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wolfjackle-creates · 1 year

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WIP Wednesday

So I'll be sharing a snippet from a different fic today! If I share anymore of Bring Me Home, I may as well just post the entire first chapter. (Which, I will be looking for a new job and hopefully moving in 2 months or so, so I'll probably try and start posting after that. Get another chapter or two written in the meantime.)

This fic is also from a prompt that was submitted by @regonold to @stealingyourbones. I did part of a collab fill previously, but the idea has been living in my mind rent free and I couldn't help but want to take it on more fully. I've written 5.5k and this snippet is just under 900 words.

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The formal gardens beyond the iron gate filled Danny with dread. Vlad’s mansion had looked like this, too. But Jazz had promised him, over and over again, that the Waynes were nothing like the Fruit Loop while begging him to come. Besides, he’d spent weeks making sure his schedule was clear and making deals to prevent any interruptions. No backing out now. With a sigh, he pressed the button for the intercom.

“Good evening, may I ask your business?” asked a man with a British accent.

“Um, yeah. Good evening.” Why was it so much harder to communicate with other people as human Danny than ghost Phantom? “Um, I’m Danny. Jazz’s brother?”

“Ah, yes. Of course. We’ve been expecting you. Follow the drive up to the house and welcome.”

Motors activated and the gates slowly opened. Danny started the trek up the long driveway. His anxiety wasn’t relived when he saw the manor with it’s dark stone facade and literal tower. If it was made of lighter stones, it could have been a copy of Vlad’s castle.

“This is for Jazz,” he muttered under his breath as he walked up the stairs. Before he could knock on the doors, they opened and Jazz ran out to hug him.

“Danny! Thank you so much for coming! How’ve you been? I know you’re busy, but you need to call me more often.”

Danny hugged her back tightly. “Sorry, Jazz. You know how I lose track of time. So where’s this famous Jason?”

A man stepped forward and started speaking, but hanging off his back was a ghost. The ghost of the dead Robin, to be exact. Shit.

At least the position of the ghost meant he appeared to be looking at probably-Jason. Even if he didn’t hear a word the man said. To make it worse, Robin realized he could see him and was sending out help-me trills.

Danny had to bite hard on his tongue to keep from vocalizing his own comforting chirps.

He was so focused on Robin that he almost didn’t notice probably-Jason holding out his hand to shake. Laughing self-consciously, he took it. “It’s great to finally meet you.”

The other man hesitated a moment and asked, “Is everything all right?”

But all Danny could focus on was Robin hanging off Jason’s shoulders and sending out happy-sad-helpless feelings. Danny relaxed the hold he had on his ghost self and tried to sense what was going on. But he had to reassure the human, too. “Yeah, I’m fine.” But wow, was Jason not. Where had he come into contact with such weird ectoplasm? It seemed to twist every emotion into anger and fear and violence.

Even worse was Robin. He was barely perceptible even to Danny’s enhanced senses.

Of course, Jazz was liminal enough to realize he was doing something. Quietly, she chirped a question.

Danny just shook his head and pulled back his power. “Later,” he murmured.

“I’ll hold you to that,” she said back, just as quietly.

Louder, Danny said, “Sorry. I just have bad memories about large manors like this. Has Jazz told you about Vlad?”

“He’s come up a time or two. With the black hair and blue eyes, someone will probably make an adoption joke at you before the night is over. But I’ll stab them if they do.”

Danny's laugh would have been much less forced had he not just felt the twisted anger inside probably-Jason. “Just don’t hit anything vital,” he said, hoping it sounded like a joke.

Robin rolled his eyes—and how could he do that so obviously with a mask on?—and tried to pull on Jason to lead him inside.

“Well, it might be summer, but Gotham is never warm. Come on in and I’ll introduce you to everyone,” said Jason.

Jazz grabbed his hand as they made their way inside where they were greeted warmly by an elderly gentleman.

“You must be Mr. Danny. Welcome to the Manor. I’m Alfred. Dinner will be served in one hour and please let me know if you need anything. Your sister stated you didn’t have any dietary restrictions?”

“What’s that?” Danny was trying not to stare at Robin who was now hugging the older man. Before Alfred could repeat himself, however, Danny’s brain caught up to the human conversation. “Oh, uh, no. I don’t. Jazz is right.”

“Very good. Can I take your coat and bag?”

Danny did shrug off his backpack, but only so he could also take off his coat. “Can I keep the bag? I don’t feel comfortable without it on me.”

“Very well.” Alfred hung the coat up on a rack right next to the door. “Master Jason, be sure to show him where the bathroom is on your way to join the others. Mr. Danny, there are plenty of drinks in the sitting room where everyone is relaxing should you need a refreshment.” And he finally had confirmation that this was Jason!

“’Course I will, Alfie.”

“Thanks,” said Danny, though he was more focused on the desperate chirps Robin was sending out.

I’m here-notice me-I love you.

Looks like he was breaking his promise to Jazz to not do any ghostly business tonight. Of course Jazz’s boyfriend would be haunted by a ghost that needed help. Why was he even surprised?

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As far as I know, there hasn't been a lot of requests for a tag list on this one. @addie-lover-of-stories is the only one I noticed. But let me know and I'll start one!

Next Part

#dp x dc #danny fenton #jazz fenton #jason todd #anger management #alfred pennyworth #i reread everything ive written today for the first time in a week or two #and theres some scenes i cant wait to share with others #it'll be fun #for danny at least #the bats not so much

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poke-me-with-a-stick · 1 year

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Chapter 14 of 'Artificial Wingman'!

For the full story, click here!

Enjoy!

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Jason stared dubious at the redhead in front of him, letting what she had just told him sink in. "So, let me get this straight," he shifted in his seat, the leather of his couch creaking underneath him. "You and your brother are from another dimension." He paused, waiting for her confirmation. Jazz nodded. "And your brother only came here because he wanted to test a 'potion' that he found the recipe for in an old, suspicious looking book that he found in your aunt's attic?"

"That's right." She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, clasping her hands together in her lap. In the background, the TV chattered, some news channel discussing the latest scandal.

"Then, when he didn't come home at the agreed upon time, you followed him here. And you've been tracking him around the city, because he leaves an invisible trail?"

"Well, technically it's visible. But only to certain people? And it's less of a trail and more of just spots he's been where his emotions got high enough to leave an ectoplasmic imprint." She corrected gently, a sympathetic smile on her face as she watched him run his fingers through his unruly hair.

"Right, right. Remind me to ask how that works later. After I've had at least one good night's sleep." Jason sighed, dropping his head in his hands. This wasn't the weirdest case he had ever taken on, but it was definitely up there.

"So, can you tell me just how it is that you're tracking him?"

"Well.." She brought her clasped hands up to her chin, resting her jaw on them while she tried to put it into words. "Basically, when my brother is in a situation where he feels an exceptionally strong emotion, happiness, sadness, rage, what have you, he lets off this, um. Energy signature?"

Her thumb nail pressed at her lip as she thought about it. "Yeah, let's go with that. So he lets off this energy signature that some people can track. It can differ from person to person, but for me I can see it. It looks like a blue-green mist, and feels kind of cold when I walk through it." She laughs a bit. "Actually, there was one in that restaurant we met at. We sat in the middle of if.

"Is that what I felt when we sat down?" Jason couldn't help but ask. He had felt something odd at the time, a cold sensation paired with some sort of intrusive emotion. At the time, he had brushed it off, sure that his lack of sleep was messing with him.

"Yeah, I noticed you were kind of tense when we first sat down." She admitted, her index finger rubbing her chin as a pretty red blush dusted her cheeks. "I should probably apologize for that. I sometimes forget that it's not necessarily normal for other people to sense Danny's signature."

Silence fell over the two of them again, the only sound in the apartment muffled noises from the city outside, and the rambling of a weather reporter on the TV. Both of them fidgeted in their seats, not quite sure what to say. Taking a breath, Jason pulled his drifting gaze back to Jazz. Before he could say anything, both of them were startled by a quick knock. Immediately, both of them turned towards the door, staring at it cautiously. No one in his family ever used doors, and there were very few people that knew where Jason lived. It made sense to get a bit tense.

After a minute of silence, another knock echoed through the apartment. Both of their weary looks turned to confusion. That sound didn't come from the door. In fact, Jason was sure that it was coming from behind him. Twisting in his seat, he searched for the source of the noise, shoulders tight and hand twitching towards the gun on his hip.

Again, the noise sounded. A tap, tap, tap, noise that sounded more impatient than the precious one. 'There', Jason spied a shift of color against the dark tint of the window. Standing quickly, he motioned for Jazz to get down, inching closer to the window. He didn't turn to see if she listened to him, but the sound of her clothes rustling put something in him at ease. He just hoped it was her listening to him and not her sneaking up behind him.

Sidling up to the wall, he pressed himself to the peeling sheetrock next to the window. Pulling his gun free, he took a moment to collect himself before launching into action. In a blur of motion, Jason threw the window open and aimed his handgun, barrel pointed right between the eyes of… Damian?

Blinking hard, Jason looked the teen over. Yeah, that was definitely Damian, frozen there while dressed fully in his vigilante suit with his hand raised to knock again. Lowering the gun, Jason eyed the teen suspiciously. "Robin?" Jason asked. "What are you doing here? Weren't you, like, missing or something?"

Damian, in true Damian fashion, scoffed at him, pushing his way through the open window and landing silently on the rough carpet of Jason's living room. "I need your help, Todd." He stated, turning to look at the man, ignoring his questions.

Jason groaned, looking at Jazz who was peeking over the edge of the couch. Giving her a thumbs up, he turned back towards his brother. "Sorry to disappoint pipsqueak, but I'm kind of busy at the moment."

Damian paused, his face scrunching up in contemplation, before a soured look replaced it. "Please Todd." He pleaded. That had Jason straightening up a bit. The demon brat never begged. Sarcastic? Yeah, always. Belligerent? When was he not? But begging? He would never stoop so low. Until now, apparently.

"...what do you need help with?" Jason asked hesitantly. The soured look softened slightly at his words.

"My beloved and I have been separated, and I need help finding him." Jason blinked at the teen. Shook his head, and looked him over again, not quite sure what he was looking for. Any signs of deception, maybe? Because this had to be a joke. But, the teen looked a hundred percent serious, like he usually did.

"You have a boyfriend?" He asked incredulously. Because what else would he ask?

The teen standing in front of him scoffed. "No, I don’t." He told Jason. The man breathed a sigh of relief. "...Not yet, anyways."

Huffing, Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have not had enough sleep to deal with this." He muttered, walking back to the couch and plopping down next to Jazz, who Damian hadn't seemed to notice yet.

"Regardless of our relationship status, he isn't from here and is currently lost in the city with the Joker on the loose. I need someone to help me find him before he runs into some of the more… unsavory individuals in Gotham." Jason tensed up at the mention of the psychotic clown, his expression hardening into something dangerous.

"The Joker is loose? When did that happen? Why hasn't anyone informed me of this?" He demanded.

"I do not know when this happened, Todd. I have been out of contact with the others for a week now. As for why you were not made aware of it, does the fact that you usually attempt to kill him on sight not give you your answer?" Jason huffed again, but conceded the teen's point.

"Alright then, what can you tell me about this missing 'crush' of yours?" Jason leaned back in his seat, letting his head rest over the back of the couch.

"Like I said before, he isn't from Gotham, I'm not too sure where he hails from to be completely honest. What he has shared about his home life is quite concerning, but that can be discussed later." Striding across the room, Damian took a seat in the chair that Jazz had abandoned. "He has black hair and blue eyes, he is about five three in height, maybe five four. He has these light-colored freckles that glow under the stars, and little fangs. He's exceedingly pale and worryingly thin, though I'm not sure if that is because of his unique biology or not. His skin is cold to the touch, and he isn't very affected by colder climates based on his preferences."

The way he explained the boy made Jason think that the demon brat might have more than just a crush on this person. 'Wait…' Jason thought over the description he was given. 'No way. Could it be? Maybe…' "Robin." Jason made the teen pause in the middle of a description that he most definitely did not need. "This guy you're looking for. Is his name Danny, by chance?"

Damian looked over in surprise. "Yes. How did you know that?" He asked, suspicion clear in his voice. In response, Jason gestured to the woman sitting beside him. The teen's gaze flickered over to her briefly, before turning back for a closer look. He was silent as he scrutinized her. "Who might you be? And what do you have to do with Danny?" He asked finally, looking back at Jason.

"This," Jason pointed to Jazz again, "is Jasmine Fenton. Danny's-"

Damian interrupted him. "You're Danny's sister? The 'Jazz' he talks so highly about?" He asked the woman. She startled for a moment, having been analyzing the entire interaction between the two, before nodding.

"Yes. Like Jason said, I'm Jasmine, but all of my friends call me Jazz." She had her hand out to the teen, who shook it carefully. "So, how did you meet Danny?" She asked.

Damian was quiet for a moment. "It was about a week ago, I had been fighting one of Gotham's rogues with Batman when I was thrown quite a distance. I had landed in a bird fountain, and Danny helped me out of it. He told me later that I had absorbed quite a large dose of a 'love potion'. I have been helping him to collect the ingredients to brew the antidote." He explained, tugging at the strap of a bag that Jason hadn't noticed earlier.

Jazz nodded, like the explanation made perfect sense to her. Beside her, Jason was caught between finding the situation hilarious, or finding it devastating. Only his crazy ass family.

"Okay, as amazing as it is to know that I don't have to search for two missing teenagers now," the man drew both of their attention back to the original purpose of them both being in his home. "We should probably try and come up with a plan to find him, yeah?"

Before either of them could respond, the TV suddenly screeched. All of them whipped around to stare at it, their startled looks slowly becoming looks of horror. The channel had been hijacked, something not out of the norm for TV stations in Gotham. Many of the rogues had habits of televising their nefarious schemes all over the air, wanting their deeds to garner as much attention as possible.

It wasn't much of a surprise to see the green haired clown in a purple pin-striped suit on the screen. Even less so to hear him announce himself loudly, like he was in a theatrical play. No, their horror came from seeing the two prone figures tied together in the background. "Hello Gotham City!" The man bellowed, his voice coming off as scratchy and static-ridden through the TV speakers.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? I suppose I'll have to make up for all the lost time! So I won't be telling you my plans so soon. What I will do, however, is give our local bats some incentive to get going."

He strutted across the screen, coming to a stop behind the two figures. Their identities hidden by the brown sacks over their heads. They wouldn't stay that way for long.

"I have here with me, not one, but two hostages! And if you don't find me quickly, both of them will have a not so fun time!" He gripped one of the bags, pulling it up to reveal the split-died pigtails of a very pissed off Harley Quinn. "Our first guest is one you've seen before! Our dear old friend Halrey! We haven't heard much from you since your adventures with Ivy, have we? I thought it was high time that changed!" Jason was sure that it wasn't for the gag in the woman's mouth, she would have cursed the man out. Or bitten him. Actually, she probably would have done both.

When the Joker pulled the bag off of the second person's head, two twin gasps escaped the two people who recognized the dazed-looking figure. Jason could tell on that alone who the mystery person was. "And this is our new guest! Why, with that hair and those eyes, he could be mistaken for one of ol' Brucie's brood, am I right? But, no such luck today, at least not as far as I know. Instead, he caught my eye for his odd reaction to my Toxin! A nice whiff, and none of the usual side effects! What a fun turn of events!"

He grabbed the teen's face, turning him to face the camera. "He looks pretty out of it, doesn't he? Maybe we'll see just how out of it he really is later!" The clown cackled manically, his words causing even Harley to stare at the teen with a large amount of terrified worry.

"Tick tock, Batsy! Wait too long, and our guests might get bored!" With another maniacal laugh, the screen cut to black, slowly fading in with a laughing cartoon Joker face, an hourglass trickling quickly below it.

The three occupants of the apartment were settled in a horrified silence for a few minutes, the new turn of events setting in.

Suddenly Damian lurched forwards out of his seat and towards the window with a murderous look on his face. Jason was quick to grab him, forcing him to a stop. "Hold it Demon brat! You can't just throw yourself head first into this. We need to find him first!" The teen growled at him, but stopped trying to pull himself from the man's grasp.

"Talk fast Todd. I won't just sit here and wait while he's in danger." Damian snarled at him, jerking his arm from the man's grasp and backing away from the window.

"Okay." Jason ran his hand through his hair, gathering his racing thoughts. "Alright," he turned, snatching up his laptop and setting it down on the coffee table. As soon as the screen was up, Damian was at his shoulder, glaring at the different programs that the man pulled up, as if to threaten them into working faster. "Fuck, the signal is messing up. I don't know if we can trace him like this."

It was then that Jazz, who had been scarily silent this entire time, spoke up. "Hand it here." She didn't wait for him to respond, pulling it in front of her before he could ask what she was planning. Damian rounded the couch to perch on the arm next to the woman.

"My computer skills are a bit rusty, but it shouldn't be too different…" She muttered as she worked, a look of deep concentration overtaking her pretty face as she worked. After a few tense minutes, she broke the quiet that had fallen as she worked with a triumphant "Aha!"

She slid the laptop back over to him, letting him see the blinking dot over a map of downtown Gotham, blinking right over the warehouse district. Damian jumped to his feet and began to search around his apartment, pulling out various weapons and pieces of his suit and tossing them over. It was obvious what he wanted.

As he donned his outfit, he turned towards the redhead. "How did you find him so quickly?" He asked.

She smirked, a tired and wry action that spoke of an interesting story. "My brother's friend taught me how to bypass some of the more annoying aspects that ectoplasm has on electronics. It's easier to look for a blank spot than to look over everything that you can see, after all."

He opened his mouth to ask more about it, but was cut short by an angry shove. "Move it!" Damian snapped, pushing him once more towards the window before hurrying over and pulling himself out onto the fire escape.

Cursing, Jason hurried after him, turning around when he heard Jazz move to follow him. "Stay here." He told her.

Her expression shifted into one of exasperated anger. "I can-"

"I know you can take care of yourself." He cut her off. "But me and Robin have been doing this for a long time. We have a rhythm. I don't mean anything by this, but you'll just be in the way." When she still looked ready to argue, he sighed heavily. "Hey, look at me." Her teal eyes met his tainted blue. He tried to project sincerity into his expression. "I promise that we will get your brother back. We've fought this guy before, and we'll probably fight him a lot more. Your brother will be fine."

She stood defiant for a few more seconds. Then, finally, she backed down. "Alright." She agreed. "But if there is so much as one scratch on him, I'll beat your ass so badly that death will look like a paradise." She threatened him. Her serious expression made even the pit retreated in fear. Yeah, he had no doubt that she would do that.

"You have my word." He promised.

"Todd!" Damian yelled from the roof. With another weary sigh, he pulls himself through the window and onto the fire escape, hurrying after his brother as he takes off across the rooftops.

Yeah, he definitely hadn't had enough sleep to deal with this. Was he gonna do it anyways? Yes. Yes he was. 'The things I do for this family.'

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(I know there are probably some grammar/spelling mistakes, but it's okay because I tried my best!)

For the lovely person who made the prompt for this story, and all the amazing people who follow along!

@halfblackwolfdemon @manapeer @xxwintrynightzxx @im-totally-not-an-alien-2 @blu-lilac @academicpurposes @secretdestinywerewolf @passivedecept @naluforever3 @postit-nope @spiteismymiddlename @2t-productions @plague-daisy @feet-achy @bubblecookies16 @thesapphiredragon13 @justwannabecat @magicalcollecter @adeniumdream @amuseofminds @lupagrim @readerkayden @dr-syko-pharm-4 @ladythugs @angelheartgamer @markthespot68 @kyrianclawraith @michikoy-yuki @servasvictoria02 @your-emo-nightmare @vala-dreams @scarlett-green-rose @t1dwarrior-of-earth @charlie-the-frogie @akikoyuii @mysticalcomputerdetective @roseuniverse999 @im-totally-not-an-alien @thefearfullone @weird-droplet-309 @jaytriesstuff @raventao @jacquelynwinchester @dragongoblet @tlise21 @longlivethefallen @the-archer-goddess @temple-of-jalebi @adepresseddwightsblogofjunk @plainly-colorful @the-legalHe-shipper @49saltpeppershakers @igotafewbadideas @tumbling-darkling @sparklygardenbouquet @sarcastic-yami @blueneko9314 @starscreamlover @liedboutmurder @do3y @roze-realm @some-mildly-happy-human @yinari-uchiha @azuera @chaoticmistake @altairsarts @kawaiikenna @heartsong18 @thetoyboxs @tricksovertreats @mnemovoid @lim4b3ans @horribly-lost-and-gay @keimiwolf @dryeraseslime @joey394

#danny phantom #dc x dp #danny phantom x dc #batman x danny phantom #batman #dead serious #danny phantom x batfam #danny phantom x damian wayne #love potion #miscommunication #anger management #ao3 fic #Artificial Wingman #long post #Jason's pov

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theopteryx · 5 months

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12,18,22

22. Favorite place you visited this year?

answering this first because it'll come up in all of these (and is not a surprise to anyone who knows me because I haven't shut up about it since I got back!) but I got to go to japan for two weeks earlier this year and I still think about it all the time. a few specific memories: the fushimi inari shrines in kyoto - we visited very early in the morning, before it was too crowded, and we hiked what felt like a thousand steps up that mountain but it was beautiful. my friend lost his mother earlier in the year and specifically wanted to go as part of mourning her, and it was really moving to get to be there with him. i also think about the weird airbnb we stayed in in osaka with a decibel meter in it that would sound an alarm if we talked too loud, the little park by our place in shinjuku, the little dive bar where the bartender heard me tell someone i was from new orleans and put new orleans jazz on for the whole bar, the night we went clubbing and my friend got so out of his mind drunk we couldn't put him in a cab and the trains weren't running so my other friend and i looped our arms through his and army marched him like two miles back through tokyo to our place as the sun rose, singing songs to keep him moving, and feeling so happy. a million places. i can't wait to go back one day.

12. Talk about a new friend you made this year

so the reason the japan trip was able to happen at all was because one of my best friends won a bunch of money and wanted to help pay for part of the trip and invited me along; I knew a lot of the people going on the trip but not everybody, and I knew there was the possibility (as there always is in situations like this) of personalities rubbing the wrong way. traveling with people is weird! especially people you don't know. there was someone on the trip i hadn't known before, but i know that anyone who my friend likes enough to invite on a trip like this is a good egg. but even knowing that, we did NOT start out on the best foot - i got a bad first impression of her, and there were a few situations where i ended up VERY frustrated, we did NOT mesh, and at some point i snapped at her in front of everyone harsher than i meant to. long story short, a few days in we ended up split off from the group at one point in a big museum and we had this moment where realized that a lot of her behavior was because her anxiety was just absolutely out of control, and that she really just needed a buddy, and i had to step back and reengage with her in a different way, and after that we were a team. we became each other's travel buddy and there were several little adventures that she and i ended up having together that were some of my favorites of the whole trip, and wouldn't have happened if we hadn't figured out how to mesh, and i'm so grateful!

18. A memorable meal this year?

so PART of my friend paying for part of this trip was that he made all the decisions about where we were gonna stay, which we were happy to let him do especially because he'd been to japan before. he really wanted us to go to a ryokan in a hot springs town (something he'd done before), but none of us had ever been before or really knew anything about it, so when he kept telling us that there was this DINNER that was happening we all just were like, sounds great! well we fucked up because we're idiots and read the train schedule wrong, and we realized that we were actually going to get into the mountain town about four hours later than we were supposed to, which meant we were going to get into the ryokan not just after our arrival window, but way after dinner time. and my friend kept being like. THE DINNER....BUT THE DINNER. and all of us were like, it's ok!! we'll just get something when we get there! trying to be cool but he was so sad. like the ONE thing he had his heart set on. the amount of times he'd say 'and they have this DINNER...' and trail off. so we're going to be late, and as soon as we realized he called them to apologize profusely and the staff was VERY disappointed on the phone and were like, well, you might just have to eat noodles in the cafe because it will be so late, and we of course have no expectations AND felt terrible about being late so we're like, that's fine!!!!!! we're happy to!!!!!!! we're so sorry!!!!!!!! anyway - cut to us finally getting into this town. it's late. it's beautiful. it's cold. the place is lit up. we have to take cabs up the hill winding up this road through the trees and you can see the lights near the river below us. it's this sprawling property woven into the trees. stunning. and we're all exhausted and we're expecting to get a keycard and eat train snacks from our bag for dinner and pass out. but we get to the ryokan and a bunch of the staff had waited up for us which - mortifying!! so kind!! but they were so, so, so lovely, and helped us pick out our yukata to take to our rooms and we thought that was it, but the attendant was like - no, we have your dinner! we kept it warm for you. get dressed! and we were like ?? okay ?? and hurriedly got dressed in our yukatas and followed her back down the hallway (it was late, so it was so quiet, we felt like we were sneaking around after hours) and she took us through this winding historical building with all these VIEWS and then suddenly into a beautiful room with a table just absolutely laid out in a feast, carefully covered with paper until we got there. and my friend was like. I. TOLD. Y'ALL. THERE. WAS. A. DINNER. which does not even begin to cover what a kaiseki meal is, with multiple courses and beautiful dishware and fresh sashimi and your own little grill, and and and. it's not just dinner!! we thought it was just - dinner!! but it was one of the best meals of my entire life - we were so tired we were loopy, the plum wine was amazing, the staff were so kind, every dish was beautiful. i kept the printed japanese menu they gave us and brought it home and pressed it into a scrapbook like a nerd. you have to be!! more!! clear!!!!!!!!!! about what 'dinner' means!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but also, WHAT a memory, what a surprise, what a meal.

#ask meme

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quincyxkeats · 2 months

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[cis-male, he/him] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [QUINCY KEATS]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [LAKEITH STANFIELD]. You must be the [THIRTY] year old [OWNER OF COMICS EMPORIUM]. Word is you’re [THOUGHTFUL] but can also be a bit [STUBBORN] and your favorite song is [FREAKS AND GEEKS BY CHILDISH GAMBINO]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [FISHER’S COVE]. I’m sure you’ll love it! || @aurorabayaesthetic

tw: bullying

Name: quincy elijah keats Gender: cis-male Pronouns: he/him Age: thirty Birthdate: may 5th ( taurus sun. libra moon. leo rising ) Sexual Orientation: pansexual Romantic Orientation: panromantic Profession: owner of comic emporium. freelance voice actor. professional dm Positive Traits: rational. sociable. charming. creative Negative Traits: stubborn. indecisive. passive. complacent.

Details:

Quincy was born to Victoria Williams and Jasper Keats in scottsdale, arizona. Jasper was a a struggling musician. Victoria, a school nurse, was his muse.they were thrilled when they found out they were pregnant despite knowing they would struggle. they were both still fairly young but it kicked jasper into gear. he got a job as a custodian at victoria's school by day and kept up his music at night.

quincy was a easy baby. he slept well, was sweet and smiley. yes, finances were hard still, but over all they were a happy little family up until around quince's fourth birthday.

it was around that time jasper's music career began to take off. he wasn't headlining concerts or anything but he and his jazz band were getting really good reviews. playing more places. to the point they began to travel. victoria was ecstatic for him and wanted him to chase his dreams. they'd figure it out. she left her job as a school nurse and went to the local hospital while he bounced from state to state, sending whatever money he could home.

it wasn't a lot. jasper did get bigger sums here and there but victoria was working herself to the bone picking up the slack. and on top of that she was growing lonely, missing the man she loved. quincy missed his father. it was kinda heartbreaking for her, but she tried to stick it all out, really she did.

quincy was growing fast though. he was a sweet kid. soft voice. soft touch. as he got into school, he was the type of kid that was invisible to most and he didn't mind that. he lived in his own world. never the best at school. never the worst. he got along with other kids but didn't seem to have a ton of them he could really call friends. it worried victoria to see him so isolated, his existence somewhat liminal.

but she was always too tired to play host or get him to birthday parties, sleepovers, etc. the older he got the more he spent time taking care of her. making sure she ate. slept. hydrated. making sure she laughed. it was that tendency, the fact that her seven year old was taking care of her more than her husband was what made Victoria wake up.

jasper wasn't a bad father. he visited when he could, but he never stayed long. checked in when he couldn't. he always sent money. and when he was home, god did quincy love it. victoria asked him to come back and he tried. for a time. but in the end, he just couldn't. they split up officially when Quincy was eight. they'd never been legally married, so there wasn't much paperwork to sort through. just emotions.

it was surprisingly easy for quincy. his father had never truly been around, not permanently so he didn't know life with him in it regularly. it hurt to know he wouldn't have that picture perfect family. but he realized how sad his mother was when jasper wasn't around but also...how sad she seemed with him there. lonely. he didn't want that for her. jasper stayed in their life, he stayed quincy's father, but he never lived with them again and victoria let him go.

she got her job back at the school and though it was a pay cut, the hours were better. she picked up a second job and life went on. Quincy started going to an after-school program and things were good. for a while. he got picked on a bit by older kids. he was quiet and immersed in things most considered nerdy, like superheroes and comics. he was an easy target too. he never fought back and things only escalated.

he'd come home with his things missing. bruises. clothes ripped. he'd never say who. or why. his mother spoke to the director. but they said quincy never reported. it took a youth staff member to figure out what was happening and he took quincy under his wing. he was nerdy himself and he taught quincy how to stand up for himself. did he like it? no. but he trusted the staff member and he followed his directions. did it all end immediately? no, but they worked on it together and he introduced quincy to other parts of nerdom. anime and d&d. he joined a little group at the center and through there he made other friends. and there was safety in numbers.

by the time he hit high school, quincy was well adjusted. he could stand up for himself when needed. he had a close group of friends. he started playing some sports. did well in class. always middle of the pack but that was enough for him. especially since he knew from an early age he wanted to go into acting. specifically voice over acting. it was a bit of a shock to his mother, most people really. he was such a quiet guy and he never seemed to like to stand out. but his friends knew otherwise. he was animated when gaming, both video games and table top. and he was great at voices. he ran various dungeons and dragons games, voiced an insane amount of characters and he was good. really really good.

so when it came time to graduate, he went to a college near by. he took theater. and being on stage could be rough, but again, he was good at it. he could step into different roles like a chameleon. he didn't finish any sort of degree though. he mostly went for practice and then found himself traveling south to LA when he hit 20.

it was....expensive. and hard. he knew it would be, but nothing could really prepare him for the extent of it. he got a few jobs here and there. commercials. radio ads. he even got cast in a low budget play or two. but nothing major for god...so long. he lived with roommates and worked any odd job he could get his hands on. but it was killing him. for the first time in his life he was actually trying, really really trying to be more than run of the mill and he was failing.

it took five years but eventually he left LA and moved further south to a small town called Aurora Bay. How he heard of it, he doesn't remember but it was cheaper. still close enough to go to auditions and what not, but it took the pressure off. which was helpful when he learned his mom, who was still in arizona, had met someone. he was happy for her of course and his dad was still living that rolling stone life so it wasn't like he expected them to get back together. he just-- he wasn't sure she'd ever find someone she loved as much as him. turns out, she did.

quincy went home to meet him and his daughter, gillian, early on in the relationship. he wasn't an intimidating guy. he was still as low key and soft as ever. but. this was his mother and he wanted to make sure she was well taken care of. again, he was surprised. darren owens was a good guy. a traveler, like jasper, but in the end, he stayed for her and that meant the world to them both. quincy was treated with respect and he in turn treated him the same. he and gilly became closer by the day. quincy didn't stay more than a few of them, but he kept in touch. visited on the holidays and what not.

It was around this time, while he was living in Aurora Bay and traveling, work started to pick up. He quit his attendant job at the Comic Emporium. He was cast in a few animated things, some anime dubs, some video games. He'd stay in LA, crashing on couches as he needed but he was getting good traction and some good money. It wasn't super sustainable though so after a while he made the decision to pump the breaks. He got his old job back and began working on things he could do from home and not travel so often. Eventually the owner of the Comic Emporium decide to retire. Quincy had been saving his money from his bigger projects and investing and in one very impulse decision, offered to just-- buy it.

It was insane really, but he loved the place and its customers. He could still do his own thing, make his own hours and keep things running just the way its patrons liked it. It seemed kinda perfect and even more so when Gilly moved to town a year later. That too was a surprise, but another good one. Things in general have been good and yeah, maybe it's not GREAT, but Quincy is more than ok with that.

Connections:

gillian liang // step- sister.

paxton brady // employee @ comic emporium. brief 'coworkers' in LA

ziggy kang // employee @ comic emporium.

asher oritz // sister's boyfriend? kid brother status

noah atwood // future d&d group member

Wanted Connections:

regular patrons @comic emporium

d&d clients & party members

old friends/contacts from arizona

nerd friends

gaming buddies

exes. tinder matches. flings. a fwb.

fishing buddies.

neighbors

#(( headcanons ))#aurorabay.intro #(( about ))

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quirkless-accident · 2 years

Note

"You... why'd it have to be you?" Phantom mumbled as he gripped is side. Toxic green dripped lazily from the deep wound in his side. Who would have thought the person he looked up to the most in his world would be the one to take him down in the end.

Around them was a world of fire. The streets were burning, and buildings were demolished. The cars were abandoned, and the screams had become more quiet by the second as the last surviving citizens evacuated. The sun was slowly dipping beneath the horizon, bathing the sky in the same reds and oranges that decorated the city around them, blazing hot and nearly unbearable.

Phantom coughed and rubbed the sweat out of his face, but all it did was mingle with the soot and ectoplasm. The smear of filth made his face look almost better than it actually was. He was pale and clammy from ectoplasm loss and he had a nasty gash on the side of his head that was matting down his white hair on that side.

He stumbled to his feet, eyes unfocused. Was backup coming? Or was this the end of Phantom? Was he going to have to fight this person all by himself? not like he really wanted to. Every time he looked at them he had to suppress a wave of anguished tears.

He's not really sure when everything went wrong. Childhood was okay. They weren't happy by any means but they had each other. Or maybe he only had her. Maybe she was never able to rely on him. Maybe she suffered in silence for decades without offering her a shoulder to cry on. Maybe it was because he canceled one to many coffee dates. Maybe it was because he missed her birthday party last year because he had hero work.

Maybe it was because he let her die.

"You... why'd it have to be you?" Phantom mumbled as he gripped is side. Toxic green dripped lazily from the deep wound in his side.

Hair as orange as the flames around them moved as easy as water. It was something so painfully familiar that it made his chest ache. Ache to go back to the way they were before. An ache to fix his mistakes and actually be there for her more. An ache to set things right.

But there was no doing that now.

Jazz let out a cold, harsh laugh as she stalked towards him. He was slumped over, using a car to help pick keep him balanced. She barely had a scratch on her, because he couldn't bring himself to actually hurt her. Stop her attacks as much as he could, sure, but never intentionally hurt her.

"Why did it have to be me?" She asked condescendingly. "Why did it have to be you? Why did it have to be you that stopped me? Why, Little Brother, did you let me die?"

It had been an accident. Danny had been running late to a meeting with her when a villain attack had happened. A villain that had mercilessly killed her right in front of him.

Death does weird things to people. Every person, every ghost, reacts differently. Some mourn for a long time. Some get up and move on. Some just go about their day like nothing ever happened, and they never speak of the event. But there's a very small percentage that are actually driven mad with their untamed emotions. He's sad to see his sister, the emotionally intelligent one between them, let her grief and pain drive her to this point.

And she was right, of course. He had nobody but himself to blame.

"I'm so-"

He was cut off by Jazz, who moved lightning fast. She surged forward, punching his already injured stomach. As he curled over in pain, she gripped his hair and brought his face to her knee. His nose shattered on impact, and he was so blinded by the pain that he hadn't even realized he ended up on his back, starring lazily at the burning sky.

The flames cast distorted shadows over Jazz's green skin, making her look more sickly. For a brief second, he saw her, neck twisted backwards and blood coming from her mouth, before her form flickered back to her ghost self.

"Don't you dare say you're sorry," she hissed. She stomped on his chest, and kept the pressure there as she leaned down. Her could feel his ribs creaking under the pressure, just a little nudge away from snapping completely. He couldn't bring himself to care, though.

He deserved this, didn't he? He hadn't been there for her. Constantly late. Constantly making her his second priority. how many promises had he broken? How many times had he apologized, and promised to never do it again? How many times had he unintentionally hurt her?

How many times did he ignore it?

Blissful ignorance wasn't an excuse. He accepted that. And he wanted to rectify that, but it was too little too late.

She gripped his throat and pulled him into the air with a strength the never possessed when she was alive. He didn't have the strength to try and stop her. his arms felt heavier than lead, even as his body convulsed.

"I know this will take a long time to actually kill you," she said nonchalantly. Her nails broke the skin around his neck, and he could feel lazy drops of ectoplasm bleeding through. "I want it to be slow. I want it to hurt. I want you to wallow in your regret and guilt while you take your last breath."

Danny gasped as she squeezed harder. She was right, of course. It was painful in more ways than one. The weight of his body help up by nothing but his neck, pulling uncomfortably at everything else while he slowly bled out. And because he was a halfa, he didn't need to breath as much as a regular human. Strangulation was a horrible way to go, and she was going to mil every last second of it.

He's not sure how long he hung there, completely at her mercy. Her grip never wavered, just like her conviction. He wanted to say as much, but his words were cut off in his windpipe. He wanted to tell her he was sorry, and he understood why she was mad. He wanted to tell her that she was always the best thing in his life. He wanted to tell her that he never would have been as happy as he had been without her. He probably would have just become another quirkless statistic if it hadn't been for her unwavering support.

But, again, it was too late.

He could feel his heart stuttering as it picked up speed. His vision started to blur, growing black around the edges. He was going to die.

He deserved it.

At some point the white rings came, and Phantom became Fenton. Sluggish ectoplasm became a river of crimson, flowing much to freely to be healthy. His choking became more pronounced as his lungs tried desperately to fill with air. His heart sped up even more, a telltale sign that he was, in fact, dying.

He blinked slowly, and when he opened his eyes, his sister was grinning up at him. Her eyes burned red with an untamed rage and unchecked pain.

He blinked again, and this time, her face showed nothing but shock. He felt her grip loosen, and he dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

He blinked again, and saw a blurry figure dressed in a deep red pulling a bright green sword out of his sister's chest, right where her core was.

"Jazz," he choked. She looked to him, just as her form started melting. Her face was still stuck in that look of shock, but was now joined by tears streaming down her face. "I love you. Goodbye."

He couldn't keep his eyes open long enough to see her melt. His whole body hurt, and he was far past the point of Too Injured. But he could feel the cold ectoplasm spread, staining his skin and clothes. Not for long, of course. Not when there was a pair of strong arms picking him up bridal style.

There was a deep voice talking hurriedly to a feminine voice, the one that belonged to the one who ended his sister. A part of him wanted to be angry, wanted to scream and shout and wish for her to be back by his side. But he lost that privilege when he let her die the first time. Now, he was just tired.

So he let himself sleep.

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

He woke up, unfortunately. And aside from the last moments, he remembered everything.

To the left of his hospital bed was one Momo Yaoyorozu, his best friend and confidant. She looked good, all things considered. Put together in a way he could never hope to achieve. She was reading, and sipping from a steaming to-go cup that no doubt had some kind of tea in it. Next to her was Midoriya, who was bounding his leg anxiously as he looked every but at Danny.

Danny opened his mouth to speak, but ended up in a coughing fit instead. Midoriya nearly fell from his chair, while Momo calmly got up and helped him drink from a glass of water.

"You need to rest, Danny," she instructed. There was something...Hollow about those words. She refused to meet his eye as she bustled around his bed, fluffing his pillows and adjusting the harsh lights so it didn't aggravate his slowly growing headache.

"What-what happened? To Jazz?" He asked.

He knew the answer already. Although she had been blurry, the red of her costume was unmistakable. The fierceness in which she had sent that sword through his sister could only come from her. But also, maybe he was hallucinating. Maybe Jazz had escaped, or maybe she had survived long enough to be shoved into a thermos.

A thermos that had been shattered beyond repair.

Judging from the look Momo was giving him, finally meeting his eyes, she knew he knew the answer to that. But still, there was this nagging in the back of his brain that wasn't going to quiet down unless she confirmed what he already knew. And thankfully, she knew this.

"She was strangling you," she said quietly. "You couldn't fight anymore, you were too weak. Too hurt. So when she was strangling you, I snuck up behind and I-" her voice breaks, and it doesn't surprise Danny one bit. Momo had been Danny's best friend, but she and his sister had gotten along really well whenever they all hung out together. Enough to know that Momo thought of Jazz as a genuine friend. "I ended her," Momo whispers quickly, barely able to get the words out. She sits on the edge of his bed with a hand over her mouth as she lets the tears finally fall.

Danny feels his own tears come, vision so blurred that he doesn't even register Midoriya sneaking out of the room to give them a moment.

With too much effort, Danny moves his hand to cover Momo's free one, and squeezes as much as he can, which is to say, very gently. Momo, though, she grips his hand like a lifeline.

And for a long time, until the doctor comes to check on Danny, they stay there. They stay there, and cry together, and mourn for a second time over their beloved Jazz.

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

okay but yall cannot tell me he doesnt look up to her the most. Now if you'll excuse me, im gonna go cry

#danny phantom #danny fenton #pro hero danny phantom #momo yaoyozoru #creati #deku #izuku midoriya #mha #bnha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #jazz fenton

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lis-likes-fics · 2 years

Text

A Witch's Luck | Chapter 21

Carlisle had come back from the Reservation with Eileen after helping Jacob. When he got back to the house, he went to fix up Y/N.

As he cleaned and stitched up her multiple injuries, Eileen used her magic to see how well they could be healed.

Carlisle was looking at her arm, which indeed had been shattered. He sighed and said, "I'll have to rebreak them, it started healing in the wrong places."

Eileen used her spell to calm the pain before Carlisle started. It made it way easier to bear, but it still hurt a little.

Freya was curled in her lap, sleeping better than she had been since she had her witch back. Carlisle finished stitching up the last one and sat back to let Eileen handle the rest, since Mariah was still out.

Carlisle spoke, "Your injuries should be healed quickly, but your arm will have to heal without the magic to keep the risk of healing wrong low. You should be fine."

Y/N smiled, "Thank you, Carlisle, Eileen."

He smiled back, "It was no problem, Y/N. We're glad to have you back."

Y/N laid her head on the back of the couch and let out a sigh. "Y/N," Jasper said, walking into the room again.

She turned around to see Jasper holding Althea. She smiled a big, happy smile and Althea returned it.

"Mommy!" She exclaimed, holding her hands out as she wiggled in Jasper's hold. He set her down on her feet and she darted over to her mother, hugging her tightly.

"Careful," Carlisle warned, Y/N was still hurt.

Y/N hugged her back, ignoring whatever pain she was getting from it. "Thea, I missed you so much!"

"Y/N!" Y/N turned around and saw Charlie in the room as well with Seth standing at the door.

She held her arms open for the little witch who came running over, carefully hugging her as to not hurt her.

"Charlie," Y/N said, relieved to see the girl again.

Charlie smiled, "You're back! I'm so glad you're back."

Celene went to the window, holding her hand out. Camille was on it a second later and she announced as she cleaned her feathers, "Mother Romina said she's glad your back and she will be visiting again soon to check up on everyone and everything."

She hopped down from Celene's hand and onto the stand by the window where she decided to perch so she could sleep.

Y/N took note and went back to the little reunion. Charlie asked sadly, "You weren't hurt too badly, were you?"

Y/N thought over her answer and settled with, "I'm better than I was."

Charlie decided to accept that answer instead of questioning further. "I'm glad you're back."

"I am, too," she replied.

Y/N put Althea in her lap, kissing her cheek. "So how were you when I was away?"

Althea thought, as if she was trying to remember what she did. "I went to Jacob's house and they told us stories. Oh, Emiwy made muffins!"

Y/N chuckled, "Sounds like fun."

She caught up with the rest of them for quite awhile. It was good to be back, good to not have to worry about being attacked by Victoria.

She was home.

Y/N and Jasper got back to the Residence, she was tired and it was time for Althea to go to bed. They laid her down to sleep and retreated to their own room.

Y/N sighed, letting the magic in the walls of the house to calm her thoroughly. She sat on the bed and went to stretch. Before she could do much of that, she winced at the multiple stitches.

Jasper asked, "Are you alright?"

Y/N nodded, taking a breath and turning to her husband. She just wished he didn't look so sad. She tilted her head and patted the bed next to her, "Come here."

He hesitated for a moment and she spoke, "Come here, Jazz."

He finally came over, sitting on the bed next to her. Y/N wrapped her arms around him, digging her face in the crook of his neck. He was so comfortable and she missed him so much.

He couldn't hold back for long as he wrapped his arms around her. He sighed contently.

She couldn't help her tears as they fell. She was so happy to be back with Jasper, she could stop herself from crying.

He stroked the back of her head and told her, "Shh, she can't hurt you anymore. No one will ever hurt you."

She chuckled through the tears and sniffled, "'S not why I'm crying. I just really missed you. I missed you so much, Jasper."

He kissed her cheek, "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me. I should've been there for you."

She pulled away and looked into his eyes, "Jasper, what are you talking about?"

"You were hurt and I wasn't there to protect you-"

"Jasper, shut the hell up," Y/N told him. He was surprised by her response, it was definitely new to him. She sighed and told him, "Look, you don't have to be there to save the day every day. Sometimes I'm going to get hurt and you can't always help me. But, guess what? I love you anyway. When I was with Victoria, you were still there to help me through it by simply being able to talk to me. You made it so much easier to bear. You and Thea, you gave me hope and that's all I needed."

He considered her words. She put a hand on his cheek and told him, "You can't always be the hero, but that doesn't mean I won't always love you. Because I do. I love you so much, I married you. There's nothing in this world that could change that."

He smiled, her words were true and he knew that, whether he could sense her emotions or not. He knew she was being genuine.

She pulled him closer and kissed him gently. It was the first kiss she had with him in weeks. How she missed their kisses.

Jasper put an arm at the small of her back, pulling her closer. There was a gentle moan from her and he smiled at it.

"I love you," he said when he finally pulled back.

She smiled and let out a breath, kissing him quickly, "I love you, too."

There was a beat of silence and Jasper asked quietly, whispering in her ear, "You wanna make another baby?"

Y/N was surprised by that question, she didn't exactly expect it. She looked back at him, blinking a few times.

His smile was adorable as he asked, "Too straight to the point?"

She shook her head, "Weirdo." She then kissed him again, chuckling slightly.

She muttered against his lips, "Mind the arm." Jasper smiled and nodded, his other hand resting on her cheek.

How he loved her.

#jasper hale #jasper cullen #jasper hale x reader #jasper hale x y/n #jasper hale x you #jasper cullen x you #twilight fanfic #twilight fanfiction #twilight #the twilight saga #reader insert #female reader #fanfic #witch au #cullen x reader #fanfiction

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venushasvixens · 3 years

Text

Ch. 6 Confliction - Life is but a Dream (Spike Spiegel x Reader)

[A/N] I really want to give a huge, huge thank you to @tebdundy on tumblr for editing and dealing with my constant check ups and stuff, you are so amazing for helping me. It means a whole lot. You can find more of me on instragram, wattpad, and AO3 (under the same username). Okay, onto the chapter!

WARNING: a lot of angst, rejection

Your ship was on fire. Every belonging, every single thing you had worked so hard for was gone. Your guns, clothes, even appliances you had never given a second thought, gone. And it hit you like a shot. The moment you took in that your ship was on fire, you shut down. Your mind began to wander. What did I do to deserve this? Why is this happening to me?

The next thing you could remember was Spike shaking your shoulders to snap you back to reality. You struggled to form a response. You tried to open your mouth, give some indication that you could feel and see him. In reality, the only thing you could really feel was a dull ache in your spine, each vertebrae mounting with an odd, uncomfortable pain.

The shock was setting in.

You blinked, eyes glassy as you watched firefighters put your ship out of her misery. There was no noise. You couldn't feel your fingertips, your face. You couldn't feel anything. Just that dull ache creeping up your spine.

Thoughts spiraled through your aching head, moving so quickly you could hardly keep up. It felt like you were at war with yourself, trying to keep yourself conscious and cognizant of the situation, while you sank deeper and deeper into your head.

This is just a small hiccup.

Just an obstacle that needed to be conquered, a hurdle you needed to jump over.

This is all your fault, you’ll never bounce back.

Everything happens for a reason, right?

Maybe if you hadn’t been so stupid.

You always ruin everything for yourself.

You might as well give up now.

There’s no coming back from this one.

You’re a disappointment.

You’ve failed.

It ate you up like a starving monster devouring a poor soul who crossed its path. Dark tendrils of shame, anger, and sadness weaved into your head, wrapping around your mind and tightening with every passing second. You were going to drown.

Push it down. Push it down. Grieve later. Think now. Grieve later. Think now.

You needed to figure out what you were going to do next. You needed to get out of your head. You desperately tried to claw your way out of this state. Taking a deep breath, you tried to make sense of the chaos around you.

You were sitting on the ground, a blanket draped over your shoulders. You felt the cold stone of the dock under your legs, felt the itchiness of the thick wool wrapped around you. You watched as Jet ran over to Spike, shouting over the sounds of panic that had flooded your head just moments before. Spike was staring at you, his face riddled with concern. You heard him call your name. You didn’t respond.

It was usually so hard to read him, to figure out what he was feeling. But now, it was so incredibly clear. You saw the emotions flashing in his eyes as he called for you again. Loss, guilt, despair, mania, heartbreak.

You felt Jet’s strong hand on your shoulder, shaking it gently.

"Hey kid, you okay?" He said, his brows furrowed.

You swallowed. Do not cry. Do not cry. Wait until you're alone. Push it down.

"I think...I think— a glass of water."

"How much do you have?"

"About 200,000 woolong."

"Well, that ain't much."

"Well, I wasn’t expecting to lose everything I own."

You sipped your coffee slowly as you, Spike and Jet discussed a solution to your giant, unavoidable problem. No matter how much you told them that you were okay and could take care of yourself, they insisted on helping you. Deep down, you appreciated it, because you definitely weren’t okay and wouldn’t be able to take care of yourself, no matter how much you tried to convince yourself.

You picked at the eggs on your plate, imagining sleeping in your own bed right now. Wearing your favorite shirt. Eating breakfast in your small kitchen. Watching the morning news in your room. Maybe have someone with you, showing him everything you owned like an excited child because you were so proud of how far you came from your first bounty to now. Things you’ll never be able to do again.

You felt silly and materialistic, mourning the loss of your belongings. But when you worked so hard for something you wanted for so long, building it up over the years, and losing it all in seconds? It's very hard to not mourn.

You had tried to pack light, to not become attached to material possessions. That was one of the first things that you were told by other bounty hunters. When you had first considered entering this god-forsaken profession, you sought out the help of any bounty hunter you came across, trying to glean any useful knowledge from those more experienced than you. You got too comfortable and started to ignore that piece of advice, and now you’re crying over some clothes and dishes.

But your keepsakes, your souvenirs. Ties to your troubled past. Memories of old friends, places, and happy times. Gone, burnt to a crisp.

"How much is a night stay here in town?" You spoke up, interrupting Spike and Jet’s bickering.

"You don't even want to know. The further you go into the city, the worse the rates are. I looked at a couple of places, and it does not look good." Jet replied, taking a sip from his mug.

"And staying on the streets isn't too good either," Spike muttered.

"Wasn't planning on it, but thanks for the advice." You snapped back.

The tension was thick in the air between you and Spike. Maybe it was because of your interrupted intimacy from the previous night, or the fact that neither of you had slept for the past 24 hours. But you couldn't understand why he was taking his frustration out on you. You hadn’t planned for your ship to burn to ash. You didn’t want to be a burden.

"I have a suggestion. Well, more of a proposal." Jet said.

You perked up. "And what's that?" Even before Jet could say anything, you already felt guilty about it.

"You can stay with us on the Bebop until you find your feet again."

You breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do what now?!" Spike hissed softly.

"But, "Jet held up his hand to Spike, who sighed loudly, annoyed. "I have a few conditions."

It kind of pissed you off how Spike was reacting to all of this. Actually, kind of was an understatement. It really pissed you off, almost offended you on how he was acting. Just a few hours ago, he was desperate to get into your pants, and now he was throwing a hissy fit at the thought of you living on the Bebop. Isn't this a good thing, you being able to spend more time together?

"Just contribute to the Bebop. Whenever you cash in a bounty, set some aside for fuel, food, all that good jazz. Maybe cook dinner sometimes, or clean the bathroom. Other than that, don’t worry about it." Jet said.

A cloud of suspicion settled across your thoughts.

"That's it?" You asked, “Are you sure?”

Jet chuckled. “There’re other rules, but you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. I have a feeling you know how to respect other people’s spaces and belongings. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

You glanced at Spike, who was leaning back, staring out the window. He met your gaze, eyes unreadable once again. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He felt like an entirely new person, one who just wanted you to piss off and leave him to his business. You tried to shrug off his sudden coldness, but it bothered you. It stung.

The walk back to the Bebop wasn't too bad, but trying to initiate a conversation with Spike was difficult. All he did was grunt in response, a few "oh yeah”s and “huh”s thrown in for good measure. You hoped it was because he was tired, and not that he was pissed off that you were going to be invading his space.

The guilt was heavy on your shoulders. You certainly weren’t a freeloader, but you couldn't help but feel like you had already overstayed your welcome. And you haven’t even stepped foot on the ship yet. You didn't want Spike to be distant from you. Even though you had just met him, you wanted him to be closer to you than anyone else. You wanted to reach out to him, hold onto him and never let him go. Instead, he was pushing you away.

You weren’t good with rejection. Rejection defined who you were today and had been a driving factor to almost everything in your life. You had managed to take ahold of those haunting feelings and build them into a hard shell to protect yourself, vowing to never show your vulnerability or true feelings. You had pushed the old version of you so deep down that it would never escape. You had been doing so well, but the last few days had shown you that the hard work you put into being a completely emotionless bitch was all for nothing.

Jet was going into an extensive explanation of the ship, where you could take a shower, where your room was. He explained that the Bebop was once a fishing ship from Ganymede, and how he had fixed it up to be a high-tech, fully functional ship of today (his words, not yours).

"She operates well when treated right. However, some of our crew members would say otherwise." Jet grumbled. "Speaking of, did Faye tell you-"

"I haven't seen Faye since two days ago. Her ship was still gone, the last I saw." Spike muttered, throwing his jacket over his shoulder. "Besides, why do you care?"

Jet held up his hands. "It was just a question. Jeez." Spike muttered something in response.

You suddenly remembered the bounty on Faye’s head, but it didn’t really matter right now. That was all on the back burner for now, seeing as every plan you could think of required a ship that wasn’t the one Faye was living on. And you really didn't want to make enemies of your new crew this early on. All you cared about right now was taking a shower to wash all of last night's events off you and getting some shut-eye.

You wondered whether Jet was aware of your previous intentions of collecting the big bounty on Faye. You had asked him if Faye was joining the group for dinner last night, with no context. There was no answer, but that also could mean he took in what you said and was processing what you really intended to do if Faye did show up at the dinner. Remembering your first meeting with Spike, he told you clearly he doesn't care if she got captured or not. So you have two people who are on opposite ends of the discussion. One is in charge of the Bebop and which bounties to pursue, and the other one likes to smoke and philosophize.

The obvious correct choice was clear, but you decide to choose the latter.

"When you come in, don't be too surprised by some of our unique characters." Jet remarked. "You've already met us two, but there are a few more along the way."

"I like to think I'm also a unique character, so we should get along." You replied happily, a tint of exhaustion underlying in your words. Spike scoffed, walking over to open the small hatch.

"What's that supposed to mean?" You snapped, a full night's worth of frustration threatening to overflow in the form of obscenities and insults.

"Are you talking to me?" Spike said over his shoulder, punching in the security numbers on the small pad. The hatch to the side of the Bebop creaked open, landing on the stone pier with a hard thunk. "I’m tired. And when I’m tired, I don’t put my energy into pulling punches and being nice.Got it, (Y/N)?"

You bit down on your tongue. "Never mind. What were you saying, Jet?"

You could hear a quiet, "Yeah that's what I thought." echoing up into the Bebop. Rolling it off your shoulders, you turned your focus to Jet as you both walked into the ship.

Opening a round metal door, you looked up to see a dimming bulb illuminating the cylinder passage. The walls were yellowing, patched with dark, aging metal, and littered with hazard signs. Jet walked over to a ladder bolted on the wall and began to climb.

"I'll tell you, you’ll get a real workout just getting around this ship." Jet laughed, his voice bouncing off the walls.

"Are there a lot of these around the ship?" You said, following.

"Oh yeah, plenty. But if you stay in the living area, you don’t really need to worry about them. I'll show you around anyway, just in case we need you to get something. We wouldn’t want you to get lost." Jet smiled.

He hopped into the center gravity passage, holding out his hand to you. You grabbed it gratefully, not realizing how much of a drop it was to the floor of the tube until you looked back down.

"Oh damn." You exclaimed, looking down. "That's pretty far."

"It’s just 15 feet. Your eyes must be playing tricks on you." Jet chuckled, closing the metal door. "Alright, so this is the lower gravity passage. It leads to the living area, that includes bedrooms, kitchen and living room, and to the storage area."

Spike was nowhere to be seen in the passage. You assumed he was already in the living room, smoking before heading off to bed. Jet opened a sliding metal door marked “Storage”. You peered into the dark room.

"This is where we keep extra ammunition, supplies, and medical boxes.”

Jet pressed a button next to the storage door, one that opened to the living area. The walls were a gradient blue color, illuminated with warm lighting. The staircase was a dark, metallic gold leading to a dark blue platform. On the floor was a yellow couch, and across from it was a single matching seat. In between them sat a knee-level coffee table with a holoTV, a computer, and someone's breakfast. Jet walked in first, stepping down. "This is the living room.” He pointed to the set on top of the table. “You’re welcome to use the holoTV and the computer, everybody shares them.” He chuckled. “I’m not sure whose breakfast that is, but don’t touch it. People are pretty possessive of food on this ship.”

Right as you took a step in, you heard the light pattering of paws bouncing into the living room. From a staircase leading down, two small light brown ears popped up. Then two big brown eyes peered over, searching for the source of commotion in the room.

"You guys have a dog?!" You asked, practically jumping down the stairs. The small Welsh corgi was seemingly just as excited as you were, running and tripping up the stairs to meet you. You extended your hand, letting him sniff you.

Jet chuckled. "Cute little thing, isn't he? His name is Ein."

"Oh, he's adorable. Who’s a good boy?" You cooed, bending down to rub Ein's ears. He stretched his head out, his little stumpy tail going a hundred miles a minute.

"And usually tagging along with Ein is-" Jet was interrupted by the pounding footsteps coming from downstairs.

"They're back, they're back, they're back!" a scrawny red-headed kid rejoiced, waving their arms about. "Ed was worried, but now Jet’s back, and Ed is okay again!"

The kid's smile stretched from ear to ear, clearly more than ecstatic to see Jet back home. They grabbed the plate from on top of the table and plopped down next to a box with a computer on top. They gobbled up what was left of their food, before bending their head back to get a look at you. "Who are you?"

"This is (Y/N), they're going to be staying on the Bebop for a little bit." Jet replied, walking over to the table. He turned back to you. "Ed is a computer genius and a damn good hacker. You ever need someone to work out some malicious malware, Ed’s your girl."

“Hi, it's nice to meet you." You said, giving Ed a small smile and a wave. She scampered over to you on all fours with her behind high in the air, chattering to herself.

“Stranger, changer, danger! Hihi...”

You laughed nervously, glancing back at Jet, who was standing with his arms crossed, looking amused. The girl stopped at your feet. “Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky the Fourth,” she said matter of factly. Ed grabbed your hand and sniffed. You had met some oddballs in your time, but this one took the cake. She made a face and jumped back, her hands covering her nose and mouth. "Ed thinks you stink!"

You sucked in air between your teeth. Did you really smell that bad, or was it another talent of this child prodigy? That’s so embarrassing. "Is it that noticeable?"

Jet half-smiled. "Doesn't bother me none. Thought I wouldn’t mention it till you could do somethin about it."

He was just going to let you find out later? No wonder Spike didn't want to be anywhere near you. It wasn’t even your first day of being on the Bebop, and you were not making a great first impression.

"Let me show you the kitchen." Jet motioned for you to follow up a small set of stairs through a large circular door frame leading down a small hallway. You turned into the kitchen, completed with a fridge, stove, oven, and a small countertop. The kitchen was dark, the only light in the room was the dimming orange ashes of Spike's cigarette falling on the floor. He was leaning against the countertop, staring down at his cig.

"There you are, Spike." Jet flipped the lights on, revealing a slightly disorderly kitchen. Spike winced, covering his eyes.

"Jesus, Jet give me a warning next time," Spike mumbled, his voice deep and raspy. Your annoyance and anger at him suddenly disappeared. That voice. You wanted to hear that voice again. You wanted to put your hand on his chest and feel the vibrations of that voice. Every time you tried to find some way to be mad at him again, he just had to stand there, looking cool and intoxicatingly seductive. You craved him like an alcoholic craved whiskey.

"Are you finished with the grand tour?" Spike asked, his heavy-lidded eyes looking away from you and Jet.

"Not yet, but I was hoping you could finish it."

"I’m not in the mood for hospitality right now. I'm going to bed." Spike said, making his way to the door.

"Just show her on the way there. And be nice, she's our guest." Jet warned, sorting the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink.

"Yeah, show me some respect." You teased. But Spike clearly was not in the mood. Instead, he turned away from you, rolling his eyes, and walked out of the kitchen

Jet patted you on the back. "Give him a minute, he'll come around."

"Thank you for everything, Jet. It means a lot." You smiled.

"Don't sweat it, kid. Go ahead and get some rest. If anything comes up, I'll send the cavalry after you." He said, gesturing to the living room.

You took a deep breath before heading out of the kitchen. Ed was sitting motionless in a trance-like state, her eyes engulfed with giant goggles. Ein lay peacefully on the couch, watching as you followed Spike down the steps into the living room.

This was the first time you and Spike had been alone since last night. Just hours ago, you were definitely not afraid to touch him. Now, you didn't even want to take a step near him.

"Are you coming or what?" Spike called out impatiently, already halfway downstairs to the lower part of the living area. "I don't have all day."

"I'm here." You raced over, gliding your hand down the rail. Spike continued his way down, turning around a corner. The walk down the hallway was quiet, the silence uncomfortable. Neither of you wanted to do small talk. Spike probably didn’t want to talk at all, but you had to know. You had to ask him.

"Spike?” you asked quietly. You wrung your fingers around each other anxiously. Spike stayed silent, his quick pace faltering before coming to a stop in front of a door.

“Do you remember what happened last night?” You finally asked. Spike seemed to tense up, his jaw clenching. Deciding to press on further, you continued.

“I umm,” you mumbled, “I may have been drunk and you probably were too, but why are you so cold to me now when we were literally about f-“

“This is the bathroom. It has a tub and a shower.” Spike interrupted. Your heart dropped to your stomach. So much for answers. “There should be some clean towels. You can wash your clothes upstairs, Jet can show you where the washer is. Your room’s gonna be the first door you see when you reach the top of the stairs. It’ll be all yours till you leave.”

Spike puffed out a cloud of smoke before making his way slowly down the hallway. You looked at him in disbelief. He definitely remembers. And he’s rejecting it. You and him. Cutting it off before it starts, pushing you away.

You stepped into the bathroom, letting the door shut behind you before tears of anger and resentment started to fall down your face. How can you feel so much emotion for someone who shows none? You lost your home and belongings. You didn’t want to lose anything else.

After a long hot shower, you stood in front of the mirror, combing your fingers through your hair. You were going to have to get essentials eventually, a comb and a toothbrush would be nice. But that would have to wait. You rubbed circles on your temple, your impending exhaustion headache approaching fast.

After drying yourself off, you slipped your old clothes back on. It felt awful putting dirty clothes on your clean body, but you were not about to walk around the ship in a towel. You had already dug yourself a deep enough hole with Spike, you didn’t want to traumatize Jet, the kid, or the dog.

As you wrapped your hair in a towel, you heard shouting from outside. You combed through who it could be. Spike and Jet. Or Jet and Ed. Or Spike and Ein, or Ein and Ed. There were quite a few combinations.

“First fight on the Bebop.” You muttered to yourself. “So excited.”

This was so ridiculous, you couldn’t help but giggle to yourself. All you had to do was walk past and not get involved. Unless it was about you, then you would at least try to defend yourself. You opened the door, listening intently.

“What the fuck-“ more shouting. “And you bastards decide to tell me now?!” A shrill female voice was yelling. A table got knocked over. You could hear stomping and more shouting. “Well, where the hell are they?!”

Whoop, time to hide.

You shut the door and the latch clicked with a loud cathunk. You hoped they hadn’t heard it. You were down a big hallway, there was no way that they could’ve heard it. You had a pretty good idea of who the screaming was coming from, and you were not ready to meet her right now.

The sounds of stomping grew louder, getting closer to the bathroom door. Your fight-or-flight mode started to set in. With how pissed she sounded, stomping and roaring, this may as well be a life-or-death situation.

You rolled your neck, stretching your arms out. If you needed to defend yourself, you were going to have to do it bare-knuckled. No guns, knives, bars of soap, nothing. You flexed your hands, cracking your knuckles. You planted yourself in front of the door. The footsteps outside stopped. This was it! You were ready for anything.

Bam!

The door slid open. Faye Valentine stood on the other side, hands on her hips. She was panting from her ranting and raving in the other room. She smiled, her eyes a little too wide. You couldn’t tell if she was happy, crazy, or surprised.

“Hi there, you must be our newest crew member! My name is Faye, it’s so nice to meet you, girly!” She beamed, her eyes manic.

Not the response you were expecting. “It’s nice to meet you too, I’m (Y/N).” You held out your hand. She took it, her soft palms gripping your hand a little bit too tight. She shook your hand. She kept shaking. And shaking. You pulled back, trying your best to put on a friendly face.

“Sorry if I’m hogging the bathroom, there was an accident last night and I was so dirty, I just had to have a shower.” You smiled, stepping to the side.

“Oh no! You’re totally fine. I was just looking for the toilet, I guess I got lost.” She replied, waving her hand.

“The toilet’s just across the hall from your room, how long have you been here-“ Jet was cut off by Faye’s elbow jabbing him in the ribs. Jet grabbed his side in pain, giving you a half-smile.

“Well, I’d love to chat, but I’m really tired. I’m going to go get some sleep.” You smiled apologetically and gestured to the stairs.

Jet and Faye’s voices mingled with each other, overlapping into a confusing symphony of hospitality and kindness.

“Yeah, no worries!”

“Call us if you need anything!”

“We’ll be right here!”

Smiling, you gave a small wave, turned around, and basically sprinted down the hallway to the living room. You heard Faye hiss, “You didn’t tell me she was a girl, dumbass.”

“I was going to before you blew up at me. If you had let me finish, I would’ve. Why are you so pissed off about another crew member, anyway?”

“I’m tired of all the men on this ship, I didn’t want another one. And I thought they were going to take my room...”

Their bickering trailed off as you climbed up the two sets of stairs to your new room. Ed was still on the floor with her goggles on, humming to herself, seemingly oblivious to the fight that had just happened. Ein cautiously sniffed the overturned table, before settling onto the floor next to Ed, resting his head on her lap. You would’ve said goodnight, but they seemed to be in their own little world and you were happy to let them stay like that.

When you reached the top of the stairs, you saw two doors directly across from each other, one on each side of the landing. Spike had said it was “the first door you’d see”, but that wasn’t particularly helpful in this situation. Hoping you were correct, you quietly walked over to the door to your left, pressing the button to open it.

Your breath hitched as the door opened to see Spike fast asleep in his bed. He snored lightly, sleeping so deeply he didn’t hear the hiss and clink of the door opening. His arms were behind his head and the steady rise and fall of his bare chest was hypnotic. Even asleep he was really, really attractive. You fumbled over yourself trying to shut the door. It finally latched, and you let out a breath.

Sighing, you turned towards the door behind you. This one had to be it. You opened it to see a small, sparse room. Closing the door behind you, you flipped on the light. Pushed up against the far wall was a simple bed, and to your right was a small desk built into the wall with an old armchair next to it. There was a closet in the far corner, but the door was locked and some large boxes were stacked in front of it. They must not get many guests, it seemed like this room was mainly used for storage.

Feeling the ache of exhaustion overtaking your body, you flopped onto the bed. It was surprisingly soft, with a pillow and tan comforter neatly folded on top. You didn’t know how to thank Jet for being so kind and accommodating. Next time you cashed in a big bounty, you were going to set aside some woolongs to buy him a thank you gift.

On top of the pillow, you noticed a pair of black shorts and a yellow button-up. Pinned to the shirt was a note, clearly written in a hurry.

Some clean clothes. You smell like shit.

-S

You laughed. He’s straight-talking, that’s for sure. You slipped on the shorts and buttoned the shirt halfway up. Spreading out the comforter, you crawled underneath. You were already half-asleep, and thinking about how breathtakingly attractive Spike looked asleep relaxed you even more. Your mental snapshot of your accidental encounter was glued to your eyelids. It was never going to happen again, but you got to have one taste of beauty while here.

You gently wrapped your arms around your pillow, thoughts of Spike disappearing into clouds of empty dreams. It was so much better to fall asleep to thinking of someone, rather than no one at all.

And even though it was going to hurt, you would do it again and again.

[A/N] all I got to say is fasten your seatbelts for the next chapter, slut puppies.

#faye valentine #cowboy bebop #90s anime #jet black #radical edward #adult swim #toonami #ein #fanfiction #spike spiegel x reader #spike spiegel #see ya space cowboy

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tinyboxxtink · 3 years

Text

"Caught In The Storm" *Part 9*

So....did y'all like that cliffhanger?

Because...HAHAHA JK THAT'S NOT THE ENDING.

No, but actually...it was the original ending, but the original ending ended up being REALLY short. So, I wrote an ALTERNATE ending, that actually I really would prefer being the ACTUAL ending, but it had to go a different direction BEFORE the cliffhanger, so....you see my dilemma.

SO---

Here's what we're gonna do:

I'm going to put the ORIGINAL ending first, and then space it out, and put the ALTERNATE [better tbh] ending.

That way, you can have both. And I don't have to backtrack to undo my mistake due to my ADHD brain changing things 24/7.

Kay? Cool.

Also no neither of these are the ACTUAL ending, I refuse to have an odd number of chapters. REFUSE. So chapter 10 will be like an epilogue. Don't look at me like that.

Tag List

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@word-scribbless

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@aprildecker-blog

@gibbs274

@lolliepopsicle

@objection-argumentative

Part 10 (Epilogue is here!)

(This Gif is For the FIRST ending, there's a 2nd GIF that would be SPOILERS.)

Short Simple Ending #1

Raphael sat in his loft drinking scotch, for which he had done most of the day. He wasn't dressed, he hadn’t showered, he was a mess. He didn't know if he could ever come out of this. He sat there wallowing in his regret and sorrow, going over every interaction you two had ever had in your entire lives of knowing each other pinpointing everything he could have done differently. What he should have done differently, and the fact that if he had, you'd be there with him right now instead of getting married to someone you didn't love. He's just in the middle of chastising himself again when he heard a knock at the door.

“Liv, I told you I don't need your help; You can't help me right now!” he yelled to the door

“It's not Liv…”your voice came softly through the door.

His eyes lit up, he raced to the door and threw it open. Revealing you and your wedding dress, sopping wet.

“Well I hope you're happy!” you stomped into his apartment angrily.

“...What would I be happy about? Where is your husband? He asked half jokingly.

“I Don't HAVE a husband,” you spat.

“Really now?” He was enjoying this too much.

“No, I don't. And you just made me humiliate a poor, generous, loving, caring, amazing man. And I just dumped him in front of all of his friends and family, and in front of a million fans on a live stream and now everyone knows and I'm probably laughing stock right now!!!” you screamed angrily, pacing the apartment.

“I did all that?” He smirked.

“Yes, you did!” you crossed your arms as you walked back to him.

“And how did I do that?” He took both of your hands and pulled you closer, still smiling like a Cheshire cat.

“By telling me you love me!!!” you kept your angry face stoic. “How could I marry Nathan when I knew that I was supposed to be with someone else?”

“You couldn't,” He smiled.

“I couldn't…” You whispered as he pulled you even closer and took you in his arms.

“I love you Rafael,” you looked right into his big green eyes. It was the first time you had actually said it to him in those exact words, with all the love and emotion you had always meant it to be.

He stared at you for a moment, running through the words in his mind. He had yelled them so angrily and upset at you last night, not the way you needed. Not the way you deserved.

“I love you too, Y/N,” He smiled, cradling your face before pulling you into another mind blowing kiss; it had only been the second time you had ever kissed in your lives but it felt like you had done it a million times, like it was supposed to be this way. Like it was always supposed to be this way.

You were so glad you stayed through the storm.

-----

Actual" Really Long, Detailed, Funny Ending #2

-----

"But you don't love him,'' Rafael pointed out.

"You don't know that!" You snapped.

"Yes I do!" He shot back.

“How could you possibly know that?”

"Because you have never looked at him the way you look at me!" He exclaimed.

Your face went from upset and sad, to absolute rage after hearing him say that.

"You arrogant, selfish, son of a bitch…" you growled.

"How DARE you say that to me?! How DARE you use my own feelings and how much I loved you against me? Get out," You grabbed his arm and dragged him to the door.

"No look I'm sorry Y/N, but it's true. You don't love him and you're only marrying him to spite me!" He continued to dig himself a hole.

"So what?!” You said without thinking, making you both go wide eyed and silent.

“Are-- Are you serious?” He stammered.

“What if I was?” You now had an idea reeling.

“Wha...why would you…?” His eyes narrowed.

“Let’s say that I don’t believe you right now, which I don’t. And I kick you out of here, and I go through with my wedding in the morning? After ALL of this?” You gestured between the two of you.

"You're drunk, aren't you?" Rafael asked as he eyed the two empty bottles of champagne.

"Don't even-- Maybe," You stood in front of the view of the bottles. You waved it off, trying to focus.

“What if I told you that the ONLY way that I will believe that you are completely serious and NOT just drunk, is if you try and stop my wedding?” You smirked.

“You’re not--” Rafael started to laugh, but you kept a serious face on. “Seriously?”

“I don’t know Rafael, I guess we’ll see tomorrow who’s ‘serious’ and who’s not!” You slammed the door in his face, leaving him dumbfounded.

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

The next day you were in the bridal room getting ready; It was pouring rain outside, it seemed appropriate.

Amanda, Kelsey and Olivia were helping you polish your tiara, ironing your dress, fixing your makeup and all that jazz. Hundreds of fans lined outside the church since someone had leaked where you were getting married. Everything came down to this moment. It was supposed to be the biggest day of your life, and you were terrified. But not for the reasons normal brides would be worried about. For one you were hungover, and for two you had made the most idiotic ultimatum to Rafael last night. Why would you DO that?! Why did he bring out the absolute snarkiest, competitive side of you?

“You're shaking,” Amanda noticed.

“It's just nerves, you need some champagne'' Kelsey grabbed a champagne flute and shoved it in your hand; you downed it.

“You're doing the right thing,” Kelsey assured you, as if she knew what you were thinking. You looked at Olivia and Amanda.

“And what do you say?” You genuinely asked them both.

“I think that whatever you want to do is the right thing,'' Olivia replied, squeezing her hand. You smiled thankfully, glancing at the door.

He hadn’t come yet, maybe he was just drunk. Maybe he was lying in his bed hungover, wondering why he went and made an ass out of himself for no reason. Then again, maybe he was waiting for a big crowd for a huge display of affection, God WHY did you do this...

------

When it was time, you walked up to Finn who was waiting at the doors of the chapel. He was dressed in a tuxedo with a baby blue tie.

“You look beautiful, baby girl,” he smiled. “Are you ready to do this?”

“Now or never,” You smiled, still glancing at the exits. You noted the cameras that were set up to livestream this to millions of people; you had totally forgotten about that. Oh god, now if there was a “public display” it wouldn’t just go to the guests, it would be broadcast around the world!

The Wedding March began to play as the chapel doors opened. You proceeded to walk down the aisle and looked at everyone watching you. All of your past and present family from the SVU squad was there. Grandpa Kragen and Grandpa Munch, Uncle Brian, Uncle Tucker, etc.

Then you looked at Nathan's family, a bunch of white rich stuffy but welcoming people. You noticed all of the crowds lining outside the windows of the church cheering you on, some crying, some holding signs. Then you looked at Nathan waiting for you at the end of the aisle smiling proudly. He really did love you.

You reached the end of the aisle and took Nathan's hands.

“Dearly beloved, we're gathered here today…”

The Preacher went on through the normal wedding exchanges until he got to “the” line..

“If anyone here has any reason that these two should not be wed, please speak now or forever hold your peace,” The preacher announced as you held your breath.

You anxiously looked around the chapel, looking for any sign of Rafael. Maybe he had snuck in the back, or was hiding behind a lady with a hat. He was going to come, wasn’t he? Maybe you were right, maybe you were right along.

….Nothing. He wasn’t there. He didn’t come…

You felt your heart shatter, you were officially dead inside. And now the husk of you was being married off to this poor man.

“Do you Nathan Lee Price, take YN to be your lovely wedded wife, now and forever, through richer and poorer, sickness and health, before and after you both shall live?

“I do,”

“Y/N, do you take Nathan Lee Price to be your lovely wedded husband, now and forever, through richer and poorer, sickness and health, before and after you both shall live?”

You looked to Nathan, then you looked to your side of the wedding, then you looked to his side, you looked to the fans outside again, you looked to the sky, looked to the ground and then you looked back at Nathan.

"I…"

“NO SHE DOES NOT!!!!”

The chapel doors swung open revealing Rafael dressed in a tuxedo. The entire room gasped in horror, and you tried your best not to run to him right then and there. He ran down the aisle until he reached the altar.

“I’m sorry sir, we’ve already past the--” The preacher started to talk but Rafael put a hand in front of his face.

“I don’t care, padre,” He chortled.

"Cutting it a little close there, counselor," You muttered.

"You're the one who chose to get married during rush hour in New York City, carino," He winked.

“Man, are you serious? Really? You’ve had all this time, and you decide NOW that you want my fiancé?” Nathan asked him in a hushed voice, trying to be discreet.

Rafael however, was NOT trying to be discreet.

“This woman told me last night, if I really loved her, that I would come and stop this wedding,” He was addressing the crowd. “That I would stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life,” He turned to you and Nathan. “Marrying someone she does not love,”

The room gasped again, Nathan’s family looked horrified. Camera phones began filming, fans outside were going NUTS.

“...Is that true, Y/N?” Nathan asked you with the most pitiful look.

“I mean I--” You looked from him to Rafael, who had a huge grin on his face. Well, you DID ask for this.

“I didn’t use those exact words,” You shrugged apologetically. The pastor closed the Bible, the guests were chattering like mad, cameras flashed, the mob outside began to force themselves inside to see the drama.

“I..I can’t believe this, I can’t believe you…” Nathan shook his head in disbelief.

“Nathan I’m really sorry, I just--” You looked at Rafael again; his grin wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. “I had to be sure that he really loved me,”

“So he had to PROVE his love to you, when I have shown it to you EVERY SINGLE DAY?” Nathan started to yell, forgetting about appearances.

“I mean, no-- it’s a whole thing, you wouldn’t understand--” You started to laugh unintentionally, thinking of how you and Rafael had your own twisted sick sense of humor.

“You’re goddamn right I don’t understand!” He continued to yell.

“...She’s a flair for the dramatic Nate, what can I say?” Rafael smirked as he stepped up on the stair you were standing on and wrapped an arm around you. You really hated that you were enjoying this at Nate’s expense but-- Rafael was right. You wanted him to publicly admit it, and he delivered. And you were ecstatic.

“Yeah well, I hope you’re both happy in dramatic HELL,” Nathan spewed before stomping off out of the chapel with his groomsmen quickly tailing him. His side of the wedding began exiting the chapel furiously grumbling and yelling profanities at you.

You glanced at your side of the room, the entire NYPD. They all surprisingly looked very pleased, although some people like Kragen were skeptical about this suave ADA coming in here and sweeping you off your feet. They shook their heads and a few applauded, especially your current family.

“Oh we’re not done folks,” Rafael announced as he grabbed the preacher before he could leave.

“Wha...what now?” You were confused but growing more excited by the second.

“You wanted me to be sure that this is what I wanted,” Rafael took both of your hands. “And I want you to KNOW that this,” He gestured between the two of you. “This is all I will ever want, for the rest of my life. And I want to prove it to you,” He smiled at you and pulled something from his jacket pocket.

“Oh, Rafa you really don’t--” You started to say that stopping this wedding was proof enough for you, but he was already down on his knees.

“Y/N….Will you marry me?” He asked. “....Right now?” He added, gesturing to the preacher. Now it was your side’s turn to gasp loudly again, as you stared at the huge diamond ring Rafael was holding out to you.

Where did he get that? WHEN did he get that? Had he been planning on proposing to you before? A zillion questions ran through your brain but you did your best to quiet them all so you could focus on the ONE question that mattered right now.

“....DUH!” You finally slapped him over the head playfully and grabbed the ring from him. He laughed and slipped it on your finger before pulling you into a beautiful, perfect kiss. Everyone on your side laughed and cheered, happy their baby girl was getting her happy ending.

“Well alright then, I guess let’s start this thing over!” The preacher laughed, opening his Bible once again.

“Rafael Barba, do you take Y/N to be your lovely wedded wife, now and forever, through richer and poorer, sickness and health, before and after you both shall live?” He asked Rafael.

“I do,” Rafael beamed at you.

“Do you--” .

“WAIT,” You put up a hand to stop him, making everyone start to mumble curiously again. Rafael’s face fell.

“...Are you serious? You’re changing your mind?” He muttered anxiously.

“No!” You shook your head. “No I…” You looked at the floor. “God this is so stupid…” You laughed to yourself nervously, not really believing you were actually going to admit this.

“....What?” Rafael raised an eyebrow.

“I um…” You bit your lip. “Oh God…” You turned to the preacher. “Sorry!” He brushed it off.

“Baby what are you--” Rafael was seriously starting to worry.

“Please, please don’t freak out,” You begged him. His eyes remained confused, but soft and understanding.

“Okay…” He gave you a look.

“I um,” You took a deep breath. “I may or may not have learned this...just in case,”

You took another deep breath, and recited the words you had practiced in front of your mirror for MONTHS after you had first met Rafael.

“Yo, Y/N, te tomo a ti, Rafael Barba, como mi esposo,”

Rafael immediately broke into the biggest smile you may have ever seen on him, tears instantly wet his eyes as you spoke.

“Prometo serte fiel en lo próspero y en lo adverso,” You continued, vowing you were NOT going to break down crying.

“en la salud y en la enfermedad, Amarte y respetarte todos los días de mi vida.,” You finished successfully without shedding a tear, unlike Rafael who was a full on hot mess of tears in front of you.

“Baby I…” He shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you did that,” He whispered, tears still catching in his throat.

“I told you,” You bit your lip. “I have always been in love with you,”

“And I am so in love with you,” He grinned, pulling your face into his for “the” kiss.

“Well I guess you can kiss the bride!” The preacher laughed sarcastically as everyone broke into cheers.

You glanced up at the cameras as you walked down the aisle with your new husband. God you hoped that hadn’t blown up in your face, but if it did-- you had your Rafa to hold you through the storm.

#rafael barba #rafael barba x reader #rafael barba x you #rafael barba imagine #law and order svu #law and order special victims unit #law and order svu fanfiction #caught in the storm

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obuanita · 3 years

Text

Sylvie's Love Movie Review

Hey Romantics,

I just got finished watching Sylvie's Love, which is available to watch on Amazon Prime and it's free if you have a subscription.

The movie is starring Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha, who also produces the movie.

The movie sets place in Harlem during the 1950's, where Sylvie meets a sultry saxophone player by the name of Robert. They have a sweet, passionate summer romance until he finds out that he'll be touring Paris with his bandmates. Sylvie goes back to her bourgeois engagement but her love for Robert remains within, after finding out she is pregnant.

They go years without seeing each other until one faithful night.

Both characters are lovers of the arts, Robert a lover of jazz, and Sylvie a lover of TV

What I learned from the film is that pride will kill your relationship. This goes for any relationship but romantic ones especially. We are so scared to be our authentic selves that we are willing to settle for people, places, and situations that don't truly make us happy. We find Sylvie in a superficial marriage that meets the standards of her former debutant lifestyle. I can't really say that she was in a loveless marriage but her husband Lacy, made her promise that her career wouldn't get in the way of her homemaking duties. He continues to boast about his own success claiming that she won't even have to work despite the fact that Sylvie is working on her career in production.

Now everyone has their own definition of what a good relationship is but a relationship where a person's ambitions and desires aren't respected is a loveless relationship to me

Another time we see pride take it's toll is when SPOILER ALERT!!

Robert leaves to check out a job for Motown Records. He was tricked out of his luck his first visit and came back with nothing. Right before he gives her the news we get a glimpse into his memories and it's revealed how much he really admires her for the woman that she is not just someone he's fallen in love with.

He says 'I just wanted you to be happy even if I couldn't be a part of your life' and honestly that's the greatest love of all.

Unfortunately, Robert felt the pressures of being a Black man who's unable to provide for his family so he decided that it would be best for him to leave so he wouldn't hold her back even after meeting his daughter. That scene was sad to watch for a number of reasons. Robert didn't value himself nor his relationship enough to see that being a stay-at-home dad/husband was and is a beautiful thing. This is the 50's so I know but it was still sad to watch

Storyline aside, the cinematography was freakin' gorgeous. The color schemes and the lighting looked amazing on all the actors and really transported me back to 1950's Harlem. Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha had beautiful chemistry and I could feel how kind and genuine their relationship was. The movie was an hour and a half long but the dynamic between the characters made me wish the writers explored their relationship on a deeper level. I was captivated through and through.

I also loved that the movie showcased the relationship between African American jazz and French culture and how they intertwined during those times.

10/10 would recommend

I wanted this review to be simple since it's my first one so I just pointed out the storylines and plot points that stood out the most to me I hope you've enjoyed it and don't forget to listen to my Spotify playlist, Coming Of Age Movie

Stay lovely, stay hopeful, stay romantic

Love, The Hopeful Romantics Club

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san-station · 4 years

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Come home • Hwang Hyunjin

Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin x Reader

WARNING: kinda angst?

↝Word count: 2k

A/N: Imagine it's around 1940 - 1950

You were slowly dancing in the living room, all alone, while the jazz music from the record player flowed through the house into your ears, making you breath in a small bubble of nostalgic and happiness. Your beloved friend, Seungmin, was taking care of your children, well informed of the special evening so you decided to embrace yourself with your traditional ritual.

You arrived home pretty late, tired of working all day, although, the warm feeling of your home inviting you to relax on that special day was very promising, so nothing could stop you from opening that bottle of red wine, taking off your hurtful shoes and setting the music up. It brought you a bit of tranquility in a whole industrialized country where working was the first priority for safety.

You glanced at every little detail around you, the shelves where pictures and some toys rested, paintings that your children did gathered over the floor, promises made on those walls that will never be true… and so, you finally saw it. It was a small velvet box covered with a few dust particles. You slowly stepped near it and grabbed it with your free hand.

You sighed and opened.

It’s a special evening, you remembered.

“March 20th.

Today is a special day, right? How are you doing? Are you eating well? This nostalgic is sickening the walls from our place, darling. Can you imagine the green walls getting darker and darker each time we say your name? We know you probably won’t read this on time but… happy birthday! It’s the first one away from us… How does it feel? Do you miss us? Sure you do, mister 'I love mi family so much I'll die for them'. That letter was cute, to be honest.

Anyway, remember we’re happy for you! Oh, and Rodie wrote a poem for you, it says ‘One day I’ll be tall, one day I’ll be strong, one day I’ll be like you, that day might be soon’. Isn’t it cute?! He misses you so much, I really hope you’re okay. Stay safe and you’ll come home very soon.

Yours forever,

Y/N ”

“April 19th.

Today, Rodie wanted to go stargazing, he said he saw a shooting star and wished you were here. Then, he cried because he was pretty sure that saying the wish out loud won’t make it happen, but I made sure to let him know that we will see you soon, Jinnie! You know... while I looked at the stars, all I could think was you, you and your beauty, you and your kindness, you and only you...

Your eyes are watching the same sky as we are, did you know? So basically we’re all stargazing together! We still have this, tho haha.

You’re the brightest star of all the galaxy, darling. Also, thanks for your letter and the little poem, Rodie was bragging about it at school all the week, even the teacher said he should stop but he’s a proud boy showing how much you care about him.

Anyway, stay safe.

Yours forever,

Y/N.”

“April 27th

I got fever for the whole week, Jinnie, my sister took care of me the whole time, don’t worry! Yet, as I was sleeping with the delusional heat, I suddenly felt your warm arms around my waist, back hugging me while we sleep. I could listen to your heartbeat, and I was trying to match mine with yours. And I heard you whispered that you'll be here soon! Was it all a dream? I wish you were here.

Sometimes I dream you’d touch my belly and ask if I'm doing okay, if we are doing okay. And I’d say that you don’t need to worry about the growing life that’s getting stronger everyday inside of me, we've been through this before, this is just another round!

I didn’t want to wake up, however, Rodie asked to write you something again since we didn’t received a response from the previous one. He says ‘Dad! Did you know that elephants can’t jump?! And that pandas can be 12 hours eating?! I once ate for three hours because mom’s food is awful but I couldn’t throw it away, I love her too much... When are you coming home? Uncle Chan just arrived and he said he was with you for a couple of days but you had to go to another place… Where are you know? Take care, goodnight, Dad!’

He learned a lot today… I hope you’re doing fine and come home soon, love. We’ll wait for your letter.

Yours forever,

Y/N and Rodie.”

“May 14th

Your best friend Chan came home today, he says I’m getting fatter and I almost punched him in the face. Well, he’s not wrong, I hope you’d be here when the time comes.

Some days I miss you more than others, but some days I miss myself more than you… I can’t recognize myself in the mirror if you’re not here, my love. Rodie wakes up every morning asking for his daddy but he knows you’re doing your best. Be safe, Jinnie… We love you.

Yours forever,

Y/N. "

“May 25th

Once again I’m standing here with my tainted fingers, today is colder than yesterday but warmer than the day before… I keep searching for answers to an unsaid question, and all I can think about is you, your soft lips against my cheeks, your bright smile making my heart skip beats, your loud laugh catching everyone’s attention, your sweet voice asking me to dance with you even if there was no music playing… Gosh, even if you're not here I fall in love more and more with you. I miss you...

We’re waiting for you, my love. It’s been a while since we got one of your letters but I’m certain you’re getting ours… We love you! Come home!

Yours forever,

Y/N.”

“June 30th

Today… Today was a nightmare, Hyunjin. I couldn't bring myself to write this but ... I found a letter at the mail station a month ago, it was from someone called Seungmin, he said you worked together for a while… I waited a month to write this but here it is.

I’ll never forget you for doing this, Hyunjin. My heart is broken, I don’t think my tears will ever stop from falling, I feel like dying whenever I look at your pictures and… I can’t do this anymore. Even when I know you’ll never read this, I need to write to you because, someday, this feelings would get to you in a way, meanwhile, I’ll let myself suffer because of what you did...

Yours,

Y/N.”

“July 6th

I yelled at Rodie today… He was demanding to see you but I can’t, not now. Chan visited us, he told me to stay strong but how? Does he even know how much a broken heart can swell and tear you apart from the pain? Does he know how difficult it is to breath when your chest is constantly on fire? It’s killing me inside every second, Hyunjin. I don’t want this, I don’t like to feel this way when I know you can’t feel anything… I don’t want to tell Chan how I feel… I… I’m broken because of you.

Y/N.”

“July 13th

My sister looked at my belly and she cried… You made my sister cry, Hwang Hyunjin… You make me cry every single time of the day… I know you probably would be so sad knowing this, knowing you’re the reason I walk numbly from a place to another, the reason why Rodie can’t sleep, the reason why Chan and my sister have to take care of us. I said I don’t need their help but they insisted, they always do.

Now we’re having a beautiful dinner with your favorite food, my speciality… I miss you, and I know someday I’ll feel better, but right know I want to die slowly and painfully, it would hurt less than this mess.

Y/N.”

“July 19th

I finally stopped crying, Jinnie… but everything feels wrong. It feels… empty… my heart…

Rodie won’t talk to me anymore after we fought, he speaks more to Chan than me. I don’t know what to do and I know you won’t answer, but… what should I do?

Oh, we met Seungmin today, he visited us supresily. He’s kind. He told us about your stories together. After he left, I cried one more time… Listening how considerate you were with him… I love you.

You know? This is not what I asked for. If you would ask, I would give all for rewriting an ending or two for the family that I knew, for the girl I used to be… For being yours one more time.

Yours forever?

Y/N.”

“September 16th

Hi… Her name is Sam. Did you remember when we were joking about that name? I must say, she deserves that name. She looks like me, but she has your little mole below her eye and I kissed it, they same way I used to kiss yours. Congratulations, Jinnie, you have a daughter! (...)”

The music stopped playing a while ago, and the only sound filling the house was your little sobbs reminiscing the whole escenario.

“Ugh…

I can’t do this anymore... “

“December 24th

Rodie wrote a letter to Santa. He asked for his dad, he asked to turn back time and stopped this, but he realized destiny is very machiavellian and sometimes, wishes won’t come true.

By the way… Your friend Seungmin, he volunteered to take care of us, he said he owned you this for saving his life one time, he’s really generous. He saw how lonely I was and he’s trying to put a smile on my face, but only Sam and Rodie can do that. Sam, Rodie and you.

The idea of you still next to us as a family... that hunts me everyday. How beautiful would that be? Sam would climb to your back till she can see everything from your height. Rodie would make me chase him and ask for ice cream, and I’ll eventually buy ice cream for everyone… Hyunjin, I miss you so freaking much… this is just so unfair...

Yours forever,

Y/N, Rodie and Sam.”

“December 31st

Hyunjin, happy new year… The war is over! I miss you more than I miss the old me, now, when I look at the mirror, sometimes I don’t even know who’s the one in front of me, all I know is that my heart belongs to you and will always be yours. Sam is getting bigger every month! She started to make weird baby noises trying to repeat my voice. Also, she loves music! She moves her little body when we play music.

We all wish you were here. This is the first December without you. I can't keep asking you this because is impossible... Come home, baby.

Missing you,

Your family. "

“February 14th

Rodie got lots of candies from a lot of girls and boys in his class! They said he looked like his handsome father and they’re not lying, my love. Happy Valentine's Day.

This is going to be one of the last letters I’ll write for you, not because I don’t love you anymore, ok? It’s because I think it’s time to keep the good memories we made in my head, my safeplace. And writing this is a reminder of you being gone. I don't like that, you're here with me.

I took Sam and Rodie to the first place we met, the college cafeteria! Rodie hated it for a second, then he got a lot of attention and felt like the prince he is. Sam slept all the time placed in my chest, I love her… she’s so calm… I wish she knew how much her father loved her without even being born… We love you, Hyunjin.

Yours forever,

Hwang Family.”

“March 20th

Happy birthday, my love!

I know you can’t love me anymore, but you did it once and, for me, it meant the whole world. So, now. my love for you stays still as if it was the first time we said ‘I love you’... I was shaking so much that day… Thank you for loving me the way you did, thank you for giving me the opportunity to raise a family next to you. You’re gone, but you’ll always be in our hearts and minds, I’ll be sure to talk to Sam about you non-stop.

You broke my heart by losing your life that day. I know it was for your country… that doesn’t mean you lost your family or friends, we will always remember your laugh, your face, your warmth, your cute smile, your bright eyes, the ways words came easily from your mouth, the way you showed your love so intense, the way you existed was... wholesome.

I love you, Hwang Hyunjin… And, like the old times…

Please,

Come home.

Your one and only.”

(....)

Masterlist

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