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queen-of-deans-booty · 4 years

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The Curious Case of Dean Winchester: Part Two

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 1,644

Warnings: typical supernatural violence, language, angst, blood, you know the usual

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Any and all comments on these are appreciated. I really want to hear what you guys think about this one!

Feedback is the glue that holds my writing together.

Tags at the bottom

“Find anything?” Dean asked his brother after you two checked what seemed like the hundredth bar in town. “No, not a thing. Well, you come up dry, circle back to the motel in two. Your turn to grab dinner… extra bacon.”

“Sam’s getting dinner?” you chuckled as you two took a seat at the bar.

“Yeah. Can we get a beer, please?” Dean asked the bartender.

“Yep.”

“You wouldn't happen to know of a poker game going on in back, would you?”

“It's a bar, not a casino,” the bartender sighed as he popped the top of two beers before handing them over.

“My friend Ben told me you'd know,” Dean said as he reached into his jacket pocket.

“Don’t know any Ben.”

“Sure, you do. You know, balding, smart-ass, real ladies' man?”

“Listen, pal,” the bartender leaned really close to prove his point, “I told you, I don't know any Ben. I don't know nothing about a game.”

“You sure? Because,” he slid over a hundred-dollar bill with its picture of Ben Franklin in the middle, across the bar counter, “he sure seems to know you.” The bartender glanced at the bill before making the decision to take it.

“Around back. Take the elevator down,” he cleared his throat.

Grinning at the man, you two took off to the back before doing exactly what he told you to do. As soon as you approached the elevator door, it opened and your father came rolling out of it in his wheelchair.

“Dad? What the hell are you doing here?”

“Planting daisies. What's it look like? Came in on the case.”

“And you beat us here?” you asked as your dad wheeled away from you two.

“Well, brains trump legs, apparently.”

“So, you found the game?” Dean asked.

“Yep.”

“Did you stop it?” you asked but received no answer. “Dad?”

“Not exactly,” he sighed as he wheeled around to face you.

“Dad, what did you do?”

“I played, okay?” he sighed.

“And?”

“I lost.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” you yelled. “You played some he-witch?”

“Don't you take that tone with me,” he glared.

“You fucking idiot!”

“They're my years! I can do what I want!” he yelled.

“And you didn’t think about me? What if you lost your life? Do you even care about my feelings?”

“How many did you lose?” Dean asked, changing the topic.

“Twenty-five,” he sighed.

Your father visibly aged twenty-five years right in front of your eyes. His skin sagged, the skin under his eyes darkened, and he looked even more tired than he already was.

“We are not done!” you growled before storming into the elevator.

Dean stared at Bobby before following you to confront the witch. As soon as you stepped foot into the room, your eyes flashed a bright blue in anger. Dean couldn’t stop you as you stormed over to the witch before grabbing his arm harshly.

“Hey, man. Excuse me. Can I borrow you for a sec?” you growled.

Patrick, the witch, looked at you before eyeing Dean who casually showed him the handle of his gun that was stashed inside of his jacket.

“Oh, yeah. Of course. Great. Good to see you two,” he said as he excused himself with the couple he was with. You forced Patrick over to one of the tables with a shove.

“Hey, calm down. Look, I don't know what it is you think I did to your wife or husband or brother or mother or sister, but, uh, I just want you to know, my feelings were real, and maybe they deserved it.”

“That ain't my problem, man-witch. You owe my dad some years,” you growled as your eyes got an even brighter blue.

“My, another witch on my hands. Good to see we’re still circling the world,” he laughed.

“I’m nothing like you. Give them back.”

“I'm sorry. He lost. Them's the breaks.”

“Well, then un-lose him or I will make your death so slow and painful you’re going to wish you’d given them back,” you threatened as blue magic started to swirl in between your fingers of your right hand.

“Give it your best shot if it makes you feel better. Besides, I could use a good… tickle. Darling, what you have doesn’t compare to what I can do. You want years? Great. Play me for them,” he chuckled.

“Fine,” Dean said before he could think about his words.

“Dean!” you gasped just as your father came rolling into the room.

“Dean, no!”

“They're my years. I can do what I want,” he repeated what your father said.

“Does no one care about me?!” you yelled emotionally. “You’re throwing away your lives like it’s nothing but what about me? What if you lose, Dean? What then?”

“I’m not going to lose.”

“I can’t watch this,” you sighed before turning to Patrick with a threatening glare. “My offer is still on the table. I will not hesitate to kill you, and something tells me I will win.”

“Good,” he chuckled as you left the poker game.

There was no way you were going to give yourself a panic attack while watching the game. If Dean didn’t come back, then you were going to rain hell on Patrick. If he came back and all was well, you’d rain hell down on Dean.

The door to the motel room opened, and Sam walked in carrying takeout trays with burgers and sodas. He closed the door and set them on the table before getting a good look at your depressed state on the bed. Your back was hunched, tears stained your cheeks, and your eyes were puffy and red.

“What the hell happened?” Sam asked.

“Ask the idiot,” you sniffled.

Dean walked out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe, but that wasn’t the most shocking thing. He played Patrick, but he lost. Dean wasn’t Dean anymore. He gained fifty years after winning your father the twenty-five he bet on. Sam reached for his gun and was going to point it at the old man, but since you weren’t freaking out about the stranger, he figured he wasn’t dangerous.

“Dean?” Sam gasped.

“Hi.”

“Okay, what the fuck happened?”

“We, you know... found the game,” he said as he picked up one of the burgers on the table.

“You f—I thought you said you were g-good at poker,” Sam exclaimed.

“He isn’t,” you glared.

“Shut up,” Dean scoffed.

“Man, you look like—”

“The old chick in Titanic. I know. Shut up,” Dean scoffed with his mouth full.

“I was gonna say Emperor Palpatine,” Sam chuckled. The door to the room thudded open, and your dad came wheeling into it before closing it.

“I see you met John McCain there.”

“Yeah. Any of you want to tell me what happened?”

“My dad’s an idiot,” you sighed, “and Dean’s an even bigger one.”

“Hey, nobody asked him to play,” your dad argued.

“Right. I should have just let you die.”

“And for damn sure, nobody asked you to lose!” Bobby yelled. Sam grinned at the interaction, but when he caught your gaze, his smile faltered.

“It's like Grumpy Old Men.”

“Shut up, Sam,” your dad and Dean said as the same time.

“What the hell were you thinking? He's a witch. He's been playing poker since guys wore tights,” you exploded at your dad.

“You just don't get it,” Bobby sighed.

“Yeah, I get it, dad. You saw a chance to turn the hands of the clock back and get out of that damn chair. Pretty tempting.”

“I can imagine,” Dean added.

“No, you can't.”

“You got me. I never been paralyzed. But I tell you something—I've been to hell, and there's an archangel there wanting me to drop the soap. Look at me! My junk's rustier than yours! You hear me bellyaching? Huh?”

“Uh, actually, yeah,” Sam said when Dean’s stomach rumbled loudly. Dean gasped and took a seat while still holding onto his burger.

“I'm having a heart attack,” Dean gasped. Before you could publicly freak out, your dad spoke.

“No, you’re not.”

“What is this?”

“Acid reflux. Guys your age can't digest certain foods. You're gonna need to put down that cheeseburger,” he chuckled. Dean sighed and placed the burger down regretfully.

“So, you want to keep emoting, or you want to talk about solving this little issue of yours? It's got to be about the chips.”

“I slid 'em across, Patrick did his little witchy number, and you prettied up in a hurry.”

“I mean, what are you all thinking? Some kind of magic chips or something?” Sam asked.

“Definitely.”

“You remember what he chanted?” you asked.

“Every word,” your dad nodded.

“Alright, then let's find out where he stashes his chips,” Sam declared.

“And steal me fifty. Benjamin Button me back into burger shape. What do you think?” Dean smiled.

“I think you ought to put some clothes on,” you sighed.

Dean rolled his eyes but made his way to the bathroom where his clothes were. Luckily, they still fit, and he walked out twenty minutes later fully clothed. Someone knocked on the door, and Dean went to answer it. It was housekeeping, and she was a beautiful young woman. Dean’s natural instinct was to flirt, but with his age and looks, you weren’t even worried.

“Ready for housekeeping, sir?”

“Born ready,” Dean grinned.

“You're just like my grandfather,” she laughed and his grin faded. “He hits on anything that moves, too. You’re adorable.”

“And dangerous,” Dean frowned when she walked into the room to gather the dirty sheets.

“Aw,” she giggled. You, your dad, and Sam were all smirking at the scene before you.

“Can we just go? You’re my girlfriend. Shouldn’t you be jealous or something?” Dean pouted.

“No, you deserved that,” you declared as you left the room with the three men.

Wanna get tagged? Add yourself to this document! If your tag doesn’t work, find out why!

@sing4mejensen @essie1876 @gh0stgurl @redsalv20 @superrandomnatural @scarletmeii @babypink224221 @gaveherhearttotheliontattoo @akshi8278 @a--1--1--3 @kendlemariee @miraclesoflove @earthtokace @teamfreewillsstuff @fandom-princess-forevermore @kiwihoee @jennazeise @phantomalchemist @posiemax @22sarah08 @tricksterdean @andi-mendes-barnes @put-my-favorite-record-on

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iguessyouregonnamissthepantyraid · 4 years

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Fic Rec List (A Tag Game!)

Rules: Post links (Ao3, ff.net, etc.); specify fandom/pairing/etc; don’t answer the same fic twice - spread the appreciation; tag other people; you don’t have to answer all the questions, but leave them in the list so the next person can answer if they want.

i was tagged by @aninfinitenumberofmonkeys, who is also listed below because they’re a banging author and i love love love their work. ALSO i tried to tag the author’s tumblr where i could find it, but if i forgot or i totally fucked up and tagged you for a fic you didn’t write please let me know 😅

Fandoms mentioned are MCU, Stephen King’s It, The Umbrella Academy, Shazam!, Welcome to Night Vale

1. Favourite complete fic you’ve read this month (multiple chapters/parts): and i will not remember that i ever felt the pain by Fluffifullness @fluffifullness (It) -- it’s about the longing! it’s about grief and love and how they’re connected! it’s about the angst! but most importantly it’s about eddie 👏 getting 👏 all 👏 the 👏 hugs 👏👏👏

2. Favourite complete fic you’ve read this month (one-shot): we'll laugh and we'll cry until there's no more tears by knewwellenough @transfinnpoe (It) -- what’s better than this? coupla guys bein’ dudes, coupla dudes cryin’ and huggin’, coupla guys bein’ gay. ugh god i’m still weeping over this reunion hug, like, yeah there’s smut eventually but guys the hUG--

3. Favourite WIP you’ve read this month: hold on i still need you by QueenWithABeeThrone (It) because @viciousmaukeries is both a master of the written word and a genie specializing in granting my very specific fic wishes before i’ve even thought to wish them, so please, go read this tam lin au i’m still losing my whole mind over it

4. One fic/series you’ve read which you keep coming back to again and again: hoping to be found by eddiespaghetti (foxwatson) @eddykaspbraks (It) -- *blows a kiss in the general direction of NYC* for eddie kaspbrak getting the healing he deserves

5. Most underrated fic you’ve read this year: did you know there’s no option to sort your bookmarks by kudos wtf anyway let’s go with some by virtue fall by StarryCleric (Umbrella Academy) because WHY are all my favorite five character studies so criminally underappreciated

6. Most underrated fic you’ve read EVER: trade all my tomorrows by tombenough_and_continent (Umbrella Academy) because again, why are all my favorite five character studies so underappreciated, wtf where’s the LOVE for my sad traumatized old man assassin, huh??? where???

7. Favourite whump/angst fic of the year: Next time, hire a nanny by TheArchaeologist @ancientstone (Umbrella Academy) i am counting this as whump/angst because my dude gets real hurt in this, but tbh it’s the ACTION i love this fic for, just nonstop heart pumping adrenaline and worry for my favorite time traveling (retired) assassin and his adorable little niece, and some amazingly soft hurt/comfort at the end

8. Favourite hurt/comfort fic of the year: If Either Way's The Hard Road by altschmerzes @altschmerzes (Shazam!) -- brothers being soft! my soft spot for kids played by jack dylan grazer strikes again! ahhh! good shit!

9. Favourite fluff fic of the year: Everybody Comes A-Running by Infinite_Monkeys @aninfinitenumberofmonkeys (MCU, GotG) -- listen, i KNOW i’m biased! i know! but this is still SO SO GOOD. the image of loki falling asleep while the guardians doodle on his leg cast is a gift i never knew i needed and it’s fantastic

11. Favourite smut fic of the year: Things That Happens After Eddie Lives (It) by IfItHollers @tthael is not, strictly speaking, a “smut fic,” it’s a fix-it that just happens to have some E-rated scenes, and it would have fit fine in #4′s slot because i’ve reread the whole thing so many times, but listen, this fic’s sex scenes are like the only sex scenes i’ve ever read and liked. talk about keeping in character, man! top fucking notch! plus there’s a line in there like “eddie knows exactly what oxygen does to fire but he breathes in anyway” while richie’s going down on him and, really, that line alone gives it this position on the list SO

10. Favourite gen fic of the year: the only soul I've ever saved by valkyrisms @valkyrisms (MCU, Thor, Spider-man) -- i just had the absolute pleasure of rereading this because it’s been months and i forgot so much of it, GOD if there’s a perfect way to write the unlikely friendship of loki and peter parker, it is unequivocally this

12. Favourite fix-it fic of the year/ever: An Eye For An Eye by dgalerab @dgalerab (Umbrella Academy) because it is no secret at all that this is my favorite fic, and series, bar none. season 2 will not live up to this, i’ve already accepted it, i’m alright with it, because i can always come back and read this after, y’know?

13. Favourite crack-fic fic of the year:

14. Favourite sick-fic this year:

15. Favourite kid-fic this year: kith and kin by penhaligon @arthurpenhaligons (Umbrella Academy) i know i’ve flailed over this on tumblr before but, guys, c’mon, UNCLE FIVE. what else do i need to say? i still cry every time i reach five saying “i don’t want to do this anymore” even though i’ve reread this several times, i just....... five ;_;

15. Fic this year which you didn’t expect to love as much as you do: Mostly Void, Partially Stars by Infinite_Monkeys @aninfinitenumberofmonkeys (MCU, Thor, Welcome to Night Vale) because who writes an mcu night vale crossover and makes it work? oh my god how, this was so good, it’s a mark of superb writing when i actually bark laugh while reading it, like, what a concept, what execution, what a fic, take all my kudos just take em

16. Fic which convinced you to ship a pairing:

17. Favourite AU you’ve read this year: Who You Gonna Call..? by lesbuchanan @lesbuchanan (Umbrella Academy) -- why is river consistently the most galaxy brained person on this site? i have no words but *chef’s kiss*

18. Longest fic/series you’ve read this year: Keep the Car Running (MCU, GotG) starmora! woo! literally 300k+ of starmora and i did not regret a single second of the entire week it took me to read it

19. The last fic you’ve read: all good things by Fluffifullness @fluffifullness (It) -- pleASE someone for the love of god go read this fic and come scream about it with me, it’s just. so good. so so good. the losers defeat pennywise but don’t manage to prevent all those eggs from hatching, resulting in an apocalypse au that so far is MINDBLOWINGLY good and i’m dying over here just thinking about it

20. Wildcard fic you haven’t mentioned but deserves a shout-out + why: In Our Bones by scullyseviltwin @scullyseviltwin (It) because it made me CRY and then it made me cry AGAIN and i LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT

EDIT I WAS SUPPOSED TO TAG PEOPLE AKJHSKJFHAKJFH WHOOPS uhhh okay how bout if i tagged you as an author consider yourself tagged? yeah let’s go with that, but like, no pressure you know the drill just do it if you feel like it or if you’re like me and you’re using this as an excuse to procrastinate other things

EDIT #2 also just like. do this. if you feel like it, regardless of whether you’re tagged or not, just like........ pretend i tagged you aiight

#huh i actually managed to do most of them #i did this over the course of like three days lmao #tag game #long post #fic recs #oh and i don't think the game actually necessitates commentary i'm just like this

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joyful-soul-collector · 4 years

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About Me

I was tagged by @theswordofpens! I started a new post for this cuz the other one was getting hella long with reblogs lol. Anyway, let’s get on to the questions!

How tall are you?

5′7 or 170.18cm

What color and style is your hair?

That is a debated topic actually. My hair is dyed bright blue, but the natural parts of it people can never decide if it’s black or dark brown. In the summer sun, it’s dark brown, but it’s not always summer and I’m inside 90% of the time, so it looks black very often. So really depends on the lighting of the situation. Though people tend to focus more on the fact that my hair is blue rather than what color the natural parts are lol. My hair is a pretty basic short haircut, short on the sides, little longer on top, a bit of bangs that get in my eyes sometimes.

What color are your eyes?

Again, debated topic, and for the same reason as my hair. Sometimes dark brown, sometimes black, depends on the light.

Do you wear glasses?

Yep! They’re red on the inside and black on the outside.

Do you wear braces?

Yeah, my family was finally able to get me braces a while ago! I guess most kids get them when they’re younger, before their teeth have the chance to get worse, and they only have to have them on for a year or so? But we were only able to get them when I entered sophomore year of high school, so I have to have them for three years since my teeth had gotten so bad. They’re a lot better now, and hopefully I’ll be able to get them off before I go to community college 😅

What’s your fashion sense?

Does fandom nerd count as a category of fashion? I wear a lot of shirts with references to tv shows. All of my shirts have some sort of graphic on it, and I also have a couple zip-up hoodies that are tv show references. I also wear bright red sneakers every day, big bright red headphones that I wear every day, and a wallet chain that I wear every day. So all of that, combined with bright blue hair, seems to make for a... noticeable person haha.

What is your full name?

Marko Polo

(Nice try, I’m not saying personal stuff on here haha)

Where were you born?

Not gonna say exactly where, but in the more southern part of California.

Where are you from and where do you live now?

Alright, so technically I’m from a few different places. I was born in southern CA and lived there til I was 8, then we moved to super north-western WA where I lived until I was almost 13, and then we moved to central PA, where we celebrated my 13th birthday like a week after arriving. I’ve lived here in PA ever since, so that’s five years here in a couple months.

What school do you go to?

A High School

What kind of student are you?

I’m an alright student? I struggle with school, especially with all the moving I’ve had to do. Different schools have different expectations and vary in a lot of ways. I also have ADHD (more inattentive, less hyperactive) and Anxiety, which has not exactly been a help haha. I’ve always needed tutors and extensions and my 504 Plan, but if I have those I can often get good grades!

Do you like school?

School is meh. It’s stressful and exhausting, which is frustrating because I have other stuff I want do outside school, but I can’t do half of it because I have hw and chores and any other random things that need to get done. But my school is very high quality compared to most public schools! We have so many resources and amazing classes, and I love attending there, but unfortunately the people are not my favorite. Most of them are rich kids who have never attended anything other than really fancy schools, so they often take what they have for granted. I’ve heard kids say “our school is trash” while sitting in our Forensic Science class, in front of a school issued computer that we get to take home every day. It bothers me to NO END how some of these people act, but oh well.

Favorite subject?

English! English has always been my favorite subject, I love stories.

Favorite TV shows?

Ohhhhhhh man here we go (in no particular order): Firefly, Dollhouse, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Demon Slayer, Legend of Korra, My Hero Academia, Sense8, Sherlock, Death Note, Lovesick, One Punch Man, Series of Unfortunate Events, The Good Place, Galavant, Parks and Rec, The Office, iZombie, Kill la Kill, Community, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, The Umbrella Academy, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Naruto, Batman The Animated Series, Travelers, Sex Education, Cells at Work, Death Parade, The Promised Neverland, RWBY

Tbh there might be more but those are the ones I could find haha. If you haven’t seen these, watch em, pretend this is a rec list, and then come and yell at me about how good they are.

Favorite movies?

Again, here we go (in no particular order): The Iron Giant, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Cabin in the Woods, any and all MCU movies (but especially Spider-Man), Into The Spider-Verse, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, anything Bo Burnham, anything John Mulaney, James Acaster: Repertoire, The Prestige, The Usual Suspects, Planet of the Apes, Lars and the Real Girl, Her, Newsies, Baby Driver, Serenity, Liar Liar, Crazy Stupid Love, Bandersnatch, ARQ, Cloverfield, A Silent Voice, Klaus, How To Train Your Dragon, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

There are definitely more, I just couldn’t think of them haha. Again, watch these, and then come and freak out with me about how they’re amazing.

Favorite books?

Let’s do this one last time (in no particular order, of course): Ready Player One, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter, the Gone series, Saga, Sweet Tooth, Chew, Nimona, The Tea Dragon Society, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Lumberjanes, Invincible, Runaways, Calvin and Hobbes, Prince and the Dressmaker, Here, Plutona, Sculptor, Invincible, The Sword, Ultimate Spider-Man, Holes, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, The Giver

There are definitely, 100% more books that I haven’t listed, again, I can’t think of them rn. Also, if you don’t recognize half of these titles, you probably don’t read comics/graphic novels. You should be reading those. Read them and then come and rant about how good they are so I get to tell you I told you so.

Favorite past time?

Writing! Watching tv! Reading! Spacing out so much people have to say my name ten times before I come hurtling back to earth! Talking to friends!

Do you have any regrets?

Yeah, I wish I’d stood up for myself when I was younger. I was bullied for a really long time, and even though it’s been a couple years since the last I was bullied, it’s still really hard for me to tell people what I want and and don’t want. I think I’m a little better than I used to be though, which is good!

What’s your dream job?

Author definitely, but I doubt I’ll be able to do that for a real job. Tbh I just want a job that I can do in my sleep. Repetitive, pays well, not too exhausting, that way I have energy and time to do my writing and all the things I want to do at home.

Would you like to be married?

I think so. I want to have a person I can live my life with, who I want to care for and who wants to care for me. If I’m not married I’d like an S.O. or even just a really good friend to live with. I think I’d get sad living by myself haha.

Do you want kids?

I want to be a foster parent! I’ve loved helping people my whole life, and I think this is one of the best ways that I can help someone going through a rough time. I don’t want biological kids though tbh, not really for any one reason, just for a bunch of little ones.

How many?

Dunno man. I wanna help as many kids as I can.

Do you like shopping?

I do! However I don’t do it often because I have no money. I do like walking around stores and looking a cool stuff though, especially nerdy stores like Hot Topic or Boxed Lunch or any book/comic shop.

What countries have you visited?

Canada, usually to visit family, once to see Niagara Falls! Never been anywhere else though, but I have a whole list of places I wanna see

Scariest nightmare you’ve ever had?

TW: SELF HARM/DEATH

Oof, see my dreams are always nightmares, and my nightmares are always hella terrifying. Often they’re of my worst fears: family telling me they hate me, finding the body of someone in my family, old bullies coming back, but in my worst one I found my little sister cutting herself in an old warehouse. I don’t actually remember much of what happened after I woke up, it was so bad I disassociated for the whole day. But luckily, I don’t dream often.

Do you have any enemies?

No? Maybe? I have people I hate, my old bullies mainly, but I’m not around them anymore so it’s not like I spend time hating them.

Do you have any self doubts?

Yeah I have this hilariously fun thing where I think everyone is just pretending to like me because they can’t pick up the courage to stop hanging out with me. Or that if I talk about what’s making me sad/stressed out then I’m being a burden on other people or being dramatic. Slowly working over that but it’s still hard.

Do you have any significant others?

Nope

Do you believe in miracles?

Depends. I don’t believe in fate or the idea that something higher up is pulling strings. But I think crazy cool stuff can happen. But that’s just luck and coincidence. For me, miracles are the positive ends of luck and coincidence.

How are you?

Meeeeehhhhh. School sucks, my sisters stress me out, and my parents are breathing down my neck about fifty different things. But I have a couple good friends and my writing and good stories to read and watch, so it’s not all bad :]

Tag ten tumblrs (tag last ten people in my notifications): @tracle0 @humblesavant @holystudenthologramy @federluftmask @phahbiyah @topazastral @dragon-s-bane @cassius-mortemer @saiko-tsuki @writing-another-star

#tag game #about me

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galli-writes · 5 years

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Anything at All

(Click here to read on Ao3!)

(Click here to listen to the podfic!)

fandom: Teen Titans

pairing: BBRae

genre/warnings: AU - Canon Divergence; Implied/Referenced Abuse, Abusive Parents, Childhood Trauma, Graphic Depictions of Violence

additional tags: Angst, Family Issues, Friendship/Love, Protectiveness, Slow Burn, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions

summary:

There are a few things that Beast Boy knows for certain:

He’s 21….and a total lightweight. He’s a vegan (but not like…a pretentious vegan). He’s not going to be single forever.

And the Teen Titans are the only family he’ll ever need.

a/n: Sorry it took me so long to get this next chapter out! I've been very busy lately. Hopefully things should be getting a little more consistent soon.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2: The First Fight ( words: 7,525 )

Lately, Beast Boy had decided that his least favorite part of being called out on a mission was changing into uniform. Calling it a uniform and not a costume made it only slightly less embarrassing.

He understood the point of it—at least from Robin’s perspective. But the rest of them didn’t have much of an alternate identity anyway, so the costume always seemed a little redundant. Like Raven had pointed out when they first met, trying to ‘conceal your civilian identity’ seemed a little pointless when you were green. But they’d still kept it up all these years regardless. Robin’s leniency toward costume redesigns was the one saving grace.

Beast Boy quickly grabbed a pair of slick black athletic pants off the floor, along with a form fitting long sleeve shirt. It was still raining outside and, heading into October, that meant it was probably pretty cold out there too. Both pieces were relatively plain, save for a few purple accents here and there and several obnoxious zippers. He strapped on his extra-grip running shoes as tightly as he could without cutting off his circulation. He’d learned from experience that this was a necessary evil.

Before running out the door, he made sure to grab one last thing. A red and white sports jacket that he’d been recently trying to incorporate into his look. Raven always complained that he needed to just pick one color scheme and stick with it—the purple and black or the red white—but Beast Boy refused. She told him the jacket was stupid, and actually seemed actively annoyed by the clashing colors. So naturally he wore it every opportunity he got.

He glanced at the clock on his desk, muttering a curse under his breath. He darted out of his room, nearly tripping around the corner as he ran. It had only been a minute or two, but sometimes that wasn’t fast enough for Robin. The guy seemed to live in his uniform. Beast Boy suspected he always had on it underneath whatever he was wearing--just like in the movies.

By the time he got to the garage, only Robin and Cyborg were still there—Robin about to hop on his bike, Cyborg tinkering with his car again.

“There you are,” Robin said, in the middle of putting on his helmet.

“Sorry,” Beast Boy panted.

“Don’t apologize,” Robin said flatly. “Apologies don’t fix mistakes. Actions do. Just try and get here sooner next time.”

“Right,” Beast Boy said. The words weren’t unfair or mean spirited, but they did leave him with a small pit in his stomach. Raven could teleport anywhere in an instant. Cyborg didn’t even have to change. And any time Starfire was ever late or unprepared for a battle, Robin barely seemed to noticed. Maybe that was one of the perks of dating your team leader.

“I’ve already sent Star and Raven out to do some recon. You should try and catch up to them,” Robin said, revving the engine.

Cyborg had stood up from behind the car, and was now typing away at a keypad on his arm. “Just sent their location to your transmitter. You shouldn’t be too far behind them.”

“On it,” Beast Boy nodded.

Without looking back he turned on his heels and started running as fast as he could—at least in his human form. Then, in one quick movement, the ground disappeared from under his feet, replaced with the damp, whirling air of a rainy day.

He hadn’t been lying earlier. With a hawk’s eye view he really could see every detail below him—everything from the man shushing his child at the bus stop to the woman handing out religious pamphlets on the corner of the street. If the clouds hadn’t been blocking it, he figured he probably would have had a pretty good view of the sunset. Instead, the sky was dark and gray. The city easily made up for it with every streetlight, headlight, and illuminated office building that cut through the rain.

The bank was just around the corner--the sirens and flashing lights confirmed it.

Beast Boy glided down to the roof of a shorter building just across the street from all the action. He perched on the back of a patio chair--one among many on the rooftop. The air smelled like coffee and freshly baked bread, even through the rain. And based on the number of sparrows that scattered when he landed, he figured the roof had to belong to a restaurant or coffee shop. The thought alone was enough to make his stomach rumble again. Turns out two handfuls of Fritos couldn’t really count as a meal.

Beast Boy whipped his transmitter out of his pocket and clicked the button on the side.

“I’m here,” he said, looking around. “Not sure exactly where everyone else is.”

“Hold on a sec,” Cyborg’s voice crackled through his ear. “They just left. Heading west in pursuit. Towards the outskirts of town.” The sound of frantic typing echoed through the speaker. “Their signal’s dying though. Fast. I think I’m gonna lose ‘em any second.”

Beast Boy smiled, even though no one could see. “Piece a cake.”

He slid the transmitter back into his pocket and leapt off the building once more. He flew directly over the sea of blaring lights and sirens, bypassing them entirely. Two blocks ahead, he dove into an alley and landed on all fours. Fortunately, the GPS he had up his sleeve was powered by smell, not cellular signal. And in this kind of weather, a green wolf prowling through the shadows could easily be mistaken for a mangy stray dog.

The rain admittedly made things more difficult. Every trace of a scent he found was vague and foggy. But he was confident he’d find the trail eventually--the scent he was looking for was hard to miss.

After trotting through the shadows for a good ten minutes, he finally caught what he was looking for. The aroma itself, sweet and slightly smoky, was faint at first. But it was so distinctly different from every other smell—exhaust fumes, humidity, and now wet dog--that just one whiff was enough to send him into a small sneezing fit.

The buildings around him had begun to change pretty drastically as well. Instead of skyscrapers, narrow apartment buildings made up the majority of the street face. He passed an old-fashioned gas station with only three pumps. Several men were standing outside the convenience store connected to it, laughing and smoking cigarettes. Another block down he passed a 24 hour pizza place that was totally empty. Then another convenience store with a busted neon sign. The street lights changed for only a few passing cars. He could count the number of people he saw on four paws--one of them a stray cat that had hissed at him violently as he passed.

Beast Boy knew he was still very much in the city--but he didn’t know where. Somehow even with the lights and the people and the apartments, it felt like he was trekking through a ghost town. A place that the rest of the city had forgotten about altogether. He couldn’t explain why exactly, but his breath suddenly felt more labored and tired. Like each time he exhaled it was more of a sigh. A shadow of sadness he couldn’t trace back to any one thing in particular.

When the ground shifted from asphalt to grass, he breathed a sigh of relief. The dewy forest floor felt so much more natural when he was in this form. Needless to say, the relief was not just physical. As he put more and more distance between himself and the streets behind, the sentiment began to fade. And it disappeared completely the moment he spotted some flaming red hair poking through the trees.

He bounded forward and leapt into the air, sneezing mid-transformation. To top it all off, he quickly realized that the ground beneath him wasn’t so much ground anymore as it was a pile of mud. A pile of mud he promptly slid right into.

“Beast Boy!” Starfire gasped.

“’Sup ladies,” he said with a wink, meeting Raven’s eye roll from the ground.

“How were you able to locate us?” Starfire asked, helping him up. “We do not have any of the signal.”

Beast Boy stood, trying (and failing) to wipe the mud off his jacket. “Oh, that was easy,” he said, flicking some off his shoulder. “Raven stinks .”

Raven glared at him, her eyes two menacing slits under a cloak of shadow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You always smells like that weird store downtown,” he continued. “With the Buddha statues and weed socks.”

He should’ve seen her next move coming--but of course he hadn’t.

Suddenly Beast Boy’s footing gave and he found himself on the ground again-- magically --like he’d never gotten up in the first place. Raven was looking over him.

“It’s called incense . And I’ve never set a foot in that disgusting store in my life.”

Beast Boy got to his feet again. This time unassisted. “Well it stinks,” he said dramatically wrinkling his nose. “Why can’t you just burn sugar cookie candles like a normal person?”

Raven frowned. “Well at least I don’t smell like a soggy doggy daycare,” she replied.

Beast Boy looked down at his drenched, and now very muddy, clothing. No grade of athletic fabric would have been enough to save him from the laundry he’d be doing after a fall like that.

“So you have no news from Robin?” Starfire quickly interjected, looking around a little more urgently than either of them.

“I think he was about to head this way—maybe he’s asking some questions back at the bank?” Beast Boy shrugged. He instinctively reached for his transmitter. “Lemme check if I have any bars.”

Flipping the device open in his palm, he squinted at the top left corner. Miraculously, he had a flickering signal--if only for a second. The number in the top right hit 2%...then 1%...and then the device shut off entirely. He snapped it shut.

“Uh--nope, nothing. No bars,” he said, biting his lip.

“Oh, glorbnaf,” Starfire said under her breath.

Beast Boy looked around them, but could only make out the shadowy outlines of the towering trees. Out here, the only light they had to guide them was the glow from Starfire’s eyes.

“Sooooo...”

“We just lost them,” Raven said flatly.

Beast Boy grit his teeth. ““...What’re we gonna tell Robin?”

“Exactly what I just told you. Unless you have a better idea.”

Beast Boy looked around the clearing they were all stopped in. And when he really started to absorb his surroundings, the feeling from the streets returned again. He couldn’t place what it was, but something didn’t feel right. It was something about the ground. Now that he wasn’t running across it or slipping in a mud puddle, he could feel something. Hear something deep below.

“Hold on a sec,” he said, furrowing his brow. Instantly, the green elephant from earlier reappeared in the clearing, landing with a crash. Starfire and Raven’s eyes both widened in confusion, but they remained silent as Beast Boy slowly walked around the clearing. With every step he took, he could feel it more clearly--a sort of vibration, a humming reverberating up through the earth. He stopped directly in the center of the clearing and transformed back.

“I think...they’re still here,” he said slowly. “They’re just...underground.”

“Underground?” Starfire said.

Raven frowned.“So you turned into an elephant and stomped on their ceiling. Because that’s not conspicuous at all.”

“Eh heh hem,” Beast Boy said as he spun around. “Elephants can hear through their feet, Raven .”

“You know what else can hear underground?” she replied. “Tiny mice and mole rats that don’t alert the enemy that we’re standing right on top of them .”

Beast Boy just threw out a hand dismissively. “Yeah, right. Like they really heard that.” He shook his head. “I heard some kind of weird humming noise. They’re probably blasting music while they count their money.”

“Um...friends,” Starfire’s voice cut in, once again much more urgently.

Beast Boy and Raven turned simultaneously, eyes following Starfire’s gaze as she pointed to several metal objects rising out of the ground.

Without missing a beat, Raven raised her hands, eyes aglow. A translucent purple dome instantly appeared around them--and not a second too soon.

Lasers bounced viciously off the barrier, coming from every direction. Even though the dome easily deflected the shots, the action began to produce a troubling smokescreen on all sides, completely blocking their visibility.

“You were saying?” Raven sneered, brow furrowed in concentration.

Starfire began to throw shots out in every direction. Each time she was lucky enough to hit something, a small burst of light leaked through the smoke, which was only now beginning to clear. Just enough for Beast Boy to see the lights coming toward them.

“Uh...guys,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “We’ve got company.”

Starfire spun around, now following his line of sight. She began firing once more, this time with slightly more precision.

“They’re gonna be right on top of us,” Raven said, gritting her teeth. “I have to drop the screen. I think it’s--”

But Beast Boy didn’t wait for her to finish the thought. He hadn’t been able to do much on the mission so far. But now, with so many targets in front of him, he could feel the blood thumping in his ears, more loudly than the voice of his friend.

In the next moment, he felt his claws dig into the wet earth, and then into sharp metal and sparking wires as he pounced and ripped off one of the approaching figure’s arms. Having the jaws of a bengal tiger made the the task as simple as snapping a toothpick. Beast Boy pounded forward, barely dodging several strikes from what appeared to be some sort of metal staff. When he was within a foot of the wielder, he leapt directly at them, aiming for the center of the staff they now held up in defense.

But instead of reveling in the satisfaction of watching the staff broken in half at his feet, Beast Boy suddenly found that he was the one of the ground again. His right leg coursed with a numbing electric pain, and every nerve in his body felt distant--misplaced.

With a nearly invisible swipe, the staff and its wielder had spun out of his reach, only to knock him down with an incredibly basic low sweep. On his back, reeling with pain, he looked up at the shadowy figure hovering over him now. Blue and white sparks flew off the cold metal of the staff, which they raised above them, ready to deliver the final blow. Beast Boy closed his eyes tight. It wouldn’t actually be the final blow of course. But it definitely wasn’t going to be pretty either.

Just as he was about to accept that being bedridden for a week wouldn’t be all bad, a blaring noise passed over him, followed by an inhuman scream. He opened his eyes, squinting just enough to see Raven hovering off to his left.

“You can thank me later,” she said, barely glancing at him before firing another bolt of shadow into the fray. “On your right.”

Beast Boy looked up again and, with his good leg, used the same move that had bested him to take out the oncoming attacker. In one swift swipe, the figure was on the ground, falling face first into the mud. With a subtle smirk, Beast Boy quickly transformed again--this time into an alligator--and chomped down on the attacker’s leg.

The figure fell limp, but just as it did, Beast Boy felt the pain coursing through his right leg again--this time radiating all the way up into what would have been his thigh. He slipped back into human form, pulling the knee tight up against his chest. No matter which way he turned it, the pain didn’t disappear.

It was during this moment that he realized just how quiet the scene had become. When he looked back up at the battlefield before him he only saw a handful of enemies left standing--and they were clearly outmatched. In the entire time it had taken him to take down two goons, his friends had managed to wipe out the other thirty or so.

He rested his forehead on his knee and exhaled a long sigh. Yeah. Typical.

“I’ve found something!” Starfire called in the distance.

He lifted his head to see her crouched over one of the bodies on the ground. After a moment she stood back up, brandishing a small object in her hand. Meeting Beast Boy’s eyes, she flew over to him.

“Beast Boy--are you the hurt?”

“I’m fine,” he said, shaking his head. “Just...tired.” Though even as he said it, he could feel the muscles in his leg throbbing in pain.

Raven appeared silently behind Starfire, who looked down at the object again. She sighed. “It is the same symbol as that from the other attacks.”

There was a pause as Beast Boy studied her expression, which was relieved and distraught at the same time. And then he noticed Raven, who was staring straight at him, squinting.

“Why’re you looking at me like that?” he said, eyebrow raised.

“I’m not looking at you ,” Raven said, rolling her eyes.

“What?”

“Scoot over,” she said, waving her hand.

Even though it hurt to do so, he did, moving a foot away from the tree trunk he’d propped himself up against.

Raven crouched down next to him and began digging through the soggy leaves. The rain was starting to let up, but in the aftermath of the storm everything was still a muddy mess. After a moment, her efforts revealed an incredibly dim, blinking red light buried under the roots of the large oak tree.

Beast Boy furrowed his brow in confusion “How’d you--?”

“Your ass was blinking,” she said, pressing the dim light, which was apparently also a button. A small translucent panel popped out of the bark of the tree just above it.

“Why were you staring at my ass?” Beast Boy said, unable to resist flashing a snarky smile at her as he said it

Starfire giggled, a hand at her mouth trying to contain herself.

Raven shot her a look and she immediately dropped it. She looked back at the panel that had appeared on the tree. “It looks like a fingerprint scanner,” she said, eyes narrowed.

Without a word, Raven looked back out over the battlefield. She extended a hand out in the direction of one of the fallen androids. In an instant, a dismembered arm flew into her hand. She removed the dirty leather glove from the end of it, revealing a small bit of ultra-realistic latex skin that had managed to stay attached to the hand. Sure enough, the grotesque realism included fingerprints.

She pushed each finger up against the scanner, one by one. When she got to the ring finger, the panel finally blinked green and, after a moment, receded back into the trunk.

For a moment, nothing happened. And in that short span of time, Beast Boy managed to climb to his feet, making a conscious effort to look as uninjured as possible. Of course, when the ground began to shake and he fell flat on his ass again, he was sure he wasn’t convincing anyone.

To their right, a particular pile of leaves rustled a little more than the rest. With a loud click, a perfect circle began to cut itself out in the forest floor. There was just enough moonlight now to illuminate a narrow metal ladder leading down the edge of it.

“Well that was...easy,” Raven said, her tone tinged with even more distrust than usual.

“Who cares?” Beast Boy said, finally making it to his feet for the second time. “Time to kick some secret society android ass motherfu--!” He took one triumphant step forward, and, for the fourth time that night, found himself covered in mud on the forest floor.

Raven looked down at him from where she was standing, specifically eyeing his right leg, which he’d instinctively reached out for after the fall.

“You’re not coming,” she said, matter-of-factly.

“ What ?”

“Stay here and wait for Robin. Starfire and I will take care of it,” she said, ready to turn around and be on her way.

“But I just got here!” Beast Boy whined. “And I—“ He began to complain, but winced as the numbing pain coursed through his leg again.

Raven shot him a look over her shoulder. A look that told him that arguing with her wouldn’t be worth the trouble.

“Alright, alright,” Beast Boy grumbled. “Staying here.” He threw his arms up in the air in surrender and plopped down on the damp forest floor, leaning back up against the tree.

Starfire gave him a sympathetic smile, but drifted away with Raven as soon as she started to make her way down the passage. And in a moment, he was completely alone again.

“You know,” he yelled at the nothingness, “there’s lots of dangerous animals that don’t even have legs!”

The ironic chirp of crickets in the distance was the only reply he got.

Beast Boy looked around once more at the bodies littering the ground. He felt something akin to frustration bubble up in him. Seeing them all lying so still, he could actually get an idea of how many enemies they’d been up against. And how he was only responsible for taking down two of them. He couldn’t just quit here. If he did, it would be like he’d never even showed up to begin with. Like he’d barely contributed to the match. And that was the last thing he wanted.

Beast Boy eyed the opening in the ground that his two friends had just disappeared into. Then he shot one last glance at the army of androids littering the ground like old rag dolls.

“Raven wants me to play babysitter? Yeah, as if.”

With support from the tree trunk behind him, he pulled himself to his feet one last time. He could manage to stand on his own--and even walk a little if he was careful. But he was kidding himself. As much as he hated to admit it, Raven had been right about the severity of his injury.

He thought for a moment about what he could transform into. Something that wouldn’t require him to use his legs—at least not for movement. Something small and inconspicuous—something not even Raven would notice. Something that wouldn’t have any trouble getting down that tunnel.

One idea quickly came to mind. In a flash, he went from standing still to beating his miniature wings so fast he could barely see them. He felt invisible--which was exactly what he wanted. He hovered over the pit. And as for his usual dilemma, he didn’t have a thing to worry about. After all, humming birds were already green.

The passage underground was dark, damp, and at least three times as cold as the wind chill on the surface. As Beast Boy fluttered downward, a slight breeze pushed back against him, which admittedly made him start to second guess the whole humming bird thing.

Eventually however, the breeze started to level off, and Beast Boy could make out a faint yellow glow coming into focus beneath him. When he finally reached the source of the light, the breeze dispersed altogether as the tunnel opened into a wide room.

It was roughly what he’d expected. If you’ve see one underground hideout you’ve seen ‘em all.

Old subway tiles lined the wall. Though they’d probably been white at one point, now they were as brown as the rough dirt floor. The room itself was empty, save for a stream of water running along one edge of it. The water originated from somewhere beyond a grate in the eastern wall. It simply passed through, and exited out another grate at the opposite end. In the far left corner, another dim yellow light illuminated the only other point of entry built into the room. The whole scene looked a bit like the indie horror games Beast Boy never had the guts the finish.

He flew across the room toward the light, which revealed a long empty hallway.

Unmarked doors lined each side of the dirty tile, walls. The narrow space reeked of antiseptic and decaying wood. He quickly made his way down the hall, which fortunately had few twists and turns. Smaller hallways occasionally branched off of the main one, but they only led to clusters of doors. Doors that were all either locked or held nothing but some unremarkable chairs and tables inside them.

Whoever had designed this place had clearly been playing too many video games.

As he went deeper however, the atmosphere began to change slightly. The tiles lining the hallway gradually looked whiter, cleaner, newer --as if the hall had only recently been constructed. Down here, instead of just blank doors and empty rooms, signs began to pop up next to the door handles. They ranged in description from things like ‘JANITOR’ and ‘STORAGE’’ to things like ‘NEUROEPIGENETICS’ and ‘CRYOCONSERVATION’. Beast Boy was just beginning to wonder what the last two could possibly mean when he heard the faintest echoes of voices bouncing around an upcoming corner. And at least two of them were instantly recognizable.

He darted forward as quickly and as silently as his wings would carry him. It wasn’t long before the familiar sounds of Starfire’s energy bolts and Raven’s chanting joined the mix. When he turned a corner at the end of the hallway, the scene came into full view before him.

The room, or rather warehouse, was incredibly large, the decor just as plain and white as the route to get there. But unlike the other rooms he’d seen on his way over, this one wasn’t empty. Stacks upon stacks of large wooden crates and cardboard boxes lined the walls and sat in groups all over the floor. The ceiling reached incredible heights--it had to be at least fifty feet tall—and there were several stacks of crates that reached all the way to the top. It resembled the backlot of a Home Depot, that is, if the mulch and flowers had been replaced with suspicious, unmarked boxes.

The boxes aside, the room was wide open, so it wasn’t hard to get a good look at the fight going on. Beast Boy swallowed hard.

On the floor, there were already several people down. They looked just like the androids--black jumpsuits and masks that showed only their eyes. But none of them were sparking or twitching like broken machinery. Instead, they were writhing on the floor in pain--still alive of course. But it was the alive part that changed things.

In the ceiling corner diagonal to him, Beast Boy watched as Raven raised her hands, gritting her teeth as she heaved a forklift into the air and shot it toward a group of people, their weapons aimed directly at her. There was a loud crash, followed by a stream of red bullets flying from the cloudy aftermath of the wreckage. Raven dodged each one of them with an expert precision.

On the other side of the room, Starfire brutally yelled at one of goons in Tamaranian. She whipped around, blasting another small group of them with a beam of green light from her left hand. With her right, she cut down one of the ceiling beams, which subsequently crashed down on top of another few.

But despite their efforts, there were just too many of them to handle all at once. And the extras didn’t seem particularly interested in fighting back. They were trying to run away--and they were trying to take something with them.

In the corner the farthest away from the rest of the fighting, Beast Boy watched about ten or fifteen individuals scramble to transfer a particular set of crates into a white van. The engine was already running, the driver ready to take off at any moment.

Raven and Starfire were more than qualified to handle anything their opponents were dishing out. But they were outnumbered--and now they were stuck holding off the distraction.

Beast Boy felt his blood pumping again. This was his chance. Er...second chance. To not just be the distraction or the plan B, but to take center stage. And once again, it sparked something in him that he didn’t quite know how to control.

So he didn’t try to control it.

Any worry he had about Raven catching him immediately vanished. He didn’t care about being inconspicuous. He wanted to be seen. And a two ton rhinoceros was definitely more visible than a humming bird.

He hit the ground running, savoring the crack of the tile beneath his legs as he ran. The adrenaline coursing through his veins rendered all of the pain it caused him irrelevant. The ground shook, and instantly he could feel that all eyes were on him, even though he was too focused on the target in front of him to see them. He charged, head lowered, horn pointed directly at the group behind the truck, ready to—

“BEAST BOY!”

He instantly skidded to a stop. But he’d put the brakes on a second too late.

The criminals ducked out of the way, spared by his split second of hesitation. The driver revved the engine, Raven’s furious words still echoing off the walls.

They were the last thing he heard before he smashed head first into the wall.

When he opened his eyes, he felt his knees going weak underneath him. The only thing holding him upright was his horn, which was firmly pinned through the tile, behind the plaster of the wall. Pain shot through his leg again, and with a yank to free himself, he fell over, his thick skin scraping against the cold shards of broken tile that littered the floor.

Reverting back to his human form was less a choice than it was an obligation. Again, Beast Boy pulled himself up against the wall for support. He looked down at his bloodied palms, felt the taste of blood on his lips. And those were just the new additions to the injuries he’d already sustained.

“Fuck,” he whispered to himself, rubbing a hand across his temple. More blood.

He closed his eyes tight. But the room was bright enough that, even so, he noticed the instant a large shadow fell over him. He opened his eyes, squinting against the lights in the distance. Looming over him was the entire group of individuals he had pinned as easy targets only a moment before.

“Uh...hey there,” he said, with a faltering half smile. “Nice outfits. They new?”

Suddenly, one of the figures stepped forward out of the group. In their hand they held a long metal staff. They gave it a shake and blue sparks began to fire off the end of it.

“Oh. Right,” he said, his shoulders slumping. “That.”

This time he didn’t try and fight it.

Surprisingly, knowing what was coming actually just made things worse. This time he wasn’t caught off guard. And with no distractions, every single brain cell was free to experience the electrifying punch that landed smack in the middle of his chest.

“AHHHHH!!” he yelled so loudly he could barely hear himself think. His eyes shut tight again, this time automatically, and he could feel his entire body curling in on itself. The only control he had left was his ability to scream, and even that felt alien. Like it wasn’t really his voice he was hearing.

He tried to open his eyes, but the entire world was fading into a black static screen. The static itself became more and more muted, like even the TV was starting to lose power. His stomach wretched, and his breathing quickened. But no matter how many breaths he took it was never enough.

Not far off in the distance he heard a loud, muffled growl, followed by the crashing of crates in every direction surrounding him.

The roar of a truck engine and skidding tires rang in his ears, then grew more and more distant.

“Raven!” A second voice yelled, a little farther off. “They are escap—“

Another growl. A voice spitting words in a language Beast Boy didn’t understand. More explosions. The ping of stray bullets reflecting off the walls.

Beast Boy dared to try and open his eyes one more time. Everything was still hazy, but he could make out the shapes and colors before him. He inhaled, finding that his breathing was already beginning to even out. His muscles ached. His chest ached. Every inch of his body hurt like hell.

But he was...fine. Relatively speaking. He was a superhero after all. He’d just gotten his ass handed to him. Again.

But Raven didn’t know that.

The instant the thought occurred to him, he froze--and not just because of the literal paralysis.

Raven didn’t know he was perfectly conscious.

Beast Boy had dedicated countless hours--entire years of his life--to the art of pulling off the perfect prank. He’d gotten everyone at least one point or another over the years. Even Silkie . But pranking Raven had always been like trying to solve a puzzle where none of the pieces fit together. It was impossible. He’d tried everything. Or so he’d thought.

He shut his eyes tight again, this time biting the inside of his lip to keep himself from blowing his cover. If he could get away with this, he could get away with anything .

In a matter of moments, the noises began to fade. The last shots were fired, followed by the thud of a body hitting the floor. And then footsteps that stopped right up next to the side of his face. Someone pausing to lean down.

“Beast Boy, get up,” Raven said sternly, her voice close to his ear. So close he could nearly feel her breath on his face.

Instead of responding though, he continued to lie there, focusing every bit of willpower he had on holding his breath and keeping as still as humanly possible.

Needless to say, doing so became more difficult when he felt two icy fingers press up against the side of his neck. The minute Raven’s skin made contact with his own, he felt a shiver run down his spine. For a brief moment it occurred to him how foreign her touch was. Despite have known each other for so many years now, they rarely ever made physical contact. The only exception was accidentally kicking each other under the table at dinner or smashing into each other in a fight. Raven wasn’t exactly the kind of person you casually brushed up against in the hallway or high-fived after wrapping up a mission. It was a small thing, but in that moment, it felt huge.

“Oh come on,” she muttered under her breath, more to herself than to him. “Look, I already said I don’t have time for your stupid jokes.”

Beast Boy continued to hold his breath, dually to keep himself from breaking character and to keep himself from snickering.

And then she grabbed him firmly by the shoulders and started shaking. Lightly at first, then a little more abruptly. That was something he hadn’t anticipated at all --but at the very least the motion was enough to obscure the rise and fall of his chest as he snuck in a quick breath. Once she set him down on his back again, he relaxed his muscles completely, picturing the image of a rag doll and trying his best to mimic it.

Raven paused. She pulled away for a minute. There was a soft whistle as she breathed in sharply through her teeth.

“Shit,” she whispered, the syllable uttered harsh and quick. It gave Beast Boy pause for a moment.

“ Shit ,” she repeated, her voice shaking a little. There was a distinct lack of apathy in her tone as she said it. For a split second it almost sounded like she was...concerned. Actually concerned .

And suddenly Beast Boy was too.

This had been a bad idea.

A very bad idea.

But before he could pretend to ‘wake up’ and avoid fucking up the situation any more than he already had, Raven picked him up. Not with magic. She actually picked him up full on princess style. Of course, Raven was naturally stronger than the average person, despite mainly relying on magic when it came to fighting. Just another tiny detail about her that suddenly felt very significant.

Beast Boy felt himself freeze up again--but this time it wasn’t an act. What exactly was going on here? And why did he feel so...weird about it?

A second later they were moving.

Beast Boy’s heart began to pound. If he’d been able to pick up on Raven’s scent from over a mile a way, he could definitely smell it now. It was on her clothes and on her skin--both of which he was pressed directly up against. Suddenly two fingers on his neck seemed like nothing. He took a cautious breath in through his nose, not having really decided whether it would be best to keep playing along for now or blow the whole thing.

But the idea of there even being an option didn’t last long, because in the next instant, the unimaginable happened.

He sneezed.

Raven skidded to a stop immediately. When she looked down, she locked eyes with a very conscious, very much alive, very much panicking Beast Boy.

There was only one road out now--and it was the one he least wanted to take.

Playing along with his original joke. His shitty, poorly thought out joke .

If he could play it off as much, maybe he’d be able to slide out of this. Raven would roll her eyes and drop him on the ground. And it would be like it never even happened.

He threw a hand over his forehead. “The...light...” he choked dramatically. “Closer to the light.” He outstretched his other hand toward the sky—which was suddenly moving upward with lightning speed...as he fell flat on his back.

He’d expected as much. What he didn’t expect was the absence of a snarky remark from the girl who’d just dropped him.

Just then, he noticed Starfire finally making her way over to them. She was panting, sweating, completely out of breath. “I tried to follow them but--” She gasped, hands flying up to either side of her face. “Is everything the alright?” she asked, looking down at Beast Boy on the ground.

There was a pause.

“Yeah. Everything’s fine,” Raven said, a hint of hostility in her voice. Without another word, she turned sharp on her heel and began to walk back the way they had come.

Watching her go, Starfire extended a hand out to Beast Boy, helping him up. “What is wrong with friend Raven?”

“Pfft,” he said, trying his hardest to laugh it off. “Nothing’s wrong with her. She just doesn’t know how to take a joke.” But even as he said the words, he knew that what he’d done had been more than just a joke. It had teetered on a pretty dangerous line. Maybe even crossed it.

Starfire looked puzzled. “How can a joke be taken if it is merely a string of sounds?” she asked.

“I—it’s not important,” Beast Boy said, his mind elsewhere.

The trip back was slow and tiring. Beast Boy insisted that he could walk on his own for all of two minutes before letting Starfire carry him the rest of the way. By the time they made it back to the top of the tunnel they’d entered through, it felt like the battle they’d just fought took place a week ago. Maybe more. Time seemed to move more slowly--maybe because Beast Boy was preoccupied, mentally slapping himself every passing second.

When they reached the clearing, Raven was sitting criss cross in the air at the opposite end, meditating.

“I suppose we will have to tell Robin that we have failed,” Starfire said sadly, helping Beast Boy sit up against a nearby tree.

“Eh, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Beast Boy said, trying desperately to sound uninterested and unaffected. “I figure we’ve got some time to make up a convincing story before he gets here.”

But just as Beast Boy closed his mouth, a flash of bright yellow headlights cut through the trees, rushing toward them. A vehicle—unmistakably Robin’s motorcycle—skidded to a halt just at the edge of the clearing. The figure riding it lifted off his helmet and gave his short dark hair a ruffle before swinging off the bike and walking toward them.

“Finally! Do you know how long it took me to find you all without any tracking devices?” he said, panting. “Cyborg’s been going nuts trying to--” Then he paused and took a moment to look around more closely at the scene. First he looked over at Raven in the corner, her back to the rest of the group. Then he glanced down at Beast Boy, limply propped up against the tree and covered in blood. Finally he looked at Starfire, who had never learned how to keep a particularly convincing poker face.

Robin’s own facial expression shifted dramatically, his tone dropping. “What. Happened .”

“I—we—there was—” Beast Boy fumbled, pointing at himself, then Raven, then at the hole to his left.

“Beast Boy happened,” Raven interjected, harshly, her back still turned to them.

“Beast Boy?” Robin repeated, addressing him directly.

“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest, avoiding eye contact.

Robin threw him a skeptical look.

“He was hurt,” Raven said, finally turning around. “So I told him to stay behind—and did he? No. Of course not. He came running after us trying to ‘help’,” she scoffed, making air quotes as she said it. “Queue Mr. Genetic Mistake rushing in with a broken leg and getting knocked out, making ajoke out of it, and buying the idiots we were chasing just enough time to escape.”

Robin turned back to looked at him, disappointed.

“She forgot the part where I was the one who figured out where they were hiding,” he said defiantly, pointing at himself. His caution momentarily replaced by an edge of defensiveness.

“Yeah,” Raven sneered. “By ringing the doorbell.”

“At least it helped us find the entrance!”

“An entrance they’re definitely going to close off or relocate because now we know where it is .”

Robin sighed a long, deep sigh. “Alright. That’s enough.” He rubbed his temples, eyes shut. “We can’t do anything about it now except hope to do better next time. Raven, help him out, would you?” he said, nodding toward Beast Boy. “Star, there’s some stuff I wanna ask you about the people you fought.”

Before she turned her back on him, Starfire shot Beast Boy one last sympathetic look. Though this one felt less like a ‘I feel for you,’ look, and more like a ‘glad it’s not me’ look.

Beast Boy looked down at the ground. He couldn’t risk meeting Raven’s eyes.

She approached him slowly, also avoiding looking directly at him. She crouched down next to him, silently placing her hands over his injured leg. A cloud of energy began to swirl above it, and the pain started to subside slowly but steadily.

Beast Boy snagged a quick glance at her face, trying to read her expression. She didn’t budge, as if healing him took every ounce of her concentration. He knew it didn’t.

For the third time that night, he felt somehow...uncomfortable with their close proximity. The silence only made things worse. So, without thinking, he tried to break it the only way he knew how.

“You’re just mad ‘cause I finally got you ,” he said, trying to manage a playful smile. He imagined that the one he mustered up wasn’t completely convincing.

Suddenly Raven stopped. The light faded from her hands. She stood up and looked down at him, this time dead in the eye.

“Not everything is a joke, Beast Boy,” she said sternly. “And one day, you’re gonna learn that the hard way.”

Beast Boy just sat there for a moment, processing what she had said. He tried to think of a response--some offhand one-liner that would lighten the mood. Those were his speciality. But he was drawing a blank.

“Alright you guys, let’s head home,” Robin called from the distance. “We’ll figure out what to do next tomorrow.”

Raven remained silent for another moment. She continued to looked down at Beast Boy, then she looked off to the side. It was subtle, but Beast Boy thought he heard her whisper something to herself under her breath.

She turned her back on him and walked away.

He crawled back to his feet on his own.

No one turned back to help him up.

#teen titans #bbrae #bbrae fanfiction #beast boy #raven #dc

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irkallanprince · 6 years

Text

Jason the Hunter

Fandom: Power Rangers (2017 movie) Rating: T/PG-13 Warnings: Awkward flirting. Implied violence. Vampires. Also dead bodies but... eh. Relationships: Jason Scott/Billy Cranston

Jason is a monster hunter investigating the strange deaths of criminals. When he finds the person responsible he doesn't quite have the heart to punish them.

Basically I’m trash and that crappy practice doodle about a vampire hunter au I did a few weeks ago inspired this. Maybe it’s a new series? Not sure yet. Also sorry for clogging up the PR and Cranscott tags but like... Cranscott needs more love.

(read on ao3)

Three bodies. All drained of blood. Strewn about Angel Grove Park like abandoned child’s toys. Not dead very long from the feel of it. Jason crouched at the foot of the body nearest to him and stared at the neck wound when he noticed markings peeking up over the collar of the man’s shirt. He reached down and lowered it a bit to see a swastika staring back up at him.

“Nazis… I take back every time I said poor bastard.” He said with an audible cringe in his voice. He looked up at his partner from the corner of his eye who was taking pictures with her Institute-issued phone to log for the attack database. They’d go straight back to Alpha in the command center so they could study them later.

“Yeah. These ones are no big loss but sooner or later an actual innocent person is gonna wind up on the wrong side of the fangs. Just remember we’re trying to do something good here.” She said, slipping the phone back into her pocket and slinging her crossbow over her shoulder.

Jason stood, shoving his hands in his pocket. He’d been hunting for most of his life now. He grew up in a family of hunters, but they were killed by a wild pack of Wendigo a few years back. That was when the Institute took him in. Trained him at the Academy. He was no longer a vigilante monster hunter, rather an official licensed one. They’d paired him with Kimberly Hart, who was a master of archery and stealth and kicked his ass far too many times to count. She was a better technical fighter than him, all skill and perfection in one lithe frame. Jason? Well he was just a brawler. The kind of guy who learned what he could by watching his daddy get into bar fights when he was a wee thing. It got the job done.

Still, it never got any easier staring at corpses. Even the gross nazi kind.

“Been tracking these murders for weeks now and I gotta say, Kimmie… I kind of feel like we should let it alone. Like… all the bodies we’ve picked up have been legit bad dudes? These white supremacist guys? That sex offender about a week ago? A couple of dirty cops? It feels almost like these guys are… kinda alright?” Jason said as he surveyed the scene. It was the work of vampires, that much was clear. But it seemed the vampires in question were targeting genuinely awful people. No real loss, and if anything these human ’victims’ were doing more harm to people than they were. Still, Kim was always the more stalwart of the two.

“Two wrongs don’t make a right. Besides, we let this slide, there’s a lot of other things we might have to consider overlooking. Job’s easier when we don’t have to think about it.” She said, picking up her equipment.

“I’m heading back to Command. You coming?” She asked, blowing a dark curl from her face. Jason gave a shrug and looked around the area.

“I think I want to do one more sweep before I go. Just see if we missed anything.”

Kimberly raised an eyebrow and offered a shrug.

“Keep your comms on. Don’t do anything stupid. So like… just most of the things you would do.” It came off biting, but the hint of a smile on her face showed she was just ribbing him. He gave a sarcastic smile and dismissed her on her way before heading into the treeline of the park himself.

He used his sword to hack at the shrubbery in his path, making his way through the wooded area as he looked around for tracks or blood splatter or anything that could lead them to their guys. So far nothing was coming up but trash, discarded condom wrappers, and crushed empty beer cans from the rowdy teens that used these woods to party on the regular.

“Uneventful as fuck.” He clicked his tongue to himself as he kicked one of the empty cans into the bush nearest to him. To his surprise the bush shook and an exasperated ’OUCH!’ rang out from it. He watched as a dark figure fell back in the clumsiest manner, rolling back into the dead leaves before looking up with wide, glowing yellow eyes and a nervous laugh. Jason pursed his lips and cocked his head to the side.

“A vampire hiding in the woods not far from the scene of a murder. Committed by vampires. Must be my lucky day.” He said with a quirk on his lip, dragging his sword in the dirt as he slowly approached him.

“I gotta tell ya, I’ve been hunting creatures for about five years now. Dusted a bunch of guys like you before. This’ll probably be short. Got any last words?” He asked, raising his sword to the dark skinned vamp’s chin. The vampire gulped and kept his hands up in the air.

“Please I got separated from my group I… I don’t mean you any harm.”

“But you killed those guys, right?” He asked bluntly, tipping the vampire’s chin with his blade. He shivered a bit and winced, but he was having a hard time coming up with a response.

“...we have to feed. We only go after people that are bad.” The vampire responded, still hoping that if he were compliant, he would live through this. Jason gulped a moment as he gazed into his eyes, and he found them to be honest and true. Yeah, Kim was right. It wasn’t right, but at the same time it was justice.

“We? How many of you are there?”

“I uh… it’s me and my brother and sister. N-not real brother and sister just… we were all made by the same person. She… isn’t really around anymore.” The vampire explained. Three young, scared, homeless vampires? Made sense.

“You know I’ve been tasked with hunting you down and killing you right?” He said, studying the boy as he cowered in fear. But honestly, in Jason’s heart he couldn’t bring himself to finish it. These vampires had morals. He… liked that. Respected it even. So he instead removed his blade from the boy’s throat and sheathed it on his back.

“I’m Jason. What’s your name?” He said, looking him over once more. Now that he was free of danger, the vampire boy adjusted his knit cap and cleared his throat.

“Billy. B-Billy Cranston. I’m… new here. Everywhere really. I… we were taken by this woman a few months ago. Said she wanted children of her own. My sister calls her La Llorona but really she goes by Empress Rita. She… turned us. Then abandoned us here. I… don’t know why I’m telling you all this. Maybe just so you don’t kill me?”

Jason’s stony expression changed to a gentle smile and he removed his hand from his pocket and extended it. Billy studied it for a moment before taking it and shaking his hand.

“I’m a hunter. Work for an organization called the Institute of Guidance. We’re like… a secret police for monsters if you will. And you have been raising quite a stink in Angel Grove. You’re sloppy. But you swear you only go after criminals?” He asked, crossing his arms as he went on.

“You ever thought about like… I dunno… robbing a blood bank or something?”

Billy shoved his hands into his blue hoodie pockets and kicked at the dirt on the ground.

“It’s not the same. It’s… It’s like eating stale bread. It can make us sick if we drink blood like that too long. I don’t know if you know what it feels like to have a vampire tummy ache but it’s… not great.” He said, chewing his bottom lip nervously.

“I mean… okay what about like… Consensual feeding? I know vampire groupies are a thing. We call ‘em blood dolls back at the Academy.”

Billy just chuckled and shook his head. “It’s hard enough to find someone that don’t run screaming when they see our glowing yellow eyes, man. Plus I’m still relatively new at all this. I don’t know all this undead slang.”

Jason shrugged a bit.

“I don’t. I mean… I guess ya want a meal you could always call me. So long as you don’t like… kill me of course.”

The idea of feeding on Jason entered his mind and honestly? It brought heat to his cheeks. Heat he wasn’t sure he was capable of being a cold dead thing, but heat nonetheless. He shuddered a bit, licking his lips as he honed his eyes on Jason’s neck, how beautiful and pink it was. It almost…

“...U-uh but then what would my siblings eat?” He asked, hands discreetly pulling his hoodie down lower to cover the tenting in his pants. Jason just gave a shrug and ran a hand through his golden locks.

“Look, tell you what. Give me a few days and don’t murder anyone else and I will see what I can do about getting you a fresh blood supply, okay? Here.” He said, pulling out his wallet and tugging out a business card with his number on it. They might be a secret society of demon hunters, but they were also professionals. Of COURSE they had business cards.

“Call me when you need something. Preferably before someone dies. I know this is new for you but you don’t have to be alone in it, okay?” He said. Their fingers brushed momentarily as the card was handed off, and Billy once more felt the heat well in his cheeks.

“I-I...y-y-yeah okay.” Billy nodded. Jason gave him a brilliant smile and shoved his hands back in his pockets once more.

“I’m glad I ran into you, Billy. Now that we know what the problem is, we can try to fix it.” He said reassuringly. Then he gave him a little salute.

“I gotta go. Stay good, Blue.” He said, nodding to the color of his hoodie before turning and disappearing for the park again. Billy smiled a bit, then gazed down at the card.

“Jason Lee Scott…” He said under his breath. He then pressed the card to his non-beating heart and watched the boy walk into the night with his incredible night vision. It was ridiculous because when he died he never thought he would feel this way again, but this vampire was getting a crush. And on the one person he definitely probably shouldn’t. Someone who killed his kind for a living.

Dammit, Billy.

#power rangers #cranscott #billy cranston #jason scott #fanfic

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