I love this
A one-shot for the Soft Jock AU that I’m taking part in with @novantinuum, @ftecho4, @saiscribbles, @ashidaii, @universallywriting, @fermented-writers-block, and a few others.
—–
An expresso.
Five creams. One sugar.
Enough to bring enthusiasm into a person’s day, even if it meant that day was toiling with academics and personal grievance, which Connie Maheswaran definitely didn’t have. Not in the slightest. If she was, she would be more than welcome to groan and toil about than just complain about it.
Right. Maybe. She didn’t know if her mind was working with the caffeine, but at least she had an ounce of consciousness.
The cup of coffee sullen her mood, clasped in her hands as the piano music of the café reassured her mind that something will come out of this. A lone plate, crumbs strewn, with a rumple of ripped tissue were what remained of her sandwich. She just had to work on the pages in front of her—mathematics scattered like ants—and then she could have some peace. Maybe a muffin too if her mind wasn’t peckish.
“Connie?” The girl blinked, languid-eyed, as a new face sat down opposite from her. This was a café, of course, someone would take the seat opposite her, but why would they was the question here. When the sleep wore off, and she saw who was actually in front of her, she got her answer: bushy-crowned, smile the icon of a million rays, Steven Quartz Universe (gem piercing and everything) was sitting in front of her. “You okay?”
The athlete spotting her at the local joint shouldn’t be a surprise. But it was. Enough to have her stare at him with unashamed stiffness, like she was viewing an anomaly alike to the Loch Ness monster. “What are you doing here?”
“I usually go here?” He responded, countenance morphing with his confusion. His hand placed down a sweet-smelling bag, wafting of sugar and chocolate. “The group loves to grab doughnuts before we hit the town, but when I saw you here, I thought it would be great to meet up.”
That’s a classic Steven Universe move. Out of everyone she has met in Ocean Town Academy, she never expected people to broaden their horizons over friendships other than their typical clique. It’s hard to talk to people so the fact that people such as Steven Universe exist in her university makes it harder to describe. Was it a coincidence that this charismatic boy has the biggest set of connections because of his preppy sports team? One could coin a conspiracy, but she’d like to think something was going on with his family, preferably lots of money or lessons in etiquette.
But, to be fair, she never really talked to him until both of them planned his astrophysics tutoring, being a soft-spoken young adult that didn’t look the type to be part of the rumors that tailed him. There were rumors of him, of things he’s done, or the plots his friends got involved in, mostly in road trips and orientation-exploring escapades with boys; not at all secure, yet intriguing to think about from an outsider perspective—it seemed like he attracted a lot of attention that she, herself, never had the gall to attain.
What was his secret? Was it just as simple as charisma and extroverted intent? Or was it all a mask like those 80s and 90s high school movies she kept jotting through when her parents weren’t home?
“Uhm, Connie?” She snapped out of it. Steven had his eyebrows skewed, looking at her like she just resurrected in front of him in an instant he pulled her back to Earth—which must’ve been the case, considering how confused he looked.
“Erm, uh, yes?” Great going, now he thinks you’re inattentive. Connie took a sip from her coffee, wincing at the slight burn on her tongue. “What did you say?”
“I asked if you wanted to go hang out with me and the girls.” His smile beamed like always, but the question shook her to her core; leaving her wide-eyed and placid. “I want to get to know you better, and what’s better than a trip to a laser light show?”
“Right now?”
“Yep!”
He had to be joking. But can this boy joke with such tooth-rotting sincerity? It had to kill someone, eventually. “I don’t know. Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to disturb you.”
“It’s no biggie.” He said, Connie looking down to realize that he wasn’t in the cheering attire she’d seen him tow around. Instead, he was wearing a blue-yellow letterman jacket, cartoon t-shirt hanging between the folds like a snapshot. “We have a lot of room in Natalie’s van. I can help introduce you to everyone!”
What part of this world allowed this guy to stride on over to her and ask her to get into an anonymous van? She wasn’t that gullible. “I don’t think I’m comfortable being in a van with a huge group of people.”
“Oh, you don’t like getting squished?” He asked. And it was seeping of genuine intent, the innocence shielding him from the awkward contexts that hung over her words. “I mean, you can go into shotgun if you’d like?”
“I don’t think I’d like that either.”
“So, it’s a no then?” There was still some hope in his voice. Sweet and gentle.
She grimaced even more. “It’s a no.”
“Oh. Well, that’s okay.” Even with her reluctance and weariness, there was a part of her that winced over his voice. It revealed too much disappointment, like the intent wasn’t of malice but of something pure and simple—Connie wondering if her brain was on haywire or if the lights were too bright or if her tension got to him. She had no clue what made her feel so guilty at this moment. “I still would like to befriend you more, so I hope to see you at the library on Wednesday.”
Wednesday. The day when the first tutoring session shall begin. Pressing up her glasses, Connie affirmed to it, her tongue cotton. “I’ll have my schedule cleared up just for you.”
“Thanks, Connie, you’re the best!” He placed a solitary coco-glazed doughnut onto her plate, and then, giving her a quick and chipper wave, walked out with the rest of his pastries.
Eyeing through the café windows, she spotted the van in the vast parking lot—a cheerleader leaping onto him in a bear hug before the two of them disappeared into the vehicle. And with that, it buckled out of the parking space and drove out of her sight.
She huffed, continuing to eye the coffee lulling in her container. She wondered what would have happened if she accepted his offer. Would it have made a difference?
Not trying to spoil what you have planned but I am really excited to see the gems reactions to amethyst. You story is great!
(3/3)
Inspired by: @charlietheepicwriter7 post >Here<
Warning! Description of violent murder, the Ring/Grudge style ghost Jazz, and kidnapping of minors. This is just a short blurb I thought of and had to write given it is Halloween. XD
That beast, he thought that if he chopped her into pieces he could save himself. That she would be unable to form. He actually thought that he could prevent her wrath by phasing the pieces of her corpse into the vast reaches of the globe. While it did slow her down a bit, there was nothing in this or any universe that would stop Jazz Fenton from helping her baby brother. Jazz was not like Vlad Masters, she was not half so pathetic as he was. Jazz was calculating, she was determined, and she was made of love.
It took her ages, so much time was lost just pulling herself together. But that was alright, she had Time, she always had Time on her side. She had time enough to gather herself, time enough to gain power, time enough to train her new form and powers, time enough to find the beast that murdered her parents and stole her brother and niblings. Time enough to chase him down to the wretched little corner of the multiverse he thought he could hide away in. It was different, unfortunately she had to relearn herself once again after going through a portal into that world. But it didn’t matter, she was determined. She could sense her dearest family somewhere in that city. Blocked by a ghost shield no doubt.
That didn’t matter, she was patient, she could find a way in with enough time. Danny and her niblings would be safe while she worked on it. Because she had found him~
Dear Vlad wasn’t expecting her, he hadn’t been ready to be met with her ghost. Not the dark twisted version of what she had made him. She should have been bright, joyful, but instead her long hair fell in sleek watery black waves, stretching long behind her into the abyss. Her limbs only barely attached to her torso and head. Her eyes a dark, fathomless abyss. Blood trailed after her in puddles and floods. He did try to fight back, the coward. But Jazz had long reached the point of Calamity, she was not just a ghost anymore but a vengeful reckoning.
Vlad had taken everything from her. He had killed her parents, killed her friends, kidnapped her brother and niblings, killed her. He must have feared that this would happen, after all he had tried so hard to keep her buried. But she was a Fenton and Fenton’s were not silent. Though he managed to get a few hits on her, he was really no match for her fluid movements, for the boiling rage she carried in her core, for the love that drove her to continue on, for the way she plucked his core from his chest and crushed it between her fingers. With his ghost half gone he was only a pathetic rapidly fading old man, scrambling to get away from her. But she was not merciful as he had not been to her.
What was left of Vlad was found the next morning by his secretary plastered in blood and viscera across his office walls, floor, and ceiling. His perfectly preserved head placed neatly upon his desk with an expression of unspeakable horror on his face.
Amnesia Au
Part 8
do you have a pet
Previous Next
Sorry this is a tiny bit late.
Next part should come out next Wednesday.
Amnesia AU
Part 4
Danny: Ugh, they're back again
Jazz: Don't make that face at paying customers. Do you want to make a portal back home?
Danny rolling his eyes: Yes
Jazz: Then we need to get enough money to buy the parts. If that means waiting tables at a barely legal dinner, where idiots hit on us, then we wait those stupid tables. Now go over there and get the Waynes to leave us a 200 tip.
Danny: Fine, but only if you do too!
Jazz: *Tighten her apron straps into an hourglass figure* Way ahead of you.
Danny: *Rolling eyes but does the same*
Meanwhile with the Waynes
Bruce: It's so nice to go out to eat with you all
Alfred: Indeed. It's a nice change, don't you agree, children?
Wayne kids: *hyperventilating*
Bruce Not looking up from his phone: The Fenton siblings?
Alfred: Indeed, sir. It seems like Master Dick, Master Jason, and Miss Cass are going to attempt to speak to Ms. Fenton today. Master Tim, Master Damian, Master Duke, and Miss Steph don't seem mentally ready to look Mister Fenton in the eye. Bets?
Bruce: Dick chokes on his fork again. Tim face plants on the table, and Steph once again speaks in gibberish after forgetting the entire English language.
Alfred: Very good, sir.
They. Had. To. Show. Adult. Ladynoir. And. Their. Redesigns.
Gotham was not a city known for its kindness. Rain slicked the alleyways like a second skin, and shadows crept where sunlight dared not linger. Alfred Pennyworth had seen a great many things in this city. Muggers, monsters, and masked madmen were just part of the nightly routine. What he hadn't expected, however, was to be saved by a ghost.
Or something very much like one.
It was supposed to be a quick errand—a quiet evening walk to clear his head. But halfway down Burnside, three desperate men with more bravado than brains cornered him. Alfred had been ready to disarm the first and disable the second, but he never got the chance. A blur of white and black swooped in, accompanied by the distant, bone-deep hum of unnatural power. The muggers were down in seconds—one frozen to the wall, another knocked out cold, and the third suspended midair by a glowing hand that flickered green.
The boy was there and gone just as fast. Alfred barely had time to register the tattered hoodie, the hollow cheeks, the white hair and green eyes that didn’t seem quite human.
"Wait—!" Alfred had called, but the boy was already gone, melting into the shadows like smoke.
The encounter would’ve ended there—just another strange chapter in Gotham’s nightbook—if it hadn’t kept happening.
Twice more, the mysterious young man appeared. Once to stop a purse snatcher near the theater. Another time to drag a lost child out of a crumbling building during a fire. Always fast, always silent. Always gone before Alfred could properly speak to him.
And always too thin.
It was the kind of thin that spoke of long nights without food. Hollow cheeks, knobby elbows, a belt cinched too tight around jeans that barely stayed up. It reminded Alfred of the early days—of Dick, of Jason, of Tim, of Damian. Of boys who had learned to survive instead of live.
Alfred Pennyworth had a rule: no one went hungry on his watch.
And so began his campaign.
At first, it was subtle. A wrapped sandwich left behind after one of the ghost-boy’s heroic appearances. A thermos of hot tea left conveniently near a rooftop perch. A backpack, clean and durable, filled with protein bars and fresh socks. Most of it vanished, though Alfred never saw it happen.
Then came the note, scrawled in messy, tired handwriting:
“Thanks. You didn’t have to. I’m not sticking around though. It’s safer for you if I don’t.”
The next day, Alfred left a response tucked in the same spot:
“You are not a danger, young man. I’ve seen far worse, and fed far worse. If you insist on continuing your streak of rooftop chivalry, I insist you do so on a full stomach.”
He added a slice of quiche. It was gone by morning.
Bruce raised an eyebrow the first time he caught Alfred baking two loaves of banana bread instead of one. Tim said nothing when the supply order mysteriously included a half dozen extra protein shakes and thermal gloves in medium size. Damian made a snide comment—something about stray ghosts haunting the pantry—but Alfred didn’t dignify it with a reply.
Then came the night it changed.
A patrol gone wrong. Batman caught in a collapsing parking garage. The comms went dead. Nightwing was too far. Red Hood was tracking Penguin. The only one nearby—untraceable, unregistered, and undeniably powerful—was the boy Alfred had been feeding for weeks.
He left the beacon on the rooftop.
“Help him. Please. –A.P.”
Within minutes, Bruce stumbled through the Batcave entrance, soot-smudged and breathing, but alive. Behind him, almost hidden in the shadows, was the boy. White hair. Green eyes. Shivering slightly, but still on his feet.
“I didn’t do it for favors,” the boy said. His voice was hoarse, too young for his haunted face. “I just... couldn’t let him die.”
“I know,” Alfred said gently. “Which is precisely why the offer of dinner still stands.”
“…I shouldn’t.” But his eyes drifted toward the warm lights of the manor beyond the cave, toward the smell of fresh bread and something sweet baking in the oven.
“No one escapes me forever, dear boy,” Alfred said with a small smile. “Not even slippery ghosts.”
The boy stared at him for a long moment. Then finally, like a candle burning out, he sagged.
“…Okay. Just for tonight.”
“Of course,” Alfred said, already turning toward the kitchen. “We’ll start with soup.”
Behind him, the boy whispered a name like an afterthought—like something long buried finally being said aloud.
“Danny. My name’s Danny.”
“Well then, Master Danny,” Alfred said, with the same fondness he reserved for all his wayward sons, “welcome home.”
The street kids of Gotham were acting off. Which wasn't saying much considering they were always acting suspicious but for the last few weeks the kids had been acting different somehow. They were a little too organized. Jason finally decided to look into it and found that the street kids really had organized under one leader. Which was concerning to say the least. Jason figured their leader was some asshole who was about to forfeit his rights to knee caps but instead he found it was some spooky teen from out of town. It was still suspicious but he figured as long as the kid wasn't causing any trouble he'd leave things be. For now.