Sorry For The Long Wait! - Tumblr Posts
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╔═════ °• ♔ •° ═════╗ 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 ╚═════ °• ♔ •° ═════╝
Setting down his teacup with a sigh, Karamatsu's gaze didn't wander from the perfect view of the gardens just behind the large windows.
It had been a few days since he had gone on that magical horse ride through the forest with you, and ever since you had arrived back at your palace, it seemed as if you had been avoiding him. Which he found to be most unfortunate, as he had found the conversation the both of you had then was heartfelt and honest, and he even thought that it had brought you two ever so slightly closer together.
Alas, he was wrong. The words you had exchanged with him had only weakened your bond and any chances at becoming closer, it seems. Now, whenever you spotted him around the palace halls, you would swiftly turn the other way and scurry off before he could get the chance to speak. He would be left in the dust of your footsteps, a hand outstretched towards your silhouette and a frown on his lips.
Karamatsu wasn't sure what to do.
His words were true; he wanted to get to know you, bit by bit. He wanted you to give him a chance, despite his reputation as a stupid and unwise prince. Despite all his flaws and imperfections, he wanted you to take his hand and walk alongside him, if not as lovers then at the very least as friends.
Clearly, however, you didn't have the same thoughts in mind.
He sighed again, much heavier this time, his sorrow almost visible in the air around him. Karamatsu had no idea what to do. He had never been in this situation before — he had never even lasted this long inside someone else's kingdom! He usually would have been kicked out, literally, as soon as he opened his mouth to speak. Although you didn't give him the kindest of welcomes, you had at least allowed him to stay. He thought that to be very kind of you.
Resting his palm against his cheek, he cast his sullen gaze to the sky. No matter what he did, his mind would always fall back to you. He would like to think it was love, but he wasn't that stupid of a prince to truly believe that.
"Prince Karamatsu?" He startled at the call of his name, sitting up straight and turning to look over his shoulder to find your mother, Queen Koume, walking steadily towards him with a kind smile. He stood up from his seat, bowing low as his signature smirk worked its way into his face.
"Queen Koume! It is truly a blessing to be in your presence."
"Likewise," she chuckled, tapping his shoulder and gesturing for him to rise, "But I think formalities can be dropped for a short while, don't you agree?"
"If that is what you wish," he flicked his sparkling cape around him, the material elegantly twirling around him before settling along his back.
"I hope you have been enjoying your stay in our kingdom," she started, moving to take a seat opposite from Karamatsu's.
"Of course! I expected nothing less from the Aoki Kingdom — full of beauty as far as the eye can see!"
Queen Koume chuckled again, silently liking the flowery words that always seemed to flow seamlessly out of the young prince's mouth. He had quite a talent for it.
"And my daughter has been treating you well?"
"Indeed! She truly is a kind and soft soul, to treat me as gently as the flowers that bloom in her wake—!"
"Then why is she not with you?"
Karamatsu stilled, eyes wide and smile stiff. He glanced over to the Queen, and upon seeing her raised brow and the suspicious squint in her eyes, he deflated, sitting himself back down and tracing a finger around the rim of his teacup.
"How long has she been avoiding you?"
"...Almost three days, now..."
She sighed, her eyes falling to her folded hands in her lap. A few moments of silence go by, and she interrupts it with her soft voice.
"I would like to apologise for my daughter. She has always found it difficult to bond with those from outside our kingdom."
"No, no, I understand her completely." Karamatsu shook his head, a small smile on his lips that didn't quite meet his eyes. "I am a prince from the kingdom of Akatsuka. We are known for our unwillingness to become kings and our poor knowledge on royal duties. I'm not surprised that she wouldn't want anything to do with me... It is something that I have become used to."
"But it is not something you deserve."
He paused, slowly raising his eyes to meet hers.
"Appearances are a struggle for royals to upkeep, because it is the only thing that others are willing to look at. When I look at you, Karamatsu, I don't look at the failure of a prince. I look at the heart you wear on your sleeve."
Karamatsu's cheeks tinged a light pink, her knowing smile making it hard to look away.
"When others look at my daughter, they see a cold and silent girl, with her head full of pride and her eyes full of malice. But when you look at her, tell me, what do you see?"
"...What do I see...?"
He saw a beautiful girl with a heart that was closed off to the world in fear of getting hurt. He saw a girl who spoke her mind without the fear of the opinions of others. He saw a girl with a strong and matured mind with a young, caring heart, a weakness that she didn't want to expose. Because if it ever was, her world would crumble around her.
Queen Koume stood up, walking around the small table to reach Karamatsu, placing a delicate hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with wide eyes, akin to a child. Her fondness for him grew.
"Talk to her. She will try to run, but don't let her out of your reach."
With those words, she left him to his thoughts, disappearing around the corner. Karamatsu's mind was onto telling him one thing.
'I need to see her.'
He bolted from his seat, running down the hallways in an aimless attempt to find you. As he passed by the entrance to the gardens, he skidded to a halt, rushing over to one of the gardeners who was busy pruning a bush of purple and blue flowers.
"Excuse me!" He called, standing over them. "If you would be so kind, I need some assistance with a gift." He gestured to the flowers around him, his thick brows furrowed into a pleading frown. The gardener stared up at him in shock before relaxing into a grin.
"Of course! I have the perfect gift."
He clipped a hefty bunch of the flowers in front of him, grabbing a ribbon from his pocket and tying it around the stems into a neat bow.
"Hydrangeas. For anything that is sincerely heartfelt." He winked, handing them over to the prince.
"Wonderful! Thank you!" Karamatsu turned on his heel to run off, only to then back around with a sheepish grin. "Do you know where I can find the Princess?"
"She usually hides herself away in the library. But you didn't hear that from me!"
"Thank you!" He called again over his shoulder as he dashed off, coloured petals drifting around him as the wind carried them away. A woman peeked around one of the hedges, grinning down at the gardener.
"Playing Cupid, are we?" She chuckled.
"That's all on him," he shrugged. The both of them watched a blue blur run off into the distance, mentally sending him the best of luck before returning to their tasks.
Karamatsu ran as fast as his legs could carry him, barely making it down the right corridors until he came to a stumbling halt in front of a large set of double doors, the wood engraved with ivory stems curling around bookshelves. This was the place.
He took a moment to catch his breath, brushing his hair back into place with his hand and gathering the courage before opening the doors with a firm push, pausing as they revealed a vast library filled to the brim with books and rolled parchment.
He glanced around as he walked in, scanning every empty table and chair until he came across a set of stairs spiralling upwards, swallowing thickly as he ascended, one slow step at a time.
His heart was thundering in his chest as he reached the top, almost fit to burst as he finally saw your figure hunched over a pile of books that were opened up and spread along the floor, your studious gaze stuck the words on the pages of text until the sound of his footsteps made you look up in surprise.
Your eyes met his, wide and unsuspecting. Karamatsu's heart sped up, skipping a beat as he saw your skin becoming flushed in shock, his own cheeks matching the reddening tint that was spreading across your face.
Neither of you could speak, finding yourselves speechless. You always had something to say, but now, sitting there and peering up at the man you had been attempting to push away for days now, you found that your throat had run dry, and your lips slightly parted, searching for words that couldn't escape you.
You watched as he took careful steps forward, kneeling down in front of you on one knee to reach your eye level, his brown eyes never once leaving yours.
In his arms, he carried clusters of hydrangeas, swirling colours of blue and purple, and your heart jumped. It startled you; it was if it had leapt up your throat.
He held them out to you, a determined glint in his eyes.
"Princess [Y/N]."
His words were firm but gentle, enough to get you to stay, and enough to tell you that there was nothing stopping you from leaving. Even so, you found yourself unable to move.
"These flowers are for you. I hope these will suffice as a gift, in exchange for a chance to speak with you."
if there was a situation where the cops showed up in an incoveniant time what would everyone do?
hey sorry for the long wait!!!
Slappy: Yes we have the cops a lot, But there was this one time we almost got caught.
Slappy: Yellow Guy and Red Guy stayed back to make sure that me and Jigsaw could get away.
Jigsaw: the reason it was only us was because me and Slappy got caught
I don’t feel sigma rn, can you do some dating hc’s for them pwease?🥺🥺(totally not by Ilikemytittieswithmilk)
sus but ok
Puppet mafia dating hc’s
Spamton: sadly you don’t get to see him that often, because he’s always working, but when you do he makes it worth the wait 😏
if you do get to spend some with Spamton is either he will take you shopping as an apology or he’ll cuddle you for like two hours and won’t let you go.
Jigsaw: Jigsaw really enjoys talking about his day with you well jigsaw just loves talking with you in general, Jigsaw loves having his hands on you (like on your waist or thigh) or holding hands
Slappy: Slappy spends a lot of time with you, He takes you to the spa and to get your hair and nails done, He loves to pamper you.
LilCal: it’s a pretty chill relationship y’all mostly just smoke together, but when you too aren’t smoking you’ll play video games, Lilcal is surprisingly competitive.
Annabelle & Chucky (dame two for one I’m jealous) you three cuddle all the time after work , they love laying on your chest to listening to your heart beat, They hate being short but they love when you pick them up.
Duck: Duck is so busy but surprisingly he spends the rest of his time with you, Duck loves giving you little gifts
Red Guy: Red Guy spends a lot of time with you that’s because he’s used as the last resort, red guy loves laying on you like a blanket, Red Guy will just sit you on his lap, Red Guy loves your touch
Yellow Guy: sadly you don’t get to see him until the end of the day, so you two usually just cuddle and sleep together (not in that way) but when he has the day off it’s mostly the same other then you get to actually do stuff with him
Sorry for the long wait I just literally couldn’t think of anything
that annoying moment when the ratatouille rat controlling a child that helped you become god is afk so you have to delay your dramatic entrance by 10 minutes...
Don't eat anything else - Part 2 - DP X DC
Previous part
Masterpost
This is the only chapter where I'll tag people. Please, if you want to follow the story from this point on, follow the master post :).
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"You both should stop eating the food." Came Babs voice through the comms. "Danny asked Tim to not eat anything else. We suspect the food may content poison."
Bruce subtly shared a look with Cass before returning to nodding at Masters' proud rambling about his latest contract. They had both stopped eating long ago. The soup was good; Masters’ words about Danny being a good cook weren’t a lie. However, Bruce couldn’t identify the chunks of meat in the soup.
He initially thought it was pork, though the texture seemed somewhat similar to veal. By the fourth piece of meat he ate, he could confidently say he didn't recognize it. When he looked at Cass, he saw her using her spoon to play with one of the pieces of meat on the edge of the plate, a frown hidden behind her polite smile. He was sure then that the meat couldn't be one they had tasted before.
Bruce has tasted every kind of meat that should be available to Masters. He has even tasted exotic meats that Masters would probably never encounter, having represented humanity in intergalactic meetings as Batman. Not being able to identify the meat discouraged Bruce from eating more, and it seemed to have had the same effect on Cass. They had kept their food mostly untouched, using the excuse of waiting for Tim and Danny to return before eating. It was a good call; the meat being poisoned could be the reason it was unrecognizable.
"If any of you feel any symptoms, turn off your comm." None of them made a move to do so, and after a couple of minutes Babs continued, "I'll call Bruce in 10 minutes to create an excuse for you guys to leave."
Bruce would have liked to think that they had not yet consumed enough poison for it to affect them, but there's always the possibility of it being a delayed-effect poison. If Masters' plan with the poison was to kill them, then a delayed-effect poison would allow Masters to avoid being immediately connected to their deaths.
However, Masters shouldn’t have a reason to kill Bruce Wayne and his wards. Unless the man had discovered that they were investigating his contracts, which Bruce doubted. It was more likely that the poison was some sort of chemical restraint or chemical submissive, which would explain why Masters' contracts always seemed to end ridiculously in his favor. It would be easy to make such deals with someone who was drugged to be more agreeable with you.
Not that Bruce would be willing to take the risk to find out, especially with Cass having also ingested the tainted meat. He was glad he had brought the poison antidote kit with him. Despite this, Bruce wasn't sure about cutting the visit short, at least not for all of them. Tim had been gone with Danny for a while now, and if Danny had informed Tim about the food, they were probably exchanging information at the moment. Maybe Tim was in the process of offering Danny help, and Bruce didn't want to interrupt that.
"Renovations will be starting next week, and I'm sure the place will end up being quite popular," Masters finally finished his rambling.
"It sure sounds like it will. You certainly got yourself a great deal with Kensington, Mr. Masters. I'm curious, what is your negotiation method?" Bruce asked, hoping to gather more information.
Masters had been surprisingly adept at avoiding any conversation about the negotiations themselves, always sidetracking the discussion or giving half-answers. Drugs in the food was a good hypothesis and would be the best outcome for them, as such substances usually shouldn’t take too long to get out of their system.
Yet, it didn't explain how Masters' business partners seemed to stay committed to their contracts long after they were made. The furthest they had gotten from them was confusion about how they had reached the point where they accepted the contract's conditions. However, they all seemed convinced they had gotten the best outcome possible, despite obviously getting the short end of the stick.
It pointed to something besides drug usage. Maybe Masters got blackmail material from them while they were drugged? It would be easier to draw conclusions if Masters had even the smallest slip about it.
Masters smiled, taking a sip from his wine. "Ah, it takes years of practice, Wayne. It isn't something one can learn in a day, and only those with the capacity can master it," he said. Then, before Bruce could ask any follow-up questions, he continued, "Now, Daniel and young Mr. Drake sure seem to be taking their time."
"Oh, that doesn't surprise me," Bruce said, shaking his head with a fond smile, playing farther into his "Brucie" persona while lamenting the lost opportunities to get more leads on what Masters was doing. "They're around the same age. Surely they got distracted talking about whatever is of interest to kids their age these days."
"I would be glad if my godson got along so well with your son, Mr. Wayne," Masters said with a practiced smile, though a hint of calculation flickered in his eyes. He gestured vaguely with his wine glass, his tone deceptively sympathetic. "The loss of his family hasn't been easy for him, and building a connection with someone like Mr. Drake could be beneficial. However, it is quite rude to leave the guests waiting. As his guardian, I must address this. I’ll go search for them." Masters stated, standing up from his seat.
Luckily, Bruce didn't need to interject to stop Masters from interrupting his son's conversation with Danny, since the two boys appeared by the door as if summoned by Masters' comment. Danny visibly tensed the moment he spotted Masters standing in his place.
"Daniel, it's good you're finally back. I was about to go search for you," Masters said, throwing Danny a stern look.
Danny opened his mouth, probably about to apologize for the wait, but Tim beat him to it.
"So sorry, Mr. Masters. I had to take a shower before changing clothes."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Mr. Drake," Masters said as he looked Tim up and down, evaluating if what Tim was saying was true. His eyes lingered on Tim's wet hair for a moment, and the tension in his eyes relaxed a bit. "It is Daniel's fault for throwing the soup on you. Now, shall we continue with the dinner?" Masters sat once more on his chair.
"Should—" Danny started, slightly stuttering when Masters' eyes returned to him. "Should I serve new portions? Since the ones on the table are probably cold by now?" the intensity of Masters gaze increased with every word Danny said. In response, Danny lowered his gaze to the floor, and shifted nervously.
Danny's voice was way too small by the end of his sentence, but Bruce could sense some hidden urgency in his tone. Remembering that Danny was the one who had warned them about the food, Bruce could infer that he was trying to further prevent them from eating it. It gave Bruce the impression that Masters had also caught onto that fact, given how tense the man was.
He was grateful for the kid doing their best to protect them, but lamented putting them in a position where they had to risk confronting their abuser. Bruce really hoped Tim had convinced Danny to leave with them. It shouldn't be difficult to create a reasonable invitation for Danny after Masters' comment about how he was isolating himself.
"Good idea," Cass said with a gentle smile directed at Danny before Masters could make any move.
Masters' eyes narrowed slightly, but then he nodded. "Very well. Daniel, go ahead."
As Danny hurried to the kitchen, Bruce shared a subtle glance with Tim, who was retaking his seat beside Cass. Unfortunately, instead of the nod indicating that they could get Danny to leave with them if they created the opportunity, Tim just shrugged. It wasn't the sign for Danny refusing help, but the one for things being more complicated than they seemed. Bruce sighed, and before Danny returned from the kitchen, his phone rang. He excused himself to answer Babs' call, lamenting not being able to take Danny with them.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Bruce came back from his brief call with Babs with a worried face that Cass knew wasn't the one he made when actual "family emergencies" happened. It was exagerated and dramatic, it screamed "something terrible had happened," and was perfect for this kind of situations. Bruce quickly ushered Cass and Tim out, apologizing to Masters for the hasty departure. They barely had time to say goodbye to Danny, who had hurried back from the kitchen after Masters had shouted about seeing off the guests.
Cass noticed a subtle shift in Danny’s demeanor as they prepared to leave. His shoulders dropped slightly, and there was a fleeting look of relief in his eyes. However, that relief was overshadowed by the palpable fear that clung to him; his tense posture betrayed the anxiety he was trying to hide. It was hard to leave him behind, and Cass almost ran back when she caught sight of Vlad’s possessive hand on Danny’s shoulder and his venomous, angry eyes as she was walking out the door.
As soon as they were in the car, Tim immediately began checking the vehicle and himself for hidden microphones, with Bruce and Cass following his lead with little more than a raised eyebrow. Tim’s decision to search for bugs made sense once he explained that Danny’s room had been bugged,
"Honestly, Danny's so careful with his actions and words everywhere, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole property is bugged."
The drive back to the house they had rented was tense, the atmosphere in the car thick with unspoken concerns. Tim decided to use the ride home to update them on what he had seen. In turn, Bruce spoke about the dinner with Masters, detailing their regrettable failure to extract any additional information from the man. The evening ultimately boiled down to the suspicion that the food had been poisoned. Cass remained silent, not feeling up to talking.
She had her doubts about the food being poisoned; even if the poison hadn't shown any symptoms, her past training should have allowed her to identify it if she had consumed it. It seemed unlikely that Masters possessed a poison so sophisticated that she couldn’t detect it, and the thought only deepened her unease. She though back to how their hosts acted at the start of the dinner.
Danny looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. His eyes darted nervously between them and Masters, his hands trembling slightly as he served the food. The guilt and fear radiating from him were almost palpable, as if he believed he was committing an unforgivable sin by offering them the meal.
Masters, however, didn’t seem like he was planning to poison them. He behaved more like Damian’s classmates had when they once tried to trick him into eating non-vegan food at a gala. His smile was too easy, his gestures too casual, like someone who thought they were pulling off a harmless but cruel prank. It felt like he was purposely feeding them something he knew was outside their comfort zone and ethical beliefs, testing their reactions with a detached amusement.
From the very beginning, Cass had felt a deep discomfort about the food. The way Masters and Danny acted around it had set off her internal alarms. When she took the first bite of the meat, something immediately felt off. The texture was unfamiliar, and the taste was oddly unsettling—not in a way that clearly indicated poison, but in a manner that was subtly disturbing, she didn't know what she was eating. It made her skin crawl, and she couldn’t bring herself to take another bite.
The car coming to a stop in the house’s garage jolted Cass out of her thoughts. They all exited the vehicle, and Jason’s motorcycle was parked beside them as he opened the door. tightly clenched jaw. Like the rest of them, he was frustrated by their inability to take Danny with them, but he wasn’t vocalizing it because he was also worried about what they had eaten.
Once the door was opened, Bruce was ready to rush into his bedroom to get the poison antidote kit, but Jason stopped him,
"Hold on old man, I want to know what the note the kid gave Tim says. It may even say what poison was used; save us time."
"Mnn" Bruce said with a slight nod, and Tim started unfolding the paper in response.
The folded paper was as small as a pinky, but once unfolded, it revealed a full letter-sized sheet, and the text filled at least half of it. Tim skimmed the text as he usually did before reading aloud, but his face quickly drained of color. His eyes widened in horror and disgust. Instead of reading aloud, he kept running his eyes over the first line repeatedly, his gaze darting between Bruce and Cass. His jaw was clenched tightly, and he struggled to keep his composure, fighting against the bile rising in his throat. Cass couldn’t help but frown deeply, a growing sense of dread settling in as she wondered what the paper could possibly contain.
"Forgot how to read, replacement?" Jason said, his tone lacking its usual edge. He stood beside Tim, his expression a mix of uncertainty and concern, unsure whether to reach for the paper or not.
Tim takes a shudering breath, and Cass herself can't help but shift in her place, her anxiety growing, as they all wait for Tim to gain back his voice and finally read what Danny's note says.
"The meat on the food is human meat." Tim finally says with a strained voice.
There's a moment of silence in the room. Cass keeps her eyes on Tim, hoping, pleading, to find any signs that what she heard is wrong, but Tim only repeats the sentence. Her stomach churns violently as bile rises in her throat. Without effort, she sinks to the ground, her legs giving out as she begins to vomit. The pounding of her heart fills her ears, as black dots fill her sight and her hands tremble uncontrollably. She is dimly aware of Bruce doubling over beside her, and the sound of Jason hitting the wall.
She ate human meat. It may have just been a bite, but she ate human meat. The dinner had been made from human meat. Her mind recoiled at the abhorrent thought. The thought of the soup they were served makes her vomit once more. She gasps for air, her body shaking as she fights against the rising tide of revulsion, desperately trying to rid herself of the lingering taste and the horrifying realization of what they ingested. She feels Tims hand doing smalls circles in her back and realizes that tears had been falling from her face.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Danny's hands trembled as he injected himself with another dose of ectoplasm. The shaking made the syringe jab painfully as he withdrew it, causing drops of blood and ectoplasm to fall to the floor while the injury quickly healed. Ten minutes of continuous electrical shocks wasn’t the worst punishment he had received from Vlad, but it had the most severe drawbacks. His body had a harder time recovering from electrical damage than from any other kind of harm, and Vlad often exploited this weakness.
He took a deep breath as the last of the Lichenberg marks disappeared from his legs and arms, leaving only the ones he’d gotten from his death. He sat on the bathroom floor, staring at the ceiling, his legs and arms still trembling. He wasn’t sure if the tremors were from the electrical aftershocks or his own anxiety. Vlad had been furious about his little stunt with the soup and had once again reminded him that they weren't eating Danny’s friends because he was such a "compassionate guardian."
The reminder had thrown Danny into a couple of panic attacks once he was allowed to return to his room. He thanks he's advanced dissociative abilities for not having those panics attacks in front of Vlad. He doesn't wan't to know how the man would try to exploit that.
But even as his whole body trembles and aches, he doesn’t regret his decisions. This is his only chance for things to change. The Waynes are a powerful family with connections to the Justice League. While the League has not interfered with what has happened in Amity Park up till now, they might get involved if the Waynes reach out to them. It’s wishful thinking, and he’s risking a lot, but this gut-wrenching dinner has become the first glimmer of hope he’s had since his family’s death, and he’ll hold onto it with his half-life.
Once he's body stops trembling and he's head feels a bit clearer, he needs to text Sam and Tucker. He'll depend on them for this to not backfire on all denizens.
Don't eat anything else - Part 2 - DP X DC
Previous part
Masterpost
This is the only chapter where I'll tag people. Please, if you want to follow the story from this point on, follow the master post :).
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"You both should stop eating the food." Came Babs voice through the comms. "Danny asked Tim to not eat anything else. We suspect the food may content poison."
Bruce subtly shared a look with Cass before returning to nodding at Masters' proud rambling about his latest contract. They had both stopped eating long ago. The soup was good; Masters’ words about Danny being a good cook weren’t a lie. However, Bruce couldn’t identify the chunks of meat in the soup.
He initially thought it was pork, though the texture seemed somewhat similar to veal. By the fourth piece of meat he ate, he could confidently say he didn't recognize it. When he looked at Cass, he saw her using her spoon to play with one of the pieces of meat on the edge of the plate, a frown hidden behind her polite smile. He was sure then that the meat couldn't be one they had tasted before.
Bruce has tasted every kind of meat that should be available to Masters. He has even tasted exotic meats that Masters would probably never encounter, having represented humanity in intergalactic meetings as Batman. Not being able to identify the meat discouraged Bruce from eating more, and it seemed to have had the same effect on Cass. They had kept their food mostly untouched, using the excuse of waiting for Tim and Danny to return before eating. It was a good call; the meat being poisoned could be the reason it was unrecognizable.
"If any of you feel any symptoms, turn off your comm." None of them made a move to do so, and after a couple of minutes Babs continued, "I'll call Bruce in 10 minutes to create an excuse for you guys to leave."
Bruce would have liked to think that they had not yet consumed enough poison for it to affect them, but there's always the possibility of it being a delayed-effect poison. If Masters' plan with the poison was to kill them, then a delayed-effect poison would allow Masters to avoid being immediately connected to their deaths.
However, Masters shouldn’t have a reason to kill Bruce Wayne and his wards. Unless the man had discovered that they were investigating his contracts, which Bruce doubted. It was more likely that the poison was some sort of chemical restraint or chemical submissive, which would explain why Masters' contracts always seemed to end ridiculously in his favor. It would be easy to make such deals with someone who was drugged to be more agreeable with you.
Not that Bruce would be willing to take the risk to find out, especially with Cass having also ingested the tainted meat. He was glad he had brought the poison antidote kit with him. Despite this, Bruce wasn't sure about cutting the visit short, at least not for all of them. Tim had been gone with Danny for a while now, and if Danny had informed Tim about the food, they were probably exchanging information at the moment. Maybe Tim was in the process of offering Danny help, and Bruce didn't want to interrupt that.
"Renovations will be starting next week, and I'm sure the place will end up being quite popular," Masters finally finished his rambling.
"It sure sounds like it will. You certainly got yourself a great deal with Kensington, Mr. Masters. I'm curious, what is your negotiation method?" Bruce asked, hoping to gather more information.
Masters had been surprisingly adept at avoiding any conversation about the negotiations themselves, always sidetracking the discussion or giving half-answers. Drugs in the food was a good hypothesis and would be the best outcome for them, as such substances usually shouldn’t take too long to get out of their system.
Yet, it didn't explain how Masters' business partners seemed to stay committed to their contracts long after they were made. The furthest they had gotten from them was confusion about how they had reached the point where they accepted the contract's conditions. However, they all seemed convinced they had gotten the best outcome possible, despite obviously getting the short end of the stick.
It pointed to something besides drug usage. Maybe Masters got blackmail material from them while they were drugged? It would be easier to draw conclusions if Masters had even the smallest slip about it.
Masters smiled, taking a sip from his wine. "Ah, it takes years of practice, Wayne. It isn't something one can learn in a day, and only those with the capacity can master it," he said. Then, before Bruce could ask any follow-up questions, he continued, "Now, Daniel and young Mr. Drake sure seem to be taking their time."
"Oh, that doesn't surprise me," Bruce said, shaking his head with a fond smile, playing farther into his "Brucie" persona while lamenting the lost opportunities to get more leads on what Masters was doing. "They're around the same age. Surely they got distracted talking about whatever is of interest to kids their age these days."
"I would be glad if my godson got along so well with your son, Mr. Wayne," Masters said with a practiced smile, though a hint of calculation flickered in his eyes. He gestured vaguely with his wine glass, his tone deceptively sympathetic. "The loss of his family hasn't been easy for him, and building a connection with someone like Mr. Drake could be beneficial. However, it is quite rude to leave the guests waiting. As his guardian, I must address this. I’ll go search for them." Masters stated, standing up from his seat.
Luckily, Bruce didn't need to interject to stop Masters from interrupting his son's conversation with Danny, since the two boys appeared by the door as if summoned by Masters' comment. Danny visibly tensed the moment he spotted Masters standing in his place.
"Daniel, it's good you're finally back. I was about to go search for you," Masters said, throwing Danny a stern look.
Danny opened his mouth, probably about to apologize for the wait, but Tim beat him to it.
"So sorry, Mr. Masters. I had to take a shower before changing clothes."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Mr. Drake," Masters said as he looked Tim up and down, evaluating if what Tim was saying was true. His eyes lingered on Tim's wet hair for a moment, and the tension in his eyes relaxed a bit. "It is Daniel's fault for throwing the soup on you. Now, shall we continue with the dinner?" Masters sat once more on his chair.
"Should—" Danny started, slightly stuttering when Masters' eyes returned to him. "Should I serve new portions? Since the ones on the table are probably cold by now?" the intensity of Masters gaze increased with every word Danny said. In response, Danny lowered his gaze to the floor, and shifted nervously.
Danny's voice was way too small by the end of his sentence, but Bruce could sense some hidden urgency in his tone. Remembering that Danny was the one who had warned them about the food, Bruce could infer that he was trying to further prevent them from eating it. It gave Bruce the impression that Masters had also caught onto that fact, given how tense the man was.
He was grateful for the kid doing their best to protect them, but lamented putting them in a position where they had to risk confronting their abuser. Bruce really hoped Tim had convinced Danny to leave with them. It shouldn't be difficult to create a reasonable invitation for Danny after Masters' comment about how he was isolating himself.
"Good idea," Cass said with a gentle smile directed at Danny before Masters could make any move.
Masters' eyes narrowed slightly, but then he nodded. "Very well. Daniel, go ahead."
As Danny hurried to the kitchen, Bruce shared a subtle glance with Tim, who was retaking his seat beside Cass. Unfortunately, instead of the nod indicating that they could get Danny to leave with them if they created the opportunity, Tim just shrugged. It wasn't the sign for Danny refusing help, but the one for things being more complicated than they seemed. Bruce sighed, and before Danny returned from the kitchen, his phone rang. He excused himself to answer Babs' call, lamenting not being able to take Danny with them.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Bruce came back from his brief call with Babs with a worried face that Cass knew wasn't the one he made when actual "family emergencies" happened. It was exagerated and dramatic, it screamed "something terrible had happened," and was perfect for this kind of situations. Bruce quickly ushered Cass and Tim out, apologizing to Masters for the hasty departure. They barely had time to say goodbye to Danny, who had hurried back from the kitchen after Masters had shouted about seeing off the guests.
Cass noticed a subtle shift in Danny’s demeanor as they prepared to leave. His shoulders dropped slightly, and there was a fleeting look of relief in his eyes. However, that relief was overshadowed by the palpable fear that clung to him; his tense posture betrayed the anxiety he was trying to hide. It was hard to leave him behind, and Cass almost ran back when she caught sight of Vlad’s possessive hand on Danny’s shoulder and his venomous, angry eyes as she was walking out the door.
As soon as they were in the car, Tim immediately began checking the vehicle and himself for hidden microphones, with Bruce and Cass following his lead with little more than a raised eyebrow. Tim’s decision to search for bugs made sense once he explained that Danny’s room had been bugged,
"Honestly, Danny's so careful with his actions and words everywhere, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole property is bugged."
The drive back to the house they had rented was tense, the atmosphere in the car thick with unspoken concerns. Tim decided to use the ride home to update them on what he had seen. In turn, Bruce spoke about the dinner with Masters, detailing their regrettable failure to extract any additional information from the man. The evening ultimately boiled down to the suspicion that the food had been poisoned. Cass remained silent, not feeling up to talking.
She had her doubts about the food being poisoned; even if the poison hadn't shown any symptoms, her past training should have allowed her to identify it if she had consumed it. It seemed unlikely that Masters possessed a poison so sophisticated that she couldn’t detect it, and the thought only deepened her unease. She though back to how their hosts acted at the start of the dinner.
Danny looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. His eyes darted nervously between them and Masters, his hands trembling slightly as he served the food. The guilt and fear radiating from him were almost palpable, as if he believed he was committing an unforgivable sin by offering them the meal.
Masters, however, didn’t seem like he was planning to poison them. He behaved more like Damian’s classmates had when they once tried to trick him into eating non-vegan food at a gala. His smile was too easy, his gestures too casual, like someone who thought they were pulling off a harmless but cruel prank. It felt like he was purposely feeding them something he knew was outside their comfort zone and ethical beliefs, testing their reactions with a detached amusement.
From the very beginning, Cass had felt a deep discomfort about the food. The way Masters and Danny acted around it had set off her internal alarms. When she took the first bite of the meat, something immediately felt off. The texture was unfamiliar, and the taste was oddly unsettling—not in a way that clearly indicated poison, but in a manner that was subtly disturbing, she didn't know what she was eating. It made her skin crawl, and she couldn’t bring herself to take another bite.
The car coming to a stop in the house’s garage jolted Cass out of her thoughts. They all exited the vehicle, and Jason’s motorcycle was parked beside them as he opened the door. tightly clenched jaw. Like the rest of them, he was frustrated by their inability to take Danny with them, but he wasn’t vocalizing it because he was also worried about what they had eaten.
Once the door was opened, Bruce was ready to rush into his bedroom to get the poison antidote kit, but Jason stopped him,
"Hold on old man, I want to know what the note the kid gave Tim says. It may even say what poison was used; save us time."
"Mnn" Bruce said with a slight nod, and Tim started unfolding the paper in response.
The folded paper was as small as a pinky, but once unfolded, it revealed a full letter-sized sheet, and the text filled at least half of it. Tim skimmed the text as he usually did before reading aloud, but his face quickly drained of color. His eyes widened in horror and disgust. Instead of reading aloud, he kept running his eyes over the first line repeatedly, his gaze darting between Bruce and Cass. His jaw was clenched tightly, and he struggled to keep his composure, fighting against the bile rising in his throat. Cass couldn’t help but frown deeply, a growing sense of dread settling in as she wondered what the paper could possibly contain.
"Forgot how to read, replacement?" Jason said, his tone lacking its usual edge. He stood beside Tim, his expression a mix of uncertainty and concern, unsure whether to reach for the paper or not.
Tim takes a shudering breath, and Cass herself can't help but shift in her place, her anxiety growing, as they all wait for Tim to gain back his voice and finally read what Danny's note says.
"The meat on the food is human meat." Tim finally says with a strained voice.
There's a moment of silence in the room. Cass keeps her eyes on Tim, hoping, pleading, to find any signs that what she heard is wrong, but Tim only repeats the sentence. Her stomach churns violently as bile rises in her throat. Without effort, she sinks to the ground, her legs giving out as she begins to vomit. The pounding of her heart fills her ears, as black dots fill her sight and her hands tremble uncontrollably. She is dimly aware of Bruce doubling over beside her, and the sound of Jason hitting the wall.
She ate human meat. It may have just been a bite, but she ate human meat. The dinner had been made from human meat. Her mind recoiled at the abhorrent thought. The thought of the soup they were served makes her vomit once more. She gasps for air, her body shaking as she fights against the rising tide of revulsion, desperately trying to rid herself of the lingering taste and the horrifying realization of what they ingested. She feels Tims hand doing smalls circles in her back and realizes that tears had been falling from her face.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Danny's hands trembled as he injected himself with another dose of ectoplasm. The shaking made the syringe jab painfully as he withdrew it, causing drops of blood and ectoplasm to fall to the floor while the injury quickly healed. Ten minutes of continuous electrical shocks wasn’t the worst punishment he had received from Vlad, but it had the most severe drawbacks. His body had a harder time recovering from electrical damage than from any other kind of harm, and Vlad often exploited this weakness.
He took a deep breath as the last of the Lichenberg marks disappeared from his legs and arms, leaving only the ones he’d gotten from his death. He sat on the bathroom floor, staring at the ceiling, his legs and arms still trembling. He wasn’t sure if the tremors were from the electrical aftershocks or his own anxiety. Vlad had been furious about his little stunt with the soup and had once again reminded him that they weren't eating Danny’s friends because he was such a "compassionate guardian."
The reminder had thrown Danny into a couple of panic attacks once he was allowed to return to his room. He thanks he's advanced dissociative abilities for not having those panics attacks in front of Vlad. He doesn't wan't to know how the man would try to exploit that.
But even as his whole body trembles and aches, he doesn’t regret his decisions. This is his only chance for things to change. The Waynes are a powerful family with connections to the Justice League. While the League has not interfered with what has happened in Amity Park up till now, they might get involved if the Waynes reach out to them. It’s wishful thinking, and he’s risking a lot, but this gut-wrenching dinner has become the first glimmer of hope he’s had since his family’s death, and he’ll hold onto it with his half-life.
Once he's body stops trembling and he's head feels a bit clearer, he needs to text Sam and Tucker. He'll depend on them for this to not backfire on all denizens.
Sweet Princess Bubblegum doodles, please?
Thanks for the suggestion! sorry I’m responding late, and for the bad lighting but I hope this is good enough!
Yep.... it just takes far too long x.x
I still don't have a chair for my work desk and we have to wait for 4 weeks until the cupboard for our drawing stuff arrives (what do you mean with a decent sized cupboard that's not ugly needs over a month to arrive?)
However hopefully soon we'll be able to get back to normal schedule!
Hello everyone, I hope you’ve been doing well! ♥
Since I disappeared after saying there won’t be any new update in August, it turned out my inactivity would be A LOT longer than I expected - over a whole month longer that is. But… oh boy, a lot of things happened and there was (and still is) so, SO much stuff to take care of!
Like I said in my previous update, the reason for my inactivity was that I was about to move together with my girlfriend @lyoth737. We’ve been in a long-distance relationship for over 3 years, so it was about time things finally changed. Turns out that moving in this case isn’t just grabbing your things and moving over to the new apartment - nope! I trashed a lot of my old furniture because some of it was pretty much falling apart or old, so I only took some of it with me, which in turn means that we had a lot of new stuff to get. Also, since my girlfriend owned close to no furniture of her own before we moved into this new apartment together, we pretty much had nothing but some book shelves and a table when we arrived. A bed, a cabinet, a kitchen… we had to buy all of this, set most of this stuff up ourselves, then put the things we already owned in there, get rid of the boxes, and repeat. Since my old apartment wasn’t even half the size of this new one, we’ve been shopping for stuff every week. Now things are finally starting to come together. Up to this point we got pretty much most of it done, even if some things are still missing. Heck, we only got our new desktops for computers and drawing last week and my desktop computer still doesn’t have internet access so I gotta write everything on my trashy laptop until then! :’D
But aside from that, I also had a lot of paperwork to do. Since I’ve moved so far away, I had to take care of many things. I also had to get a new job (which I also did, I’ll start working part-time in November again) and deal with quite a lot of things. Aside from that, I twisted my ankle (and setting up any piece of furniture with that is great fun, I can totally recommend that… not) and it seems like my old computer is slowly falling apart… just like my car. Ugh. orz
So it’s been a pretty eventful month for me. I usually work on schedule with my drawings, but I don’t see how I could catch up on a whole month in just a few weeks. So this is a gap I will have to live with. I am incredibly sorry in case I made some of you worry, I am sorry for not uploading anything… but I’ll slowly come back to everything soon. I still got a few commissions to catch up with and all that, which will be my first priority, just like the Patreon requests. After that, I hope I can finally go back to updating the comic again. Until then, thank you for staying with me, it really means the world to me <3
Until then, stay warm and hydrated! I will be back soon!
hi! i looooove your naruto art, and i was wondering if you had fic recs?
Hello there! Thank you so much!
(I wasn’t sure what you’re specifically interested in: Kakashi-Naruto dynamics, Kakashi raising Naruto, those two individual characters or Naruto fanfiction in general? But I’ll try my best!)
Here are some fanfics in which I either loved Kakashi, Naruto or both. Lastly, some general Naruto fic recs.
Dinner with the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad by pentapus
Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, 19k words, ANBU Kakashi; I love the ensemble writing, the world building, the characters, everything about this. “What if Kakashi wasn’t famous”
Genma held up a photo pinched between his first and second fingers. Iruka’s smile froze on his face. “What are you doing with this?”
Adoption by Defenestration; or, A Family Can Be A Fox Demon, Its Jinchuuriki, and Three Dozen Highly-Trained Assassins by elumish
Uzumaki Naruto & Yamato | Tenzou, 5k words
He will not be the ANBU who let the jinchuuriki plummet to his death out a fourth story window. Let that be another ANBU’s legacy.
Shrub Ninjas by elumish
Uzumaki Naruto & various ANBU “shrub ninjas”, 651 words
Naruto is five when he first notices the shrub ninjas.
What the Deep Sea is to a Puddle by LullabyKnell
Namikaze Minato & Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruto, 2k words
5+ AU Headcanons rambling (sort of) fic: Naruto + AU where Minato survives the sealing?
Last Orders by 100demons
Namikaze Minato & Hatake Kakashi, 837 words
Time is a funny thing, he thinks. For seven years, Kakashi lived in Minato’s shadow, bled for him, killed for him, fought for him. For fourteen years, Kakashi stood in front of Minato’s grave, remembering, aching, loving.
Kakashi drags his gaze up, the weight of twenty one years heavy on his chest, to meet his dead sensei’s eyes.
Speaking to Machines Who Listen Poorly by pentapus
Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, 7k words, AU-Sci-Fi, again with the A+ world building.
Iruka didn’t know where he was or how he’d gotten here, but he knew Uchiha warships were very bad news. He resented the implication this stranger kept making that Iruka had done it to himself.
bloom where you are planted by blackkat
Hatake Kakashi/Ootsutsuki Asura, 1.5k words
Ashura stops to plant a few seeds and changes the course of destiny.
Similarities by sisaat
Uchiha Sasuke & Team 7, 1.6k words
Sasuke had been told before that he was a lot like Kakashi. He hadn’t believed it until he found himself reading Icha Icha Paradise in public.
a flower you’ve got to let grow by emlof
Hatake Kakashi/Yamato | Tenzou, 4k words
Even after years of training, Yamato sometimes loses control of his mokuton when he’s hit with a particularly strong or unexpected emotion. It’s not usually a problem – just a little embarrassing, maybe.
Combine that with Team 7’s overactive imaginations, though, and there are bound to be some… misunderstandings.
now by chai_lattes
Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Sasuke, 1.5k words
“So, what are you going to do now?”Sasuke gets tea with his old teacher and thinks about his life now.
oh brother, by chai_lattes
Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, 1.5k words
Naruto couldn’t tell you the first time he ever met Sasuke, it felt like the other boy had always been in his life. Sasuke’s older brother, however, was a different story. The first time he met Itachi, they were six, and from that moment on, Naruto was convinced that Sasuke’s big brother was the scariest person in the world. Or: Sasuke thinks it’s finally time to tell Itachi he and Naruto are dating. Naruto is terrified.
The Pre-Legendary Sannin vs. Paperwork by LullabyKnell
Sarutobi Hiruzen & Tsunade & Orochimaru & Jiraiya, 2k words
The part of being a jounin-sensei that no one talks about is having to handle genin paperwork. If Hiruzen had known that having genin would increase his piles of personal hell, then he would have jumped out the window before anyone could assign him any. Good god, goddamn preteens are the worst.