(Due to increased bots and AI, the fic will be available to read for everyone for a few days, then will switch to Ao3 Users only.)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SABO!
This fic is actually for two separate prompts; the first is for the Ao3 Collection Quote Prompts Meme: "I suck at apologies, so.. unfuck you..or whatever.” and the second is for ever ongoing Inktober '24/'17, Prompt 25: Ship.
Here's Ace being a bit introspective with ASL Brothers reunion, because I love these boys dearly as I'm sure you know by now. <3
(And yes it's a day early but I work tomorrow and will probably forget to post it then so...)
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If it wasn't for Lu, Ace wouldn't be there.
(That's a lie.)
He could all but feel the nervous energy his idiot of a twin was exuding across from him, Luffy happily munching away between them without a care in the world.
Or, at least it looked like that to anyone else; Ace could all but feel the way Luffy's weird Haki was gently prodding him with concern, on top of Luffy loudly exclaiming that they 'try some yummy meat!'
Honestly it was ridiculous.
(Especially since he was so, so thankful he had both of his brothers with him.)
"Thanks, Lu," Sabo said, and Ace twitched at his words, at the sound of a voice so different yet so painstakingly familiar, but resolutely forced himself to ignore it.
"Thanks," he grumbled, snatching a hunk of meat and biting into it, probably more aggressively than necessary but he didn't care.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed how Sabo all but flinched, and Ace scowled deeper, something gross and dark bubbling inside of him.
(Something he recognized from long ago when he thought of how he originally treated his baby brother.)
"I'm going to get another drink," he declared, getting up without looking back.
Part of him knew he was running away, but he didn't care; he just… he just couldn't handle this right now, and he needed to leave before something he absolutely would regret happened.
Making his way he pushed through the partying pirates, mostly his own shipmates but a few of Luffy's crew and a couple of Rev's scattered about.
He snorted when he reached one of the many buffet tables set up, seeing both Luffy's long-nosed sniper and reindeer doctor making fools of themselves on top of one of the tables to excited holloring of the drunk pirates around, even some Rev's laughing along.
Relaxing as he got another pint, he took a moment to note that, if nothing else, he's glad that his brother is surrounded by good people.
…Both of them, if he was being honest with himself.
(He's been trying, ever since the mess Marineford, but by the seas it was hard.)
"Ace!" A voice he would recognize even if he was dead cheered happily, and by habit and instinct he braced himself, raising both of his arms.
And on cue, Luffy wrapped his rubbery arms multiple times around Ace's torso, giggling happily as he snuggled close against him.
Ace just smirked, knocking back his hat to ruffle his baby brother's hair before relaxing again.
(The only thing that would make this better would be if their third brother…)
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Read the rest on Ao3!
And I decided to do through Ace's PoV because for one, that prompt fit him to a T, and two, I just think it fit better for something like this; the complex feelings of his not-dead brother back but also how much he loves and misses him, and how much they all love each other tbh.
Anyways Happy Birthday Sabo; in a kinder universe you and your brothers would get up to all sorts of shenanigans that would give everyone grey hairs. :')
Happy Valentine's Day! Have some Found Family fluff. :3
Also written for @transformativeworks International Fanworks Day 2026 Prompt: Alternate Universe!
Here is a Modern AU with little Luffy experiencing his very first Valentine's Day and celebrating with his Big Bros. <3
A snippet (the rest on Ao3):
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"Ace!" Luffy yelled as Sabo opened the door, barely remembering to take off his shoes and put on the slippers before racing for the couch.
"Oh, welcome-oomph!" Ace let out a wheeze as Luffy jumped on top of him, giggling at the strained sound he made.
"We're home," Sabo replied with amusement, grinning as he walked past to the kitchen.
"Ace! We're home!" Luffy cheered, grinning up at his big brother who gave him an annoyed smile.
"Yeah, I can see that," he lightly grumbled, tugging at Luffy's cheeks who whined, but couldn't keep from smiling. "How was your day?" He asked, relaxing back against the couch as Luffy moved to snuggle up against his side.
"It was so much fun! Me and Zoro and-" Luffy proceeded to babble all about his day in school, much to the amusement of his older brothers who listened as they cooked dinner and watched tv respectively.
"Oh! Ace, Sabo!" He suddenly perked up, digging in his backpack, then pulling out a crumpled piece of paper, as all his school papers turned into to be.
Ace raised an eyebrow, but took it, angling it as Sabo came around behind the couch to also see.
"Valentine's Day?" Sabo read the top aloud.
Luffy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I never heard of it, but all my new friends have; we gotta bring in Va-Villain's gifts for everyone, but I want to make sure they're extra special for my friends," Luffy said determinedly.
"Hm, we've never celebrated it back on the mountain, but heard about it; looks like we'll need to go shopping for supplies later," Sabo said as Ace handed the paper over to him; on it were ideas for parents and guardians of the children for what class gifts to bring and when, as well as the list of names for all the students.
"Yay!" Luffy cheered, always excited to go out with his big brothers.
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Read the rest on Ao3!
Might go back and edit it some more tomorrow when I have time, as I'm busy hanging out with my own fam today. <3
Anyways, hope y'all have a good rest of your day! :D
(Note: Open to everyone but will change to users only in a few days.)
HAPPY (early) BIRTHDAY KIM DOKJA, my favorite reader, and Happy Valentine's Day. <3
I know I say this alot but this has to be the most self-infulgent thing I wrote, and honestly only posted it because I figured why not, I wrote it.
Just a silly fic about a harmless (mostly) game of Capture the Flag where Kim Dokja makes a bet with Yoo Joonghyuk and almost immediately regrets it.
(This is Kim Dokja x Yoo Joonghyuk from ORV to make it clear)
:)
A sneak peek:
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It was a perfectly normal day in between Main Scenarios, and Kim Dokja, though he wouldn't admit it, enjoyed having all of his Company members in the living area of the Complex, relaxing for the morning before they head off to train.
And if he was especially happy that the ever elusive Yoo Joonghyuk was there as well, as he was more often these days, well, that was just him quietly admiring the stupidly handsome sunfish protagonist, whom he was glad he was comfortable enough to sit next to now; a solid, comforting wall of warmth.
"Ugh, I hate having to train," Lee Jihye suddenly grumbled from the other sofa she seemed determined to sink into.
Kim Dokja raised an eyebrow, glancing at her from where he was writing notes for the upcoming Main Scenarios.
"I thought you liked training," Lee Gilyoung said, not looking up from the row of crickets he had in front of him, "you always say how you want to get stronger and follow that sooty bastard around."
"Well yeah, I do, but doing the same thing everyday is boring; I wish we could do something different," she groaned louder now.
"Like what? Instead of sparring you want to be thrown into a Hidden Scenario?" Han Sooyoung asked sarcastically.
Lee Jihye opened her mouth, then seemed to think about it. "Actually-"
"No." Yoo Joonghyuk cut in, cutting a glare first at his protege who clamped her mouth shut, looking away, and then to Han Sooyoung who simply gave him a lazy smirk around her lollipop.
0o0o0
Read the rest on Ao3! I swear it's longer.
Admittedly not the longest of snippets but it's way too early and I have at least one more fic to post today and another to prepare for tomorrow, so take as you will.
For the @secretstantler 2025 Pokemon Holiday Gift Exchange!
This is for the lovely @casualsnickers who requested two separate prompts for BW/B2W2 Emmet and Ingo, with some battling, some banter, and a chance encounter.
Creators were revealed today, so I can finally post this!
(Note: Currently up for all to read, but will soon be changed to users only to mitigate ai spam/scraping)
For WinterIron Bingo Round 3 2025, Prompt I1: Farmer's Market - hosted by @winterironevents (My Bingo Card found at the bottom of the post)
(And also for my own personal project, for Inktober 2024/2017, Prompt 13: Teeming)
I GOT BINGO! I Finally did it! Man this took for far too long, but I kept getting stuck on this prompt; I have several different versions saved in my docs but after a trip to a Christmas village with some family I finally got the Inspiration I needed.
Anyways this is pure just silly fluff, nothing else going on here.
Here's a snippet, but as usual the full thing's on Ao3. :)
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Bucky simply rolled his eyes at Tony's complaints as he waited for his boyfriend to get ready.
"Why are we even going? We could stay here, where it's warm, and clean, not covered in mud and whatever germs kids spread around-"
"Just get your coat, doll."
But he knew he made the right choice when Tony all but lit up when they arrived at the little winter market that Clint had introduced him to a few months ago; during the summer and fall it was a farmer's market, with fresh produce aplenty, but he saw in a few posters they turned it into what was almost a mini winter village come winter.
It wasn't like one of their usual outing locations; they tended to go to restaurants or events that catch Tony's or Bucky's interest, though they tried to avoid open spaces like this where they were all but thrust into the public eye whether they liked it or not, but something about it, about wrapping his arm around his boyfriend as they strode through the teeming crowd and looking at the venders' wares, that made him feel… almost normal.
Well, as normal as one can get when you're inching towards a century out of your time as an amnesiac ex-assassin, and your boyfriend is one of the smartest, richest, and most recognizable people on the planet.
To be fair, they weren't really trying to hide; Bucky wore his gloves and jacket against the cold, of course, but Tony was Tony and didn't even bother with the sunglasses on the cloudy, snowy day, which Bucky thought was a plus as he could watch those whiskey amber eyes flit across the stalls with delight and interest.
Thankfully besides a few double-takes and only a few brave children asking for Tony's autograph which his boyfriend was more than happy to sign, no matter how much he may blabber about disliking children, they were mostly left alone, which was nice; he was sure they would end up highlighted on social media and the news or whatever, but let them; it was just a guy with his fella on a little outing.
If it also had pulled Tony a bit out of the darkened state he got into during the month of December, all the better; Bucky still felt the clench in his own chest at the thought, but every year with Tony made it easier, better.
It was especially nice, though, when Tony decided he was going to get everyone Christmas gifts right then and there as he strode confidently towards a stall of figurines, Bucky just allowing himself to get pulled along.
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The rest is on Ao3! Anyways, thanks as always, and have a lovely rest of the holiday season and happy new years! :D
It's The Thought That Counts (When Carving Jack-O'-Lanterns)
Read on Ao3
(Note: Ao3 members access only, as there's been an increase in bots lately, unfortunately.)
Happy Halloween! This fic is a My Little Pony G3 fic, specifically for MintyPie! Yes, I'm writing a fic for a very old ship, no I'm not taking criticism, this was purely for my own fun.
I absolutely adore Minty, she's my favorite of all MLP, and her and Pinkie Pie are so cute together! But not nearly enough works out there of them, so I wrote a fluffy little fic for Halloween for them.
This is for my Promptober/Inktober prompt: Crooked
Snippet below:
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While Minty's favorite holiday was of course Christmas, she couldn't deny that helping with the decorations for Halloween was just as fun!
…Well, as long as she doesn't have to participate in anything too scary, of course.
But still, it was a different type of exciting, and she hummed happily as she set up the pumpkins she and Pinkie were going to carve.
They went pumpkin picking a few days ago, and now it's time to carve them! They even dug out all the gooey stuff inside to make into pies later and bake the seeds; of which she happily munched on a few while helping get everything set up.
The breeze made her shiver a bit, placing the pumpkin down maybe just a little too hard, but it certainly made her glad she wore some of her extra fuzzy socks; these ones were even orange and had little leaves on them! It took her a while to get them just right, but she was proud with how they turned out.
Though, with how they were about to carve the pumpkins, and how the insides were still wet…
She frowned a little, lifting her hooves, before gently pulling off the ones for her fore hooves; it wouldn't be fun if they got ruined from the pumpkin.
Placing them to the side, she smiled and looked over the table; all set up and ready to go!
Now, where was Pinkie Pie…
"Wow, you got everything ready to go already; you work fast," Pinkie commented, and Minty beamed as her best friend walked over, balancing a plate of tea cups and a steaming kettle.
"Of course! I've been looking forward to this, been practicing the design I want with sewing it on a new pair of socks," Minty happily replied, helping Pinkie set the tea set down in an open spot.
Though she did blush a little when thinking of the design; she hoped Pinkie would like it, she's practiced so much to not mess it up!
…Though she supposed carving pumpkins and sewing were very different, but she was sure it would be fine.
She smiled when the tea was poured, the warm scent of green tea, peppermint and honey, her favorite, as Pinkie Pie of course knew; still, the thought made her unbelievably happy in a way only Pinkie could.
"Really? I know what design I want to do, but I'm not sure how to do it," Pinkie Pie pondered out loud, tilting her head at the pumpkin in that way that made Minty want to giggle every time.
"Well for now, do you want one of the pencils? You can draw it out and decide what you want that way," she suggested, holding one out as she herself grabbed one.
"That's a perfect idea; thank you, Minty." Pinkie Pie smiled warmly, and Minty couldn't help but feel warmer than even the tea had made her, ducking her head a little as they both turned to their pumpkins.
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Read the rest on Ao3, and hope you have a wonderful Halloween and rest of your day! :D
(Note: Currently open to Guest readers but will change to Members Only in a few days)
For WinterIron Bingo Round 3 2025, Square O1: Reincarnation AU by @winterironevents
Okay! So FINALLY finished this; honestly the hardest part was trying to pick what they were reincarnated from/to.
But here we go, a Modern No Powers AU with Tony having memories of being a Roman Senator with his secret lover, his beloved Guard. :)
Here's a snippet; full work on Ao3!
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The thing was, Tony didn't remember much of what he liked to call 'Before'.
They were only brief flashes of feelings, sensations; like a fading dream after waking, only small parts of it remained.
A touch, a whisper, an echo of an emotion.
It was fitting, in a way; he almost exclusively got every bit of memory he hoarded from dreams, though occasionally something would give him a little sense of deja vu without warning.
A certain food, a specific sound, the way the sunset shone just right.
If nothing else, those few that truly cared for him over the years appreciated his strict sleep schedule; maybe not so the lengths he would go to keep it, having to resort to hiding the various sleep aides he's used over the years from worried eyes.
JARVIS, the ever loyal and thankfully tactful AI, meticulously documented every rambling explanation of what new little thing he remembered, he got back.
And while it drove him to distraction, trying to piece together everything, something in him screamed how it was worth it.
Because of him.
0o0
The presence beside him was steady, stoic, grounding; but he knew, knew in the way he stood just a little closer than necessary, how they shared the most fleeting of glances, that behind closed doors, in intimate settings, the one guarding him was a perfectly imperfect person, and while he silently loathed that they couldn't have more in public, his heart rejoiced for what little they did have, that was theirs alone.
0o0
The thing was, Tony doubted he remembered.
And more importantly, Tony couldn't quite remember who he was 'Before', not entirely.
Only remembered that deep, comforting timber; the strong stature almost always by his side; the one, fleeting memory of a warm smile and warmer embrace.
Tony knew, however, he would recognize him instantly if they ever met now; no matter the difference in appearance, the soul remained the same.
Or, at least he tried to convince himself, for all unscientific as it was, but he had no better explanation, not yet, anyways.
Tony knew chances were meeting together again, as much as he longed for it, would probably end in heartbreak.
For how many could claim they remembered their past lives, remembered their lover from so long ago, would even want to be with that same person?
Tony could never decide if it was a blessing or a curse, these fragmented memories.
0o0
After yet another long meeting, they retired back to his estate, and after finally, finally finding themselves alone, they met for a gentle embrace, actions speaking louder than any words that had been spoken that day.
0o0o0o0
And you can read the rest on Ao3!
Also fun fact, this is sort of based on a BL Manga I read once years ago (and don't remember the name...) about a guy who remembered his past life living in Pompeii and meets his reincarnated friends and wife, though I don't remember much about it beyond the whole premise, and thought it would be interesting to use for a WinterIron AU, though this doesn't go nearly into as much detail about the past as the manga does.
(Note: will remain open for Guests to read but will change to Members Only in a few days.)
For WinterIron Bingo Round 3 2025 by @winterironevents Square N1: Muscle Strain
Brought to you by someone suffering for not stretching before doing a lot of heavy lifting at work. :)))
If you're reading this please remember to stretch. <3
Below is a snippet if you want:
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It had started as a simple ache in his shoulder and neck that morning, undoubtedly at having moved into an awkward position against James' metal arm in the night from the comfy cuddle they started out as.
When James tried to apologize for it, Tony waved it off; it was definitely not his fault, and he just needed to get up, take a hot shower and it would resolve itself soon enough.
Except as the day went on, it didn't resolve itself; it, in fact, slowly bloomed into a growing, pounding headache and a jarring ache in his neck whenever he moved wrong.
Then his little gremlin minions - meaning Harley, Peter, Ned, MJ, Shuri, and little Morgan - had arrived for their tri-yearly little Science Camp when they could all get together, and Tony determinedly took a couple of painkillers to work through it; it wasn't often they could all get together like this and he refused to let something like a little muscle ache ruin any part of it.
And he had actually taken the time to plan a fun schedule for the next two weeks; James had been impressed, if not more than a little amused at how much Tony was looking forward to it, even if a good couple of things planned weren't necessarily called 'science', but Tony was sure that calculating the different speeds of the two Space Mountain tracks at Disney differed was worth a day trip. For science.
If Tony had just stuck his tongue out at him like the mature, grown adult he was, well it wasn't like James wasn't used to it.
But then they went down to the lab so Tony could teach them more about robotics via fixing up an ecstatic DUM-E and the rest of the 'bots who were in need of a tune-up, and… James might have had a point about being careful earlier. Maybe.
(Note: Currently up for both Guests and Users, but will change to Users Only in a few days to prevent AI spam. Sorry!)
For WinterIron Bingo Round 3 2025 by @winterironevents , Square B1: Pants That Fit Just Right
(and for my personal reasons, Promptober '17 day 18: Filthy)
Honestly this was a frustration-fueled spite fic after how my last one turned out, but surprisingly this one turned out pretty well!
Now if only all my fics could be written this good and quickly, alot of my problems would disappear, lol.
A short-ish little fic of Tony designing James a new outfit and realizing his mistake of making him look Hot in it, lol.
Snippet below:
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For all that HYDRA did unspeakable things to their Winter Soldier, Tony could absolutely admit - to only himself and JARVIS… and maybe Pepper and Rhodey - that they knew how to dress him up well.
Look, he knew that it was mainly all tactical; that they were just making sure their oh-so precious Asset was prepared for whatever missions they sent him on.
But from where Tony was standing?
Well.
"I always loved a man in uniform…" Tony muttered, staring at the schematics they had taken from a base of James' full Winter Soldier outfit.
Staring mainly at the form fitting outfit, showing off that delicious metal arm, and those slacks that were fitting just so nicely around those legs.
But that was only for him - and JARVIS - to know.
"I am aware, sir." JARVIS said in a truly exasperated tone.
0o0o0
The rest is on Ao3!
(Also if you want to visualize James' new outfit, think of a cross between the Winter Soldier uniform from the MCU movies and Red Hood's outfit from the DC comics; that's the only way I can describe it tbh, lol.)
(Note: Due to increasing AI presence it's only available to Users, sorry!)
For the WinterIron Bingo Round 3 2025 event, by @winterironevents !
The square I used is Third Wheel, featuring an Outsider PoV of Bruce Wayne! This is a fun little Marvel x DC Modern College(ish) AU, with Tony and Bruce being childhood friends and Bruce contemplating Tony (and his love life).
Uh... I will say it's pretty rushed even for how long it is now, but I (probably) Will one day rewrite this and flush it all out, but for now it's more of a rough draft; either I post this now or I'll never get it done at this rate, and I'm Determined to finish this bingo!
Anyways, just wanted to let y'all know about that in advance; not my best writing in any sense, at least not the second half/ending, but I tried.
Snippet of the fic if you want to see before committing to reading it:
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Though it was factually incorrect, privately Bruce could admit it felt like he knew Tony his entire life, as short as it was considering they were still just teens in college… even if most days he felt far older than most of his peers.
They had met when they were both five at a gala, and mostly ignored each other as two young children surrounded by adults who generally didn't care much for them beyond being heirs to their respective father's companies.
Truthfully, Bruce thought little of the Stark heir at the time; he was more trying to make sure he didn't sully his parents' names even with so many eyes on him.
Except, they kept meeting again at parties after that.
And it quickly became a habit to seek each other out, if only to use it as an excuse to leave the party and hideout in a separate room when the staring and fake laughter became too much.
And then that excuse became Bruce and Tony talking about their separate but similar interests in science, and then to occasionally mailing or calling each other every once in a while.
And then it finally turned into them occasionally being invited to each other's houses beyond special occasions.
(For Bruce to interact with one of his only close friends according to his parents, and for Tony to 'get close to that Wayne boy and don't mess it up for me, boy,' as Tony had rolled his eyes when recounting his own father's words in an exaggerated deep tone when he had come over one weekend while Howard had business in Gotham.)
That was one of the first times that Bruce truly took note of the not-so great relationship between Tony and Howard Stark in its entirety, but definitely not the only.
When Tony's letters would speak fondly of Jarvis and Ana the way Bruce wrote of Alfred, with occasional mentions of Maria but never of Howard except for what was superficially whining; how when Tony visited the Wayne Manor he relaxed in a way Bruce had never seen him do before, not even in his own Mansion when Bruce visited except when his parents were gone on a trip; how sometimes Tony would forget himself in his excited babbling and his clothes would shift enough to spot bandages secured in hard to spot areas, how he expertly hid winces that Bruce admittedly had to pay attention to see, how Tony would wave away any injuries as just from 'lab accidents, you know how it is, Brucie.'
He knew his own parents and Alfred definitely took notice, but other than making sure that Tony was welcomed, not-so subtle back and forth messaging with Jarvis and Ana, and harsh whispering when they didn't think he was around there wasn't much done at the time.
(Years later Bruce would look back and wonder, if he had pointed out the signs he had noticed if anything would've changed; but in the end he supposed it wouldn't have mattered, not when Tony himself was so adamant against admitting to being 'weak' in any capacity at all, and only his word and his parents' suspicions as evidence.)
And then soon after Bruce's parents were almost murdered.
Like Lost Lego Pieces (And Building Something New)
Full thing on Ao3
Alright! This is a DP x DC fic, featuring Found Family kid!Batboys, Damian & Danny as (little kid) Demon Twins, and Little Baby Man!Danny.
Posted the first Chapter, featuring Dick's, Duke's, and Jason's PoVs.
As a little preview, here's Dick's:
0o0o0
Dick was the oldest, so he was the responsible one; the Big Brother.
And as the oldest and responsible one, that meant he had to watch out for all of his younger brothers, even when they said they were big now and could take care of themselves; they were still his little brothers at the end of the day.
And he had promised a long time ago, after Jason first joined the home followed by Tim, Duke, and the twins, that he would do everything he could for his brothers.
They were all he had, and he refused to lose them like he had before with… before.
And he remembered that promise every time he and Jason and Tim and Duke had helped potty train the twins.
He remembered every time he and Jason had to make breakfast and dinner when their caretakers 'forgot'… again.
He remembered it when he comforted his younger siblings after they got yelled at for something stupid and helped silence their crying so they weren't punished more.
And he remembered that promise as he hefted the backpacks, his own and Damian's, shifting his grip on a silently shaking Damian who even now refused to cry but was still shaken from everything that just happened, glancing back as Jason helped a frowning Duke along so he didn't lost concentration and Tim who cuddled a silently trembling bundle of blankets that was Danyal, or what they all knew was Danny.
He was still their baby brother, even while small, glowing, and not-quite-human anymore, and they all would do anything for him, as they would for each other.
But the twins were the babies of the family, so they took priority; especially when the babiest was hurt so badly, and had stopped breathing, and didn't seem to have a heartbeat anymore which was bad-
And since it was their so-called 'caretakers'' fault he was like that now - after the bright light and loud sounds and the screaming - it was time to go.
Thankfully he and his older little brothers all knew the escape plan - they've all talked about it for months now - and Duke had already manipulated the lights, they've grabbed the backpacks already filled with most of the important things they needed and made sure to grab anything from their rooms that they couldn't leave - Jason and Tim had grabbed their important papers and stuffed them into the bag while Dick had bundled up Duke and Damian and wrapped Danny in his favorite starry blanket - and were now about to climb out onto the fire escape.
The metal ladders were connected to a metal landing, so as long as Duke distracted their 'caretakers' enough they should be fine.
Opening the window, he glanced around even as he easily maneuvered out, careful not to bump Damian, but the coast was clear this late and all the lights were mostly out from… whatever happened to Danyal that turned off all the lights.
He tried desperately not to think about it right now; he could panic later once his brothers were safe.
Jason followed, helping Tim who still held Danny, and then they both turned to help Duke carefully climb out; Dick turned to the ladder, and as soon as they closed the window, Duke letting out a loud gasp from releasing his power, he knocked down the ladder, gritting his teeth at the loud squeal of rusted metal.
Hopefully the many sirens from the cop cars and fire engines constantly going by hid it well enough; at least all the power and lights were still out so they were hidden.
But they had to get going faster now; they could not be caught, not now, not when they were so close to being free.
In the back of his mind a dark voice whispered how it was his fault, how they should have left a long time ago, after that first yelling match, after the first time things were thrown, after the first time Tim was hurt and Duke had to keep Dick and Jason from murdering their 'caretakers' for hurting their little brother-
He took a deep breath, loosening his grip on Damian before it could become too tight, and focused; they were leaving now, so there was no point in worrying about 'what if's.
He nodded to Jason who simply slid down the ladder, not bothering with the rungs before waiting down below.
"Tim, you go next, then Duke and Damian," Dick quietly but hurriedly instructed, casting a glance back to the window, but thankfully he couldn't see anything yet; they still had some time.
As Tim carefully but quickly started to climb down with one hand, both Duke and Jason watching in worry, Dick gently but firmly patted Damian's back, rousing the kid who's grip tightened just a little in acknowledgement.
"Dami, I know it's been rough but can you climb down the ladder?" Dick asked, glancing to the window; still nothing, but he grew anxious every second they were stuck on the metal landing.
Dick felt Damian take a deep breath, before letting Dick put him down. "I'm fine, Richard; let's go." The words were almost forced through his clenched teeth, and Dick ached to pull him back into a hug at how Damian had returned to formal names - ached to grab Danny from Tim and never let him out of his sight again - but they had to go; breaking down can happen later when they were safe. He just had to remember that.
Dick bit his lip as he waited his turn; Damian was going to need a lot of hugs after this - they all were - but as he followed down and watched him stiffly but firmly take the still small and dimly glowing Danny into his arms he decided to handle it later; they needed to get out.
"Do you have the map?" Dick asked as he joined his brothers, hiding behind the corner as they watched cars blaze down the dark roads, the only lights out with how cloudy it was and the lights all still out; it was almost scary, but perfect for getting away.
"Yeah, we're just a few blocks away, just have to check," Tim said, bringing out-
"Did you take their phones?" Duke asked, sounding like he wanted to laugh while still cradling his head with a wince, and Dick absently reached out to gently pull him under his arm, feeling him lean against him in comfort. His little brothers were so strong.
Tim just nodded, not looking up, because of course he did, "yup, and I'll be sure to reset the data soon; but for now we got to go this way," he quietly said, pointing up the street.
Dick nodded, taking a deep breath. "Right, good; remember to stick with your buddy, and good job, Tim, Duke; you guys did awesome," Dick managed to cheerily praise, smiling as Tim ducked his head to focus on the phones. Duke leaned in closer to his side, and Dick gave him a gentle squeeze.
"We're really doing this, huh?" Jason muttered, helping watch for the next opening as cars sped by but keeping his hand in Tim's; buddy rules were always important to follow when out, especially in Gotham. Street kids were common but with so many of them they didn't want to risk getting stopped by cops on a night like this.
Dami and Danny were usually buddies, but… Dick glanced to the side, Damian's mouth pressed into that firm line that clearly said how stressed he was as he cradled the Danyal-bundle close, who seemed to bury himself close against Damian, and seemed to have moved Danny so that his glow wasn't obvious which was good with how dark out it was. Dick was going to have to have to doubly make sure that he stayed between them all, though he wasn't very worried about him being rebellious right then, not with Danyal being as he was.
"I'm not going back; we should have left a long time ago," Damian whispered harshly, voice scratchy, and Dick was thankful he didn't try to avoid his arm as he pulled him into his other side, though he didn't relinquish his hold on his twin; understandable, really.
"Duh, I'm not saying I regret it, little bat," Jason scoffed, but Dick knew better from how tightly he held himself and the way he positioned himself in front of their younger brothers, "but it's still gonna be hard on the streets on our own," he pointed out.
"As long as we're together and we don't go back I don't care," Duke mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he tried to stay awake.
"Well said," Dick said in the cheeriest voice he could muster which wasn't much, but the way Damian leaned against him more, Duke and Tim flashed him smiles, and Jason relaxed just a bit, he felt resolve harden even more in him.
"Let's go," Tim whispered, him and Jason leading the way with Dick following at the back, keeping a hand to his pocket where he kept a pocket knife, just in case.
Because Duke was right; as long as they stayed together, as long as they never went back there with the one who hurt his brother, as long as he kept them safe… they could do this.
They had no other option.
0o0o0
And there you have! I copy-pasted this from google docs so like... All of the italics and stuff are missing which, lame, but I'm way too tired to fix that.
ANYWAYS again, full thing on Ao3, with the next chapter coming... Soon. Ish.
The Touch of Your Hand (Catches Me Whenever I Fall)
The Link to Ao3!
(Reminder it's locked to users for the time being; I have an invite if you would like one <3)
Here's my work for Luffy Week 2025 and Luffy's Birthday!
Only managed to get one done for this week since I was busy, but I managed to sneak a prompt in from every Day of the week, so I'm proud of myself for that at least, as well as get another prompt done from my Inktober set I'm still working on.
Just a silly fic, kind of a 'Twice Luffy helped his big brothers and +1 they helped him instead' with some growing up as a family together fluffy fluff added in. <3
Tagged by @pandagirl45 (thanks a whole bunch for the tag! And whose blog y'all check out if you're a WinterIron fan btw <3)
1) How many works on Ao3? - 65
2) Total Ao3 word count? - 122,131
3) Top 5 fics by Kudos? - (I'll just copy/paste the summaries + ships)
-- Better Than Coffee (Just A Bit) - (WinterIron) Tony just wanted coffee after a medium sized-ish (i.e. 4 days? 5? Something like that) science binge.
A sneaky AI, snarky coffee machine, and two (2) ex-assassin Super Soldiers say otherwise.
-- Interviews - (WinterIron) Based off of this Incorrect Quote on Tumblr:
([Interviewer [to Bucky]: So, how does it feel having a boyfriend who’s so out of your league?
Bucky: Well-
Tony, grabbing the mic: It feels amazing. fantastic. Still don't know how I did it.])
-- If We're Ever Apart (Keep Me In Your Heart) - (ASL Brothers) -And he frowned even more when he saw his big brothers were gone, too.
So where was he?
He grinned; it must be a mystery!
-- Courtship Mishaps - (WinterIron) Someone's been leaving Tony 'gifts'; he would very much appreciate it if they stopped, thanks.
Bucky just wants to snuggle with him.
Steve - and JARVIS - are just done with all of this.
-- Little Steps - (ThunderIron) Since even before he was outcast after his admittedly horrific and shameful act in Jotunheim, he has never felt such contentment.
Not to say, of course, it wasn’t in small part due to the Man of Iron.
4) What Fandoms do you write for? - Mainly Marvel (obviously Tony Stark centered), but also One Piece, Pokemon, Star Wars, Fullmetal Alchemist, One Punch Man, Legend of Zelda, Danny Phantom x DCU (I blame Tumblr fully for that one), Warrior Cats, Flight Rising, Dragon Quest XI, uh... a lot of stuff, basically everything and anything that catches my interest; better to just check my Ao3 Dashboard for the full list, I forgot some probably, lol.
5) Do you respond to Comments? - Not really, I'm super embarrassed to admit; talking to people makes me super nervous and awkward even online but I Will try my best to answer any questions if someone has any and seeing comments that are even just a <3 makes my day. :)
6) Fic with the Angstiest ending? - I would have to say Like Mist In The Morning, even if it's more bittersweet/hopeful, the whole fic is angsty; It's based on some Amazing fanart/fancomic by @soulanine about the ASL Brothers having died and are now ghosts, just wandering and well, dead. For bittersweet and tragic, I love the AU so much <3
7) Fic with the Happiest ending? - Basically all of my fics are Happy Endings, but if I had to choose, then... I guess A New Nest, A New Home; it's literally a What-If for Uta to stay behind on Dawn Island and grow up as a sibling with the ASL Brothers to become the UASL Siblings. Just snippets of them growing up and silly fluffy all around. :)
(I would also say Of Blueberries and Bunnies; a short Stony fic where they're happy and the team's happy and Steve's happy and everyone's happy except Tony; he got turned into a bunny so he's a little less happy lol)
8) Do you get Hate? - Not really, thankfully; I never know how to respond to it except just ignoring it really. Except sometimes people don't like the way I write lgbtqia characters (specifically when it comes to gender) but as I'm writing it based on my own experience (i.e. being demigenderfluid... Maybe; that's the closest description I can think of) I'm always... I just never know how to respond besides like 'sorry but this is how I experience it so... Idk what to tell you' *shrugs*
9) Do you write Smut? - Nope and I have no plans to. I've never been in a relationship that was beyond being purely platonic, and while I write characters kissing and may hint at something more I just don't feel comfortable writing more than that.
10) Have you ever Co-Written a fic? - Yes actually! It's not finished but it's a gift for my rl bff; I'm not sure if I'll ever post it as it's specifically for them but maybe if they want.
11) All time favorite Ship? - Oof that's tough but... WinterIron! (Stony a close second) I hardcore multi-ship Tony with so many, but I Love how well Tony and Bucky click together; Stony is of course a classic but I just love the snarky BuckyTony more. (And I do wholly admit MCU did influence that) <3
(I will say for Platonic ships my favorite is ASL Bros; something about those tragic brothers... Luffy Ace and Sabo all deserve to be happy darnit-)
12) WIP you want to Finish but doubt you ever will? - Oh man, I have so, So many of those... Honestly if I posted every WIP I had even finished halfway my posted work count would increase by about 200, not joking. I guess the main WIP I would Love to finish is this one Multiverse Child!Tony fic that's turning out so long... Another is my Twilight Princess x Pokemon crossover I actually wrote like a decade ago on FFN and never got around to finishing it from how long it was. (I stopped at about a fraction done and it was already 50k words) I would Love to finish it one day but realistically idk if I ever can...
13) Writing Strengths? - Uh... grammar maybe. And that's a Hard maybe, as I tend to write when I'm sleep deprived which a good writer it does Not make.
14) Writing Weaknesses? - Dialogue and Action Scenes... And I ramble a lot if you can't tell if you've read this far. Action scenes are just hard in written format in general tbh, but dialogue is my own personal hell, stemming from my complete social awkwardness and verbal communication being Hard on a good day, ugh.
Tagging - Oh uh... (Checks mutual/following list-) @soulanine @bluejay-in-flight @phoenixyfriend @psidontknow @just-fandomthings @gayspacesprinkles @venomous-soliloquy @ashes0909 @pandagirl45 And anyone else who wants to join!
Sorry, it's like literally 1 in the morning and insomnia is being absolutely brutal right now so brain is like soup more than usual oof...
Edit: AHHH I just realized I tagged Pandagirl45 even though that's who tagged me omg- well just another testament to me needing to sleep goodnight (but that's so embarrassing...)
Alright, so this is a little Ficlet based off the prompt I had come up with a little while ago (Link to the post Here) where basically Cass Scares Danny.
She's sneaky enough to get the jump on him and that really scares him, as someone who's got the Massive secret of being Phantom and also, you know, ghosts are like illegal, so yeah, his paranoia is Ramped Up.
Ah, the Angst. :)
0o0o0o0o0
It's not like Danny hated Cass; he didn't!
She was Sam's favorite of the Bats, and she seemed nice and cool.
It's just that…
He just really couldn't stand being around her.
Just the thought made his insides squirmish with guilt, even as he glanced around in what he hoped no one noticed was fervently, but by the sad glances he was getting he shouldn't have so much hope.
It's just that, of all the Bats, of all of anyone that was Liminal and thus supposed to be at least unable to get the jump on him as the Ghost Prince…
She kept sneaking up on him.
His advanced hearing could never pick up any sounds, not even a heartbeat, and he never could see her unless she was letting herself be seen.
And most of all, he could not sense her.
When she was right in front of him, he could feel the Liminality off of her, a faint echo of the corrupted Ecto that had inhabited Jason and was felt in Damian, too.
But Damian he could sense.
Even for all that he could hide extremely well for someone not more ghost-like, Danny could still hear his breathing, could still catch the faint steady beats of his heart, could still sense him and that echo of Ecto.
With Cass, he got none of that.
And the worst part was she wasn't even trying.
The first few times when Danny first arrived at the Manor after Batman or, well, Bruce, agreed to foster him he had just written it off.
He was still reeling from all that happened, from the Justice League actually being on the Ghosts' side, at the GIW being disbanded and the Ghosts freed and the Anti-Ecto Acts were in the process of getting recalled-
The point was, Danny was distracted and didn't think much of it.
It was even funny at first, light teasing from the others abou Cass spooking the ghost boy.
Except it kept happening.
And with each time she just appeared, even apologising when really he should be the one to, it was getting to the point where Danny actively avoided open areas and kept secluded to corners where he could see everywhere, and he being told in advanced when she was coming in.
Not that that mattered much when she still scared him even then.
And something about it got his instincts racing, how there was an unknown that could hurt him, drag him to the labs, and he would be powerless to stop it, that he would be torn apart molecule by molecule-
Even when he knew she would never do something like that, it was getting harder and harder to leave his bedroom, and he knew from the whispers the others thought he couldn't catch that she was staying more and more away from the Manor in order not to scare him more.
How tense and sad everyone seemed to get by the day at one of their family, one of their Fraid, unable to visit out of fear of spooking the poor, useless half-dead ghost they took in.
The whole mess just felt like a bubbling acid pit in his gut, like one of those corrupted Ecto Lazarus Water pools was forming there.
…And he had no idea how to fix this.
0o0o0o0o0
This is just a snippet that I came up with, might write more one day, who knows. (If you want to add on or write something feel free)
IDK, I just think that's such an underutilized aspect of Danny and Cass's relationship (platonic or not, though it is Platonic here because Big Sis!Cass ftw) where a lot of people always say Cass can get the jump on a ghost but like... I'm 90% sure that Danny would find that Cool but also just Freak Out/Panic about it (especially if she's Liminal) *shrugs
Alright, here's (finally) Day 9 of my 2024 Promptober: Screech! (Yes, I'm determined to finish this even if it's a month late, darn it)
I sort of fellow into a small rabbit hole of DPxDC, so here's a little fic that's an amalgamation of some of my favorite tropes and AUs with a silly premise around the whole thing.
LBM is like a cat when it comes to bathtime, and that's my thoughs one it. :) (this is pure fluffy crack please don't take it seriously-)
0o0o0o0o0
Honestly, Richard should not have been surprised.
As soon as the word 'bath' had left his mouth, Danyal had let out a screeching cry that was presumably meant to be intimidating and fierce before fleeing the room.
Damian had turned to his eldest adopted brother, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.
The man just sighed, slumping from his cheerful stance. "Man, I really hoped we wouldn't have to do the 'wet kitten' thing today," he complained.
Damian closed his book, knowing he would not be getting much more done.
"Well, after so many weeks in a row of the same result, one would think you would have learned something," he remarked as he strode out of the room, ignoring the indignant muttering behind him and focusing on finding his younger twin.
For all that Danyal was still healing and reduced to such a miniscule - and adorable, though he would take that thought to his grave and beyond - state, his twin was certainly adept at hiding.
Well, from anyone not raised beside him.
Damian could admit it was impressive, however, how Danyal was able to evade him for several minutes, but in the end it was futile.
The soft sound of purring as he passed one of the many family rooms that was distinctly unique from any cat or animal he's ever heard had him pause in the doorway to what he knew was Cain's room, though she was gone for a mission currently.
And with the stealth developed after a lifetime of training, he easily opened the door enough to look inside without alerting the occupants.
And as he knew, Danyal was curled up in his currently small form, on top of a mound of faux furred pillows. Danyal appeared to be deeply asleep, still wearing out quickly due to his recovering status, curled into a ball with his small paw-like hands on his long whisky tail, much like one of the cats or dogs he had fostered had done.
Damian stared at the sight for a long moment before giving in to some base instinct that he swore he got infected by Richard and Thomas with, pulling out his phone to take a single picture of the sight.
He would not be posting it to the hyenas that was the family group chat, but it would make a nice image to make a drawing or perhaps painting of later on.
For now, he slipped his phone back into his pocket, and cautiously slipped into the room; just because Cain wasn't there didn't mean there weren't possible traps laid about. Yes, he was aware the likelihood of traps set by Cain of all his siblings in his room was very unlikely, but it wasn't a complete assurance, and he wouldn't drop his guard because of that.
Stopping in front of the bed, he hesitated.
While he could pick Danyal up and just simply carry him to the bathroom where Richard had already drawn the cool water, some part of him was loathed to wake his younger twin from his much needed rest so abruptly, not when he was purring and looking content on top of his claimed pillow.
Deciding he could just always have it put back later, he carefully picked the pillow with Danyal's small form resting on top, completely smooth and steady as he was trained to be.
Then with the pillow in hand, he turned and walked out, Danyal still asleep on the pillow.
It was only when they reached Damian's room, the sound of water and Richard's muttering from the ensuite bathroom filtering through, that he put the pillow gently down on his own bed, and carefully began to pet Danyal's hair, as he did whenever he woke up his younger twin from a bad dream.
And as before, Danyal slowly began stirring, purring growing even louder as he sleepily pushed his head and body against Damian's touch, making something in his chest soften in a way he normally would find completely unbecoming of someone of his stature.
"Ahki, it's time to wake," he murmured softly in Arabic, continuing his petting before just simply cupping his hand over his twin's far too small body.
A sleepy grumbling whine came from Danyal, and Damian felt the corner of his lips twitch up at feeling his twin snuggle closer against his hand.
"As much as you need your rest, yes, you do in fact need a bath; I very much am aware you haven't had one in a few days and we were out at the barn this morning," Damian said pointedly.
Danyal was quiet for a moment before letting out a small acquiescing chirp, which Damian knew to take as an 'I'll do it but won't be happy about it' sound.
With that, he carefully scooped his grumbling twin up, making sure he was secure in his hold before heading to the bathroom where Richard awaited them.
Stepping into the cool, misty room, their eldest brother smiled warmly when he turned to the two of them, Danyal's special medicated supplies already at the ready.
"You found little baby boo! Here, I'll take him if you can grab the clean towels? Alfie had put them on the bed and I forgot them," he said sheepishly, but Damian just rolled his eyes and carefully transferred the still sleepy and grumbling Danyal to their elder brother's eager arms.
He knew it was just a ploy to hold Danyal as he tended to only let Damian hold him for long periods of time, but he would allow it this time, as it was just a quick walk to his bed and back.
But he almost immediately regretted that, because as soon as he grabbed the clean, folded towels, there was a yelp, a 'splash!', and Danyal's distinctive screeching almost all at once.
In what was almost a blink, Damian was back at the bathroom door, adrenaline pumping through him and fear coursing through his veins; what if Danyal was injured even further?-
-Except he paused, taking in Richard panicking and holding his hands up in defense, with Danyal who was splashing water at him and screeching his great displeasure at having been seemingly dropped into the water, but no worse for wear.
Taking a steadying deep breath, Damian reminded himself that he cannot stab Richard for his transgressions as moved to soothe Danyal and keep him in the dreaded bathtub; it was not worth the lecture.
0o0o0o0o0
This is just absolute silly nonsense, and I have no regrets.
(Though I will say I was originally thinking of writing a OP or MCU fic for the Ao3 Anniversary Nov. 14 and 15 prompts but somehow ended up writing this instead, lol)
Anyways, again posted on my Ao3, and thanks so much for reading; have a awesome day! <3
Managed to finish my Promptober (with Inktober 2017 prompts) Day 7: Shy!
This time we've got some soft GenoSai with F!Saitama because I can and wanted to. Nothing but fluff here. <3
0o0o0o0
If there was one thing that Saitama had learned over the years, it was to not let others' opinions bother you.
Well, that and to be frugal with your money; you never know when you might run out.
But mainly the opinions thing.
For so long, it was just a given; being all powerful filled one's senses and emotions, she learned the hard way.
It helped when she lost her hair, however; she did mourn it when it began to fall out, but she quickly got over it.
It wasn't worth the effort to be too sad about it.
So for so long she ignored the whispers and looks, easily letting them slide by her like soap.
Which, also now she didn't need to spend the money buying shampoo and conditioner when a 3-in-1 can do the trick or spending so much time brushing and maintaining it.
And then Genos burst into her life, bringing change that was almost too fast for her to learn.
And as the days passed, Genos' ever way too flowery words dumped on her at every turn, asking her to help with his training consistently…
With him around, her world felt a little brighter.
And while she continued to make a point of ignoring the stares and whispers, she did start to take notice of a few things.
Specifically when her fan mail went from mostly just trashy hate letters that tended to span several pages - really, people needed to get better hobbies or something - to… well.
She stared incredulously at the first letter from the now not-so meager pile.
More accurately, at how it seemed to be a jealous ridden letter declaring how she 'would never be fit for Demon' and how she was a 'slut who was stealing his credit', etc.
All written on flowery pink paper, three pages long, and the 'i's having little hearts as dots.
She wasn't sure how to react to it, just staring at it with a haze of vaguely disturbed feelings roiling in the pit of her stomach.
Some half-bemused part of her wondered if she should be upset by it or flattered that this much effort went into it, and the rest of her felt kind of… numb to it all.
It wasn't the first time she got hate mail - there were almost definitely more in the pile as it were - but it was the first that extensively was so just jealous of her mentorship - friendship? They were… maybe friends? - with Genos.
It was perplexing to say the least.
And kind of made her a bit defensive for Genos' sake; this person definitely sounded a little… off, with how they spoke about him like he was a possession and not a person.
"Sensei?" She blinked out of her thoughts, glancing up at Genos' concerned golden eyes.
"Ah, just another letter; people really need to find better uses of their time if they're this bored," she said, stuffing the letter back into the envelope.
Genos seemed to tense, fingers crumpling the papers in his hands. "Their disrespect of you is appalling," he forced out, but Saitama waved it off, a little concerned for the letter, but it was simply a one off; there would always be weirdos out there, especially when concerning the fact that Genos was objectively attractive.
As she opened the next letter, she vaguely sat on the admission.
Look, she wasn't blind; she just didn't care, or find any reason to.
Genos was Genos, and that was enough for her as far as she was concerned.
Thankfully she was right, that one stalker-ish letter was thankfully the only one of the bunch, most of the rest the usual hate mail that she let Genos alight with what looked like maybe a bit too much enthusiasm, but then again Genos was always so intense.
She did keep the few actual fan mail she had, lips twitching as she gazed at the horrible drawing of a yellow and red blob.
Saitama didn't do her job to be thanked or anything, yes, but it still was a little nice.
Genos, on the other hand, seemed to get a really annoying set of fan letters this time, which was unusual.
After she was done with her meager stack of letters, she watched as the furrow in his brows deepened with almost every piece of mail he opened till he reached the bottom. Then he scooped the largest pile he separated, went outside, and proceeded to incinerate them all.
Saitama raised an eyebrow; she was mildly tempted to ask what they were about, but it wasn't her business.
He kept on his neutral face, but after so long she could tell he was still upset in some way by the way he rigidly and forcefully collected the rest of the letters and stormed them away, then stomped off into the kitchen.
Shrugging, she turned on the news, lounging on her side.
She was reading one of the slower parts of her current manga, which was just a lot of relationship drama.
At least she never had to worry about that.
"Sensei."
She glanced up, blinking at Genos who was sitting seiza across from her; when did he get there?
She waited while he seemed to think over his words; if there was one thing she could be thankful for when it comes to how literal he takes her words, it was that he thankfully kept explanations fairly short.
"I have seen no one like Sensei, and I'll never regret becoming your student; you are amazing, Sensei," he finally stated in that earnest way of his, gold eyes seeming to blaze.
"...Okay." She wasn't sure how to react to that.
Genos just gave a single nod, then went to the bathroom with his sleeping clothes to get changed, her eyes following him as her mind tried to process that.
As she went through her own routine, she couldn't help but wonder what exactly he meant.
0o0o0
She didn't think about their talk at all until he came back from a check-up with his doctor-dad.
She looked up from the book she was reading, smiling when he walked in.
He glanced over at her, and said a simple "Taidama."
"Okaeri." She replied, a warm, fluttery feeling in her chest spreading a bit.
She frowned down at her chest, touching it like she could physically feel it, even as it quickly went away; it's been happening pretty often, and she hoped she wouldn't be getting sick; medicine was expensive.
"Sensei, for you." She glanced up, blinking when her eyes met… a flower.
"Thank you…?" She reflexively replied, taking it.
He nodded once, and then turned back to the kitchen, water running as he probably got dinner started.
She turned back to the flower.
She had no idea what kind it was, but it was white with a lot of soft petals, and a yellow center. (white camellia means You're Adorable.)
…It was nice.
0o0o0
Somehow the flower thing kept up.
Even if he was just gone for a boring meeting with the other top Heroes he always brought back a flower.
She managed to get a very cheap tall glass jar to put them in, where it now had a place of honor next to her cactus.
Maybe not the best place to put them, but every day she went outside to check her cactus she always felt that warmth in her chest, something almost bubbly and light.
"Today is a nice day, Sensei," Genos said brightly, and she smiled a little when she glanced back to see him airing out the futons, that silly pink apron she mostly got as a joke on top of being a bargain deal.
"Yeah, it is," she agreed, humming in content, turning back to her little prickly friend.
And that certainly was something, wasn't it?
Feeling content, even if just for a moment.
"Perhaps we can go have a picnic, Sensei," Genos said, and she blinked at that.
"A picnic?" She repeated, glancing again at him.
He wasn't looking at her as he carefully aired out the futons. "Yes, it would be nice to enjoy the weather without having to worry about monster attacks."
She tilted her head, thinking about it, staring at the blue sky. Yeah, that sounded nice.
She voiced her thought, and was rewarded with a small, breathtaking smile.
It suddenly was pretty hot out, maybe it wasn't such a good idea…?
In the end they did have a picnic, and it was actually really nice to hang out with Genos outside of the small apartment for once, even if just enjoying the scenery.
And at the end, he gave her another flower, which she took with exasperation but honestly the gesture made her a little happy, too.
A week later he suggested another outing, this time to watch a free outdoor show, and she again agreed; flower still given at the end.
And soon enough, she looked forward to their now somehow weekly outings, whatever they were.
Just a teacher and student, or rather two friends hanging out together, nothing more.
…Even if some part of her felt weirdly disappointed by that fact.
0o0o0
After a few months of their cozy routine with Hero duties in between, it's surprisingly King who points it out when they're hanging out.
Saitama had just gotten done exasperatedly telling him how Genos keeps getting fan mail from all these stalkers, and though she had all but zero relationship experience she hoped he got together with someone who wasn't so needy and gross.
Because she knew it was only a matter of time before the objectively good looking cyborg entered a relationship, even if he was still so focused on getting stronger.
Thankfully she's managed to cool him down on that a little.
They both sat in silence for a moment after she was done, focused on their game.
"...Dude, I admittedly don't know him that well, but I don't think he would ever cheat on you."
She froze, staring as her character died before King could pause.
She turned, watching as King calmly grabbed one of the bags of chips and ate a few, ignoring her stare.
"We're not dating."
"Hm?" He grumbled, grabbing another handful.
"Me and Genos aren't together like that." She repeated, more clearly and no less confused.
"Oh, you're not? Even with all the dates and the flowers?" He asked, raising a half-interested eyebrow.
She had told him about Genos newest habits, but she didn't think he would take that to mean-
"Well, either way, Genos is way too into you to think about anyone else," he casually continued, turning back to the pause screen.
She took a moment to think about that, then reached down and grabbed her controller, deciding to focus on the game; King thankfully didn't bring it up again.
There was no way that was true to even think about, after all.
Why would Genos want to be in a relationship with her of everyone on the planet?
She also decidedly ignored the weird aching in her chest.
Maybe she really should go to the doctor's and get checked out.
0o0o0
The most annoying thing was that after her hangout with King, she felt weirdly… aware of Genos, in a way she hadn't before.
It wasn't like he suddenly started acting different or anything, but now she had a hard time focusing on things that weren't, well, him.
Like how he treated her with respect as his 'sensei', yes, but also just as a normal human, holding out his hand or arm for her to take, or talking about new interesting manga or shows.
Or the way his honestly amazingly built body reflected in the light, Kuenos really deserved a medal for the work he's done for Genos, with how much his eyes seemed to burn with determination whenever they were set on a task before him, whether that was fighting the latest monster or doing the dishes, hands gentle and strong all the same.
How as time went by, Saitama noticed that Genos relaxed a little, no longer as intense as he was at the beginning, getting his own hobbies and things that weren't strictly just trying to copy whatever she did to get stronger.
The way he now smiled in that way just for her and no one else, even if it were just little quirks of the lips, somehow making his whole face soften into something beautiful that made her own burn and eyes having to dart away.
And then of course there the outings, and the flowers.
She stared down at her makeshift vase, all the dead flowers thrown away but there still so many live ones she's been given creating a beautiful bouquet.
Lifting a hand to gentle pull out a nice smelling one that had tiny blue flowers all over the top, she wondered what type of flower it was.
Genos probably knew.
She paused, glancing over at where he was in the kitchen, cooking away.
She smiled down at the flower, placing it back, and feeling like her heart was going to beat out of her chest.
And she knew what she had to do.
0o0o0
She, unfortunately, didn't know much about flowers at all.
But with Mumen's help and good luck, she waited nervously for Genos to come home from another meeting, fidgeting where she sat.
Her flowers were moved outside, but she filled a cup of water and placed a single flower in there that Mumen helped her pick out.
…This was probably a really dumb, bad idea.
Before she could do anything, the door opened, Genos stepping inside.
She froze, feeling something that was almost fear but not when he turned, staring at her and the flower on the table.
"...Sensei?" He quietly questioned, his own flower in his hand.
Unable to meet that piercing gaze, she stared at the flower.
It was a red rose; one of the very she knew.
"It's for you," she muttered, fists clenched in her lap to keep from fidgeting like a little child, face feeling like it was burning.
She's been feeling so many things lately, and she was almost sick of it.
Almost.
"Sensei…" She saw him kneel next to her out of the corner of her eye, and she snuck a glance up.
And met that golden gaze, all of the focus now on her.
"Sensei, I… would be honored, if you could be my partner, in more than just Heroic work," he slowly said, almost seeming nervous which, she's not sure she's ever seen him like that. And he held out his flower to her.
It was a pretty flower, white with frilly and fluffy petals.
She didn't know what flower it was, but she knew what he meant all the same.
Swallowing, she hesitated for holding his hand hand with her own.
Feeling the metallic and almost rubber consistency was honestly really nice, and did nothing for her racing heart or burning face.
"Yeah, I would like that," she stammered, reflexively tucking the flower behind her ear.
When Genos gave the widest, blinding smile, squeezing her hand just the smallest amount…
Well, sometimes others' opinions could be a bit helpful, she could admit. Not that she was ever going to tell King.
0o0o0o0
(Sorry for the sort-of abrupt ending, but this fic just did Not want to end; might go and change it later if it really bugs me, but I think it's fine for now.)
Genos absolutely downloaded entire databases on the language of flowers, btw; almost made the fic just about that, lol.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed it? And have a fantastic rest of your day! <3
