The Easiest Way To Steal Something, Is For It To Be Given Willingly.

“The easiest way to steal something, is for it to be given willingly.”

This book left me in tears. Currently thinking of my own alternative ending 👀

Marissa Meyer, Heartless.

Art by haddox.art on instagram!

Withered Cards | II

Pairings: Jason Todd x Reader.

Warnings: Blood, gore, violence, murder, swearing, major and minor injuries, death.

Summary: Despite the many different problems you overcome with Jason Todd, you always eventually make it back to each other. Even after his death, how could you still love a man who changed so much? Even when you made a turn for the worst.

Series Masterlist

The buzz of the flickering lamppost was almost tantalizing, the dimmed lights making all shadows look as though they were creeping closer from within the dark alleys of Gotham. Your feet were light and silent as you moved along the narrow path, wet from the rain that was beginning to sprinkle down. Broken glass crunched beneath your boots, and you cringed at the loud sound before taking a quick glimpse around. Nobody was here, besides the occasional drunk man stumbling across the street, too lost in his thoughts and large swigs to be paying attention.

The distant sound of sirens wailed throughout the night, and as the rain began to slightly pour down harder and soak your jacket, the cool breeze upon the wet fabric caused for you to shiver.

You almost wished that you could have been back at the lair.

Almost.

Your earpiece cackled to life, and a familiar voice spoke, "Well? Is he there yet!?" The joker groaned into your ear, and you resisted the urge to roll your eyes and give a snarky comment.

Glancing out the dark alley you were currently hidden within, the shadows covering your form almost completely, you leant against the wall impatiently.

"No, he's not."

"Oh, fucken shit face!" He let out a loud agitated laugh. "Can't people ever do anything right?"

You glanced down at the wristwatch the Joker had insisted that you wore for his own reasoning, poorly looked after, but still useable. The glass of the watch was scratched and cracked in most places, and the leather strapping on your wrist was barely still attached.

3:43am.

You had been waiting thirteen minutes too long.

Your patience was already beginning to thin; due to the cold weather or the agitating voice speaking in your ear, you weren't sure.

Movement from the corner of your eye quickly caught your attention, and a man emerged from behind the flickering lamp post, his face shadowed as he bowed his head. You recognized him to be the one Joker had sent for you to meet, Dr. Grinvield. A white lab coat draped around his thin frame, gray hair thinning and glasses propped on the bridge of his nose. You noticed a thin scar trailing down his brow almost like a strike of lighting

You frowned, noticing a second man at his side. Tall and buff, with a gun held steadily at his side. You felt unease, and you hesitated to move out from the shadows to reveal yourself.

"Don't be shy, my little clown, go ahead," the Joker giggled into your ear, and you realized that you must have spoken aloud. "A big man holding a gun has never stopped you before now, has it?"

A pause, and when his voice came back, it was free of any humor.

"Just get the job done."

Inhaling a breath, you brushed off the nerves and stepped out from the shadows of the dark alley, your hand resting against your belt that gleamed the blade of your knife.

Upon hearing the gravel crunch beneath your feet, the two men turned quickly to face you, gun cocked in your direction.

Dr. Grinvield slapped the man, eyes wide in horror at the gun pointed toward you. "You fool! You kill her, then were both dead," he hissed, yellow teeth flashing from under his thin, pale lips.

By the time you were now stood in front of them, you took your time in scanning the two. Nothing threatening, to you, at least. Just two silly men trapped within in the Joker's deeds.

"I'd prefer if you came on time, next time," you spoke, eyeing the two. "And alone. The Joker never agreed to you have a little bodyguard."

The Jokers clear instructions played on repeat in your head; Meet Dr. Grinvield. Get the vial. Get out. No distractions, and no plan changing.

With a gruff sigh, Grinvield dug into the small of his pocketed lab coat, fishing out a tiny vial with a thick, dark liquid. What it was, however, you weren't sure. Nor did you care enough to ask.

You were aware the Joker had been planning something deadly, but you knew better than to ask. Perhaps another laughing gas or toxin.

He held it carefully within his palm, almost afraid of any immediate movement he made. He dropped it into your palm, gaze trailed on the sloshing liquid. He paused.

"Now, kid, you must remind the boss that this is only a prototype. It shouldn't be used until I've completely figured out the biochemical formulations and timely affect, but so far, it's what he's asked for."

You nodded, examining the small vial before slipping it into your boot securely.

"Tampering with it will ruin the formula," he continued. "But by the next few weeks, everything should hopefully be running on schedule. Just let the boss know-"

He was abruptly cut off by a nearby clang of metal, the sound echoing off the nearby walls.

You felt the hairs at the back of your neck stand, and you were quick to look around the dark deserted street. Nobody was in sight, but you did feel the lingering gaze of eyes watching somewhere nearby.

You frowned, taking one last glance at the two men before taking off into a quick sprint. You weren't in the mood to put up with any more people, and you most definitely were not in the mood to bump into Batman.

The familiar bat signal glowed brightly in the dark sky, glaring down at you like a taunting reminder. You could only hope that it wasn't him who so happened to stumble upon you just two seconds ago. Yet, something told you that you had yet to be completely alone.

You could hear the faint shouts of Dr. Grinvield cursing out to you for leaving him there, a pathetic whine as he practically dragged his 'friend' along with him.

Rain started to trickle down more until you were almost completely drenched, but despite the sounds of the rain dripping down, you could hear the growing steps of somebody behind you, and you felt your heart rate increase.

They were running.

Running toward you. And fast.

Picking up your speed, you refused to look back. You were panting and squinting from the water blurring your vision under your mask, still conscious of the chaser behind you. You quickly turned a corner and stopped, reaching for your knife hoping that you were a few seconds ahead of them. You clasped your knife tightly within your grasp, adjusting your grip when both the water and the sweat from your palms made your grip falter. You waited, waited for the attacker to come sprinting around the corner, but it never came.

It was like anticipating a jump scare in a movie; waiting for the moment the killer jumps out and attacks within mere seconds...

Perhaps you had lost them.

“Unfortunately, you might need to try a little harder to rid me, Sweets,” a voice called, and you internally groaned once you had realized that you had not in fact lost them, but instead let your guard down for a moment too long.

You turned to see a boy who couldn’t be much older than you by the looks of it, despite the black domino mask hiding his identity. He was clad in a yellow cape, red tunic and green pants. You had to stifle down the smile creeping up onto your face. The evident ‘R’ printed on his chest told you exactly who this was.

“Robin,” you greeted with a mocking bow. Though you had never met before, you had seen and heard countless times of how the Batman had trained a new Robin to take over from Nightwing. So far, you knew nothing of his weaknesses.

“I didn’t know you were waiting to see me. I feel so rude for leaving early,” you faked a smile, though it didn’t reach your eyes.

Your heart was practically pounding in your chest. Surely if he was here, Batman would be lurking too, would he not?

Robin only shook his head, reaching for his bo-staff that was at his back. He twirled it in his grasp - experienced and practiced.

“Unfortunately, I'm not here to chat," Robin spoke, inching closer with a look that you couldn't quite place. Was it excitement? Nerves? Adrenaline?

You shrugged, readying your stance the longer the anticipation dragged. You just managed to catch the small smirk cornering on his lips.

It wouldn't be there for too long.

He was quick to move on his feet, swooping down and swinging his leg and knocking you off your balance. You grunted from the impact as your back clashed with the concrete floor, small pieces of smashed up glass, most likely from one of the drinkers, dug into your back and suit.

You raised your gun, kicking Robin off you and aimed, only for him to knock it out from your hand. You raised your other hand, clenched into a fist and punched. Hard. Kicking your knee up into the back of his knee, he doubled over off balance.

"Damn," you heard him groan, his hand moving away from his face to see the trail of blood trickling from his nose. "You know how to punch."

You went in for another one, only for his hand to stop yours mid swing, but you were quick to kick his stomach and push him down to the floor, his cheek pressed against the cold cement as you heard him groan in pain.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" You shot, your voice dripping in sarcasm the longer you had him pinned beneath you.

You just managed to catch sight of his jaw clenching at the comment, but you were quickly distracted once he managed to wrestle his way out from under the weight of your body, tossing a small ball-like object at your feet. A thick fog clouded your vision in mere seconds. You coughed as the smoke entered your lungs, your hand waving around to try clear an airway, but you gasped once a leg swung beneath you, knocking you off your feet and to land on the wet cement floor with a grunt.

You winced when your tailbone landed on the floor, but you ignored the pain. You needed to get this boy away somehow.

You looked over, seeing your gun just a few feet away, but Robin's hand wrapped around your ankle and dragged you toward him, your chin smacking hard against the floor. He was quick to hover above you just as you had done before, your arms held down by his own.

You grunted in an attempt to kick him off, but he held firm and frowned down upon you. "What's this?" He questioned, a certain tease to his voice that made your blood boil. His hand went to the left side of your face, and you flinched back as his fingers effortlessly removed your earpiece.

He turned it over in his hand, before hovering it over your face with a cocky smirk.

What a prick.

"Did I disturb an important chat?"

Baring your teeth, you flung your head forward into his, using that as the upper hand to kick him off your body and stand shakily onto your feet. You watched as he stumbled to get up, but quickly regained himself.

You let out a tired breath.

“Just give up,” he said, nodding his head toward you. “Seems like somebody needs a break, I can tell.”

“Do I?” You glared, before lunging once again, your arms grabbing around his torso to try getting him on his back again, but he held his stance firm. He knew it was coming.

His own arms wrapped around you and spun you around so that your back was to his chest, his arms pinning yours down at your sides. You twisted in his grip, but it only caused for the both of you to drop to the floor.

Then he laughed.

He laughed.

Your head spun so fast you swore it could’ve flown off, and you glared behind you as you watched Robin try to stifle the evident smirk across his face.

“Your laughing?” You grunted. "Is this a joke to you?”

He quickly shook his head. “No, I’m laughing at the fact that I have had you distracted this whole time," he cracked a smile before releasing you, giving a small bow as he began to walk back.

You frowned, confused. “What?”

He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, trouble! Nothing to worry your little head off, for now.” With a last glance, he grabbed his grappling hook and took off, leaving you confused and drenched.

Surely he couldn't have actually just taken off? There was absolutely no way he would have left you, a criminal, after a tiny fight? Surely, he would have tried to call the Bats, the police maybe, or even hold you hostage and torture questions out of you!

Your confusion only grew the longer you stood in your place, and it was once you had glanced down at the fallen earpiece on the ground that you remembered what you were here for.

You grabbed your gun and the dropped ear comm, taking one last glance over to the place you'd last seen him, and you ran.

@annabellelee

©x-gabrielle-x. Do not steal, copy or translate my works.

Hunger Games Masterlist

Published:

Coriolanus Snow -

Jealousy, Jealousy (Part 1)

Works In Progress:

Jealousy, Jealousy (Part 2)

©x-gabrielle-x. Do not steal, copy or translate my works.

Withered Cards | I

Pairings: Jason Todd x Reader.

Warnings: Blood, gore, violence, murder, swearing, major and minor injuries, death.

Summary: Despite the many problems you overcome with Jason Todd, you always eventually make it back to each other. Even after his death, how could you still love a man who changed so much? Even when you made a turn for the worst.

Series Masterlist

No child would ever imagine the world to be as cruel as it really is.

Yet then again, most adults would refrain from exposing their children into the world, the harsh reality of it, at least, and Gotham was definitely a place of violence and rage.

The small nightmares every child would experience would never live up to the cruel reality of the world.

"Y/N, baby, get up," your mother whispered into your ear, panicked and rushed, causing for your eyes to flutter open.

It was still dark, meaning that it couldn't be morning, but your mother was hunched beside your bed with her fingers trailing through your hair, and that was when your gaze met her own fearful ones.

Her voice was so low in a whisper that you could barely manage to hear, fearful of what - or who - could hear us.

"We need to leave, baby. Come on."

With your eyes still groggy and barely comprehending the situation, your mother's arms carefully scooped your body up from beneath the warmth of your blankets, her grip tight and secure as she adjusted your body in her hold. You didn't fail to notice the heavy thumping of her chest and the pale complexion to her face.

“Mummy?” You asked, but she was quick to hush you, her gaze burning into the door with a look of terror you would never forget.

She waited, as if she were expecting the door to swing open any moment, but it only left the both of you in a deafening silence. Despite the obvious confusion set on your face, your mother chose to ignore it, not giving any indication as to what was occurring on the other side of the door.

With the few passing moments, your grip on her tightened, and the many fearful questions were swarming your mind. You were scared, but of what?

Without a word, she took a single step toward the door with you still held tightly in her arms, and just as her hand went to grasp the handle-

“Mum!” You spoke, too loud for her liking, because she jumped back away from the door as if it had burnt her flesh and clasped a tight hand over your mouth. She listened carefully, and when she was comfortable enough, she took her hand away.

“What did I tell you?” She whispered harshly, but her eyes softened when she saw the fearful gaze you held. “What is it?”

You pointed behind you both, back to your bed where your favorite teddy laid beside the unmade sheets. It was only small, the perfect size for a small child, with soft brown fur and button eyes. You remembered that night your father came home from work, a bouquet of various different flowers for your mother in one hand, and in his other hand he held the brown bear. He had just gone away on a long business trip, and you were overly excited after not seeing him the last few weeks. Maybe it was the fact it was from your dad, or maybe it was simply because of the soft fur, but it was by far your favorite teddy to hold while you slept.

Letting out a long cautious sigh, your mum quickly picked up the bear before giving it to you, your hands instantly going to clutch at the teddy while your mum went back over to the door.

“Ok, sweetheart. I’m going to need you to play a game with me, ok?” She looked down at you, and you nodded despite the darkness of your bedroom, only your lamp casting a small glow around the room.

She smiled gently and gave a quick peck to your forehead.

“Ok, we’re going to see who can be quiet the longest. I know you always beat me, and that’s why when I put you down, you’re going to run and hide so we can do some hide and seek.”

If it weren’t for the dim light, you only just managed to catch a glimpse of the hot tear streaking down your mother's cheek.

“Do you understand, baby?”

You nodded once more, holding a finger up to your lips as your sign you knew you had to be quiet. She let out a quiet breathy laugh.

You watched as she reached forward, her hand shaking as she grasped the door handle and slowly twisted it, pushing the door open. It was dark, the only source of light being the living room light from downstairs. You heard a small muffle of voices, one you recognized to be your father.

You wondered if maybe your dad had decided to play with you, too. Maybe that’s why your mum had been so quiet and told you to hide.

Your mum knelt down, carefully placing you down onto your feet before she stood up to her full height. You thought that it was your time to start hiding, but right as you went to turn, her hand was grasping yours tightly and she was walking down the stairs to where your father and the unknown strangers were.

There was a wall dividing the living room and the stairs, so anybody on the other side wouldn’t be able to see your mother and you crouched down at the bottom of the stairs. You watched as your mother peeked around the corner, probably to check that nobody was looking, because she was quick to pull you along to the other side of the room. You only caught a glimpse of the living room.

Your father was leant up against the kitchen counter, still clad in his pajamas, whilst five men you had never seen before stood beside the dining table. Four of them were each dressed in black, but the one in the middle was wearing what looked to be a clown costume. A purple suit with a weird bow tie, his skin as pale as a sheet of paper that made him look almost sickly. His hair was also a deep green, and for a moment you wondered if you even saw right.

The clown had a huge grin plastered onto his face, almost too wide to be natural, revealing his slightly yellowed teeth.

Your mother pushed you against the wall to remain out of sight, and when she knelt down to your level to get a good look at you, you could see the tears now freely falling from her eyes.

“Ok, my sweet girl. It’s time to hide,” she whispered next to your ear, her breath tickling your skin.

You nodded, and that’s when she leant forward to press a lingering kiss to your cheek, her fingers combing through your hair, just like how she would do it any other day to simply play with your hair.

With a quick nod, she gently pushed on your shoulders and watched as you sneakily crept to your chosen hiding spot.

It was by far your favorite spot, a small hatch underneath the desk pushed up against the wall. It was hidden beneath the few piles of shoes cluttered around, and you had to hastily move them enough to open the hatch.

You cringed once the hinges made an old rusty screech, and with ease you crawled inside, making sure to close the hatch securely behind you. Hugging your knees to your chest, you shuffled your position and felt the rough dirt and dust cling to your clothes. The bear that was still held in your hand was put at your feet, even though you couldn't see it with the darkness.

Although you could still vaguely hear the ongoing conversation, most of what you could hear was muffled. You tensed once you heard the loud cackles of the green haired man, shivers erupting over your body.

“Mrs. Y/L/N! How lovely to see the family together- oh wait, no… your little girl isn’t here?” He mocked sadness.

“She won’t be coming, Joker,” You heard your dad speak before your mother could, his voice stern and protective.

“Aw, what a shame. I was really looking forward to meeting the little lady! Perhaps maybe I can after this has all blown over.”

At this point, your confusion only grew. Nobody was coming to find you yet, and your mum was now in the same room as your dad and those other men. You felt your gut twist uncomfortably, and the fear was coursing through your body.

You wanted your parents. You didn't like this game anymore. You could only wish you were back in the warmth of your bed, peacefully asleep and unaware of the world around me.

Your mother let out a sudden loud sob.

“Please, just- just don’t hurt us or our baby. She doesn’t know anything,” you heard her cry more, and before another word could be said, a loud gunshot echoed throughout the house causing you to jump and bump your head on the hatch door.

“No!” You heard your dad scream, and it was then that you knew none of this was right. His voice was a tone you had never heard before, filled with pain and anger. You didn’t hear your mother anymore. Was she-

“I did you a favor,” the Joker cooed, your fathers muffled crying echoing throughout the house. “Women are picky. You can’t tell me the girl didn’t annoy you at least once?! You should be thanking me!”

“You monster!” Your dad screamed, before he was harshly cut off by him grunting in pain.

“Now, now, don’t be so picky. She was bothering the both of us. Now, where’s your little girl?” The Joker said, clapping his hands in a ‘chop-chop’ motion.

There was no response from your father, and you didn’t even realize the fresh tears streaming down your cheeks and falling onto your knees. You held back any whimpers in order to stay hidden.

“If you won’t tell me,” the Joker started, his tone switching from cheerful to dark. “Then I’ll get her myself.”

It was barely a few seconds, five at least, before the hatch door was swung open and your arms were grabbed. You screamed and thrashed, before you were harshly pushed forward onto the floor. Your head made impact with the wooden slats, and you cried out.

Despite the tears clouding your vision, you didn’t fail to notice the body of your mother laying lifeless on the floor, hot crimson blood spilling from a hole in her head and pooling around the floor, her blue top now stained red. Her eyes were open, glazed over and lacking life, and it looked as if she was merely frozen in fear.

You weren’t crying anymore. The tears had stopped, and now you could only watch with wide eyes the sight before you. Your mum, who you had touched and talked to and heard only a few minutes ago, was dead.

“Y/N,” your dad called, his arms outstretched, and you were knocked from your thoughts and practically stumbled into his open arms.

“Don’t look, baby. It’s ok, just don’t look,” he whispered into your ear, but his voice was shaky, and you could feel his own tears soaking into the fabric of your pajama shirt.

You heard footsteps near, but you refused to remove your face from the crook of your dad's neck, the only way to hide the scene behind you. You felt a cold hand pat your head, and your dad tugged you away from the stranger.

“Beautiful little girl you’ve gotten yourself, Xavier. She looks almost identical to you,” the Joker teased. “You know, I bet she’ll become just as great a fighter as you, huh? Just imagine it, father and daughter, working alongside the one and only Joker to rule over Gotham! Oh, it will all be so much fun, what do you say?”

You turned your head a little, catching a glimpse of the Joker crouching at the knees in front of your father and you, the smile never leaving his face. When your dad didn’t say anything, the Jokers sickening gaze drifted to you.

“How about we let the little one decide, huh? What do you think, little clown?”

You didn’t need to try answering, because your dad's grip on your body was tightening to the point you could just barely breathe.

“No, you sick shit! She’s only a kid! She’s only just started second grade. She doesn’t deserve any of this.”

For a moment, it was quiet.

“You’re right…” You heard Joker sigh, standing to his feet. “Maybe that’s why we need to let her choose for herself, and to not be influenced by the wrong kind of people.”

The Joker clicked his fingers once. Two of the guards came forward and pried you from your father's warm embrace, and once more you were crying, reaching out for him. You watched as he attempted to fight to get you back but was pinned down by the other two guards while Joker stood over him.

“Such a shame, really. I did enjoy your small family. Unfortunately, it might just need to be a little smaller now.” he reached into his suit pocket, pulling out what looked to be a long needle filled with a black tinted liquid. “Recognize this?”

You watched as your dad's eyes widened, and tears streamed down his face while his voice cracked with each word.

“P-please, not my little girl. Not my girl. I’ll do anything!”

Joker laughed, loud. “Oh, you poor man. This wasn’t for the child! I’m not that cruel!” He stalked closer to your father, watching in amusement as he thrashed wildly in an attempt to escape. You saw the fear flash in his eyes.

The Joker leant close to his face, licking his lips in a mocking manner while holding up the small needle so that your dad could see.

“This wasn’t meant for your daughter, it was meant for you, silly!” And just like that, the sharp tip of the needle was penetrating your dad's flesh at the neck, his eyes grown wide in horror. He didn’t even try to fight anymore, his body giving up while he turned his head to you for the last time.

“Y/N,” he chocked, and you watched with frightful eyes as black veins spread across his neck, traveling over his body like bolts of lightning. He groaned in pain.

"I love you so much, baby. I'm sorry," he cried. "Do you understand? I love you so much."

Your body shook as his eyes met yours. You didn't have the voice to say it back, and you saw the hurt flash in his eyes. Opening your mouth, the only thing that would come out was a chocked sob.

He fell onto his side, limp.

The Joker wiped a fake tear. "Oh my, how sad..."

He paid no mind as you continued to cry, calling out for your parents. You were sure that you were next, and you flinched when you felt the Joker's hand pat your head. He let out a maniacal laugh the more you cried, and you physically struggled to inhale more air. Nearly instantly, he frowned to what you thought was sympathy, tutting.

“Don’t worry about them, my new apprentice! Life would have been so boring here; I'm giving you another chance! How exciting! Harley will be thrilled!"

You didn't fight as he took your hand, your shaky body going to stand beside him. Even when he continued to drag you toward the door, your gaze was trained on the bodies laid out in the middle of the room, and it was then that you realized that the only person you had now was this man.

A monster brought from your nightmares.

©x-gabrielle-x. Do not steal, copy or translate my works.

All my works are meant for 18+ due to adult themes as well as dark content. All stories will have warnings attached above.

𝒮𝒸𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓂

𝒟𝒞

ℋ𝓊𝓃ℊℯ𝓇 𝒢𝒶𝓂ℯ𝓈

𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓇𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓈

ℋ𝒶𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝒫ℴ𝓉𝓉ℯ𝓇

©x-gabrielle-x. Do not steal, copy or translate my works.

Harry Potter Masterlist

Published:

Mattheo Riddle -

Interlinked

Work In Progress:

©x-gabrielle-x. Do not steal, copy or translate my works.