#//finally i squeaked out a combat response

[heartheaded]

just stand there and don't move. i won't hit you. (from grog to scanlan!)

𝄇𝄋𝄋𝄆 < ❝Death Ward--❞

Scanlan squeaks out with barely an audible utter, clutching his lute in a way that an aristocrat would clutch their pearls. Sadly he didn't think to prep this earlier, but mid-combat amid this surprise swarm of feral forest kobalts got the drop on everyone. Damn reptiles and their inferred heat vision--! He knew they shouldn't've taken the long rest in the tall grass!

𝄇𝄋𝄋𝄆 < ❝Alright! Drop your nuke, big boy!❞

[chronic-escapixt]

Human Sacrifice

prisonworld!Kai x f!reader

content warnings/tags ~ Minors DNI, 18+ ONLY, Dark fiction, NONCON, kidnap, rough sex, p in v, knife kink, bondage, oral (m receiving), forced orgasm, assault, blood, biting, choking, explicit language, corruption kink

word count: 2.8k

summary: you wake up alone in the middle of nowhere but unfortunately for you, you're not completely alone.

There’s no telling how long I’ve been out here, trekking the same route through this wheat field, my disoriented state worsened by the sun beating down on my body for hours on end. Calls for help fall on deaf ears, feeling so hopeless that I continue on in silence. There’s no one around for miles or at least that’s the fear that grips me into a panic as I dart in the opposite direction thinking that will make a difference.

I’m lost and I don’t even know how I ended up here. One moment, I’m loading my car with my bags to head home for the fall break and the next thing I know, I’m lying in a pile of wheat. In fact, I don’t even remember actually getting on the road. It’s all a tangled mess in my memory that I can’t even begin to sort out until I find some civilization. 

The field eventually opens up and I spot a white farmhouse in the distance. Hoping there’s people inside with a phone so I can call for help. I’m coming up the driveway when I hear the sound of quick footsteps on the loose gravel. I turn in the direction of the noise and scan the area, but there’s nothing there. 

“Hello!” I call out.

There it goes again. I spin around in a hurry. This is weird, and I’m suddenly regretting coming here at all. 

There’s a hard thump at the back of my head and I fall onto the gravel, quickly losing consciousness as a pair of black combat boots fill my line of vision.

I come to with a groan, the pain radiating from the lump at the back of my head to the gash at my temple from the fall. Trying to move my arms proves impossible when there's a thick rope wound around my wrists, securing me up to the wall by a hook above my head.

“Finally! For a minute there, I thought I’d hit you too hard and knocked all the marbles out of your head.” A male’s sardonic voice breaks the silence from the corner of the room, startling me before I strain my eyes. My kidnapper, shrouded in darkness, makes a noise like a creaky chair and stands before stepping into the light.

“Where are my manners? I’m Kai.” My face contorts in confusion. The way he changes his tone to imitate politeness is uncanny. It’s truly unsettling me the way he thinks manners could restore any sense of normalcy after beating me over the head and tying me up. 

He takes another step forward and a scream shreds my throat. 

“HELP!”

“Let me stop you right there. There’s no one else here.. just you and me,” he puts it cut and dry.

I shudder at the thought. 

“No one is coming to save you.. Quite honestly, you don’t have a friend in the world.. Or at least not in this one..” he gives a taunting chuckle. 

“Pleassee…” I whimper but he doesn’t seem at all moved. He purses his lips and rolls his eyes at me. 

“Don’t beg. Believe it or not, I don’t even want to hurt you,” he saunters toward me as I brace myself, flush to the stone wall. He reaches out and snatches my hair in a fist, so hard my neck could snap, forcing me to look up into his eyes, “but I will end your life if you don’t tell me everything I want to know.” 

I feel the unmistakable chill of a knife at the base of my throat and hold still except for the instinctual urge to swallow thickly. 

“Do you understand me?”

I nod.

“Use your words,” he commands. 

“Yes,” I pipe up.

“Good girl.” He wets his lips, “Why did they send you here?”

My response bursts out as nervous babbling, “whatdoyoumeanIdon’tevenknowwhatyourtalkingabout I-” 

The blade silences me to a squeak as he presses it into my neck threateningly.

“Do you know anything?” He groans in a dry tone. 

“M-my name is Y/N! I work at the university library.. My parents own a farm upstate.. I-I don’t know why I’m here.. Honestly..” I blubber.

He lets out a heavy sigh and tucks his knife away into his back pocket.

“If it’s money you want I can-”

“Shut up.” He studies my face for a brief moment, raising his hands. I flinch, thinking he'll strike me, but they just hover there before he places them on my cheeks. I jump when he lets out a loud laugh, turning away from me. 

“You’re useless! You don’t even have any magic!” 

“..magic?” 

“Yes, magic! How else do you think you ended up in my prisonworld?” He scoffs at me as if I'm the crazy one while he’s muttering to himself like a madman. I start fidgeting with my ropes again, desperate to get away from him. 

He goes eerily silent and slowly returns to me. My body sinks into the wall as he closes the distance between us.

“Ooh, I get it.. dear old dad is trying to butter me up before they release me.. apparently the wonder twins fell through and they’re gonna’ give me a shot at the merge afterall,” he chuckles, running the back of his hand down my cheek, cold rings chilling me to the bone.

“I don’t understand..”

“It’s been nearly two decades since I’ve enjoyed anything other than my right hand.. being trapped here alone and all.. and while I still plan on raining down a fiery vengeance on my coven, I'm not opposed to accepting their gifts in the meantime.. especially when they’re as pretty as you.”

“No- NO! I’m not-” I’m squirming hard, his arms come down at either side of my head, caging me in.

“hush-shh-shh, I’m not gonna hurt you.. just let me look at you..” I attempt to steady my breathing. 

He studies me, looking me up and down, “your tits are on the smaller side but I bet they’re pretty too..”

He gave my breast a tight squeeze and I yelp. I want to beg, but it’s no use. His hands are already trailing up my thighs without a word as I silently curse whoever brought me here for putting me in this mini skirt. Come to think of it, I’m not wearing my bra either. It seems I was giftwrapped especially for this horny sociopath. 

He wrenches me apart and forces each thigh across his hips as I writhe in his grasp. 

“No.. none of that. I want to enjoy this..” 

I scream but he captures the sound with his mouth and I'm overwhelmed by the heady flavor of spicy mint. His tongue invades every corner of  my mouth, stroking my own with vigor. He's starved and trying to consume me all at once.

I tremble as he raises the knife and brings it to my chest. The blade shreds through the fabric of my shirt, exposing my breasts in one foul swoop. My perked nipples seem to meet his approval when he mumbles, “definitely pretty.” 

He tweeks one with the pads of his fingers while fully kneading my other breast to his evil little heart’s content.

“.. fuckkkk..” I exhale

He grins, “like that, huh?” 

“NO!” I shout, trying to kick my legs free as hard as I can. He pins me flush with his hips, my tailbone colliding with the rough wall. I can feel his stiffen, the hot shape digging into me. 

He recaptures my lips, his hands growing rougher with my tender breasts. 

It hurts but in a way I can’t stop myself from enjoying. His cruel touch makes my deepest parts quiver.

I want so badly to squeeze my legs closed, hide it from his wandering hands that are already locked onto their next target, his palm finding the wet patch in my panties, his fingers prodding at my leaking hole through the cloth. 

He pushes the fabric aside as he couldn’t be bothered to pull them off of me completely. The direct contact with my puffed pearl sends corresponding pulses up to the pit of my stomach as I whine and squeeze my eyes shut.

He pauses. “no.. hey,  look at me..” 

I pop my eyes open when I feel his hand rub my juices across my face and lips, forcing me to confront how shamefully wet he’s making me, before sliding back into place between my thighs.

A finger slips inside, prodding my tender walls with careful consideration before retreating from me.

“You’re so tight I might break you.”

He proceeds to unbuckle his pants, dropping his cargos and briefs. His cock jumps with its own pulse. The length was nothing short of intimidating, a girth that could rival my forearm and a bulbous mushroom tip that made my insides grind in anticipation. There’s no way that’s fitting inside me.

I protest by squirming again, but he grabs my face, his fingers digging into my cheekbones, 

“Behave yourself and this will be fun for the both of us.”

I shake my head. He’ll rip me half and judging by his behavior thus far, he’s not gonna be gentle about it. 

“Stop..stop it.. I know it’s big.. I’ll make it fit.. okay? Come on.. you’re plenty wet. You’re probably one of those perverted girls that gets off to this stuff anyway.. aren't you?”

“Go to hell,” I snarl.

He tightens his hold until my lips squish closed, “mark my words, I’m gonna make you come on my cock.” 

He gets to work, stroking my clitoris. 

I chew my lips till I taste blood but my moans escape from me anyway. My body seems to completely betray me and arch into his touch. I can hear his hum of approval as he feels my body submit to him. He slides two digits inside, beginning to pump into my squishy walls as I rut my hips to his movements, just mindlessly chasing the high from whatever he gives me.

“Good girl..” He growls in my ear. His hand strokes the length of his member until his precum pearls at the flushed tip.

He butterflies me open against the wall and pushes into me all at once, grunting in my ear as I cry out garbled nonsense. my nails digging into my palm, the only movement I’m allowed

His cock reaches depths I didn’t think were possible, far beyond the damage I could do with my largest toys on my nightstand back home. I struggle to accommodate him the way he forces my body to. Though I’m fully aroused, he leaves an aching burn every inch of the way. 

He’s all I can sense, completely overriding my nervous system. I don’t even notice my tears until he licks them away with his tongue. 

“See, I told you I could- hey.. don’t cry..” he whispers as if trying to console me, as if I can’t feel his sadistic smile on my skin.

Every thrust, erratic yet precise. He knocks the air from me, but he knows exactly what he’s doing. My core responds by wetting his path so that each stroke leaves a sloppy squelching echo between our bodies. 

Despite my best efforts, it seems he’s going to make good on his promise. The way the coil in my gut draws dangerously tighter with each brush of his generous cock. The ridges along him catch at my stretched walls making me clamp down for the sensation. 

He feels it too, I know it by the way his hand balls into a tight fist at my side. 

My moans go shrill when he leans down to bite my collar bone. 

The combination of pleasure, pain, and fear turn me nuclear. I just combust into waves of ecstasy, my walls milking him until he twitches and creams my insides with thick coats of his spend. 

He pulls away from my neck, and I catch a glimpse of his face. Soft parted lips, hooded gray eyes and a deep red flush that colors his pale skin all the way down his neck. He’s the embodiment of evil, I’m sure of it, but in this moment I can only process his gorgeously fucked-out face.

“Best gift ever..” he sighs and chuckles to himself. Then his hand reaches up and wraps around my throat, ending the moment as soon as it started. I squirm and kick as panic sets in. 

It can’t end like this.

I gasp as he constricts my airway, cooing in my ear in his soothing voice. “Shhh.. it's okay.. just go back to sleep..”

My struggles weaken until tiny black spots fill my vision and I’m out again.

I wake up in a bed. The light of early morning streaming in through the curtains. I must’ve slept through the rest of the afternoon and night, yet my body is still riddled with exhaustion. Oddly though, after all I’ve been through, I feel clean and when I pull the covers off I see I was changed into a black dress, more like lingerie with its lacy fabric so sheer and tight I can practically see my kidneys. There’s a mirror over on the vanity and I rise on shaky legs and take a seat in front of it. 

I see a fresh bandage on my forehead. My lips are still red and puffy and my eyes are bloodshot from crying. Between my neck and shoulder in a purple bruise in the shape of a bite. I run my fingers along the divots from his teeth and wince.

“Someone must be awake from their beauty rest.” I jump at the sound of his approaching voice from down the hall.

I have to get out of here. I get up and dash out of the room, running as fast yet as quiet as I can in the opposite direction. Each step causes me pain as I hold my abdomen but I beeline down the stairs to the front door. 

I think I made it home free until I turn the knob and it doesn’t budge. I try repeatedly, but the fucker rigged it so I can’t get out. I’m locked in from the outside. My hands are shaking now, but as I back away, I catch the gleam of a set of keys in the corner of my eye. 

Hope fills my chest, but before I can reach them, I’m swept up by a pair of strong arms and lifted off the ground.

“Where do you think you’re going, hm?” he husks. 

“Just let me go! I don’t know why I’m here or who sent me. I just want to go home!” I scream.

He chuckles darkly and holds me so tight it's hard to breathe. 

“I already told you why you’re here, and if you want to make it back home in one piece, I suggest you get with the program, baby.” 

He hurls me onto the floor and I roll until my ribs knock in the pointed corner of the wall. The pain makes me cry out. 

He shakes his head and tsks, “pathetic.” His taunting footsteps approach as I cower in the corner, holding my hand out as silent plea.

He reaches down and grabs the back of my neck, holding me in place.

“Aww, haven't had my new toy for a whole 24 hours and I already broke her..”

“I’m not broken,” I bite out. I mean that. I refuse to let him break me.

“Oh?” he sneers at my indignation, “then prove it.” 

He’s unzipping himself with the other hand, shoving his cock in my face. 

“Show me my pretty new toy still works.”

I stare down the veiny monster. Too big from my singular hand to wrap around, but I reach out anyway until he stops me. 

“Mouth only. Come on.. show me the slut who humped my hand in the basement. The one that gets off to being used like a fleshlight.”

Just like before, I submit. Only because I had too, of course - or at least that’s what I tell myself.

I open my mouth, tilting my head back.

He forces himself in, halfway deep until he’s hitting my gag reflex.

“Relax your throat and breath through your nose.. jus’ like that.. atta’ girl.”

I reach up to stabilize my weak body against his thighs as he guides me by the back of my head up and down his shaft until my jaw grows sore and wet and tears run down my cheeks.

I feel him twitch at the back of my throat and then a sticky warmth envelops my tongue. He looks down and mouths for me to swallow it and I obey.

When he releases me, I crumble against the wall like a used rag doll. 

He adjusts himself back into his pants then hauls me up by my arms, my body too weak to do anything but let him.

“Come on. Let’s get some actual food in your stomach before your body gives out on me.”

Part 2? (comment or reblog to join taglist)

[harvardhaugland]

closest friend - bosch ♡

a/n: more of an angsty-smut fic haha and once again. not even proofread. HELP MEEEEE. anyone wanna be my beta reader pls 💔

world tour spoilers! chapters 10 - 13 at least! bosch does break into the readers home but everything beyond that one part is all consensual, just a simple passionate bj ^^

Throughout this whole journey for “strength”, running around— doing all types of errands, all for him. You had second thoughts. You’ll be cooped up in your apartment, tussling over in the bedsheets, nothing but silence and the AC running.

When you can’t sleep, you look up at the ceiling and count all the days you had been looking for him.

Hell, the first time you had met, you two barely knew each other. You still don’t even know some basic things about Bosch, like his birthday, favorite food, not even a last name— yet you had always stood up for each other.

The lack of communication between the two of you had started to border your friendship.

You want to see him again, just talk to him, be around him. Just make sure he’s okay through all this. Tonight, you can’t even sleep because of an encounter with him. Back at the construction site. Bosch in some kind of cardboard box-head getup.

Hour after hour, it turns to 2 AM. Your eyes grow heavy— finally, starting to drift off to sleep. Your body hadn’t fully shutdown, but you could squeeze your eyes closed to the very least.

You roll over to the side, facing the wall. Focusing your attention towards getting a good night’s rest rather than the ambient darkness of your room. Slowly, your worries start to fade away, growing sluggish, tensed muscles relax. For a moment, you feel at peace after a few restless weeks without sleep.

The hinges of the window squeaks.

Wind blows in.

Footsteps.

Heavy breathing.

Heavy breathing that wasn’t from you.

Maybe your mind is playing tricks on you, perhaps this is what too little hours of rest does to you, or maybe it’s just all the heavy hits from training you took that are starting to hurt again. So you remain still, sleeping, breathing quieter than whatever— or whoever seemed to be in here with you.

Paper crumples in your ear and it feels as if your pillow is being lifted up.

Your paranoia gets the best of you and you’re quick to turn around, and try to grab the intruder by the arm. To which an audible gasp comes from them. You have them held by the rather bulky cuffs around their wrists, your vision readjusts to look up at who you’re holding— a completely ironic scenario taking place.

It’s you and the “Cardboard Combatant”. Face to face. No bullshit. You won’t let him go this time, making sure to keep hold of him. “Bosch?” you say, gently, “I’m not gonna fight you, if that’s what you’re here for.”

There’s no response from him. He simply grunts. Seemingly displeased, a bit awkward, stiff in posture.

“Are you okay?” You get up. Your hand goes down to hold his, to which he promptly snatches his hand back, a paper note crumpled in his other hand, his fists balled up tight.

Instead he very hesitantly reach out to hold your hands, “I shouldn’t be here, I’m sorry.” he says, “I just had a note for you, that was all. I’m okay.” he reassures, his voice is strained.

“Please don’t leave.” you’re almost pleading with him, you don’t question what the note was for. Bosch is simply standing in place with his head held low. Carefully, you reach to take the box off his head, cautious as if you were dealing with a stray cat, unpredictable. You expect him to stop you, but he lets you take it off. He looks tired, furrowed and upset. Your hands drift up to caress his face, fresh bruises on his brow bone and cheek. He winces when you graze them.

This all feels so ironic to you, you wished upon a star to see Bosch again— and here he is, inside of your room, with the two of you going in to share an awkward, yet intimate kiss.

He rests his hands on your hips, leaning against you, pushing you into your mattress. Bosch nips at your neck with kisses, practically close to biting you with how aggressive he was, desperate, touch-starved. His hands drift up your shirt, he’s excitedly fast, but hesitant at some points, almost in fear that he might hurt you like before.

You flip positions, on top of him this time, unwrapping the shirt tied around his hips, Bosch is laid back against the pillow with a shy look, hand hiding over his parted mouth. He’s hard through his pants— you pull them and his underwear down just enough to free his cock, having to glance up at him occasionally to make sure he’s okay, hands gently working his erection up, soft stroking that makes him squirm underneath you,

You take the tip into your mouth, illiciting a small gasp from Bosch, his hands grab the back of your head, firmly, he starts to slowly push you down further— stopping when you gag halfway down. Starting to bob your head up and down once you adjust.

Bosch’s fingers tangle into your hair, his leg wraps around your head, forcing you to keep at a rough pace, letting you take in deep breaths inbetween.

“You feel so warm.” he remarks, whining your name the more you take him in, when you hit the base of his cock, he’s panting, “..What are you doing to me?”. He’s overwhelmed with pleasure. Sweat running down between his chest and sucking in his stomach. For his first time, out of all people, he would keep his legs apart for you.

He makes your head spin. Bosch is cute when he’s like this, holding onto you, calling your name softly, trying to be as quiet as he possibly could— tears well in the corners of his eyes as his cock twitches down your throat, trying hard to prolong the pleasure.

He whimpers, wanting to get the most of this, but he can’t play around with you any longer. Bosch roughly shoves you back down to the base, nose hitting his pelvis as he pulls out, carelessly cumming all over your face and tongue. He’s speechless, his chest heaves as he grips the bedsheets. His face is red, he’s hot all over, as if he had a fever of some kind. Bosch collapses against your pillows.

There’s drool and cum dribbling down your mouth, pooling at your chin. Wiping it off with your shirt, feeling too exhausted to properly clean up. You tuck him back into his pants, simply laying on top of him, tangling your legs together.

When you wakeup, you’ll find him missing from your bed. Unsure if the feelings shared the night before was genuine now.

[ionlymadethissoicouldleaveanask]

Fun

2142 Hours, April 3, 2544 (Military Calendar) /

Planet Miridem, Rampart System

The ground shook beneath Frederic-104’s feet as he ran. A Covenant Wraith rumbled nearby, its powerful repulsor lifts shaking the ground and shattering glass as it traversed the ruined city streets. His visor was cracked. There was a small hole in the bottom right side letting the acrid smell of soot and ash pour into his typically sealed armor. It was, against odds, a refreshing change from the sterility of a vacuum-tight climate-controlled armor system.

The radio crackled twice, indicating a faulty connection. It was likely that they didn’t have many satellites left in orbit to transmit their frequencies at this stage of the battle. John-117’s voice finally managed to force its way through the white noise.

‘Blue Two, status?’

The team leader’s voice was tight. Stressed. Fred couldn’t blame him. Things were not going well on the ground. Blue Team, made up of John, Fred, and Kelly, were trying to rendezvous with Yellow Team in order to exfiltrate Doctor Halsey. So far they’d managed to contact Arthur and Solomon, but they’d had no word from Sheila yet. Sheila, who was personally escorting the doctor.

“Southeast sector is clear,” Fred reported. “Blue Three reported she needed some help with an armor group nearby, and I’m almost to her location now.” He rammed a new magazine into his BR55, consulting his motion tracker to confirm that he was no more than a few seconds’ run from Kelly’s position.

‘Solid copy, Blue Two. Good hunting.’

Fred didn’t bother with an answer. He was already coming up on Kelly’s position, and was practically within spitting distance from the enemy column. Two red dots appeared on his motion tracker a fraction of a second before his eye caught the enemies they represented. A pair of grunts, seemingly separated from their unit, trundling down the shattered city sidewalk. They were directly between him and Kelly. A single squeak on their comms would send their nearby fellows scurrying their direction, making their elimination more tedious and time consuming.

So, he’d just have to make sure that they didn’t squeak.

In two seconds Fred was upon them. He shattered the first Grunt’s skull with a powerful strike from his left first, while simultaneously removing his combat knife from its sheath on his chest and plunging it through the second Grunt’s throat with his right hand. Then he was off sprinting again before either of them hit the ground.

“That was quite the show,” Kelly remarked ruefully as he slid into cover beside her. “You get extra points for the presentation.”

Fred said nothing in response, but a grin quirked the corners of his mouth. “What are we looking at?”

“Full armor compliment. One Wraith, two Elites, a handful of Jackals and a dozen Grunts. What’s your recommendation?”

Fred answered without a moment’s hesitation, having expected the question. “Pick out a rooftop and take down the Elites, then pick our way down the hierarchy. That Wraith isn’t going to be able to turn sharp enough to pose a threat, and all it will take is a couple of grenades after we’re through with the ground forces.”

Kelly nodded. “Right, that’s probably how we should do it.” She then turned her head to one side and tilted it on an angle, giving him the same side-eye she did whenever she wanted to manipulate him into doing something unwise. “But how do you want to do it?” she asked.

At that, Fred did falter. He considered her question for a few seconds in silence, then answered, “Split up, and attack them on foot from either end of the column. Toss a couple of grenades for a distraction, then take them down individually in hand-to-hand.” He looked up and flashed her a grin despite knowing she wouldn’t be able to see it behind his visor. “Get a little exercise in.”

Kelly laughed. “I knew you were going to say that,” she said, bumping his shoulder with her own. Then she reached into the rubble behind her. “I got you something.”

“I’m not sure this is the-” Fred began, but she cut him off with one raised finger.

“You’ll love it, I promise,” she said. Then she took his right hand and fit something over top of his gauntlet. It was a piece of Covenant armor, taken from an Elite if the three-fingered glove attached to the armor were anything to go by.

Fred studied the piece of alien metal, its color glowing over top of his own muted blue armor. “What am I looking at here, Rabbit?” he asked skeptically.

“Make a fist,” the other Spartan replied in lieu of an answer to his question.

Curiosity continuing to mount, Fred did as he was told. When he formed a fist, he felt some sort of button press beneath his thumb, and an energy blade the length of his forearm emitted from the alien device. A broad grin spread across Fred’s face, and he took a couple of experimental swipes with it through the air.

“It’s just my color,” Fred said with a smirk in Kelly’s direction.

Then, his companion produced a pair of grenades. “Let’s do this one the fun way,” she said, the grin on her face evident in her voice. Fred looked from the grenades to the energy blade, then flashed his eyes at the mission timer. They were set to rendezvous with Yellow Team in ten minutes.

They had time.

“I don’t deserve you, Rabbit.” 

“You’re right,” Kelly answered. ”But I like you anyway.” She lifted the first two fingers of her left hand and made a swiping motion across the bottom of his helmet, pantomiming a smile. Then she pressed those same fingers to her own visor directly over her mouth.

“Alright, Petty Officer,” Fred grunted, rising to his feet and trying to ignore the blush warming his cheeks. He took one of Kelly’s grenades and fixed it to his belt. “Let’s go have some fun.”

[razorblade180]

Twin Snowflakes Finale: A New Tune

TSF 52<- Here!

They say a lot can happen in a day, but the truth is everything can change in a matter of a second. Years ago, it only took seconds to reshape the life of one girl and her family. Now, after all this time, it was changed yet again thanks many long and split second choices of those who cherished her.

With the snowstorm surrounding Atlas gone, it took no time at all for General Ironwood and many other supporters to rush back to their kingdom to aid those who were trapped inside and do damage assessment. Dozens of roads were ruined, a few buildings with obvious bullet holes and of course, a combat school that has seen better days. All things considered, most of the problems in the kingdom would melt away; and while many soldiers had faced adversity inside, all lived to tell the tale. That is if they hadn’t taken an oath to sworn secrecy, courtesy of both James and Winter. This was a freak incident as far as the outside world and citizens were concerned. Just one of the many new, dangerous, and unexpected phenomena that Remnant was now capable of thanks to magic existing once again. Would everyone believe it? Of course not, but Atlas military wasn’t responsible for this and the explanation was far more reasonable than explaining how a teen idol was technically responsible. Not that anyone was ever gonna pin Summer to this. If people pointed fingers at the military, so be it. This unusual blizzard that lasted a season could remain a puzzle to the world.

As for Summer herself, she and her brother had passed out after reuniting. The battle had come to a close and neither woke for a full day. Once they woke up, they found themselves together in their home away from home. Summer was pretty calm about it. As for Nick…

“I hate hospitals with every fiber of my existence.” He groaned in his bed.

Summer looked at him, cozy in the bed next to his. “We know Nick. We know. Look at the bright side. We share a room again.”

“Are you saying that’s what you want at home?”

“Pfft, let’s not get crazy.” She giggled. “Although…sharing a hallway would be nice again. Maybe I will move over to the other side of the manor. We can be neighbors.”

“You play guitar way too loudly for me to sign off on that.” He said bluntly.

“Oh, so we’re pretending you actually go to sleep at a reasonable time?”

Nick casually grabbed one of his hospital pillows and flung it at Summer. She caught it one handed and tossed it back. The start of a hospital room brawl was about to begin when the click of the door put them on their best behavior. Jaune and Weiss came in as the twins expected, but their parents weren’t alone. Behind them came in Max, and right behind him was none other than his father. Cardin Winchester. Nick and Summer were both stunned. Max was a little tense instead of his usual stoic demeanor. Meanwhile his behemoth of a dad stroked his burly beard as he stood like a sentry in his armor.

“H..Hey?” Nick finally said. “It’s been awhile Max, Mr. Winchester. Can we help you?”

“Yes, in fact you would be the only person that could.” Cardin huffed. “First of all, glad to see you’re still kickin. You too Summer.”

“Th-Thank you sir.” She squeaked.

“So about some time ago, I’m minding my own business. Just wrapping up a mission when suddenly not only can’t I go home, but this knuckle head of mine comes stammering towards me with that idiot on his back. You know the one.”

Nick nodded, “Darren? Yeah I know him.”

“I can’t make heads or tails of what’s been going on and I don’t really intend to; all things considered. However, not only does my boy not spook easily, but it’s rare for guilt to be all over his face. So I’m asking you a simple question. How much trouble is he and Darren in?”

Cardin wasn’t the most skilled fighter Nick had met but man was this guy imposing! Even the gruff in his voice probably had a gym routine. Nick waa the only person who could truly recall the important majority of that day. It was good to learn Max had in fact made it out and didn’t die somewhere with Darren. Not only was a big part of this not really in their control, but Summer would never forgive herself.

Nick rubbed his chin as he looked at Max. “Actually…I should be thanking your son.” Everyone, including Max, went bug eyed. “It’s true. An accident happened in the boiler room and if it wasn’t for your son and Valerie, neither Darren or myself would be here today.”

“Is that so eh?” Cardin said, a little skeptical. “So they weren’t the problem?”

“As much as I would love to pin something on Darren specifically, I can’t. How is he by the way?”

“Your redhead doctor snatched him up and said she wanted to make sure he was fit.” Max said.

Sweet Penny. She probably wanted to make sure that Diamond Dust situations were over! If anyone was more tired and invested than Summer when it came to Shiva, it was definitely Penny.

“Hmm” Cardin furrowed his brow. “That’s really as far as you want to go?”

Nick nodded. “They got caught up in a mess, but it wasn’t their doing. Your son is a good kid. Darren, not so much.”

“Shit, I ain’t his parent.”

Max took a breath of relief. “Don’t worry about him. Honestly I’m positive the last thing he wants to do is cross paths with you both ever again.”

“Works for me!” The twins said, a little too happy.

Cardin took the answer he was given and looked at Jaune. The knight gave a shrug as he chuckled. They bumped fists lightly as a goodbye, then Cardin left with his very thankful son. They barely made it out the door as Penny walked in; she gave Max a slip, most likely Darren’s room number, and politely went about her business.

“Sal-u-tations!” She chanted with more excitement than usual. “How are we feeling?”

Nick and Summer looked at one another then spoke in unison at her. “Incredibly sore.”

“Perfect! Pain means you are alive. Living was the goal so mission accomplished! I brought gifts. Well… I guess it’s actually data, but good data!” Penny projected both of their bloodwork.

“Ya know…the amount of times you’ve taken blood samples while I was unconscious is getting alarming.” Nick trailed off.

“It’s only been twice.” Penny smiled. She made his data bigger, focusing on the cells themself. “Anyways, good news! The Diamond Dust in your blood is completely gone. No blue or purplish discoloration anywhere. All red again. It looks like your body burned through what you had.”

“Really? Just when I thought I had a new ace in my pocket.” He said, half joking. Nick had a feeling after speaking to Gilgamesh for the final time.

“It’s actually not all that surprising. It never lingered long in other patients who used it as treatment. The duration it was in your system most likely was influenced by the amount we had to use to save you. Also, your ‘ace’ was only viable because you were constantly breathing in air saturated with the substance. If we faced Shiva anywhere else in the city, odds are you would’ve burned out much quicker or unable to utilize the Dust in the first place.”

Again, something he had thought of whenever he first felt the cold after surgery. “So what you're saying is my plan was really good? Man, I think I’ve peaked. How am I ever gonna be that cool again?” He flopped back onto the bed. “Guess I have to think of another way of besting Valerie in a fight.”

“Y-You’re thinking about that now?” Weiss said in disbelief.

“It’s always in the back of my mind. Oh!” He sat up. “You have to teach me some of those Dust combos you did! That’ll work!”

Weiss didn’t know why she was surprised. Not only was this normal Nick behavior, but she literally is no better when it came to rivalries. She gave a smirk and said, “We will talk later.”

Summer spoke up. “Ummm, so does that mean I burned it out of my system?”

“Weeeeeell…” Penny enlarged Summer’s data and brought up an older test.

The older version was riddled with cells saturated with Diamond Dust to the point of looking abnormal in shape to a degree. Her new results displayed normal looking cells in shape and color. However, there were still cells that had strands of faded blue. Not nearly as aggressive as before, but noticeable nonetheless.

“Unlike Nick, which was a controlled dose, yours was an accident. Even before recent events, your blood was always more saturated than his ever was. However, now it’s vastly depleted by comparison; all the effort Shiva used internally and externally is what got you to this point. I’m sure if I were able to get a sample during the last seventy months I would’ve only blue and deformed cells beyond what I could comprehend. Summer, how exactly are you feeling right now?”

“If I’m being honest, weird.” She rubbed the back of her head. “The room is cold, and it’s fine. My head feels so clear, quiet, and yet…is it odd it makes me feel a little lonely? There’s no mistaking it. Shiva is gone.” Summer always thought she would say that with more bravado, but it felt a little numbing. Bittersweet even. Summer snapped out of the funk when she noticed their concern. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely glad this happened. It’s hard putting it into words.”

Nick sorta understood what she was saying. “I definitely didn’t have to deal with this as long as you, but it did feel strange seeing myself fade away.”

Penny rubbed her chin. “Oscar discussed with me in great lengths what it felt like when Ozpin locked himself away. It’s not the same situation but I think what you’re feeling is perfectly normal. What’s important to remember is that you are still all of you.”

“Thanks Penny.” Summer smiled gently. “Any words about Oscar?”

“It’s pretty clear he wasn’t outside trying to get in, or else I would’ve seen him by now. I haven’t been told anything, but I intend to go searching myself by the end of the day. Call it blind optimism, but I really doubt he’s harmed.”

“He took Qrow with him. I bet they are stuck somewhere or somehow all their scrolls ended up getting grabbed by seagulls.” Jaune said, irritated at the thought.

Penny sighed, “It’s scary how normal that would be. Getting back on topic, Summer, I wouldn’t worry about this new bloodwork. I’ll have to run a few more tests in the future but based on what you said and all I’ve gathered, this data is your new normal; as in your blood would look like this after such an incident. What that fully means is something we’ll only see as time passes but it’s safe to say large snowstorms and constant heat are a thing of the past.”

Summer looked down at her hands. A grin reached ear to ear as she opened and shut her hands repeatedly. “I can live with that.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. That ends all the data we have so far. Now I have one final gift for both of you that I know Nick will adore. I’ve already discharged you from the hospital.”

Nick looked towards the sky in absolute gratitude. “This day could not get any better. Let’s go! We should get celebration cocoa.”

Summer loved the sound of that. However…“Actually, I could go for a milkshake.” Just being able to suggest that made her heart sing. “Or maybe even a smoothie, or both!”

Nick let out a laugh. “Haha, I don’t see why not. I’ll make you one myself!”

For the first time in what felt like forever, Jaune and Weiss watched their children get excited about the simplest things and spur each other on the way kids their age should. Weiss gently leaned against the knight and relaxed as she took in the sight. It was a long time coming but at least, life felt on track. Life felt normal. Well, as normal as their lives could get that is.

xxxxxx

The new lease on life enthusiasm made its way out of the hospital and into the car for about a mile before tuckering itself out in the back seat as Weiss drove. She couldn’t help but occasionally look in the rear view mirror to see Nick and Summer knocked out beside one another.

“Out like lights.” She giggled.

“I envy them.” Jaune said through a yawn. “We still have a few more things to do.”

“Let it wait for tomorrow. I know I’m going to. Maybe my age is showing but I’m still sore.”

“Want a massage when we get home?”

“Depends, what kind are you offering?” Weiss teased. She looked over at him for a second to see him staring at her mischievously. Weiss focused on the road the best she could. “Behave.”

“I didn’t say anything.” He hummed quietly. “I guess our next job then is hauling these kids off to bed.”

“I was actually thinking about that. I don’t want to wake them, and I have a feeling given recent events, they wouldn’t mind a little more time together.”

Jaune looked at Summer’s snoring face against Nick’s shoulder and smiled. “Living room it is then.”

They finally made it home after an hour-long drive. It couldn’t be helped with all the snow, even with the heaters operating normally now. Jaune and Weiss both took a child into their arms and carried them inside. Weiss couldn’t remember the last time she did this. It was surprisingly still easy. Though she was carrying the lighter of the two without a doubt. Jaune didn’t appear to have any trouble carrying Nick however. He probably would have carried both if she asked, but it felt wonderful holding Summer close. Weiss wasn’t sure for a while if she was ever going to be able to again. Thankfully that wasn’t the case.

They each put a child on separate ends of the L-shaped couch they owned so they could both stretch out as they slept. Jaune draped blankets over each of them before finally picking up his wife by surprise as he walked out.

Weiss put her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. “Someone is being extra romantic today.”

“You said you were sore. Let me handle the stairs for you.”

“Hehe, my hero. Let’s rest a bit like them before doing anything more… strenuous.”

He kissed the top of her head. “You read my mind.”

After the sound of footsteps made their way up to the second floor, Nick opened his eyes. “You awake?”

“Mmhmm.” Summer sank deeper into the couch cushions. “That might change again though.”

“It’s nice that mom and dad are finally getting back to their usual selves.”

“Yeah…I could’ve lived without hearing the massage comment though.”

“I’m choosing to forget it.” Nick groaned.

Both of them cringed and laughed over the moment. Summer opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. “Hey Nick? Thanks for believing in me. I know it couldn’t have been easy to let me handle Shiva on my own.”

“I always believe in you Summer. When I rush in to help you it isn’t because I don’t think you can handle things by yourself. I guess…I get scared is all. I don’t want to lose you and feel as if I could’ve been doing more, but I can see how that might be…annoying.”

“Please don’t dwell on what you read.” Summer said somberly. “I don’t want any of you to. Words on a page don’t always convey everything, and I’m a pro at not confronting my feelings to the fullest.”

“You’re getting better at it though. Speaking of which, what was your final move on Shiva? Was it something dramatic like taking your newfound strength and making a fully formed Gigas?”

“If only. I would’ve loved to finally pull that off. No, it was something more my pace. I did Solitaire. It was basically the equivalent of rolling a slot machine.”

“I thought you hated that move?”

“That's why I did it. It’s so random in how it would turn out that there’s no way to foolproof a counter to it. That is…unless you can cheat like Veronica can by going through it.”

“Have you heard from her at all by the way?”

Summer pulled out her scroll to see no messages at all. They were both sent flowers during their hospitalization but they assumed those were from everyone. “Nope. Not like I mind it. Don’t really feel like having an argument.” Summer put her scroll down.

“I…don’t think there would be one.” Nick rolled over on his side to see her. “Hey, not right now, but I have to tell you a little bit about what went on these past few months. To be honest, I wasn’t even around for all of it myself but I have a good handle on it I think.”

“Playing mediator again?” Summer said tiredly. “Don’t think it’ll change much about my feelings.”

“I’m not trying to sway you or anything like that, and what I want to tell you isn’t to excuse anything over the years. Just…cut Veronica the smallest bit of slack okay? She could fill her own life with journals too…”

His voice trailed off and his eyes looked at the floor. Summer could tell he wasn’t trying to advocate or take sides. He had clearly learned more about the girl that he felt was important to share regardless of if Veronica asked him to or not. Those words he chose, they weren’t to be taken lightly.

“…Kay. We’ll discuss it later and then I’ll see what I feel later. It’s not like my own actions have been anything praiseworthy. Man, I've been so dumb.”

“Summer.”

“Sorry. Force of habit. I think we all have gotten a little too good at kicking ourselves while we’re down. Since we’re on the topic of hearing people out, I take it you and Valerie are okay?”

“I’m a little livid if I think about it long enough.”

“Wow, I’m genuinely surprised you outright said it. That speaks volumes though. Soooo we aren’t furious at her anymore?”

“We?” Nick chuckled, “Even if I was, you wouldn’t have to be ya know?”

“Listen, I know you’ve read pages upon pages of me complaining about our dynamic, but I stand by you got it? In fact I don’t hate your problems being mine at times.”

“Heh, thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Sooooo…”

“We are not mad at her.”

“Cool. Still gonna pick on her a little though.” Summer huffed. “Hate to admit it but seeing you cry is the worst.”

“Why do you hate admitting that!?”

“It feels weird okay!? It’s complicated.” She turns away from him. Shiva’s final words still played in her thoughts. They were so… different. The young girl sighed. “Oscar needs to come back. I miss my therapist.”

“Not to be rude but I’m starting to think he isn’t doing the best job, all things considered, and written.”

“Bite your tongue. He’s wonderful. I just may not have been showing him those journals.” She mumbled that last part.

Nick sat up. “Did you just tell me you’ve been withholding information from your own therapist?”

“I’m not proud of it, and I’m sure he’ll yap my ear off. Oh well…I’ll deal with that later. Let’s catch some more sleep.”

Nick mentally apologized to every bad thing he might have thought of Oscar over the last several months. Nick laid back down. “You owe that man an actual paycheck next visit.”

“If he shows up in the next day I’ll pay him for all the visits I had.”

Nick would’ve challenged that claim, but he didn’t get the chance. Out of nowhere, both twins felt a sense of weightlessness before hitting the ground suddenly. Their comfy living room was gone, and they found themselves in this sparkling, beautiful golden space. They weren’t alone either. Everyone involved in recent events except Eliza was here, the majority of them just as confused.

Summer shook off their sudden landing and got up with Nick. First thing that caught her eye was Winter and Penny on the ground; but it was what, or rather who they were on top of that made Summer gasp. Wrapped in Winter’s arms were Qrow and Sparrow hugging her as she cried. Penny cried louder as she hugged a very dirty Oscar who was trying to calm her down. Summer looked at her brother.

“We didn’t shake or anything.” She said defensively.

Nick didn’t even entertain the response as he saw Valerie and Veronica several feet away with the same confession he had. They all quickly noticed one another and grouped up. Summer and Veronica only shared a glance for a second before Vee turned away. That didn’t stop Summer from speaking to her when she noticed the girl’s cat ears were pinned down into her hair.

“Uhhh what’s with the new look?”

“Huh? Oh, there uhh plugged up for the time being to recover. That fight got really loud…”

“Oh…” Summer rubbed the back of her neck. “That’s rough.”

“I’ll recover.” Veronica took another look at Summer to see her in casual clothes. “Out of the hospital? Good for you.”

“Th-Thanks…?”

Nick and Valerie watched the awkwardness before them and chose to direct the group's attention to something a tad more interesting and terrifying; they pointed towards everyone’s parents and Ruby gathered in front of a mass of light and darkness that gradually formed into The Brothers Grimm. The group of teenagers slowly stepped forward when they saw Whitley walk by and waved them along like this was normal!

“Uncle…?” Nick said worryingly. “Did we all actually die without knowing?”

“I hope not. I was literally in the middle of signing adoption papers.”

Summer went wide eyed. “We’re getting a cousin? Damnit, this five month gap sucks!”

“Imagine how I felt waking up in the winter nightmare land.” Nick said.

Whitley let the kids stay behind him as he reached the group. “We’re not dead by the way. This has happened to me at least once before; the day the world brought the gods back. It was over the top then, and it’s over the top now.”

The kids honestly couldn’t fathom how nonchalant Whitley and everyone seemed to be! Their parents must’ve sensed their unease because they all reached a hand backwards, calling them even closer. The children listened and had their hands held as their parents remained in front of them and looked up at the huge entities.

“It’s been quite some time.” The God of Light said calmly.

Yang puffed at her chest and squinted. “Sup. So can you two like…stop being giant for no reason? You’re frightening children.”

The goods looked at the kids with their nonexistent faces to see them clearly disturbed. “Apologies.” They said as they shrunk to the size of a normal adult. “We thought not appearing as dragons would be enough.” Said the elder brother.

“Dragon-sized humans aren’t any less alarming.” Nora said bluntly.

Ruby stepped forward. “Is there a reason you called all of us?”

“Actually…” the younger brother looked towards Oscar. “He’s the one who demanded this get together.”

“And for good reason!” Oscar shouted, getting up with Penny and walking closer. Qrow and Sparrow did the same with Winter, receiving hugs from the rest of their family. “Hey everyone.” Oscar said tiredly.

“WHeRe HavE YoU bEeN!!!!” They all yelled at them.

Winter shook Qrow. “Do you understand the chaos we’ve been through!?”

“You? Look at us!” He gestured to the rugged trio he found himself a part of. “We look like pirates.”

“Hold the phone everyone.” Nick said, looking at Oscar. “You wanted us all here, right? I take it because you know we are involved in Shiva related business?”

“That would sum that up, yes.”

“Ah, so you wouldn’t know. Eliza Marigold needs to be here. Can you make that happen?”

Weiss looked at him. “Are you sure about-”

“Believe me, she will be pissed regardless if she joins or gets left out, and I don’t wanna explain anything twice.”

Oscar looked at the gods and shrugged. The brothers clapped once and Eliza came falling into the space, hitting the floor face down. Nick ran over to help the girl get her bearings.

“Rise and shine. You’re alright.”

“Nick?” She groaned. “The hell!? I just spent months with you. Can’t I enjoy our time away from school in peace for a single-” Eliza noticed the two ethereal beings behind him. As well as the terrifying void. “…”

“Yeah, let it sink in.” Nick helped her up and took her hand that she so gladly gripped for safety as he took her into the group. “Please continue.”

Sparrow looked at all his friends. “Okay so, just so we have a baseline, did we miss the tournament?”

Winter blinked. She looked at everyone then back at her son. “Yes, by five months!”

Oscar rigidly turned his head to the gods like a horror movie monster. “Five months? You had us gone…for five months!?”

“An honest mistake, rest assured.”

“That doesn’t make it better!” He yelled.

“Can someone explain please?” Ren piped up. “It sounds like you weren’t aware at all how long it’s been.”

“That’s because we weren’t.” Qrow grumbled. “After about a couple weeks or so of fighting every sea creature known to man, we finally made it to a mysterious island. It did cost us our ship.”

“My ship.” Sparrows emphasized greatly. “It sailed beautifully and got us to our destination. Little did we know however the magic island we hunted down doesn’t play by the rules thanks to divine intervention! We noticed things were off after what was apparently a long conversation with deities ended with them kindly sending us to the closest mainland.”

He pulled out his scroll to show them how his time and date was significantly off by theirs. “It was only after looking on a news station and talking to people did we start freaking out. That’s when Oscar over here lost his temper and cursed more than any sailor I ever heard, shouting at the gods and bringing us to where we are now.”

Oscar let out the longest sigh. Thankfully his irritation was evened out by Penny holding on to him, as he clung to her as well. “God of Darkness, care to explain this screw up?”

“Watching humanity day by day is dreadfully dull. Meaningful changes often take considerable time for you all. Also, my brother and I have found it unwise for humans to seek us out so recklessly like they once did. Choosing to remain in a space where time is fragile and hard to reach makes it so people think twice when looking for us.”

“And you neglected this information because…?”

“In truth, we had made this defense so long and you actually are our first visitor since our return. Embarrassing as it is, coupled with your intriguing questions, it did cross my mind to keep track of the world outside. We would’ve simply made time normal.”

“Question.” Eliza squeaked. “So umm, what is time doing right now if we’re here?”

“Don’t fret. You all will return to where you were as if no time passed. This we will make certain of.”

Penny grabbed Oscar’s face. “Where are you?”

“Menagerie.”

Blake perked up. She didn’t expect her home to be the closest to gods. It was kinda validating, yet concerning. “I can arrange an airship to pick you up, then we’ll go home on it. We’ve been away long enough.”

“Away?” Oscar raised a brow. “You’ve been in Atlas this whole time? I had you all called here not only to get my bearings, but I thought it would be the quickest way to tell you what I learned about Shiva.” Oscar waited for gasps and faces of awe, but all he got was sympathetic gazes. “What?”

Sheepish laughter came from Penny. “Honey, I highly suggest you sit down. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

xxxxxx

They told the trio everything, regaling them with a story of great fear and desperation that even the gods listened to carefully. The group took turns explaining, adding more knowledge while staying focused on facts and events. The intermingling squabbles that took place were left out of the narrative. Both Nick and Summer especially learned a great deal of what transpired in their absence. Every time the situation got worse, Oscar, Qrow, and Sparrow couldn’t stop themselves from glancing at the gods.

“And…that’s about it. Now we are here.” Penny wrapped up. “Any questions?”

Oscar once again looked at the gods. “What the heck would you have done if we came back to our lives ruined? Do you understand how fortunate it is that everyone made it through that alive?”

The God of Darkness folded his arms. “You of all people know better than to ask questions about problems that won’t come to pass. Who’s to say how we would’ve corrected this oversight?”

“Well that’s a bullshit answer” Veronica said bluntly. “Here you are acting aloof when we put everything on the line. You even made it difficult to find you. I bet half the problems in Summer’s life wouldn’t exist if you bothered to be more diligent. You’re less like gods and more like neglectful parents!”

The room went quiet as Veronica spoke her mind, clearly upset. On Summer’s behalf no less. Her outburst ended when Yang covered her mouth and Blake made the girl bow alongside herself.

“Pardon our daughter's language.” Blake said. “Although I can’t say I don’t disagree with several of her points.”

The youngest brother chuckled. “So this is your child? Quite amusing this one. It would take more than a person’s insults to shake us. No need to bow.”

Veronica was let go. As she looked up, it was almost as if The God of Darkness was smiling. She didn’t know if she should be grateful or alarmed that he thought she was amusing. Veronica took the words and sat back down to not cause any more potential problems.

“I feel terrible.” Summer said as she looked at the state Oscar and her family were in from their voyage. “You went so far on my behalf and in the end we solved things from home.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Oscar smiled. “Granted, you learned a lot we didn’t even consider. However, while you have an answer to Shiva, you don’t have an answer to Diamond Dust. We on the other hand…”

“We cracked that mystery wide open!” Sparrow said proudly.

Summer thought for a moment. “I’m not quite sure I understand. We’re missing more?”

Oscar nodded. “The biggest piece. Something none of us considered because we had to reason to do so.” He pulled out a crystal of regular fire dust. “Understanding Diamond Dust origin means knowing the origin of the normal dust we are used to. Anyone remember when it showed up?”

Ruby recalled the time Jinn told the origins of Remnant. “Dust has always been here after humanity returned if I remember correctly. Same with the Faunus.”

“You’re correct, but we never really thought much more about it. Dust didn’t simply show up because of evolution. It’s a mineral found in the ground found only after humanity became extinct; when magic became extinct.”

Right then, it clicked for the grown ups who had witnessed the story told long ago, and then it slowly dawned on everyone else one by one as they tuned to The God of Darkness.

“No, no, that's insane.” Weiss uttered. “It’s what’s left of the people you wiped out; the magic they possessed!”

“Dust is magic corpses!?” Yang said in disbelief.

The God of Light nodded. “Not exactly how I would describe it, but in short, yes. With humanity scattered across the land, over time it grew and shaped like all minerals do. Truly, the name Dust couldn’t be more perfect.”

While most were left stunned into silence, Penny found this life changing. “Fascinating. People rarely ever think about the origin differently from any other natural resource even after learning about the gods because Dust has always been a constant. That begs the question why is Atlas so rich in Dust. Is it a land where many magical people gather, or does the cold climate somehow preserve the remains better than other areas?” Penny rambled, her excitement clear as day.

Veronica watched Penny pace around. “Never took you for a history buff.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but science and history go hand in hand. Understanding the past always leads to future progress. Umm, Mr. God of Light sir? How does this tie back into Diamond Dust? It’s relatively new and incredibly rare, only being discovered by Weiss Schnee about a decade ago near a lake.”

Summer stood up. “I get it now.” She said slowly, pulling up her sleeves and displaying a few scars. It was hard to describe, but her body felt a sort of rush as she stood before the gods. “If Dust is essentially dead magic, then the return of magic in Remnant would potentially reinvigorate it. What we call Diamond Dust is actually Ice Dust that has regained magic.”

“You must be Summer?” The elder brother asked. He walked closer to get a better look at the peculiar girl. “Oscar had told us a great deal about you.”

“Was my answer correct?”

“It’s what we’ve come to understand at the very least. Since our return, we’ve observed like many others of humanity that this world’s entire environment has become more aggressive ever since gradually magic returned. Nature always tries to find a balance with itself. Oscar now believes these various changes in weather locations may be signs of more rejuvenated Dust. It doesn’t appear to be all sources, but even feathers can tip a scale the more they pile on.” He continued to walk around her.

“Recently I’ve been having to start coming to terms with a lot of feelings; thoughts that were in my head. I’m positive many of them are my own, however…”

“Not everything fits into place?” He finished. “An understandable and perceptive feeling.”

“The origin of Dust is people from the old world, so by the logic, I didn’t merely get a foreign substance into me. I had the essence, residual, pieces, or whatever you want to call it, of someone inside of me. I had Shiva.”

Everyone paused for a moment again. Eliza broke apart that logic mentally before speaking. “That…can’t be entirely correct. Let’s say that turns out Dust is more organic than mineral like we always thought. There’s no way a consciousness could be dormant for ages. Magical or otherwise.”

“You.” Said That God of Darkness. “You’ve been touched by magic. What is your name?”

“E-Eliza Marigold.” She said rigidly

“It would appear humanity is slowly yet surely becoming whole once again. You would know better than your peers how magic is both a part of you yet so much more as well. It lingers and maintains, ever connected to the world. While I agree one’s mind wouldn’t persist in its entirety; do you truly believe a part of your very being isn’t intrinsically woven into your power?”

“I…hmm.” Eliza made several orbs of varying elements spin her hands for all to see. She could not deny that magic did feel more than her strength, yet very much a part of who she was. “You may have a point. Whatever remained may have filled in the gaps somehow?”

“Shiva never was aware of everything for various reasons.” Penny said. “More often than not she had just as many questions as we did.”

Summer nodded. “Even after I recognized she did things based on my internal thoughts and feelings, there were times she moved in ways I never thought or made me gravitate towards certain things I never had.”

Nora let out a groan. “Soooo if Oscar is a man with two souls, what does that make you? 1.1?”

“Let’s not try and put a number behind it.” Winter suggested. “Summer, how are you feeling about all of this?”

“Well… I really wish I can say the more violent experiences in my life weren’t on me, but then I’d be lying to myself.

“I don’t think you should be taking full accountability either.” Weiss vocalized. “What matters is how we go from here. This is a situation nobody could’ve prepared for or tackled easily.”

The God of Darkness looked at the puzzlement written on the young girl’s face. “You seem like a very gentle and earnest child. Whatever has transpired up until now, do not let it undo you.”

“Tell me, do you know who Shiva was by any chance. I know that would’ve been a long time ago and I kinda get the feeling you both are very…hands off when it comes to humanity.”

Oscar grumbled. “That’s putting it mildly.”

“It’s true I don’t claim to be as invested as my brother when it comes to the many lives of humans. However, I can’t help but remember all the individuals who seeked me out. For better or for worse.”

“Do you did know her?” Summer said with hope.

“I remember a person who somewhat fits the description. A person you all would call a pirate. Her true name escapes me, but ‘Shiva’ was the moniker bestowed upon this woman.”

“A pirate!?” That took Summer by surprise, yet given her choice in weaponry…it really shouldn’t have.

Nick was more upset about the following information. “Shiva isn’t even her real name!?”

“Assuming we’re talking about the same person, yes. I have no reason to believe I’m wrong. The woman I speak of was known for ice magic, traveling frigid waters with her crew to places no sane person would attempt. Glaciers themselves were said to move out of her way and come to her aid against many foes. I once met her when she stumbled into my abode. I found her amusing. Far more polite and timid than most, yet clearly capable.”

Summer said what everyone was thinking. “Timid? I wouldn’t call her that at all. She was the most intense person I ever met! I wouldn’t be surprised if people said her name in fear!”

“She never gave me problems. A keen individual she was. I met her a handful of times as she was crazy enough to use my land as a resting point when fleeing from whatever troubled her. At the very least, Shiva was wise enough to not steal from me. In the end, I suppose I was her ultimate demise. How she spent her life leading up to it and where she was as it happened, I wouldn’t know. If I were to guess it would be on the water like she always was. That is all I could tell you about the woman known as Shiva.”

It was more than Summer expected. All of this was more than what Summer had ever hoped to learn. It was far from perfect, and yet liberating all the same. There was only one more question that plagued her curiosity. She thought again of Shiva’s final words.

“You wouldn’t know by any chance if Shiva perhaps had a brother or anything of the sort, would you?”

“I do not.”

“Damn…” Summer was sure she was onto something! “Thank you for your knowledge.”

The God of Darkness could tell the subtle look of disappointment on the girl’s face. “I may not know her blood ties, but I knew her enough to see she valued her crew above all. All her tales never failed to include her first mate. Judging by her behavior, I’m sure they had to be quite the individual to keep a person like her alive long enough for a legend to spread. I get the feeling however, you would know more about them than I do at this point.” He tilted his head down.

Summer turned around to see Nick looking around as if he was sizing up the area. Their eyes met and he cocked his head to the side, waiting for her to speak. Summer smiled at him then faced the younger brother to bow. “I have a feeling you’re right about that. Once again, I appreciate your knowledge, God of Darkness.”

“Hmph, a curious child indeed.” He walked away. “Think nothing of it.”

Sparrow leaned over to Ruby and whispered, “It’s scary how calm he is, right?”

“Your cousin is very good at meeting dangerous people.” Ruby responded even quieter.

On the opposite end of that spectrum, there was Nora and Whitley. “If that’s everything then can you send us all back?” Those two were going to give everyone a heartache.

“One final thing.” The God of Light stepped in front of Summer, towering over her. “Summer?”

“Y-Yes?” She took half a step back as if it made a difference.

“Between the story, Oscar, and your friend’s earlier words…” he gestured at Veronica. “I would like to extend a form of apology for perhaps not being as vigilant. Last thing I would want is the very group of heroes that summoned us long ago to now think they were better off not doing so.”

Ruby shrugged. “To be fair, we mainly wanted you to remove Salem and were willing to do something crazy if you tried anything else. Not to be rude, but the two of you choosing not to meddle is probably for the best on a global scale.”

“Well said, Ruby Rose. Still, at this moment I am more than happy to restore your form, healing your body and cleansing it from the acci-”

“No thanks.” Summer said casually. Everyone turned to her with a mix of shock and befuddlement. Summer looked at her scars one more time before pulling down her sleeves. “I appreciate the offer. Truly, I do. It’s just that I’ve fought forever to be the master of my own body; to feel…like myself in it. It took awhile but I’m finally starting to feel that way. Even if it’s only a little bit right now. Erasing my scars wouldn’t change anything. It would just be finding a new way to lie to myself, so I’ll keep the reminders. They’re the story of my life.”

The God of Light nodded, pleased with her answer. “I see.”

Summer whipped herself around and pointed at Nick. “You however, should totally get your scar removed this instant!”

“What!? Why!? It’s just the one.”

“Because it’s depressing as hell to see it! I don’t need the physical reminder that I stabbed you!”

“So? Get over it.” Nick said. He didn’t even blink.

“Get over- do you even hear yourself!?”

“I’ve made a promise to show you more tough love, plus to do more things for myself.” He smiled at the god. “I’m fine. Thank you for your time.”

“Understood. I shall return you all to where you were then. It’s been a pleasure I must say. Ozma, don’t be a stranger.” He held his hands up with his brother.

Oscar clicked his tongue. “He said don’t be so difficult next time.”

“Let’s hope next time won’t be for a long time.”

The brothers clapped once and everyone vanished just as Summer was about to yell at Nick. Once again, there were two brothers and all the time in the world.

“Never a dull moment with that group.” The God of Light sighed.

“Was it wise to let the girl stay as she was? It isn’t exactly normal.”

“You didn’t speak up. I assumed you didn’t mind.”

“I never mind a little abnormality. That’s your flaw.”

“I also respect their wishes. It’s no more peculiar than magic returning to the people. We shall not meddle where we don’t have to. Now then, let’s be on our way.”

xxxxx

Nick and Summer jolted up from the couch as if they woke up from a violent dream. They both stared at each other quietly until Jaune and Weiss came running into the living room with the same frazzled look on their faces. They all pulled out their scrolls and breathed a sigh of relief as they were exactly where and when they wanted to be.

“Okay…” Weiss said desperately, “Today is over for us. Nothing else crazy planned?”

“We’re hoping!” Her family said in unison.

Their scrolls flooded with texts from everyone texting they too were fine. Also, Penny texted them all that she was already flying to Menagerie. Seconds later, they all heard the distant noise of the sound barrier being broken.

Jaune thought of poor, human Oscar. “I really hope she doesn’t hug-tackle him.”

Summer let her head hit the couch cushions again but was quickly assaulted by a pillow. She sat back up and stared at Nick. “Whaaaat!?” She said, armed with her own pillow.

“The God of Light called Veronica your friend. She’s also apparently leaving tomor-” he caught her pillow.

“I get it! Tomorrow, bright and early.” Summer tried acting pouty about the entire thing but she could tell her brother wasn’t buying it. He kept smiling at her as he handed back the tossed pillow. She snatched it back. “The hell happened in your headspace. So aggressive now.”

“I’m not the only one. You hate it?”

“No.” Summer stuck her tongue at him and then dramatically laid back down. “Hey…”

“Hmmm?”

“I love you, and stuff…” she grumbled.

He plopped down onto his pillow. “I love you too and also stuff.”

“I swear, how are you the oldest?”

“Hahaha.”

xxxxxxxx

In the city, Valerie and Veronica walked together down the street like they were doing before divine intervention stole them.

“You sure you don’t want to call them?” Valerie asked as she sipped on coffee. “They’re out of the hospital.”

“I’m positive. I have to go back eventually and clean out my belongings anyways.”

“So are we pretending you weren’t planning to pack up quietly and avoid awkward conversations?”

Veronica grabbed the coffee and took a sip as pay back. “You can’t call me out like that.” She handed the coffee back. “Let me take things at my own pace. I’ll see Summer when I see her.”

Veronica felt her Scroll vibrate and pulled it out. It was a text from Summer with a location attachment.

“Your flight is at noon. Meet me before you go.” Is what the message said.

Veronica tucked in her lips in disbelief while Valerie tried not to laugh. If her cat ears weren’t already folded, they would right now. “Don’t laugh too hard. You have to talk to Nick properly.”

“I live here. There’s no rush. We can take our sweet ass time.” Her scroll vibrated. Valerie’s body went stiff and she refused to reach for it. “Wanna chill at my place.”

“Sure, after you read that text.” Veronica smirked.

“I’m sure it’s not that important.”

“Bitch, if you don’t-”

“Fiiiiiiiiine!” Valerie pulled at her scroll and speed read it before putting it away. “….He wants to see me tomorrow at ten.”

“Faaaantastic.” Veronica took the coffee again and started walking. “Ya know I don’t think I’ve ever actually been to your house.”

“Ya know you could’ve bought your own coffee! Hey, don’t drink it all!”

xxxxxx

Tomorrow came faster than either of them would’ve liked. Valerie didn’t even know why she was nervous. The hard part was over! She was more surprised she didn’t get a text from both twins. Then again…Summer was the type to not make more work for herself whenever possible. Val knew if she was in Summer’s shoes, she’d get away with only one emotionally exhausting question too. The girl let out a sigh, stepping into Amity Arena. Leave it to Nick to make it dramatic.

Valerie made it through the passageway and expected to see Nick sitting in one of the seats or maybe even standing in the ring. However, Valerie saw nobody. Perhaps she arrived before him.

She cuffed her hands around her mouth. “Hellooo?” Nick?” No answer. A spotlight did however flash loudly on and off in the center of the ring, so she clearly wasn’t alone. Valerie took the light as a sign of where to be.

She ran over to the edge of the spectator railing. Platforms from the area floated up towards her make a bridge. “Nick, where do you find the energy to do this so early in the day?” Val said aloud to wherever he was. Had to be the press box. The first platform she stepped on immediately began to elevate, moving her back to the battlefield. However, instead of reconnecting, all the platforms went into King Of The Hill formation with hers being the highest.

“Pssst.” Called a voice over the speakers.

Valerie looked towards the press box and was surprised to find two people instead of one. Nick was outside of it right on the roof, but inside controlling everything was none other than Eliza.

Valerie wasn’t expecting her at all. “How the heck did he talk you into this?”

The young vice president yawned, still waking up. “He said he needed a single unbiased witness. Also I was always kinda roped into this.”

“A witness?” Valerie looked at Nick and cocked her head to the side. She noticed two duffel bags. “Nick?”

“Your mom told me you wanted to take a break from sports? That’s all fine and dandy but if you ask me… you’ve had an entire season of that. Not to mention school is out for the foreseeable future until repairs are done.” He grabbed one of the bags and flung at her.

Valerie caught the hefty thing, knowing instantly it was filled with her belongings. It felt a bit heavier than usual though. A quick look inside showed both her axes resting right on top. Valerie looked up and saw Nick pulling out his sword.

He gave it a twirl. “It’s come to my attention as of late that I can be a bit petty and hold a grudge.”

Eliza leaned into the microphone. “That’s only news to you.”

Valerie nodded. “She’s not wrong. Still, all this caught me off guard. So then, you weren’t looking for an answer or discussion today?”

“Do you have one?” He sat down. “I was gonna ask later if you needed more time, but I guess I’ll ask now. Valerie Valkyrie, after everything that’s happened, what are we? Or rather… what do you want us to be?”

Eliza had enough self restraint to not turn back on the spotlight but showed clear interest in the conversation by scooting her chair forward.

“Oh boy…” Valerie blushed and scratched the back of her head. She took a breath. Despite the grand stage, there was nothing to be anxious about. This was the smallest audience she could ask for. “That’s a good and serious question, but I do have one. Nick, I mean it with all the sincerity in the world when I tell you I pray that we get to face our lives back to back together. You’re my closest friend and I…I do like you, a lot actually. However, what I did to you here and looking back on why I treated Summer the way I did, I’ve realized I’m not even my own biggest fan. I want to be a better person and that mainly has to do with being okay with myself; not getting hung up on things like how people might see me. Until I can manage that, a relationship with anyone feels disastrous and unfair. I hope you understand.”

Eliza now wished she had turned on the spotlight. Valerie was not kidding when she said she had an answer. Eliza turned on a camera to see Nick’s face. She couldn’t help but chuckle. As expected, Nick was looking at Valerie with kind eyes and a gentle expression.

He stood up and put his fists on his hips as he smiled. “At last, pure honesty. To be fair, maybe I didn’t always pick the right moment at times, but more than anything I never expected anything more from you than giving things to me straight. I can’t read minds, ya know?”

“Yeah, I…haven’t been doing great in that department. Might have fired my fair share of annoying signals.” Valerie sighed, “I’m sorry.”

“Whoever you want to be, take your time. I’m not saying I’m waiting, or even expecting you to look at me more than how you do now. I’m saying that person you strive to become is no more important than you are to me now. I want to stand back to back with you too.”

“Hehe~” she really didn’t know what to say other than, “thank you.”

“I wouldn’t thank me yet. Back to back is fine, but right now we need to meet face to face. No crowds, broadcast, or announcers. Just you, myself, and our wonderful spectator holding the only thing I didn’t put in your bag.”

Eliza reached in her pockets and pulled out two medals. Nick’s silver, and Valerie’s gold. “Be grateful this means way more to Nick than it does for me, or I’d be throwing my bronze into the mix.” Eliza stood up. “Attention nonexistent ladies and gentlemen! Today, two medals are going to definitively find their owners as question months in the making finds an answer! Who stands on top of the hill!? Nicholas Schnee, or Valerie Valkyrie!? Are our fighters combat ready!!!?”

Val took out her two axes, forming her battle ax and tossed the bag to the lower platform. “Born ready!”

Nick did a running jump off the roof and bounced off a glyph down to his longest rival. “Count us down Eliza!”

“THREE..TWO..ONE…HAVE AT IT!”

Feet moved in sync, closing distance and allowing steel to create sparks as two weapons met again in battle like they always did; may they continue to do so for many years ahead.

xxxxxxx

While some were busy battling, others trekked through snow. Veronica couldn’t believe this was her last day of layering up in Atlas’s weather. In some ways, she was going to miss it. Despite how terrible the entire situation had been, the girl found value in every stitch of her creations. She even saw a few citizens still wearing her work on the way down to Mantle with only her book bag in tow. It gave her a little bit of peace before she entered the forest. Summer had been clear on where to meet; not that it wasn’t a dead giveaway the moment Veronica learned it was in this place. Good thing packing didn’t take long.

As Veronica wandered deeper in, several plumes of smoke were discovered along the trail. The more the better. If negativity was the bait for grimm, then Veronica was the sweetest of honey. Her mood had been better lately, but it was far from what she would call pleasant. She might’ve forgotten about grimm entirely if Shiva hadn’t used summons throughout her reign. The forest trek continued to be relatively calm all the way into the clearing. The arrival of spring brought scattered patches of green glass sticking out from melting snow, and warm rays of sunlight that glimmered off the surface of the lake. For the first time ever, Veronica saw water instead of ice. Summer sat by the shore line with her blade stabbed into the ground on her left. Veronica came up to her slowly, standing on the girl’s right. Both of them looked out at the water and watched the subtle waves.

“I thought this place haunted you?” Veronica said calmly.

“Scarier things have happened. Here almost feels…normal. Is that weird?”

“Pfft, no weirder than anything else in our life.”

“True enough.” Summer finally looked at Veronica. “Aren’t you gonna sit?”

“I…sure.” There wasn’t a good excuse not to. Veronica sat down with right leg extended and her left one bent to rest her arm. “Why here of all places?”

“Well it’s quiet and out of the way. Felt appropriate too, given we’ve been here once before together. Back then you said some pretty encouraging words; just like you did a couple days ago.”

“Ah, so you did hear that after all?”

“Most of it. Someone was always yelling at one point or another. I also heard you say you wanted to tell me things in person? Well…here we are.”

“Here we are.” Veronica said tiredly. She wasn’t even drained of energy, but the mood felt so heavy. How could anyone relax? “So, did your brother tell you anything about me?”

Summer tucked her lips in. Anyone can say what they want about Veronica, but oblivious wasn’t one of them. Summer gave a slow nod.

“Heh…I figured as much. Him and Valerie are cut from the same cloth in that regard. Although I can’t really blame them in this instance. What exactly did he tell you?”

“That you…tried to kill yourself before, and that there’s probably a lot more about each other we don’t know.”

“Can’t argue with that. Full disclosure, I have also read-”

“I know.” Summer frowned. “Everyone has. The situation pretty much called for it, but I don’t know. Can’t figure out how I feel about it. Relieved? Compromised?”

“Maybe this might help?” Veronica reached inside her bag and watched Summer’s eyes grow wide as she pulled out the journal left behind in school. “I found your stuff when I went into the building. Don’t worry. This one is still unread.”

Summer took her missing book and gently put it on her lap. “Thank you. I really mean that.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s the very least I could do for you I guess.”

Summer wasn’t used to seeing this lower energy and passive Veronica. She was barely making eye contact. “Veronica, if you don’t mind, can you tell me a bit more about your life? Nick also mentioned bullying but what-”

“I got muzzled once…” her voice cracked.

Summer felt her heart stop hearing that. It was as if the waves themselves had stopped as Veronica tried to lightly chuckle that off before immediately shrugging, focusing on the lake again.

“Hehe..not even my parents know about that one. I was like eight I think? A bunch of kids had invited me to play and I was stupidly happy about it. I mean it was usually adults who said shitty things and it wasn’t like every student could like picking on me right? It was after school near the jungle district. They wanted to play hide and seek and I was it. I didn’t want to cheat so I did what they said; my eyes were shut and I used my hands to cover my ears as tightly as possible while I counted loudly.”

“They snuck up on you…”

Veronica nodded, bending her second leg and hugging her knees. “I don’t think I even made it halfway to twenty before I was dogpiled. Next thing I know, I’m in the dirt with a stupid muzzle on my face as everyone ran away laughing. ‘Hide from the beast!’ They kept screaming. I never gave chase though, because they all went back into town. Must’ve spent an entire hour crying and clawing at the damn thing before it finally broke. That’s the day it sunk in that I’m like most people. After that, kids only got more creative and less discreet as time went by. Friends…aren’t a thing I really had growing up.”

Veronica looked at Summer to see her attentively listening, her gaze soft yet firm. “I’m not telling you all of this as an excuse, or anything ridiculous like that. I just…I don’t know. I’m jealous.” Veronica hung her head down. “I’ve always been jealous of you. People love you, listen to your every word. Summer you give your talent to the world and thank you. Before I realized it, my jealousy grew into resentment the more we met.”

“Our parents always talk about how we used to get along. I don’t remember that at all but many things were hazy back then. My earliest memories have us fighting. Pretty sure I started it too.”

“Hell if I know. Not like I was keeping track. Watching you act like you couldn’t do something irritated me, and any time you challenged or stood up to me felt no different than everyone else, so I never backed down. Then…I kept fighting. I never stopped or waited for a different outcome.”

“Because you hated me?”

“Because I was scared, Summer.” Veronica confessed. “I was scared that the moment I let myself relax, the moment I decided to shut my eyes again and be led, I was gonna end up on the ground again. Fake tryouts, ruined outfits, excuses; somehow, I always ended up back on the ground and voiceless.” Her nails pressed against her skin. “How dumb of me to not realize I did shut my eyes. I’ve never looked at you. I only stared at the things I wish I had and threw you in the dirt instead. I bullied you. I never meant to put you in the same pit I found myself struggling to get out of, but that’s what happened. I know this erases nothing but…”

Veronica finally faced Summer properly. “ I am so sorry.”

Remorse. That was the only word that could describe what Summer saw in Veronica’s eyes. So this is what Nick saw that made him intervene. Never in Summer’s life did she think a moment like this was possible. It was as Veronica said, they didn’t really see each other. The outspoken and standoffish girl Summer had known wasn’t in front of her.

“How have we yelled at each other for so long and said absolutely nothing?” Summer fell backwards onto the snow. I wish those people would’ve been kinder to you, honest. I also have my fair share of moments where I wanted to be more like you. It’s annoying to admit but there were genuine times you pushed me to try harder when I wanted to and it made me upset yet relieved at the same time. I can’t short change you Veronica. Several achievements I owe to you. However, I can’t count how many times you’ve made me cry. Your apology means everything, but I don’t think I can forgive you.”

It made sense. Veronica had never hoped for another outcome and yet, it was as if her body was set ablaze hearing the words aloud. “O…Of course.” She kept herself together. “I understand.”

“At least…not yet.” Summer sat back up and looked at Veronica head on. “Two conditions.”

“W-What?”

“You made me follow two conditions when it came to designing my outfit. I think it’s only right you hear me out this time around. Will you?”

Time for a taste of her own medicine. Whatever, Veronica knew she deserved it for acting the way she did. “Name them.”

“Request number one, go to therapy.” Summer watched Veronica’s eyes grow big, caught off guard for sure. “You weren’t expecting me to haze you or anything like that, were you?”

“I…I don’t know what I was expecting to be honest. It wasn’t that.”

“Well it’s here. Veronica, seek real help. Believe me, we both need it and I truly think we both deserve it. If not for ourselves then for the people who care about us and think we’re worth it. Oscar does online appointments, or look for anyone that works for you.

Veronica deflated and gave a nod. “You’re right. I’ll go see one.”

“Good. I wasn’t gonna budge on that one. The second one is a little less important.”

“What is it?” Veronica watched Summer reach out slowly.

“May I pet your ears? I’ve never done it before.”

An odd and sudden request. One that Veronica didn’t find herself refusing. She lowered her head, waiting nervously before Summer’s small hands grazed the top of cat ears gently.

“Heh, as soft as I thought, Ya know…I always thought your tail and ears were beautiful.”

Veronica stared unblinkingly as Summer continued to be gentle. How could such simple words do so much? The composure and acceptance she clung to washed away with tears that ran down her face. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Summer’s chest. The young knight rubbed the top of Veronica’s head in its entirety. Forgiveness or not, Summer didn’t wish ill on Veronica. Maybe with enough time they could share a laugh together? Until then…

“Let’s do our best.” Summer said for both their sakes.

“Yeah.” Veronica said dryly.

Summer let the girl remain as she was for several more minutes before tapping her shoulder. “Heads up. Someone is coming.”

Veronica sat up quickly and began wiping her face feverishly. Summer reached for the water and flicked some in her face to help. Once Veronica opened her eyes, she noticed the person was Nick coming down the trail. He absentmindedly looked around with his bag around his body before noticing the two girls staring at him. They all held their positions for what felt like an eternity before Nick turned around.

“Don’t leave like nothing happened!” Summer yelled at him.

Nick turned back around. “I’m only here because you said so! Though admittedly I’m a bit early, but you should’ve told me you brought Vee here! I don’t want to interrupt.”

“It’s fine.” Veronica sniffled for the final time. “We actually just finished things up.”

“Yep.” Summer watched Veronica stand up. “You okay to walk back alone?”

“I’ve scraped with the strongest around. I actually feel a little better leaving than when I came in. Besides, I survived a pretty crazy explosion. A short walk is fine.” Vee smiled softly.

“See ya around, Veronica.”

As she began walking, Veronica said one last thing to Summer. “I drew something yesterday and put a copy in the back of the journal. Next time maybe I can bring the real deal.”

Summer grabbed her journal and flipped all the way to the final page. In it was a rough yet intriguing dress design where the sleeves and hem were shaded brilliant shades of various warm collars; while its body was colored in with whites and shades of light blue. It wasn’t finished but Summer could tell the colors bleed into each other’s respective territories with the smallest bit of warmth being right in the middle. Measurements were written beside the design that Summer recognized to be hers. At the very bottom of the page, a simple yet honest name was given to this idea. Fire and Ice.

Veronica walked up to Nick to say her final goodbye. She did her best to shake off the wellspring of emotions that came from her and gave the boy a playful grin. “So, still single I presume?”

Nick teasingly rolled his eyes. “As if you don’t know? You helped her practice her answer, didn’t you?”

“We talked about a lot of things yesterday. So many in fact, I can’t remember them all correctly.” Veronica giggled, “seriously though, you good?”

“Better than I used to be! Guess you’re leaving now, right? Call me when you get home safely.”

“Heh, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’d miss me already.” She tried to tease him, but Nick smirked at her as if what she said wasn’t far off the mark. Now she was the one getting flustered. “Can I uhhh, get a goodbye hug?”

“Hehe, I wasn’t letting you go without one.”

He put his arms around her and hugged her as tightly as she hugged him. Veronica still wasn’t used to this new height difference, but she didn’t hate it at all. She allowed herself to fully embrace him, relaxing herself.

“I’m going to miss you a lot. Thanks for showing me around Atlas and being you.”

“I should be thanking you. Maybe next time I can show you Atlas and things won’t go crazy.”

“I’ll hold you to it.”

Veronica leaned back but kept Nick in her arms. She mentally kept flipping a coin to decide if she was going to commit to acting on her feelings. It was only when the boy cocked his head a little at her pensive expression did she toss the coin away in its entirety. Veronica leaned in and gave Nick a quick kiss on the lips. She didn’t even give him time to react before she phased through him and went on her way hastily.

Nick took a second to process that before turning around. He was going to yell goodbye a final time, then remembered her ears were healing. Instead he let the girl silently make her escape, turning back around to see his sister staring at him with her jaw dropped. Nick walked over to his sister as he chuckled. He took Veronica’s seat and reached for Summer’s chin, closing her mouth.

“Your face will get stuck like that if you’re careful.”

“Umm, excuse me!?” Summer finally blinked again. “Why am I the only person here making this face!? She kissed you!”

“Oh right, I forgot stuff. So that’s not the first time that’s happened. It’s actually number three.”

“…So you’ve been kissing people while I’ve been making eternal winter?”

“N- well…no. No!” He huffed, defending himself. “The first one wasn’t even during the crisis. Never got the chance to tell you this and I doubt it crossed your mind but I was actually already on my way to the school to find you, because I wanted to tell you Veronica kissed me.”

Summer squinted as she thought for a moment. He did show up rather quickly to the boiler room for him to be at home. “Wait, this was after the incident with Val! What, were you trying to scrub one experience with another?”

“Not a fan of your judgment right now. Anyways, I was really frazzled and wanted to tell you because it felt like a big deal. Until…ya know, more important things happen that day.” Nick let out a sigh thinking about it. “Man, that was a long day.”

“Way to put it mildly. Still can’t believe you kept the scar.”

He flicked snow at her. “Hush. You won’t even see it unless we’re at the beach or something. It’s fine.” Nick propped his arm up on his crossed legs and let his head rest in his right hand. “So, how the chat go?”

Summer mimicked his lazy posture. “That’s between me and Veronica.”

“Wow, I see how it is. If all my persistence leads to me not knowing then I guess that’s the price I pay to make it happen in the first place. Such is my great burden~” He pretended to be offended.

“Oh quit being dramatic. How do you even get this much energy, especially after today?” Summer glanced at the blue band around his neck that tucked into his shirt. “Who won?”

“That’s between me, Valerie, and Eliza.” He smiled watching Summer give him a “why are you like this” expression. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’ll wrestle it off you later. We can make an entire match out of it and I’ll get it if I win.”

“I’d be scared if I wasn’t so good at fighting you specifically. Although, if I think about it, it could go either way. Wouldn’t be easy for me; that’s for sure. Mort Froide already needs repair.”

“Same.” Summer grabbed her blade to show off all the scratches and damage from the elements. “Mom really put Shiva through her paces.” She glanced at her brother through the corner of her eye to see him do a double take. “Yes, I finally named it and yes, it’s that of all things.”

Nick couldn’t believe this! “I won’t act like I don’t get it, but why!?”

“Easy, it feels wrong to never say the name again. I went into every battle with Shiva. Now I still do in a sense.”

“Well…better Myrtenaster 2.0. Not Penny’s finest moment.”

“It’s better than Mort Froide too.”

“Let’s not get crazy. Why’d you ask me to come out here anyway? We could be having this conversation at least over lunch!”

Summer pointed to a tree close by on her left. On a low hanging branch were two pairs of ice skates. One of them was from Nick’s room, and the other pair were brand new. Nick’s eyes widened before looking at Summer’s grinning face. She sprung up and ran over to grab them. When she got back, she casually took off her shoes to put on the skates.

“I got to thinking…” she trailed off as she struggled a bit. “Agh! We haven’t skated together in a very long time.”

“Summer, you haven’t ice skated at all in a very long time.”

“Mmhmm. I was hoping you can reteach me? Shouldn’t hard, Mr. Gold Medalist.” She finished putting them on and saw her brother look at her hands. They were trembling. “Hehe, I’ll be fine.”

Nick spoke softly and with concern. “Summer, you don’t have to push yourself so-”

“It’s okay.” She took his hand. “I mean yeah I’m a little antsy, but that’s why I want to do this with you.”

“There’s dozens of ice skating rinks.”

“Oh I’m aware, but it has to be here. I think it could be good for both of us.” Summer took a deep breath and tried to hype herself up. “Can we?”

Nick was a little hesitant, mainly because of the location. He took his hand back for a moment and grabbed his skates, putting them on much easier than Summer did. “You’re so lucky I’m in a good mood.”

“Kinda sounds like you’re wearing a gold medal then. Lucky me indeed.”

“Medals have nothing to do with anything! So, you got the dust to freeze this place? I’m fresh out.”

Pure excitement and joy spread all over her face like a child up to no good. Summer brought a single finger over her lips as if to tell him to keep quiet. She took his hand again then they both walked closer to the shore. Summer bent down slowly, letting her left hand graze the water’s surface. She took another deep breath and then flexed her hand, sending out a pulse of cold that flash freezed the lake.

Nick was left speechless as his sister stood back up all giddy. Once again, she put her finger over her lips then grabbed his other hand as she stepped onto the rink. Nick snapped back to reality the moment her knees buckled.

“Careful!”

“Wooah! Hehe, oops. Was it always this tricky?” She squeezed him tighter. “Don’t let go yet!”

“I’m not going to let you go! Can we discuss what you just did!?”

“Why so surprised? It’s nothing I haven’t been doing. It’s like what Penny said. Welcome to the new normal; now are you gonna ask me twenty questions or show me a pro at work?”

Will wonders never cease? Nick watched Summer try to keep a straight face while shaking like a baby deer finding its footing. He couldn’t do anything but concede, focusing on keeping her upright while she did a bad job suppressing giggles. No doubt from him stressing out to make sure she didn’t make them both fall. Nick pouted for a moment before flashing a smirk. He put a glyph below them that stabilized only himself.

“Ah! Cheater!”

“I think we share enough scars and bruises, thanks.”

“Heh, oh now you think so-woah!” Summer held on for dear life.

“Focus!”

“S-Sorry!”

They both went silent to concentrate. It didn’t take long before they started snickering, which turned to full on laughter between them as they skated on the ice. Before the twins knew it, neither of them could think of a reason why this was scary at all.

[nosleepfoxtales]

I do I.t. for the supernatural. Today I faced the most evil thing in creation. Printers.

I was desperately trying to scrub blood out of a microfiber cloth when I got Eli's call. 

"City morgue, you stab em', I slab em'," I answered.

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny," his rumbling voice answered, but I heard a smile in his voice. 

"What can I do ya for, boss?"

"I've got another job for you today."

"Okay, well, I've got the Locke job scheduled for 2, and it's 12 now, so I'll have to swing by after."

"Actually, I just need you to guard something for me for a few hours."

"Damnit Jim, I'm a technician, not security detail," I quipped back, knowing full well I was going to end up looking after whatever it was. I just hoped I would stay in this dimension this time. 

"My name isn't Jim," he answered, puzzled. 

"Yeah, it's from Star Trek. You've never seen Star Trek?" I was in disbelief. 

"No, who are they?"

I laughed, "Nevermind. Okay, what is it and who am I protecting it from?"

"You'll see soon enough and mostly from itself," he said with that smile in his voice having transformed into a smirk.

"Damnit, Eli, you can't expect me to keep working these weird ass cases for you without giving me any information. I haven't forgiven you for that Keith Kline fiasco. I still have invincible black goo on my duffel and I had to throw out all the clothes I was wearing," I cut my tirade short when I realized he'd hung up. 

I sighed, pulling the phone away from my ear, when I saw a flash of movement to my right. I jerked my head in the direction of the flash and my vision was suddenly filled with a round, grinning face. 

"Eeeeaaagh!" I yelled, gracefully. 

He was leaned on both arms on the arm of the couch, a small brown boy wearing a striped shirt and green cordoroy pants. In response to my jolted scream, he returned a toothy smile and shook his curly raven coils out of his face. 

I blinked dumbly at him for a moment before sputtering, "How'd you get in here, kid?"

"Oh, I can tele-hop. That's my trait. I got it when I was 7. That's early for my people." He leaned that grinning face on one hand, swaying his hips around as kids that age are prone to do.

"Tele-hop?" I squeaked. I'd backed away from him, scrunched onto one side of the couch, holding a pillow in front of me as the ultimate defense.

"Tele...uh...Tele something. I forget what you guys call it," he plopped onto the couch next to me, "I can move instantly, like right away, ya know?"

I nodded, my mouth not having shut in 45 seconds. 

"Okay, uh. What, uh, are you doing here?" I finally sputtered. I've got some very basic warding around the house shown to me by a witch I helped out once. Whatever this kid was had to be more powerful than your average house witch. 

"Uncle Eli told me to come over," he was now kicking his legs against the couch, picking at the lining of the arm. 

I groaned softly, dropping my head in realization. This was the asset he was talking about. This was what he wanted me to look after? I skimmed a glance over the kid. He was probably 4 foot something, maybe 9, 10 years old? His bouncy black curls fell into his face, framing it's cherub shape. 

"You're his...nephew?"

The kid glanced down and back up. 

"Oh, you're wondering why he's like a tan color and I'm like this brownish one?," he continued at my nod, "When we get our vessel, we don't really think about the color, so we mismatch a lot of the time."

I'd settled, putting aside my combat pillow.

"Vessel?" I asked.

He gave me a slightly baleful look from under his curls, and a mischievous smile. 

"Uncle Eli said you'd have a lot of questions but that your brain is too small and I'd explode it, so I better keep my hole shut,"

I digested that for a moment, unsurprised that Eli was boxing me out of any useful information once again.

"Okay, kid, what's your name?"

"Nathan," he turned then to look at me with piercing almond eyes, "Is there anything fun to do around here?"

My head spun with horrible ideas of what a small powerful creature such as this would find fun to do with his 'vessel'. 

"Uh, I've got monopoly," I said weakly.

Nathan pouted, sinking into his seat.

"Those pieces are gross. They just taste like plastic."

"Well, you're not supposed to eat them, Squirt," the corners of my lips quirked up, watching him cock his head onto his shoulder and whine. He was just another kid. 

He smiled, and his eyes lit to a bright green.

"Whoa, color changing eyes. That's new," I ducked my head to get a better look into his emerald irises. 

"I like that. No one's ever given me a nickname, before," he was smiling and I saw a missing tooth on the left of his two oversized front ones. My heart melted a bit. Supernatural abomination or not, this kid was cute. 

"Okay, Squirt. Here's what we're gonna do. I've got a crisp 20 here, we're going to go to the dollar store and load up a cart, then you're going to come back here and play at Auntie Pipers so I can go do another job for your uncle."

"Uncle said your name was Witches?" he cocked his head in confusion.

"Well, he likes to give out nicknames of his own," I scowled, "I'm non-binary, do you know what that means?"

"Nope."

"It just means I don't particularly feel like a boy or a girl. Your uncle Eli is, uh, a little confused about this, so he calls me witches as a joke. Like I'm two people. It's a bad joke," I scowled as I finished my lame explanation. 

"So, he's making fun of you?" he frowned at this.

"No, when you're friends with someone, sometimes they try to rib you, to poke fun at you. It's sort of like a bonding thing?" I thought for a moment, then sighed, "Or maybe he is making fun of me, honestly I'm not sure. Let's go get some water pistols, Squirt."

We had a blast at the store, picking out colorful bouncing balls, water guns, a yo-yo, a little sandcastle kit even though we were nowhere near the beach, and a hula hoop. We also picked up a couple Lego kits I hoped would keep him busy until I returned. 

We returned to the apartment and dumped our haul on the coffee table, spreading out the colorful array of treasures.

"Okay, Squirt," I glanced at my watch, "it's a quarter after one. I'm heading out but I'll be back in a couple hours. Promise me you won't leave this apartment and remember that I have demon blades that will kill anything," I wasn't totally sure where they were, but for children, the threat was more effective than the punishment, "I will carve fluffy unicorns into your forehead and then everyone will make fun of you. K?"

He grinned up at me and nodded his head. 

"For the record, though, I like unicorns. They smell nice."

I let that one go. I figured I might be able to squeeze one or two more nuggets of information out of this kid by the end of the day, and I didn't want to waste a question on unicorns. I just nodded, blew out a breath, and swept my bag up on the way out the door. 

"My number is on the table, call me if anything happens, okay?" I called as the door clicked behind me. I turned around and flinched.

"eeeaaaaghhhh!" I repeated.

Nathan was standing right in front of me on the sidewalk. 

"You've gotta stop doing that," I complained on an outward breath.

"Uncle Eli told me I had to stay with you."

I sighed, looking him up and down. At the end of the day, he was just a kid and he was trying to follow the rules.

"Okay, bud. Go grab some toys."

On the way, we talked some more about what he liked to do. Apparently he was a big fan of baseball cards and also of talking to lizards. I asked if he could understand them and he looked at me like I was an idiot, so I just chuckled and let it go. He also likes to grow flowers and talk to them as well. I kept all stupid questions to myself that time and just told him my mom also grew a lot of plants. We made plans for him to visit her so they could trade green thumb secrets.

We arrived at Loche Mechanics headquarters at a quarter til 2. My contacts name was Connie Loche, and she met us in the lobby in a prim pink dress, chunky gold earrings decorating her pointed ears. 

"Welcome to Loche Mechanics. May I have your name?" she asked. Her voice was deep and rich, a contrast to her elegant frame. 

"You can call me Piper," I said with a smile. 

"And I'm-"

"And you can call him Nathan," I quickly cut him off. 

He gave me the side-eyed look children give adults when they think they're treating them like children. I nudged him sharply and gave him what I hoped was a good imitation of the look my mom gave me when she needed to discreetly tell me to shut the fuck up. 

Connie's head cocked, and she seemed to look me up and down anew. 

"I'm here to look at your printer situation. Eli sent me."

"Oh, wonderful. It's right this way, Ms. Piper and Mr. Nathan," she gave Nathan a kind smile and turned on her heel, leading us back through the hallways to the main cubicle farm. 

"Oh, she's not a miss, she's a non-binary," Nathan stated confidently.

"How interesting," Connie replied, her pink tinged smile curving up at the corners. 

I sent Nathan another of my mom looks.

"Ms. is fine, it's no biggie to me," I smiled and she continued leading us through the office.

Everything was a shade of beige here, from the walls to the floors to the decorations. The spare artwork or slapstick mug gave a small splatter of color to the room, underneath the harsh fluorescent lights.

As we plodded down Grey hallways, Nathan bouncing along beside me with his hand adorably clinging to my back pocket, I wondered about why Eli would send me here. It seemed human to me. Somewhat dull, but aren't all offices? We passed rooms with bloated, Grey-haired businessmen and women in spazzy business suits sporting reserved versions of popular hairstyles. 

Connie excused herself once we got to the machine, simply saying 'This is our only means of printing. We must have it back up immediately,' before turning and striding smoothly into a corner office nearby. 

"This must be really important," Nathan said, eyeing the machine.

"Here's a trade secret, bud," I whispered, "they all say that about any issue they ever have."

I winked, he grinned, and I popped the top off the machine. I ran my finger along the edge and came back up with a blue smudge. Why were all my tickets resulting in goop these days?

Wiping the goo off on my pants, I quarter turned to continue whispering to Nathan. 

"Also, you always want to say 'You can call me Nathan'. Names have power, or so they say," I half-smiled, feeling goofy talking voodoo in a big corporate office, "They say if you give someone your name, it gives them power over you. Me? I'm a wuss, so I'm not taking any chances."

"A wise choice."

The voice just about scared me out of my pants. What is that instinct that causes us to jump straight in the air? How is it helpful for survival? It just makes running take longer.

Or turning, in my case. I swiveled around and my head fell straight back as I gaped open mouthed at the being in front of us. I glanced briefly at Nathan and saw his mouth shaped in a perfect O. 

He stood maybe 5'7, wearing a crisp white button up, beige slacks, and shiny black shoes. But I assume Nathan was reacting more to the monstrously large inky black shadow engulfing the man. The man was aflame with onyx vapor, waving in the AC unit blowing down from the ceiling. 

Now and then a purple or blue puff would float from his body and be instantly engulfed by the shadow. 

He was smiling. His hand was out, and I regarded it with care. I should have known Eli would never send me to a human office. If I shook his hand, was I agreeing to some kind of deal? If I refused, was I offending this being? Did the human even know the tar monster was attached to him, some kind of symbiotic demon deal? Or was this some kind of dark matter monster sucking the energy out of this poor, boring human? 

I was near panicking, trying to remember anything like this in my experiences. Dread poured off of this thing, weighing me down like being drenched on a humid day. I felt sweat instantly bead on my forehead and I wiped my damp palms on my pants. My pants were not fairing well out of this experience.

He laughed, an off putting high pitched squeal. Orange light flew off of his body and flooded into the fog and it squirmed around. Happily? I can barely read human social signals, don't ask me to interpret the cloud.

"I'm called Arnie. It's not often I meet a human who knows the law of faerie but given who you're with, I can hardly be surprised," he smiled down at Nathan, and Nathan moved closer to me. 

Arnie's tone was friendly, but Nathan's response raised my hackles. I always trust kids' reactions, they're notoriously bad liars. 

"You can call me Piper. Is there something I can do for you?" I asked sweetly, pulling Nathan a bit more behind me and deciding to forego the handshake. 

I had never seen anything close to this cloud. For all I knew, I could be agreeing to sell Nathan to him and Nathan's safety was more important than mine. If I let anything happen to him, Eli'd kill me anyways. Plus, look at the kids goofy face? C'mon.

"Oh, I was just saying hello. Not often you meet royalty, after all," his smile was sour, sly, and I no longer wondered if they were merged. The look on the man's face was vile and worse, practiced. I doubted the cloud was making him make it, but I didn't care, I wanted this guy gone. 

In the best case scenario where he wasn't a threat, he was pulling attention to us. Several heads swayed from their computer screens to our direction. I immediately knew this man was not the only anomoly in here and that we did NOT want the attention of more of them. 

"Well, as soon as we get this guy up and running, we'll be out of your hair," my smile was sweet and my voice was light, "Have a good one," I said the last dismissively before turning around.

I started explaining boring printer basics to Nathan, tinkering in the printer as I wiped the sweat from my face with my shoulder. I was really hoping just ignoring this thing would make it go away. It seemed to be feeding on the guys emotions, right? So, maybe if we just starved it of attention, it would go away? Regardless, I wanted to minimize the scene. Nothing happening here, folks.

Nathan had made himself small, flicking glances behind me as I squatted to dig around in my duffel. 

"Hey bud, wanna hear a joke?" I tugged on his shirt sleeve.

His glance flicked to mine and I smiled goofily. 

"Why," I began conspiratorily, trying to ignore my drenched face and the darkness around us that just seemed to be getting deeper, "don't eggs tell jokes?"

He shrugged and I gave him an obvious look and said, "Because, Squirt, they'd crack each other up."

I poked his chest as I finished the punch line, and he giggled. And just like that, it was like the sun came out. All the heat I hadn't noticed gathering around us dissipated and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Arnie striding back down the hall with his hands in his pockets. 

I clapped a hand on Nathan's shoulder and blew out a breath. 

"Looks like we got away with it, champ," I was still grinning, this time with relief. 

After I cleaned the printer off, I started it up and it began printing. It was a laser printer, so I had no idea where that blue smudge was coming from, but after our close call with Arnie, I wanted to skedaddle. 

Connie walked back up just then and smiled at the printer. 

"Oh, wonderful. Thank you very much, Piper. What a disaster that would have been," she laughed musically. 

I smiled. Every client thinks the worst disaster that can happen is productivity going down for 10 minutes. 

"No worries. Now we'll get out of your-" I cut myself off as I glanced around, noting that every one of the people had now risen. 

Black clouds surrounded us, waving irritably to and fro. They took one coordinated step towards us and I snatched my duffel with one hand and the collar of the boy with the other. 

But it was too late, I saw. The exits were covered with people, surrounded by dark splotchy galaxy clouds of dread filing in from every door. 

They marched in sync towards us, filling the space with beige bodies soaked in ink black smoke.

I bent down and whispered in Nathan's ear.

"Remember your tele-hop, Squirt? I need you to use it to get out of here."

"I can't tele-hop you, Piper!" his voice was high and panicked, and I put a hand on his shoulder, flicking an anxious glance at the angry clouds closest to us. 

"Dude, I've come out of worse, I swear to you, I'll be fine, but if anything happens to you, your uncle will turn me into a kebab, okay? GO," I said the last forcefully, not having any direction in general to push him so just shaking him by the collar.

"But-"

"NOW." I said in the absolute sternest mother voice I could possibly muster, the kind that shakes the lapels and inspires the fear of God. 

His eyes grew enourmous, his bottom lip quivered, and he teared up. 

"I can't!" he cried, "It goes on and off, I have to be calm, and I'm too afraid! I'm sorry!" he was sobbing now and I swore, which is not a great reaction but it was all I had. 

I clutched him close to me and turned towards Connie, who was just smiling, arms crossed. 

"Folks, is there any way we could talk about thi-eeeaaaaghh!" I said for the third time that day, forming what I saw to be a troubling pattern. 

This time it was in response to a much smaller, high-pitched wail from a dark blue creature that was rising off of the finished print from the printer. It ripped it's way into three dimensions, pulling itself up from the paper, leaving tendrils of purple slime in it's wake.

It was like overgrown grapes, bulbous pieces sticking out at odd angles. It had a mouth, which it was currently using for screaming, but I didn't see any other parts. 

In response to the tiny wails, every head in the office snapped towards it, and one by one, each worker began lining up behind the printer. 

Arnie was at the front of the line and snatched the little goblin from the paper and promptly popped it into his rapidly unhinged jaw. The printer repeated this process, Nathan and I flinching at every step, printing a screaming violet monster that then was consumed by one of the monstrous cloud people around us. 

After a few printed snacks, Arnie walked back up to us, this time his aura a pure beige, being fed by droplets of just about every color in the rainbow emanating from his human body.

"Apologies for earlier, mate. I get really hangry," he chuckled heartily and strolled off. 

Nathan and I looked at each other and snorted, covering our mouths. 

"This is the worst snickers commercial ever," he said. 

I burst out laughing, pulling the attention of the few workers still straggling around. 

"First of all, great reference. We're going to have to explore which pop culture you guys know about and which you don't," I grabbed his hand, "For now, let's get the hell out of here."

We got back in the truck, looked at each other and laughed for 5 minutes. I think it was largely drunken relief to still have our lives and souls. 

On the way back, we stopped for milkshakes and fries, and Nathan promised not to tell his uncle I almost got him killed. 

"Thanks for taking me with you, Piper. I had fun," his goofy smile was smeared in strawberry ice cream and I grinned at the image he made. 

Then he sneezed and a burst of fire spat out, landing on my jacket sleeve and catching it on fire. I refused to add one more to my scream counter for the day so I silently stamped it out on the table before turning up to look at Nathan's face and bursting out laughing. He looked more panicked than he had when he'd almost been eaten.

"That's the first time you did that, huh?" I asked, brushing embers off my sleeve.

"Puberty is...weird. for us," he said sheepishly, his gaze locked in his lap now, "I don't really know what my powers are going to be. Sorry."

I laughed. 

"Puberty is weird for all of us, man. I wish I could have traded a problem with you," I nudged him, grinning evilly, "Some of the girls I went to high school with could have used a good singe."

He giggled, seeming to straighten a bit in his chair, and I was glad I played it down. I was dying to ask about the whole royalty comment but he looked so fragile. I decided to let sleeping demons lie. 

"Now, what do you say we go beat up your uncle?"

His head bobbed up and down as he beamed, happily shoveling in his last glob of ice cream. 

[witchofthesouls]

So, imagine the TFP kids gang got hit by Ancient Cybertronian do-hickey over a sleepover and cyberform into sparklings (I will forever die on the Hill that cyberformed humans are some form of war-builds. You can’t take that me. At all.), and then combine it with memory regression/suppression and oh boy, oh boy, what a mess.

The kids are absolutely cute and 100% goddamn Feral.

When Optimus finally manages to decode the information in regards that the artifact’s power: a vague recollection of to revert/return what was lost he agreed with the team: Unicron’s bullscrap. 

Miko is a smoll Seeker sparkling with pretty amber optics, a worrisome amount of pink upon her thin frame, and has no idea who they are. She managed to squeeze behind the monitors and climb up the computer set up for high-ground. Has sharp teeth and equally sharp little claws. And yes, she had used both sets on an Autobot’s hands. Hissy little thing.

She mainly listens to Optimus ever since he managed to snatch her up by the scruff and growled back at her, he put some force into it with his engines in low-gear with his field pressing down, enough to overwhelm her for a beat. The team is yelling at him while Miko stares at him with wide optics and limp like a docile kitten.

Ratchet fusses over her since Seekerkin femmes are usually larger and bulkier than their mech counterparts, even as sparklings. Miko, however, is on the thinner side, especially since it looks like she’s missing plating. She’s not; her armature will be deceptively fragile, but very flexible. 

Everyone keeps a really good optic on her since that much pink on a mecha’s plating as their original color meant… issues. Ratchet keeps checking on her since her pain receptors are too scattered to stop her from really dangerous stunts. 

Mainly communicates likes a newspark. Squeaks and chirps. Very expressive wings. 

They thought Jack would be the “easy” one since he was once a Responsible Teenager, had actually retained a few memories about his life Before, and can actually communicate in English. They’re wrong. Dead. Wrong.

Local Metal Bird Boy can be found scurrying up the walls and hooking his newfound claws into crevices and digging because he found something behind the walls or beneath the rocks. 

Jack looks built to be an armored jet. At first glance. This bitlet seems to have hints of developing multiple forms. Ratchet had uncovered sets of wheels and had to disable some of his programs related to combat that are too close to the surface. He was worried that it may activate and there’s no need for a sparkling to run around with high-beam plasma.

Has a habit of sneaking up on others, especially on Optimus, Ratchet, and Arcee. It’s possible since Jack has impressive shielding and suppression abilities due to his advanced ventilation systems and military-grade silencers.

Likes watching the ‘bots sleep, the low hum of their frames with relaxed sparks is a soothing sound to him, especially with each ‘bot has a unique pattern and feel to their EM field. Many times, they had been startled awake to see grey-blue optics watching from above.

He’s ridiculously good at hide-and-seek.

Raf is the Baby. As in he’s a baby Predacon. Like the rolliest and roundest one. Absolute chonk of a pup. He’s a metal, yellow and orange potato that likes to be carted around like a football.

Refuses to budge out of his alt-mode for anything. Eats, sleeps, and plays as a small, metal dragon. Enjoys being tucked up on a chassis and having his neck scratched.

Blind as a bat. There’s film over his optics. It doesn’t seem to be newspark-thickness, but Ratchet has no idea and can only work with what he knows about sparkling care with the present frame-types. Predacons, however, had been extinct, but it shouldn’t be too different. Hopefully.

The Autobots can’t leave anything on the ground or Raf will attempt to stuff it in his mouth. With surprisingly, if varying, levels of success. Horrifies them that he can actually eat rocks and metal ore without getting sick. If left unattended, then he will try to nibble on live wires and will gnaw on weapons.

Very limited communication. Much like Miko, he barks, chirps, and squeaks. It’s a strange scene to watch Miko and Raf making a racket as Jack is quite still and nods or frowns with their conversation. Optimus can actually follow their proto-language quite well. Bumblebee was disappointed that none of them can understand his binary.

They collectively give thanks to whatever deity watching them that the kids’ have functional EM fields. It’s the most straight-forward, direct form of nonverbal communication. Raf and Miko are very expressful and demand to be heard. Jack, on the other hand, tends to be more quiet and subdued. More like an undercurrent that slips into their own without notice until he tugs them, burning with questioning/inquisitive and curiosity.

Miko and Jack are completely delighted when Raf figures out to puff out small bits of flame. And yes, they do bring Raf flammable things to play with. They tickle his softer underbelly to get him to snort and hiccup bits of fire. They like drawing on the walls and floors with their bits of charcoal and piles of ash. 

It seems to be a universal rule that younglings of any species can always find a way to get filthy in a short amount of time. Between Raf’s constant rolling and rummaging for rocks and Miko’s and Jack’s urges to climb all over the place, all three get dusty and crusty. Especially when they dig into the sand and dirt.

It becomes a daily duty to get those three clean. Raf has a dedicated, makeshift bowl of a bathtub where Jack and Miko can join the showers.

It’s a two-mecha job. One to focus on Raf and watch the doorway and floor. (Raf can and will attempt to eat the towels, cleansers, and buffing equipment.) One to scrub Jack and Miko’s backs, particular their developing flight systems, and coax Miko into drying off because she will refuse to leave the shower.

They get a kiddie pool in the middle of the base, well away from equipment, and it’s the greatest thing ever: Occupies the kids for long periods of time, especially with some toys.

Ratchet actually complimented Agent Fowler’s recommendation, and man had side-eyed the mech for the entire visit. 

Jack and Miko managed to lure in an injured cougar into the base. They hid it in the back, well away from everyone else, and tagged team on its caring and feeding schedule since Jack would tell any adult that they were playing hide-and-seek.

No one figured out what was wrong since Jack has a habit of suppressing his own EM field, and figured out how to mask Miko whenever they snuck out the base to hunt animals.

Bulkhead realized something was up when the kiddie pool was quite bloody one day when he was cleaning up a messy Raf that escaped the playpen. Again. The towels were stained red.  

The sheer amount of screaming and tears it caused when the Autobots relocated the cougar to a sanctuary. 

Optimus is truly a leader when he was able to withstand their sad, wilting wings, shiny and wet optics, and wails.

He does hold them in his lap as they pick out a wildlife sanctuary, and Ratchet hooks up the TV to view the public camera of the animals, so they could watch Nightstrike.

[two-am-outlines-only]

Gentle Care

Summary: Virgil has been on edge for days now. Janus notices and resolves to fix it.

Warnings: some swearing, briefly mentioned disassociation, sleeplessness, blood, food mention

Ships: platonic Virgil and Janus

Word Count: 1, 898

AO3 Link

Virgil jerked awake for the final time that night, swearing loudly and waving towards his phone violently to get the music to stop. He sat up, scrubbing at his already red eyes in frustration.

Ever since the wedding he had been feeling tense, wrapped up in replaying conversations over and over in his mind and how they could have gone differently, better. Mulling over the fact that Patton had had a mental fucking breakdown and that Janus was coming around a lot more often, mostly for breakfast and dinner, in turn leading Remus to pop up around this side of the mind scape more often than he had previous and setting him even more on edge. 

Since Thomas was still trying to process everything he kept everything as tightly bottled up as he could, letting almost none of it spill over to him and getting no release of his own. His shoulders and neck ached and no amount of rolling would release the tension. His stomach flipped with pent up nervous nausea mixing unpleasantly with the hunger pangs from not eating as much to try and combat said nausea. Groaning with more frustration he swung his legs painfully over the side of the bed and shakily reached for his usual hoodie, his whole body aching with the effort it took.

He quickly covered up his eye bags with his usual shadow and left the room for breakfast since he knew if he didn't Patton would be worried and he was already worried enough. He made it to the table just as Patton finished frying the eggs, thinning his lips into a tight line as the smells worked to confuse his stomach further. Barely holding back a groan he curled up slightly in his chair, cringing as it squeaked in protest in the silent kitchen. Things had been mostly resolved between Patton and Janus but it seemed Logan and Roman were still working through the upset, something they'd have to address soon but for now just made meals a silent and awkward affair. The fatherly side had long since stopped trying to break the tension at meals, resolving to simple questions mostly asking what everyone's plans were and if they were all feeling alright which mostly led to half hearted answers at best if he received any at all.

Thinking about all of this Virgil snuck a glance around the table, stomach tightening more as no one looked up from their plates. He struggled to keep his nerves in check, grimacing with the effort it took to keep the waves from rolling off of him and effecting anyone else. Hours seemed to pass as the minutes went by, Roman standing first and curtly thanking Patton before going off to wherever he hid these days. Logan was next, his thanks only slightly more polite as he made some excuse about wanting to get short term something or other into long term storage of buzzing silence and noise that was slowly overwhelming him and ringing of something as a door closed somewhere and-

A hand on his shoulder had him jumping from his seat and hissing, forgotten breakfast sitting stone cold at an otherwise empty table. Idly wondering how long he had been out of it his searching eyes locked onto the side responsible for his upset in the first place, expression darkening into a glare as he yanked his sleeves down past his hands.

"What?" He growled.

Yellow gloved hands stayed at submissive shoulder height, his expression pinched with concern. "You've been sitting here for an hour and you weren't responding to your name. I thought it best to bring you back from wherever you had gone."

Virgil snatched his plate up and with slight guilt dumped the ruined breakfast in the garbage. "I didn't ask you to."

"No." Janus acknowledged simply, lowering his arms back down and leaning against the table. "You haven't been eating."

"The fuck do you care?"

"It's my job. You also haven't been sleeping. You're eyeshadow doesn't hide it as well as you might hope."

Swearing quietly as he squirted too much soap on the rag he set about viciously scrubbing at his breakfast plate. "It's your job to care about Thomas."

"And as a part of Thomas I also care for you." Janus replied smoothly. "I know things have been more difficult lately and I can only imagine-"

"You don't know shit. You stopped knowing when I left." He felt almost bad for shooting the other down so harshly but he was so tired and now cranky that he hadn't gotten to eat breakfast and didn't know if his stomach was thanking or punishing him.

"Be that as it may I'm around more now which means I notice things more. We may still be on...uncertain terms but that does not mean I care any less."

The sudden pressure of tears shocked him momentarily, exhaustion making the welling emotions hard to crest as he barely registered the tone Janus was using. No judgement. No anger. No patronizing. He turned to look at the other, startling at openly honest expression etched across his face. The hand holding the rag slipped on the plate and slammed into the sink, withdrawing quickly as he hissed and dropped the plate. The sharp knife left in the sink from god knows what was splattered red as his fingers beat a painful rhythm. Janus was there suddenly, making him recoil even as soft words of reassurance were spoken. Drooping eyes met ones filled with concern and suddenly it was too much, nerves fraying painfully in his chest as he struggled to take in a breath around the sob that escaped him.

"Virgil." He looked back up as tears ran freely down his face, eyes flicking down again to watch the now bare hands being held open in front of him, unmoving and welcoming. "Let me take care of you."

Squeezing his eyes shut he simply nodded and felt a gentle hand on his arm accompanied by the familiar sensation of sinking down and rising up again. He felt himself being led forward and pushed down, landing a little roughly on a hard, cool surface. A towel was wrapped around his hand as he leaned against a wall, silent sobs continuing to rock through him as he adamantly refused to make a sound. Shuffling was heard and the room filled with the scent of peroxide, the dry towel replaced with a shockingly cool rag that stung the cut along his fingers. He didn't have the energy to react more than twitching his fingers absently, barely registering a near silent tune drifting around him. The rag was taken away and replaced with a kind of cream quickly covered by carefully placed Band-Aids before he realized what the sound was.

Humming.

Janus was humming a nameless tune quietly, filling the buzzing silence that Virgil was grateful wasn't being filled with questions, his hand already feeling better. Another sob escaped him as he realized how much he missed this, how much he had missed Janus knowing when he needed to be taken aside and away, knowing when to push and when to silently support. He cracked an eye open as Janus put everything away quickly and turned back to him, eyes softening as they landed on the younger side. The deceitful side offered a hand to him that he took after a beat of hesitation, dragging himself upright and allowing himself to be led out of the bathroom.

Janus deposited him on the edge of the bed as he reached for the abandoned phone on the nightstand and typed in a password that was never changed. Virgil watched with little more than passive curiosity, eyes lighting up slightly as his playlist he had recently put together started to push back against the oppressive room and thin out the air that had become a struggle to breathe in.

Janus turned to him and motioned behind him. "May I sit?"

Offering a raised eyebrow but deciding it was entirely too much work to concern himself at this point Virgil merely shrugged. "Why the fuck not." He mumbled out.

He just barely caught the eyeroll aimed towards him before the bed dipped and Janus was behind him, crossed legs fitting close to the small of his back and hands resting tentatively on his shoulders. Virgil relaxed slightly as he realized the others intentions, Janus taking it as permission to continue.

A sob of relief left his mouth this time as careful fingers dug at the base of his neck, rolling into the muscles even as they protested. The fingers paused as Virgil shifted, shrugging off his hoodie and throwing it in a random direction. A soft laugh joined the music as the hands returned to their previous administrations. His thumbs dug in gently on either side of his spine and fingers gripped just above his collarbone. The muscle finally gave as Virgil sagged in relief, tension officially taking a well deserved vacation as his shoulders dropped for the first time in days. Janus' hands moved gradually outward, rolling fingers massaging his shoulders further down as he sighed into the feeling. He startled slightly as his chin met his chest, blinking his eyes open wondering when he had shut them. He smiled and reached up to wipe at his cheeks, Vindicated filling the room and his chest with a quiet calm despite the tune.

"I always liked this song." Janus' voice rumbled against his back and he jumped again, brain turned to near mush struggling to realize the fact that he had let himself lean back against the other as he continued to work the last of the tension from his neck and shoulders. He hummed in agreement as he relaxed back, figuring if Janus hadn't said anything it was probably okay to stay where he was, at least for now. Virgil's eyes slipped shut as he sighed again, face dry and hands lax just letting the sensations wash over him and help ease him even further. Subconsciously he began breathing deeply, matching the rise and fall of the chest pressed against him as the music grew quieter and the hands gentler, any stubborn resistance fully leaving as consciousness left him completely.

Janus continued massaging the younger sides shoulders for a couple minutes longer until he gradually stopped but continued his deep breathing for Virgil's benefit. He felt like putty against him, making him suspicious of just how long Virgil had gone without properly relaxing. He sighed and gently brought his hand up to the anxious sides hair, running his fingers through the tangles gently and smoothing out any unruly strands. Virgil sighed in his sleep and leaned even further into him making him smile sadly. He had missed this. Not Virgil being so wound up that he neglected his health but being able to help the other unwind in a way he rarely let himself do. Wrapping gentle arms around him Janus let his cheek rest an top of the soft fluff of hair, letting the emo's music wash over him with a familiarity he hadn't realized he missed as much as he did. He let his eyes close as he huffed quietly.

He knew this wouldn't fix everything, that hadn't even been the goal. But he held a faint hope that this may be a start.

[voids-colourful-creations]

Floating into the Sunset - A SatoGou Fanfic

[Read on Ao3!]

Rated G - No Warnings Pokemon Journeys Ash/Goh 1596 Words

Summary: There's been a project spanning across all of Vermillion City for kids to raise a Drifloon egg and set it free into the wild, and of course Ash and Goh took part. Finally, the day comes to set them all free.

Notes: This fic was written as a birthday gift! It's just some short, nice fluff =D! Hope you Enjoy!

-

Goh was the one who carried the egg as both boys made their way up Vermillion City's tallest hill.

One of the tallest hills, anyway, one of the most scenic ones. It had half grassy hill, half cliff face, a steep ledge that tumbled down into brambles.

What was worth it though, was the view. Under the shade of the old, towering tree, the entire cityscape unfolded out beneath them, blanketed by the sea.

Lights were just beginning to flicker on in the windows, and the sea reflected vibrant oranges and pinks as the sun began to melt into it.

Clutching the egg tighter, Goh continued making his way up the hill, trailing behind a significantly faster Ash. Even Pikachu was faster than him, though to be fair it was riding on Ash’s shoulders.

“Goh! You alright back there? Do you need me to carry the egg?”

“I’m alright!” He called back.

It wasn’t a very heavy egg. He’d be surprised if it was.

The Drifloon Raising Project had been a bit of a side activity Chrysa had been organizing. The Drifloon population in Vermillion had been dangerously low for about as long as Goh could remember, and she had decided to start a project to help combat it.

A bunch of children all throughout the city would be given a Drifloon egg to take care of and raise. The project had been pitched as a great way to help promote responsibility and cooperation with children, raise the Drifloon population, and help children be friendly towards wild Drifloon in the future. The project had been wildly successful, with tons of children around the city getting their very own Drifloon egg to take care of.

But, of course, the main selling point of the assignment was the release of Drifloon into the wild, and today the day had come to set them free.

Or would be, if their Drifloon had hatched yet.

“Lookit that!” Ash exclaimed excitedly, just out of Goh’s line of sight.

“What- where! Did they start it already? It’s not 6:00 yet, is it?”

Ash laughed a little.

“No no, not that! The sunset!”

Goh finally made his way to the top of the hill, fully able to take in the view.

Now Goh took pride in a lot of things. His appearance, his ability to catch pokemon, his dedication to his dreams. With all that, where he lived wasn’t usually something that made the top ten list. There were just a lot of other things he cared about more.

But with views like this, every now and then, Goh felt truly special having grown up in a city like this.

He let himself slide downwards, careful to let the egg rest safely in his lap as he stretched his legs out. Ash plopped down behind him just as fast, Pikachu still clinging to his shoulders.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…”

The breeze swirled around them, not quite the chill of autumn yet and yet not as relievingly cool as it once was.

The egg shook a bit, a squeaking excited noise coming from inside it. Goh placed his hand on top of it, patting it lightly.

Ash stared at Goh for a moment, thinking.

“Are… you alright Goh?”

“Hm? Why?”

Ash hummed, toying with his shoelace.

“I dunno. You just look… bummed out? Or sad? I don’t really know. I thought you’d be happier about this, I guess.”

“I am happy!” Goh protested, but faltered quickly after. “I-I think? Probably. I should be.”

“You’re not scared of the Drifloon, right?”

“What? No!”

“It’d be okay if you were,” Ash mused, looking up towards the sky again. “I wouldn’t blame you after… stuff.”

Goh shook his head.

“We agreed that wasn’t your fault, and you already apologized for everything you said when you were possessed. If I was scared, and I’m not saying I was, but if I was, I’m not anymore.”

Goh sighed, kicking against the grass a bit. He dug in his heels, tearing into the grass to expose the soil beneath.

“It’s just… I’m gonna miss it, for sure,” he started. Ash continued to look at Goh, expectantly.

“A-and… I’m nervous.”

“About what?”

“Well…”

Goh leaned over the egg, pressing his head against it as he stared off to the bay, watching the gentle ripple of the sea's tides from a distance.

“We’ve been looking after it for so long. I’m just worried that… it’ll go off into the world and it won’t be ready. It was supposed to hatch 3 days ago, like the others! An-and I know, I know, some will hatch early and some will hatch late, but I just keep worrying I did something wrong , or I didn’t do enough or…”

He trailed off, stumbling to find the right words.

“We want it to have a good adventure, right?” Ash filled in, handing Goh the words.

“Yeah. Yeah… I want it to get a good start to life. I don’t want it to have been held back, or start late because of me-“

“It’s not just you though!”

Goh startled a bit, turning to meet Ash’s eyes. They faced him back, determined.

“We raised that egg together, don’t forget!”

“Of course- I didn’t mean to- I’m sor-“

“Goh, Goh, It’s okay! That’s not what I meant.”

Ash reached forward, laying a hand on Goh’s, overtop the egg.

“There’s nothing you did that I didn’t follow you up on, so if anything goes wrong, it’s on the both of us. And nothing will! I just know it. This Drifloon is gonna have such a fun and exciting life, just like us!”

Goh began to nod along, Ash’s words convincing him as always.

Ash continued.

“And even if it does get a late start, that’s not such a bad thing, is it? It’ll get to meet all sorts of other Drifloon who’ve already hatched for longer who can show it the ropes, it’ll have all sorts of floaty friends just waiting to meet it! Whenever it’s ready, it’s gonna have a super awesome time and make a ton of friends! There’s no doubt about it!”

“High hopes, huh?”

“Of course!”

Goh took a moment, closing his eyes. With a second to think, he breathed in deep, smiled, and let it out.

“Yeah. You’re right.”

“I always am!” Ash grinned.

Goh narrowed his eyes, raising a hand to flick Ash on the forehead.

“Don’t get cocky.”

“Says you!”

“Hey!”

“Ohhhhhh-whoaaa hey!”

“I hey’d you first-“

“No really, Goh look!”

Ash grabbed Goh’s hand from where he held it, squeezing it tightly as he gestured out towards the city with his other hand.

“The other Drifloon! They’re rising!”

Sure enough, under the orange-pink glow, a crop of purple was beginning to float upwards, dotting the horizon.

“Whoaaaa…”

The clusters of violet began to grow, more and more Drifloon being released into Vermillion City’s twilight.

“You were so right about this being the best place to watch…” Ash murmured under his breath, attention caught by the Drifloon.

“Thanks…” Goh murmured back.

The egg shook a bit in Goh’s lap as they spoke.

“Ah- Ash, do you think it can tell all the other Drifloon are out here?”

“Totally!”

Goh leaned over the egg once more, fixating his gaze on the egg and egg alone.

“Hey, Drifloon! There’s all these other Pokemon, just like you out here! I bet they’d love to get to know you. So, whenever you’d like to come out and meet them, don’t forget they’re waiting for you! And- and even after you do hatch and join your friends, you can always come and visit us, okay?”

And maybe it’s coincidence, but Goh liked to believe those words were why the egg started to shake, crack, and glow.

The cyan light washed over him for a moment, and then, floating right in front of him, was a tiny, newly hatched Drifloon.

It trilled quietly, blinking at Goh.

“W-welcome to the world!” He managed to choke out. He chose to blame the tears in his eyes on the wind.

“Woah, super cool! Hiya, Lil’ Drifloon!”

“Loooooon!”

It spun around in place, bobbing back and forth.

“Looooooon?”

It drifted out towards the city for a moment, turning back to Ash and Goh as if asking for permission.

Goh blinked.

“…Yeah. It’s… it’s okay. If you’re ready.”

“Looooon!”

It does a few happy little loop-de-loops, darting closer to them.

It bumps itself into Ash’s face for a moment, then proceeds to do the same to Pikachu, then to Goh.

With that, spinning in a circle one more time, the tiny Drifloon floats up, up, and away, heading towards a cluster of Drifloon just a bit further down the wind.

“There it goes…”

“Do you think… it knew we were happy for it?”

“Totally! It was telling us- “thank you and goodbye!”-  I could feel it!”

“With your magic Pokemon mind reading sense?”


“Goh, I told you that’s not a thing.”

“It could be.”

“No-“ Ash started to laugh part way through his sentence, “I can just feel it, you know?”

But Goh laughed a bit in return.

“Yeah, actually, I do!”

He stands, releasing Ash’s hand to brush the grass off his pants.

“Gonna be so much fun…” Goh murmurs to himself under his breath, casting a look out at the clouds of Pokemon drifting through the sunset.

“Yeah,” Ash answered, reaching out for Goh’s hand once more, “It is.”

Smiling, Goh reached for the hand offered to him, and together, in the sunsetting skies dotted with purple, they walked home.

[End!]

[bucksfucks]

biker!bucky would pick a fight just for the make up sex

⟶ toxic • biker!bucky

warnings || very toxic relationship, praise kink (minor), heavy degradation & mocking, (messy) blowjob, deep-throating, bucky makes reader ride his boot, dry-humping, bucky cums on reader’s face — 18+ ONLY//MINORS DNI

word count || 724 words

notes || i am not sorry for this 🥵

    “You’re always tryna get on my nerves, aren’t ya, sweetheart?” The nickname was spat mockingly, Bucky’s arm gripping around your bicep as he yanked you back into his body. 

     You squeaked, a groan falling from your lips as you collided softly with his chest, “you’re not gonna jus’ walk away from me.” 

     His eyes were dark, jaw clenched and teeth grit as you rolled your eyes at him. 

    “Why? So you can scold me for something I didn’t do?” You asked rhetorically, pushing each and every one of Bucky’s possible buttons as his nostrils flared. 

    “It didn’t look like nothin’.” 

     You rolled your eyes again, Bucky was so set on the idea that you were flirting with the bartender at the pool bar you were at just minutes earlier. 

     Now you were back at Bucky’s apartment, reeking of him; whiskey, leather, and rich sandalwood tones as you were backed up against the wall. 

    “Guess ‘m gonna jus’ have to fuck you good my cock is the only thing you can think of.” He purred in your ear, slotting his thigh between your legs as you let out a gasp. 

    “That’s it, pretty girl, I know you can’t resist me.” You hated it, but he was right. No matter what you said, Bucky knew you like the back of his hand. 

    “Get on your knees,” he suddenly growls, and why not push him further, “no.” 

     His eyebrow twitches, head cocking to the side before you’re being pushed and forced to your knees. 

    “God do you ever just shut up?” Bucky nearly snarls as you hear his zipper being yanked and his cock is freed as he pumps his half-hard cock in his hands. 

    “Make me,” you finally smirk, knowing exactly where it’ll get you. 

     He smirks, “if you wanted my cock stuffin’ your mouth that bad, all you had to do was ask.” 

     You don’t get a chance to reply before he’s gripping your chin between his metal digits, thumb between your lips, “now open.” 

     He’s past your lips, filling your mouth as you moan around him and grip onto his muscular thighs for balance. He groans at the way you’re able to take him, slightly gagging as your eyes water. 

    “Yeah, you love all your holes stuffed, huh my little slut?” He groans lowly, slowly fucking your mouth, watching the mess of saliva that you’re making. 

     He kicks your legs open with his combat boots, his cock still in your mouth before you feel the hard material against your aching core. 

     You moan, cock slipping from your lips, “I don’t remember givin’ you permission to stop, brat.” He spits, cock in his hand before you’re sticking your tongue out for him again. 

    “Good girl, guess you aren’t such a dumb baby after all,” he cooes and you feel his boot pressing up against you. 

    “Hump my boot, ride it ‘til you’re cummin’.” He chuckles deeply, watching the way your eyes go wide and your mascara running down your cheeks. 

     You whimper around him, hollowing your cheeks as you find it easy to move your hips along his boot and oh does it feel fucking fantastic. 

    “Aw, you look so pretty like this,” Bucky mocks sweetly, “mouth full of my cock as your pretty little pussy humps my boot.” 

     It’s degrading, but you love it. You can admit how fucked up it is, but you feel yourself soaking through your panties as that coil begins to tighten in your lower abdomen. 

     Your hips stutter, choking on your breath (and Bucky’s cock) as he wraps his metal hand around the back of your neck—pulling you off of his hard cock. 

    “Say ah,” Bucky smirks darkly as he jerks himself off and you don’t have time to register what’s about to happen before your orgasm crashes over you like a tidal wave and Bucky’s cum is painting your face. 

     He shudders, body rolling forward with the force of his own orgasm as your fingers are still digging into his thighs. 

     You’re thankful of his cum missing your eyes and nose, but your hair isn’t as lucky as you open your eyes to meet his heavy ones. 

    “Hey pretty girl?” He asks as you hum in response, “I know you weren’t flirtin’, was jus’ rillin’ you up.”

     Bucky Barnes was toxic, but fuck did he do it well. 

[calamitykaty]

Always Wondering

JJ Maybank x Y/N

Word Count: 5300

Warnings: Alcohol mention, underage drinking, insinuated/mentioned abuse 

A/N: After like 6 months, it’s finally here! I don’t write a ton anymore but feel free to check out my masterlist HERE or add yourself to my taglist HERE

The squeaking of the side door that exited to the marina let Y/N know that JJ was off on his 2 am stroll again for the 12th time since he had moved into the loft adjoined to her parent’s house after his dad left.  It took weeks to convince him to stay, and he only relented when he had grown tired of walking in on John B and Sarah Cameron hooking up one too many times. He never stayed all night though, and Y/N desperately wanted to know why. 

Y/N chewed on her bottom lip and squinted her eyes as she watched JJ’s silhouette cast a long shadow down the dimly lit pier. With a heave of a sigh, she finally decided that watching JJ sort himself out from the sidelines was over. She tip-toed across her room and stuffed her feet into the pair of loosely tied combat boots that her mother absolutely hated, and grabbed her phone from the charging dock. 

Y/N moved as quietly as she could across the home until she reached the squeaky door. She couldn’t decide if it was better to slowly open the door or just get it over with like ripping a bandaid off. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She finally heaved a sigh and swiftly opened the door. The door squeaked loudly, and Y/N squeezed her eyes shut. She waited for a moment and slowly opened her eyes when she realized that the house was still silent, except for the loud snoring that came from her parent’s room. Y/N slowly let out the breath that was caught in her lungs and pulled the door shut. 

She stuffed her hands into her pockets and quickly retraced JJ’s steps down the marina and towards the dock at the end of the pier. She wasn’t even sure what she was going to say to him or if she would say anything at all. Y/N had grown up with JJ and had known him practically her entire life, but once they hit puberty, everything changed, and she couldn’t help the hesitant timidness that his presence put her in. 

A splash across the water caught her attention, and Y/N looked up to find JJ sitting on the edge of the dock with his feet dangling above the water. She watched as his right hand grabbed something from the dock, and he pulled his arm back at an angle before he projected it forward and launched the object into the waves.

 Y/N approached JJ as he grabbed what she could now see were rocks that he had piled next to himself. She wasn’t sure what possessed her to do so, but as his arm reached backwards to launch the rock, she placed her hand on his shoulder. She could feel JJ jump at her touch, and she quickly pulled her hand back. 

“S-sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you….” 

JJ turned his head and looked up at her with furrowed brows as he scoffed, “I’m a pogue; I don’t get scared.” 

Y/N shrugged her shoulders and looked out into the distance. The moon reflected itself against the dark, choppy waves and Y/N felt mesmerized by it for a moment. She lowered herself down next to JJ and let her feet dangle above the water. JJ watched her every move in silence until his curiosity got the best of him. 

“What are you even doin’ out here, Y/N? Your parents are gonna freak if they find out you snuck out.”

“I could ask you the same thing, JJ.” 

JJ picked up a rock and slung his arm back before he launched the rock towards the water in the distance, “throwing rocks, what’s it look like I’m doing out here?” 

Y/N hummed a quiet “hmm” in response. She knew this JJ well. The ‘closed off, hard as nails, never had a vulnerable feeling as far as he was concerned' JJ.

But she knew JJ better than that, and he knew that too. After all, she had seen him cry when they were seven, and one of the wild horses that the OBX was famous for died after a summer tourist fed it an apple. She cried too, and JJ took every bit of the money he had saved up from recycling old soda bottles and aluminum cans to buy her a small stuffed horse from an overpriced gift shop on the island. Y/N knew there was more to JJ than the tough appearance that he desperately tried to project to keep himself safe. 

Y/N sucked in a sharp breath and wiped her hands on her pajama pants to calm her nerves before she finally blurted out the question that had been plaguing her mind since she had sat down. 

“You miss him, don’t you?”

“John B?” JJ cocked an eyebrow and shook his head, “Nah, dude smells like cheap beer and body odor.” He laughed and looked over at Y/N with his crooked smile, but her sad eyes told him that he wouldn’t get out of this that easily. 

“I…” JJ shook his head, “I don’t wanna talk about it.”  JJ anxiously fidgeted with the rings on his right hand. 

“You don’t have to talk about it. But, just know that it’s okay to miss him even if you don’t want to miss him. It’s okay.” Y/N knew she was pushing her luck, but that didn’t stop her from reaching over and grabbing JJ’s right hand and intertwining her fingers between his. His palm was hot against her skin, and she lightly squeezed his hand before she let her hand go slack and slid it out of his grasp. 

Y/N pushed herself up and took several steps backwards before she turned around to make her way back up the pier, only stopping when JJ’s voice quietly called out to her. She stood in silence and watched as JJ ran his hand through his hair and licked his lips before his eyes met hers. 

“We uh--” JJ Paused and searched for his words. 

“We--John B, Kie, Sarah Cameron, and Pope...we’re gonna have a bonfire tomorrow night at the boneyard if you wanna go with me?” 

Y/N broke eye contact and stared down at her feet. Her long eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks, and she nervously wrapped her arms around her body. Y/N may have been close with JJ, but she wasn’t exactly part of their group. She wasn’t exactly skipping school and sneaking out at night and underage drinking type of pogue. Honestly, if her family hadn’t lived on the cut, she would be mistaken for a kook. 

 “I'm not sure I would fit in very well but, thank you for the invite….” Y/N muttered insecurely. 

Just like the day he bought the stuffed horse, JJ let a comforting smile slide onto his face, and he took a step forward to throw his arm around Y/N’s shoulders, “that’s the beauty of being a pogue, Y/N; we’re all misfits.” 

“I’ll think about it,” Y/N conceded and looked up at JJ. He was close enough that she could smell the slight saltiness of the ocean on his skin. 

“I’ll take it!” JJ dropped his arm back to his sides and shoved his hands into his pockets. 

“I should---” Y/N threw her right hand over her shoulder and motioned back towards the marina house with her thumb. 

“Oh, uh, yeah….” JJ pursed his lips and ran his hand through his hair, “I’m just gonna stay for a bit longer.” 

He watched as Y/N quickly turned around and started her trek back to the top of the pier. The dim yellow lights that lined the pier did little to light the way, and it wasn’t long before she was entirely out of his sight. JJ turned back to the dock and set himself back down next to his small pile of rocks. He plucked a rock up and tossed it from his left hand to his right hand several times before he slung it into the water. He thought about what Y/N had said about it being okay to miss his dad, but JJ couldn’t wrap his head around it. It didn’t make any sense to him that in the quietest parts of the nights, he missed the man that made his life a living hell every day. 

JJ fought back the tears that stung the back of his eyes and angrily picked up another rock. He flung the rock at the ocean with violent wrath. The more JJ thought about his dad, the more he wondered if he was bound to end up just like him. He wondered if he was ever going to go anywhere in life or if he was destined to follow the path that his father paved before him; if he was just going to end up as another washed-up alcoholic in the cut. The thought had crossed his mind before when his dad was still around, but lately, it was nestled into a crook of his brain, and he couldn’t shake it from his head. 

He wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there on the pier, but the sun had just begun to kiss the ocean’s horizon. JJ finally pushed himself up from the pier once his legs started to get the familiar tingles signaling that just a minute longer and they would have gone numb. JJ quietly stalked back towards the marina house with his head hung low, and his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He furrowed his brows as he approached the marina house and noticed the soft glow of light in the loft window from his bedside lamp; he could have sworn he had turned it off before he left. 

JJ tiptoed as quietly as he could up the stairs to his loft and paused outside of the bedroom door that was just barely cracked. He held his breath and slowly pushed the door open, preparing himself mentally for the parenting that he had seen Y/N’s dish out to her but that he had never personally received from his own dad. 

“Oooh…” JJ breathed out when he met Y/N’s eyes from across the room. She was sitting in the middle of his bed with her legs hugged to her chest and her chin resting on top of her knees. 

“Thought I had been caught sneaking out,” JJ admitted and scratched at the back of his neck. His familiar crooked smile tugged at his cheeks as he crossed the room and laid himself on the bed. Y/N uncurled from herself and laid back onto the bed facing JJ, and her heavy eyes slowly fluttered shut. 

“What are you doing up here, anyway?” 

“Wanted to make sure you made it home safe.” Y/N let a sleepy smile slide across her face and opened her eyes to find JJ studying her face.

“What?” Y/N self-consciously asked

“Nothin’, c’mere.” JJ let his arms wrap around her waist and pulled her body into hers. His lips met her hairline and pressed a feather-light kiss there. He inhaled her strawberry vanilla scent and hummed to himself in content as her long eyelashes lightly fluttered against his neck until her eyes closed. 

When he woke up, it was Y/N’s soft snores and her cold nose pressed against the crook of his neck. The morning sun washed into his room and cast a yellow glow across the small room. JJ wasn’t sure what this feeling was. Home was a concept that he wasn’t used to. Even when his dad was around, home was just a place that held his belonging, nothing more. The blissful moment was short-lived when he heard the all too familiar squeak of the stairs leading up to the loft. 

“Y/N!!” JJ quietly whispered and shook the girl. 

Y/N furrowed her brows and blinked her eyes rapidly. The brightness of the sun-filtered room was offensive to her rested eyes, and she made it known with a grunt and buried her face back into JJ’s chest. 

“Y/N, seriously! You have to hide! Your mom is coming up the stairs!” 

That caught Y/N’s attention, and the girl practically threw herself out of bed in a frantic panic. Her parents loved JJ, but she knew if they found her in his room that they would assume the worst and they would definitely re-think letting JJ stay in the loft. Her stressed eyes met JJ’s, and just as his bedroom door was being pushed open, he was shoving her into his closet. 

“Morning, JJ…” Y/N’s mom greeted just as JJ shut the closet door. 

“Morning, Mrs. Y/L/N. What’s happenin?” JJ lazily slung his body back onto the bed.

“Breakfast is going to be ready shortly,” Y/N’s mother smiled at the boy before her eyes scanned the room. 

“Have you seen Y/N this morning? She wasn’t in her room when I went to tell her breakfast would be ready.” 

“Nah,” JJ folded his arms and rested them behind his head, “she’s probably out for a run or somethin’, ya know how she is Mrs. Y/L/N, always out there uh pounding the pavement.”

Y/N covered her mouth with her hands to stifle her laughter. She knew JJ was good at getting him and his friends out of situations, but she had never realized how terrible he was at lying. 

“Are we talking about the same Y/N?” Her mother asked incredulously, “I have never seen that girl go for a run in her sixteen years of life.” 

“Oh? That’s weird!” JJ declared, “she told me she was going to compete in the Sea to Shore 5K they have in a few weeks.” 

“Really? Why wouldn’t she tell us that?” 

“I dunno, Ma’am. Guess she wanted it to be a surprise.” 

“Oh, well...I’ll leave you be. Do you want orange juice or apple juice with your breakfast?” 

“Orange juice, Ma’am!” 

Y/N waited until she heard his bedroom door close before she tripped her away back out of JJ’s messy closet. 

“Training for a 5K? Really?” 

JJ shot the girl his crooked smile and shrugged, “that’s a weird way to thank me for covering for you.” 

“You better grab me a muffin when you go to breakfast so I can have something to eat. I’ll be famished from my fake 5K training.” Y/N playfully rolled her eyes. 

JJ took the stairs down to the main house two at a time. When he entered the small kitchen, Y/N’s dad was already sitting at the small circular dining table with the newspaper turned to the local politics section, and his cup of coffee was held in his right hand. Y/N’s mom was humming to the song on the radio; it was something old but slightly familiar; he was sure he had heard the song before. 

JJ pulled a seat out and sat down at the table just as Mrs. Y/L/N placed a glass of orange juice in front of him. 

“Morning, JJ!” Y/N’s dad lowered the paper slightly and smiled at the blonde boy. 

“Morning!” 

JJ reached for a blueberry muffin and placed it on his plate before he piled eggs, bacon, and anything else he could put his hands on. He still hadn’t gotten used to having home-cooked meals on the regular. Every time he ate, it felt like a luxury, and he would be lying if he said that sometimes he was jealous of the life that Y/N has. When he was left with his own thoughts, he would reflect on the honest love her parents have for each other, the warm environment they created for her, and even though he didn’t mean to feel envious, sometimes when he was out on the dock and wrapped in his own thoughts, he would wonder why he didn’t get to have a life like that too. 

JJ could feel that feeling sinking into his joints as he sat there and ate breakfast with his makeshift family. He pushed his seat back and gave a rushed thank you with a tight-lipped smile. The blueberry muffin sat forgotten on his plate as he high-tailed it back to his room. 

When he opened his door, he found his closet had seemed to explode across the room, and Y/N was in the middle of it all. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Uhhh, organizing your chaotic closet?” Y/N offered sheepishly. 

The feeling that he was trying to push back down began to bubble up, and before he could bite his tongue, the sharp words had already left his mouth. 

“I don’t need you trying to fix me, Y/N.” 

“I…” Y/N dropped the hangar that was in her hands. 

Y/N’s heart fell to her stomach. Her sad eyes pleaded with JJ to let her in, to let her try to help him, but he turned away and bowed his head. 

“Just….just get out.” 

“I...JJ, I can’t. They’ll see me leaving your loft.”

JJ sighed and nodded his head, “Right-, then...I’ll go.” JJ shoved his feet into his old beat-up boots and pushed past Y/N before she could even begin to form a response. 

Y/N let out an exasperated groan as she stood in the empty room. She knew that JJ could get in his head, and she knew it wasn’t aimed towards her; she just wanted the stubborn blonde to let her in for more than one fleeting moment at a time. Y/N buried her head into her hands and rubbed her eyes before dropping her hands to her sides. Her eyes scanned the mess that had exploded across the room, and she sighed before picking up JJ’s brown jacket and the discarded hangar that she had dropped. She slid each side of the hangar into the shoulders of the coat and hung it back up in the closet.

Y/N spent the rest of the afternoon laid up in her room reading, writing, cleaning, doing whatever she could to keep her mind off of JJ. She even briefly, very briefly, contemplated actually going for a run. That thought was interrupted, though when her door slowly creaked open. Her mom stood in her doorway with a laundry basket of folded clothes held between her left hip and arm.

‘Heard you went for a run this morning? Some kind of training, JJ said….” Her mom walked into the room and placed the laundry basket by the foot of the bed. 

“Uhhh, yeah. He bet me $20 and a month’s worth of dish duty that I wouldn’t do it.” 

“Hmmm,” her mother hummed in response before adding, “you look pretty worn out from that run; how far did you go?”

  Her mother picked up the laundry basket and moved it over to the dresser. She opened the first drawer and picked a few items out of the basket to place into the drawer. Y/N could feel her hands becoming clammy. She knew her mother was fishing around, trying to find a loophole in JJ’s story, or more specifically, Y/N’s story.

“I-uh..” JJ made this look so easy. “Not very far.”

Her mother picked up the laundry basket again and moved towards the closet this time. Y/N’s eyes watched her every movement. 

“You know,” Her mother grabbed a hanger from the closet and placed a navy blue shirt onto it, “Grace Darcy at the other end of the marina runs the 5K every year. I’ll call her mother and see if you can train with her. She’s a sweet girl; I’m sure she’d be happy to give you some pointers.” 

“That’d be great, thanks, mom.” Y/N silently cursed JJ and his stupid lie. 

Y/N watched as her mother hung up the last garment and stowed the laundry basket back into the left corner of the closet before she turned the light off and closed the closet door. 

“Your father and I are going out tonight with the Cameron’s. Do we need to leave pizza money for you and JJ?” 

Y/N dog-eared the page she had been reading in her book and sat the book down on the nightstand. She tucked her hair behind her ears and shook her head, “No, JJ’s going to a bonfire with his friends, so it’ll just be me. I’ll make do.” 

Y/N waited for the question that she knew was coming. Her mother honestly couldn’t help herself; being nosy was practically ingrained in her jeans. Before she met her father, Y/N’s mother lived on the other side of the island with the Kooks. It’s one of the reasons that Y/N had so much trouble fitting in. She felt like she never had a real identity. She went to plenty of events on the island’s north side and played the part perfectly, but she lived on the island’s south side, and therein lies her identity crisis. 

“You’re not going with him?” 

Y/N looked down at her hands and shrugged, “I think JJ could use some time away from me. I maybe pried into his life a bit too much the other day….”

Her mother sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed her hands. Y/N looked up to find her mother looking at her with gentle eyes and a soft smile. 

“I know it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense, Junebug. But, sometimes when we are hurting, it’s easier for us to push away the people that want to help us than it is to let our guard down.”

“What are you trying to get at, mom?” 

Y/N’s mom chuckled and patted Y/N’s shoulder, “all I’m sayin’ is that maybe you should go to the bonfire.”

“Hmmm,” Y/N mused, “I dunno, mom, seems like you were saying a lot more than that.” 

Y/N stood back in the distance and watched as the pogues chugged back beers around the roaring fire. Their laughter echoed across the beach, and for a moment, Y/N contemplated just going back home. What if JJ really didn’t want her to be there anymore after their...well, whatever it was that happened in the morning between them. 

Y/N turned around to head back to her car and immediately collided with a body, and with a sharp inhale, the scent of sandalwood, vetiver, and vanilla filled her nostrils. She knew exactly who it was. Y/N took a step back and made her face as stoic as possible. 

“Rafe,” Y/N acknowledged and sidestepped to get past him, but before she could make another move, Rafe had spun around and slung his arm across her shoulder. Her body was tucked into his, and her heart was pounding. She desperately willed JJ, John B, Pope, or anyone to turn around. Y/N and Rafe had their own short-lived romance that ended abruptly when JJ moved into the loft. Rafe didn’t scare her, but he had a way of making her feel exposed and uncomfortable. 

“Leave her alone, Rafe,” Sarah Cameron’s voice made her presence known before anyone could see her. Sarah grabbed Y/N’s elbow and pulled her way from Rafe without stopping for a single second. Y/N stumbled over her own feet and held onto Sarah’s arm to steady herself. 

“Thanks for that….” Y/N sheepishly ducked her head as the words left her mouth. 

“He’s a moron.” Sarah rolled her eyes as she looked back towards Rafe. Her blonde hair whipped around her face, and just as Y/N was about to offer her the black hair tie that adorned her wrist, John B was running up towards them and wrapped his arms around Sarah’s waist. Sarah tilted her head back against John B’s shoulder and smiled at the tanned boy. Y/N awkwardly cleared her throat, feeling incredibly out of place. 

“Was wondering when the infamous Y/N was gonna make an appearance!” John B reached out with his right arm and gently nudged Y/N shoulder.

The blood rushed to Y/N’s cheeks making her face warm with embarrassment, “I can only imagine what that means.” 

“We were hoping you’d show up and fix our boy cause he’s spent the last our sulking,” Y/N followed John B’s gaze across the beach.

“Pretty sure that I’m the problem,” Y/N looked down at her fidgeting hands, “but I’ll give it a try.”

Y/N watched JJ from a short distance. He had his knees pulled to his chest; his right arm was wrapped around his legs while his left hand picked up sand and let it sift through his fingers. Y/N slowly walked towards JJ with a final deep breath until she reached his side. She could feel his eyes staring up at her, but she kept her eyes on the distant ocean while she lowered herself next to him on the sand. She sunk her hands into the sand and let it sift through her fingers before dipping her hands into the water as the tide rolled back in. 

“I’m sorry,” Y/N finally said quietly. She jumped at the sounds of JJ’s abrupt chuckle and furrowed her brows. 

“What do you have to be sorry for? I’m the idiot, like always.” 

“I wish you would see yourself the way I do…the way everyone else does…” her words came out quietly as she finally turned to look at JJ. 

His eyes were red, and she wasn’t sure if it was because he was high or if it was because he had been crying, but the tousling of his hair definitely told her that he had been pulling at his hair in angry frustration. 

“Like a fuck up? I’m pretty sure I’ve got that on lock.” 

Y/N shook her head and sighed heavily. She could feel her frustration starting to bubble up, and it was a side of her that she kept at bay with JJ, a side that he didn’t get to see of her, a side that she didn’t want him to see. She knew that JJ had a hard life, and she knew that he was used to getting yelled at and that his dad took his problems out on JJ, so she never wanted JJ to see a side of her that could resemble his dad. 

Y/N tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She focused on the smell of the salt in the air, the sound of the crackling wood from the bonfire in the distance, and the feeling of the cold ocean water crashing into her feet. 

She opened her eyes and tentatively took JJ’s right hand, his palm facing upwards. She lightly let her fingers trace over the lines in his palm, and JJ watched her with curiosity in his eyes. Y/N bit her lip and intertwined her fingers with JJ’s. 

“I wish you would see yourself the way that I do….” Y/N repeated her earlier words and slowly met JJ’s eyes. 

“Because when I look at you, I see someone that puts their all into their friendships. I see loyalty. I see bravery, and I see perseverance. You have had every reason in the world to give up, and you don’t. I know that I am never going to know what life has been like for you, but I—I just….” Y/N’s shaky voice trailed off, and she could feel the threat of tears pushing their way forward behind her eyes. 

JJ silently squeezed her hand. 

“I just wish you’d give yourself a chance at being loved the way that I love you because I’m scared that if you don’t, you’ll always be wondering, just like you wonder about your dad. B-but not everyone is your dad, JJ. Not everyone is going to leave. Some of us have been fighting to stay, and you…you just push us away. ” 

“So, uh, you love me, huh?” JJ’s trademark smile took over his face. 

“Huh?” 

“What do you mean, huh? You’re the one that said it.” JJ smirked. 

Y/N furrowed her brows and shook her head, “No, I said that I wish you’d give yourself a chance at being loved...you know…like letting people love you so y-you don’t have to wonder if people love you.” Her voice shook almost as much as her hands while the anxiety coursed through her veins. 

“There’s definitely one thing I’ve been wondering,” JJ untangled their hands and swiftly placed his right hand behind Y/N’s neck. Y/N could feel her heart trying to pound its way out of her chest. Her eyes fluttered shut as JJ’s hot breath fan across her lips, and within a moment, their lips were pressed together in what started as a hesitant kiss before Y/N leaned in closer and placed her right hand on JJ’s chest. She could feel his heart beating nearly as fast as her own, and as quickly as the kiss had started, it ended. 

“I’m not easy to love,” JJ’s eyes searched hers. Y/N lifted her hand from his heart and placed it on his cheek. He closed his eyes as her thumb smoothed across his skin. 

“You’ve not been hard yet.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Y/N knew she had chosen the wrong ones. 

“Little do you know!” JJ burst into a fit of laughter, and Y/N playfully rolled her eyes. 

“We should probably get back to the group, ya know?” Y/N looked over her right shoulder at the rest of the group.

JJ stood up and offered her his hands to hoist her up off of the sand. Y/N placed her hands into his, and JJ gave them a swift pull until her body was pressed against his. He gently tucked a strand of her behind her ear and placed his lips on her forehead before he pulled back and smiled at her.

“Twenty bucks, I can chug a beer faster than John B.” JJ slung his left arm around her shoulders as the pair made their way back to the group. 

“You win, I’ll pay you that twenty bucks, but if you lose….you’re running this damn 5K with me that you got me into.” 

“You’re on. Hope you’re prepared to lose that twenty.” JJ laughed as they approached the fire. He dug into the light blue cooler and grabbed two cans of beer before promptly throwing one to John B. 

“Names?” 

“Y/N, Y/LN, and JJ Maybank” 

“Sign here and grab your numbers.” 

Y/N leaned across the table and quickly scribbled her signature before handing the pen to JJ while she grabbed their numbers and a set of safety pins. 

“I can’t believe I lost that stupid bet,” JJ mumbled while Y/N pinned his number to his shirt.

“Well,” Y/N handed her number and a set of safety pins to JJ so he could pin her number to her shirt. “I think that you would have volunteered to run this 5k with me even if you didn’t lose the bet because you’re the one that got me into this anyways!” She said matter-of-factly. 

JJ secured the last safety pin and took her hand, “I would have, but not because I got you into it, I would have because I love you and even if it’s dumb and we lose….I can still outrun you, so I would still win.” 

“Wanna place twenty on it?” Y/N beamed up at the boy. 

 All Writing Taglist: **strikethroughs did not let me tag**

@onetoomayfilms @mysticmolina @echocharm17618 @tefilovesreading @dream-a-little-bigger-x@littlemissaddict @fangirlangioma @flower-name @phantompogues @rachmmb @emeliii1 @yelyahryan @random1dstuff​ @meanergreener​ @lovexbradx @buckeybarnesishot310 @candycornmgg @coffeefueledchaos @talk-on-the-street @teti-menchon0604 @sunsetcurvej @glowstick-lesbian @lilostif16 @wanniiieeee @julia-jatp @quillsandtypos @we-play-pretend @axgelre @nani-2305​ @supernaturallydc  @isabel9292 

[mc-lukanette]

Marinette tried not to be obvious with her annoyance, but it was difficult when she knew that Lila had come to the Liberty specifically to irritate her. It wasn't even her paranoia creeping up, as Lila had made it clear from their first day of face-to-face interaction that she wanted to make Marinette's life miserable. The worst part was that everyone else either believed her or tolerated her, meaning Marinette looked unreasonable no matter what she did to combat it.

She figured she should've known that Luka would be Lila’s next target. The Liberty had always felt like somewhat of a safe haven - funny, considering who owned it - so it had only been a matter of time until Lila had heard enough to decide to show up there.

"Oh, she seemed so curious to actually be on a houseboat! She's only ever been on yachts and stuff before! How could we say 'no'?

Marinette tried to keep her lips shut tight so the gritting of her teeth wasn't seeable to anyone. The best she could do was watch from afar and keep any unkind comments internal while vaguely fantasizing about being Ladybug and dumping Lila in the garbage where she belonged.

Luka, to his credit, didn't seem to take Lila's bait like everyone else. She'd sought him out and he technically listened to her (as she lied about all the music people she knew and all the connections she could give him), but he was mostly occupied with tuning his guitar, only giving her a vague noise every now and then to signal that he was listening.

It was one of Marinette's few joys of the day, which made it twice as infuriating when Lila ruined it.

"Anyway, Luka," Lila added, her voice saccharine and fake, "I really hope you and I can become great friends."

Luka's eyebrow twitched.

"And don't worry, I would never force you. I know there are some people like that, who want to make everything go their way—"

Marinette knew it was a jab at her even though she definitely wasn't that kind of person; from Lila's point of view though, of course she'd think that.

Lila continued, "but I'd never do that to you, okay? I promise!"

For the first time since she'd been talking to him, Luka turned to her, his expression somewhere between neutral and the annoyance he showed at listening to XY's "version" of Kitty Section's music. "Can you please—"

He didn't get to finish that sentence, as Lila suddenly leaned in to kiss him. Luka jerked away the moment it registered with him, but it was already too late; the contact had been made.

All the anger that had been stewing in Marinette's stomach bubbled to the surface. She stormed over, her body language confrontational as she asked, "What do you think you're doing?!"

The outburst had gotten the attention of the other girls. Though they hadn't seen it, what happened was obvious given the way Luka was covering his mouth.

Lila turned to face Marinette, sinking to that vulnerable state she used so much whenever she got caught. "I-I didn't mean to! I meant to kiss his cheek and he turned too quickly."

It was a lie, and Marinette knew it. Lila had intentionally said things to make Luka look at her so she could kiss him, all to irritate Marinette.

"You see..." Lila pressed her palm to her cheek. "I-I thought a cheek kiss would be okay. You don't seem like the type of person who would be close to someone like him, and everyone told me that you do it all the time."

Marinette was fuming at the implication, feeling personally insulted at the idea that she and Luka weren't close.

And they'd told her. Her friends had been gossiping about her to Lila, or at least telling her details, which Marinette herself had definitely not consented to.

She went to toss a glare her friends' way, but they were already rushing forward to assure Lila that everything was okay, with Marinette having to step away or risk getting knocked back with the way they formed around her.

"M-maybe I need to re-learn French customs. I spent so long away from the country and other places have—"

Marinette wasn't listening anymore. She knew how this went and didn't want to be around to see another repeat of it, nor her friends potentially shouting at her. She turned away with a frustrated exhale, speed-stomping away and going up the stairs to head outside.

Passing by the cabin, she went into the greenhouse-esque area with all of the larger plants, plopping down on the long flower-patterned seating with a heavy sigh. She'd fallen right into Lila's trap, again, and couldn't help being angry at the whole situation.

Going after her was one thing, but Luka? And to kiss him like that on top of trying to lure him in with her deceit? Marinette knew deep down that she had a right to be upset at Lila's actions, but the way she reacted to it just ended up making Lila look like the victim instead of Luka. Had she failed him?

She groaned into her clasped hands, imagining that Luka must've thought that she looked like a fool shouting like that. She liked to think that she would've done things differently had she been able to do it again, but she was still angry and honestly just wanted to go off on Lila again.

She didn't move, though briefly considered going home. After all, it'd be pointless going back downstairs, as she'd probably just end up being glared at and blamed for Lila being upset. Luka probably didn't want to see her either after that display anyway.

As if her concerns had summoned him, she suddenly heard his voice call out to her from nearby. "Marinette?"

She stiffened, then lowered her hands enough to peek at him. When none of the negative emotions she expected showed on his face, she lowered them the rest of the way.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

She straightened, jaw slack that's that what he was concerned about. "Am I okay? What about you?!" She gestured wildly to him. "That—that akuma-luring harpy just kissed you!"

She realized what she said and covered her mouth, knowing that it was a much more direct insult than she usually would've gone with. Luka, however, tried to suppress a laugh from it, snorting loudly into his hand.

"I—" He cut himself off, still chuckling too much to speak. After a few seconds, he took a breath to calm down, then gave her a calm smile and continued, "I washed my mouth out, just to make sure."

Marinette tried to keep her negative emotions at the forefront, but then she was trying to suppress her laughter as well. She almost felt bad about it, but the wide grin on Luka's face showed that he'd fully intended for her to have that reaction. He walked over, taking a seat down next to her and leaning forward to maintain eye contact.

He waited until she quieted herself down with a final squeak that he asked again, "Really, are you okay?"

The smile she had on from laughter faded, though her spirits were still much higher than before. "Not really. She—she's always doing that." She glanced at him. "Let me guess, they're catering to her?"

He nodded. "They're planning on having lunch without you since you—" He made a face, clearly displeased. "—'made her so upset.'" He stared out of the glass opposite of them. "I wasn't going to join them."

"You didn't have to do that," she said, though her voice was soft from being touched by the gesture.

He gave her a smile. "I know, but I'd rather have lunch with you than with everyone else and that—" He smirked. "—'harpy.'"

Marinette tried to bite back a smile of her own, but couldn't. Hearing the pure-hearted Luka say an insult so brazenly, even if he was just parroting her own, was too funny not to smile at.

"Thanks~" she said gratefully.

"I should be thanking you," he argued. He leaned back in his seat, but didn't stop looking at her. "For being so upset on my behalf."

She blushed, looking away with both shyness and embarrassment. "I-I was really loud though."

"You play your song for everyone to hear, Marinette. I love that about you."

She blushed deeper, mentally cursing his smoothness. "How are you so okay with this?"

"I'm not," he replied, "not really, but..." He shrugged. "That kiss didn't mean anything to me. It wasn't real."

She looked over at him, frowning. "T-that was your first though, wasn't it?"

His brows rose in surprise, his face telling her everything she needed to know even before he responded. "...Well, yeah."

Now that she'd had it officially confirmed, Marinette bristled. "It's not right!" She huffed and turned to him, throwing her arms out. "Your first kiss is supposed to be special and with someone you really love! It's not supposed to just be stolen from you like that!"

He touched a hand to his chest, clearly touched by her passionate anger. She turned red and forced herself to look away from him, finding it hard to stay angry when he stared at her that way.

"...And I know you were already pretty upset with her, I could see it," she explained, "so it wasn't like I felt like I had to get angry for you, but still. She doesn't care what anyone thinks and I'm mad at her for kissing you like that and I'm mad at me because she only did it to get on my nerves and I know I shouldn't be mad at me because she's just mad that I won't fall for her lies but I'm mad anyway because I still let her rile me up when that's exactly what she wanted." Burying her face in her hands, she whined and added, "I guess I wasn't jealous at least - not in that way anyway - since I'd never want to do anything to you without your permission like she did, but I know she meant for me to get to jealous because I just—"

She cut herself off, the words clogging up her throat and forcing her to swallow them. She raked her fingers through her hair, mentally debating with herself if she really wanted to tell Luka everything.

But of course she did. Not only did he deserve it, but she felt responsible for her feelings and it was her fault that things happened the way they did, even if it was indirect on her part.

"I..." She closed her eyes and sighed, her voice lowering itself to a whisper. Hunching over, she wrung her hands together and admitted quietly, "I wanted to be your first kiss..."

Silence took over the conversation from there, but she understood. She just dropped a bomb on him and couldn't expect him to reply right away, so she let the seconds drag on without any judgment on her part.

Eventually, she heard the sound of Luka sliding himself closer, so close that the side of his hand briefly touched her leg. He inhaled softly like he was about to speak, stopped, then tried again.

"You... you what?"

She steeled herself up, the words only slightly easier to say than before. "I wanted to be your first kiss. I-I'm selfish, and I know that. Everyone knows it, and that's why—"

His hand touched her leg again. She briefly jumped in surprise, then realized moments later that the touch was intentional this time, as he'd fully settled his hand on her leg. Fighting against her nerves, she turned to look at him and saw how relaxed his expression was.

"You can be selfish."

"W-what?"

"It makes me happy. It means that—" He paused, his cheeks tinting pink as he smiled wide. "—you really want me."

It almost sounded like a question the way he said it, his eyes distant only in a way that implied that he's still absorbing what she'd said.

Her chest filled with hope as she squeaked out, "I...I do. Of course I do." Looking down at the hand on her lap, she placed her own onto it and gave it a squeeze. "But..."

The hope twisted and fought with the shame attempting to take its place, memories of the past coming back to haunt her. She averted her gaze fully, staring off at nothing in particular. "I-I can't give you my first kiss." She squeezed his hand tighter, as if that made anything better. "There was this akuma, and I had to... I mean—"

She felt his hand shifting in hers and immediately worried that she'd squeezed it too hard. She loosened her grip, only to feel his hand turn itself around to hold her hand back, pressing their palms together. The motion made her look back and make eye contact with him.

"Then that wasn't real either, was it?" he asked gently. Giving a fond glance down at their joined hands, he added, "This might be more Rose's type of music than mine, but I think the only kisses that have to matter are the ones that you put meaning into playing."

She gaped. It was still registering with her that he was not only okay with her crushing on him, but still returned it. "S-so... it's not any different? You'd let me kiss you anyway?"

"I never thought about first kisses or second kisses, or any verses beyond that," he told her, placing his other hand on top of their joined ones. "I only care about your kisses."

Marinette's cheeks turned crimson, and she nearly burst into happy laughter. She settled for beaming at him, still amazing at how easily he could ease all of her worries and doubts.

"Then... I'll give you all of them."

She shifted, continuing to hold his hand while her other went to his face. He leaned into her touch, making her all the more eager to pull him in. He didn't protest when she did, his hand moving away from their joined ones to grab her shoulder.

They kissed. Marinette was momentarily surprised when Luka's lips seemed to have a hint of wetness to them, only to realize that he'd meant it when he said that he'd washed his mouth out. She giggled mid-kiss, positively delighted to have someone like him, and he responded to the sound with a soft noise of content. She stroked his cheek with her thumb, then slid her hand down to his neck to urge him closer. He did the same with her shoulder, pulling her in and deepening the contact.

It took a few seconds of internal debate for her to convince herself to break the kiss to talk to him, and she enjoyed the slight whine he made as she did so.

"Better than Lila?" she asked, knowing the answer but wanting to hear it regardless.

"Definitely," he replied without hesitation, leaning in to touch his forehead to hers.

She hummed. "Mm, good." She pulled him back in for a smaller, quicker kiss that was no less loving than the last. Full of confidence, she felt it safe to say, "I should always be playing my boyfriend's favorite song."

His reaction was immediate, his eyes sparkling and his smile wide. She blushed red, overwhelmed and half-regretting saying anything. He was just too much.

"What is it?" he asked when she averted her gaze.

"P-please stop smiling like that," she whined.

"I can't," he said. More to himself than her, he added cheerfully, "I'm your boyfriend."

"Luka!"

[khaotic-kitsunes]

Hm, how about canonverse Dabi with a fellow Villain Reader who's really sensitive to the cold bc of their water based Quirk?

Hi! Thank you for the ask, it was a lot of fun to write! Enjoy!

~Ki

"Dabi!" You protested, as he simply laughed at you and your suffering. You huffed, wrapping your arms around yourself.

He'd just stolen the only blanket you had. It was winter, and the weather had been getting colder by the day, which was very bad for you.

Today was the first day below freezing, and you were on the verge of doing the same. After all, your body was made up of almost entirely water, making you much more sensitive to the cold than your average person.

"Aw, come on, Doll." He teased you, still holding the blanket away from you. You stuck your tongue out at him. "Why are you so mad?"

"I'm fr-freezing!" You proclaimed, growing more frustrated and more cold. Of course, you'd been paired with the scarred villain since the weather turned, since theoretically, his fire would keep you safe and not completely useless. But it seemed that fate had other plans, and Dabi was feeling particularly obnoxious during this mission.

It was a simple scouting mission. Nothing too important or noteworthy... Maybe that was it...

"If you're just bored go burn down a building or something." You snapped, making another grab for the blanket, but you stumbled on your own feet, before you could even reach it.

"Woah, you're clumsier than I thought." He laughed, but when you didn't get up, wincing at your foot, he crouched down to help you.

You were cradling the foot that you'd tripped on, so he'd made to look at it. His eyes dulled, as he realized just what he'd done. You'd been complaining about the cold since you left the hideout, and Dabi was fed up with it...

"I didn't-" He breathed, unable to finish. He shook any hesitation from his mind, quickly wrapping you back up in the blanket, and picking you up. He was careful of your foot, which now had a thin layer of frost over it, which he could see at the ankle. He just now realized that your lips weren't soft or beautiful anymore, but cracked and as blue as his flames. Your ears and nose were also among the first to be affected by the cold. He didn't realize you had been serious.

He knew the consequences of quirks could be bad, but... He didn't realize it was this far out of your own control...

Water was by no means light, but Dabi couldn't be bothered to care. He heated up his own body, coddling you to your chest.

You squeaked, but couldn't resist the warmth of his body.

You sighed in relief, as your body began to warm back up. He took you into an alley, and gently set you down on some steps. He held his hand over your foot, a dull heat radiating from it.

He was silent. You stared at him, watching him, as the frost slowly melted again.

"Thank you." You said, when you'd regained all the feeling in your body.

"You didn't say you would actually freeze." He said, all too quietly.

"I was built for warmer climates." You shrugged. "I tried to get Shigaraki to pair you with Twice and Toga, this time, but-"

"I'll take care of it, next time." He interrupted you, looking into your eyes.

His eyes were so intense, as they always were. They were frigid and cold, and yet held fire in them... You'd often caught yourself staring into his eyes, but now, it seemed you couldn't pull your gaze away.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked, gently brushing his hands over your blanket, warming it up to combat the frigid air. Admittedly, Dabi had so much fire beneath skin designed to protect an ice quirk, he didn't really even start to feel the cold until most people began to hit frost bite.

You nodded. He picked you up again, despite your protests, withdrawing his heat when you tried to flail out of his grip. You gave up, and let him carry you.

You then noticed that he'd turned away from the target, headed back towards the base.

"What about the mission?"

"Hand job can suck it. You told him you'd be a liability and he didn't listen, he can take responsibility for this."

You blinked, sputtering, but no protests ever found their way to your lips.

You sighed, and allowed your head to fall on his chest, taking his his warmth.

Dabi smirked, softly, turning up the temperature, just a bit, to keep you closer to him... It was... nice.

He didn't want to admit it, and wouldn't out loud, but it had been a long time since someone had simply just been in his presence. There was no hurt, no yells, just the touch of another person.

How long had it been since he'd really embraced a person?

He tried not to think about it, but he couldn't help himself from walking a bit slower. Once you were back at base, with a heating unit, you would no longer need him... And he didn't want to expose you to the temperature any longer but... Well, he could keep the cold away, couldn't he?

So he could let himself touch you a little longer, right?

Alas, the base did eventually draw closer, and Dabi couldn't exactly turn around or go a different route. You would get suspicious.

He reluctantly opened the door. Everyone else was out on their own missions, too. He looked around. He'd only ever bothered to memorize his own room, and didn't know where yours was.

"Which way is your room, again?" There was no response. He looked down at you, but you were merely curled up into his chest, eyes closed, and breath soft and deep. A sliver of a smile and a sinking pit of anxiety crossed his being. You'd fallen asleep.

He sighed, muttering something or other about how troublesome you were, though he didn't believe in it, himself, and took you to his own room. He wasn't about to go searching though everyone's rooms for yours, the Gods only know what's in those.

He gently placed you in his bed, tucking you tightly in the covers. You whined slightly, when his warmth disappeared.

He figured you'd be fine, sitting on the edge of his bed, and reaching for his phone, but he felt you shift.

You'd rolled in your sleep, arm partially stretched out... For him, he realized.

Even at room temperature, it probably was still too cold. He sighed, moving the blankets, and slipping under with you.

He held you in his arms, letting his body do the rest. You sighed in content, curling back up into his chest.

Dabi tried not to think about how perfectly you fit in his arms, or about how your head was tucked just beneath his own, or about how you smelled like the sky just before it rained.

When you'd finally awoken, you were warm and well rested. You were in no hurry to open your eyes, until you felt something shift about you. You blinked open an eye, to see purple scarring. Both eyes opened wide, and you scrambled backwards.

This was not possible, as Dabi's arms were wrapped tightly around you. Feeling you struggling in his arms, Dabi was also awoken from the slumber he hadn't intended to fall into.

He blinked down at you, a sly smirk on his face. "Still cold, sweetcheeks?" He teased. Thought this might not have been the best first response, it was all Dabi, still tired, could come up with.

"Could you let me, go, please?" You asked. He shrugged, lifting the arm that was over you. You scrambled back.

The last thing you remembered was Dabi carrying you back to base.

"What happened?" You demanded. Dabi yawned before sitting up, in no hurry to explain himself.

"Well, let's see. You started turning into a popsicle, and I helped you warm up." You gave him a hard look. He chuckled, holding his hands up in defense. "You fell asleep on the way to base, and I couldn't be bothered to find your room. Not only did you proceed to steal all the blankets off my bed, you refused to let me go." He smirked at you. He didn’t reveal how good it made him feel or how it almost hurt when you’d pulled away from him so eagerly.

You flushed at his words. Dabi raised his hand to feel your cheek, making sure you weren't still cold. Despite his teasing actions and words, he was actually quite worried. You flushed deeper. Dabi dropped his hand. Embarrassment, not cold, then. Good.

He stood from the bed. "Well, I'm gonna go bother Handyman, stay here. Or not." He grabbed his jacket off his floor, tossing it at you. "Don't get cold, again." With that he left the room.

You remained where you were, stunned. You hesitantly grabbed his jacket. You buried your face in it, unable to resist the draw of the cinnamon and bonfire smell you'd awoken to. You breathed in, despite the embarrassment

"It smells like him." You mumbled to yourself.

[star-archer]

No Exit [Chapter Four]

Summary: Bucky hates snow, but a snowstorm on the way to his sister's memorial keeps him overnight at a mountain lookout rest area with a motley crew of strangers: a trucker, a businessman, some roadtrippers, and You, an apparent runaway full of secrets. When strange things start happening, a light-hearted lock-in turns dark and dangerous. (Loosely based on the 2022 film of the same title.)

Pairing: Post FatWS!Bucky x amnesiac!Reader

Chapter Word Count: 2136

Warnings: violence and gore, memory loss, angst, brief mentions of drug abuse, weapons, torture, sexual content.

A/N: The drama is really ramping up! Thanks so much for all of your love so far. You guys are wonderful. Thanks, as always, for reading xo

Series Masterlist | star-archer masterlist

★★★

When Bucky returned, he had a plastic bag full of snow, and his eyebrows set into a permanent frown. You’d noticed the crease between them grow deeper, darker, but it lessened as he gave you a concerned look, which you returned in incredulity. With slump shoulders, he tossed you the bag of snow, and turned immediately to address the group. 

“Alright, looks like the storm’s at its peak, and we’re staying in for the night. I’ve locked the doors, so I hope you have everything you need from your vehicles. We’ll all stay together until the storm passes.” 

“Did you get ahold of Falcon?” Kenneth asked, sitting forward on his cot with a half smile, which you noticed Bucky didn’t even attempt to return. 

“No, all comms are down. You mind telling me what exactly I found in your truck?” 

The room went cold and all eyes were on the boy in the corner. He was so young, so naive, or at least he played that well. You breath rattled in your chest, and you wondered what Bucky had found. You hoped it was nothing, but you knew in your bones that couldn’t be the case. Kenneth pulled his hair into a bun atop his head, glanced sideways at Murphy, and then at you, at Karla, Dorian, and finally his shoulders slumped in defeat. 

“You saw it, didn’t you? I’m sorry, man, sir.” He cleared his throat, and your mouth went dry. “I mean, I know they’re your friends and like, I thought maybe after I walked in on you two in the bathroom that you’d be cool with it.” He gestured between you both, and you felt your face heat, confused and terrified. Was he trapping you? Had you fucked yourself in opening up to Bucky? Was this all a scheme? “But like I’m still real sorry you had to just stumble upon it like that.” 

The tension was thick in the room, cut only by the human knife herself, Karla squawked. “Well what in God’s name did you find in the truck, Sergeant?” 

Bucky looked at you, jaw clicking, and opened his mouth to answer, but Kenneth beat him to the punch. 

“My porn stash. It’s super hero themed. Shit, this is so embarrassing, but like I’m on the road a lot…” 

This elicited several responses from the crowd. What the fuck? “Your porn stash?!” You seethed, and you made to stand up before Bucky held a hand out to stop you.

“Your cargo, Kenneth. What are you hauling?” 

The kid gave a sheepish smile, ears pink, staring at the shoelaces of his combat boots. He shrugged. “I don’t know, man. Some machine. I told you guys that.” 

“Your log says you’re shipping for OsCorp. Do you work for them exclusively?” 

OsCorp? Had you heard that name before? You wracked for information, the familiar spinning sensation pulling at threads in your mind. 

“No, I’m a freelancer. Why? Do you think it’s like… illegal shit?” Kenneth sat up straight, and the sudden movement alerted Bucky to block your vision. You and the married couple remained behind him, protected.

“Do you have any idea what the machine is or what it does?” 

“No, dude, I swear. Am I in trouble?”

“Only if you’re lying to me.” 

“Is it some kind of bomb?” Murphy squeaked, launching himself from his seat beside the window to stand behind Bucky as well. The pit in your stomach widened. The couple started to whisper over your shoulder, Dorian comforting his wife. 

“There’s no need to panic,” Bucky shook his head. “Right, Kenneth?” 

You glanced past Bucky’s hip, and Kenneth shrugged, shook his head. “I don’t know, guys. I mean, I don’t know anything about it. Shit, fuck. I can’t go to jail, Sergeant. I can’t.” 

“Kenneth, can you do me a favor and stand up for me? I’m just going to pat you down. Is that alright?” 

Kenneth did as he was told with fervor, hands in the air, wavering. Sobriety hit him fast and hard, and you swore you saw beads of sweat forming on his tanned forehead. Bucky moved cautiously closer and began to pat down the boys body for weapons or triggers of any kind. 

“What’s going on?” You asked, not wanting to distract, but also needing to be looped in to what exactly Bucky had found in the back of that truck. You’d managed to keep an eye on him while he went into the cab, but the moment he rounded that corner, all sight of him was lost. 

“Kenneth’s truck is carrying a very large machine with very advanced technology. I’d almost say it’s Wakandan, but I detected almost no vibranium. Mostly titanium, I think. A lot of bells and whistles. Looks almost like a holding cell.”

“A holding cell? For what?” Murphy scoffed. His arms were crossed beside you, and you noticed the nervous tap of his two fingers against the gold of his wristwatch. 

Satisfied with the pat down, Bucky gestured for Kenneth to return to his seat, and he turned to address the room again. He shrugged, ran a tired hand down his face. “I don’t know. I don’t think it’s a bomb, at least it’s not like any I’ve seen. I just think, for all of our safety, it’s best for all of us to remain inside, together. We’ll wait out the storm, and my friends will take a look at it in the morning.” 

A holding cell? You raced through that subspace for memories. A holding cell? Why would you remember a holding cell? You did know how to hot-wire a car without problem. Maybe you had been a criminal in your other life, the one you couldn’t remember, the one that involved that cell and blue flashing lights, and screams of agony. 

“Maybe we should sit farther from the window?” Dorian offered, and Bucky gave a curt nod, standing to help move everyone’s belongings. The soldier picked up your backpack and cot for you, and you thanked him softly, dripping melting snow across the tiled floors to a darker corner, nearer the vending machines. 

—

They’d agreed to use the restroom in pairs to brush their teeth and do their nightly routines. Bucky spent five minutes reassuring Dorian that they’d be fine, who seemed grateful to be able to provide peace to his now-panicked wife. Kenneth seemed over apologetic, worried he was in some kind of trouble, though as far as Bucky was concerned, the kid was just that, a shit kid.

He remembered when Steve got an order wrong down at the deli, accidentally put pickles in with the sandwiches, bread soaked through with brine. He came rushing into the shop laying the apologies on real-thick like he might lose his job, like he’d disappointed Bucky, disappointed his mother, disappointed every citizen in Brooklyn. He was just a shit kid. 

Bucky splashed his face with cool water, post toothbrush. Droplets ran down his arms and pooled around the granite countertops, mixed with blood there, and he sighed, his mind racing to connect the dots. You’d been the catalyst in the downfall of his weekend. You were lost, you were bleeding, you were scared. You were a mystery to him, and it sounded like you were a mystery to yourself.

He thought of you on that counter, perched with an arm outstretched, all sass and sucked in breaths and complaints about his help, wrist swollen as all Hell. He thought of the fear in your eyes at your ultimate confession, of you begging for his help, muttering truths beneath the hum of florescent lights. He thought of your lips pressed to his in distraction, your frame tucked into his, your lithe fingers carding his hair, the warmth of you despite your near-frostbite.

He blinked at his reflection. He was starting to grey, significantly. It was something Sam had been teasing him about for months now, called him the “silver wolf” just to crack jokes about Bucky’s age, and he felt it. Every bit of him ached like a centurion, and when he stopped to remember it, he asked himself what it was all for, why he was there, why he didn’t go back with Steve.

He could have known Becca, really known her, the strong woman she became. He could have taught her kids to play baseball and shared Thanksgivings with her grandkids, instead of meeting them at her memorial service. He could have lived a life of his own, could have met someone, settled down, had his own kids to teach baseball, his own grandkids. 

He splashed himself with water again.

—

You’d all settled in, though after Bucky’s discovery of the holding cell in the back of Kenneth’s truck, you weren’t sure anyone would be able to sleep. You knew you wouldn’t. You just sat on your cot, legs crossed beneath you, tiled wall at your back, and peered through the front window reflection and into the parking lot. Or at least, you tried, until your vision was blocked out by a hulking figure that smelled of tooth paste and the particular hand soap found only in National Park Service bathrooms. 

“How’s your wrist?” He asked, squatting to you level, and he offered a hand to inspect the wound. The sting of mint on his breath was even stronger at this proximity. 

“The snow helped,” you sighed. There was still a dull throb that stung at the nerves in your elbow, but you’d live. Somehow your body reminded you you’d felt worse. You were terrified to remember when.

With a cool, metal hand, he rotated your arm gingerly, tutting his tongue against his front teeth. “Swelling went down. Could use a little more. Want a Coke?” And he pushed off his thighs to walk to the vending machines a handful of feet down the dark hallway. 

You didn’t really, but you knew you couldn’t sleep anyway, and maybe the bubbles would calm your stomach. But when you saw him nod, you realized he expected you to follow, craving for carbonation or not. With a sigh, you uncurled your legs and slid after him in oversized men’s socks. 

He was sidled up to the machine, pulling a wallet and some cards out of one of the many pockets of his tactical pants, and he was looking past you at the other visitor’s readying themselves for light’s out. Satisfied with their distractions, he placed a hand to your good wrist and pulled you in close. “That holding cell mean something to you?” 

You swallowed, shook your head, shrugged. Your mouth tasted like mint and metal. “Not that I remember.” 

His jaw clenched and he glanced over your head again before swiping his card and pressing the right buttons for a soda to barrel out. 

“Do you…” You cleared your throat, the words too frightening to spill from your lips, even though they’d been spinning in your head for hours. “Do you think it was meant for me? I mean, I recognized it. I could feel it. Do you think I was in one just like it?” 

Bucky leaned over to pull the soda from the machine to press against your swollen wrist. The cold soothed, his worried stare didn’t.

“And if I was,” you hissed, glancing over your shoulder at the older couple holding one another, the couple that had shown you nothing but honesty and kindness. “Does that mean I’m bad? That I’m a monster?” 

“No.” His voice was firm. His hand squeezed your elbow to look at him, and you watched as ocean blue eyes searched yours. Half his face was painted in red from the machine, all stubble and furrowed brow and worry, concern, terror, pity. “You aren’t a monster.”

“Why are you helping me?”

The Winter Soldier, this ‘Avenger’, melted like snow in a plastic bag. His broad shoulders hunched, his sad gaze met the floor, and his strong hand dropped from your elbow. He reached down for the soda and stared at the dust-covered aluminum tab before meeting your gaze. “Because I am you.” 

He was soft and stern and certain, and you didn’t know what it meant, but you could see the loss in this eyes, and you reached for him then. Your fingers gripped the metal of his hand, and the joints illuminated that purplish glow until all you could see was dim violet. 

Wait. You glanced up at Bucky and there was darkness, no glow of vending machines, not even the red from an exit sign. You spun around to hear the gasps from the strangers in the lobby and the power down of electricity as the wind howled against the glass walls of the lookout. 

“Everyone stay right where you are,” Bucky called, and he took you by the hand. “Stay behind me.”

[gaysimpsstuff]

HI IM THE DOM DEKU ANON (I’ll go by ✨ for now? If that’s okay?) first of all that was SO good holy SHIT. I would LOVE more if you want to write it!!! I loved every single second of it, thank you thank you thank you!!! -✨

AHHHHHHH I LOVE YOU TOOOO!!!

You’re awesome, Sparkle Anon! Take this as a token of my appreciation!

Part One Here

Dominate Deku PT.2; My Hero

Deku x GN! Reader

Genre: smutty smut

Word Count: 2.3K

Warnings: cursing, semi-public sex, praise, blowjobs, dirty talk, praise, dom deku, breath play, masturbation

Summary: After being saved by Pro Hero Deku, you (his biggest fan), decide to thank him the best way you know how.

Other: I decided to make this one a oneshot because I’m better at those than headcannons. 

NSFW Taglist: @smolchildfangirl @combat-wombatus @mandalorian-baby-bird @waffleareniceandfluffy (lemme know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist)

Before requesting, please check if requests are open. This was made while requests were still open.

A normal day. That’s what it was supposed to be. You were not supposed to be stuck in the middle of a villain fight. You were not supposed to meet your hero. You were definitely not supposed to do that with him. And you were not supposed to get his number.

But that’s what happened.

Your day started out boring as hell, wake up to your loud-ass alarm, get dressed in a boring ass outfit, eat a boring breakfast, grab a coffee or something to wake you up, and go to work. 

You already knew what was supposed to happen today, and this was not it. You were supposed to stay behind the counter of the coffee shop and take orders. If you were lucky someone would put something funny for their name. Instead, you got an explosion down the street. Immediately, the costumer’s raced out of the building, you and your co-workers following suit.

You located three pro heroes.

Dynamight

Red Riot

Deku

You also noticed a few villains. You realized Dynamight must have been the cause of the explosion. But oh my god- you’re favorite hero, the current number one hero.

Deku.

He was here.

Outside your coffee shop.

Fighting villains.

Best.

Day.

Ever.

On TV, he looked different. Nothing could fully capture that beautiful neon glow around him, or the way his green curls would float upwards and bounce around. And Damn did his undercut look fucking awesome. He looked huge, like he could carry you with his pinky finger. He probably could- no. He definitely could.

Just as you were thinking this, one of the villains grabbed you and yanked you in front of her. You glanced at the other villain, who’d pulled a random civilian in front of him too.

Fuck.

Maybe today wasn’t the best day ever after all.

“Come on heroes! Fight us! Or are you afraid we’ll hurt these innocent people? Back off and we might just let them live!” The villain holding you shouted at the heroes.

There was a moment’s hesitation.

Silence.

Then something wrapped around you and the other civilian, and you were yanked forward, barreling towards the heroes.

Deku.

Did he really move that fast?

Deku stopped himself behind the other two heroes, who immediately ran towards the villains, but you barely even noticed.

Deku had his arm wrapped around you, holding you close. He grinned at both you and the other civilian, a glint in his emerald eyes.

“Don’t you guys worry, we’re here and we’ll keep you safe!” Your heart fluttered at the sound of his catchphrase.

You’re hero is so cool!

He sets the two of you down, but his hand lingers on your waist for a moment, his eyes meeting yours.

You felt your whole body heat up as his hand slipped down, brushing against your backside before he quickly stuffed it into his pocket.

“Dynamight! Red Riot! You guys finished?”

“If you’d been paying attention, Deku, then you would have seen that we’ve already restrained the villains.” Deku’s face flushed a little, and he scratched behind his neck with a chuckle.

“Sorry guys!”

The police arrived a minute later, and the crowd dispersed pretty quickly. You got in the line for an autograph from Deku. You silently hoped that he wouldn’t leave to soon.

You were the last person in line thanks to your earlier flustered behavior. If only you’d gotten over your embarrassment quicker.

Finally, you approached your hero.

“Um- hi Deku,” you stuttered, mentally kicking yourself for acting so shy. “Thank you so much for saving me, I was sure I was gonna get hurt back there!” He grinned down at you (how was he so fucking tall?) and your heart skipped a beat.

“It’s no problem, really. My job is to help people like you.” His smile was so sweet, but for some reason he seemed uncomfortable. Shifting from one foot to the next, glancing at you and away from you as if you were the cause. Were you weirding him out?

“Ah- I’m sorry if I cause you any trouble-“ you started, only to get intuition by the green-haired hero.

“No no no, you didn’t cause me any trouble.” You narrowed your eyes at him, trying to decipher his behavior. Then you saw it.

Shit.

This is awkward.

W-why was he hard?

Did- did you do that?

An idea popped into your head, a stupid, horny idea. One that probably wouldn’t work. But god did you hope it would work.

“I-if there’s anything I can do to repay you, I want to do it.” He glanced down at you, a look of understanding in his eyes. He seemed to hesitate before shaking his head.

“It’s alright- I can handle myself. I should really be apologizing-“ now it was your turn to interrupt.

“No, no it’s okay. I’d like to help.” He looked down at you, lifting an eyebrow to double check how sure you were. You have him a nod in response and he relaxed, smiling at you.

“Alright then. Dynamight! Red Riot! You two can go ahead without me, I’ve got some business to attend to.”

Dynamight shouted something at him, flipping him off, Red Riot stood in front of him and smiled nervously, waving at Deku.

“Don’t worry about it, man! We’ll finish off the patrol on our own!” The two of them turned the corner. Leaving you. With Deku. Alone. The her turned to look at you, gently placing his hand on your upper arm before taking you with him into an alley, ducking around the corner with you. 

“What’s your name?” he asked, cheeks flushed.

“Y-Y/n L/n.” you responded nervously.

“Y/n...” he murmured your name and you could feel your soul leaving your body. “Y/n are you sure you want to help me with this? You don’t have to and I’m not going to do this if you don’t want to. I could always just take care of it myself and-”

“I really want to help!” you exclaimed. “I’ve been a fan of yours for years and well... I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find you attractive.” You felt his hand on your shoulder before you were spun around and pressed up against the wall. You let out a squeak as he pushed on your body lightly, putting you on your knees quickly in front of the hero. 

“Tell me if you want to stop.” his voice had changed, usually it was lighter and carried a sort-of happy-go-lucky tone to it, but now... His voice was deeper, almost a growl, and the look in his eyes made you shudder. You nodded at him quickly, before he undid a small clip near his crotch. It was probably there to help him pee without needing to take off his whole costume, but well... this was a great alternate use.

He pulled out his dick, and you choked. It wasn’t even anywhere near your mouth and you already couldn’t breath. He had to have been eight or nine inches, curving upwards and to the left. There was a long vein on the underside, and a couple smaller veins on the top. It was a shade darker than the rest of his skin, and the tip was very pink. It’d be cute if it wasn’t so goddamn big. Deku must have noticed your reaction, because he let out a soft chuckle.

“Yeah, that’s the face most people make.” he joked. “Gonna give up on me now?” you shook your head, clenching your legs together. You reached up, slowly wrapping your fingers around his length.

He smirked down at you, reaching down and brushing your hair out of your face. You slowly started to jerk him off, feeling him harden even more in your hand. A droplet of pre slipped out of the slit, dripping off of him. You moved to catch the drop in your mouth. It didn’t have much of a taste, reminded you a bit of cottage cheese maybe? Except not cold.

“Damn~ that was hot,” you looked up at the hero, who was leaning half against the wall. His eyes seemed to have darkened, and he had a smug look on his face that made your stomach flip. “You like it? Hmm? Like this hero’s cock?” you whimpered, nodding. “Why don’t you take on more of it, hm? How’s that sound baby~” 

His voice went straight to your crotch, and you dipped your hands into your pants to touch yourself. You pressed your lips against the tip of his cock, kissing it. You slowly kissed down the underside, all the way to the base. You heard him hiss as you licked a stripe all the way up to his tip, flattening your tongue against him.

His hands wove into your hair, tugging on it lightly. You shudder, opening your mouth and slowly taking the tip in to your waiting cavern. You watch the hero’s expression carefully, how his eyebrows quirk up, how he hisses, how his pearly teeth dig into the soft flesh of his lower lip, how his eyes are half-closed.

“That’s it, you’re doing so good for me.” he murmurs. “Taking my cock so well, gonna try an get me to cum? Is that what you want? Want your hero to cum all over you?” you hummed, slowly taking in more of him.

He was so big, you could barely get down halfway, reaching up to stroke the three and a half inches you couldn’t fit in your mouth. You watched as his smug look only grew, his cock twitching in your mouth as you started to bob your head, tongue running along the underside.

His breath hitched, and he tightened his grip on your hair, slowly starting to guide you along his length. You moved your hand away from his dick, putting your arm around the back of his waist, using it to push yourself all the way down on him. Tears bubbled up in your eyes, and you were just barely getting enough air.

God it was so perfect.

You sped up your other hand, masturbating as you sucked off the Number One Hero in an alleyway. 

Your nose was buried in a thick mass of dark green hair, and you could feel the vibrations of his voice from the support of his lower stomach. 

“Fuck, Y/n! Who knew you were so fucking good at this? This is certainly not gonna be a one-time thing~” 

Oh god yes. 

You choked and gagged on his dick as he pulled his hips away from you before snapping them against your face. His balls slapped against your chin with every thrust into your mouth. The tears escaped, tumbling down your heated cheeks, but you made no effort to pull away. 

You could feel your climax approaching, and you looked up at Deku with wide, innocent, eyes, willing him to cum in your mouth. He let out a soft moan at your expression, understanding.

“Get ready, baby, you’re gonna taste me soon~” he growled with need. You relaxed your throat as best you could, closing your eyes and preparing for him. Soon, his hips started to stutter against your face, and you felt something hot and sticky fill your mouth.

You pulled off his dick with a gasp, a few shots of stray cum landing on your face. You coughed a little, swallowing as much as you could and wiping your tears. You barely noticed him crouching down and handing you a tissue to clean your face with. 

“Baby~ you haven’t cum yet have you~” he asked softly. You shook your head.

“S’fine, just wanted to make you feel good.” you told him, and he frowned, slamming his hand against the wall behind you, leaning in close.

“I’m not leaving until you cum.” there it was again, the dominance, his demanding tone, his true wolf-like nature pushing through. You whimpered, pulling your pants down enough for him to see you. He sucked in a breath, leaning close to you and moving his hand towards you.

You put your hands over your mouth when he started to touch you. Fast yet calculated movements, he knew exactly what to do to you to make you come undone. You quickly latched onto him, hips jerking upwards as you came hard on his hand.

You felt his lips against your neck, pressing soft kisses until he reached all the way up to yours. His lips were soft, and tasted like watermelon. You lifted your head feebly to kiss him back, but he was already pulling away. He sucked his fingers and hand clean, keeping eye-contact with you the whole time.

You could feel yourself growing weak under his powerful gaze. When he finished, he wiped his hand off on his pants, tucking his softening dick back into his pants and clipping them shut. He pressed something into your hand, smiling at you.

“You can take care of yourself from here, right? Or do I need to save you again~” he teased. You nodded, muttering that you’d be fine. His smirk softened into a sweet grin, and he stood up. “Call me, I’d like to see you again.” he said over his shoulder, turning the corner and leaving the alley. You lifted your hand to see what he gave you, a crumpled piece of paper with a phone number and the words ‘Izuku Midoriya’ printed next to it.

His phone number. 

Not only had you just sucked his dick, you got his number. You sighed, resting your head against the wall and closing your eyes for a moment. Suddenly, you remembered you still had work, and you stood up, rushing to pull your pants and underwear back on.

So what if today was supposed to be a normal day? 

It didn’t end up being one, and you were so glad for it.

[andypantsx3]

statistically significant | 1 | bakugou/reader

length: 23,490 words | 7 chapters

summary: You’re the scientist who developed a neural net to model the value of assists. Now that your work is feeding into the hero rankings, pro hero Ground Zero has a bone to pick with your results.

tags: romance, enemies to lovers, sexual tension, reader-insert

warnings: aged up characters, eventual smut, m/f threats of violence, problematic behavior

note: I cannot overemphasize that this interpretation of Bakugou is based on season 1 Bakugou, which means he behaves very questionably at the beginning. Please heed the warnings!

Last year

You had been ferreting snacks out of the Hero Awards when he found you.

In retrospect, the whole idea of attending the Hero Awards had been a bad one from the get go. You’d just been so thrilled by the image of it in your head--getting to see all your favorite pros gathered in one place, dressed to the nines, celebrating their rankings, their wins, their saves, their successes. You’d pictured yourself flitting between heroes, collecting autographs and taking selfies, sitting down at a table with big names like Uravity and Froppy, making fast friends over the complimentary champagne.

But then you’d seen what really went into preparing for and attending an event like this, and the shine had quickly rubbed off.

When your boss at the Commission had extended you the invite, she’d told you that you would be representing the organization, and had advised you to contract a makeup artist and find someone willing to dress you. Her tone had strongly implied that this was more of an order than a suggestion. So you’d done it, but nobody had told you exactly how many hours went into getting your makeup tested, getting fitted and refitted for a dress, and fielding questions on cut, colors, fabrics, and fit.

By the time the Awards rolled around, you’d lost upwards of forty excruciating hours of your life to preparations, and had developed some kind of anxiety-induced Pavlovian response to the modiste’s name on your phone screen, where you immediately wanted to leap into the nearest storage closet and hide. And none of this was even counting the five full hours you spent on the day of the awards getting primped and polished within an inch of your life, then stuffed into some ridiculous scrap of fabric that threatened to fall off of you if you so much as breathed wrong.

By the time the stylists and makeup artist had finished with you, you were starved, cranky, and nursing a small migraine from how enthusiastic the hairdresser had been with you. You’d thought, though, that you would finally be able to enjoy yourself now that the worst was over. All there was left was to attend the ceremony, and get to see all your favorite heroes.

And for an hour or two, the Hero Awards had been just as cool as expected. You lingered on the fringes of the red carpet, gawking as pros like Chargebolt and Pinky swanned their way down the walkway, looking even cooler in real life than they looked on TV. Everyone had clearly gone all out, and they looked unbelievably good, either inhumanly beautiful or inhumanly intimidating. You had been utterly transfixed, as evidenced by the inordinate amount of time you spent accidentally staring at Todoroki Shouto as he gave an interview to the side of the walkway, looking absolutely unreal as he leaned over to speak to the reporter.

When you’d finally managed to snap out of your trance, you’d remembered to cut a beeline for the snack table, and had set about stuffing as many snacks into your dress as you could manage. And that’s where the trouble really started.

The invite to the Awards had come with the option for a very fancy multi-course dinner that you could have chosen. Instead, you’d taken one look at the price and laughed yourself sick, before resolving to sneak a bunch of the free snacks into your dress to keep you occupied during the ceremony. The problem was, the scrap of fabric the modiste had insisted was a dress was so obnoxiously flimsy and could only hold so many snacks.

If your dress had been able to hold a reasonable number of snacks, you wouldn’t have needed to sneak back out to the snack table during the presentation, and he would have never had a chance to catch you on your own. But the dress was lacking snack utility, and so you had gone back out for more.

You kept low in the aisle as you crept out of the darkened theater, keeping a hand over your chest so you didn’t spill out of the thin fabric of your dress, and emerged into the reception hall, where you were almost blinded by the harsh light. You stood for a minute, blinking the spots out of your vision, and touched a hand to your eyes, careful not to smear any of your eyeliner.

And that’s when he struck.

Almost as soon as you raised your hand, a rough hand seized your wrist, wrenching your arm down. A heavy arm went around you quickly, trapping both your arms to your sides, and you barely had time to let out a squeak before a calloused hand clapped over your mouth. Your feet left the floor, and then you were being dragged through a side door into the stairwell.

You twisted wildly, kicking out, trying to catch the wall or the railing to push off of and throw your assailant off balance, but he was strong, and clearly well-versed in combat, as he kept you well away from anything you could use to your advantage. He hauled you out into the stairwell, but instead of heading down the stairs, he moved towards the corner. To your surprise, he tossed you unceremoniously against the wall, letting you go.

You caught yourself on the rough stone and whirled around, only to reel back in shock when you caught sight of your assailant.

Bakugou Katsuki, perhaps better known as pro hero Ground Zero, leaned over you, trapping you against the wall with an arm on either side of you. He, like all the other heroes you’d caught sight of today, looked almost unreal in person, but in stark contrast to all the others, his handsome face was twisted up in unmistakeable fury, blood-red eyes bright with violence and white teeth bared in a silent snarl. Even under the thick fabric of his suit, you could see the hard lines of his body were taught with aggression, and it was all you could do to not shrink back against the cold stone of the wall.

“So,” he snarled, leaning in to put his face close to yours, “you’re the fucking statistics nerd.”

You gaped at him, mouth falling open. Your professional title was data scientist, but statistics nerd was a close enough descriptor that you could tell he knew who you were. Your brows went up, wondering why in the world Ground Zero knew you.

“E-excuse me?” you managed. Your brain rapidly kicked into high gear, running through possible reasons why he would know you, what he could possibly want with you.

Bakugou snarled. “What the fuck is your problem with me?”

You stared at him. Problem with him? Other than the fact that he’d just seized you with no warning and dragged you into a stairwell, you had no problem with him. You’d never even met him--what the hell was he talking about?

“Uh, do you maybe have me confused with someone else?” you asked, trying to shift out from under his arm. Maybe there was another data scientist milling around in the crowds that he’d meant to get his hands on instead.

Bakugou’s red eyes narrowed, and he put a hand to your abdomen to press you firmly back to the wall. “Oh no. You’re not getting out of this, you little brat. Fucking fix it.”

You eyed him warily, checking him for signs of a head injury, wandering over his shock of blonde hair and noting the size of his pupils. Maybe Bakugou had been out on assignment just before the Awards, and hadn’t stopped to get his injuries checked out before coming here. A blow to the head would explain why he was behaving so strangely, and asking for weird stuff.

“Fix what?” you asked, frowning when you couldn’t spot the signs of a concussion on him. His gaze seemed all too focused, all too intent. It was nerve-wracking, actually. You’d heard of his reputation for intensity before, but it was one thing to hear it and another entirely to have all that intensity trained on you.

Bakugou bared his teeth and leaned closer. “Your fucking nerd-ass model. Fix it.”

You froze.

Oh.

Oh no.

Oh, this was about the model. You knew his bone to pick with the model.

The entire reason you’d received an invite to the Hero Awards in the first place was because of your work on the model that calculated the hero rankings. The model had existed for years before you had come along, but this year it was different.

You’d been hired a couple months ago by the Public Safety Hero Commission after you’d contacted them with an idea on how to finally calculate the value of field assists. You’d had a rough prototype of a neural network that you’d trained on video of multi-hero operations, tracking the movements of all the heroes on screen, and had developed an algorithm capable of assigning point values to moves that contributed to but did not directly result in a win or a rescue.

The Commission couldn’t get their hands on your work fast enough, and after only a few months refining your neural net, it was hooked into the rankings model, and it had informed not only the choices for Rescue of the Year and Most Valuable Hero this year, but had entirely changed the hero rankings overall.

And Bakugou’s ranking had been very much affected.

Bakugou Katsuki was a hero very unlike the world had ever seen. Anyone could see from his stats alone that he was incredibly driven, supremely powerful, and almost unmatched by any other hero out there. A few years out from UA, he’d already entered the top ten and had been mere breaths away from the top three -- that is, until your model results had been released.

The thing about Bakugou was that he had a higher percentage of fight wins than any hero in recorded history. He came out on top of almost any situation he entered into, and had one of the highest villain capture stats and the highest villain kill stat as compared to any other hero at this point in their career. The problem was, the new model also now took into account assists, as well as applied slightly heavier weights to rescues, and as good as Bakugou was at winning fights, he was almost equally as terrible at helping others.

So when your model had been worked into the Hero Commission’s official ranking calculations, Bakugou had backslid to sit unhappily at rank number eight.

And apparently, he thought this meant you had a personal grudge.

“Okay, I understand you’re upset, but the results are the results,” you said, watching him carefully. “It’s got nothing to do with you personally.”

His expression darkened thunderously, and the hand on your abdomen grew notably hotter, a scent like gunpowder and burnt sugar rising in the stairwell. “Like hell it doesn’t. Fucking fix it.”

Your brow furrowed. How did regular people think models worked? “There’s no ‘fixing it’, Bakugou. That’s just how math works. If you have a problem with how assists and rescues are weighted then you can take it up with the Commission. I just trained the model with their recommendations, and the results are what they are.”

Bakugou apparently registered none of what you were saying. Rough fingers slid to your jaw, tipping your face up to him. “What is it that you wanted, you damn brat? Did you want to see me humiliated? Or maybe you wanted my attention?” His fingers dug into your jaw. “Well now you have it, you fucking harpy, so show me what you wanted with it.”

You gaped at him, unable to help the way your mouth hung open like a fish. Did he think you were blackmailing him? With a fucking statistical model? It was a matter of public record that Bakugou was smart--he was purportedly one of the brightest minds that had ever graced the profession of hero, with strategic skill and combat sense that was utterly unparalleled--so then why the hell was he being so dumb about this? Was he really so self-absorbed that he thought this whole thing was about him?

Your temper flared, rising like the slow heat that was building under his hands. “I know this might be news to you,” you said slowly, “but not everything is about you. The model I trained takes in video as its input, and calculates rankings based on recommended weighting criteria that the Hero Commission gave me themselves. There is no place for me to input my own biases or change the results, so if the output is something that you’re ashamed of, then maybe you should do better.”

Bakugou’s eyes brightened, narrowing on you with an intensity that made you want to curl into the wall. “Say that again, you little fuck.”

You held your ground, ignoring the dangerous way the scent of hot smoke sharpened, leaning forward to bare your own teeth. “Maybe you should do better, you self-centered asshole.”

You were close enough that you could see his pupils dilate with the challenge, like a predator catching sight of its prey. An unsettling grin made its way across his mouth. “I am going to make you wish you’d never even seen a calculator, you smug fucking nerd,” he said, leaning into you.

The scent of gunpowder burned in the back of your throat, and the hands on you flared alarmingly hot, before the door to the hall burst open, and a whirlwind of red and yellow tore into the stairwell.

“Heya Blasty,” a voice chirped, echoing on the stairs, “Found ya.”

The shock of golden yellow resolved itself into the lean figure of Kaminari Denki, aka pro hero Chargebolt. He quickly made his way to Bakugou’s side, seizing an elbow.

“I’m busy, fuckstick. Fuck off,” Bakugou growled.

A large hand reached over Bakugou’s other shoulder to pull him off you, a head of gelled red spikes materializing behind his back, and you blinked up at Kirishima Eijirou, also known as Red Riot.

“Sorry about him,” Kirishima smiled down at you warmly, in direct contrast to the way his fingers dug into Bakugou’s shoulder. His teeth looked incredibly sharp in person, but this fact somehow failed to detract from the warmth of his friendly expression. You blinked, stunned that you were being addressed by Red Riot.

“He’s been a little worked up since the results were released, but he’s harmless,” Kirishima explained, grunting a little as he jerked Bakugou away from you. Bakugou snarled and turned to his friend, a small volley of sparks lighting off of his palm.

“I said fuck off,” he growled.

You let out a choked laugh at the idea of Bakugou Katsuki being called harmless. Just this week he’d perfected a technique where he melted clean through concrete, and you’d seen the replay of him liquifying the side of a skyscraper on the news this morning as you’d been getting your makeup done.

“Harmless, right. Definitely felt that way,” you uttered as Kirishima struggled to get a grip on Bakugou.

“I’ll fucking show you harmless,” Bakugou spat, turning back to you, sparks crackling louder in his palm. Kirishima seized his chance quickly, getting a bulky arm around Bakugou’s chest and lifting him straight off the ground. Bakugou snarled and gripped Kirishima’s forearm, letting off an explosion that would have blown anyone else’s arm clean off, but Kirishima just laughed, ignoring that the sleeve of his suit had caught fire, and hauled Bakugou back through the door.

A litany of swears filtered back through the door before it swung shut again.

Kaminari turned to face you, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry about that. We didn’t realize he was gonna come after you like that, though I don’t think he would have actually done anything. He’s pretty much all talk.”

You waved a hand, still stunned that Chargebolt was speaking to you.

“Uh, it’s okay,” you said. “I just...didn’t expect that kind of a reaction.”

Kaminari chuckled. “He’s usually a little more chill these days--I think he’s just pissed he’s losing to Midoriya now.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “I gotta say, though, he was even more worked up than I expected when we got here. What did you say to him?”

You grimaced, thinking back on the tense conversation. “That if he was ashamed of his ranking, he should do better.”

Kaminari choked. “Oh fuck, he must have been pissed,” he managed, before dissolving into peals of laughter. “Do better. No wonder he looked like he was gonna give himself a hernia. Mina’s gonna wet herself when I tell her.”

You shifted uncomfortably. “He thinks I altered the results to get his attention.”

Kaminari’s chuckles tapered off as he set a comforting hand on your shoulder. “Oh, he’s just saying that. He knows he’s shit at assists. He’s just salty he’s actually gotta do something about it if he wants to be number one.”

You thought back to the feeling of that hard body pressing you up against the wall, the disdain that had twisted his handsome face, the burning heat that had built up under his palms. A shiver went down your spine. It had seemed like he was a little more than salty, but if that’s how his friend wanted to put it, then fine.

“Well, thanks for the save anyway,” you said, giving Kaminari a little smile. “I’d definitely give you and Kirishima Rescue of the Year if I was pre-determining my results.”

Kaminari laughed, turning back to the door that Kirishima had dragged Bakugou through. As if on cue, a small boom sent the door swinging open a little. “Speaking of which, I’d better get back to make sure I don’t have to rescue the rescuer.”

He gave you a casual wave, then crossed to the door quickly. He hesitated at the threshold, then peeked back over his shoulder at you.

“By the way,” he said. “You might want to take a look at your dress. I, um, think Bakugou may have gotten a little carried away.”

He disappeared before you could ask what he meant, but a quick glance down clarified soon enough. Right on your abdomen, where Bakugou had pinned you against the wall, lay a scorched cut out, exactly in the shape of one large hand.

Your mouth dropped open in horror.

That fucking dick.