Slade Wilson x reader (can be read as part of my Arkhamverse series)
Word Count: 436
The question (more like order based off his phrasing, but who’s arguing) caught you so far off guard that you ended up taking a jab to the face that caused you to jolt back into your partner by accident. “You wanna run that by me again, Wilson?” your voice was every bit as incredulous as you felt as you flung yourself back into the fray.
“Marry me.” Fucker didn’t even have the decency to sound winded from his end of the fight as he said it. “Duck,” the order came casually after.
Of course, that one your body followed instinctively, allowing him to slash out at your opponent over your head with his sword. “Is now really the time to have that kind of discussion?!” Your leg lashed out to kick the guy that was struggling to avoid the sword directly in the stomach, giving you the advantage once more.
“Why does it need to be a discussion?” Slade asked. “We’ve been together for ages, and it’s not like it would change anything.” He deftly caught a hand that tried to throw a punch at his face and promptly used that grip to snap the poor guy’s arm right at the elbow.
“Then why bring it up at all?” you asked over the mook’s screams.
“I would have thought that part was obvious.” With one last skull cracked under his heavy boot, all of the guards the two of you had been fighting were on the ground either dead or dying. “If something were to happen to me, I want you to be taken care of.”
Your eyes narrowed. “I’m not buyin’ it, Wilson. What’s really going on?”
He rolled that lone, blue eye. “That’s really the size of it, sweetheart. We’re not gettin’ any younger, and I don’t want to regret not doing this.”
“You said you never wanted to marry again after Addie.”
“I also had brown hair and both of my eyes back then. Things change.”
You squinted further. “Did Rose put you up to this?”
“Whether or not she did is irrelevant.”
That’s as good as a yes.
“She had a point, so I’m asking. Will you marry me?”
You stayed quiet for several seconds, mulling it over. There was really no reason not to, after all. You’d been together for the better part of a decade, and had been living together a large portion of that time. “Why in the middle of a job though?”
He shrugged. “Looked over and saw how beautiful you are and thought ‘why not?’ So what’s your answer?”
"Stargazing?, Ash asked in surprise.
He and Eiji had spent the day at the beach. It was still late summer, but it got a bit chilly when evening came closer, so Ash had suggested they return home.
That's when Eiji had asked him if he knew what stargazing was. Rationally, he knew what stars and gazing meant, but he assumed by the way Eiji grinned at him that he didn't only mean watching astronomical constellations in the sky. He lay on a towel next to him, giving Eiji a questioning glance, raising his eyebrows at him.
Knowing Eiji, it was probably something romantic.
"You gaze at the stars.", Eiji simply said.
"Thanks, I know what the word stargazing means. But we don't have a telescope. Or binoculars. Something tells me that we're not doing this the scientific way, right?, Ash asked curiously.
"You have that look. The look you always get if you enjoy that you're smarter than me and know something I don't.", Ash complained while stubbornly turning away from him.
"Ash, don't be like that.", Eiji pleaded with him, enjoying himself immensely. He gently cupped his face and turned it in his direction again.
"It's not always easy to compete with a genius, you know? And I really love teaching you new things that aren't rational but emotional. Or romantic. Things that you can't comprehend on a rational level but are fun nonetheless. This is one of them."
"So? Enlighten me, Professor Okumura?", Ash teased him, his voice dripping with irony.
Eiji flicked his forehead. "Watch it, Aslan Jade Callenreese!" Ash grimaced in pain. "Ouch! Not that name, Eiji."
"Of course, you can go about stargazing scientifically, grab a telescope and go to one of the highest points to see them best. Today, the weather is perfect, too. But it's also romantic lying here in the darkness while looking at the stars with you -
"And freezing to death together probably is romantic as well.", Ash smirked while putting his arms around himself while shivering slightly.
"You have an amazing talent to destroy any of my romantic attempts; you know that? And to top it off, you're a softie.", he chastised him, but Ash could still hear the amusement in his voice. "Wait here for a moment. I'll be right back."
Since it got dark and the wind grew stronger, Eiji picked up their belongings from spending the day at the beach and returned with a hoodie, two blankets and a flashlight. When Ash had put on his hoodie, Eiji held something in front of his face, dangling by a neck strap from his fingers.
"Look what I found!", he said, grinning while pointing the flashlight at it. Ash sat up and looked at it in surprise.
"Binoculars.", he replied happily. "Does that mean I can also show you some constellations, or is that considered unromantic?"
"No, that's the point of stargazing. But we don't have a night sky map. I usually just look at the stars and leave the shapes they form to my imagination.", Eiji admitted honestly.
"That sounds like you.", Ash grinned at him. "But we don't need a map. I can show you some constellations that can be discovered easily."
"Really?", Eiji's voice brightened instantly. "Sometimes, I'm fortunate that my boyfriend is a genius!" He put two small lanterns next to them, so it wasn't totally dark, the weak flame flickering across their faces.
"To come back to the romantic aspect, stargazing is about being disconnected from the busy world and spending time with someone you love and reconnecting with each other in a secluded spot far away from any city lights. You just enjoy the wonders our world has to offer together and admire the breathtaking view. You can try to hunt down constellations or make up your own. And tonight is perfect for stargazing. Look at how many stars are visible in the sky!"
"Thanks for explaining the romantic part to a dumb guy like me. I can see how that can be considered romantic.", Ash reluctantly admitted.
On a perfect day, you can see up to 4.000 stars, did you know that?" Eiji shook his head.
"That's amazing.", Eiji exclaimed in surprise.
"You can see so many stars right now because the sky is darkest shortly before a full moon.", Ash explained patiently.
He would have told Eiji that stars were just self-luminous gaseous spheroidal celestial bodies of great mass which produce energy by means of nuclear fusion reactions. That stars are powered by nuclear fusion in their cores, mostly converting hydrogen into helium.
However, he got the feeling that such a highly scientific explanation would probably be considered unromantic, so he stopped himself. As far as he had learned, romance and science were mutually exclusive, after all. And Eiji looked so happy right now; he didn't want to destroy the moment and even less his pure and overjoyed smile when he looked at the sky.
Before lying down, they drank the rest of the hot chocolate they had brought with them to the beach in a Thermos flask so that it wouldn't get cold. Sitting here with his head resting on Eiji's shoulder while looking at the dark beach and listening to the sounds of the waves felt so peaceful and perfect. It was simple things like that he truly enjoyed in Izumo.
He had never had the time to enjoy such moments in New York, had never even considered them. Yet, Eiji always surprised him with such sweet ideas and explained them patiently to Ash if he didn't understand the meaning (romantic or not) behind them.
He slowly learned that enjoying himself like that was a great feeling. Eiji had taught him that not every experience had to be meaningful, that sometimes it was great to let yourself drift or go with the flow and just enjoy the moment. If you had led a life dominated by action and violence, it wasn't so easy to adjust to a quiet and peaceful life, just chill on a beach or on a couch, taking a nap or read books for hours. But he slowly got used to it with Eiji's help.
They lay back down and looked at the stars. "It's so beautiful. It makes you feel so small and insignificant.", Eiji said more to himself. Then he leaned his head closer to Ash's, giving him a sidelong glance.
"So, what constellations can you see in the sky?"
Ash smiled, put an arm around him, and pulled him closer before pointing at the different constellations and describing to Eiji what they looked like, so he could find them.
Mulder goes to brush his teeth and absently brushes away the ghosts that cloud the mirror. He opens the fridge to get out the orange juice and a chilly spirit slithers past him, its moan reduced to the drone of the fridge. He pulls them out of his beard like loose fibers and shakes them off his fingers into the sink.
They are haunted, he and Scully: by the ghosts of the family members they failed to save, by the phantasmal impressions left by the killers they’ve killed. By Tooms and Pfaster, who gave them no choice, but who hiss and whisper in the darkest moments. By Modell and Boggs, whose deaths were not their fault, but who linger all the same: in the malignant whine of a semi speeding by, making faces in the steam that rises from their glossy Thanksgiving turkey.
Mulder doesn’t ask about Scully’s ghosts. Maybe she brushes them out of her hair. Maybe she wafts them away from her coffee cup. Maybe they rise from her dresser drawers along with the scent of lavender from the sachets packed in among her clothes. Maybe they sigh when she slips her feet into her shoes, or rustle among the odds and ends in her coat pockets.
They’ve lived too long with their ghosts. They’re part of the furnishings of the house now, pressed between the pages of their books and stuffed into the crevices of the couch. They scream when the kettle boils. They creak with the floorboards as the old farmhouse settles. They’re too familiar to exorcise, these ghosts: practically family. But they’re hard to live with, all the same.
“As they laid in the grass below their favourite tree, in their favourite park, the wind blew through the branches above. Much like cherry blossoms in the spring time, leaves cascaded around them like a shower made of flames. Gavin’s eyes opened when the leaves hit his face and he smiled. His fingers were tangled in Michael’s hair at the nape of his neck, so Gavin scratched his scalp to gain his attention. Michael happily hummed at the new sensation.
Gavin whispered, “I guess it isn’t summertime anymore...”
Michael cracked open a single eye to see the colours raining above them. He closed his eye again and chuckled lightly. He whispered back, “I think you’re right.”
The two smiled contently again as they laid underneath the falling leaves. The leaves that were once part of their favourite tree, in their favourite park.Michael and Gavin would stay like that, laying side by side enjoying each other’s company, until the sun would set and they would be forced to leave. Forced to leave not only the park but the last day of summer behind. For now, after so many hot lovely days, it was...
“Join my Minecraft server.” Benrey got a new plugin and a new player to his server.
As always feel free to read here or on my ao3 under Olliecakes. Hopefully it’s not too annoying to post two today ;w; I just want to try and keep more on pace to post the last one on Halloween.
“Join my Minecraft server.” Benrey had asked Gordon multiple times before and, after the success of him joining, he asked Tommy to follow along. “It’s pretty cool, you’ll be missing out.” Tommy didn’t really need to hear that to join. The only reason he needed was that he got to play a game he like with someone he liked. All he needed was a time where they could all play.
Tommy and Benrey ended up in the world on their own, Gordon was off doing Gordon things leaving the two to do their own things. It was probable that they wouldn’t get through much before the next time Gordon would be on so it was fine at least to all of them. Tommy did want a tour when it came to the builds that already existed in the world so that would come first before he could move on to do whatever he wanted in game.
“Can I live here too?” Tommy asked when it came to the house Benrey and Gordon both worked on.
“What if we put our beds together,” Benrey gave a pause, “and we were both boys.” He plopped down a bed then looked at Tommy, crouching and hitting the air, “Your bed now.” Tommy’s response was by trying to lay in the bed, although he couldn’t thanks to it being day but he couldn’t help that. “Oh, I got a new thing too!” Benrey stopped his crouching to type in something.
In chat Tommy received a notification that read “BenreyBenreyBenreyBenrey is asking to marry you” with a command to accept or deny. “We’re getting married?” He didn’t expect to get a proposal like that but people often made big surprises when it came to the ordeal.
“Yep, new plugin lets anyone get married. Got it for me and Feetman but we should all get married.” Tommy couldn’t argue against that. He didn’t hesitate any longer to accept the proposal, typing in the accept command fast enough. With that the two went off to play Minecraft as they normally would, completely unaware that the plugin only allowed for a person to be married to one other person.
Author: DatHeetJoella
Fandom: Free!
Pairing: MakoHaru
Rating: T
Part: 3/31 (read the full collection here)
Word count: 860
Tags: Canonverse, Established Relationship, Fluff
Read at: AO3, FFn, or right here!
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Rain tapped rhythmically against the window and roused Haruka from his slumber. He opened his eyes and his heart overflowed with bliss.
Still fast asleep, Makoto was lying on his stomach beside him, arm propped underneath his pillow and face turned to him. His brown locks were even more tousled than usual, evergreen eyes shielded beneath thick lashes, mouth slightly agape. Peaceful, unguarded, tranquil. Breathtaking.
Seizing the opportunity to drink in the beautiful sight, Haruka carded his fingers through Makoto’s hair, brushing the stray strands from his forehead. Careful as to not wake him, he pressed a light kiss above his eyebrow, unable to resist the urge. The second his lips left his skin he was overcome with the desire for more, but that would have to wait until later. He couldn’t disturb Makoto when he looked so sweet. Not when he might be interrupting a pleasant dream.
With the most urgent hunger satiated, Haruka turned around to check the time on his phone. It was about eight-twenty, ten minutes before his alarm would go off. Haruka stared at the screen, then at the window, back and forth, until he decided to switch the alarm off.
Today, the new jellyfish exhibit would open at the aquarium Makoto and he frequented. The opening was supposed to be a grand event, so they had plans to go in the afternoon to avoid the largest crowd.
Although Haruka had been pretty excited about this date all week, the dark, looming clouds outside paired with the toasty clutch of the sheets made the desire to get up and go about his day diminish. At that moment, there was nothing he wanted more than to turn around and snuggle himself against Makoto’s body, and maybe drift off to sleep for a couple more hours. The jellyfish could wait until later; the tank would probably look more magical if the room was quiet, without the hordes of rambunctious people obscuring their vision.
Haruka lied back down and scooted closer to Makoto, who naturally turned on his side as if to invite him into his embrace. When he tried to burrow his face into Makoto’s neck, a cowlick of black hair brushed against Makoto’s nose and he flinched in response. His eyes fluttered open, emerald foggy with sleep, but he smiled when he saw him.
“Sorry, did I wake you?” Haruka asked despite knowing he had.
“It’s alright, I think it was almost time to wake up anyway, right?” Makoto stretched his arms over his head and his spine cracked disgustingly.
“Actually, I was thinking we could sleep in for a bit and go to the aquarium later.”
Makoto frowned. "I thought you were looking forward to the new exhibit."
"I was. I still am, but…" Haruka glanced over his shoulder at the sliver of splattered glass visible through the blue curtains.
"Is it raining?" Makoto asked, leaning up on his arm to see.
"Pouring," Haruka said, "I don't want to get up."
Concern flashed through Makoto's eyes. "Is it one of those days?"
"No, that's not it. I just feel like staying in bed a little while longer." With you. Haruka didn't say that, but he didn't need to.
"That's rare. Usually you're already in the bath by the time I wake up."
"Because I'm in a hurry then," Haruka said as an excuse. Makoto didn't need to know he lingered in bed every morning to enjoy his warmth and hold, even if only for five more minutes. "But I'll leave if that's what you want."
"I'm not saying that," Makoto said with a chuckle as he threw his arm over Haruka's body and pulled him closer. "I prefer it like this, you know. Lazy mornings in bed with you, no rush, just us."
"Me too," Haruka murmured, so softly it was almost inaudible.
He tilted his head and pressed a light but sweet peck on Makoto's mouth. After a few seconds, Haruka started to pull back but Makoto captured his lips, drawing him into a deep and passionate kiss. His fingers flexed against Makoto’s bare back, then melted around him.
When their lungs began to ache, they parted. They remained close and Makoto's breath tickled against Haruka's face, enticing him for more.
There was nowhere in the world Haruka wanted to be more than right here, enveloped by a duvet-cocoon, in the arms of his boyfriend. No jellyfish, manta ray, and not even a mackerel could change his mind about that.
As always, Makoto was more in tune with his thoughts than he himself was sometimes. "Hey, Haru?"
"Hm?" Haruka hummed, tracing nonsensical patterns on Makoto’s skin, goosebumps budding beneath his nails.
"How about we postpone our aquarium visit and just stay here all day?"
Haruka could barely suppress a grin. "Sounds great."
Their lips met in another tender kiss, and another, and many more.
The rain outside continued to drizzle. It got heavier and heavier, joined by an orchestra of thunderclaps and lightning strikes, washing over the trees and down the buildings. A storm passed over Tokyo, the perfect backdrop for a lazy day in bed filled solely with gentle kisses and loving cuddles.
"Michael, look what I bought!" Gavin sang, rushing into Michael's apartment with 4 bags of food. Michael knew that this call was a Bad Sign. Gavin always brought the most ridiculous shit from the store, and it seems that he had done the same on this occasion too.
"Brownies!" Gavin cheered, holding a box brownie mix in his hands.
Michael sighed; baking never went well when it came to Gavin, he always made a complete mess of Michael's apartment, and he never cleaned up after himself. However, brownies did sound really good, and Gav would only sulk if he said no.
"You're cleaning up any mess, asshole," Michael said, his Jersey accent seeping through.
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2 hours later the kitchen was a complete mess. Gavin thought it would be a good idea to "go off script" and make the brownies without a recipe because "they were adults and should know how to make brownies on their own". What this really translated to was Gavin was an idiot and in an attempt to clean up after himself ripped up the box with the instructions on it and chucked it in the bin. He also got a big chunk of the pre-mixed flour and cocoa powder on the floor so they had to figure out how much of the other ingredients they would have to use now to compensate. But to do that required knowledge of both the recipe and Maths, and those weren't fun so Gavin decided to make his own.
Michael was trying to find out how many eggs they would need to use, completely unaware that Gavin had just picked up a handful of flour from the floor and that it was coming his way.
"....motherfucker," Michael growled slowly under his breath. He looked over to Gavin with all the rage in Jersey and they both knew the game was on. Immediately they started flinging shit at each other. Anything they could grab: water, biscuits, teabags, more flour off the floor, empty water bottles, the mixing spoon, you name it and it was thrown.
This carried on for a while, both giggling like school children and acting like them too. It wasn't until Gavin picked up an egg did things start to get more serious.
"Don’t throw a fucking egg at me!" Michael yelled, panting.
This boosted Gavin's confidence, he knew he had the upper hand. He grabbed the full box of eggs before Michael could think about it and jeered, "what are you gonna do about it, Jebby little Michael boi?"
Michael was powerless. He didn't want Gavin to win, but he also didn't want eggs all over him and his apartment. He sank to his knees, trying to convey surrender, looking up to pout at his boi and hoping Gav would take pity on him. No such luck, of course. As soon as Michael's eyes met Gav's, he saw his arm was already drawn back. Egg in hand, smile on face, devious plan in mind.
What he hadn't planned for though was Michael's MLB-like response. Instinctively, he put his hands in front of him and screwed his eyes shut. He caught the egg like a rogue moonball and they were both shocked when he gently opened his hands and the egg was still intact.
“Oh my God…” Michael stared in disbelief at the egg in his hands. “It’s on now, cocksucker!” Flicking his gaze back up to Gav who was just now realising what this meant for him.
Bird noises rang throughout the apartment as they chased each other through the different rooms. Gavin was desperately trying to get away, jumping over furniture and climbing anything he could as not to be egged. Michael was in hot pursuit, but he still didn’t want egg all over his apartment, so he had no intention of throwing the egg anywhere, he just wanted to see Gavin squirm and run around like an idiot.
They came to a stalemate at either end of the coffee table. Slowly circling it as to remain distanced from each other, and to catch their breath after their mad dash around the house. Michael could see Gavin eyeing up the bathroom door, then the couch, knowing that he would try to make a quick escape to the bathroom and lock himself in. He positioned himself, ready to catch him when he did.
Gavin leapt forward to the couch, but he was too slow, Michael was already a step in front of him. They collided and landed in a messy heap on the sofa. Michael was on top of Gavin and was pinning down his stupidly long limbs. The egg was raised in his right hand and his left arm pressed both of Gavin’s arms above his head.
“Michael...Michael please, don’t egg me, please!” He pleaded, trying to escape Michael’s confinements.
“Nah Gav, I wouldn’t,” He released Gavin from his grip letting him get up slightly. “I don’t want egg all over the sofa,” He continued, as he hooked his arm around Gavin’s waist and pulled him closer.
“Oh, thanks boi,” He let out a breath of relief. He touched their foreheads together in quiet appreciation for not being egged. Michael pulled him closer still, into a gentle, tender kiss, changing the mood of the moment entirely. Gavin had all but forgotten what they were doing beforehand, too lost in Michael. So lost in fact that he didn’t notice Michael’s right arm come up and softly crack the egg into Gavin’s beard.
