lottie

♱ DAREDEVIL masterlist - includes: no works yet

⟡ HARRY POTTER masterlist - includes: no works yet

♪ PEACEMAKER masterlist - includes: adrian chase

⋆ PERCY JACKSON masterlist - includes: no works yet

𐙚 SUPERMAN masterlist - includes: clark kent

⊹ THE WALKING DEAD masterlist - includes: alden, carl grimes, rick grimes

OTHER WORKS

⟡ lockwood & co. + locklyle

⟡ stranger things + nerd

⟡ six of crows + scream of crows - halloween special👻

I do not consent to have my work posted elsewhere, translated, or to train AI. I do not support JK Rowling or her beliefs.

⭐️ clark kent is an idiot.

⭐️ he is potentially the worlds biggest loser, with the way he can't tell left from right, up from down, and push from pull.

⭐️ when he spent two whole minutes trying to enter the daily planet cafeteria using the exit door, you wondered how perry white hired him in the first place. what the hell did he see in this giant dork?

⭐️ and you don't use the word 'giant' delicately. clark kent towers over everyone. he must be six foot five, at the very least.

⭐️ (you'd think that high up he'd see his loosening shoelaces that he always trips over, but he never seems to learn.)

⭐️ any slightly embarrassing thing that you could possibly think of, there's an eighty percent chance it's happened to clark.

⭐️ turned up to work an hour late? absolutely.

⭐️ spilt freshly brewed coffee over your co-worker's notes, and knocked their computer over whilst trying to clean it up? unfortunately.

⭐️ interrupted an important meeting of perry white's, thinking it was his family visiting? oh god, yes.

⭐️ almost kissed your boss on the cheek at the end of your shift because you "forgot where [you] were" and "thought [you] were speaking to [your] ma".

⭐️ yeah... and clark kent is still perry's favorite employee.

⭐️ there are plenty of reasons for this, of course. despite clark's strangeness, he's respectful and obedient (two of perry's favorite traits.) he's also shockingly quick with his fingers. you didn't take clark as someone who knew his way around a computer.

⭐️ and you were right to do so, because when you asked him, after the newest software update, how to format the article so that the picture didn't cover your beautiful words, he managed to delete your entire draft.

⭐️ you would've smacked him over the head with your keyboard if you didn't always save copies after every sentence.

⭐️ and also if you didn't already know how to properly format your article.

⭐️ you'd been a reporter for years. of course you knew how to move a picture. you just wanted to get closer to clark.

⭐️ it's strangely endearing, watching him apologize to the chair he just knocked and pushing his large glasses up every five minutes, occasionally poking himself in the eye.

⭐️ no one else notices. clark blends in exceptionally well. and you don't mean into the team.

⭐️ no, clark kent blends into the background. the plain walls, the rushing reporters. he's a nobody at the daily planet, really. no one pays attention to him even though he's so in everyone's way. and your reporter senses tell you that he doesn't exactly mind it.

⭐️ this guy gets interviews with superman, and he's still "clark kent, the mild-mannered reporter."

⭐️ you yourself have got some major titles under your belt too. interviews with vigilantes and heroes such as peacemaker (he turned a story about justice into one about himself), the flash (he didn't stop for long), and your personal favorite work 'booster gold's boosted woes' (he thought the headline made him look whiney...)

⭐️ perry once told you that your ability to capture these people's dashing personalities and headache-inducing entitlement was astounding. that's what you inferred from his colorful vigilante rant, anyway. and these sort of compliments(?) were extraordinarily rare from him.

⭐️ you wonder just how well you and clark would work together on a piece. ideally about superman. he's the only one who's managed to get interviews with the hero. and that makes people at the planet resentful, ignore him.

⭐️ but you watch clark and you notice him. and when he smiles at you, or asks about your day, or even glances in your direction, that's the only attention you need.

⭐️ no begruding praise from your boss or being treated to dinner from jimmy olsen. even lois lane's approval isn't much compared to clark's.

⭐️ before long, he was asking you out to dinner- in a completely casual way, of course. it was always casual. even when he started bringing flowers after the first date dinner.

⭐️ clark was lovely. there was absolutely no denying it. when you fell ill with food poisoning and had to cancel a date, he came over with cupcakes. his ma's recipe, he said, but he had made them himself. he brought over the only three that had survived the oven.

⭐️ others might call him clingy. even yourself was surprised by just how often clark checked in and showed up unexpectedly, always with a gift in hand. but you're used to it now. you welcome it.

⭐️ he remembers the small things. he holds doors open for you. he helps you research your articles, even if he's nearing the deadline for his.

⭐️ he's always late and always has an excuse. it's infuriating but you can never stay angry at him. you can tell that it upsets him to disappoint you.

⭐️ clark is passionate about helping people, saving the world. no wonder he gets so many interviews with superman -- they're practically identical in beliefs.

⭐️ and when you once answered the door to clark, dressed in your superman pyjama bottoms and wonder woman shirt, you slammed the door right back in his face. a minute later, you invited him in, wearing a more suitable outfit.

⭐️ you thought he hadn't noticed. you hoped he hadn't noticed. but as he was leaving, he turned and said "you should've kept the superman pants on. they suit you."

Seven minutes.

That's all that remained until the store closed and you could finally clean up and go home. It was an awful winters day, pitch black outside, the cold rushing in through the automatic doors that had stopped being so automatic a few months ago.

The store was dead. No customers had entered in the last fifteen minutes, so you decided to pass the time by getting an early start on your sweeping. As soon as your hands touched the brush, in walked a customer.

Typical.

You recognized him immediately. A regular who worked in the toy shop a few doors down. He was nice enough, but had a tendency to take his sweet time when browsing the store, which is why you didn't even lower the sweeping brush whilst he sauntered down the aisle.

Six more minutes until you could be on your way home, cuddle up in bed with a hot chocolate and watch a movie. A dream, you thought, sweeping a small pile of dirt toward the wall to ensure no one could walk through it.

A couple minutes later, the middle-aged customer approached the checkout. He dumped all of his chocolates onto the counter, before picking them up one by one and asking "Could you tell me how much this one is?" You told him the price of every single one, despite knowing that they were all correctly labelled on the shelf.

"That'll be $12.50," you smiled politely. Sixty seconds to go.

The man looked at you. "You're a really good worker."

"Thank you," you told him, genuinely glad that someone appreciated your efforts in this store.

"You look really innocent as well," he grinned, handing you his money. You just looked at him, surprised by the random statement. "I bet you're not though, are you?"

You gave a tight smile and shrugged, unsure of how else to respond. When you took the money, you made sure not to graze his hand. This man was about double your age and throwing out comments like this. You just wanted to go home and relax.

"Are you?" he asked once more, eyeing you. You couldn't believe he actually wanted an answer.

You released a quiet sigh, looking around the store for a co-worker to help. Luckily, your supervisor was on his way down the aisle, keys in hand. "Just letting you know we are closed now," he announced, before heading straight to the doors.

You handed the customer his change, avoiding eye contact and refusing to smile for him. You were already planning on what to tell Adrian.

The cheek of this guy. The creepiness. You had to do something about it, with the final straw being him walking through the pile of trash you had just swept up. The pile that you had intentionally brushed out of the way so no one would kick it about. You threw your head back and groaned.

"What's wrong with you?" your supervisor chuckled, locking the doors. You just logged out at the checkout and stormed into the back.

When you returned home, Adrian was already there. He didn't live with you. At least not officially. He always had a way of getting into your house, and you were unsurprised when you found a copy of your key in his house. You confronted him about it but couldn't be angry. If you were, then you'd be a hypocrite.

"You're late," Adrian stated. "You usually get here by 8:17. It's 8:22! I was just about to come and look for you. I thought maybe you'd been robbed or kidnapped."

You kicked off your shoes and threw yourself on the sofa. "I'm fine, Adrian," you said, but your voice fell flat.

Adrian paced around the sofa before plonking himself beside you. "It's really dangerous out there. You know, with how dark it is. The only reason I wasn't waiting for you outside of work, like I usually do, is because I got so caught up with organizing your drawers, he stood up and began pacing again.

"I folded everything and categorized them based on color," Adrian's head snapped in your direction. "That's how you want it, right? Because I can change it. It can be in order of size, most worn. I can do pretty much anything, whatever you want. Just don't check if they're all accounted for," he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Color co-ordination's fine."

Adrian stared at you, his expression contorted. "What is wrong with you this evening? You'd have given me a full report on some stranger you met, by now. Was no one that interesting?"

You thought back to the old man. Not exactly interesting but someone you definitely wanted a profile on. "There was someone," you admitted.

Adrian stepped closer, the corner of his mouth upturning. "Really!? Who?"

"I don't know," you confessed, causing Adrian to frown. You knew where he worked but couldn't exactly just walk in and watch him, or wait until he finished work. He knew you, and if anything were to go wrong, he'd know exactly where to send the police.

But he didn't know your boyfriend.

Adrian enjoyed this type of stuff. Observing, lurking, hurting. He had always said he'd do anything for you. Hell, he even said it a few minutes ago. Yes, that was in relation to him organizing your clothing, but this was Adrian Chase. If he said he'd do anything then he would do anything, right? You could test it at the very least.

You looked up at Adrian, whose curls flopped over his forehead. "Can you do something for me?"

Adrian lit up. "Of course. Anything."

"I need you to kill someone."

He grinned as if he had just won the lottery, his eyes glistening and his dimples on full display. This was what made Adrian happy. Violence.

⋆˙⟡ alden is extremely polite and patient. he would treat you with the upmost respect

⋆˙⟡ relationships aren't just about the romantic aspect for alden. he'd like to be best friends with his partner, so would establish a friendship first before progressing into romance

⋆˙⟡ alden would never interrupt you. instead, he'd allow you to talk about your interests for hours on end if possible. he'd listen to it all, try to remember as much as he can for future references

⋆˙⟡ he, himself, is a major nerd so most things out of his mouth are quotes from movies or books

⋆˙⟡ alden is obsessed with lord of the rings, high fantasy and books in general. he would gift you any books he finds on supply runs. if books aren't your thing, then he'd bring back anything he knows you like

⋆˙⟡ he's definitely the type of guy to give you something and say "this reminded me of you", even if it's just a weirdly shaped rock

⋆˙⟡ alden is extremely sentimental. anything you gift him, he keeps forever

⋆˙⟡ the same applies to anything personal you reveal about yourself - he treasures it completely, and is so grateful that you even acknowledge his existence. he knows that opening up and forming bonds is extremely difficult, especially in a post apocalyptic world

⋆˙⟡ he wouldn't initiate anything, including physical touch, until he was sure you were fully comfortable with it

⋆˙⟡ but when he does touch you, he is so, so gentle with it

⋆˙⟡ alden is very aware of your insecurities and picks up on them quickly. if you don't like being complimented on your appearance, he'll compliment your skills instead (but also occasionally let you know that you're beautiful inside and out)

⋆˙⟡ he is protective but not in an overbearing way. however, if you ever put yourself in danger, he will be having words. it's more due to his overwhelming fear of losing you than it is anger

⋆˙⟡ he rarely gets angry at you

⋆˙⟡ if alden has any concerns or criticisms, he'd speak to you about them. he's not the most emotionally available person but he definitely isn't reserved either. he prefers to talk through your issues, rather than let them slide

⋆˙⟡ again, he is very gentle with it. he's emotionally aware and doesn't push too far unless he really has to. even then, he feels guilty for it

⋆˙⟡ when it comes to his own emotions, he's quite shy about them. he gets nervous and, when he first confessed his feelings for you, he was a wreck, unable to keep eye contact, speaking three words per minute, trying to find the right ones to say

⋆˙⟡ when you finally got into a relationship, not much changed. you were both still close friends. he was still respectful, cautious. just because you were his partner didn't mean he'd suddenly have his hands all over you

⋆˙⟡ regarding pda, he's not a big fan of it. the most alden would do in public is give you a kiss. if you're also comfortable with it, he'd hold your hand, give you hugs, wrap his arm around you, put his hand on your lower back. but that's about it

⋆˙⟡ alden is quite the romantic. he'd write you love letters, take you on romantic strolls. date night in your own home. he would save up scraps and make them into something valuable for you. as long as it's just you two, that's all he needs

⋆˙⟡ his love language is definitely acts of service. anything you need doing, he'd do it in a heartbeat. he enjoys making your life easier, even if it's something as small as making the bed

⋆˙⟡ another way alden shows his love is through gifts. specifically hand made ones. he's good with his hands and likes to build things, so would absolutely craft you small trinkets, given the community has enough supplies to spare

⋆˙⟡ he would even craft furniture, such as a shelf for books or any scraps of life before the apocalypse you collect whilst out

⋆˙⟡ alden is a family man. he would love to start a family with you, whether it's through a pregnancy, adoption or raising adam

⋆˙⟡ and you bet he would love that kid with all his heart. he'd build toys for them (if you're pregnant, he'd do this way before you even give birth. almost as soon as he finds out the news)

⋆˙⟡ if you do end up having kids, alden would read them to sleep, sing them lullabies, and look at them as if they're his entire world. because they are

⋆˙⟡ when alden proposes to you, it would be with a ring he has made himself. crafted with his love and admiration for you

⋆˙⟡ it's not flashy and doesn't come with a diamond, but it doesn't need any of that. he might not say "i love you" every day, but he sure as hell finds a thousand different ways to show it

You had been with your boyfriend for a year now. A year of romantic strolls in the park. A year of kisses and hugs, dates and gifts. A year of staring lovingly into each other's eyes.

Those first few months were the best months of your life. He was the one. You knew it. Felt it so deeply within yourself. You couldn't take your eyes off him, couldn't part for even an hour. It pained you to not be around him.

Now, you hated him.

You had come to realize he was selfish and rude and, worst of all, boring. He had no interests other than complaining about anything and everything. A perfectionist. No, no. A control freak. Nothing seemed to suit him. Not even you. Yet he stayed.

Why?

Well, he thought you loved him. You laughed at his jokes and welcomed his hugs, but underneath you felt disgusted at this fraud being around you.

There was a point where you truly did love him. He was everything you dreamed of, with his brown waves and adorable glasses. You've been told numerous times by your friends that you have a type, but you just don't see it. All the people you've liked, they've all been so different. So perfect.

Your current partner was the same. Until you discovered he was nothing like you imagined. Until you discovered you would do absolutely anything for him and he just wouldn't.

It broke your heart. And, ever since, you've enjoyed making him a little bit miserable.

Usually, you'd spend your friday evenings at a restaurant with your partner to celebrate the end of the week. Tonight, you were all alone, celebrating his death.

It sounded harsh, you knew that. But you were sort of glad he was gone. You didn't have to put up with his mischaracterization anymore. He said he liked X when he looked like he'd enjoy Y. Why couldn't he just follow your expectations? Why did he have to ruin this?

And, yes, at any point within the year you could've broken up with him, but maybe you could've fixed him. When you realized you couldn't, it was too late. You were having so much fun irritating him, punishing him for his betrayal. It made you feel powerful.

"Where's your guest?" You looked up at the busboy who had come to take the plate you had only just finished. "You usually show up with him."

Smiling at the familiar face, you waved your hand dismissively. "Oh, he's... ill."

Adrian, the worker, frowned. You were a regular at Fennel Fields and had come to know Adrian quite a bit. With his little glasses and glistening eyes, you couldn't help but only show up when he was on shift. He didn't know that though. To him, you were just another customer.

"What is he ill with?" Adrian asked, his brows now knitted together.

"Uh, the Flu," you managed.

Adrian's expression contorted into one of concern, making even yourself begin to worry. "Did he tell you that?"

You shook your head. "No, uhm... I went to see him. He's really bad." Adrian slowly nodded. Were you doing an awful job of lying? His fixated gaze told you that you weren't being very convincing. You considered whether it would be weird to reveal the truth. Yes, you might've been a regular but you and Adrian weren't exactly friends. Despite previously visiting his house (when he wasn't home) and sitting in his car (when he wasn't in it) and having a collection of pictures of him on your phone (when he wasn't looking), he was still, by society's definition, a stranger. And telling a stranger that your boyfriend was brutally murdered wasn't normal, you guessed.

"He's dead, actually," you confessed anyway. Maybe you could get closer to this beautiful boy if he pitied you.

But Adrian's face relaxed. In fact, he smiled, relieved. "Ohh, so you do know! I was just making sure." Adrian laughed. Actually laughed. This was the most animated you had ever seen him.

You furrowed your brows. "How did you know?"

Adrian paused, his previous amused expression nowhere to be seen. "I overheard some people mention it earlier."

"Really? Who?" you asked, wondering if your friends had been in. They never really visited Fennel Fields, calling the staff unfriendly and Italian food "basic."

Adrian pursed his lips. "I don't know them." All of a sudden, his joyous personality returned. "But good riddance, am I right?"

The comment threw you off a little. Yes, you weren't exactly upset over what happened to your boyfriend but to hear someone say it aloud, without shame, was uncommon. In fact, it was rather frowned upon.

"Good riddance?" you probed, raising an eyebrow. "I feel like that's a little mean."

Adrian leaned in closer, his eyes intensely trained on you like it was the most important thing to him. Which was strange considering Adrian didn't know your boyfriend. "You're not seriously upset about it, are you? He was so boring."

"Yeah but that's no reason to kill him, right?" you asked, not too sure on the answer. Of course you had thought about discarding of your boyfriend every once in a while, when he didn't meet your expectations, but homicide was never an option.

Or was it?

Adrian jumped back. "I didn't kill him! That's such a weird thing to say. Why would I kill your stupid ex-boyfriend who committed tax fraud in his spare time?" he began rambling, causing your lips to separate in pure confusion. "And if I was going to kill him, which I didn't by the way, I would've been much more violent. He was actually let off lightly. Especially considering he not only committed tax fraud, but was arrested for a DUI eight years ago. Which the murderer probably only found out after. If I was his murderer, I'd regret the method I used. So I didn't kill him."

You stared at Adrian. "I- I didn't mean it like that... I was just saying generally. Like why would anyone kill someone for only being boring..."

Adrian blinked. "Yeah, I know... I was speaking generally too." He took a moment to regain his composure. "Like, generally, people who drive under the influence should be slaughtered. It's a crime!"

His lack of a filter shocked you. Not entirely in a bad way. "Isn't murder also a crime?"

"Well, yeah, but it's necessary. Any crime, no matter how small, is still a crime. And the criminals?" his hands, still down by his side, came together form a strange shape. A shape that unnervingly resembled a strangling motion. "They die," the corner of Adrian's mouth twitched, as if restraining a smirk.

Your heart beat faster, a sign from your body that this busboy might not be all he presents himself as. But your mind told you to continue the conversation. He knew your boyfriend, but he didn't know Adrian. He knew about his criminal past and that he was murdered. And Adrian had just made it clear that all criminals must die. Glaring red flags, you were well aware.

At this point, you suspected there was a good chance that Adrian killed your boyfriend. But why? He was a busboy. A very cute one who sometimes stared at you a little too long. He had never interacted with your partner. Even when you both visited the restaurant, it was you who spoke to Adrian. Or, rather, him that spoke to you.

Despite your increasing heartrate, it wasn't unease that made your stomach flutter.

You couldn't help but push this pitiful narrative, leaning forward on your palm and releasing a dramatic sigh. "I never did like him. I was waiting so long for someone to save me."

Adrian stood up straighter. "Save you?" he asked, voice low and soft.

"I mean, whoever killed him did me a favor. If only I knew who it was. Maybe I could repay them," you shrugged.

"Repay them how?"

You looked at Adrian, admiring his delicate features. You imagined him on top of your boyfriend, taking his life, knife in hand and drenched in his blood. It was a rather beautiful image your mind conjured, and you were pleased with the ease of it. Your stomach continued to flutter.

You still didn't know why Adrian did it but you couldn't care. "What do you think they'd want?" you asked, chewing on a small portion of your bottom lip.

Adrian stumbled. "Uh- Maybe they'd want to keep saving you from these criminals. From anyone, actually. But I wouldn't know. Because it wasn't me."

"I'd let them," you gazed at Adrian, admiring the shine in his blue eyes. He looked so good in his work uniform.

It was in this moment you realized you had never been so close to Adrian for such time. He was utterly perfect. His arms more toned than any sneaky picture could capture. His hands more animated than any mind could imagine.

And, once again, you were back to thinking about them wrapped around the handle of a sharp weapon. This time, you hoped he had killed your boyfriend because, if he didn't, you couldn't even begin to fathom the amount of disappointment you'd feel.