered to do her ‘job’ themselves.

Jason was not Stephanie Brown. He quietly resolved not to go above and beyond doing emotional labor for Bruce. It wasn’t the kid’s job to take care of the parent. Stephanie was his partner, she could do that all she wanted. Jason wondered if she was a partner before she was a kid.

The library had a computer, a stocky PC with a chunky mouse and keyboard attached. A big tower sat next to it, and there was a little binder leaning against the side. Jason had always avoided the computer out of obscure fear and confusion, but he found himself reassessing now. He used to hang out in internet cafes. He’d seen people use computers, even if he’d barely touched one himself. He could figure it out, right?

Turned out the hardest part was looking for the letters on the keyboard. It took a few minutes, but figuring out the mouse and the menus were pretty easy. He wiggled his mouse around the Windows XP, pressing on a little picture of a spiky ball and opening up a game called Minesweeper. He messed around with it for a while, but he couldn’t really figure out the rules, so he quickly closed it out.

He considered clicking on the ‘N’ picture and using the internet. The last time he’d used a computer was to check the internet - he had asked Bruce to search the news to see what people were saying about his adoption. He quickly regretted it. Jason didn’t really want to go on the internet again.

On impulse, Jason grabbed the binder leaning on the computer tower and opened it. He was surprised to see that it was full of CDs, tucked neatly inside sleeve after sleeve. He flipped through the binder, the sheer quantity of CDs shocking him. He had no idea rich people loved computer games so much!

Jason picked out the first CD he saw with people on it - The Sims - and fed it into the computer. He wiggled the mouse impatiently as the screen froze for a few seconds before it went dark. Just when he thought he’d broken it the screen lit up again, showing a menu and blasting a jazzy tune through the speakers.

You could make your own people? You could build them a house and make them get married? You could make them cheat on each other? This was like writing a story, but if the characters could move themselves around and start beating each other up. This was great. Jason wished he’d had a computer way earlier.

The weak winter sunlight shining through the windows dimmed, and eventually extinguished itself completely. Jason, wrapped up in discovering the easiest ways to murder your own Sims to facilitate a Hamlet-esque plotline (the key was a swimming pool and a deleted ladder), didn’t notice until he heard the echo of footsteps down the aisle. He frantically tried to close his book before remembering he was using a computer, and he wasted precious moments trying to figure out how to do the computer equivalent of closing your book before realizing it was too late.

“Alfred says it’s time to wash up for dinner.” Unsaid: you did not skip dinner. Jason ‘Malnourishment’ Wayne did not skip anything, under literal doctor orders.

Jason startled, looking around the library for the first time and realizing that hours had passed. He hadn’t even noticed. Tim walked forward, moving to stand a few feet behind Jason. Bruce had given him the personal space talk. Saved Jason the effort.

“Sorry,” Jason said, half-defensively. “Lost track of time.”

“Yeah, Bruce said you normally weren’t in here for so long.” Tim squinted at the computer monitor, watching Bella Goth cry at her abandoned wedding altar as her ex-fiance ran away with his mistress. “Is that my old copy of the Sims?”

“What, do you want it back?” Jason snapped.

“I only really played Sim City and Civ. Do you hate me?”

Jason choked on his spit, the sheer whiplash sending his head spinning. Tim just blinked at him, expression neutral and posture loose with his arms folded against his chest. He said it like he was asking if Jason preferred cheese or pepperoni. As if he didn’t give two shits about the answer.

“Of course I don’t hate you!” Jason cried, solely on reflex. Tim squinted dubiously, silently asking if he had said that solely on reflex. “I mean - look, man, we ain’t beefing! We’re cool!”

“You refuse to be in the same room as me.” Tim didn’t seem particularly offended by this. “It’s fine if you do. I just think Bruce wants to know.”

“I don’t! Jeez, who just asks that! Who’s gonna say ‘yeah, I hate you!’. Just take a hint or something!”

“Sorry,” Tim said, not sounding altogether that apologetic. “I don’t like beating around the bush on things. Steph says I’m straightforward. You aren’t. If there’s a miscommunication we ought to clear it up.”

God. He was worse than Bruce. Jason didn’t know that was possible. He rolled his eyes, going back to his game and refusing to look at Tim. It made the whole conversation a lot easier. He made Bella go flirt with the neighbor, just to help her feel something. “There’s no miscommunication. We talked about this ages ago. Remember? I asked if it was cool that I was playing your video games, you said you didn’t live here so it was whatever? There was an understanding, dude.”

Judging by Tim’s face he didn’t remember that at all, and he may in fact not actually understand, but that wasn’t Jason’s problem. Tim’s terrible memory was his own fault. “Sure. But that doesn’t answer my question.”

Bella Goth was rejected. Her snotty tears grossed out the other Sim. The realism in this game was off the chain.“I answered your question. I don’t hate you. Can you drop this? I know you’re only bugging me ‘cause Steph told you to.”

“She told me to leave you be, actually. I honestly have no idea where she is right now.” So he had gone rogue. Great. “She told me months ago that you were probably avoiding me because you were worried that I would make Bruce kick you out or something. I thought you wanted some space to figure out the reality of the situation on your own, but I guess you didn’t. Maybe I should have said something.”

Frankly, Jason couldn’t believe that Tim had strung five thoughts together regarding Jason at all. “And what would you have said, huh?” Jason asked. He couldn’t muster the energy to be polite or diffuse or distract anymore. He was just kind of tired. Life couldn’t be a war on all fronts. It wore you down too far. “You’re such a big fat genius. What would you have said to make me feel better and convince me that you aren’t a threat?”

“I used to blow up buildings.”

Jason stared at Tim. Tim stared at him.

“Uh,” Jason said.

“Can I sit down?”

Jason dumbly nodded. Tim shrugged and sat down next to him, keeping the careful foot of distance between them. Sitting closer like this, Jason could see the bags under his eyes and tired lines around his mouth clearly. A guy that young shouldn’t have frown lines.

“I won’t go into it,” Tim continued, even and easy. “It’s not really a time in my life I like to remember. It was only a few months after the mob gunned down my parents and I came to live with Bruce.” Jason’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t help sucking in a breath. Tim looked distantly amused. “You don’t remember? It was big news five years ago.”

“I was, like, seven. I wasn’t really watching the news.” But it did sound pretty familiar. Tim had to have been Jason’s age. The thought made Jason’s stomach churn uncomfortably. “Sorry that happened. Must have sucked.”

“It happens to a lot of kids in this city. I’m probably the luckiest.” That was one way to look at it, but kind of a weird one. “I was angry. So angry I couldn’t see or think straight. I wanted to hurt them back. I started out doing smaller stuff, hacking into accounts and setting the IRS on people and everything. But it wasn’t violent enough. What had happened to me was violent, and I wanted to be violent too. Started blowing up warehouses. Fucking miracle I didn’t kill anybody. I almost killed a lot of people. Almost killed Steph.”

If Jason had been scared of this guy before, he was pants-shittingly terrified now. Holy shit. He didn’t know Tim could get scarier. Or more criminal.

He knew Tim was ashamed of it. It was obvious just from the look on his face. But it was really only when he mentioned hurting Stephanie that he actually seemed pained.

“All that to say, Jason,” Tim said, “Bruce still adopted me. The adoption hadn’t even gone through. He could still back out. But he barely even punished me. Steph was unconscious, I was sitting at her bedside - and he told me I’d already learned my lesson. I had.” He paused a beat. “He also said that Steph herself was punishment enough. Which was also true.”

Wow. Batman and Robin were family members with a domestic terrorist. And they just, like, kinda gave him a hard time about it. It was incredible. It’s like being superheroes made their standards lower somehow. It definitely explained why Bruce saw a homeless asshole like Jason and randomly decided he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Tim Drake-Wayne had put the bar on the ground.

He could be the good kid.

“Bruce is the most stubborn person you’ll ever meet. He’s Steph with a rich white man’s confidence. He’s implacable and I’ve never seen him change his mind on anything. If he makes a decision, he does it. There is literally nothing you can do that would jeopardize your place in the house, up to and including domestic terrorism.” Tim paused a beat. “And he’s already way more attached to you than he was to me at that point. I can’t think of a reason to worry.”

Jason mumbled something vague and incoherent about how Steph could probably change Bruce’s mind.

“Why would she do that?”

Jason made garbled noises about how he had been a jerk at dinner, so…

“When you think of an actual reason why Steph or I would want you gone let me know so I can refute it.” Tim paused, pointedly waiting for Jason to summon up an actual halfway decent logical reason why Stephanie Brown or Tim Drake-Wayne would somehow want him dead, gone, and onto the street. He completely failed. Tim didn’t seem surprised. “Cool. Stop flipping over nothing. Bruce likes you ten times as much as he likes me. You’re fine.”

Tim didn’t sound resentful or upset about it, but he was hard to read. The words struck Jason oddly - that even as Jason sat there stressing over being the expendable one, Tim was already writing Jason off as the favorite. Were any of them on the same page? Did Stephanie secretly think that Tim was the golden kid? Did anybody in this family actually understand it, or were they all blindly stumbling around, desperately trying to find the right way to love each other?

It didn’t cohere with Jason’s militaristic viewpoint. There was an enemy. There had to be. Otherwise nobody knew what was going on. It felt like a worst case scenario.

Jason found himself shifting uncomfortably on the very comfortable chair. He stared hard at the screen, aimlessly clicking his Sims around and watching them set food on fire. He pretended hard that he wasn’t talking to Tim. He was just doing what he always did and speaking to himself, playing with the figures in his head and keeping them neatly tucked inside his own mind, where nobody had to see and nobody had to know.

“What’s you and Bruce’s relationship anyway?” Jason hoped to god the question sounded casual. He was aware it probably didn’t. “He never refers to you as his kid.”

“I’m not,” Tim said shortly. Jason wondered how often he’d had to say it. Maybe people were typically too polite to ask? “I had a father. When I came to live with him I wasn’t exactly in the market for a new one, and I never decided I needed one.”

“So what are you, then?”

Tim hesitated.

Jason knew more about how Bruce’s guardianship of Tim ended than how it began. Alfred had really only shared two things about it: that Tim and Bruce loved each other but didn’t always get along, and that they had a gigantic blow-out fight that ended up in Tim packing his bags and leaving for Boston two months early, the week he turned eighteen. The subject of the fight was uncertain. It was either about everything or nothing, or maybe a lot of little things blown up in everyone’s face. They never really stopped working together on Batman stuff, but Bruce and Tim stopped talking as much.

They had chilled out. They still argued a bit, but it had never really felt like father-son arguing. They always sounded exasperated with each other, as if they were mutually shocked that they were telling each other what to do. From the sounds of it they always thought the other person was trying to make them do the stupidest thing on Earth.

“I don’t know if I can describe it in a word,” Tim said finally. Jason didn’t fight the weird satisfaction that Tim had taken the question seriously enough to stop and think about it. “Definitely not a dad. More like a much older brother, I guess, but not really that either. Not a teacher and responsibility like he is for Steph. A friend on some level, maybe. Batman and Red Robin are teammates, so there’s that element. I don’t know. I guess we never put a name to it. Do we need to?”

“I guess not.”

Jason had a lot of people in his life who he couldn’t dredge up the right names for. ‘Neighbor’ or ‘babysitter’ or ‘friend’ rarely cut it when the neighbor fed you when Mom was too high to put together a meal or grocery shop, and friends didn’t let you couch surf when you were turned out on the street. Sometimes people are more important than words.

But Jason found himself hesitating anyway. Despite that - despite all of that, despite everything he knew and everything he had convinced himself he didn’t care about - he couldn’t help but ask. It shouldn’t have mattered. But it did, at least to Jason.

“What are you and me, then?” Jason asked. He hoped it sounded casual. He knew that it didn’t.

He couldn’t see Tim’s face, which was very much on purpose. He didn’t know what Tim was thinking, and he couldn’t tell the look on his face. Maybe he looked like Jason had dropped a dead rat on his table and asked him to love it. Not that Jason had asked him to love it. Jason wouldn’t do that. That would be a really weird thing to ask someone who destabilized foreign dictatorships. He just…he just…

Sometimes you asked a question you didn’t want to know the answer to. You had to ask the question anyway. You just couldn’t stand not knowing - you couldn’t stand living in a world where you hadn’t even asked, where you hadn’t even tried.

Jason was always scared. But he always waged the war anyway. He couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t.

“What do you want us to be?”

Why did Jason always choose to wage the war? Why did he always take up arms? Why did he always fight for it?

“Whatever you want, I guess,” Jason said. “But it’s kind of a pain in the ass stressing out about you all the time.”

Tim was silent again. Whatever. Jason played in silence next to him, heroically attempting to drown as many Sims as possible. It was a hard world out there. Sometimes you drowned in swimming pools. That was life.

“So,” Tim said, somewhat awkwardly and very much on purpose, “you made a house yet?”

Jason glanced over at Tim for the first time. He was leaning forward a little, arms folded on the table as he watched Jason play. Had he been watching the whole time? “Yeah, duh. I’m doing a practice house right now with five bathrooms and a room that’s just windows.” Jason halted, considering everything before tossing it out the window. “The library has a ton of architecture books. I'm going to borrow the ancient Rome one and make an exact replica of a Roman senator’s villa.”

“That’s…incredibly cool.” Tim looked a little surprised to say it, as if he hadn’t expected to say the words and mean them. “You’ll have problems finding Sims with enough money to live in it, though. Do you know about the cheat codes?”

“The what?!”

“Here, click over to the Goths. I’ll show you. Can I see your five bathroom house?”

“Yeah! Look, I made a statue garden!”

Jason scooted his chair to the right, beckoning Tim in to bring his own chair closer so they were sitting next to each other. It was necessary for a better view of the screen and mouse access.

“I like the way you placed the statues. Lots of feng shui.” Tim took the mouse as Jason nodded ardently. He had worked hard on it. “Here, let me show you how to access the debug menu. We can put your Sims in funny NPC costumes too.”

“Seriously?! How do you do that?”

“Look,” Tim said, “I’ll show you.”

Jason looked, and saw…

Jason saw…

They missed dinner, but somehow they got away with it. Tim was clearly kind of embarrassed about it, and kept on muttering to himself about bad influences, but Jason figured that Tim should probably focus on dealing with his more important character flaws that he shouldn’t pass onto children, e.g. domestic terrorism.

Domestic terrorism.

God, he was cool.

Alfred barely twitched an eyebrow when he saw them again, settling for telling them that dinner itself had been postponed. Tim looked shocked, so Jason guessed that this wasn’t a very common occurrence. Come to think of it, if Bruce refused to come up from the Cave for dinner Jason usually just made himself a plate and went downstairs to sit at the desk next to the Batcomputer and munch potatoes as Bruce worked. He tried to munch quietly, but other times he couldn’t stop himself from asking questions about the case. He liked to think it helped - sometimes asking Bruce to explain the case helped him take a step back and catch things he would have otherwise missed. Bruce always told him ‘good job’, as if Jason had really done anything. Bruce had done all the work. But Bruce always acted like he had single handedly cracked the case anyway. What a dork.

“Master Bruce is concerning himself with a case downstairs,” Alfred said, confirming one suspicion. “You two were otherwise occupied and we couldn’t find Miss Stephanie, so we agreed to postpone the meal for a few hours. Master Timothy, I believe Master Bruce would like your help tracking some financial statements for this case.”

“You couldn’t find Steph?” Tim said, surprised. “You tried calling her?”

“The call was declined.” Alfred raised an eyebrow and silently interrogated Tim and Jason in tandem. “Would you two know anything about that?”

Tim just shrugged. “Last I saw her, she was working out while I was installing the software updates for the Batcomputer. I went upstairs for lunch and didn’t come with me. And Jason’s been in the library all day. She seriously didn’t even come out for dinner?”

“It’s unlike her,” Alfred agreed. “Master Tim, would you -”

“I’ll go find her!” Jason piped up. He remembered too late that it was rude to interrupt Alfred, but he was forced to ignore the skyrocketing eyebrow and dazed blink anyway. “I’ll go grab her so we can eat dinner. Be right back!”

With that heroic proclamation, Paul Revere accepted his sacred duty and set his horse off at a sprint, galloping through dangerous territory mired in darkness so he could share his life saving rhetoric with the village. With words themselves - ‘The British are coming!’ - and a fast horse, the tides of war could be turned.

Or maybe he was more like Pheidippides? A simple messenger’s twenty five mile sprint carrying news of a vital victory towards Athens, a hero from Herodotus given recognition in -

Jason tripped over the stair runner.

“Master Jason, please do not run in the halls!”

Every Greek hero had his tragedy.

Stephanie wasn’t in her room, which Jason definitely had never peeked inside and which for sure wasn’t painted a garish shade of purple. That was no surprise - it was definitely the first place Alfred would have looked. Similarly, she wasn’t in any of the common areas. The door to Tim’s study was locked too. She wasn’t in the library, and Bruce was already in the Batcave. It was weird. Had she wanted to be alone or something?

For a brief red-hot irrational second, Jason wondered if he had hurt her feelings. Nope. No way. Stephanie Brown didn’t a) sulk, and b) get her feelings hurt by rude gutter children. Adults who let kids hurt their feelings were super embarrassing, and everybody knew Stephanie Brown wasn’t embarrassing.

Well, if she was sulking, she could get over it. The minute Jason got up from the computer he realized he hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and his stomach was seriously rumbling. All these regular meals and big portions were turning his body seriously whiny, but Jason liked to view it as the opposite of storing fat for the winter. If Stephanie was actually a fellow gutter child then she knew the hustle.

Jason aimlessly poked his head inside rooms and wandered into random hallways for a few minutes, but it wasn’t until he stumbled inside an actual small dance studio that he realized he had to be methodical about this. The Manor could probably eat an unsuspecting gutter child who let his guard down. He was already working on a short story with that premise - it was a metaphor for capitalism - but he really didn’t feel like making it a reality. The world was weird enough already. He didn’t want to accidentally speak anything into existence.

Maybe he should check his own favorite hiding spots? Jason wasn’t dumb - he always saw little initials or doodles carved into the wooden frames in his hiding spots left by generations of delinquent children. Some D.W. really wanted you to know that A.W. was ugly. A.W. was four feet two inches tall - or so a post proudly proclaimed. R.W., U.W., and T.W. were, indeed, there.

Jason secretly loved it a little. He had started keeping a log of every little piece of switchblade graffiti he found, marking its contents and location. Maybe he could sit down and match them all up with the ridiculous genealogies he found.

He always wondered how Abraham to Uriah Wayne would feel about him sitting in their hidey holes, tracing his fingers over their initials. He knew they had not been writing to him. People like him only went inside Wayne Manor to clean. Whatever future generations of Waynes they had been writing to, Jason had never been in that picture.

So Jason wrote it large. He had grabbed an awl from the Batcave and found the most popular graffiti spots, the ones crowded with generations of names. He wrote his own, big and blocky and loud, right at the top.

J.W. ESTUVO AQUI. It was the first thing anybody would see when looking at it. He wrote it again and again, wherever he saw everybody else leaving their mark. J.W. ESTUVO AQUI. Jason Wayne was here.

Even if he left - even if he was kicked out - Jason had been there. For those strange few months, Jason had been there. You’d have to chop down the house to tear him away from it.

Bruce hadn’t kicked out Tim. Tim was a domestic terrorist who wanted to drop out of MIT. They hated each other half the time and Tim couldn’t even name their relationship.

Bruce had told Jason that he wanted him to stay. What had he meant? It had seemed so complicated at the time - that there was a secret message in those words that Jason had to divine, that it couldn’t possibly be that simple. And obviously the reality of the situation was hideously complex. But what Bruce said - Bruce’s feelings, somehow just the same as Jason's - Jason couldn’t figure out a way to complicate it.

No matter how hard Jason looked, he could only find one recent-ish B.W. - tucked high in the eaves of the popular hide-away attic, the initials gashed into the wood before the graffiti artist surrendered all pretense and started gouging the wood with a switchblade in long, straight lines. The marks were made over and over again, so methodical that parts of the post were almost carved out. Nothing to say. Just anger. Nothing to tell the world - just a desire to gouge it all out.

Jason didn’t know at what point Bruce decided to become a superhero, but the world probably dodged a bullet on a pretty insane supervillain when he did.

Jason thought about those marks as he climbed up his favorite hidden stairwell to the favorite hideaway attic, clutching his Power Ranges flashlight in one clammy hand as he crept into its heights. There were easily three different attics (maybe the house had eaten two smaller houses?), but the smallest one had the best spot - a view straight out of the round window at the front of the house, tucked under the highest eave, giving you an unmatched vantage point over the grounds. Somebody had set up a large armchair underneath that window a long time ago, complete with battery powered lantern, and the windowsill was covered in initials and graffiti. Even Jason had left his own. But Stephanie Brown was the only one sitting on the armchair, curled up with her chin on her knees as she stared at a Polaroid picture.

The battery powered lamp was turned on, casting a soft circle of light around Jason and Steph, and Jason cautiously flicked off his own flashlight and stuffed it in his pocket. Stephanie had undoubtedly noticed him approaching, but she didn’t really pay him any mind. She just stared at the picture, mane of blonde hair wild around her face, eyes far away.

Jason opened his mouth to tell her that dinner was ready.

“What are you looking at?”

Stephanie glanced at him for the first time, smiling faintly. She bent a finger inwards, and Jason trotted over to look. “Just a picture we took at our post-mission pizza place. See?”

The polaroid was small, but Stephanie tilted it slightly so he could get a better look. There was a blue blur at the corner of the frame, as if someone had leaned back very quickly so they would be out of the shot. Jason could see most of a tall Black guy, skin half-covered by glowing blue metal, holding up a piece of pizza threateningly and shaking a finger at the photographer. There was a big bite taken out of the pizza. Environmental storytelling.

But most of the picture was taken up by two figures talking to each other. Robin, sitting tall and happy, mouth open as she said something probably very funny to the giggling girl next to her. The girl was nuts - giant hair, half a foot taller than Robin sitting, with burnt orange skin and glowing green eyes creased in laughter. Their bodies were angled towards each other, a private moment between two women frozen onto film.

“Wow,” Jason said.

“I know, right? That’s everyone’s reaction to Kory. She thinks it’s funny. Apparently nobody on Tamaran really thought she was anything special. Crazy planet.” Steph smiled softly. She hadn’t taken her eyes off the photograph. “We were so excited to introduce her to pizza. First time she has it, she loves it - eats a whole pie. Then an hour later she’s in the bathroom yelling about how we poisoned her. Turns out she’s lactose intolerant. Now we’re practically the mascots of the weird yuppie California vegan pizza places. Gar’s, like, so smug about it.”

“Vegan food? Like for hippies?” Jason was appalled. “There’s restaurants that just sell vegan food? Who goes there?”

“Californians, I guess! Those people are insane. It’s like another world over there. It’s, like, sunny and shit. Vic says I’m a bigger baby about different cultures than the actual aliens and extradimensional witches.”

“Right.” Jason hesitated, stomach boiling awkwardly. “Um. I’m sorry for…”

“You’re fine. I deserved that one. It made me think, anyway. And I don’t do that nearly enough.” Stephanie didn’t look up from the picture. Jason was worried that she couldn’t. “Hey, squirt. You’re smart, right? What do you do when…when you aren’t the person you thought you were?”

Since when was Jason the smart one? Why was an adult asking him for advice? Jason didn’t know. But he thought about it anyway, hopping on the carved oak back leg of the armchair and hanging off the winged back. “Uh…I don’t know. You change your opinion about yourself, I guess.”

But Stephanie just shook her head. “Who you are is, like, a thing. It’s always been a thing to me. Steph or Robin or…whatever. But what if you - you do something, or you think things, and they aren’t something Steph or Robin would ever do or think? Are you something else now?”

Jason really didn’t understand this woman’s psychology. “You’re Steph. You’re thinking it. So it’s a thing Steph would think. I’m not following you.”

“Steph’s always been this. She can’t start being that.” Jason began experimentally climbing up the chair, digging his feet onto the arms and scrambling up to the top. “Robin’s always been Robin. She’s always been the girl I wanted to be. Robin can’t be…that isn’t really what I anticipated for her.” Quickly she added, “Not that there’s anything wrong with being…that. Some of my best friends are that. But Robin’s not that. She’s not an alien or a mute assassin or anything. Robin’s a normal person, not a - more interesting person. Her relationships aren’t really where she always thought they would be. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

“I’m not really where I thought I’d be six months ago either,” Jason said philosophically. He hoisted himself up until he was gripping the back of the chair, elbows locked straight as he swung his feet. He could see straight down onto the top of Stephanie’s head from this vantage point. He could see from the very top of the window - from the very top of the world, with everything spread out underneath his feet in harmony. Undisturbed and eternal. Simple, if only when viewed from high above. “Things change. That’s not bad. Maybe who you wanted to be when you were my age isn’t who you want to be when you’re an adult. Shocker.”

Stephanie was quiet. Jason experimentally tilted himself forward, leaning over the back of the chair until his legs were high in the air too.

“You’re going to fall off.”

“I’m not gonna fall off,” Jason lied. “Look, I got balance.”

“I’m a gymnast. You’re going to fall off.”

“How can you tell? You ain’t even looking up.”

Stephanie sighed. She waited three seconds before getting off the armchair, almost at the precise moment that Jason over-balanced and fell ass over teakettle onto the overstuffed cushion. He bounced, blinking hard to clear his spinning vision, and when his eyes finally rightened themselves he saw Stephanie Brown standing in front of him, arms crossed and amused.

“Right,” Jason muttered, world spinning. “Big damn superhero.”

“I think the proper term is ‘Wonder Girl’, thank you very much.” Stephanie crouched in front of him, expression softening. “Jason. Is there something you want to tell me?” Her tone was kind and gentle, and it abruptly panicked Jason. He shook his head. “Are you sure? There’s nothing you want to talk to me about? It can be anything.”

“I’m fine!” Jason did not break under torture. “I just came up about dinner, honest!”

“Is that what Alfred said?” What did that mean? But Stephanie just sighed, looking at Jason intently. Her gaze could be surprisingly intense - as if she was really looking at you, ready to crack you open and read the future from your entrails. “The boys warned me about overwhelming you about five different times, you know. I think they were worried I’d try to force you into family togetherness before you were cool with that.”

Jason mumbled something about how Steph obviously, like, didn’t even want Bruce to adopt him, so…

“Seriously? Who told you that?”

“You yelled at him for, like, an hour,” Jason said, desperately uncomfortable. “Look, it’s fine. I don’t care. Water under the bridge. Everything’s cool. I don’t want to make it into a thing.”

“A thing? I don’t - oh, man.” Stephanie sighed again, putting her elbow on her knees and propping her hand on her chin. Jason squirmed uncomfortably. But she didn’t seem upset or frustrated - just a little exasperated, as if her day was long enough without dealing with this too. “Jason, Bruce is…I dunno if you’ve noticed, but he’s kinda fragile.”

“He’s actually Batman?!”

“I’ve been watching Batman’s back and taking care of Bruce for ages. I was so worried about leaving him. I needed to get out of Gotham, I knew the guys needed me out in Jump, but…I was so worried I was ditching the people that needed me here. And then he and Tim had that blow up a month after I moved out, which totally felt like my fault, and…” Stephanie sighed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. “I was stressing out over him constantly. And then he’s calling me in a panic over emergency placements and I’m sitting here like - he needs me to help take care of him, what makes him think he can take care of a special needs kid! He’s already called me for parenting advice three times in the first week, again, before I told him he was on his own with this one and - ugh. It was seriously like - I turn my back for two seconds…I was just worried about him, Jason. That’s all.”

Jason couldn’t believe this. Well, he could - he had kinda gotten a picture of this just from listening around - but it was still ridiculous. “Bro. He’s, like, thirty. He’s on the Justice League. He has a company. And I’m the houseplant of adoptees. It’s chill.”

“It would have been fine if I had just been here,” Stephanie sighed. Jason couldn’t believe that this was the woman’s beef with him. Did this even count as beef? Was it more like tofu? Had Californian soy byproducts rotted her mind? “But I just had to run off to lead an undergrad superhero team. I hadn’t meant to start A League of Her Own or anything. They just needed me, that’s all. I wouldn’t have left if I thought Bruce would randomly start adopting children…I’m sorry, Jason. It really has nothing to do with you.”

With a slow and creeping horror, Jason realized that his new older sister was stupid.

He had to set this record straight. What the hell. He couldn’t let things continue like this. This was the most ridiculous thing Jason had seen in his entire life, and he once saw a homeless guy climb a gargoyle to try and eat a pigeon.

Jason took a deep breath. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Stephanie stared at him, somewhat incredulously. Finally, like a teacher delivering the lesson of their short life, Jason said, “You are not Queen of the Universe. You are an actual teenager. You can’t control everything that happens in Gotham, and it’s dumb to try and control everything that happens in Bruce’s life. Why don’t you trust him? Why do you think he’s not good enough?”

Steph looked away, somewhat awkwardly, and muttered something about how he had literally been calling for parenting advice again, so…

“And you stopped helping him, and he did just fine! You’re an adult. Adults are supposed to leave him and go to college and start superhero teams.” Or they did in his books and Fresh Prince, which Jason had to assume was what the world was ‘meant’ to be like. Jason firmly believed that his life wasn’t the way lives should be. He had to believe that really, really badly. “It’s stupid as hell to try and give that up so you could keep babysitting a guy who doesn’t need it. It’s not your job to take care of him.”

“It totally is, though,” Steph complained weakly. She was powerless in the face of Jason’s rhetoric and she knew it. “I’m Robin, of ‘Batman and’. We’re partners, we cover each other’s bases. Even if Steph doesn’t have to take care of Bruce, Batman needs Robin.”

“You live in California. You can’t exactly do that anymore. If Steph’s thinking things that Steph doesn’t think, then maybe Steph isn’t who she thought she was. And if Batman’s partner is doing her own thing with her own friends now, then maybe she’s gotta take Robin back to the drawing board. And, like, stop mothering Batman.” Jason shrugged, crossing his arms and scooting back into the armchair until he could fold his legs up. “But what do I know, right?”

Steph stared at him for a little while, just enough to make Jason feel awkward. And enough for him to start kicking himself. What was he on about? This wasn’t a parking lot fight with the other street kids over if Robin could beat up Green Lantern (“She hasn’t tried, but she took down Oliver in two minutes. I have footage. Why do you ask, Jason?”). He couldn’t exactly sit here and tell the actual Robin who and what Robin was. What did he know about it?

What did he know about Bruce? What did he know about this family? He knew where Steph was coming from. Jason had heard more than enough stories to grok that Steph had kept Bruce on the straight and narrow for a long time. She was the one who had taken Batman from a monster into a hero. Apparently she was the one who defused what probably would have been a super messy first meeting between Batman and Superman. Batman said that it was only because of Robin that he understood the importance of the Justice League in the first place.

And that was just Batman. Bruce himself could be kind of a disaster sometimes. Jason could already tell that she always mediated Tim and Bruce. And Bruce got sad sometimes, and other times he obviously couldn’t find it within himself to talk to people or to take off Batman and go back to being Bruce Wayne. Jason didn’t know how to handle all that. If he did know, if he could do something - then wouldn’t he? Wouldn’t he do whatever he can, to help the guy who helped him out the most?

But it still wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair to Bruce, who believe it or not hadn’t actually adopted Jason on impulse. And it wasn’t fair to Steph. Just because you were the only girl in the house didn’t mean you had to do your job and take care of all the guys too. She hadn’t been much older than Jason when she took up vigilantism. Other people should have been taking care of her. She hadn’t looked out for Steph first for a really long time - had she ever?

“Can I sit?”

Jason startled, and he quickly scooched to the side to make room for Steph. He was still pretty small and the armchair was obviously super big, so they fit together just fine. Her bare arm brushed against Jason’s chunky red sweater, but she didn’t act awkward about it. She just settled in with him, pulling her own legs underneath her. She smelled like strawberries. Jason tried extremely hard not to notice.

It was hard to read her. Her expression was blank and controlled. It made Jason sweat a bit. Was she mad at him? Was this when the prophesied Stephanie Brown hatred campaign against Jason began? Why was she sitting next to him? Should he make a run for it?

“If you could decide who Robin was,” Steph said quietly, and Jason stiffened. “If you were in complete control of that. Who would you want Robin to be?”

What a weird question. What a weird question for Robin herself to ask him. Maybe she was having a bit of an identity crisis. Jason probably wasn’t helping there. The least he could do was give her an answer. Maybe he should pretend to think about it first. He really didn’t have to think about it at all, obviously, but maybe he should pretend. But he ended up saying it immediately anyway.

“He’s like Robin now,” Jason confessed. “I mean - he or she or whatever. Gender doesn’t matter. Uh, they’re a kid, though. Not that there’s anything wrong with being an adult. I mean - I have a really good imagination, Bruce says so, so -”

“You can just go for it, squirt.”

“Oh. Okay.” Why was Jason on fire? Why did even thinking of this set something deep in Jason aflame? “He’s like Robin now, ‘cause when he saves people he always makes them feel safe. People trust him. But he’s really different too. Because he’s really strong and powerful, and everybody’s scared of how powerful he is. When people look at him, they see…they see that he’ll save them no matter what. That he’ll never stop until everybody in the Narrows is safe. If he dies, that wouldn’t stop him - he’d just get back up again, ready for round two. He’s the most stubborn son of a gun in all’a Gotham.”

Jason took a deep, shuddering breath. The oxygen stoked the fire in him, but he couldn’t stop for the life of him.

“He’s not really who you think of when you think of a hero. He doesn’t care about glory or fairy tale endings. But people - people who have nothing, they have him. People who have nothing in their pockets have Robin. Kids, the babies on the street - they’d have a big brother in Robin. He saves the unsaveable kids.” Jason’s breath hitched, hot tears pricking at his eyes. “Robin would have saved me. He wouldn’t have stopped until he saved me.”

The image was clear in his mind. He’d imagined it a thousand times. He had a good imagination, and Jason never had anything fun to do but read and think. He knew what Robin’s costume looked like - he couldn’t have the same costume as a girl, come on - and he knew the shape of his domino mask. He had the skin of anybody in the Narrows, so the people who needed him most knew that he was always on their side.

When people had nothing, they would have Robin. They would know that they hadn’t been abandoned by God. That they could be saved. That any of them, any one, could save themselves. They could save each other.

A warm weight fell around his shoulders, and he realized Steph had slung her arm around him. She was soft and warm, and for a crushing moment Jason could almost feel his own mother’s hugs.

She’d never hug him again. Not ever. Jason didn’t know how many more hugs he’d receive over the course of his life, but none of them would ever feel like Mami. There was no getting that back. There was no going backwards.

Where could he go from here?

“Jason,” Steph said softly, “what do you want?”

What did he want? He wanted Mami, obviously. He wanted to stay in Wayne Manor forever. He wanted to read every book and go to that fancy prep school and he wanted Tim to play the Sims with him again just like he promised.

Jason could admit all of that. He’d been pretty insistent about the Gotham Academy thing, despite Bruce’s reservations. The one thing he couldn’t admit -

How could he admit it? How could he begin? He couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t tell her that the figure in his beautiful picture holding out his hand to Jason, the figure so tall and strong and smiling with bright teeth, who wore her own costume and wore it proudly, only ever looked like himself. That Jason never once daydreamed of Batman and Robin saving him - not once in all those long and lonely years. That he had only ever imagined himself, wearing a coat of many colors, holding a hand out to a boy with nothing. That he had saved himself. He couldn’t imagine anybody else doing it.

“I dunno,” Jason lied. “I dunno…”

“That’s fine.” Steph squeezed his shoulder a little, and despite himself Jason leaned against her side. It was nice. When Steph spoke again her voice was tight and hoarse, and Jason couldn’t figure out why for the life of him. “Jason…who you are is who you’re meant to be. Okay? There’s nobody else in the world like you. There’s nobody else as thoughtful and heroic and insightful as you are. Jason Todd or Jason Wayne - you’re amazing. You’re wonderful. Just as you are.”

“Shut up!” Jason said, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes hard. “You don’t even know me!”

“I’m a pretty good judge of people, you know. And I know there’s people in this world who need someone like you. Someone who keeps people safe.” Jason’s chest hitched a little, making him hate God and all of his creation. Crying. In front of Stephanie Brown. Dante never visited this circle of hell. “I want you to have whatever you want, Jason. Whatever that is. I want you to have what you want.”

Jason wanted to push her away. He wanted to stop crying. He meant to. But somehow he could only lean against Steph and cry, and could only let her hug him, and he thought maybe he didn’t really know what he wanted at all.

Bruce stayed with Jason that night, foregoing their usual goodbyes in the Batcave so he could see him to bed instead. Jason knew it had been his own idea - he thought Jason might have been avoiding him that day. Jason had solemnly told Bruce that it was a military maneuver, and that he didn’t understand the rules of engagement. Bruce had agreed, if only out of confusion.

He reminded Jason to brush his teeth and helped him clean up his scattered room. Jason carefully placed a tin Green Army Man he found at the bottom of a dusty box at his headboard right behind him, so he could read over Jason’s shoulder. He pulled up an armchair next to Jason’s bed, and Jason settled in at the corner with a copy of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. He had spent ten minutes recapping his favorite chapters from the book, sprinkled with some creative zest. Bruce was very interested in the story of the Golden Fleece and Jason and the Argonauts, but Jason thought maybe he might be making fun of him.

Batman was a formidable foe, and Jason was forced to surrender eventually. Jason dropped the book, throwing his hands up. “Fine! I was named after the movie! Happy? You finished interrogating me, officer?”

“What interrogation? I never asked.” The man’s poker face was impressive, but Jason couldn’t be fooled. “I didn’t even imply it.”

“There were no ulterior motives,” Jason hissed, jabbing a finger at the faux-innocent Bruce. “She liked the zombie skeletons. She thought they were cool and creepy, and she liked the name Jason, and that was it. Don’t read into it!”

“So your namesake has nothing to do with why you have that book memorized?”

Jason threw his book at Bruce. He caught it effortlessly. Damn him.

Dinner had been nice. Everybody finally sat around a table and talked like real people, even if Jason was flip-flopping at lightspeed between feeling extremely awkward and silently threatening to kill Steph if she ever let on that she saw him crying. She had mimed zipping her lips shut, but Jason didn’t trust like that. It was no good for siblings to have blackmail on you so quickly.

At least they were chill now. They had shook on it and everything. Steph said that Jason had given her a lot to think about. Jason really didn’t know what that meant. He was a little worried he might find out.

She had promised to teach him how to backflip before she left. And Tim had promised to play the Sims with him tomorrow. Jason interpreted the promises as white flags. He wasn’t sure if he was victorious or not.

Jason quietly took the Green Army Man off his headboard. He rubbed his thumb over it, feeling the worn tin and letting the shard of rifle poke into his thumb, before carefully putting it back in his nightstand drawer. Bruce noticed, but he didn’t comment on it.

The clock chimed eventually, and Jason’s eyelids were growing heavy. Bruce stood up from the armchair, carefully pulling it back to the side, and told Jason goodnight. He turned off Jason’s nightstand lamp, and his hand half-raised before he let it fall.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Jason,” Bruce said. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight…”

Jason hadn’t really meant to say it. But he didn’t want to leave it on his tongue anymore - unspoken and unknown. He opened his mouth, trying to say it, but the words stuck in his throat. But Bruce turned his back to him and opened the door, light tumbling into the room, and the rise of a deep well of courage in Jason’s heart punctured the intangible barrier between them.

“Bruce?” Jason piped up quietly. Bruce stopped at the door, turning around. The dim yellow glow of the hallway cast light over Bruce and crept into Jason’s bedroom. Jason found himself wishing it would stay away just a little bit longer - that Bruce would remain in the darkness for just a little while. “...can you stay?”

Bruce halted, looking at him with a shadowed expression for only a second, before he closed the door again. “I have to prepare for patrol soon. And you do have a bedtime.”

“Steph’s home. Can Robin patrol by herself? Just for a little bit?”

Jason felt his courage dwindle. He felt like a spoiled, selfish idiot for asking. But he didn’t feel like an idiot for wanting Bruce to stay. It felt like the most natural thing in the world.

But Bruce just shrugged and turned around, as if the ask was nothing at all. “You’re right. She’s more than capable.” Bruce walked back to Jason’s bed, and Jason daringly patted the space next to him. Bruce stopped, surprised. “You’re sure?”

“Steph’s a hugger. The dam’s been broken.” It was different with a girl than with a man - much, much different - but it was easier to blame it on her. Bruce cautiously sat down next to him on the bed, motions careful and precise as only Batman could make them. Something in Jason loved that - that Batman helped Bruce care about him. “You know, in Percy Jackson I’d be a son of Nike.”

“For victory? Wouldn’t you rather be the child of an Olympian?” Bruce settled in next to him, and Jason was suddenly acutely aware of the heat of Bruce’s body. He was tall and strong, but he wasn’t so strange.

“Nah. I wouldn’t want anybody going around saying I only won fights ‘cause my parent’s a powerhouse. I’d win fights for my parent. And it would psych everybody out. Like - oh, we’ll lose against Jason, he’s victory himself! That kind of thing. I got it all planned out. So Nike would be my secret Mom, except she would have had me with Mami, because she’s a god and gods can do that.”

“Congratulations on your mother’s bisexuality.”

“Nike would have turned into a guy. Or something. She can be gay if she wants. Jeez, Bruce.” Jason shifted a little until he was pressed against Bruce, warm and strong. “There’d be this whole secret love affair thing. They met because the Louvre put the Nike statue on tour, and Mami went to go see it at the Gotham Museum of Fine Arts - they had a free museum day. And she saw the statue and she fell in love with it instantly.

“And Nike saw her looking, and fell in love with her too. So Nike uses her power and makes the statue move right in front of Mami. Mami sees its headless body turning to look at her, and she knows that it can see her clearly even with no eyes and no face. But it’s still beautiful to her. The statue steps off the pedestal, wings beating, and walks towards Mami. Nike’s thinking that Mami can’t love an old statue with no head, so she tries to turn the statue into something beautiful that Mami could love. A really attractive man or a cute woman if Mami’s bisexual or something. But Mami tells Nike that nothing’s as beautiful as the ancient statue. It’s the most beautiful statue in the world. She doesn’t need to see Nike’s face to love her. Then they fall in love together.”

“That’s a beautiful story,” Bruce said gravely. “How does it end?”

“With me, obviously,” Jason said. “Mom and Nike never met again. But Mami gave me magic, and that means I’ll always be okay. This is where I’m going to start my own memoir. I’m working on that, by the way. It’s more of a diary now, but it’s pretty good. You aren’t reading it.”

“Wouldn’t dare,” Bruce said. “But why start it here? Not during your life in the Narrows? I know it’s important to you.”

“That’s in flashbacks,” Jason said condescendingly. “It’s a literary device. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Clearly I do not.”

Obviously. Jason settled back in bed, leaning against Bruce just a little more. Little by little. “It starts here because here is where it starts. This is when it begins.”

“Here?” Bruce asked. He sounded a little surprised. Jason didn’t know why. It was obvious. “Right now?”

“Sure,” Jason said. “Right here.”

Jason fell asleep like that, warm and safe with somebody who loved him, and for a brief moment as he slid from consciousness to sleep he thought that he might have something he wanted.

He would get the one other thing he wanted soon. Stephanie was changing, and Jason was fulfilling his potential. Batman needed a Robin. They’d see.

Jason would show them.

#my writing #jason todd #bruce wayne #stephanie brown #tim drake #batman fanfic #batfam fanfic

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gear-project · 11 months

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HYPOTHETICAL STRIVE WINQUOTES

Remember when I said I was gonna write EVERY POSSIBLE WINQUOTE that characters were missing in GG Strive in classic Guilty Gear win quote fashion...

Well, here's my first attempt:

(I wrote all of these In-Character to the best of my knowledge… you can take them with a grain of salt… but I hope you appreciate the attempt all the same!)

Sol Badguy VERSUS SELF: You're lucky the Bounty on me was fake, I'd have cashed it in myself years ago! VERSUS KY: Just because you can use Dragon Install doesn't mean you're stronger than me… VERSUS AXL: At this point I should be the one with the handicap! VERSUS GIOVANNA: I knew somebody like you in the CIA… she dug too deep though. VERSUS MAY: You've gotten stronger since last we fought… wanna go again? VERSUS CHIPP: I don't actually SMOKE anymore… I quit a long time ago. VERSUS FAUST: PHYSICIAN HEAL THYSELF! VERSUS RAMLETHAL: I see you've gotten more vicious… but you're kinder underneath. Not bad. VERSUS POTEMKIN: Wait a minute, you're a Pilot? How can you fly when you're THAT big? VERSUS LEO: You've toughened up since last time, huh? Keep working at it. VERSUS ZATO: You and Death just don't get along. Stay out of trouble. VERSUS MILLIA: So you work for the Government, now? Don't dig too deep. VERSUS BAIKEN: You've mellowed out some since last we fought… but your sword is as sharp as ever! VERSUS ANJI: As usual you're a pain in my neck. Stay out of my business! VERSUS BEDMAN?: This hunk of junk is still walking around!? Wait, you're KEEPING IT? VERSUS TESTAMENT: Last time we fought you were on a holy crusade… you've changed a lot. VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: I'll go back to 'playing dead' soon enough, if it gives YOU less paperwork! VERSUS BRIDGET: You got a patent for that thing? Trust me, the rules are pretty strict nowadays. VERSUS JACK-O': C'mon don't be like that… I'll buy you dinner and roses when we get back. VERSUS I-NO: Even if you're not who you were in the past, you're still FREE. VERSUS SIN: Copying my moves, eh? Well it's better than nothing, I guess. VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: I never thought a Katana could outpace Gear Cells… guess I've got more to learn. VERSUS CHAOS: Maybe you think the world needs you… But you'd be dead wrong. VERSUS ASUKA#: Why do I have to deal with your leftover crap, anyway? VERSUS ASUKA: After all that's happened between us… I just feel better having punched you in the face.

Ky Kiske VERSUS SELF: You probably don't realise it but my family depends on this sword of mine. VERSUS SOL: Not holding back… I finally understand what you meant. VERSUS AXL: You've got new tricks, I see… I can't tell where you'll appear next! VERSUS GIOVANNA: This is the first time someone has stopped my sword with their foot! You're strong. VERSUS MAY: Once someone figures out who they need to protect… they can only get stronger! VERSUS CHIPP: You used to be so hot tempered, then again, I wasn't much different. VERSUS FAUST: I see you've paid a great price to get stronger… Don't waste it, but take care. VERSUS RAMLETHAL: Your style is still much like Sol's but you've refined yourself even more. Impressive! VERSUS POTEMKIN: At this point I can afford to entrust my back to you, that's how strong you've become. VERSUS LEO: I never said I was a genius, or that I was handsome… HEY STOP WRITING STUFF DOWN! VERSUS ZATO: So you've dedicated the remainder of your life to being a Knight. Protect her with your heart, not just your power alone. VERSUS MILLIA: So you've found a place to 'exist'. I'm glad for you. VERSUS BAIKEN: You've matured a lot since last time… I'm glad you have something precious to protect now. VERSUS ANJI: You're still a bit of a mystery to me… How exactly did you get those Zessen OutRage? VERSUS BEDMAN?: The boy who once rode in this monstrosity sacrificed his life to protect his sister… I'll never forget his sacrifice. VERSUS TESTAMENT: I suppose at this point you're like a Brother-in-Law? Or a Sister-in-Law?!? VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: It is my HOPE that Illyria and America can continue to keep the peace of this world. I hope the feelings are mutual. VERSUS BRIDGET: Someday I hope you'll work up the courage to introduce me to your family. VERSUS JACK-O': Even if your past is tied to things you don't connect with, you can still make up the difference by being yourself. VERSUS I-NO: Even if you were given the role of a God… Humanity and Gears still have the freedom to live on their own terms. VERSUS SIN: I noticed you've been trying to copy my techniques too… if you want to practice I'll help you-- (….he got away again…) VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: Bushido still has a place in this world for those of us who fight to protect those we care for. VERSUS CHAOS: It's a shame. You were blessed with the world's greatest wisdom but you squandered it. Maybe it's time you sought to atone for your past. VERSUS ASUKA#: I've fought Robot copies of myself, so you'd think I'd be used to these situations… Unfortunately I'm not. VERSUS ASUKA: This is the first time I've exchanged words with someone who knew Sol for far longer than I have. I'm somewhat impressed.

Axl Low VERSUS SELF: I won't be giving Megumi up to you, just to have you know! VERSUS SOL: Chief, I'm just glad you have my back through thick'n'thin… VERSUS KY: Oi-Oi.. This King has a lotta Time on 'is 'ands if he wants to drink Tea with me! VERSUS GIOVANNA: You really need to work on your manners… it's rude to pick a fight you know… VERSUS MAY: I expected Sea World from you, but all that jumpin' makes you an easy target… VERSUS CHIPP: You say you're Japanese but live in AFRICA??? But you're actually a bloody American? You're confusing, mate. VERSUS FAUST: Is it just me or have you gotten even taller? And you can make portals like me now!??? VERSUS RAMLETHAL: So the girl who declared War on the World is now a HERO?? Politics, I tell ya… VERSUS POTEMKIN: I didn't mean nothin' by callin' you a Gorilla… but the similarities are very striking… VERSUS LEO: A SPEEDING TICKET!? FOR TELEPORTING? What kinda bollux speed trap is this??? VERSUS ZATO: So can Eddie do party tricks? Can you make him look like me? VERSUS MILLIA: I almost regret asking Megumi to trim her long hair… almost. VERSUS BAIKEN: Havin' family's important… it gives you a foundation to live. VERSUS ANJI: Been a long while, Mate. I didn't expect you'd figure everything out after the last time we met, but here we are. VERSUS BEDMAN?: I spoke with Romeo, you know. He was dead set on destroying the world if it meant protecting you, Delilah. I just hope you can find peace after all that's happened. VERSUS TESTAMENT: Just how many new hobbies have you GOT, Mate!??? VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: My Chain Sickles are lightweight for a REASON… I'd throw my back out if I swung around something THAT heavy, Mate! VERSUS BRIDGET: Sorry, I don't make it a habit to show the solutions to MY TRICKS! VERSUS JACK-O': Jacky! Do me a favor and keep Chief outta my hair… He's a bit much for me to handle! VERSUS I-NO: It's not like it never occurred to me to ask you out on a Date… I just didn't want to Cheat on my Girlfriend is all! VERSUS SIN: I suppose wielding a flagpole DOES improve your attack range… slightly. VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: Becoming a Human isn't really that hard… You just gotta trust people a bit more is all. VERSUS CHAOS: You gross me out, Mate… I can't believe I met the "human version" of you in 2192… VERSUS ASUKA#: You mean I could make a COPY with MY powers? Of myself!? That's wild, mate! VERSUS ASUKA: I know you made the Gears, but did you ever expect the world would turn out like this? Amazin' how Humans bounce back, ain't it?!

Giovanna VERSUS SELF: If you can't even tell which of us is real, why'd you even try? VERSUS SOL: Don't even try it. I'll kick you so fast your "Bandit Revolver" will seem like a Squirt Gun. VERSUS KY: You're the type who causes misunderstandings with women, aren't you? VERSUS AXL: You're pretty nosy, butting in to peoples' business… but I'm not too different. VERSUS MAY: Love's important… but so is strength and speed. VERSUS CHIPP: I outran a Cheetah that was faster than you! VERSUS FAUST: Sorry, my insurance doesn't cover kicks to the face… that is your face, right? VERSUS RAMLETHAL: I'm not interested in your past, but you better believe you'll make it up to the future. I'll see to it. VERSUS POTEMKIN: I've heard you're an artist… can you dance, too? VERSUS LEO: Rei, hold him down so I can handcuff him…. He's coming HOME with me! VERSUS ZATO: I'm not really sure if Rei is the same as your Eddie here, but at least he's house-trained! (Thank god…) VERSUS MILLIA: I'm not really the type to hold back towards Secret Agent types, sorry… It's my line of work. VERSUS BAIKEN: The War is in the past, but it's hard for people to forget isn't it? I know. VERSUS ANJI: You're a pretty good dancer, but you get distracted when expecting people to be impressed by it. VERSUS BEDMAN?: In this line of work you never know what you have to face… Sorry, if I damaged it too much. VERSUS TESTAMENT: Your Scythe is pretty scary, but I don't see the point of drinking Tea… I guess it's a culture thing. VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: Boss… I know what you're gonna say… But, I got my own trail to follow! VERSUS BRIDGET: Being 'yourself' in this world is pretty tough, but hang in there, okay? VERSUS JACK-O': Rei isn't exactly a "ghost" or a "servant" in a traditional sense… No lectures, please… VERSUS I-NO: You cause trouble and expect people to be lenient… We're human, but even WE have LIMITS. VERSUS SIN: You're pretty energetic, kid… But if this were a race, I would have LAPPED you. VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: My job involves a lot of things, but it's not like I don't have time to help people like yourself. VERSUS CHAOS: Sorry but… CAN YOU PLEASE GO DOWNWIND? YOU SMELL LIKE A CORPSE… VERSUS ASUKA#: I could actually tell you weren't the real thing, believe it or not you have a different scent. VERSUS ASUKA: You've probably been through a lot, but sorry to tell you, I'm just doing my job here.

May VERSUS SELF: You'll never beat me when it comes to LOVING JOHNNY! VERSUS SOL: You lived a rough life, so I heard. Maybe what you need is a trip to the BEACH! VERSUS KY: You're MARRIED NOW!? Time sure flies… VERSUS AXL: It takes more than Luck to find someone who loves you… You have to work hard. VERSUS GIOVANNA: (Johnny likes cool busty ladies, better make sure he never meets her…) VERSUS CHIPP: If I keep training like this, maybe I'll get to wear cute Ninja clothes too??? VERSUS FAUST: I'm sorry about your past (and misjudging you as just a 'baldy')… I hope things turn out better for you, someday! VERSUS RAMLETHAL: I finally found out the truth, thanks to you, but I'm still glad I heard it, even if it was harsh. VERSUS POTEMKIN: They say you have to be HUGE to be strong, but I'm pretty small and STILL strong. Did I eat something weird? VERSUS LEO: Even though you're a rough guy, you think about others… you're not so bad! VERSUS ZATO: Explaining what 'Love' is is pretty tough, actually… I'm not sure what to tell you… VERSUS MILLIA: You're what they call a "real professional", aren't you? I hope I get to be like that someday… VERSUS BAIKEN: I still haven't found my 'original family' yet, either… but I hope we can both find peace… VERSUS ANJI: You sure know a lot about the past… What other stuff do you know? VERSUS BEDMAN?: (This girl's a little creepy, but I doubt Johnny would be interested…) VERSUS TESTAMENT: I'm not sure if I can give permission for you to join the Jellyfish Crew (Johnny, HELP!!!) VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: Whoah… YOU HAVE AN ALIEN IN THERE!??? CAN I SEE IT?? CAN I, PLEASE!??? VERSUS BRIDGET: Your "real family" will always be there for you in a pinch, like me and Johnny! VERSUS JACK-O': These little guys are really cute… can I take one home with me? VERSUS I-NO: Just because you're feeling bored doesn't mean you get to pick on others! VERSUS SIN: Using a flagpole isn't too much different from an anchor… I don't think? VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: I can't say I've ever tried Onigiri before… (even if I'm Japanese…) VERSUS CHAOS: ---AND THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE JELLYFISH PIRATES!! (Oops, did I go overboard again…?) VERSUS ASUKA#: This is… totally weird. I half expect to run in to a ROBOT COPY of myself… shivers VERSUS ASUKA: I don't hold grudges for past mistakes… But I hope you'll continue to do good for people…

Chipp Zanuff VERSUS SELF: SHADOW CLONE JUTSU DISPERSE! Huh!? You're NOT part of my Jutsu!???? VERSUS SOL: Maybe you quit Smoking, but you really should work on your Endurance, old man… VERSUS KY: All leaders have a heavy burden… I know that now… Stay cool, though… VERSUS AXL: My armblade isn't quite the same shape as your chain scythe, but if I can move faster than you, it can slay demons! VERSUS GIOVANNA: I sense a spirit possessing you… and… he is a good boy. VERSUS MAY: It takes more than trust to form a bond with your familiar… You gotta keep up with their pace as well… VERSUS FAUST: I didn't realize this before but your techniques are a form of ancient martial arts aren't, aren't they? VERSUS RAMLETHAL: You're still learning how to interact with people, but don't try too hard, it makes them uncomfortable. VERSUS POTEMKIN: As usual, you're a slow-poke… but at least you're good at holding your own pace. VERSUS LEO: You wield those swords almost like Armblades… you've gotten stronger since last time… VERSUS ZATO: I've mastered shadow manipulation now, as well… Can you sense me when I 'disappear completely'? VERSUS MILLIA: You've gotten faster since we last raced… Keeps me on my toes! VERSUS BAIKEN: Okay, I'll admit I was raised in America, but my Master was Japanese… he was like a father to me! VERSUS ANJI: You need to learn your limits against some people… Especially against Demihumans and ME… VERSUS BEDMAN?: I met your brother, once… he didn't say much, but I sensed he had a strong conviction… He has my respect. VERSUS TESTAMENT: It's one thing to be curious, but don't just mess with Humans just for the heck of it! VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: Give Erica a message from me: I'm BUSY. SEE YOU! VERSUS BRIDGET: You can use that winch to maintain air in the sky… I might borrow it for a little while… VERSUS JACK-O': I sense two souls in one body… what the heck is this!? VERSUS I-NO: The heart of the Mother of Origin… To think you were someone like that… it's tragic. VERSUS SIN: Using all your energy in one go isn't a good idea… only save it for THE PERFECT MOMENT! VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: My Master taught me everything about Ninjutsu… just who are you to him!? VERSUS CHAOS: Purity and Sinlessness are two different things… I'm not here to judge you, I'm here to STOP you. VERSUS ASUKA#: It takes more than that to form a stable Bunshin, you need more practice! VERSUS ASUKA: Thanks for keeping Erica safe… But don't expect me to vouch for you…

Faust VERSUS SELF: PAST… GONE… NOT… NEEDED… VERSUS SOL: CHANGED… BUT STILL… HOT. VERSUS KY: SAVED… ME… THANK YOU. VERSUS AXL: PORTALS… HARD TO… USE. VERSUS GIOVANNA: DOG… IS… SOFT. VERSUS MAY: ENERGETIC… DOLPHIN… GIRL. VERSUS CHIPP: YOU… TALK… TOO… FAST. VERSUS RAMLETHAL: I WILL… SAVE… EVERYONE… VERSUS POTEMKIN: TOO… MUCH… PROTEIN… VERSUS LEO: NEW… DICTIONARY… ENTRY… VERSUS ZATO: HATRED… HASN'T… FADED… VERSUS MILLIA: TRIED TO… SAVE… SORRY… VERSUS BAIKEN: YOUR… HEART… HAS… HEALED. VERSUS ANJI: NO… SHIRT… NO… SERVICE. VERSUS BEDMAN?: SWEET… DREAMS… VERSUS TESTAMENT: RESOLVED… FAMILY… ISSUES… GOOD. VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: NOT… A… CRYPTID… VERSUS BRIDGET: CHALLENGE… YOUR… TRUE… SELF. VERSUS JACK-O': ONE… PATIENT… AT A… TIME. VERSUS I-NO: DESIRES… ARE… FLEETING… VERSUS SIN: OVER… EATING… BAD… DIET… VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: TOO… MUCH… BLOOD IS… UNHEALTHY… VERSUS CHAOS: TAKING ON… ALL GUILT IS… WRONG… VERSUS ASUKA#: CANNOT… FAKE… INSURANCE CARD… VERSUS ASUKA: MAGIC'S ORIGIN… IS… COMPLICATED…

Ramlethal VERSUS SELF: Understanding the uniqueness of oneself is a lot more complex than I realized… VERSUS SOL: I don't expect you to forgive me, but I will fight for the future… VERSUS KY: You gave me and my sister a home… I will repay this debt… VERSUS AXL: Even you have your own unique struggles… I learned something new today… VERSUS GIOVANNA: You wield a powerful energy in your kicks… I must continue to learn… VERSUS MAY: I explained things because you asked it of me, but I hope you're… feelings… weren't hurt. VERSUS CHIPP: I still don't quite understand what a Hero is… but I am still learning… VERSUS FAUST: Even if your past is a unique burden… it is still your OWN past and not anyone else's… VERSUS POTEMKIN: You've gotten sturdier since we last fought… but I won't lose here… VERSUS LEO: I hope I can wear my Pride on a Belt like you one day… VERSUS ZATO: You lost many things, but still gained insight that few others have… I must learn more… VERSUS MILLIA: Not having a place to be 'human' made you decide to become 'superhuman'… how noble… VERSUS BAIKEN: I'm not sure the swords I wield are strictly Katanas… but I still desire their strength as such… VERSUS ANJI: You dodged my attacks like they were nothing to you… you have a lot of skill… VERSUS BEDMAN?: Your brother taught me the value in being unique… I will never forget that lesson. VERSUS TESTAMENT: I've never encountered a Gear like you before… and you are very mild mannered as well… VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: I'm aware that some rare humans are blessed with unnatural strength… but you've surpassed that limit, you know. VERSUS BRIDGET: It seems like every day I encounter new and unique people… VERSUS JACK-O': To be like a 'Mother' or 'Sister'… I'm still learning what Family is supposed to be like… VERSUS I-NO: Maybe I'm in no position to say, but: you lost track of what it means to be Human and isolated yourself. VERSUS SIN: It's important to respect peoples' uniqueness, Sin… you can't… "copy people's moves"… (?) VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: Friendship involves the strength to support those who cannot support themselves… I am strong enough to support you if you need me. VERSUS CHAOS: Someone irresponsible like you created Mother… it is no wonder she rejected humans… VERSUS ASUKA#: I've been told I am a replica of Justice, but we look nothing alike… how does it feel to look identical yet be different? VERSUS ASUKA: It is not my place to say if your role in history was Divine or not… But if you hadn't I wouldn't have existed, so I offer my thanks.

Potemkin VERSUS SELF: Conviction, Pride, Strength… If you only focused on even two of these concepts it still wouldn't be enough to surpass me. VERSUS SOL: There was a time when I struggled to keep up with you, but it seems that Time has caught up with you at last. VERSUS KY: It is thanks to you in part that I continue to fight the good fight, so I offer my thanks. VERSUS AXL: My simulations can't seem to predict where your portals will appear next. You're an enigma to me. VERSUS GIOVANNA: Despite your hard-tack demeanor, you have the sincerity of a true soldier, it serves you well. VERSUS MAY: It takes a great deal of focus to master Water Magic, you've grown since last we met. VERSUS CHIPP: It's impressive that you've finally begun to take responsibility for your actions… but your personality is still rather abrasive. VERSUS FAUST: I know little about what sort of past you had, but refining yourself to this extent is dangerous… VERSUS RAMLETHAL: You've become someone very significant since last we met… Your strength is comparable to mine now… VERSUS LEO: For a King you are very honest… I can respect that. VERSUS ZATO: Your perception of others has changed a lot… Impressive, even if limited by eyesight. VERSUS MILLIA: I would ask that you maintain your distance from Leon Mining, he has his own agenda as a former Zepp Exile. VERSUS BAIKEN: Forgiving the past is not something easily done, however what you've done is calm the storm in your heart with the feelings of others… Commendable. VERSUS ANJI: You always struck me as unconcerned with others, but in reality you seek the Truth that History has hidden. VERSUS BEDMAN?: The President taught me to grow from my past failings, but I somewhat feel guilty facing them like this… If you need repairs, let me know… I will assist you. VERSUS TESTAMENT: There was a point when both of us fought one another mercilessly, but now you've mellowed out some… The World has become more peaceful, hasn't it? VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: I must admit… your strength pushed me back quite a distance… But I won't back down! VERSUS BRIDGET: If you struggle to be acknowledged, simply be yourself… others will see you eventually. VERSUS JACK-O': So the power of your Servants comes from the Backyard… I've learned something new. VERSUS I-NO: There was a time when I lamented being called a "monster", but compared to you… "being human" is a lot more complicated than people think it is. VERSUS SIN: I wield my strength for those who need to be protected by it… Your strength still requires a solid direction. VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: Fear is the rejection of the unknown, which makes it all more important to gain knowledge of that unknown. You should seek to learn more about the modern world you've found yourself in. VERSUS CHAOS: I suspect you have ulterior motives for doing everything you did, but none of that can truly justify it. VERSUS ASUKA#: At one point I fought Robotic replicas of myself… embarassing as it is to admit, but I still overcame them. VERSUS ASUKA: So you've resolved to clear away all doubts and dangers, sparing no expense… I cannot say I have that kind of fortitude.

Leo Whitefang VERSUS SELF: I've a new ENTRY IN MY DICTIONARY for YOU: A POSER! VERSUS SOL: I took your advice to heart and improved my defenses… but I must say as usual you are hard to talk to during a fight. VERSUS KY: I want EVERY NEWSPAPER IN ILLYRIA to have this Fight on the FRONT PAGE! VERSUS AXL: You might have the ability to Teleport, but that doesn't mean I'll condone you appearing… in my office. VERSUS GIOVANNA: I must admit this is the first time someone has appealed to my ego so passionately… I'm somewhat taken aback! VERSUS MAY: You've a misunderstanding about me… I am NOT HERE to simply "boss people around"… I'm HERE BECAUSE… (She walked away… How RUDE!) VERSUS CHIPP: While it is true your Speed is worthy of Note… where you appear AFTER you've speed up is rather PREDICTABLE. VERSUS FAUST: Are you sure you yourself don't need an Ambulance? You look ready to topple over at any moment! VERSUS RAMLETHAL: I see you've found yourself a good team of subordinates… I hope they serve you well… VERSUS POTEMKIN: I don't actually 'hate' Gears, you know… It's just in my job description to not normally trust them… VERSUS ZATO: Whether you can see me or Not:… I HAVE BOTH MY EYES ON YOU AT ALL TIMES. VERSUS MILLIA: I didn't expect to find such a capable subordinate such as yourself… I look forward to working with you in the future… VERSUS BAIKEN: In truth, Humans nearly created their own demise, as painful and humiliating as that is to point out. VERSUS ANJI: So you've got your own Investigation underway? I'd ask you to show your hand, and if you're lucky, I might just show MINE! VERSUS BEDMAN?: I understand you have complicated circumstances… but there is a LIMIT to how IMPERTINENT one LITTLE GIRL CAN BE! VERSUS TESTAMENT: So it seems you knew Commander Kliff in times past… Maybe we can catch up on old times? VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: I've never actually taken stock of all the "unmentionables" that fell in to Area 42… So, how is Area 51 in your country? VERSUS BRIDGET: Dedicating yourself to the Ideals of your Parents, while commendable, should still have its limitations… I hope someday you'll face that fact. VERSUS JACK-O': You're a lot stronger than Frederick gives you credit… Keep him out of trouble for us, please… VERSUS I-NO: Normally I would have Arrested you under normal regulations… But this is FAR from a Normal situation! VERSUS SIN: You're not quite exactly what I'd call a Phalanx Guard, but with some training I hope you'll fit the part! VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: I don't think I have an entry on "Bushido" in my Dictionary yet… Let's see: "Doesn't know when to stop". How's that? VERSUS CHAOS: It seems to me I haven't proven how much of a BEAST I can really be… I'll have to make an EXAMPLE out of YOU! VERSUS ASUKA#: In case you didn't know, we have a statute of limitations on cloning… I can STILL ARREST YOU. VERSUS ASUKA: I can't say I'm very fond of Math… or Magic for that matter… BUT I WON AND THAT'S WHAT MATTERS!

Zato=ONE VERSUS SELF: Even in Eddie's case, he strove to differentiate himself from me and become unique. What about you? VERSUS SOL: Death holds little meaning to someone who has seen Hell multiple times… VERSUS KY: Although my sins have piled up… thanks to you and King Daryl I can at least reduce the stack somewhat. VERSUS AXL: A past long gone and a future that should not be… and yet you continue to support this world after it rejected you… VERSUS GIOVANNA: Eddie is closer to a 'shark' than a Dog, at least by my estimation… he can take any form he likes, after all… VERSUS MAY: Shadows can still exist in the Ocean, so I hope you won't underestimate my abilities… VERSUS CHIPP: It was not my intent to kill your Master Tsuyoshi… I will atone for the rest of my life for it, however… VERSUS FAUST: I sacrificed my eyesight for power… but I see there was even more to sacrifice if I ever wanted more… VERSUS RAMLETHAL: Your strength and sense of identity has improved… I hardly recognize you from before. VERSUS POTEMKIN: I must thank you for your President's Hospitality from last time… He saved the world, after all… VERSUS LEO: Even if my life is in your hands… I would have still given it freely… I deserve to die for what I've done. VERSUS MILLIA: Accepting that you can protect your own life has been hard for me… But I hope you'll still accept my intentions. VERSUS BAIKEN: It is a bizarre sensation to be the object of vengeance and yet still not share the desire of revenge myself… VERSUS ANJI: For once you have your own sincere objectives, it goes against your very nature… VERSUS BEDMAN?: Bedman was once one of my greatest enemies… But that conflict was resolved, so I will leave it in the past. VERSUS TESTAMENT: So even a Ghost of the Crusades can still talk of Family and a Future… what a world we now live in. VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: So they really DO exist… I had almost given up searching… VERSUS BRIDGET: Your precision and cunning are not to be underestimated, but somehow I doubt a fight is what you wanted. VERSUS JACK-O': Your presence is familiar to me… as if I or Eddie met you in some other lifetime… VERSUS I-NO: I gave up human traits for power because I looked down upon myself… perhaps the same is true in your case. VERSUS SIN: You have an insight that belies your age… But trusting in the darkness is still not without risk. VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: Lord Slayer taught me Dandyism at a young age, however I must admit you have me at a disadvantage for having practiced the philosophy for much longer… VERSUS CHAOS: It seems you are the foremost authority on Magic despite your reputation. I would talk at length with you about it, not that it matters. VERSUS ASUKA#: Eddie is an approximate copy of my Soul, in case you wondered… not that it actually matters… VERSUS ASUKA: If I had known the true potential of the Tome of Origin, perhaps I would not have been misled by the Conclave for believing in the 666 Arcanum's power… In the end, it no longer matters…

Millia Rage VERSUS SELF: I never asked for this power, but I will take responsibility for it. Can you say the same, yourself? VERSUS SOL: At this point you might as well retire… Don't worry, I'll cover the paperwork… VERSUS KY: So now it's my job to keep you on your toes, is that it? You're pretty easy-going for a King… VERSUS AXL: We've both been through quite a lot, but I would appreciate it if you took this a bit more seriously… VERSUS GIOVANNA: They say meeting new people broadens horizons, but at the very least I expect some manners… VERSUS MAY: So you've begun to work with the Mobile Brigade? We expect big things from you… VERSUS CHIPP: Your insight and instincts still amaze me, but you need to work on your patience with others… VERSUS FAUST: Don't think I've forgotten what you've tried to do to save me… I won't forget my debt. VERSUS RAMLETHAL: Your strength and abilities are amazing, but what amazes me more is your current work ethic… looks like I have a new rival now! VERSUS POTEMKIN: We still owe you and Gabriel much for harboring us in our time of need… let's both keep working towards a better future. VERSUS LEO: Even if it's just superficial, I can't imagine you holding back against anyone… then again, I'm like that too. VERSUS ZATO: Protecting someone skilled means covering their blindspots you know… Can you even find mine, I wonder? VERSUS BAIKEN: I have much to make up for in my past, even if it means easing your pain somewhat… I'll do what I can. VERSUS ANJI: You tend to remind me of a certain Dandy Vampire who sticks his nose in other peoples' business… I'd stay out of things if I were you. VERSUS BEDMAN?: After all this time, I finally get to see the monster that Venom destroyed… Don't worry, I'm not here to gloat, just understanding. VERSUS TESTAMENT: So what has living in an ancient forest taught you after all this time? I hope you learned something at least… VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: America's Home Security still has a few gaps, but in your hands I'm still somewhat optimistic. VERSUS BRIDGET: The original purpose of the P.W.A.B. was to support Bounty Hunters in their task… I'm looking forward to working with you. VERSUS JACK-O': For someone who hasn't seen much of the world, you're pretty skilled… Have you considered becoming a Bounty Hunter, yourself? VERSUS I-NO: I haven't forgotten how you manipulated Eddie in the past… don't expect any mercy from Angra, either! VERSUS SIN: So you're a Phalanx Guard, now? You really should act the part more… Professionalism is important, you know. VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: I'm still not all that interested in Dandyism… but I somewhat understand the Romantic appeal Vampires have towards it. VERSUS CHAOS: To think someone could still wield Guns like a Gunslinger in this modern age… Venom would be thrilled if I told him about your skills! VERSUS ASUKA#: At this point you'd think I'd be able to clone myself with my own hair… but I really don't want to think about it. VERSUS ASUKA: So you're the holder of the Tome of Origin… Do you think it's possible to undo the Curse on my Hair?

Baiken VERSUS SELF: I gave up on my journey to Hell recently, thanks to a certain 'mirror'… Can you look at yourself in the mirror and do that too? VERSUS SOL: You'd think I'd be mad after all this time of putting up with you… But right now I'm just disappointed. VERSUS KY: You were always getting in my way whenever it came to vengeance… I suppose I should thank you for that. VERSUS AXL: All the power in the world and you still can't figure out how to fight properly? Keep training… VERSUS GIOVANNA: Looks like I wasn't the only one dealing with poverty and a past I want to forget… VERSUS MAY: Just because I owe you for your help last time, Short-stack, doesn't mean you get a FREE WIN… VERSUS CHIPP: I've lost track:… you're an American Ninja living in Africa… who thinks he's JAPANESE??? VERSUS FAUST: You burned yourself out looking for the perfect balance, eh? Guess I know what to avoid from now on. VERSUS RAMLETHAL: To think just a month ago you were trying to destroy the world… you've changed a lot, kid. VERSUS POTEMKIN: I'm guessing all that heavy armor is meant to help you "hold back your strength"? Can't say I don't sympathize, but I can't hold back, either. VERSUS LEO: I'm used to getting chased around by the Police, but this is the first time someone's asked me to give a consultation? VERSUS ZATO: So even a dead corpse like you can find peace in this world… Guess I should smile more often! VERSUS MILLIA: Your hair's gotten sharper… can't even trim it with my sword… Then again, I'm not a barber… VERSUS ANJI: I suggest you not hold back against me if you want to live… Holding back's not something I'm good at with this sword. VERSUS BEDMAN?: C'mon Delilah… Training Time's over… lets get some Dinner… VERSUS TESTAMENT: I can't say I'm fond of European Tea… I prefer Sake (Rice Wine) to be honest… VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: I've killed my share of Demons… but you're bigger than most Oni… what'd you eat to grow that huge? VERSUS BRIDGET: Look, kiddo… you're too young to be worrying about such huge problems… relax a little. VERSUS JACK-O': I used to hold a grudge against Justice for taking my family… but now she's gone and there's just you left, hunh… I don't have it in me anymore… VERSUS I-NO: Pain is proof of being human as a survivor… If you can't handle it, you shouldn't be fighting in the first place… VERSUS SIN: You have a WEIRD outlook on life, Sin… But I suppose that's what everyone likes about you. VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: My sword's called "Regret" because it'd be regrettable to cut anyone at this point… It's a broken Katana. VERSUS CHAOS: I won't kill you… but that doesn't mean I'll ever Forgive you… and you WILL pay for what you did. VERSUS ASUKA#: So Demons and Shadows walk hand in hand… You seem to have a lot of time on your hands… VERSUS ASUKA: So you had a hard choice to make in the end… If it weren't for Anji and his hard-headedness, I would've cut you down without learning the truth.

Anji Mito VERSUS SELF: I move with the flow of Nature itself… Your dance can barely make the wind blow. VERSUS SOL: You really should get used to hanging around other people… Being that unsociable is unhealthy. VERSUS KY: I used to think of you as uptight and strict, but I guess everyone changes when their priorities do. VERSUS AXL: I used to outpace you in foot-races, but now I can barely keep up… Where'd you even get that power? VERSUS GIOVANNA: You're not the ONLY ONE with God-like Feet, you know… VERSUS MAY: You've gotten even MORE cheerful since last we spoke… I'm glad things are going well for you! VERSUS CHIPP: Boss… now that I've won this match, can I get raise? VERSUS FAUST: Unfortunately, my dance can only calm the spirit, it cannot heal the body. Take care. VERSUS RAMLETHAL: If you're wondering how I dodged your attacks, it's because you kept attacking in the same spot. VERSUS POTEMKIN: So long as I stay outside your main range, I have plenty of chances to fight back… VERSUS LEO: For a King, despite your strength you're pretty sensitive… You should toughen up your Spirit and Heart… VERSUS ZATO: Perhaps I should add "Shadow Dancer" to my list of skills from now on! VERSUS MILLIA: The problem with your attacks is that the opponent just has to guess correctly and counter to win… VERSUS BAIKEN: I promised you I'd find out the Truth… and I mean to keep that promise. VERSUS BEDMAN?: Delilah, you have no idea how much you remind me of Big Sis… it's uncanny… VERSUS TESTAMENT: You've become more Human-like since we last spoke… I'm glad you've lightened up. VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: I'm gonna find out what they've hidden in Area 51 one day… and I'll let the WORLD KNOW… VERSUS BRIDGET: Dancing and Tricks aren't the only things that bring a smile to someone's face… so does Kindness and Heart. VERSUS JACK-O': You've had to face the world from many angles and still come out as yourself. My condolences. VERSUS I-NO: When you're a victim, that doesn't give you an excuse to do what you want… it means you have to face the truth and keep on moving forward with respect to others. You're not alone. VERSUS SIN: I can't say I agree with the notion of copying others' moves… but if you make it your own style, it might give you a chance to break out and get recognized. VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: I know I sound like a little kid, but I really DO love Samurai and Bushido… you're just really COOL! VERSUS CHAOS: If you think you can escape, go ahead and try… but no matter what Alias you try to steal, I'll always know it's you… and you won't EVER get away from me. VERSUS ASUKA#: Last time we spoke, I had a feeling I didn't have a good sense of who you were… Was it a Copy I was talking to the whole time? VERSUS ASUKA: I'm actually really glad I finally got to talk with you… It's been an enlightening experience.

Bedman? VERSUS SELF: (Delilah): I can't tell if this is Mine or my Brother's power at work… But you gotta disappear now. VERSUS SOL: (Delilah): My brother actually lectured you!? He always told me he HATED long conversations! VERSUS KY: (Delilah): My brother gave me a chance to live in this world, so I'm gonna make the best of it… Maybe I'll become someone important like you… VERSUS AXL: (Delilah): Thanks for talking with my brother despite his situation… It means a lot. VERSUS GIOVANNA: (Delilah): Look, you got your business I've got mine… I just wanna go home. VERSUS MAY: (Delilah): I'm NOT INTERESTED in being your friend… just leave me alone… VERSUS CHIPP: (Delilah): My brother suggested you were fast enough to keep up with his Teleports, guess not though… VERSUS FAUST: (Delilah): So your Guilty Conscience led you to me… We both got our circumstances, I guess… VERSUS RAMLETHAL: (Delilah): I can see how my Brother entrusted his Bed's fate to you… you were strong enough. VERSUS POTEMKIN: (Delilah): My Brother beat you last time? Well, now I really feel sorry for you. VERSUS LEO: (Delilah): Oh great… now it's destroyed a King… am I gonna get arrested for this??? VERSUS ZATO: (Delilah): I can't picture a deadpan guy like you having a grudge against my Brother… VERSUS MILLIA: (Delilah): I'm not interested in joining your underground clubhouse… I just want to go home! VERSUS BAIKEN: (Delilah): Big Sis, you gotta keep your promise… Dinner is on YOU! VERSUS ANJI: (Delilah): You might not be like my Brother, but, thanks for helping me out… VERSUS TESTAMENT: (Delilah): You love sticking your nose in other peoples' business… how annoying… VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: (Delilah): This isn't a UMA… it's just a Bed… No, you can't "collect" it. VERSUS BRIDGET: (Delilah): If the Bed won that means I don't have to pay for your "trick". VERSUS JACK-O': (Delilah): So my Brother "erased his ID" in the Backyard? What else do you know about him? VERSUS I-NO: (Delilah): Maybe you feel like the world owes you something, but the world took MY brother, too! VERSUS SIN: (Delilah): You get along with everybody… I'm just not strong enough to do that… VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: (Delilah): This was an accident, I swear… We'll be leaving now… Wait, you want to learn the Bedframe's fighting style? Huh!? VERSUS CHAOS: (Delilah): No matter how many lives you think you'll save… you'll never make up for the lives you TOOK. And I will NEVER… EVER… ACKNOWLEDGE you. VERSUS ASUKA#: (Delilah): You'd think I'd be used to all the weird stuff in this world… Nope… VERSUS ASUKA: (Delilah): So Chaos messed up your life, too, huh? He needs to be stopped…

Testament VERSUS SELF: Have we evolved to the point of being able to replicate ourselves? Gear Cell potential seems limitless! VERSUS SOL: We used to think you had no room for others in your life… But you've changed a lot. VERSUS KY: We still think about Father (Kliff) now and then… He was like a father to you too, wasn't he? VERSUS AXL: We'll confess we still don't like your fighting style and methods, but at least you resemble a true Reaper more… VERSUS GIOVANNA: No time for Tea? Americans are always in such a rush… VERSUS MAY: We've never actually thanked you for how much you've helped us, so we really appreciate it. VERSUS CHIPP: You think we're being "too normal"? But humans are pretty strange to begin with. VERSUS FAUST: All those years past when we entrusted that Scalpel to you, we never expected you to master it so well… VERSUS RAMLETHAL: We've fought our share of fellow Gears, but this is our first time encountering a Valentine… it feels different somehow… VERSUS POTEMKIN: We've certainly had a long history between ourselves… It is our hope we can become friends at long last… VERSUS LEO: We never expected an encounter with royalty to be so… frivolous… VERSUS ZATO: We've wanted to sit down and have a conversation with both of you after all this time… the Crusades left a mark on all of us. VERSUS MILLIA: We're sorry but we don't have an immediate answer for your Curse… But we will try and help search for one. VERSUS BAIKEN: We used to think revenge was the only answer too… After all this time so much has changed… VERSUS ANJI: When we still hated humans, we never considered the possibility that they would try to meet us half way… You were one of the first to try that, so thanks. VERSUS BEDMAN?: A machine with a mind of its own? Well, it's not the first time I've encountered odd beings like yourself. VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: We have NO INTENTION on being locked away in some VAULT, thank you very much! VERSUS BRIDGET: Whether others accept the difference or not isn't as important as accepting your individuality for yourself. VERSUS JACK-O': You feel similar yet different to our old Master (Justice) somehow… You are much kinder than she was, which is for the best. VERSUS I-NO: As an individual we once longed for our past as a human, but we never regretted continuing to live. Consider your own value. VERSUS SIN: As we were SAYING: There is value in training for self-improvement, but it would be best if you focused and studied more. VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: We didn't mean to treat you like a spectacle, but we couldn't help but be curious about a Human who became a Vampire! VERSUS CHAOS: Having the World's Wrath directed at you might seem like the correct course, but we have other opinions on the matter… VERSUS ASUKA#: It was the Bureau (P.W.A.B.) that turned us in to a Gear, but we don't exactly know which Scientist it was for certain… sound familiar? VERSUS ASUKA: We still have to thank you for saving us from a life of mediocrity… Giving Gears more power than they are created for is uncommon, if not extremely rare.

Goldlewis Dickinson VERSUS SELF: Sorry but, dressing like me isn't gonna give you clearance… I'm going to have to escort you off the premises… VERSUS SOL: We were chasing a ghost like you for years, it seems like… It's just too bad I didn't get to finally arrest you for Breaking and Entering! VERSUS KY: It's an honor, your highness… But I still have my own Duty to serve, if you don't mind. VERSUS AXL: Are you SURE you're not a Cryptid? Those powers of yours say otherwise… VERSUS GIOVANNA: Back to your post, soldier… Secretary's Orders. VERSUS MAY: You'd think I'd be conscientious about wielding a heavy weapon, but seeing a young kid like you… It's encouraging somehow… VERSUS CHIPP: Sorry, it's Erica's orders… you're to report to base, like it or not! VERSUS FAUST: Personal Report: UMA encountered… Capture successful… Unsure of UMA's condition… VERSUS RAMLETHAL: Never thought the world's most wanted little girl would end up becoming a Soldier for the Good Guys… It's an honor. VERSUS POTEMKIN: As you can see, I don't budge, despite my age. I hope you've learned something new today. VERSUS LEO: For a King you're pretty relaxed… I can appreciate that. VERSUS ZATO: For a while there I really did think of you as a UMA, until I read that P.W.A.B. report on you… you really ARE a ghost. VERSUS MILLIA: It's definitely a tough job in this line of work, but earning your keep will pay off eventually. VERSUS BAIKEN: If I was a bit younger I might've liked meeting someone classy like you, it's too bad we didn't meet sooner… VERSUS ANJI: No matter what theories you cook up, I'm not talkin'… It's in the job description. VERSUS BEDMAN?: Sorry little lady, I sometimes can't hold back my own strength… Is your… uh… pet… okay? VERSUS TESTAMENT: Death hasn't quite kissed me just yet… But she's held me in her arms and danced a few times… VERSUS BRIDGET: I try my best not to make assumptions, but it also helps to have friends who'll believe in you. VERSUS JACK-O': I've chased and bagged my share of poltergeists, ma'am, but even so, you're pretty spooky! VERSUS I-NO: Even if it looks like the world turns it back on you, you can still face the music on your own terms. VERSUS SIN: You've got guts and potential, kid… Still, you might want something better than a flag pole to fight with… VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: I've read my share of history books, but I never met someone like YOU raised as a Japanese before… Y'learn somethin' new every day… VERSUS CHAOS: I've caught my share of bounty marks, but you take the cake. You're not gonna EVER leave your cage AGAIN. VERSUS ASUKA#: I've heard stories that there were multiple "Men" behind the Crusades, but are you sure you're not a UMA? VERSUS ASUKA: Given the circumstances and who you are, I can't just let you roam scott free… I have to keep an eye on you, you understand…

Bridget VERSUS SELF: Trying to steal my tricks is gonna cost you EXTRA, you know! VERSUS SOL: Sorry for thinking you still had a bounty on your head… Fake bounties are way too confusing! VERSUS KY: I promise! I'll put on a show at your Castle that'll impress the whole crowd! VERSUS AXL: I have a lot of tricks, but "disappearing" isn't one of them… I should study Magic more… VERSUS GIOVANNA: Threat assessment? I'm not a threat! These are just Yo-yos… "Street Legal Permit"? What's that? VERSUS MAY: Maybe someday I'll become an OFFICIAL MEMBER of the Jellyfish~! Is that hoping for too much? Do I STILL need Johnny's approval? VERSUS CHIPP: Despite what others may think, these AREN'T NINJA WEAPONS… I don't know where those rumors started… VERSUS FAUST: Sorry, but… I'm not ready for a Physical Examination just yet… VERSUS RAMLETHAL: Roger says he wants to look at your swords… Don't worry, we won't do anything to them… VERSUS POTEMKIN: I actually haven't completed a 'World Tour' enough to go back to Zepp for an encore… Maybe one day… VERSUS LEO: Sorry but… I don't reveal my tricks to anyone… not even ROYALTY! Hehe~! VERSUS ZATO: You had a bounty on your head, but records said you were dead… what's going on here??? VERSUS MILLIA: I'm still a bounty hunter despite moonlighting as an entertainer… but sorry, I won't be so easily scouted. VERSUS BAIKEN: If I've made you smile even ONCE today… I've done my job! VERSUS ANJI: Are you sure you've never wanted to work in Entertainment? You have the physical muscles for it. VERSUS BEDMAN?: Roger says: "No hard feelings." I hope that's okay by you. VERSUS TESTAMENT: You used to be so grumpy… I'm so glad you've brightened up! VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: We talked a lot… but I hope you get to talk with your brother someday… I hope I get to talk with my brother too! VERSUS JACK-O': Wow… how do you move like that? Are you an acrobat? How did you train? VERSUS I-NO: There were times when I hated the whole world too, but… hate isn't good for your heart. VERSUS SIN: I don't actually mean to use these as weapons you know… and no, you can't copy MY moves either! VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: You've never seen a Yo-Yo before? REALLY!? Wow… Where've you lived all this time? VERSUS CHAOS: Not all plots have to be dramatic and tragic, you know… A good entertainer knows when to brighten the crowd… VERSUS ASUKA#: I'm not quite sure I get it, but you're a… copy? Well, I'm a copy of my brother too, I guess, since we're Twins and all… VERSUS ASUKA: Sorry, but you can't dismantle my Yo-Yos… I've put a patent on them (good thing I took Sol's advice)…

Jack-O'Valentine VERSUS SELF: Synchronizing with my other self might seem beneficial, but as expected, Aria hasn't reacted to it. VERSUS SOL: You're "retired" so start acting like it, you hear me! VERSUS KY: Thanks for the advice… Thinking I wasn't human was getting in the way of actually BEING human… VERSUS AXL: So you've finally found your niche and someone you cared for… I'm so glad for you! VERSUS GIOVANNA: It took a while for me to accept who I am… You've got a strong heart to accept yourself so quickly… VERSUS MAY: I never thought you'd get this strong… even Justice would be impressed! (Oops, I shouldn't say that…) VERSUS CHIPP: It's just a theory, but you have the potential to exceed the sound barrier! VERSUS FAUST: Perhaps if I had dedicated my life to others more, I might've ended up like yourself… scary to think about. VERSUS RAMLETHAL: I suppose you can think of me as an "older sister", despite my memory records, that is… VERSUS POTEMKIN: I never knew you were an artist as well as a pilot… I really should get myself a new hobby… VERSUS LEO: I have nearly 200 years of knowledge on history, but I've never actually compared it to what's in books… VERSUS ZATO: We would've been enemies in another time and place… but I'm so glad the Great War is long over… VERSUS MILLIA: I've never heard about the Crusades from your perspective… What was it like, living in Darkness for so long? VERSUS BAIKEN: I'll never make up for that destructive past of mine… But I'll do my best anyhow… VERSUS ANJI: You're the first person I've ever met who wasn't afraid of Justice… Just what is your perspective on history? VERSUS BEDMAN?: Oops! My servants overdid it, didn't they? Sorry, they got over-protective. VERSUS TESTAMENT: I can't say I have many past memories of you (as a Gear), but I'm sorry you had to bear that burden… VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: Sorry but, these little guys aren't aliens… I summoned them from the Backyard… "Where's that?" you ask??? VERSUS BRIDGET: I've never actually thought about working as an Entertainer… Frederick doesn't want to draw any crowds… VERSUS I-NO: You fought so hard for a past you lost… But for me, I can't afford to focus just on myself… VERSUS SIN: Erm… for the record, I'm not exactly your "grandmother"… But well, we are family, anyway… VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: Maybe if I had had more courage like you, history might have changed… VERSUS CHAOS: I'll be the first to admit I made mistakes in my own past… But being irresponsible isn't the way to do things! VERSUS ASUKA#: I'll admit, chasing down the original Asuka is kinda fun… It's like Hide and Seek! VERSUS ASUKA: Frederick still has a hard time accepting everything you did… Please give him more time…

I-No VERSUS SELF: I don't have the TIME for bootlegs, you understand… VERSUS SOL: You gave up all that power just to keep living with someone… If only I had met someone like you sooner… VERSUS KY: Sorry, but can you give your "Holy Crusade" a rest, please… You're getting annoying… (I should've never changed his timeline…) VERSUS AXL: You could never maintain a true duet with me, dear… VERSUS GIOVANNA: Can't say I've ever listened to much Brazillian Heavy Metal before… Can you keep up with my thrashing, though? VERSUS MAY: All that noise you're making isn't music… it's just noise! VERSUS CHIPP: Your tempo isn't even consistent… you're not even improvising properly! VERSUS FAUST: I should've left your corpse back in the old timeline… VERSUS RAMLETHAL: No matter how many times I tried to kill you, you kept coming back… This is getting too boring… VERSUS POTEMKIN: In one timeline, I almost became a soldier like you… glad I changed my tune! VERSUS LEO: You couldn't even hum a marching theme right… How sad… VERSUS ZATO: Doom Metal just isn't my thing… VERSUS MILLIA: So there's even people like you who accept the life of a monster… while I'm still trying to become "human". VERSUS BAIKEN: Can't say I've tried to play a Shamisen… maybe next time… VERSUS ANJI: Wind Instroments just don't do it for me anymore… VERSUS BEDMAN?: Sorry if I "broke" your "toy", kid… Ahahahah~! VERSUS TESTAMENT: Death Metal is up there on my list, but I'll play my OWN music, thanks! VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: Sorry, but I'm just not fond of COUNTRY music! Hahah! VERSUS BRIDGET: Nowadays you have to "risk your life" in Show-Business~! VERSUS JACK-O': You think you're special just because the world gave you a chance? Try looking at things from MY perspective… I never GOT a past! VERSUS SIN: You wouldn't exist if I didn't change the timeline for dear old dad… You should be thanking me~ VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: For a bodyguard you sure don't do your job properly… Then again, you could barely scratch me… VERSUS CHAOS: Just because you're a sacrifice doesn't mean I owe you anything… Don't forget your deal in all this… VERSUS ASUKA#: So changing the timeline can even grant him THIS kind of power… How interesting… VERSUS ASUKA: I've finally caught up to you… You're going to be serving ME from now on, bookworm…

Sin Kiske VERSUS SELF: THE MAN IN THE MIRROR IS BACK AGAIN… God, just leave me alone! VERSUS SOL: Old man, THIS TIME, you owe me a STEAK! Extra Salt and Sugar, please! VERSUS KY: Dad, you really should try this recipe… Trust me, it'll taste GREAT! VERSUS AXL: Man you're getting good at disappearing, Uncle Axl… How'd you get so tricky? VERSUS GIOVANNA: So like… that Dog on your shoulder, does he eat meat too? VERSUS MAY: If I ever wanted to go swimming my old man would just throw me off an airship in the nearby ocean… It was fun the first few times… VERSUS CHIPP: So, I gotta ask… what does being a Ninja have to do with saying Haikus? Do Haikus make you stronger? VERSUS FAUST: Whoah… you've gotten really thin since I last saw you… you eating right, doc? VERSUS RAMLETHAL: You're so much better at math than me… how'd you get so smart, anyway? VERSUS POTEMKIN: It was a shock the first time I found out you were human… What exactly did you EAT to grow that huge? VERSUS LEO: So you're a king like my Dad… They aren't overworking you at the castle, are they? Do they make you run across the whole continent like my old man does? VERSUS ZATO: Well, even if someone tricks me… as long as they can get a better life out of the deal, it's worth it. VERSUS MILLIA: I can't picture my mom wearing your hairstyles… Wait, my mom's hair can do that TOO!?? VERSUS BAIKEN: Getting used to Gears probably took you some time, right? Well, getting used to humans took a while for me, too. VERSUS ANJI: To be honest I prefer running, climbing, and jumping over dancing… VERSUS BEDMAN?: We've been through a lot, but if I can help maybe we can track down where the rest of your "brother" went… VERSUS TESTAMENT: I used to think the old man was the scariest "Gear" I'd ever met… but I guess I have to meet more people and get stronger yet… VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: So did you have kids when you lost your eye? What? The eyepatch is FAKE!? You tricked me! You shouldn't lie to your kids… YOU DON'T HAVE KIDS!?? VERSUS BRIDGET: I've gotten used to being around unusual people, really… But you're pretty normal… You're the first person I've met to smile like that… VERSUS JACK-O': Don't get me wrong… I'm not just copying the old man's moves… I'm gonna put a whole new SPIN on 'em… Prepare to be amazed! VERSUS I-NO: Just because my Lightning's black doesn't mean I'm black-hearted… Do you even get what I'm saying… You don't have to live that way… VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: Onigiri? Do you put hot sauce on it? What about meatballs? Or, I know… dip it in SALT and SUGAR… VERSUS CHAOS: My old man said some old guy broke the state of the world to make it this way… I get the feeling it was you… VERSUS ASUKA#: If I run fast enough, I can see a copy of myself… No, that's not quite right… Let me try again… VERSUS ASUKA: I get that the old man has some history with you, but you seem like a nice guy to me… Sorry but… that Math stuff is over my head…

Nagoriyuki VERSUS SELF: To keep my Bloodlust Sealed, you had to be made manifest… I guess I must cut down ALL my desires… VERSUS SOL: I never expected to encounter a man as brazenly strong as you… I suppose I should be thankful for the fortune as a Vampire… VERSUS KY: So even a gentle soul like yours must carry a burden of power… But if I have helped temper you, I'm glad to assist. VERSUS AXL: I've lived long enough to be considered having lived in the past and the future… but I suppose it's not the same for your case… an entirely new reality… how intriguing… VERSUS GIOVANNA: Despite our duel, you held back… I understand where you are coming from, but I'm not sure I can reciprocate… VERSUS MAY: You fight with strong emotions, but at the same time want to maintain peace… I wish you could have met my Master… VERSUS CHIPP: Master Tsuyoshi from what I remember was a private man… but he still sought to teach others for their benefit… I would have you teach me what you've learned as well… VERSUS FAUST: To think that even a Doctor in the Medical Arts could also be so skilled in the Fighting Arts… you astound me… VERSUS RAMLETHAL: Perhaps if I had met someone as strong as you in my own past, I would not have made so many mistakes… It's regrettable… VERSUS POTEMKIN: You bear such burdens proudly, almost without a care… but I can see you still seek strength… If I can, I offer my services… VERSUS LEO: For someone who fought so valiantly, you seem to have suffered a great deal… I would hear your story… VERSUS ZATO: My understanding of Dandyism is a bit vaguer than you might anticipate… I am actually out of practice… VERSUS MILLIA: So you chose to serve others in order to find your place… I can sympathize, my past was similar… VERSUS BAIKEN: Your sword is strong, and your heart… even stronger… I would ask that we train together again some time… VERSUS ANJI: Your frivolity hides a cunning I haven't seen in some time… are you familiar with my Master's history? VERSUS BEDMAN?: While I do not know what past you and your brother suffered, I would ask to hear your story… not just for your sake, but for my own as well… VERSUS TESTAMENT: And they called ME a grim reaper when I fought… I just didn't quite look the part, it seems… VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: I was once tasked to carry a coffin with me wherever I went… I didn't expect someone would take it literally… VERSUS BRIDGET: Your cheerfulness surprises me… despite our battle you continue to seek to impress your techniques… I'm learning something new. VERSUS JACK-O': Despite the fact I sense TWO SOULS inside of you, one appears to be the more dominant one (and there is even a THIRD?)… How exactly did this come about? VERSUS I-NO: You would have me fight for nothing except your desire for power and infamy… I am no one's weapon save my Master's. VERSUS SIN: You wield a pole comparable to the length of my sword… Have you ever considered wielding a spear? You don't know what a spear is??? VERSUS CHAOS: Despite your obsession with humanity I would see to your death a thousand times… and a thousand times more if I must! VERSUS ASUKA#: The mystic arts and sciences confound me, if I'm being honest, I am just a humble warrior by comparison… VERSUS ASUKA: I never knew that your teacher created such a burden on you… If I had, I would have defeated him sooner…

Happy Chaos VERSUS SELF: Oh yeah, I saw this paradox coming a mile away… Just don't expect any favors… VERSUS SOL: This isn't exactly an audition, you know… I'd scrub you from my script if I only knew how… VERSUS KY: I've heard your sob story a billion times at this point… Had to rewrite the script a few times to get it just right though. VERSUS AXL: To keep a scale in balance, you have to make sure both sides have the same weight… the same story… Did that sting a little? VERSUS GIOVANNA: You're the type who doesn't even READ the script… get off my set! VERSUS MAY: I suppose you think bleeding hearts would eat your story up… BORING! VERSUS CHIPP: The fact you saw through to the real me is surprising… but I don't like people who READ SPOILERS FIRST. VERSUS FAUST: Is there even a POINT to giving someone like me a Medical Check-up? Is this a comedy sketch? VERSUS RAMLETHAL: You had your time in the spotlight, but now it's time for the understudy. VERSUS POTEMKIN: Someone like you should be a key grip… get it? Yeah, I'm not good at film jokes. VERSUS LEO: Throwing an amateur script like yours in to my story wouldn't be worth the print… VERSUS ZATO: Maybe in some other lifetime you would've made a great protagonist… guess I was a little slow… VERSUS MILLIA: Sometimes you meet people who were MADE for the big screen… You've got the icy EYES at least… VERSUS BAIKEN: There's always a critic… And there's always someone out there who doesn't watch movies… VERSUS ANJI: Chasing after MY story, are you? I'm afraid I can't let you see the final script… VERSUS BEDMAN?: At this point you two are just a sub-chapter prologue… Now if you'll excuse me I've got more Drama to publish… VERSUS TESTAMENT: We can't exactly have gawking bystanders on to the film set, can we? VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: You've probably got a conspiracy theory or two, I imagine… But I don't believe in any single conclusion… VERSUS BRIDGET: C'mon, SCRAM! AM-SCRAY! Get lost, kid, ya bother me! VERSUS JACK-O': I gotta say I'm impressed with my prized student's handiwork… Just too bad I couldn't tweak your script, myself. VERSUS I-NO: Being Creative isn't easy you know… you need to have a VISION. Ambition is only one part of the creative process. VERSUS SIN: You're one of those family-friendly stories, aren't you? Sorry, but my script is more ambitious than that… VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: I scouted you because your Drama practically writes itself! Even if I'm a dead man, I'd write for you any day… VERSUS ASUKA#: I've seen parodies and characatures before, but this is hardly a rewrite… (he really needs practice). VERSUS ASUKA: History isn't written by peace-lovers… it's written by survivors… Humanity will lose if it doesn't Evolve…

Asuka R# VERSUS SELF: Creating copies of myself, I now see that only the original can give me insight in to my own existence. VERSUS SOL: You noticed that I'm more talkative as a Copy… how perceptive of you… I just wish that animosity was aimed at me. VERSUS KY: With Sol as your rival, did it ever occur to you that such a relationship would galvanize you to the heights of power you now enjoy? VERSUS AXL: Even if I am not the genuine article, I can still relatively look and "act" the part… so you didn't exactly "catch the wrong actor". VERSUS GIOVANNA: The morality of some people confounds me… and I must confess that seeing someone "look defeated" has been refreshing for me. VERSUS MAY: I'm not sure I understand the concept of Love, though I do have concerns… For example, I have a concern for the results of this fight. Was it as edifying for you as it was me? VERSUS CHIPP: I must confess, subterfuge is lost on someone like me, who can use Magic to detect anyone even at long distance. VERSUS FAUST: Most likely I am the last person to end up as a Patient on your Docket. Do forgive my intruding on your schedule. VERSUS RAMLETHAL: My creator was fascinated with the method of your creation, which resulted in ME… though I doubt he created me to be as durable as yourself. VERSUS POTEMKIN: It fascinates me that not even Nature itself can predict the forms it takes… While you are an outlier of Humans, you are a great specimen of one. VERSUS LEO: My creator spent a large amount of time immersed in books, however I can't find myself to continue hiding behind them… Perhaps something is "wrong" with me. VERSUS ZATO: You make your vast knowledge out to be frivolous and meaningless, but in actuality most of what you are aware of STILL has great value. You can thank the Backyard for that. VERSUS MILLIA: I am still seeking my own purpose in this life granted to me, so I can understand your desire to belong. However, I'm not sure I can endure the opinions of others as easily as you do. VERSUS BAIKEN: Perhaps, upon seeing a copy of yourself, you found your own sense of enlightenment? Or was it just a coincidence? I wish I had that kind of fortune. VERSUS ANJI: You seek to be what others call a "friend", and yet you somehow end up getting in to trouble for your efforts… It's unfortunate the world rejects you that way. VERSUS BEDMAN?: If I had understood your brother's powers, perhaps I too would've made an Absolute World of my own… It's strictly speculation, however. VERSUS TESTAMENT: There are many generations of Gears that my Creator is responsible for making, however you weren't among them… I'd like to hear your story. VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: Being aware of your own mystical abilities is usually beneficial, but somehow in your case, the opposite is true. How does that even work??? VERSUS BRIDGET: If the world was as secretive as you about its myths, knowledge, and legends, I fear Science would never make any progress… VERSUS JACK-O': Even if you are a construct… merely existing is its own significance, I hope you'll find your confidence in that. VERSUS I-NO: I suppose I have you to thank for my own existence… if you had not changed the timeline, my creator would have never found the power and abilities to create me. VERSUS SIN: Does a change in perception of the world really work? I can't find any of your logic to make any sense, however I do appreciate the theories you've presented… VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: The real Asuka was never a man of physical efforts, however I am more than the sum of him, but even I must confess you've given me quite the workout… VERSUS CHAOS: The meaning behind "existence"… while I am starting to understand your point of view… your explanation of it is quite lacking… where's your Thesis? VERSUS ASUKA: If I had asked you to "forgive yourself", would you have taken this fight any more seriously? Somehow I doubt this.

Asuka R. Kreutz VERSUS SELF: Not a construct I created: but an actual paradoxical existence from another timeline? When did this event occur and HOW!?!? VERSUS SOL: While I do regret our history… I do not regret saving you, and I will never look back and own up to my responsibility. I hope that will someday satisfy you. VERSUS KY: I've always known Frederick to not be the most likeable of people, but I never knew he was able to inspire others… Thank you for this knowledge. VERSUS AXL: I still haven't taken you up on the idea of going for some Tea and Snacks… I've perfected my materialization method… care to try my recipe? VERSUS GIOVANNA: Your simple methods of using gravity and inertia to increase your damage output are fascinating… Though I have my own ideas and methods. VERSUS MAY: If I could make up for the tragedy of Japan, I would do my utmost to make amends… I hope to meet your expectations one day. VERSUS CHIPP: It never occurred to me that someone born and raised in another culture could have their own culture be completely rewritten… your life story fascinates me. VERSUS FAUST: While I have chosen to atone in my own ways, I cannot make shortcuts or sacrifices hastily… In order to properly atone, I must keep living. VERSUS RAMLETHAL: I must confess I went a little "overboard" when I was inspired by your creation… I'll try to keep out of trouble if I can manage it. VERSUS POTEMKIN: Honor-bound as a soldier, I imagine your history is what made you exactly what you are… and I still seek the truth behind that history as well. VERSUS LEO: I suppose you have every right to resent me for burdening you as I did during the War… But I will do what I can to repent and atone… you have my word. VERSUS ZATO: We both have our roles to play in atonement, don't we? We should both work our hardest, then. VERSUS MILLIA: My condolences to your mother. I am to blame for the loss of many families… I won't ever forget this… I won't ever let history repeat itself on my watch. VERSUS BAIKEN: That day when you came to me, sword drawn, in any other circumstance I would have let you kill me… But now I have a purpose to atone for… and I hope one day you'll find peace at last after learning the Truth. VERSUS ANJI: I owe you my thanks. You were resolute in seeking the truth, and without your insight a lot of history would still be hidden. I am in your debt. VERSUS BEDMAN?: So my teacher is once again to blame for this… I will do everything in my power to make up for this… I swear this to you. VERSUS TESTAMENT: It is a great regret of mine to see other Gears I did not create, but I still hope your lives are not in vain. VERSUS GOLDLEWIS: Fighting an unseen war is something I'm all too familiar with… I hope we both make progress in our objectives. VERSUS BRIDGET: It is almost refreshing to see someone practically unaffected by the past dark history such as yourself… I hope you'll be a beacon to people who need it. VERSUS JACK-O': We were BOTH stubborn in our beliefs, but making mistakes is still a HUMAN TRAIT… Just as making up for them is. VERSUS I-NO: I wish you could have waited for me… just a little longer. I hope your future does get fulfilled, however… VERSUS SIN: The last time we met, you were racing through the Backyard Gate to save Sol… I hope you've been doing well, Sin… Also, Math isn't that scary a concept, trust me… VERSUS NAGORIYUKI: I must say I've never kept much track of the history of Vampires or Nightless such as yourself… I will have to brush up on my history of them. VERSUS CHAOS: I'm afraid I can't let you roam about as you once did in the old days, Teacher… please, cease your actions at once… VERSUS ASUKA#: To be honest, you've surpassed all my expectations… I did not foresee power of this magnitude manifesting, though your lack of morality is worrisome…

#Win Quotes #Hypothetical #Speculated Data #Unconfirmed Info #Winquotes #GG Winquotes

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ni-kol-koru · 1 year

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KnB 30-Days Challenge

Day 13 : Favorite Member of Seirin

Izuki Shun ❤️

This was tough... It was hard for me to choose who my favorite member was beacuse I just love so many Seirin boys. Shinji, Shun, Taiga, Teppei, Rinnosuke, Tetsuya... But in the end I chose Shun. I chose him mostly because I always liked him, which I can't say for some of other Seirin boys. Unfortunately, I used to be a bit of a Seirin hater when I was younger, heh... Never hated Shun, though! Always loved him and always found him cool! I mean, let's be honest here... How can anyone even hate a person like Shun? He is really good-looking, he is very intelligent, really cool, easy-going, and a very skilled basketball player. Also, I actually find him to be quite funny!

Since he first got introduced, he caught my eye. In the beginning, it was literally because of his eyes. I kept looking at them because he didn't have pupils like everyone else, which I found pretty strange. I couldn't help it, they kept drawing my attention to him. Then, his special ability, Eagle Eye, got introruced, and I was pretty amazed! Being able to visualise, rotate and change points of view of a 3D space and predict where objects that are out of one's sight are is very complicated, consumes a lot of mental energy, recquires a big spacial intelligence, fast decision making, all at once! It's not just something everybody can do. This guy became a genius in my eyes.

Throughout the show, he just kept getting more and more amazing. Finally, when he was matched up against Kotarō, an Uncrowned King, and outsmarted him and stopped him, my jaw dropped. Instead of being angry that my favorite character got beaten, I was amazed by Shun. In the last seconds of the Rakuzan-Seirin match when he pulled that steal... I was, once again, stunned. Seriously, he is just that awesome. He is a fantastic player because of his smart brain and cool attidue.

Other than being such a weapon on the court, can we talk about how good his personality is? He is cool, chill and smart, and then he just reveals he likes puns. It's kind of awkward, because he always seems to come up with them in the wrong moments, but it just gives him some oddly specific and necessary flavour. I find most of his puns and jokes quite funny, and honestly, whenever people tell him he should stop making them, I get a little pissed off. Being able to make puns and jokes on spot is a skill, it showcases how intelligent, creative and fun he is. I am just not a big fan of how everybody keeps telling him to just, cut it out. Let him have fun! Let his brain do its thing! Let him shine! He deserves more appreciation, seriously. When it was revealed his mum and sisters like puns, I was sort of relieved. At least somebody supports my boy in his hobby!

If I could, I would listen to him make 100 puns in a row. ❤️

#knb #knb 30-days challenge #izuki shun #seirin #give my boy some loveee #whenever i hear about someone being an izuki lover i just KNOW they are a funny person #shun is not made for everybody #only the smartest and funniest people like him #anyways i had someone tell me that as a kotarou enthusiast it was pretty surprising how i liked shun at all #not mu fault kotarou is impulsive and dumber than shun #he really just enhanced shun's image in my eyes #i even ship them a tiny little bit hehe #i used to be big on hayaizu for a period in my life #wish more people shipped them #they actually make sense #and would have fun #and teach each other some important life lessons

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cowboy-like-moony · 10 months

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Dear John

What a masterpiece, possibly one of the best songs she has ever written. I am not big on the WiUwiUUWii guitar in the beginning tho, please don’t cancel me if that is an unpopular opinion. But this song is so fucking powerful. Oh my god. I read this to my therapist (not because I was in a relationship with an inappropriate age gab, I wasn’t, I just think the lyrics are awesome and I need everyone to hear them) also the way she name-dropped j*hn m*yer without namedropping him was genius and not cheap at all, if you disagree get a less basic name. Even tho j*hn m*yer is my nemesis we will leave him be for now because I absolutely agree with Taylor that this should not be about her exes. It’s like some of you care more about them than about the actual music. Usually, I also do feel a little bit bad for those guys because obviously she writes about her subjective experience and I think it is kind of unfair to attack someone you don’t know over that, especially when it happened a decade ago, if someone was a bad boyfriend to her, she gets to be mad, but not us. I however truly believe j*hn is a bad person and I think anyone can be mad at him for that, I just also believe, despite all of his whining, he wants us to attack him, why else would he complain about lover lyrics like this whole fandom doesn’t despise him? Also, Taylor knows that everyone leaves their Christmas lights up until January, it’s about appreciating the mundane things in a relationship because some exes made her feel like the floor could fall through at any second and every blue sky could turn to rain JOHN. He just needs a piece of her success huh? It’s giving bloodsucker, fame fucker (I know he was like super successful when they dated, idc, not to me). Soo, I guess I did not leave him be… Sorry, the man is just soo irritating to me, I also don’t think he makes good music, my only piece of evidence for that is that once I was buying shoes and listening to speak now (the album, but I had also just reached that song in the album) and I took my earphones out and thought the music in the store was horrible and I usually don’t think stuff like that, but then the chorus came on and it said something about somebodies body being a wonderland and I know that that’s a j*hn m*yer song because emma stone screams about it in friends with benefits. So I am assuming that was his song and I hated it before I could be biased against him (I was so happy when I left the store and could finally put my earphones back in and Dear John came on) I also despise the song he wrote about Taylor, I once saw a video of him performing it and it sounded awful. Anyway sorry for that rent, but I will now forget that this man exists and return to Taylors incredible music again.

#speak now #dear john #taylor swift #tw j*hn mayer

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resistanceisfeudal · 2 years

Text

Season 2 finale reaction

Opening the episode with everyone standing a responsible 2 metres apart. Safety first.

Somebody let seven change her shirt please

Hehe yes jl

Again the theme and credits still slap

Tallinn accidentally blurting out a thesis statement for the show

Ooh yes genius hacker raffi

I think I blame Angelina Jolie or maybe Carrie Anne Moss for this but goddamn hypercompetant queer coded hacker women my word my ovaries my dear

....

...

....

... I apologise for being bi on main again. Let's get back to it.

Dr soong is the Jacob Rees-Mogg of star trek. In a couple of ways tbh

I can't believe a star trek show included a character too smart for the ole outfit change technique

OK but from Renee's perspective this is creepy af

Have you tried, idk, just grabbing a drone and holding it down?

Ew very creepy soong

Yay Rios!!! I liked this victory moment it was wholesome

Tallinn came here to dispense wisdom and die. And she's all out of wisdom

OK that was mean I actually liked this. Orla Brady served this season

Let's be real he's actually the Elon Musk of star trek

KORE

Yes. My wife. Also hacking, because of course. Baby yes she gets something to dooooo!!!!!

Wait what? Um. Khan. Um....

I thought Khan was 1990s in star trek canon? Or was that retconned? Either way it's a clunky as fuck reference not a fan

The fuck

What

Why

.... I don't like this

This episode is bizarrely structured what the hell

Wes here trying to make the dumb nerd time travel people seem cool. They're not. They're dweebs. We all know. Enterprise got this right.

That was random. But I'm glad kore has stuff to do.

KISS

OH MY GOSH MY DARLINGS

KISS KISS KISS

... honestly I don't think I ever truly understood qcard until this moment. I get it

Know thyself.... OK so tangent

"Know thyself" is the usual translation of the words (γνώθι σεαυτον) inscribed in the stone at the oracle of delphi. I mostly know it from the phaedrus but it's kind of everywhere in Greek philosophy. It's interpreted in range of different ways and is all over the place in "intellectual" pop culture. I love this. It's pretentious. It's high camp. Feed it to me with a ladle.

"Why me?" 🥺

I like this convo between q and jl a lot

Very gay 10/10

Get yourself a woman who will not doubt your ability to kill a god. Seven is wife material.

Teresa and child exist in this scene as props. But okay we all knew this was coming. I don't love it, I don't even like it but I'll talk about it some other time.

Forr the record, I hope that off screen Cris and Teresa had some amazing times together, and that whatever project santiago cabrera went off to work on is a success. I've been appreciating that man since Heroes so yes ❤ miss you already

Hahaha omg

Omg the hug

Yes

Heyyyyyy agnes

"Do not resist."

Ahhhh

Woop elnor!!!

Poor thing he doesn't even know what happened or that they'd be returning!!!

My baby kochanie my love my baby

I cannot believe that Agnes through shere power of nerddom reformed the fucking borg. I love her

Irrelevant but the polski shelf at Tesco's had Ukrainian chałwa. I tried it and tbh it's not as good. Solidarity anyway!

OK so dessert break over

This is sweet. Rios is a legend. Still sad he was written out tho

Sometimes a found family is you, your beautiful cyborg wife and your assassin nun son.

N'awww that was cute

It didn't do the thing I was dreading (ending on a massive cliffhanger). I think I'll definitely watch s3. Was pleasantly surprised by this despite some complaints. I have a more thought out retrospective planned but for now? Mostly positive, some complaints.

Also did I mention elnor????

#episode reaction #tonic's unwanted star trek opinions #spoilers #star trek picard #star trek: picard

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geniusbook1 · 4 months

Text

“We could really use the public’s help on this one.”

Kelly Rhodes, St. Charles, MO Police Department

St. Charles, MO: In 1992, a madman traveled along Interstate 70, randomly stopping at exits in Indianapolis, Wichita, Terre Haute, St. Louis, and Kansas City, selecting a quiet strip mall, and murdering the (usually female, almost always alone) store clerk before calmly slipping away. In one month, six victims were left behind, murdered in broad daylight in busy areas. There was no robbery. No sexual assault. No motive other than the thrill of the kill, and little evidence left behind. Police departments in all those cities, as well as the FBI and DNA experts, are taking one last, final crack at solving the crime.

Veteran KMOV-TV reporter Bob Cyphers has collected all the public-facing evidence in this case and assembled it into his new book, Dead End: Inside the Hunt for the I-70 Serial Killer, which takes the reader along the killer’s path. Cyphers has extensively interviewed the detectives who are still haunted by the case, family members who will never forget, eyewitnesses who stared the killer down, and the woman who may have survived the serial killers attempt to shoot her... twice.

Until this killer is caught, there is nothing stopping him from continuing to kill more randomly selected victims. In fact, I-70 Serial Killer may have already returned and killed again. This case, despite spanning 30 years and multiple jurisdictions, has never gone cold.

“We just need that one phone call to help us break this case.”

Chris Shrout, Raytown, MO Police Department

Leya Booth, Editor in Chief at Genius Book Publishing, says, “At Genius Books, we specialize in books without easy answers—without clear, guilt, or innocence of culprits. In that vein, we hope that this book leads somebody somewhere to remember something that can lead to resolution in this case. The families and friends of the victims, along with generations of detectives who have worked on this case, deserve at least that.”

Bob Cyphers is available for interviews and remains in close contact with the detectives and departments that have investigated the I-70 Serial Killer. Copies of Dead End: Inside the Hunt for the I-70 Serial Killer, as well as high resolution cover images and high-quality scans of some of the evidence can be obtained by contacting the publisher, Genius Book Publishing.

ENDORSEMENTS

“Bob has done an incredible job of in-depth investigating the I-70 murders. This book takes the readers back to the crime scenes and presents many previously unknown details about the investigators and agencies involved. More importantly, this book serves as a way of preserving case information while ensuring families of the victims, that every person associated with these cases cares deeply, has and will continue to remember these young victims.”

—Michael Crooke, Indianapolis Police Department

“For those of us in police service who have lived and worked on this case for more than 30 years, we will never stop pursuing this case. From the beginning, we have sought the public’s help in finding this serial killer through the release of appropriate information about the case. Bob’s book will help us continue our pursuit.”

—Pat McCarrick, St. Charles Police Department

“Trish was more than a wife. She was my best friend, the love of my life. Over the years I have kept up on her case. I owe this to her to participate in any way I can. I have the deepest appreciation for Bob’s book that may draw the public’s attention, hopefully reaching someone that might help bring this murderer to justice.”

Mark Magers, husband of Patricia Magers

“Thanks for shedding light on this case, Bob. You have been a breath of fresh air and I know if this case gets solved it will be in part because of you and your dogged determination to help us seek the truth.”

Brad Rumsey, Terre Haute Police Department

CONTACT INFO

Genius Books, 818-585-9945 [email protected]

Bob Cyphers, 618-420-9132, [email protected]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bob Cyphers is an Edward R. Murrow and Emmy award winning journalist, having spent his professional life writing for newspapers and radio and television stations. For the past 34 years, he served as news editor for KMOV-TV in St. Louis. His final assignment before retiring in 2023 was traveling the country with the task force hunting down the I-70 killer.

ABOUT GENIUS BOOK PUBLISHING

Genius Book Publishing is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based publisher focused on true crime, fiction, and music-related books. Established in 2011, Genius Book Publishing has published authors such as Dr. Al Carlisle, The Rock And Roll Detective® Jim Berkenstadt, Dr. Don Redden (FBI Ret), Dr. Mark Hewitt, Sheriff’s Capt. Dean T. Olson (Ret), Police Chief David Dean (Ret), photojournalist Monty Orrick, undercover investigator “Billy the Liquor Guy,” journalist James Kirkpatrick Davis, Detective Steve Rush (Ret), attorney and private investigator Tony Reid, private investigator and activist LaDonna Humphrey, journalist Monique Patterson, KMOV-TV (CBS) veteran reporter Bob Cyphers, and others. Our books and other information can be found at https://geniusbookpublishing.com

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scientifically-strange · 2 years

Note

Doctor Strange introduces Phantom to the Avengers , also Wong finally ask how Phantom mid terms went

"Doc, I swear to time, if you summon me one more time-"

"You weren't picking up!" Strange interrupts him. "Besides, I thought you would want to meet a couple friends of mine. They're having some problems that I believe are your area of expertise."

"Ugh, fine," Phantom says as he crosses his arms over his chest. "Do you have a spell that can fix phones? Mine got busted in my last fight."

"Just take this one, kid."

Phantom barely managed to catch the high tech device as the Tony Stark casually strolled in, preoccupied with whatever was on his tablet.

"Th-thanks? What's-can somebody please explain what the fuck is going on?"

"Strange here thinks it's a ghost problem."

Phantom whirls around mid-air, only to come face to face with the Bruce Banner.

"That's...That's it?" He asked, turning to Strange and Wong. "That's all you needed me for? Don't you have some kind of magic spell or something that can take care of the ghosts for you?"

"We thought there would be less injuries if we just had their king speak to them," Wong answered honestly. Phantom just huffed and rolled his eyes, but before he could say anything, Tony finally looked up from his tablet.

"What?" He asked, looking from Phantom to Wong. "There's no way that little pipsqueak could be the King of Ghosts."

"The spell we used to summon him only works on the ghost king," Strange explains with far more patience than Danny thought the man had. "He's defeated gods, Tony. I'm sure you could hear him out."

"Fine. Come with me."

Danny does, keeping a couple of feet between him and Tony.

"You seem pretty calm considering your place is haunted now," he tells the billionaire. Tony just shrugs and gives him a level gaze.

"I've seen weirder shit, kid. Casper and his spooky uncles isn't something that's going to phase me. But I would greatly appreciate it if you got them to stop trashing my lab."

Danny looks over at Tony. He looks really tired compared to the media persona he likes to portray. It makes sense, considering he's a superhero and CEO and also a genius who probably gets a new hyperfixation and rolls with it until he collapses. But here, his shoulders are hunched and his brow is furrowed. It's obvious Danny right now is just a last resort to get the ghosts from trashing any more of his things.

"How long have they been here?" He asks.

"Three days," Tony answers with a sigh. "Here we are."

They stop outside of a door that's sealed shut, but isn't soundproof. Danny can hear crashes and high pitched laughter coming from the inside, and he inwardly groans before phasing through the door before Tony can open it.

Inside, it's an absolute mess. Papers are thrown everywhere, machines and parts are strewn across the ground. Some things are stuck half way through the walls and ceiling, and the lights are flickering as they swing back and forth.

Danny reaches into his core and lets his aura flare out. The temperature in the room drops, and in the back of his mind he can hear the door opening as Tony walks in. He let's a blue wisp escape his lips. His eyes dart around looking for the intruder.

"Come out," he says. His voice is deep and booming, and every bit of commanding as one would expect from the Ghost King. "Now."

Hesitantly, four ghosts appear before him. Johnny, Kitty, and their Shadow, and unsurprisingly, Technus. They all float before Danny, gazes looking away sheepishly as he floats there in front of them with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What is the meaning of this?" He asks.

"We were just gettin' a little bored, man," Johnny answers. He's trying to act chill about it, but it's obvious he's put off by Danny's demeanor. "We needed a change of scenery."

"Yes!" Technus jumps in excitedly. "And I wanted to see what the fabulous Tony Stark had to offer! His technology is amazing, and I was going to use it to...take over...the...world..."

The room gets colder the more he talks, and the neutral expression on Danny's face turns absolutely murderous.

"Apologize," he tells them. He doesn't need to look back at Tony to know that he's standing behind him with a smug look on his face. Sheepishly, they all apologize, and without another word, Danny sucks them into the thermos. Almost immediately, the temperature starts to rise again.

"Sorry about them," he says. "They can get a little restless. I'll help you clean up."

"So...You've defeated gods, huh?" Tony asks after a few minutes. Danny just shrugs.

"Not really. God-like, sure, but not any actual gods. Not unless Nocturne counts, but I don't think he's officially at god-status yet."

"Still, that's pretty impressive. How old are you anyway, kid?"

"Fifteen," Danny answers with a shrug.

"You're only fifteen?" Bruce asks as he walks in. "How'd you get rid of them so quickly?"

"It's as we said," Wong came in right behind Bruce, with Strange at his heels. "He is the Ghost King. They listen to him."

"Does that mean you're...Dead?" Bruce asks hesitantly. Tony stiffens as he looks towards Danny, realizing for the first time that he's actually a ghost too. Danny just shrugs, though.

"Sort of? Dead enough to be their king, I guess."

"But also alive enough to go to high school," Strange adds on with a small smile.

"Oh, that reminds me, Phantom," Wong says. "How did your midterms go?"

"You remember that? That was like six months ago?"

"I forgot to ask you last time," Wong answers sheepishly.

"They were...Good, I think? I remember I passed. I think I got through my lit class by the skin of my teeth."

"What about science and math?" Bruce asks.

Danny ducks his head as he rubs the back of his neck. "I got perfect scores on that. It helps when you grow up in a lab, you know?"

Tony walks over to Phantom, and even though he's still hovering in the air, he still manages to sling an arm around his shoulders.

"Kid, have you ever heard of the Stark internships?"

Doctor Strange huffs a laugh and rolls his eyes.

"Here we go."

#danny phantom #danny fenton #marvel #mcu #doctor strange #wong #tony stark #bruce banner #iron man #hulk #johnny 13 #technus #nicolai technus

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0x1-lxvesxng · 2 years

Text

evanescent

when 7 club leaders obsess over the quiet newcomer to the school

afab reader, yandere content

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

part 1

an exasperated sigh left your lips as you opened your locker, immediately noticing a sage green envelope joined by a pastel pink carnation. these envelopes were a common sight by now, though they were unwelcome.

a few months had passed since you had switched schools. ever since your first day you made up your mind to avoid conflict, barely talking to people and just getting through your school days. of course you had a friend (his name was beomgyu), but he was a childhood friend you met again in class one day per chance. considering how little you tried to communicate with your peers, it came as a big surprise when you received your first letter. you were flattered, you truly were. until the contents started getting creepier and more obsessive the more letters you received, that is. you came to the conclusion that this wasn't an admirer, but a stalker. it was odd. you never caught anybody staring, nobody talked to you, and the envelopes changed colors at random. it was as if the personality of the creep changed together with the color. you came to the conclusion that they probably just change the color depending on how they felt, and left it at that.

back to present you. the you that has been staring at the flower for a little too long now. "hey, y/n!" you hear a familiar voice behind you call out, a pair of arms wrapping around your neck from behind "oh no, another one?" beomgyu sighed. you just nodded, swiftly stuffing the letter into your bag, not even bothering to open it. you grabbed the carnation slowly and investigated it absent-mindedly. beomgyu swiftly snatched the flower from your hands, furrowing his eyebrows "another flower". you nodded a little "yeah, it's always the same flower but different colors. at least when the envelopes are green". beomgyu hummed and handed you the flower back "how about we go to the gardening club? maybe they have a member with an, uh, appreciation for carnations" he suggested. "oh my god beomgyu, that's genius!" you exclaimed, quickly slamming your locker shut and hurrying outside to the designated club area which was situated outside.

the weather was lovely but you payed it no mind, excited about finally having a lead to figure out who this psychopath was so you could confront them. or report them to the police. or both. you walked into the gardens, beomgyu following close behind you. the both of you took a look around, soon identifying the leader of the club by the little tag on his sweater. he was carefully tending to a small succulent, head tilted as he carefully removed a dead leaf or two. you walked over to him with swift steps and tapped his shoulders, making him turn around. you didn't miss the way his eyes widened ever so slightly as they landed on you, paying no mind to beomgyu whatsoever. "hi, uh..?" "..jungwon" he introduced himself, clearing his throat and looking back at the succulent he was repotting "right- hi jungwon- i need some help. do you have a member with a, for lack of a better word, preference for carnations?". the other furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, head tilting to the left "hmm, no, not that i know of. why? did somebody forget a plant in a classroom again?" he sighed and stood up, now noticing beomgyu for the first time. you didn't catch the way his eyes darkened ever so slightly, glaring beomgyu down until you gently grabbed his arm and tugged him somewhere more private to explain the situation. "okay look so- this is private so keep it to yourself okay?" he nodded quickly "i've been getting these- letters and flowers for a while now and they're very unsettling, so i hoped i could get a lead here. would you please let me know if you see anything?" jungwon frowned and tilted his head again, nodded with a worried expression "i'm so sorry about that, of course. i'll keep an eye open here" he pulled you into a gentle hug "here's my number as well, just call or text me if you ever need anything" he hurried off to write down his number on a scrap piece of paper before handing it to you. you couldn't shake the feeling that something about jungwon was wrong, so very wrong as you pocketed the paper. you shrugged it off and thanked him, turning to leave the club with beomgyu, once again not catching the sinister glint in the club leader's eyes. "oh, take this. a pretty flower for a pretty girl" jungwon quickly ran after you, handing you a rose with red cheeks before hurrying back to his succulent. you looked at beomgyu in confusion before shrugging, leaving the club together. "i'm sorry that that was useless" beomgyu sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "it's okay. let's just go home" you smiled and he nodded "i'll walk you there"

#yandere niki #yandere kpop #yandere jungwon #yandere jay #yandere jake #yandere heeseung #yandere enhypen #enhypen #enhypen jungwon #enhypen niki #jake enhypen #sunghoon enhypen #enhypen sunoo #heeseung enhypen #enhypen jay

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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years

Note

I love your Nie brothers content, all of it, but there is so little written about the friendship between Nie Huaisang and Wei Wuxian! We know they were friends in Cloud Recesses, but it's never explored how these genius guys, even if one is focused on magical inovations and the other on strategy and politics, got on. Something which shows how well they got each other would be great

Wei Wuxian’s fist trembled. How dare he – worthless peacock – my shijie..!

But before he could throw a punch, he saw a swirl of white – Lan Wangji, sweeping forward with a face like a graveyard, and Nie Huaisang cringing in his shadow – and suddenly he realized that he didn’t need to punch Jin Zixuan.

Speaking of others behind their backs is forbidden.

Sneering without reason is forbidden.

Arrogance is forbidden.

Do not be haughty and complacent.

Do not praise yourself and slander others.

Do not make assumptions about others.

Do not insult people.

Do not take your words lightly.

Wei Wuxian grinned with teeth. “Hey, Lan Zhan!” he sang out, and Jin Zixuan blanched. “Perfect timing!”

Later, after he’d laughed himself sick at Jin Zixuan’s punishment – humiliatingly perfect – and making his appreciation very clear to Lan Wangji, he went to go find Nie Huaisang.

“When did you go get Lan Zhan?” he asked, honestly curious. He hadn’t known he was going to get into a fight until he was there and it was happening, but Nie Huaisang, of all people, had apparently figured out what was going to happen before it happened and took steps to fix it.

“The second they started talking about girls,” Nie Huaisang said promptly. “It’s fairly obvious that Jin Zixuan is resentful of his parents managing his life and he’s lashing out at everything, including specifically your shijie, so a nasty comment was inevitable.”

Wei Wuxian blinked, derailed from his original line of questioning. “He – what? Wait, that’s why he’s so rude about my shijie?”

“Of course,” Nie Huaisang said, blinking back at him. “What did you think? That he just didn’t like her? He’s barely even met her.”

Wei Wuxian hadn’t thought about that way, but it made a certain amount of sense. “When did you get so good at reading people?” he asked, bemused. “I didn’t…uh…”

“Think I have any skills?”

Wei Wuxian coughed.

“I don’t!” Nie Huaisang beamed, clearly very proud of it. “But I do have a lot of expensive hobbies, and that means I need pocket money.”

Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure he understood the connection, and said as much.

Nie Huaisang laughed at him. “The Nie sect believes in self-sufficiency,” he explained. “My brother gives me a certain amount of money to spend, sure, but we’re not the Jin sect; I can’t just buy everything that I lay my eyes on and send the bill back home – my brother would break my legs! I’m expected to find a way to increase the money I get until it’s enough to cover both my needs and wants, necessities and luxuries both, and if I can’t, then I have to do without luxuries.”

Nie Huaisang has never, not once, in the entire few months Wei Wuxian spent in his company, done without luxuries.

“So,” Wei Wuxian said, feeling oddly unnerved and unsure why, “you learned how to read people because you want to act like…a merchant?”

Nie Huaisang lightly tapped his head with his fan, rolling his eyes at him. “Stop being such a landed gentry young master, Wei-xiong. There’s nothing wrong with trade! How much of your sect’s money comes from merchants interested in keeping their trade routes free of resentful energy?”

Wei Wuxian wrinkled his nose a little. “That’s cheapening it a bit, don’t you think? As cultivators, it’s our duty to stand up as heroes, to defend the innocent and defeat evil, to purify –”

“Right, right. Remind me again how the Jiang sect pays for all that pretty purple?”

“Well…I mean…”

Technically, yes, there were all the dye sellers and the fabric merchants, but…

Nie Huaisang was laughing at him.

“Don’t worry about it, Wei-xiong,” he said, wiping his eyes. “You stick to doing your own thing. If you ever need to sell anything, come to me.”

“Of course,” Wei Wuxian said, privately thinking to himself that he’d rather farm for crops than become a seller hawking his goods in the marketplace. “Hey, wait, what is it that you sell, anyway?”

Nie Huaisang sniggered and refused to tell him.

It was porn.

Also barbeque and liquor, although in that case Nie Huaisang mostly played the middleman between the vendors of Caiyi Town and the students stuck eating Lan vegetables.

Sometimes he could even be convinced to tug on his contacts for other things, too.

“You’re a true friend,” Wei Wuxian said, clutching the bottle of chili sauce to his chest. “A true and wonderful friend.”

“You still have to pay,” Nie Huaisang said, his eyes curving up behind his fan. “No discounts.”

“A ruthless, vicious, cut-throat friend…”

“I lend you the porn for free, don’t I?

“Wonderful! Wonderful friend!”

No matter what Jiang Cheng said, Wei Wuxian was trying to keep his head down during their time at the indoctrination camp. He was taking this whole thing very seriously: he wasn’t making a fuss (too much), he wasn’t being insulting (too much), he wasn’t even socializing (too much).

Lan Wangji didn’t count, anyway; after what had happened to him, he needed someone bothering him.

But Wei Wuxian was being good and keeping back from the rest!

Well, he was, except then he saw Nie Huaisang and just had to go over to say hello. It was only polite, and had nothing to do with the fact that during the months he spent at the Cloud Recesses, he’d learned that Nie Huaisang could sell anyone on anything.

“I don’t suppose you have contacts that will sell you barbeque here,” Wei Wuxian said as a greeting, because the food they’d received was frankly disgusting in a way that made him wistful for the Lan sect like it had been a gourmet restaurant.

“Well,” Nie Huaisang hedged, and Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows shot up. “Don’t get too excited, it’s not barbeque…”

It was meat, though, chunks of that had probably been roasted as skewers at one point, and Wei Wuxian didn’t even care that it was cold as he scarfed it down, immediately feeling ten times better than he’d been before.

“Where?” he asked. “How?”

“There’ll be a surprise inspection tomorrow morning,” Nie Huaisang said instead. “Keep your head down, they’re looking to make an example out of somebody.”

“How do you know that?”

Nie Huaisang shrugged. “I brought art.”

“To the indoctrination camp?”

“Wen soldiers get lonely and bored too, Wei-xiong.”

“You’re trading for information using porn?”

“Don’t be silly. I’m trading porn for meat, and getting the information while we’re chatting. A large number of the Wen sect cultivators used to be their own sects, you know, before they were absorbed, and not all of them are happy about what’s going on here. You just have to figure out who the loyalists are, avoid them, and focus on the rest, and it’s easy.”

“I still can’t believe you brought porn to the Wen sect,” Wei Wuxian said, shaking his head. “What’ll you do if your brother finds out?”

“You’re joking, right? He helped me pack it.”

Wei Wuxian will never understand the Nie sect.

Wei Wuxian stared wordlessly at his bowl.

There was a single slice of radish in it.

“Is this a joke?” he asked Wen Qing, because it might be, and she glared at him, meaning that no, it was not. “Don’t we have anything else?”

“With what money, Wen-gongzi? Do you think it comes from thin air?”

“I had a friend once who could make it come out of thin air,” he grumbled, looking down at his bowl. He’d practiced inedia, he didn’t need it, except for the fact that he really, really did. Not having a golden core made things hard. “He could’ve sold fish to fishermen, except he mostly just sold porn.”

Wen Qing rolled her eyes at him. “Wonderful story, Wei-gongzi. Positively heartwarming. But unless your old erotic art dealer is going to come to Yiling to help us sell some radishes, I don’t care.”

Naturally, that was impossible. Wei Wuxian was a villain now, his name blackened, the whole cultivation world against him –

Actually, as far as he could tell, the Nie sect didn’t seem to give a damn about him one way or another. From all the stories Nie Huaisang had told about his brother and from everything he’d seen in the war, Nie Mingjue wasn’t the sort of person to let evil sit around on a mountain while he was busy with other things – if he objected, he’d be there the next day with his saber, ready to put him in his place.

He hadn’t, obviously.

His hatred of the Wen sect was pretty well-known, but he’d taken no action at all to invade Yiling and demand that Wei Wuxian hand them over, and Wei Wuxian was mostly sure that it wasn’t because he was scared of what Wei Wuxian could do with the Stygian Tiger Seal.

…it was probably just the hunger getting to him and making him think crazy things. Not caring enough to go against him was pretty far from supporting him, after all.

But, hey, he wouldn’t be risking anything if he just wrote a tiny little letter asking Nie Huaisang for some advice on selling things, right?

I never thought I’d see the day my Wei-xiong finally became a merchant, the return letter said. I’ll be there in three days. I expect to see liquor.

Wei Wuxian took Wen Ning down the mountain and stood on his shoulders in order to emancipate a jar from the local tavern, but by the time Nie Huaisang arrived, there was, in fact, liquor.

Even Wen Qing – who had opposed the entire outing once she had heard about it upon their return – suddenly thought it was a perfectly reasonable sort of theft when Nie Huaisang offered to trade a giant crate full of meat for it.

“We had some leftovers from a boar hunt,” Nie Huaisang said mournfully, accepting the liquor and a bowl of radishes. “I need variety, Wei-gongzi, it’s terrible. You have to help me get rid of it; I can’t stand to look at it any longer.”

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Wei Wuxian reminded him in between glorious bites of pork. He was going to be a very good friend and do his best to ensure that Nie Huaisang’s request was fulfilled, even if it meant taking seconds and possibly thirds. “I asked for advice, not a visit.”

“You can’t expect me to put my good name on what could be inferior goods,” Nie Huaisang sniffed.

“Your good name? The one known for porn, you mean?”

Nie Huaisang rolled his eyes at him. “So show me what you have to sell.”

“It’s mostly just the radishes,” Wei Wuxian said. “I tried to tell Wen Qing that we should plant potatoes, but –”

“Forget the radishes,” Nie Huaisang said. “What’s this I hear about you designing a compass that pinpoints resentful energy?”

“Oh, that?” Wei Wuxian said, blinking. “Yeah, I made one of those – the Burial Mounds is the biggest source of resentful energy around, and it’s easier to have a compass that points home instead of north, you know? But what does that have to do with selling radishes?”

“Wei-xiong, you’re hopeless. Leave it all to me, and you’ll have your sect up and running in no time.”

“Yeah, that would be – wait, sect? What sect?”

“Actually,” Nie Huaisang said, tapping his fan against his cheek. He was just plain old ignoring Wei Wuxian now, which, hey! “I take it back – before you leave everything to me, show me what other ideas you’ve been cooking up. What about those talismans you used during the war? The spirit-drawing ones?”

“Spirit summoning,” Wei Wuxian corrected.

“Yes, those. Have you improved on those at all?”

“Uh, I mean, I guess…”

“Good. Show me everything.”

“So I have a sect now,” Wei Wuxian told Lan Wangji, who had come to visit. “We sell things to support it. Apparently.”

Lan Wangji nodded, apparently already aware of this. “The clan elders have agreed that using your flags to draw fierce corpses and other creatures away from areas with innocent human lives is an acceptable use.”

“Even the Lan sect?” Wei Wuxian marveled. “No wonder we’re making so much money.”

Then he sighed.

Lan Wangji looked questioningly at him.

“Well, I have a sect now,” Wei Wuxian said. “Everyone’s expecting me to – you know. Form the core of the sect.”

“Marry,” Lan Wangji concluded. Possibly advised? No, that didn’t sound like he was urging him to go ahead, which made a total of one person. “You do not have to if you do not wish. You already have an heir.”

“A-Yuan’s too young to be a proper heir,” Wei Wuxian objected, though he was secretly gleeful that people were generally accepting him as one. “And obviously I can’t just pick anyone; how will I know if they’re a spy? Or if they’ll secretly dislike A-Yuan?” He sighed again. “The worst part is, I think Nie Huaisang is plotting against me, too.”

“Plotting?”

“Yeah! He’s encouraging people to ask me about marriage, when clearly it’s better for me to stay off the market…what about you, Lan Zhan? Are you planning on marrying?”

“No,” Lan Wangji said.

“We’ll be a bunch of old bachelors, then,” Wei Wuxian said. “You should come more often, A-Yuan loves you…hey! I have a great idea! Why don’t we get married? Then no one will bother us ever again!”

“Mm,” Lan Wangji said.

“Mm? What does that mean?”

“It means I will need to send Nie Huaisang his payment in the morning,” Lan Wangji said, and moved to sit next to Wei Wuxian.

“Payment? You bought something from him? What did you want to –”

Lan Wangji silenced him pretty effectively, no spell necessary, and by the time Wei Wuxian retained enough ability to think through what exactly the purchase must have been, he’d already been converted to thinking that it was a very intelligent purchase to make.

Nie Huaisang really could sell anything.

#mdzs #wei wuxian #nie huaisang #wangxian #my fic #my fics #sales pitch #violetablood

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alisonsfics · 3 years

Text

Change Our Fates (Part One)

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Summary: Y/N has always been head over heels for Spencer. The team decides to go out for drinks after finishing a case. When Spencer drunkenly kisses Y/N, will it change her life for better, or for worse?

Word Count: 3.7k

Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5

You were sitting at your desk at work. You had just finished your paperwork for the day, and it was finally the weekend. “Hey Y/N, you got plans tonight?” Emily asked you, walking over to your desk.

“If drinking wine at home alone is plans, then yes” you replied, giggling to yourself. “That is just sad, let’s all go out. It’s been a long week” Derek said, joining the two of you around your desk.

“I don’t know Derek, my pajamas are kind of calling my name” you said, hesitating. “Come on Y/N, let’s go have fun! You’re my wing woman” Emily pleaded, grabbing both of your hands. “Y/N, when was the last time you had a date?” Derek asked you.

You thought about it for a second. Derek was right, it had been a while. It was just so hard to date with the crazy work schedule that came with working at the BAU.

“Uhhhh” you said, stalling. “Exactly” Emily and Derek said in unison. You wracked your brain, trying to come up with an excuse to stay at home.

“Are we going out?” Penelope asked, walking up to us. “Yeah, we’re trying to convince Y/N to come with us” Emily explained. Penelope frowned at you. “Y/N, you are coming with us, no buts” Penelope said, crossing her arms.

You sighed and leaned further back into your chair. “And you, you’re coming too” Penelope said, pointing at Spencer. He had his bag and was on his way to leave. “Wait what?” He asked, joining our group.

“We’ve both been roped into going out with the rest of the team tonight” you said, standing up and then leaning your head on Spencer’s shoulder. “But guys—” Spencer said, starting to complain.

Derek stopped him before he could say anything else. “I don’t want to hear it, pretty boy. You two never go out with us, so it’s time to change that” Derek said.

You all started to leave the building together. “I will be picking you both up, so that you can’t try to cancel. Now, go home and get ready” Derek told you and Spencer. You rolled your eyes, causing Spencer to laugh.

“What’re you laughing at, pretty boy?” Derek asked him, curiously. You and Spencer immediately made eye contact. “Oh umm, nothing” he lied, unconvincingly. Derek gave the both of you a confused look.

“I don’t know what’s going on with two, but I’ll pick you up in an hour” Derek told you. You walked out the front door and were almost to your car when you heard someone’s footsteps behind you.

You glanced behind you, you saw Spencer trying to catch up to you. “What’s wrong?” You asked him. He caught up to you and you both walked together towards your car. “Do we really have to go to this thing tonight? I mean, the two of us could hang out and watch a movie or something” He suggested to you.

You smiled to yourself. It made you feel all warm inside. Spencer would rather have a night in with you then go out and hang out with the team.

You two were best friends, but it still made you happy to know that Spencer enjoyed your company.

You knew that a night in with Spencer would be much better than a night on the town. You both loved to hang out and order pizza. But, you knew the team would never let you not come out with them.

“I don’t think they’ll take no for answer, Spence. Even though, a movie night sounds like a much better plan for tonight” you said, and then realized you had arrived at your car.

“So, I’ll see you later?” Spencer asked, hopefully. “I’ll be there” you said, smiling and then driving home. Spencer waved to you as you drove off.

What Spencer didn’t know was that despite the fact that you both were best friends, you had a bit of a crush on the handsome doctor. You would never act on it though, there was no way you’d risk your friendship.

A while later, you were at home. You completely dressed and had your makeup done. Technically, you were ready to leave, but you were standing and staring in to the mirror. You weren’t sure if you looked good in your outfit. If you were going out and Spencer was going to be there, you wanted to look good.

Before you could even think about changing, you heard a knock at your door. You grabbed your phone and your purse and opened the front door. You saw Spencer standing there, looking absolutely handsome.

“Hi, wow...umm” he said, looking down at your outfit. “Thank you, Spencer” you said, smiling. It didn’t take a genius to know what those stutters and hesitation meant.

You had a good feeling about tonight. It had started with Spencer being speechless, just by looking at your outfit. That had to be a good sign.

Spencer cleared his throat and collected himself. “They’re all—ummm in the car” he said, gesturing towards the car in the driveway. “Well then, let’s go” you said, smiling at him.

Spencer had never acted nervous around you before, but you were going to take it as a good sign.

You both walked over to the car. Spencer instinctually went to grab the door of the passenger seat. You assumed that was where he had been sitting, but then you saw Penelope in the front seat.

He opened the door and was shocked to see her sitting there. “I started getting car sick in the back, so I call shotgun. You two lovebirds are in the back” Penelope told you both. You felt your cheeks heat up when she said lovebirds.

Penelope knew about your not so subtle crush on Spencer. So, you were constantly hoping that she wouldn’t tell him.

The car that you guys were in had three rows of seats. Derek was driving with Penelope next to him. JJ and Emily were in the middle seats. And now, you and Spencer were sitting in the very back.

Derek pulled out of your driveway and Penelope started to talk about something she saw on television. Spencer leaned over to you. “What did mean when she said lovebirds?” He whispered in your ear, not wanting anyone else to hear him.

You just shrugged your shoulders and lied. “I don’t know, it was probably just Penelope being weird” you lied, obviously not telling him about your crush. You could feel your cheeks heat up, hoping Spencer wouldn’t notice.

Emily turned around to face you. She smirked when she saw how embarrassed you looked. You could almost see her brain coming up with a way to embarrass you further.

Then she smiled to herself. Uh-oh

“See Y/N, look how nice you look when you go out with us. You look amazing, right Spencer? Doesn’t Y/N look gorgeous?” She teased, and your heart dropped. Now, she wasn’t just embarrassing you, but also Spencer.

You saw Spencer’s eyes widen, out of the corner of your eye. “I—ummm. Yeah, you look— really nice” he said, giving you a small smile while his cheeks flushed red.

You just wanted to hide.

“Somebody is flustered” Derek mentioned, and then smiled to himself. You felt so bad for Spencer, he looked mortified. “So where are we going any way?” You asked, changing the subject.

You swore you actually heard Spencer breathe a sigh of relief. You looked over at him and he gave you an appreciative smile. You smiled back at him.

“There’s some new bar that Emily has been begging to go to for weeks” JJ told you. Then, you felt Derek slam on the brakes and honk the horn. You looked up and saw that a car had swerved in front of you. “Why does nobody in this city know how to drive?” Derek muttered to himself.

You looked down and saw that Spencer had grabbed your hand when Derek slammed on the brakes. You both made eye contact and his cheeks flushed red again. He instantly pulled his hand away. “Sorry” he quickly muttered, and then looked out the window.

Eventually, you all pulled up to the bar. Once Emily and JJ had gotten out of the car, Spencer helped you out of the car. It was a tight squeeze to get out of the back row of the car.

You adjusted your dress once you got out of the car. “We are going to have fun tonight, especially you two” Derek said, pointing at you and Spencer as you all walked inside.

The six of you all walked over to a booth and sat down.

Emily was sitting next to the window, with Penelope next to her, and then Derek. JJ was by the window on the other side, with Spencer next to her. and then you.

“I’m going to go get some drinks for us. Who is our designated driver?” You asked, standing up from the table. “I’ll drive” Emily volunteered. “Okay. Spence, do you want anything to drink?” You asked him, knowing most of the time he preferred not to drink.

“Ummmm—” he said, thinking. “Why don’t you go with her, kid? Then, you can decide” Derek suggested, and smirking at you.

Apparently, everyone on the team was going to make it their mission to get you and Spencer together tonight.

“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to” you assured Spencer, not wanting him to feel pressured just because Derek wanting to tease you. Spencer looked unsure of what to do. “No, it’s fine. I’ll go with you” Spencer said, getting out of the booth seat.

You both started to walk towards the bar and you had to walk through a big group of people. Spencer was in front of you, leading you through the crowd.

Then, you felt someone grab your hand. You were ready to have to pull your hand away from some creepy guy, but you looked down and saw that Spencer had reached back and grabbed your hand. It was like he was trying to make sure that he didn’t lose you in the crowd.

You felt a smile creep onto your face as you thought about his very sweet gesture. You both eventually reached the bar. You ordered a few shots for everyone. Then, you turned to Spencer and he ordered a beer for himself.

Spencer rarely drank, and when he did, it was very tame. He was never the person who was downing shot after shot.

You turned towards Spencer as the bartender made your drinks. “Has the team seemed weird to you today?” Spencer asked you, glancing back over at the table. “You mean weirder than normal?” You asked, giggling. You were really trying to avoid that conversation, because you couldn’t tell him why they were acting weird. Because then he would know you liked him and he wouldn’t want to be friends anymore.

“I guess they’re not any weirder than normal, but something just feels off. Like they’re all hinting at something I don’t know about” he said, honestly. Then, the bartender saved you and placed your drinks down in front of you both.

You looked at the amount of shots and there were too many. “This is two too many shots” you told the bartender. He chuckled to himself. “Those two are on me” he said, and then winked at you.

You laughed to yourself and then grabbed the drinks into your hands. “Why did he give you extras?” Spencer asked you, after the bartender had moved on to someone else. You just stared back at Spencer, did he really not know why he did it.

“I’ll explain it to you when you’re older” you teased, and turned to walk back to the table. Spencer followed you and you kept hearing him ask you what the bartender meant.

You both sat back down in your original spots at the booth. “Why won’t you just tell me?” Spencer asked you, as you handed out the shots. “What won’t she tell you?” Emily asked, curiously. You giggled at how clueless Spencer was. “Spencer wants to know why the bartender gave me extra shots on the house” you said, still giggling.

The entire team started laughing. “What? I don’t get it” Spencer complained. “Come on pretty boy. It means the bartender thought Y/N was hot and bought her some drinks” Derek explained, chuckling to himself.

Spencer’s mood changed almost instantaneously. “Oh” he said, sounding disappointed.

“Cheer up kid, you still have a chance” Derek joked. Your eyes widened and you kicked Derek under the table. He winced. “I mean, have a chance at getting a free drink. You just have to go up and talk to the female bartender” Derek said, covering for you.

You downed a shot because apparently it was going to be a long night.

After a few minutes of talking, you felt Spencer tap your shoulder. You turned to look at him. “What’s wrong?” You asked, quietly. “Can I try one?” He asked you politely.

The only problem was you didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. “Try one of what?” You asked him, cluelessly. He pointed at one of the shots that was sitting in the middle of the table.

“A shot? Oh—ummm —of course. Go ahead” you asked, completely shocked. He picked one up and examined it for a second. “It’s best to just do it fast” you advised.

Spencer took a deep breath and then quickly downed the shot. You were impressed to say the least. “Woah pretty boy, guess who just got serious” Derek started to tease.

No one knew what to say. You had all seen Spencer drink beer or wine on occasion, but none of you had ever seen him do a shot.

“What? Did I do it wrong?” Spencer asked, getting self conscious as he felt his friends’ stares on him.

“We’ve just never seen you drink a shot” JJ said, stunned. You couldn’t believe your eyes. You had known Spencer for years and you were very close. So close that sometimes you could almost predict what he was going to do. But, you never would have expected him to down a shot just out of the blue.

It was about an hour later and all of you were pretty drunk, except for Emily, who was the designated driver. “Another round” Penelope cheered. “I’ll get it” you volunteered, standing up.

“I’ll help carry” Emily said, following you up to the bar. Once you got to the bar and ordered, Emily turned to face you. She gave you a look that meant she wanted to talk about something. “So?” Emily said, smirking and you knew you were in trouble.

“What?” You asked, confused. She rolled her eyes at how oblivious you were. “When are you finally going to make a move on Spencer?” She asked, wiggling her eyebrows. You should have known that’s what she was going to say.

“Come on Emily, you know that I can’t” you told her, stubbornly. She didn’t seem to like your answer. “You always say that, but I don’t see why you can’t just ask him out. He’s clearly into you, and you are totally head over heels for him. The whole team can see it. Just ask him out, then we can all stop dealing with you two pining over each other” she told you, like it was obvious.

“He doesn’t like me like that. We’re just friends, and it would ruin our work relationship” you argued, not wanting to get your hopes up that he could possibly like you. You had been dreaming of going on a date with Spencer for as long as you could remember, and you didn’t want to crush your hope.

“Well I disagree, and I also think you should look over at the table” Emily said, subtly. You quickly glanced over her shoulder to see what she was talking about. Derek had his arm around Spencer’s shoulders and they were both looking in your direction. Derek was telling Spencer something, but you couldn’t tell what it was. “What are they doing?” You asked, confused.

Emily just stared at you for a second. You knew that meant that you were supposed to know what they were talking about. “Well they’re clearly talking about you. And we all know that Spencer likes you, so Derek is probably telling him how to ask you out” Emily suggested.

You felt all your blood rush to your cheeks, you suddenly felt really embarrassed. Could they really be talking about you? You didn’t feel prepared. What if Spencer did come and ask you out? You didn’t know what you were supposed to say. What if you completely embarrassed yourself?

“This can’t be happening” you said, almost to yourself. “Oh it is, and Spencer is coming over here. I’m going to bring the drinks to the table” Emily said, smirking at you as she left you stranded.

Spencer was on his way over and you were fully panicking. Alcohol was supposed to give you courage. You weren’t completely drunk, but you didn’t feel brave at all.

You felt like you were going to puke on his shoes as soon as he came near you. You didn’t know what to do. You really liked Spencer, but was now really the moment that he might ask you out?

Then, he was standing in front of you. You felt like he could probably hear your heartbeat. “Hi” you said, bashfully. He looked like he was struggling to come up with words as well. You could tell he was really thinking about what he was going to say.

Then, all of a sudden, you felt his hands on your waist and his lips on yours. You were in complete shock. Spencer was kissing you right now. The one and only Spencer Reid was kissing you.

You didn’t know what to do. In your shock, you completely blanked and didn’t kiss Spencer back.

You felt his touch leave you, and he looked apologetic. “I’m so sorry, I—ummm” he stuttered, thinking that you didn’t want to kiss him. You had to do something fast if you ever wanted to have a romantic relationship with Spencer.

You grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him back to you. You felt the familiar warmth of his lips on yours. This time, you felt him smiled as he kissed you. He wrapped his arms around your waist and you felt safe and secure.

All the worries you had were completely gone. It was just you and him, in the moment. You both pulled away and you both had huge smiles on your face. You happened to look over his shoulder at the rest of the team. They all had either smiles or smirks on their face. Derek even wolf whistled at the two of you.

Spencer interlaced your fingers and you both walked to the table. All your friends congratulated the two of you, and told you that it took you both long enough.

It felt magical. You felt like you were in a dream, or on cloud nine. This seemed too good to be true. Once you left the bar, you all got back in the car to drive home.

Spencer’s hand never left yours at any point during the drive. And when you got dropped off at your house, Spencer kissed you goodnight. Everything in your life finally felt right, you finally had the guy of your dreams.

It felt perfect.

It took you hours to fall asleep. You were too giddy. You couldn’t get the smile off of your face. You had the image of Spencer’s face after the kiss plastered in your mind. The giant smile that had been on his face.

That moment had felt like pure bliss. You were actually really excited to go into work tomorrow. You were excited to see him again. You just wanted to be around him and hold his hand again.

You finally fell asleep, and woke up feeling refreshed and ecstatic. You put more effort into your outfit in the morning. You were practically skipping around your house.

Once you got to the office, you had butterflies in your stomach. You were going to see him again, see his smile again.

You walked to your desk and you were looking around for him, but trying to not make it obvious. You didn’t see him at his desk, you figured he was probably in the bathroom or something. You sat down at your desk, not even trying to get rid of the smile on your face at this point.

Then, you heard footsteps behind you. You turned around eagerly, and you saw Spencer walk past you, on his way to his desk. You felt your face light up when you saw him.

“Oh...hey Y/N. Good morning” he greeted you, just like he did every morning. You didn’t know why, but you felt disappointed. You had hoped for something more, you didn’t know what that something was though. “Morning Spence” you said, trying to hide your disappointment.

You started to think about it, and you could only come up with one conclusion. Spencer probably just didn’t want to act affectionate in front of anyone. Maybe he was worried because you worked together. By lunch time, you were convinced that this was the reason.

All day, Spencer hadn’t acted even a little bit different. A few times, you were convinced that last night was a dream and you had in fact imagined it.

Most of the team had left for lunch and you saw Spencer head toward the kitchen. You decided you would follow him and talk to him one on one.

“Hey Spence” you said, cheerfully. You saw Spencer pouring coffee into his mug. He looked at you with a confused glance. “You seem happy today” he said, confused. “Well yeah, duh” you said, thinking that he was kidding.

His expression didn’t change. “So what has you so happy?” He asked you, curiously. You could tell from his tone that he was serious. “Because of last night, come on Spence” you told him, getting more nervous by the second. His face still had no glimmer of realization.

“What happened last night? I don’t remember anything from last night. I think I had too much to drink and my body wasn’t used to it” he told you, honestly.

Your heart stopped.

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sophiashortcake · 3 years

Note

Kenma, tsukki and suga on white day 🥺

𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬

includes kenma kozume, tsukishima kei, & sugawara kōshi

*·˚ ༘♡ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: kenma kozume x reader, tsukishima kei x reader, sugawara kōshi x reader, (gender neutral!)

*·˚ ༘♡ 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: for anybody unaware of what white day is, it’s a holiday celebrated throughout asia where you give chocolates to people you love similar to valentine’s day :)

*·˚ ༘♡ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: cursing, a little longer than intended

*·˚ ༘♡ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fluff

— 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐊𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈

𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑: white chocolate + cookies n creme!

white day was the perfect way to confess to sugawara.

except one problem presented itself.

you had no idea what sugawara’s favorite chocolate was.

daichi had no clue either, neither did asahi or kiyoko.

and asking now would have been too suspicious.

what the hell could you do?

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

“asahi, are you even sure this is his favorite chocolate? i swear i saw him eating milk chocolate last week.” daichi groaned.

“i asked him myself!”

“but are you positive?” you questioned.

“i’m sure any chocolates you give him will be fine,” kiyoko sighed, “sugawara would appreciate anything you gave him.”

daichi and asahi echoed off of kiyoko, but you still held your doubts. you had liked sugawara for three years now, and now that you were nearing the end of high school, you finally wanted to confess to him. you wanted it to be perfect, to say the least. who could blame you? you wanted the three year build up to be for something!

“what are you guys still doing up here?”

the three of you snapped your heads up to sugawara standing in the doorway of the clubroom. you all scrambled up from the small table you were chatting at to face him.

“just talking about practice tomorrow!” asahi stammered. he was a terrible liar.

“yes, it’s important!” daichi chirped after asahi. you almost smacked your forehead. great, so was daichi.

“without me?” sugawara asked, raising an eyebrow.

“we thought you had already gone home for the day,” you replied, feigning innocence.

“sugawara, do you have any plans for white day tomorrow?” kiyoko asked casually.

“not anything in particular,” he shrugged, “what about you guys?”

“nothing!” you, daichi, and asahi exclaimed simultaneously. oh god, you three couldn’t make this any worse, could you?

“i was hoping to get some chocolates from my friends,” kiyoko replied, “dark chocolate is my favorite, what about you?”

kiyoko was a fucking genius.

“hmmm,” sugawara hummed in thought, “probably white chocolate with cookies n creme filling?”

“that’s a good choice,” kiyoko remarked, flashing you a quick grin that sugawara thankfully didn’t pick up on.

“how about you guys?” sugawara asked, looking around.

“milk chocolate!” asahi stated a little too quickly.

“mine too,” daichi replied. you could tell he was sweating.

“ah, me three,” you answered, scratching the back of your head, hoping kiyoko’s ulterior motive wasn’t so transparent.

“come on guys! we should lock up now,” daichi stated, quick to change the subject.

as you all grabbed your bags and headed out the club room, you leaned over to kiyoko and whispered a soft, “thank you.”

on your way home, you quickly dropped into the grocery store to buy the supplies needed to make the chocolates. you spent the night carefully making and decorating the chocolates before putting them into the small box for sugawara. you went to bed hoping that he reciprocated your feelings, before you knew it, white day had come.

you sat on the steps of the volleyball gym, waiting for sugawara to come by to unlock the doors. daichi had purposefully made sure sugawara was the first one there to meet you with your chocolates.

what if he didn’t feel the same? what if he thought your chocolates taste bad? what if he was allergic and you sent him into an allergic reaction—

“y/n?”

“suga!” you exclaimed, jumping to your feet. “good morning!”

“good morning,” he chuckled, “what are you doing out here?”

you inhaled, three years. it has taken you three years to do this. it’s now or never.

“i made these for you for white day. i like you sugawara!” you presented the box to him, as sugawara stared at you wide-eyed.

then he started laughing.

oh great, your crush is laughing at your confession. you were preparing for a rejection but you weren’t prepared for-

“happy white day, y/n, i made these for you,” he smiled, holding out a small bag of chocolates for you. milk chocolates. “i like you too.”

your jaw dropped open, holy shit.

“to be honest,” sugawara continued, “i didn’t know your favorite chocolates, so i had to make kiyoko, daichi, and asahi figure out for me when you guys were talking in the club room last night.”

“wait… so did i…”

“they two-timed us!” sugawara gasped.

“hey guys!” daichi called from behind you, alongside kiyoko and asahi.

you looked to the three third-years grinning mischievously, and backed to sugawara. you both locked eyes and cackled. you both had been played by your best friends.

you pressed a kiss to sugawara’s cheek, “happy white day, koushi.”

— 𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐀 𝐊𝐄𝐈

𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑: chocolate strawberries!

oh, you’re bold for this one.

to even have a crush on tsukishima kei is an act of bravery.

but to make him chocolates on white day? you might as well be setting yourself up for rejection.

but luck is on your side because it just so happens tsukishima tolerates (read: likes) you too.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

“m-maybe i should just leave them in his locker,” you stammered, “or better yet, just eat these myself and try again next year.”

“i’m positive that he’ll love them,” yamaguchi replied, offering a smile and a rub on your shoulder for support.

yamaguchi had never told you, but he had a running theory. while he was more than aware of your crush on the middle blocker, a secret he had to swear never to tell, he had a theory that the same said middle blocker had his own crush on you in return.

tsukishima never confirmed it himself, but he saw the way he glanced at you while you weren’t looking, or the way he spoke a little softer while tutoring you. and not to mention, tsukishima was far more patient with you than yamaguchi had ever seen him with anybody else, not even him. it didn’t take a genius to see that tsukishima was seemingly smitten with you.

“there he is!” yamaguchi gasped, directing your attention to the tall boy making his way over the courtyard to you both. “now or never!”

while you were distracted by tsukishima, yamaguchi took this as his chance to scamper away to leave you two alone.

“wait, wait! yamaguchi!” you hissed after the freckled boy, but it was too late because as he retreated, tsukishima was coming closer and closer. you made a mental note to strangle yamaguchi later if you didn’t die of embarrassment today.

“what was that?” tsukishima questioned as he approached you, eyeing yamaguchi who was now across the courtyard with hinata and kageyama.

“no clue!” you chirped. way to be subtle.

tsukishima looked at you, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. his gaze dropped to your hands, which were behind your back, obviously clutching something.

“what are you hiding behind your back?”

shit.

“nothing.”

way to be fucking obvious, you scolded yoursef.

“you’re lying,” tsukishima said, rolling his eyes, “let me see.”

there was no way to avoid this, was there?

“fine, but don’t get snarky with me,” you warned. tsukishima raised his hands in mock surrender.

you presented him the pink cellophane bag harboring your carefully crafted chocolate strawberries. it was tied neatly with a pink ribbon, that now upon inspection, looked incredibly cheesy.

“i made you chocolates,” you muttered, shoving them into his hands. “happy white day.”

tsukishima was oddly quiet as he looked at the bag in his hands. it was almost comedic how the dainty and cutesy bag differed from his large hands, callosed and bandaged still from volleyball practice the other day. but you couldn’t pay much attention to the bag in his hands as your heart was threatening to beat out of your chest.

the silence was almost deafening, maybe a rejection would have been easier. it certainly would have been quicker. you could swear that his silence may have been hell on earth.

“thank you.”

wait, what?

“you like them?!” you exclaimed, you were sure he would’ve given them back, probably with a backhanded comment as well.

“why wouldn’t i?” he stated plainly as he busied himself with opening up the small bag, “i like strawberries, i like you.”

“what?!”

in the distance, you swore you could hear yamaguchi giggling to himself.

— 𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐌𝐀 𝐊𝐎𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐄

𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑: milk chocolate + caramel!

it was hard planning a confession to someone as quiet as kenma.

that’s why you enlisted kuroo to help you find the perfect way to confess to kenma.

thankfully, white day was approaching, which gave you the perfect opportunity to confess to the setter.

with your help from kuroo, you found kenma after practice to give him your gift.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

“oi! kenma! there’s somebody waiting outside for you,” kuroo called across the gym. he had to restrain himself from giving kenma a coy smirk, knowing exactly who it was outside.

“who is it?” kenma replied, looking up from the cart he was disposing of volleyballs in.

“i would go see for yourself.”

the setter sighed, knowing full well that kuroo’s quipped eyebrow and smirk he was trying to suppress was alluding to something sneaky he had up his sleeve. atleast he got to take a break from practice.

in actuality, kenma had the right idea, kuroo was indeed up to something. unknown to him, you and kuroo had been scheming the perfect way to confess your feelings to kenma. kuroo had proposed the idea of white day, even going as far as finding out his favorite chocolates. you had no other ideas, so it wouldn’t hurt to try, right?

as kenma stepped out of the gym he found you holding a small box nervously as you stared at your shoes, seemingly being the one in question looking for him.

“y/n? what are you doing out here?” kenma frowned, “you’re gonna catch a cold.”

“i’m actually here to see you,” you stated, your cheeks burning. you couldn’t tell if it was from the unusually cold march day, or the fact you were finally confessing to your longtime crush.

before kenma could question any further, you were holding out the small box of chocolates to kenma.

“happy white day! i like you, so i made these for you,” you stated, a sudden rush of boldness flaring in your chest.

“you- you like me?” kenma asked flabbergasted, to say the least. his cheeks were bright red, and he could barely stammer out the words.

“no, i give white day chocolates to all my friends, just ask kuroo,” you deadpanned.

“wait-“

“i’m kidding,” you grinned.

kenma let out a heavy sigh as he took the box from your hands. he cracked open the box to find it filled with milk chocolates in heart molds. ah, so that was why kuroo asked for his favorite chocolates randomly last month.

he looked up to find you fiddling with your sweater sleeve as you waited for his reaction. unexpectedly, he wrapped his arms around you, pulling your head into the crook of his shoulder.

“don’t scare me like that, i was actually afraid you liked the rooster-head,” kenma muttered.

“does this mean you like the chocolates?” you grinned as you pulled your face up to meet his.

“not as much as i like you.”

🏷 (open!) : @stcrryskies @iwaizoom @tsukisemi

#tsukishima kei #sugawara koushi #kenma kozume #tsukishima x reader #tsukishima kei x reader #sugawara x reader #sugawara koushi x reader #kenma x reader #kenma kozume x reader #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #haikyuu #hq #[💌] — anonymous #[📨] — inbox #[🍰] — headcanons

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samdeancass · 3 years

Text

Time Travel

Requested on Quotev

Pairing: Kevin x Tennyson!reader

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Characters: Kevin, Y/N, Ben, Gwen

Words: 2367

A/N: Y/N is Bens sister.

Description: When Y/N is kidnapped by a time traveller for revenge, its up to Kevin, Ben and Gwen to save her.

Being the sister of Ben Tennyson wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. You're always getting used as leverage or kidnapped by his enemies and sadly, you were becoming to get used to it. However, things became more complicated when you struck up a relationship with Kevin. Both of them would get into fights together about who would be the one to save you. These fights had become more and more frequent over the past few weeks and you had had enough.

“I’VE HAD IT! You both are acting like children! Fighting over who gets to save me! Has it ever occurred to you that you wouldn’t have to if you bothered to teach me self-defense, eh?” You stood up from the sofa and glared at the both of them before storming towards the front door.

“Where are you going?!” Both Kevin and Ben stood up and began to walk towards you. You glared at the both of them . “Somewhere where the both of you aren’t!” You slammed the door behind you and began walking towards your car. You had no idea where you were going to drive to but you needed to clear your head. Sliding into the drivers seat and turning the ignition, you placed your foot on the accelerator and gently eased onto the road.

You slid into the parking lot of Mr. Smoothie and turned off the ignition. You rested your head against the steering wheel and let out an agitated scream. “Why can’t they just realise that both of them can work together?! They don’t always have to fight each other!” You stayed in your car for a few more minutes before getting out and walking towards the entrance of Mr. Smoothie.

A bright blue light engulfed the parking lot. Confused, you turned around and scoped out your surroundings whilst signalling your location on your plumber’s badge. Footsteps sounded behind you and you whizzed around, hands up in front of you for self-defense. A loud laugh rumbled throughout the air as a man, a little taller than you, walked out of the shadows.

“Really, Y/N? You think doing that is going to save you?” The man towered over you in an attempt of intimidation. You stared up at him, unfazed. “No, but I know that my brother, the wielder of the Omnitrix, his cousin, an anodite and my boyfriend, an osmosian, will travel to the ends of the earth to find me and kick your ass.”

The man let out a growl before grabbing your shirt in his fists and lifting you up to his eye level. “That osmosian is the reason I’m here. A long time ago, he took something….someone dear to me. I’m going to do the same to him.” A loud cackle invaded your ears as the blue light surrounded you once more, engulfing you and whisking you away.

Ben and Kevin were still bickering with each other after you left. They were stood toe to toe with each other, both of their nostrils flaring with frustration. “She’s my sister, Kevin! Of course I’m going to want to save her!” “What about me?! I’m her boyfriend! She relies on me to keep her safe!” Ben opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by his omnitrix flashing. He rolled his eyes and twisted his omnitrix, a green map showing up. “It’s Y/Ns coordinates. Why would she be sending us this?” Ben and Kevin both looked at each other with fear in their eyes. “Tennyson, get in the car now!”

Kevin sped around the streets of Bellwood until he reached your coordinates. He got out of the car immediately and looked around, Ben following his lead. “Y/N!” In the distance, he seen you in the man’s clutches being engulfed into the blue light. Kevin ran as fast as he could, Ben following behind, but he was too late. You disappeared right before his eyes and he was too slow to save you.

He sunk to his knees and punched the concrete beneath him, over and over. “Kevin, stop!” He kept going, anger and frustration striving his punches. Ben pulled him up and slapped him across the face. “Snap out of it, Kevin! You’re not going to be able to help her if your hurt!” Kevin closed his eyes and nodded in understanding.

“Now, we need to figure out who that man was. He seemed to have some sort of travelling powers.” Kevin’s eyes widened in realisation as Ben kept talking about the plan to get you back. “Tennyson, shutup. I know who’s took her.” Ben tapped his foot against the floor as he waited for an explanation. “It was a long time ago, back before I met you guys. I was crazy with power. Somebody set a bounty on this guy so I went after him.”

Ben nodded, signalling Kevin to keep talking. “I went to his house and knocked on the door. As soon as that door opened, I absorbed silver and punched whoever was in front of me. I looked down and saw that I had killed his wife. She was dead instantly.” A small tear ran down his face as he remembered how horrible he used to be. “His name is Larry. He’s a tech genius and he’s been after me for years, but I’ve always been one step ahead of him. Larry built time travel tech so he could find me in any time, anywhere. He’s finally caught up with me.”

Kevin held his head down in shame as Ben walked towards him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You’re not that guy anymore Kevin. You’ve changed. We will find a way to get Y/N back from him, I promise.” Kevin nodded his head in appreciation. “I think that the first port of call should be Gwen. She’s got that big spellbook so maybe There’s one about time travelling.” Ben agreed and they both walked back towards Kevins car.

You groaned as you regained consciousness, a pounding headache attacking you. You tried to hold your head but found that your hands were tied tight to the arms of your chair, the same with your feet. Taking a deep breath to calm your quickening heartbeat, you looked around the room to try and find something that would help you get free.

You seen a large nail sticking out of a pillar across the room and smiled. You began to scrape your chair towards it, relief filling your body, when the door in front of you swung open causing you to scream. “Do you really think you’d be able to escape me, Y/N? We’re not even in the same year anymore. There isn’t anywhere that I wouldn’t find you.” Larry walked behind you and pulled the chair back to its original position.

“What do you mean we’re not in the same year?! How is that possible?!” Panic began to fill your body as his words sunk into you. Your chest began to heave as your breathing became heavy. Larry stepped in front of you, kneeling down to your height. “I’ve developed technology that helps me travel through time. I’ve been trying to catch up to Kevin for years but I’ve never been able to make him suffer, until now. You’re the most important thing in his life, Y/N, and I’m going to take you away from him, just like he did to me.”

Confusion washed over your features. “What do you mean? Who did he take from you?” Larry stood up and took a deep breath. “He came to my house looking for me, and found my wife. He killed her and left her body for me to find. I held her in my arms and vowed to get revenge on the person that murdered her; and that is exactly what I am going to do.”

“No! He’s not like that anymore! He’s changed! He’s a good man! Please don’t do this!” Tears began flowing down your cheeks as he came towards you with a tray of torture tools. A smirk washed over his face as he took a small knife from the tray and lunged towards you.

Ben, Gwen and Kevin had gathered together all of the ingredients from the spell. “Surely with all this time travelling he’s been doing over the years, there’s got to be consequences. He can’t just travel through different years and not expect anything to happen. Time has got to catch up with him sometime, right?” Kevin and Gwen rolled their eyes as Ben rambled on.

“Hey, Gwen. Thank you for doing this. I know it’s going to take a lot out of you and I just want you to know how much I appreciate this. Y/Ns the most important person, and knowing that somebody has her because of me….it breaks me apart inside.” Gwen looked up at him and smiled. “You don’t need to thank me, Kevin. We all love Y/N and we’d do anything for her. We will get her back.”

Kevin leaned down and hugged Gwen. “Now, guys, how in the hell are we supposed to know what year she’s in? I don’t think there’s any sort of map that tells you something like that.” Gwen carried on mixing the ingredients together whilst looking up at Ben. “There isn’t a map, but there is a spell. A very easy one, actually. All I need is something of hers.”

Kevin reached into his pocket and held out your plumbers badge that had fell out of your hands. “Will this work?” Gwen nodded and took the badge, pouring the ingredients over it whilst chanting out the spell. Her eyes began to sparkle pink with her anodite power as the spell progressed. Ben and Kevin stood back against the wall as the room was overcome with power.

In a matter of seconds, Gwen was gone and the room was empty apart from the two boys. “Alright, I think it worked. Now, where would Larry be keeping Y/N?” “His house. It’s the perfect place for him to get his revenge. Me going back to the scene of the crime to make me suffer, it’s got to be there.” Ben headed towards the door. “Then what are you waiting for? Let’s go.”

Both of the boys ran as fast as they could towards Larry’s house with Kevin leading the way. He rounded the last corner and stood in front of a stone house, dark and forgotten. Ben eventually caught up with Kevin and rested his hands on his knees, catching his breath. “Are you sure they’re in there? It looks abandoned.” A scream erupted from the house, which they both identified as yours. Kevin was the first to head towards the house, opening the door with one kick and running towards your screams. Ben followed quickly behind, his omnitrix ready for battle.

Your screams became louder as the boys headed deeper into the house. “Hold on, baby, I’m coming.” They stopped when they came to a wooden door underneath the staircase. Kevin and Ben looked at each other before shoulder barging the door open.

Your eyes widened as the door was busted open. However, you let out a breath of relief when you seen Kevin and Ben standing in front of you. Kevin began to move forwards toward you but was stopped in his tracks by Larry holding a small blade to your throat. “Stop right there, Kevin. If you take one more step, well, I suppose you know what will happen next.”

You and Kevin both locked eyes and you could see the worry consuming him. You nodded slightly, signalling you were Ok. “I’m alright, Kevin. Don’t worry.” You winced as the blade was pressed harder against your throat. Kevin tensed up as he seen you in pain. “How does it feel Kevin? Knowing that the person you love is going to die, but there is nothing you can do about it.”Kevin took a step forward. “I wouldn’t know because that’s never going to happen.”

At that moment, Ben lunged at Larry as Kevin ran towards him. The knife was knocked out of Larry’s hands as he hit the floor, leaving him defenceless against the wrath of Kevin and Ben. Larry crawled back until he hit the wall. “Please, don’t hurt me. I don’t want to be in anymore pain. I just wanted you to know what I felt when you took away the woman I love.”

Kevin knelt down in front of Larry, a slight smile on his face. “I’m not going to hurt you, Larry. That’s not who I am anymore. But I am going to leave you with the fact that you could have caused me that pain and you failed.”

Kevin stood up and ran towards you withBen following close behind. He knelt down in front of you and untied your legs whilst Ben untied your arms. You fell into Kevin’s awaiting arms, a small groan of pain escaping your lips. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Y/N.” You shook your head and gave a small smile. “You don’t have to apologise, Kev. You weren’t to know that he was going to take me.” Kevin brushed a few strands of hair away from your face and brushed his thumb across your cheek.

You could see that there was still worry and shame evident in his eyes, so you leaned up and placed a sweet and gentle kiss on his lips. “You’re not that guy anymore, Kevin. You’ve changed for the better and I am not going to blame you for anything that happened back then because it wasn’t the true you.”

Kevin gave you a beaming smile and kissed you, this time deeper and more passionate. “Erm, guys. Don’t you think we should get home before you start doing any of that?” Both you and Kevin laughed before he lifted you in his arms and carried you out of the door.

“I’m glad you guys were finally able to work together to save me.” Ben and Kevin both looked at each other with small smirks. “Yeah, don’t be expecting it every time, sis. One of us is always going to be more protective of you.”

#kevin levin imagine #kevin levin fanfiction #kevin levin x reader #kevin x reader #kevin levin #ben 10 #ben 10 ultimate alien #ben 10 alien force #ben 10 universe #ben 10 fanfiction #ben 10 imagine #ben tennyson #gwen tennyson

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folkloreguk · 3 years

Text

Gold Rush (optional bias)

A/N: I honestly don’t know a lot about the middle ages, so if anyone is a history genius, pls bare with me if I write something that doesn’t make sense asfghjk PS: feedback is greatly appreciated!!

genre: optional bias (male), thief!au, strangers to enemies to lovers, medieval!au, suggestive content, reader is always ready to fight lmao, a tiny bit of angst

summary: As thieves, you both try to steal from the same royal carriage. Only it doesn’t go as planned for either of you. Will you get away before the king sentences you both to death?

words: 8.9 k

You had been tailing the royal carriages for an entire day now. You were sure your horse was getting exhausted, but the sun was setting and you knew what that meant. Soon, the transport would come to a halt. They would find a clearing somewhere, with trees as shelter from all sides. Then, they would set up their camp for the night, only to pack up everything in the morning and travel another two or three days, until they reached their destination: the castle. Only instead of delivering the full carriages, with gold, silver, pearls and gems, a few handfuls would be missing. It would be almost nothing to them, you suspected. They might not even notice it disappeared.

To you, however, it meant existing. You had to admit, being a thief hadn’t been your first choice when it came to choosing an occupation for the rest of your life. You had tried to integrate into different businesses. You were going to learn to be a baker, a glover and even tried to keep a job helping out on a farm. But none of these professions were for you. You were tired of being commanded around by men who tried to make you their little maid or worse – ask you for your hand in marriage. The judgement was tedious. “Aren’t you too old to be unwed?” “Where is your husband?” “How many children do you have?”

You wished you could talk back. “No, I’m just fine, he doesn’t exist and none – is it any of your business, by the way?” But you had learned that arguing with elders would only get you in trouble, and perhaps your decision to refrain from living the typical life was exactly what made it impossible for you to keep a job. That was, until you discovered your talent – a sleight of hand that was invincible. Some would call it avaricious; you would prefer to describe it as a passion. It wasn’t evil, just a thrill you enjoyed chasing. The beginnings had been humble. A few coins out of someone’s pocket here and there, some food from an unsuspecting marketer; you had to keep yourself afloat somehow, right?

But the seasons went by, and you became more audacious and greedier for your beloved adrenaline. Plus, you realized that stealing from the rich had something weirdly rewarding. Maybe it was the anger you felt at the king for hoarding the wealth of the land whilst letting his people starve in the streets. Either way, stealing from those who had power made you feel a sense of benevolence. You gave away some of your stolen goods to those who actually needed them, instead of letting all the money and jewelry rot away in someone’s bag and around someone’s neck. Sometimes you hid in the shadows after your theft had been settled, only to see the reactions of your victims. It might have sounded obsessive, but it gave you assurance, when they moved on after only minutes of complaint, because you knew those few coins were miniscule to all of them.

And currently, you were on to one of your most reckless thefts. You were well aware this could get you killed. Yet you couldn’t help it, the glimmer of the jewels and the gold was hypnotizing. Finally, the carriages had come to a halt. From a safe distance, you observed how they unloaded their tents and checked especially carefully where they kept the most desired goods. The wares would stay in the carriages, probably guarded all night long. You would need to wait for the right moment.

“Good job today, my dearest Dorato,” you whispered to your horse as you tied the reins to a tree. Gently, you pat his nose. He pushed his head closer to you, demanding more affection, but your eyes were already on your objective. For at least an hour you stood, hidden in the thicket, waiting for the sun to set completely and some of the men to lay to sleep. With a hawk’s gaze you counted the men and made sure you knew each of their whereabouts. One of the wagons stood with its back opening facing you – which was perfect. It was like they were presenting the goods to you on a silver plate. To the left of the wagon, some of the men had lit a bonfire and were seated around it. Judging by their laughter and lively conversations, you doubted they would go to sleep soon. One of them was sitting on the edge of the carriage, meant to guard the inside. He, who should have been paying the most attention, however, was fast asleep. And that was your chance.

“Wish me luck, Dorato,” you whispered to your horse, running your hand over his warm neck. Then, you slowly moved towards the carriage. Outside the shielding cover of the trees, you felt you needed to act quickly. The gales of laughter were helping against your vulnerability in reminding you that the men around the fire were trusting their sleeping guard to have everything under his control. Sly as a fox, you kept your distance and approached the opening of the wagon only when the bonfire was out of sight. You pulled the fabric to the side and with a swift jump, you landed on the edge of the carriage right next to the dozed off man. It only took one maneuver and you had opened the wooden chest nearest to you.

You grinned in triumph at the jackpot in front of you. With eyes sparkling just as much as the diamonds and gems, you grabbed handfuls and transported them into your bag.

“Henry, change of shift!” someone suddenly shouted. Their voice sounded scarily close to you, and then you heard footsteps approaching. Even though you had wanted to be greedier and steal some more, this was definitely your cue to get out of there. If they saw you inside the wagon, you’d be done for. So, without second thought, you yanked the cover away and leaped off the edge.

“Thief!” the surprised man howled as you passed him. Luckily, this wasn’t the first quick escape you had ever had to make. Your feet carried you rapidly, over the grass and into the trees where your horse stood. One quick pull and the reins had come off the tree trunk.

“Over there!” a hoarse man growled. Now more voices were heard, curses and angry shouts directed your way.

“Let’s go, boy,” you said and hauled yourself into the saddle. You pushed your legs against his belly, quickly signaled your horse the way and he knew the drill already. He took off sprinting, out of the forest cover. The wind in your face momentarily forced your eyes to tear up a little and you squinted against the cool night air. But just as you thought you were getting onto the gravel road, one of the guards jumped out in front of you. The fire from the torch he was holding danced aggressively in the wind. As he pointed it high, it was a blaze against the darkness of the night sky, and Dorato whinnied in terror. He jumped and reared up, and you lost balance.

“Seize her!” a man shouted at your disoriented figure on the ground. You wanted nothing more than to get back on your feet and flee. But it was no use. You were surrounded by a number of gravely livid men, and should you try anything stupid now, it would cost you your life, probably. Somebody grabbed your shoulders and pulled you up.

“Take the horse,” one of them ordered and your eyes widened. If they hurt your best friend it was the last thing they would do, you swore in silence. But to your dismay, as the men dragged you over to the wagon, they ripped your quiver and your bow from your back. You sat still as they tied your hands and feet and hurled you into the very wagon you had just stolen from.

“There you have your gemstones,” a guard spoke. “Look at them as much as you want, because soon you won’t be looking at anything anymore.”

Giving him a gaze so spiteful it should have hurt him physically, you spit right into his face. Lucky for you, he wasn’t up for a fight. It wasn’t on him to convict you for anything just yet. A complacent smile spread on your face as he walked away, wiping your saliva out of his eyes. At least now you had a guaranteed roof over your head for the night.

You were in slight trouble, you had to admit that. In two days, you would arrive at the castle. Depending on what the king decided, your punishment could be as severe as death. But until then, it would be a while. There was still plenty of time to escape, you assured yourself.

All night long, no matter how much you forced your eyes shut, you didn’t catch a minute of sleep. The men’s chatter was simply too loud and maybe you were concerned for your safety, after all – even if you would have never confessed it to someone other than yourself. The heavy chests of luxurious items sat across and next to you, as if they were mocking you for your foolish actions. For hours you sat staring at them, cursing your greed. Only in the morning, when the carriages continued their journey, the rocking of the wagon lulled you into a slumber.

You awoke later that day. Judging by the dim light falling into the carriage, it must have been the early evening. Curious, you scooted to the edge, lifted the fabric that was covering your sight and checked. Your assumptions had been right. The golden sunlight of the last hour of daytime shone into your face. The wagon you were in was the last of them, behind you only the bright gravel and trees left and right. For a while you daydreamed the boredom away. You went into another world, in which you didn’t have to steal to survive. In your real life, you were either born into luxury or you had to toil each day for the rest of your existence. There was no hard work that could have transported you out of your peasant-state and into something more carefree.

Suddenly, shouts ripped you right out of your dreamworld. The wagon had halted, but when you looked out the back, nothing was there. Trying to learn what the commotion was all about, you concentrated on the chaos of voices. Had they all gotten into an argument? The men were all talking at the same time, so there was really no use but to wait and see.

“You will be delighted to have some company until you receive your sentence from the king,” a man said. Footsteps drew nearer. Someone pulled away the fabric at the end of the wagon. Before you knew it, a figure was pushed inside. It was a young man but clearly not one of the guards, as he was dressed like a peasant. With a groan, he was bracing himself up across from you.

“Enjoying the ride?” the guard outside the wagon taunted you with a sneering grin. You spat in his face. Again.

“You little-“ he snarled.

“Let’s go! We can’t lose any more time!” someone yelled and unknowingly saved you from more trouble. The man disappeared and the carriages began to move again.

You welcomed the newest addition to your wagon by staring him down like he was about to take all the gold and diamonds clearly reserved for you. When he had sat up and checked his surroundings, he noticed your look.

“Is there a problem or something on my face?” he asked.

“Were you trying to steal from them?” you asked back. “Didn’t go as planned, did it?”

“Were you not?” he replied. “My highness, we’re in the same situation, so don’t you try to aggravate me out of tediousness.”

“Don’t you mock me, or you’ll receive the same response as the guard did,” you threatened. “And you are very wrong. You are going to be brought to the castle and thrown into a prison. I will escape.”

“Is that so?” he asked. “I see you’re making great progress with getting out of these ropes. You better hurry, or I’ll get away before you do. I can carry a lot in my pockets.”

You huffed.

“The diamonds are mine,” you stated, matter-of-fact.

“Whoever gets out first will have them,” he replied. “I’m betting on myself.”

“God…could you not have chosen a different day to steal from the royals?” you asked, making it sound more like a statement than a question.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was your highness’ turn today,” he said, and his smile was taunting and cocky at the same time.

“I told you to stop calling me that!” you hissed, one second from collecting your saliva in your mouth.

“What do you prefer then?” he asked. His smirk made you wonder whether he was contemplating to suggest some more stupid pet names for you. He better not, you thought.

“I don’t know…what about my name?” you said. “It’s Y/N.”

“All right, Y/N,” he said. “And would you consider sitting on death row one of the more entertaining parts of your job? Are you used to it?”

If only looks could kill, he’d be torn to shreds.

“This is the first time I’ve ever been caught,” you said. “But judging by how lightly you’re taking this, you must spend more time in jail than outside of it.”

“What can I say? The guards love me,” he said. “But didn’t they teach you to be honest? I don’t believe you. Or maybe you were a coward for so long and this is your first time actually trying to steal. What’s the truth, sweetheart?”

There was nothing you despised like people who underestimated you. And with that, you spat in his face and turned away from him. Know-it-alls weren’t going to be granted a second of your attention.

“Hey, talk to me,” he said. “We’ll be here for another while, so we might as well become friends.”

“Missed your chance,” you said. And it was the last thing you said to him for a long time. Even when he tried so hard to lure you back into a conversation. You knew if you gave in, he’d never learn.

“My name is H/N, by the way. Oh, that’s right. You don’t care. I forgot,” he said. And he was right.

Having to rot away by yourself in the back of a carriage was already exhilarating enough. But rotting away in the back of a carriage while an irritating young man filled your head with stupid stories you could care less about? It made hell sound inviting. Even when the guards had set up their camp for the night, he occasionally tried to get you back into conversation. Because you had slept throughout the day, you knew you’d be awake until the early morning hours, a fact that only made your situation more unbearable.

Your ears picked up the crackling of the wood as the bonfire fed on it next to the wagon. Suddenly, a guard pulled aside the curtain. Without a word, he slid a plate with a piece of bread and a bowl with some water inside and left.

“This is going to be hard to eat with my hands on my back!” the young thief in front of you shouted, but the guard only laughed.

“Nice try,” you said, eyeing the food.

“Oh, she speaks after all,” he said. “And at least one of us is trying.”

“If I had one coin for every time you’ve provoked me since we met, I could buy my freedom,” you said. And again, he was in the wrong. Obviously, you had tried hard to figure out a way to get out of the restraints digging into your skin. If only you had a sharp object or –

“Are you gonna eat that?” he asked, pointing his head at the bread. He was willing to share, at least.

“I’ll bite off half and you get the other side,” you announced and bent your head down to the plate.

“Hey!” he exclaimed, shoving you out of the way so you tumbled onto your side with a huff of surprise.

“What the fuck is your issue?” you asked, regaining you posture.

“I’m taking the first bite,” he said. “I don’t know where your mouth has been.”

“I’ll show you where my mouth is,” you snapped. The next moment you tackled him, teeth digging into his shoulder. He groaned in pain, ferociously pushing you off him. His foot hit your thigh and you realized if you had any chance of getting away, an injured leg wouldn’t make it easier. So, you trudged away slightly.

“Are you out of your mind? Did you just really fucking bite me?” he growled.

“Go ahead, eat your damned bread,” you snarled. With a sulky sigh, you leaned back against the chest behind you, shut your eyes and tried to keep your fury in check.

You sat that way for an hour, maybe a few. With time, the roaring laughter from outside had died down. It must have been the middle of the night when you opened your eyes again. The silence let you conclude that your fellow captive had fallen asleep. Finally, you bent down to where you suspected the water bowl to be and took a few gulps. Only now you realized just how empty your stomach was. But your nose picked up something. Bread. In the darkness, you could hardly make out the half of the piece he had left for you. His humble act redacted your opinion of him from 100 to 98% dickhead. Like a starved animal, you gobbled the food. When you took your place against the chest once more, even you managed to snooze off into a much needed rest.

When the carriage steered through a pothole it shook you out of your slumber. Surprisingly, it was completely bright outside.

“You’re just on time,” the young thief across from you announced. “We’re about to arrive at the castle.”

He hadn’t woken you up. Maybe he had earned a few more sympathy points – with emphasis on a few. Only twenty minutes later, you were lead trough the cold halls of some dark part of the castle, down into the dungeon. While the guards dragged you around, even your loudmouth shut. This was new territory and made you slightly nervous. Were you going to make it out of here? So far, nothing was decided. You dearly prayed the king would be in a fantastic mood when he convicted you.

Your whole body was sore from the hours of sitting in the same position on the hard wood of the wagon, so you almost welcomed being shoved through the uninviting halls. One of the guards cut the remaining ropes from your hands, before pushing you into a cell. Much to your dismay, your fellow wagon inmate would also join you in this prison.

“The king will tend to you lowlives when he has time,” the guard said. The loud metallic clash of the prison bars closing and the lock sliding in place sounded like your demise. Your eyes followed the guard’s figure helplessly, until he had disappeared down the dark hallway. A slam of a door indicated that he was gone. Like a nervous animal, you paced from one wall to the other over and over. Your arms were crossed in front of your body and you were trying hard not to have a nervous breakdown. You needed your brain for more vital things right now – like contriving a plan to escape this hellhole before you could be sentenced to death.

“Would you sit down, goddammit!” the young man remarked. He was leaning against the back wall of the cell, eyeing you closely. “I need to think!”

“Do you think I don’t?” you replied. The moment of panic in your voice was short-lived, but he probably noticed it either way.

“I can’t focus if you’re losing it in front of me,” he said. “If you’re already processing your inevitable death, that’s cool with me. But I’m still planning on getting out of here, so please try to process in silence.”

Your nostrils flared in anger and you clenched your hands to fists by your sides.

“You idiot!” you said. “If you hadn’t done everything in your power to make me despise you right when we met, we could have tried to flee together.”

“Last time I checked, you were the one biting me for having a sense of personal hygiene,” he fired back. “We’re stuck in here. But get it together, we’re not on death row yet.”

In disbelief you stared at him, your irritation almost drowning out the restless pounding inside your head. He held his chin high as if to challenge you. And you could have gone for it. Down here in this cold, forlorn dungeon no one would hinder you from fighting each other. No, you knew for a fact that not a single soul in this castle gave one last damn about whether you lived or died. But you were completely drained. After all the sleep you had gotten, you should have been wide awake, and maybe your body was – but your mind was in the middle of shutting down. So, even though it hurt your pride, you stopped your uneasy walking and mirrored his behavior on another wall. Arms crossed and eyebrows furrowing, you kept your eyes on the ground. Maybe he was right. Giving up wasn’t characteristic for you, so why was your head spinning from dread?

In desperate search of some sort of hope, you caught glimpse of his rather relaxed stance. If he could keep up a calm front, maybe you could too. Luckily, he wasn’t looking at you, and not noticing how you drew strength from his so simple but enheartening behavior.

Three days into your stay in the dungeon, you had found a daily rhythm. Your mornings consisted of pretending to be asleep for as long as you possibly could, then holding yourself back from attacking your beloved cellmate because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut for more than five minutes. By midday your arguments had usually turned into playful bickering, because you couldn’t cope with being angry all the time. And frankly, you were bored. Even though standing his endless interrogations about your life was exhilarating, it was still better than losing sense of time and in the process also losing your sanity. Late, when darkness had fallen upon the land, a guard delivered a small ration of food for both of you. This was the part where your bickering morphed back into serious conflicts. If you were going to live on tiny amounts of food, you wouldn’t settle for the smaller ration of the two.

The fourth day was different. When you first reached consciousness, you heard nothing. Usually, he was already awake, noticing like a stalker when you awoke, only to tease you from the moment you woke up. But that day, you opened your eyes to a seemingly empty cell. Until you spotted him in the corner. His body was shaking, and his tiny, husky cough concerned you further.

“H/N?” you asked quietly. Considering the amount of loathing you’d thought you held for him, you sure worried an unnormal amount. But it wasn’t the mere thought of him being ill that concerned you most. It was the idea of having to suffer in the dark, murky dungeon all alone, day to day, until you’d have to face the king, who likely wanted you dead for your crimes. An ice-cold fear crept over you. You didn’t want to – no, you couldn’t – die lonely. Even if he was the last person you could have wished to be thrown into prison with, he was still company. This loathsome cell, the horrors of the near future, the neverending progression of time and the uncertainty that came with it – it all terrified you to the bone. Only now you realized just how much comfort he gave you, all by existing in the same space as you.

Carefully, you approached him. He wasn’t answering you, and he never not answered you. It was a heartbreaking sight. He was curled up in a fetal position, hands clenched to fists on his chest. A thin layer of sweat glistened on his forehead. Whether he liked it or not, you sat down with him. Gently, you reached for his forehead. A second was enough to determine he was burning up.

“Get off me,” he said, slapping your hand away. His voice was so frail.

“Hush. Let me help you,” you insisted. He huffed in annoyance.

“Are you a doctor when you’re not a thief?” he asked.

“No. But improving your mentality will help your body recover faster,” you said. “And you seem to be in a very negative headspace right now.”

His mouth opened to speak, but then a shiver rippled through his body and he wrapped his arms around his knees tightly. All this time, he hadn’t even opened his eyes.

“We need to keep you cool,” you said. “Take off your jacket.”

“This isn’t the time to ask me to take off my clothes,” he said, almost whispered.

“Will you just do as I say so you can get better? Do you want to die in here?” you said, brushing off his words. Something flashed across his face. Fear? Disappointment? Aware that it could invade his comfort zone, you very carefully took his hands. Lucky for you, he let you. When his jacket came off, you noticed the sweat stains that had formed on his thin shirt.

“You can lie down on this, it’ll be more comfortable,” you advised. Without arguing, he followed your instructions and allowed you to spread out the jacket underneath him. This behavior was new, you thought. But you could surely get used it. You knew it must have been serious, if he didn’t give you a silly remark for everything you said.

“I’ll get you more water,” you said, as you retrieved the almost empty water bowl from the center of the stone floor. Set on not spilling a drop, you lifted it to his lips and watched as he swallowed the last few sips. You used the sleeve of your shirt to wipe his wet hair out of his face, as he sunk back down onto the hard ground.

“Sleep now,” you said. You didn’t need to tell him twice. He had been almost unable to keep his eyelids open, so without hesitation, he drifted off into dreamland. For hours, you sat, hugging your knees to your chest, eyes on his anguished figure. Just as you had thought you could deal with the scary ordeal of being held captive in a castle dungeon, this had to happen. Stricken with sorrow, you waited for time to pass. If only you could have slept too, it would have made all the anxious thoughts go away. But someone had to look after him, and you weren’t tired.

His slumber must had been a hag-ridden one. Sometimes, he made small sounds, like whimpers, other times his brows furrowed, and his muscles flexed from whichever terror it was that haunted him in his head.

“Shh, you’re going to be okay,” you assured him, and maybe also yourself. But his tireless stirring only became worse, his body twisting and turning on the uneven ground. He groaned in agony, and your heart clenched like a million little daggers had slashed it.

“I’m here to keep you safe,” you whispered, bending down to his level. With utmost care, you lifted his head and let him rest in your lap. You weren’t really planning what was happening, but your hands found his hands. Softly, you stroked them, waiting for him to calm down and relax his tight fists. His mumbles and quiet moans of distress continued, until you realized. He was trying to tell you something.

“I can’t go like this,” he said.

“You’re not go-“ you started.

“No! My- parents need- me,” he stuttered. By now he was grasping your hands desperately. You sighed and his eyes opened ever so slightly. The anger he had held for you was vanished. You almost teared up at the delicateness of his gaze.

“I need to help them... they’re old and sick and can’t be alone,” he added in a small voice.

“We will get out of here,” you said. You had no idea when there had first been a ‘we’, but now there apparently was. “You have to be strong now, do you hear? Then you can meet your parents again.”

He was looking almost through you. His eyes were so dark, it was like staring right into the deepest part of the ocean. You stroked the back of his hand with your thumb, whilst trying hard to keep a hopeful gaze. For him, you had to appear strong. Or else, how else was he supposed to be?

“I’m sorry- I was such an asshole to you,” he suddenly confessed. “I thought you would steal away the gold before I could. And now look where that brought us.”

“This isn’t your fault. We were both being reckless,” you said. “I’m sorry I bit you. And threatened to spit on your face. And then spat on your face.”

The tiniest smile spread on his face. Success. Any sort of positive emotion could help him now.

“That wasn’t very nice,” he whispered. “I’ll think about whether I can forgive you. You must know, I’m very vindictive.”

His grin was playful, and his eyes were closed, as if he was on the brink of falling back to sleep.

“Forgiveness hurts less than holding a grudge for the rest of your life,” you said. Who knew? Maybe even the king could show remission. All you knew was that you would crumble, would you have to encounter the king alone. Your brain had set on the need for H/N. For years, you hadn’t formed any meaningful relationships – not counting your bond with your ardently loved horse. Now, with his head on your lap and your fingers intertwined with his, you ached for more. Was it really him you wanted? Or had you denied yourself of any affection for such a long time, the smallest contact with anyone appeased your yearning? Would you have felt the same, if it had been somebody else in his place?

At night, the metal noise of the door at the far end of the hallway outside your cell made you lift your head. Gently, so that H/N wouldn’t be awoken, you lifted his head to lay on the jacket instead of your thigh. In impatience, your foot tapped on the ground while you stood in the middle of the cell.

“Sir,” you called the guard with a fake-soft voice. “Will it be possible to receive another cup with water? My fellow inmate has fallen sick.”

The grumpy guard unlocked the metal bars, entering with the usual small ration of food and drink.

“What does it matter if he dies now or by command of the king? Do you think I care?” he growled, not sparing you a glance. You had been almost convinced this would have happened. So, you’d have to resort to different measures.

“Please-“ you begged, suddenly stepping towards the guard, who was on his way out of the cell. Without second thought, you threw yourself onto him, making sure to look extra-devastated and helpless. What could a weak, little young woman do to a guard, other than fall on her knees, right?

“Touch me once more and you’re dead, too, bitch!” he barked. One quick move of your skilled fingers and you eagerly backed off, hands hiding behind your back.

“Sorry, sir!” you said, lowering your head in false shame and guilt. “Please consider my request.”

All he gave you was a grunt of disapproval and he stomped out of the cell, the lock falling into place in a loud crash. Feigning inferiority and intimidation, you didn’t dare move until he was out of the dungeon. Then, you spun to the young man behind you on the ground.

“Open up,” you commanded, suspecting the shouting could not have kept him asleep. Finally, you could pull the flask you had stolen from the guard from behind your back. It seemed to be almost filled to the brim, too. Perfect. He did as he was told, and you let some of the water spill into his mouth.

“I take back what I said in the carriage,” he confessed. “Only full-time thieves have a sleight of hand like yours.”

“It was my pleasure proving you wrong,” you said. “Now, drink up.”

That night, you let him have the full ration of food. For at least ten minutes, he refused to have all of it. But you were stubborn and even though he hadn’t known you for long, he knew that much about you. If you wanted to escape with him, he would need to be fit to run. You had deemed your chances small to begin with, but in his state, you estimated them close to zero. After you had emptied the guard’s flask, you reached through the prison bars and tossed the item as far away from the cell as you could. He should never assume you’d had anything to do with its disappearance. The next day, a different guard would find it there, and bring it back to him under the assumption that he had carelessly dropped it.

Two days passed by. In the first night of the two, you had to comfort him through another few nightmares. During the day, he was sleepy, but had enough energy to have a little conversation with you now and then – something you read as a good sign. The second night, you were able to sleep all the way through, and when you checked his forehead in the morning, it had cooled down a little. On the second day, he had regained his strength enough to be able to sit, leaning against your shoulder.

“Will you stop moving? My head’s pounding,” he said.

“Your complaints make me wonder if you’re doing well now,” you asked, smirking.

“Like I said…my head’s killing me,” he repeated.

“Drink the rest of the water,” you suggested. “I think it’s almost evening. The guard will bring a new bowl soon.”

“It’s your turn to eat tonight,” he stated.

“We’re sharing,” you said. Lucky for him, he didn’t fight back. You wouldn’t have cooperated, either way.

“It’s time to make a plan now, if we want to get out of here. What do you say?” you asked. When he lifted his head, you looked over at him. The color was back in his face, the beads of sweat nonexistent and his cheeky smile bright as ever.

“I wonder…about what your little magic hands did to that guard’s flask…could they do the same with his keys?” he suggested. The way you mirrored his mischievous grin, he knew you agreed. But it would be trickier, this time. From days worth of observation, you had learned that the guards behaved differently. Some adamantly made sure the keys remained in their clenched fists – an instance you couldn’t work with at all – while others preferred to leave them in the lock by the door. You knew you’d never get close enough to even attempt to steal them from there. What you needed was the careless type of guard. The one who snuck the keys into their pockets or left them hanging on their clothes by the keyring. All it took now was to wait and hope the king would keep you locked away for long enough to give you a chance to flee.

That night, luck wasn’t on your side. The guard kept his hands on his keys as if they were his most precious possession.

“Do we really have to go over this again? I told you your pacing is driving me insane,” he said. It was midday of the following day, and you were deep in thought – or you had been – until he had to interrupt you.

“What do you expect me to do? We’re jailed like animals,” you countered. “I can’t stand around like you all day.”

When you saw him open his mouth, you read in his expression what he was about to do. It was his bickering face.

“If there’s one thing I’m not in the mood for currently, it’s getting lectured by you over nothing. Come up with a topic of conversation, please,” you said before he could speak. His smirk concerned you.

“What are you in the mood for, then?” he asked with raised eyebrows. Your death glare said more than a thousand words. “Fine, here’s a conversation topic…let me think…why are you not married?”

“Are you fucking kidding me,” you said in the most impassive tone you could muster.

“Oh, alright, if that’s not good enough, I’ll go back to flirting,” he said. The steps he was taking towards you made your brain activate fight mode.

“I’ve never met a man good enough for marriage,” you said.

“And what qualifies a man to be good enough for you?”

“Hm…where do I begin? I’m not a good cook, nor do I enjoy being a maid, nor do I know how to take care of children. Most men want those things in a woman.”

“You took pretty good care of me, didn’t you? But why waste your thieving talent on running a household?” he said.

“That’s where the issue lays. Men don’t favor women who sneak around the village at night and make their own money from being a criminal.”

“Nothing wrong with being a criminal,” he went on.

You laughed out loud.

“You know what? I like it this way. Why settle for staying with one man who might turn out to be a monster, when I can have them all for a night?” you said.

“Well, right now you’re not having anyone.”

“Seems like that’s bothering you more than it bothers me,” you replied in a feisty tone. If you didn’t call him out for the flirting, who would? Although you had to admit, you greatly preferred being courted to his unnerving teasing.

“Why would that bother me?” he asked. “You hate me, don’t you?”

He was right in front of you now, tilting his head and giving you a smirk that made you consider biting him again. And at the same time, something in your body – not your head – wanted to close the small distance between you two.

“If I hated you, I would have let you die,” you said.

“I assumed you kept me alive because you need me to get out of here.”

Now you had another reason to get up in his face. You gripped him by the collar, looking into his eyes.

“Excuse me? You think I wouldn’t be able to escape by myself? If you’re only trying to rile me up, you better let me know, because I already told you I can’t stand to be underestimated,” you said.

“Alright,” he rose his arms in defeat. “After your little stunt with the guard I’m actually pretty glad I have you in here with me. Honestly, I don’t think I’d get out without you.”

“Was that so hard to spit out?” you said, self-accomplished.

“No. But you only come close to me when you’re mad or worried,” he said. By now, his eye contact was captivating in the most confusing way possible. His eyes occasionally skipped to your lips. “And since I’m not sick anymore, I had to opt for the former.”

“You’re unbelievable,” you said. Unbelievably handsome, your brain added. And yes, maybe he was. Perhaps it wasn’t so much his beautiful face, but the way he spoke, understanding, even encouraging your lifestyle. You had just forced him to be honest with you. So, maybe it was time to stop holding back the truth from yourself, too.

“What are you going to do about it?” he asked. It’s time to give in, you told yourself. Therefore, rather than telling him, you showed him. With a sudden rush of hunger, your lips crashed against his. Momentarily, he seemed taken aback and let out a surprised groan. But within seconds he caught himself, hands grabbing your sides desperately. You thought addictions needed more time to develop, but the feeling of his mellow lips on yours already seemed like one to you.

You had never kissed anyone who had truly made you feel things. Now, your knees were weak in an instant when his tongue grazed yours only for a moment. After so much arguing, it was hard to believe your hands clasping the fabric of his shirt couldn’t be a product of you cursing him but derived from mere want. The way he claimed your mouth silenced even your most invasive thoughts. It was a serenity you had wished for ever since you had gotten caught a few days ago. A moment to breathe freely, make whichever noises you desired and be as close to him as you could.

You pulled him along, stumbling backwards until you hit the cold stone behind you. Being trapped in a dungeon was horrific – but being trapped between his body and the wall left you feeling safer than you had felt in a long, long time.

But the peace didn’t last long. You suddenly heard the all too familiar metal noise from the distance. Alarmed, you sprung apart. As the unexpecting guard walked down the dark hallway, you smoothed out your clothing hastily.

“Congratulations! Your time in here will be over. Tomorrow the king will see you,” the guard announced. You shot your fellow inmate an alerted gaze, which he returned. Silently, he nodded at you. It was time to do something. The guard was now opening the door, bringing inside your food. His key was in his hands – this was going to be an issue. He set the plate down in the front of the room, and was in the process of spinning around, when H/N spoke.

“Sir, may I attract you to a magic trick?” he asked the guard. “I have been practicing it for so long, and it would be a shame if I had to die before I could ever present it.”

“Go to hell,” the guard said.

“I have a coin here,” H/N added. The guard raised his head. “If you win, you get to keep it.”

“Give it to me,” the annoyed man said.

“That’s not how it works. First, I will need both of your hands,” H/N explained. You smiled slightly when the guard sighed. He complied, letting his keys disappear into his oversized pocket. Retrieving them would be child’s play for you.

“Stick up your hands ahead of you. And keep your eyes locked on the coin. Be quick, or you’ll lose it,” H/N said in his dramatic voice. As he lifted his own hand with the coin in it, the guard followed and looked upwards. This was your time. Like a cat, you tip-toed around the guard’s back, not even paying attention to what H/N was doing anymore. Ever so swiftly, your hand slid into his pocket, fingers closing around the chill metal. As quickly as you had approached him, you stepped away, the key sliding into your sleeve and out of sight.

“Incorrect!” H/N called. “But you know what? I will grant you the coin either way. By tomorrow, I might not need it any longer.”

The guard even went so far as to laugh – even if it was a gloating sort of laughter. The only thing left to do now was hope he wouldn’t discover his missing key. But luck was on your side. Without another word, the man stepped out of the cell, shut the door, and walked off. The tune he whistled became smaller and smaller, until it faded out completely.

“Guess who’s getting out of here?” you asked, triumphantly revealing the key.

“You did it!” he exclaimed. You weren’t sure whether it was a spur of the moment decision, or maybe he was just too ecstatic to stop himself, but he flung his arms around your frame and squeezed you tightly.

“Hey, hey, you can’t crush me so close to my escape,” you laughed.

“Our escape,” he smiled. “We need to act fast. He could notice the missing key any second.”

Nodding eagerly, you grabbed half of the bread and downed half of the water bowl. You weren’t going to leave that behind. After all, you never knew when your next meal would be.

“If we make it to the stables, we can get a horse,” he announced. “I saw them on our way here. They’re to the west. The sun should be setting now, if my sense of time is still correct. Let’s hurry, or else we’ll be out of directions.”

“Dorato!” you exclaimed. “They took my horse!”

“The black horse that was tied to the carriage when we came here? I saw him,” he noted. You nodded, swearing you would leave here without Dorato only over your dead body.

Ten minutes later you had successfully exited the cell and approached the door at the end of the hallway.

“Out there it’s on both of us to keep running, okay?” you whispered.

He only nodded. “Towards the setting sun.”

The second you had slipped past the door you were spotted by a maid.

“Prisoners!” she yelled. Your plan to slip away unnoticed had gone down the drain quickly. With one last glance at the young man next to you, you both took off. The way out of the castle was still burned into your brain from when you had been brought inside. Back then, you had already planned to get out, so you had payed an extra amount of attention. When you reached a turn, you barely had time to think about the right way. By now, two guards were after you and you were forced to trust your intuition. H/N was a little ahead of you. The sudden exercise after being refined to a tiny cell for so long made your chest burn in exhaustion after only such a short while. But the adrenaline drowned it all out easily.

You knew you had to be close to the outside, it was a feeling. But then, all of a sudden, a guard cut off your path in front of you. H/N was racing far ahead, so that he could get away. You, on the other hand, had no time to overthink your actions. Before the guard could catch you, you had ducked under his outstretched arms. Now, sprinting down an unfamiliar corridor over the marble flooring, your sense of direction was gone, but your will to survive vigorous as ever.

For minutes you ran, collecting a horde of guards behind you the longer you kept going. When you turned a corner, you were greeted by another long corridor. Only this time, it was a dead end. Nevertheless, you kept up the speed. What else could you have done? By now, your calves felt like they were on fire, breath coming in short gasps. You suddenly took notice of the precious paintings and statues that adorned the hallway. Maybe this was the answer.

Without slowing down, you took hold of a stone vase. Just for a moment, you gathered all your might. Then, you dashed it forward, against the window at the very end of the corridor. Your body followed shortly after, but it was enough time for the glass to shatter before you. In a protective manner, you folded your arms over your chest and shut your eyes tightly as your figure flew through the opening.

When you had passed the window, your eyes opened, and you ducked. Soft grass caught your body as you rolled onto the ground. The impact knocked the air out of your lungs momentarily. But within seconds you were back on your feet. Aggressive shouts from behind you only motivated you to keep going. Faster. Just a little longer. Dawn had broken in, but the sky was still a bright blue to your left. That’s where you were headed. A market place close by acted as the perfect cover for a while. You barely had time to watch out, crashing into people’s shoulders and knocking over bowls and baskets. An enraged shout followed you, but you were already far gone.

And he had been right. Your nose picked up the scent of hay and animals. You had to be close. What if he wasn’t there? What if they caught you again? A short panic bubbled up inside of you. Stealing might could have been forgiven, but for your current deeds no king would let you live. The wooden stables were in sight by now.

You could barely breathe anymore, but something inside of you kept you up and going nonetheless. Every breath burned as you entered, stalls of horses and other animals to your left and right. But no sight of H/N. Nor of your horse. Did he leave without you? Had he assumed you had been caught and tried to save his own life, at least? Your head spun as you scanned the animals one last time. Then, the men’s deep shouts caught up with you. You needed to get out, or else this stable would turn into a trap.

When your feet hit the cobblestone outside, you spotted the mob of angered men and women coming at you. They were holding spears, torches and pitchforks and were livid.

“Y/N!” someone suddenly yelled from your right. The sound of his voice had never sounded better to you. He was on your horse, careering towards you. One last look at the furious crowd of peasants and guards, and then you only focused on him. Only a little more strength, and you could get out of here.

The second he was close enough to you, you started running again. Like you had done so many times, you hauled yourself onto Dorato behind him. Your hands caught his shirt and you pulled your body flush against him. You needed no words. Now, you only needed to trust your horse to get you out of here. Just for a moment, you closed your eyes in exhaustion and took a few, consciously deep breaths. In lightning speed, you raced across the grass and towards the archway out of the courtyard.

And you made it. He shouted in a boisterous tone, and while at first you laughed, you couldn’t help but join his happiness loudly.

~2 months later~

The rough bark of the tree was digging into your back, but you couldn’t have cared less. Not when he was all over you. Not when his scent was so intoxicating, and his busy hands made you forget about any other sensation on your skin. It took no time. You had escaped together, thinking it was your time to part ways after what you had gone through with him. Now, each day you hung on his every word and couldn’t even bear to be away from him for minutes at a time.

Not far from you, your two horses stood, grazing on the grass by their feet. Meanwhile, the two of you, supposed to be on the lookout for your next target, had found another occupation in the cover of the trees. The market close by wasn’t exactly your goal – it was the nobles who would arrive in their carriages like every weekend to spend time by the beautiful lake. While they had their picnics and gossiped about each other, there was enough time for you two check for some gifts to retrieve from their carriages.

You sighed happily as he kissed your neck ever so softly. In him, you hadn’t just found a partner in crime. He was your muse, your comfort and your home. His family was your new family and finally, you had someone to tell all your most unbridles stories and dreams to – someone who could actually reply, with no offense to your horse. Going out stealing was as exciting as hiding between the sheets with him. In such a short time, he had learned to read your face and knew every curve of your body like it was a part of himself, and you had no problem with that.

Suddenly, he pulled away. He looked over your shoulder, gaze changing from tranquil to fierce.

“There they come,” he announced. That moment, you heard the sounds too. Hooves and the crunch of gravel under wheels. Smiling in excitement, you turned to check the situation as well. But you had to be honest, he was much more entertaining to look at. Like in so many cases, you found yourself tied to his gorgeous features and the way his jaw clenched when he was plotting.

“Eyes on the prize, sweetheart,” he said, not peeling his look from the carriages.

“Don’t you know, I’ve already won the best prize there is in the world?” you asked, hearts in your eyes and a cheeky smile on your face.

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