#‘oh don’t be so scared. I mostly just steal babies and lock them in rooms so we can get some good hard data on critical periods’

[willowcrowned]

the grad student teaching this linguistics course has said “…but that’s just a theory, because we can’t test it for all kinds of ethical reasons” four times in the past hour and it’s making me start to worry if we’ve been neglecting mad linguists as a form of mad scientists for too long

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

inventory, m | jjk

pairing(s): jungkook x reader

summary: You’re missing a piece of inventory from your erotica shop. Surprisingly, you find it in the same day. It’s around your boyfriend’s neck, who also happens to be your sub. Hm, well, you have to act accordingly, don’t you?

warnings: rated M (18+) for language; non-idol!AU; dom/sub dynamic; feels and there’s a decent bit of buildup; smut (mirror kink, spitting, cock ring usage, cock-slapping, scratching, spanking, vibrator use, overstimulation, edging, m-masturbation, cum eating, f-receiving oral); fluff; noona dom!reader x sub!Jungkook

technically part iv of ‘customer service’ series, but can be read alone

–

customer service part i | part ii | part iii

-

Jeon Jungkook was a problem.

Technically, your problem.

You tapped your pen against your recordkeeping book. No one was in the store. It was the middle of the week. Not usually the time to get freaky. People got freaky on the weekends. You usually spent these times doing the boring stuff. Setting up the deliveries for the rich customers that purchased clothing from you. Cleaning the store from top to bottom and finding some interesting fluids in interesting places. Typical. Answering emails, accounting, taking inventory. You were missing one piece of inventory, but those things always turned up eventually. You weren’t worried.

Eh, wasn’t a big problem.

Your big problem was Jeon Jungkook.

He wanted to be exclusive. Okay. He wanted it to be a relationship. Slightly less in your comfort zone, but you were willing to give it a shot. Unfortunately, Jungkook also wanted one more thing.

He wanted you to lose you temper at him.

Now, there were several things you, personally, did not do anymore. And number one on the list was losing your temper. You did not want to be in power and actively angry at the person you were fucking at the same time. It was dangerous. It was irresponsible. You’ve gone too far before and hurt your sub. You weren’t going to repeat it.

Not with Jungkook, no matter how much he tried to rile you up.

And he tried. Disobeyed you outright. Talked back. Taunted you. It took a lot of your skill and redirection to focus his attention elsewhere and not at his ultimate goal of pissing you off so much that you used sex as a weapon, because quite frankly, that was a fucked-up thing to do and you were not going to do it. You would rather leave than become that.

You told him this. You told him that he should not try to provoke you, especially not this early in the relationship. His body couldn’t handle it, he couldn’t handle it mentally, and you didn’t want to end up emotionally and sexually abusing him, even if it was an accident. Because it was your responsibility to not do that and you took that shit very seriously.

Jungkook had agreed reluctantly and he still tried.

Sigh.

You rubbed your forehead. If he was an experienced sub, then maybe you could be less strict. But he wasn’t. And yeah, maybe you were a little scared. Because your last relationship had ended very, very badly, because you had gone too far and your sub had been too scared to use the safe word even when it was too much and that really, really fucked you up. You regretted it, even after all this time, even after all the apologizing, even after your sub had forgiven you, multiple times.

You had never forgiven yourself for it.

The whole relationship had fallen apart because of that one time.

After that, you didn’t really date. All you did was have one-night stands with subs you already knew. It was easy having sex with no strings attached. Now you were dating Jungkook. Yeah, that. The dating bit. It was messing you up. It was making you overly cautious. You didn’t want to repeat your mistakes.

You let out a tense exhale.

You didn’t tell Jungkook about this, mostly because you didn’t want to admit it. You didn’t want to admit your sub had been too scared of you to use their safe word. You were ashamed. Scared of yourself and what you were capable of.

Sometimes, when you thought about it, you wondered if you should stop. Give up on the dom/sub thing and have vanilla sex instead with some nice guy who had a normal job and raise some babies and fucking chill out. Seemed nice. Life wasn’t about needing a power complex when being intimate after all. You could have a perfectly satisfying sex life with two people in equal power. Could even still be kinky without the whole ‘I’m the authority and you have to listen to me’ thing.

Yeah, well. Before you could commit to that, Jeon Jungkook decided to fucking seduce you in your own damn sex shop.

You placed your hands on your head and let out a big sigh.

Damn you, Jungkook.

-

You found your missing piece of inventory.

It was around Jeon Jungkook’s neck when he opened his apartment door for you.

Your face was completely neutral, one hand in the pocket of your black trench coat. The other holding your black leather briefcase. Underneath the coat, you wore a simple floor-length black skirt. Black heels. Nothing but your face and hands uncovered. In one second, you took in every detail upon seeing Jungkook.

One, his long black hair was tied back, his bangs framing his large brown eyes. Two, he was wearing a little bit of makeup. Slight amount of eyeshadow and liner, lip balm to make his lips pinker. Three, he was wearing a very low V-necked black t-shirt that was quite obviously meant to show off his shapely collarbones and sculpted pecs. The ink-black tattoos in his right arm stood out against his tan skin. Fourth, he was wearing leather pants – not the ones you made him, that would be indecent exposure showing up to the door like that – but, still, black tight faux leather trousers that he half-tucked his shirt in so his crotch was visible.

And.

Fifth.

He was wearing a black leather collar around his neck, one with a large silver ring hanging down at the center. It had silver studs with in the shape of a diamond pattern punched into the leather. It closed in the back with a silver buckle.

How did you know this?

It was your missing piece of inventory, of course.

You clicked your tongue.

“Oh! Noona,” Jungkook said nervously, biting his lip.

You little shit, don’t you ‘oh, noona’ me. You almost turned around and left. Almost. Irritation was putting it mildly. You were pissed. He had stolen from your shop. Became an actual fucking thief to get a rise out of you. You two weren’t going out on a date. It was already late, so both of you had intended on having a nice night in. He’d dressed up for it, as one does. Made himself pretty for you to ruin. Jungkook knew what he wanted. And he wasn’t being subtle about it, wearing the stolen inventory right in front of your face the second he opened the door.

He wanted you mad and he wanted you mad from the start.

You did not look at the collar. Instead, you stared into his eyes, furious internally, but completely placid on the outside. His brown orbs were observing you in anticipation. He wanted it. Bad. You had refused to let him cum last time because he had talked back to you. That was a week ago. You wondered if he had jacked off or not. You put no such restrictions on him even though he asked you to. You were curious on how far Jungkook was willing to go, so you let him choose.

And, clearly, Jungkook choose death.

Just kidding. But he was really testing you here. And so, you made up your mind.

You waited, raising an eyebrow.

Jungkook flushed and backed up, holding the door with two hands.

“C-Come in.”

You stepped inside, heels clicking on the hardwood. Jungkook closed the door behind you. The large, floor-length mirror was in the living room again. The incident in the fitting room must have really had an impact on him. Maybe he was developing a mirror kink because of it.

You felt Jungkook slide up next to you, his breath against your ear. Shallow, needy, already horny. You weren’t surprised. Nobody dresses like that and doesn’t want to be fucked.

“N-noona…” He was making his voice desperate and breathy, already submissive for you. “I really missed you.”

“That’s lovely to hear.”

You kept your tone light, no pet names, stepping out of your heels and walking towards the couch. Jungkook followed you like a shadow, still chewing on his lip, messing up his own hard work of making himself pretty for you. You placed your briefcase on the coffee table. He hovered as you undid your trench coat slowly, pulling open the tie and unbuttoning it deftly, fingers dancing on the placket.

“I can help you?” Jungkook offered, holding his hands out.

Your eyes gradually lifted, locking your gaze with his. You saw him visibly shiver in excitement.

“No need.”

You saw Jungkook pout as you slipped out of the coat, one arm, then the other, revealing the white dress shirt that was neatly tucked into your black skirt. It had pleated detailing down the front and silver collar pins, completed by the silver cuff links you used to close the sleeves. You folded the coat elegantly and laid it over the back of his couch.

“Are you mad, noona?”

You want me to be mad. Thankfully, at this point you had calmed a little. Yes, Jungkook was an idiot for doing such a thing, but he wasn’t doing it because he was trying to hurt you or actually steal from you. Maybe it was something he’d seen or read in porn. Maybe it was something his brain devised because he felt some weird need to prove to you that he was a good and obedient sub, because he knew you had previous partners and he wanted to outdo them or something. Maybe he wanted to see how much of a dom you really were.

And, most likely, it was all of those things.

“Jungkook.”

This time, you said his name with a sharper tone.

“Y… yes?”

You turned your right hand upwards, entirely aware of the placement of your fingers. Pinky, ring, middle curled inwards. Index up, thumb out. Poised, elegant, almost haughty. You flicked your cuff link, straightening the backing to slip it out. It was a diamond-shaped accessory, completely unnecessary for everyday life and completely necessary to force Jungkook to wait on you one more second. One more heart-stopping moment.

You glanced at his crotch. Hm. Interesting. Then you blinked and your eyes were on his. Hair hanging around his cheekbones, pupils dilating, swollen lips parted as he let out light pants of desire. He was slowly but surely losing it.

Maybe it was because his erection was suffocating in his leather pants.

You twirled your cuff link in your fingers. Jungkook watched the action, entranced by the dexterity of your digits. You knew what he wanted. He’d been texting you all day, trying to work you up. You had made him wait. Just like how you were making him wait now.

“What is your safe word?”

That was the question you used to start off the scene.

Instantly, you saw the relief, the hunger, the absolute need to serve flood his dark brown eyes. Now you were the dom. Now he was the sub.

“Euphoria,” Jungkook nearly moaned.

You nodded slowly, placing the cuff link on his coffee table. You upturned your other wrist, removing the other with a swift flick. You heard him whimper at the quick action. You almost smiled. He really wanted it. Ah, but you are a bad, bad boy, Jungkook. The metal clinked as it touched the walnut wood of the tabletop.

And there are consequences for being a bad, bad boy.

Your gaze connected with his once again. His eyes were practically begging for instruction.

“You look like you want to ask me something,” you drawled. His teeth sunk into his lower lip once more, the tiny mole underneath winking at you. “Go ahead.”

His eyes flitted about, trying to search for the trap. He swallowed, straining against the collar.

“Do… do you notice anything different about me?” Jungkook asked hesitantly, taking a step towards you.

You didn’t move from your position, observing him closely. His hands by his sides were antsy, itching to touch you or be caged with rope. You hooked your thumb at the base of your cuff and rolled it down. Once. Twice. Three times.

“You’re wearing makeup for me,” you replied, letting a small smile drift to your lips.

“A-ah…” He blushed. “Is it… is it too unmanly?”

Who the fuck put these ideas in Jeon Jungkook’s head? You just wanted to talk to them. And by talk, you meant flog the living daylights out of them. You had a big one at home. It could be arranged.

“No, of course not. You look very handsome.” Pause. “And fuckable.”

No reason not to tell the truth.

Jungkook’s cheeks flushed a dark pink. “T-Thank you, noona.”

During the entire conversation, you had folded the sleeves of your dress shirt up to your elbows. The stiff, crisp fabric held, and suddenly you were imposing, sleeves rolled up, black skirt skimming the hardwood floor. The neutral façade you had upheld for so long dropped away. Jungkook noticed the change instantly, even though you hadn’t actually said anything yet. His eyes widened a little, shoulders tensing.

Your eyes flashed, chin lifting.

“Or is that not what you meant, pretty boy?”

You did not hide the irritation in your voice this time. His breathing hitched, the muscles his arms ripped and Jungkook very, very much wanted to be punished.

“Um…” He fiddled with his hands guiltily, eyes skirting about. “It’s not what I was referring to, no…”

“Look at me.”

He snapped his head up, gulping. So obvious. His neck strained against the leather. You raised an eyebrow, crossing your arms over your chest.

“What were you referring to?” you questioned icily.

Jungkook was shaking all over. He lifted his hand slowly, reaching up to his neck, hooking two fingers around the metal ring of the collar. He tightened them, tugging down a little, eyelashes fluttering, a tiny moan rumbling in his throat. You were going insane on the inside. Fuck, did he know how submissive he was? Did he know how his small, cute little actions made him look so fucking appetizing?

“T-This.”

“Ah, yes,” you finally acknowledged. You waved a hand and he removed his, biting his lip again. “I did notice that. A nice touch. Is it for me?”

He nodded quickly. He seemed to forget for a second that he stole it from you. “Yes, noona, it’s for you.”

You sighed. Jungkook’s expression changed, becoming slightly confused.

“Pause.”

The indication that there was an intermission in the scene. You narrowed your eyes at him.

“You are testing me, Jungkook, and I do not like it.”

Jungkook’s brows knitted together, looking down. “I’m sorry, noona.”

“I told you that you shouldn’t try to make me angry on purpose.”

He closed the distance between you two, placing his hands on your elbows. His brown orbs anxiously found yours. “I… I just… please…” His fingers pressed into your skin, his breathing deepening. “I want to see how far I can go. How far you can take me. You won’t…” Jungkook shook his head, hair flying everywhere, ponytail bouncing. “You’re holding back, but I can take it, noona, I promise. I promise I can.” His fingertips caressed you, determination in his eyes.

Hm. Jungkook could tell. You breathed in deeply, inhaling his clean scent.

You are aware of your mistakes. You have learned.

You pursed your lips.

I really, really do not want to hurt you, Jungkook.

“You must promise me.” You looked deep into his eyes. “You must promise me, that if it is too much, if you cannot handle it, if it is not something you want, you must use your safe word.”

He nodded quickly. “I promise.”

And then you crumpled a little bit, your strict demeanor falling, the fears rising, the vulnerability making your voice quiver as you unfurled your arms and grabbed his t-shirt, shaking him roughly.

“No, Jungkook,” you pleaded. “You must promise me.” And you couldn’t explain, couldn’t bring yourself to say why, but he could tell how serious you were because you were suddenly weak, suddenly the parts of yourself that you kept under wraps revealed themselves, the parts you were ashamed of appearing, and you were letting him witness it. Because he said he wanted you. Not just dom you, but you.

And this, well, this was you too.

Jungkook’s eyes softened and he smiled. He leaned in and kissed you, long, sweet, delicate. It was like time stopped. As if the world froze and there was nothing but Jungkook’s lips on yours, reassuring and comforting. He drew back and opened his eyes slowly, warmth in his chocolate orbs.

“I promise.”

You looked up at him, stunned. He grinned at you, showing off his teeth, a little cheeky and embarrassed all at once. You removed your hands from his shirt, lowering them gradually.

“Sorry, I…”

Jungkook’s hands dropped and held yours tightly. He shook his head.

“No, noona. I understand. I know you are looking out for me,” he said brightly. “Because I’m always trying to get into trouble.”

A muscle in your eye twitched. At least he admitted it.

His teeth caught his lip, still smiling. Less nervous now, more playful.

You removed your hands from his. Okay. Okay, fine. Jungkook wanted you to be the dom. Not a dom, the dom. You let out a breath, controlled, clean. Step back into your role. You are in control. You can do this.

“What is your safe word?”

You cracked your neck, a sharp pop that made Jungkook jump.

“Euphoria,” he replied automatically.

“Very good.”

A beat passed. Jungkook remained close to you, unsure what was going to happen. His eyes wide and flighty, chin trembling, hands in front of his chest. You lowered yours, placing them behind your back. Piercing gaze on him, taking a step. His eyes followed you as you slowly circled him, speaking carefully and deliberately.

“So, Jungkook, tell me,” you began, skirt grazing the floor as your glided around him. “What makes you think you’re wearing the collar for me?”

Jungkook’s head whipped around quickly, following your movement with darting eyes. Damn, his ass looked great in these leather pants. He looked unconfident, brows furrowing, trying to conjure the right answer to get what he wanted.

“Um… I thought… maybe you might like it…” He stumbled through his words. “B-Because you like controlling me…”

You smiled at him. Jungkook brightened.

“I do.”

The eagerness beamed off his face as you stopped in front of him, still smiling pleasantly.

“I love controlling you.”

Then the smile dropped. The air around you became ten degrees colder with your shift in demeanor. Jungkook barely had a half-second to realize the change before your hand shot out and gripped the silver ring, yanking down harshly. He yelped, arms flying out, falling to his knees hard, gripping your skirt for balance. Your other arm was still behind you, folded into the small of your back. You narrowed your eyes, holding the collar ring so tightly that your knuckles were white.

His eyes flew up, pain and surprise.

You ticked your head. “But clearly, I’ve done a poor job, because you’ve gone and stole from me, you bad boy.”

Jungkook shook his head quickly, scooting himself forward, clutching your skirt tightly. “N-No, please, noona, I only–”

You yanked the ring up and Jungkook gasped, words cut off from the sudden jerk of his head snapping back. “You only what? Pickpocketed? Broke the law? Took my hard-earned money from right under my nose, to hurt me?”

“No, no, never,” Jungkook whimpered, looking up at you, blinking rapidly. “I don’t want to hurt you, noona. Never.”

“Then explain yourself,” you barked severely.

His eyes were turning teary, pleading. “I only… I only wanted to borrow it. So you could punish me and so I could show you I could be a good boy and take what I deserve.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Your other punishments weren’t enough?”

Jungkook’s lower lip quivered. The shame of his true intent was creeping in his eyes now.

“I… I wanted to see you angry, noona.”

“Even after I told you that you shouldn’t?”

He nodded, scurrying himself even closer on his now, most likely, bruised knees. Eyes on you, holding onto your skirt, whole body trembling. He angled his hips forward, showing you how hard he was in his pants, straining it even more by pressing his erection into the zipper of the leather. His lips open, black curls hanging around his face, almost pathetic but not quite, because you knew Jungkook was acutely aware of exactly what he looked like. Doing it to entice you, doing it to assure you that he wanted it.

“Y-Yes,” he admitted.

You forcefully let go of the ring, flinging him away from you. Jungkook squeaked, releasing your clothes as his body twisted to the side from your sharp movement. You swept your skirts away and took a step back.

“Noona, w-wait!”

Jungkook tried to scramble to his feet, but you snarled deep in your chest, making him freeze.

“Crawl.”

He looked startled, looking at you with wide puppy eyes. You took another step back. Jungkook followed you, on hands and knees, his bangs flared out, the low neckline of his shirt hanging down, revealing his chest. You could see his back muscles rippling under the fabric. Fuck, he was so handsome. You weren’t heading for the front door. You watched his mind calculate the angle of your body, mood lightening as he realized that was the direction of the bedroom. You, however, stopped at the floor-length mirror in the living room. Pointed to the patch of floor at your feet.

“Here. Now.”

Jungkook immediately complied, getting on his knees in front of you, hands between his legs, keen to please, facing you.

“Other way,” you clarified, sounding disappointed.

He lowered his head at his mistake and spun around, now facing his reflection. You glared through the mirror, making eye contact. He looked very sorry and very dejected. You almost forgave him just like that. Maybe Jungkook didn’t like this. Maybe you were being too harsh.

“Do you want to use your safe word?”

His eyes on yours. He shook his head lightly, not breaking your gaze.

“No, noona.” Your heart thudded in your chest at his tone of voice. “I’ve been a very bad boy.”

Jungkook licked his lips slowly, not looking away, the tip of his pink tongue lingering before sliding back into his mouth. He kept the same look in his eyes, but his actions were giving you the go ahead.

Shit.

You raised an eyebrow and lowered your hands. They floated above his shoulders and you were reminded of the first time, in the fitting room of your erotica shop, the moment he seduced you and pulled you into his pace. Jungkook tipped his head back, long hair sliding to his ears, the reflection of the stolen collar taunting you.

This brat.

Slowly, finger by finger, you placed your hands on his face. Fingertips pressing into his jaw, cheek, temple, into his soft skin, nails slightly digging in. Scratching up his pretty face a little, claiming it as yours. Jungkook had perfect bone structure, high cheekbones, sharp jaw, pretty forehead. He was panting, mouth open, hot breath drifting down. Hands on his thighs, clutching them tight.

You bent down, chin above his head so he could feel your hot breath on his scalp.

“My pretty boy,” you murmured softly. “Why must you be so bad? Do I not treat you well enough? Do I not give you what you love?”

“You do,” Jungkook whined in your hands, the guilt creeping into his voice. “You do, noona. Your pretty boy is… g-greedy.” He rolled his hips a little, spreading his thighs more, staring at his own reflection of his low-necked shirt and his thighs open, cock bulging in his leather pants.

Your fingers slipped down, down, tracing the leather collar. You let your index finger circle around the metal, not yet touching his chest, so close but so far. Jungkook kept trying to raise it into your touch.  Your other hand reached back and grabbed his ponytail, yanking his head back. He moaned right into your chin, too turned on to pretend he was hurt.

“I am going to my briefcase,” you stated, not looking at him under you and instead staring at his reflection, torso straining from how sharply you were forcing him to arch his back. “You are to remove your clothes. Whatever is left on you will remain for the rest of the night. Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-yes, noona.”

You abruptly let him go, striding to your briefcase swiftly, hearing a flurry of noise as Jungkook flung all of his clothes off. Snap, open, grab. You had already packed a black velvet bag holding the things you intended to use on him tonight. You spun around to see him practically ripping his leather pants off, the panic and regret evident on his face as he tried to shove them down his muscular calves. Smart boy had removed his underwear with his pants, smearing trails of pre-cum down his legs and onto the floor. You waited half a second for Jungkook to pop them over his ankles and he threw the pants to the far wall, so hard they made a loud slapping noise. Jungkook was on his hands and knees, panting, beads of sweat on his forehead.

It was actually hilarious to watch, but now was not the time to laugh.

Jungkook snapped his head towards you, eyes wide, his hard cock smacking his thigh. You raised an eyebrow at him. He gulped. Wearing nothing but the collar. Oh, he looked so good. You could tell him to get into position.

Or.

Tease him.

“Want to put my mouth on you, handsome boy.”

His cock twitched as his jaw dropped.

Your tongue slid out and stayed at the side of your lips as you spoke. “You look so tasty for me. When was the last time you came, Jungkook?”

His hands curled into fists on the hardwood floor, legs falling open, cock throbbing. The veins stood out against the hardness, head swollen and red.

“F-Fifteen days ago…” he whimpered.

He had denied himself. So cute. What a good boy. You smiled at him, still holding the velvet bag. “Really? You didn’t cum, not even once, without me?”

Jungkook shook his head rapidly, hair flying everywhere. “Wa… wanted to be tasty for you.”

You pouted a little. “Hm, that’s half a month. You waited so long.”

Jungkook nodded, chewing on his lip. You gestured for him to adjust his position and he turned his body to fully face you.

“Eyes on the mirror.”

He turned his head to face his reflection. Hands on the floor next to his ass, slightly leaning back, legs open.

“Look away and I’ll walk away,” you warned.

“Y-yes, noona.”

You floated down to the floor. He couldn’t exactly see you, but you slid into the frame of the mirror, right between his legs. The velvet bag was out of his sight, next to his leg, but Jungkook wasn’t paying attention. He was staring at his stiff cock and your proximity to it, holding his breath. You collected your saliva on your tongue and opened your mouth. It dripped down in a thin, slim line, hitting the angry red head of his cock and causing it to jerk at the sudden impact, coating it.

“A-ah, s-so good…”

“What do we say?” you purred, collecting more.

“T-thank you, noona,” Jungkook moaned, watching as you dropped more onto his aching cock, splattering onto his crotch. You lowered your head, closer. Closer. Jungkook sucked in a breath, waiting, needing, trying not to move. You made eye contact with him in the mirror.

“You’re a bad boy, Jungkook.”

And then you spat on his balls.

His head tipped back as he groaned, eyes barely open as he watched himself, chest shuddering as he felt it trickle down and onto the floor below. You spat on his genitals again, more force this time, spraying it across his cock and stomach. He cried out, slamming one of his fists onto the hardwood.

“Y-yes, noona, I’m a bad boy.”

And then you produced a cock ring seemingly out of nowhere, eyebrow raised as he wailed loudly.

“N-no, please, please don’t,” Jungkook panicked as you brought the black silicone ring closer and closer to his now saliva-drenched cock. “Please, I promise to be a good boy, please don’t do it…”

You said nothing, simply placing it on the engorged head and using three fingers to hold it, pushing down slowly.

“Noona, a-ah… no…” His eyelids fluttered, eyes on the reflection of his thick cock being viciously squeezed into the silicone ring. He let out a choked sob as it popped over the bottom of the head, sliding down, down, all the way to the base. You barely touched him, removing your hand as Jungkook shuddered, his pulsating length now bound by the black band.

You raised your head. He was still, very obediently, staring at the mirror.

You smacked his cock with your palm.

Not hard, but enough to make it bounce and for Jungkook to squeal, hips rising as his dick shook from side to side, unable to move much from the tight cock ring. He was making it move more by rocking his hips, heightening the feeling of being bound.

You waited until it stopped swaying.

“Your neighbors will hear you, Jungkook,” you said calmly. You turned your head and looked into the mirror. His eyes locked on yours, pupils dilated, strands of hair clinging to his sweaty face. “Should I gag you?”

“N-no, noona,” he whispered hotly, breathing shallow and tight. “They have to know I’m being punished. B-Because I’ve been b-bad.”

Good gracious, Jungkook.

Your panties instantly soaked. Who was losing it here? Was it him or was it you? Fuck.

You slowly smacked his cock back and forth, back and forth, staring at his face in the mirror. His head tipped back, not closing his eyes, moaning wantonly as his stiff length was roughly shoved around, barely any pressure and too much at once because of how hard he was. You stopped, watching his cock bob, almost purple-red now. Pre-cum beaded at the tip.

You couldn’t help it.

You leaned down, tucking your hair behind your ear so he could see, and gave the slit a tiny kitten lick.

Fuuuuuuuck.

Jungkook lost control, eyes rolling back into his head, and you almost moaned, his strong, intense taste all over your tongue. He tasted so good. So fucking delicious. You pulled back, pretending not to notice that Jungkook had looked away from the mirror as he quickly collected himself, back to staring at his reflection. You grabbed his hips and dug your nails into his skin, dragging him so his body was tilted.

“Flip over,” you growled.

You backed up, taking the velvet pouch with you as Jungkook obeyed, on his hands and knees now.

“On your face.”

Jungkook whimpered, lowering his cheek to the cool floor, leaning against it. Now his ass was up in the air, vulnerable and exposed.

“Both hands on the ring.”

His teeth sank into his lower lip, scooting his hands so he held the silver collar ring with fingers on both hands, arms against the floor to hold him up. His cock stuck straight down, stiff and swollen, trapped in the silicone circle. You waited to let Jungkook readjust his knees to be more comfortable and so he could see everything. The muscles on his back tensed with anticipation.

“I didn’t cover your mouth for a reason.”

“Yes, noona,” Jungkook breathed.

You raised your hands and raked your nails over his back, all the way to his ass. Hard, deep, leaving lines of pink and red, almost breaking the skin. Jungkook moaned, tongue sliding out, body shaking, eyelids fluttering. You did it again, and again, creating your pattern of lust on his back.

“Mine,” you growled possessively. Your eyes locked with his.

Thump.

Had anyone ever looked at you with so much adoration before?

Jungkook nodded.

“All yours, noona.”

You slapped his ass with your open palm.

He yelped, shoulders hitting the floor, face sliding a little against the wood. Pupils dilating, whimpering for more. You smacked him again, and again, and again, never the same spot, always with the full palm, all over, causing large red handprints patterned all over his ass. Jungkook was a groaning mess, legs slipping, the head of his cock touching the hardwood.

You stopped.

His ass was bright red, covered in your slaps and scratches.

Jungkook opened his eyes. He seemed to realize he wasn’t looking at his reflection anymore. He panicked, seeing your glare in the mirror, and tried to raise his hips, but your hand stopped him. The tip of his cock was in contact the floor, dripping pre-cum.

You pressed his hips down a little and shifted them from side to side.

Even the little stimulation of the head against the hardwood made Jungkook moan, pleading with you as he desperately clutched the collar.

“Noona, p-please… Please let me c-cum…”

You removed your hand. Jungkook continued rubbing himself in his own puddle of pre-cum on his living room floor, as you predicted. You didn’t stop him. You reached into the velvet pouch again. Jungkook’s eyes had fluttered closed as he continued stimulating himself, probably not enough, but he didn’t seem to care. You pressed the thing in your hand onto his scrotum and turned it on.

“A-ah!”

Jungkook’s hips flew up, balls suddenly shaking violently from the bullet vibrator in your hand. He shut his legs, sticking his ass out into your hand as he gasped, pressing back into the vibrator as you lazily drifted it around his balls.

“Oh, fuck, noona, oh, fuck!”

He was still holding onto the collar somehow as he tried to get more, wiggling his hips, but you were faster, grabbing his ass with one hand and digging your nails into it.

“Stop.”

Jungkook froze, whimpering and panting on the hardwood, cheeks hollowed out, eyes glazed over.

You traced his asshole with the tip of the vibrator.

His eyes rolled back, tongue lolling out.

“Oh, please, noona, put it in me, p-please…”

You drew figure-eights around his asshole and his balls, calmly.

“I bet you would love that, but you’ve been a bad boy, so I don’t think so.”

Jungkook whined, shaking his head, dark curls fluttering, soaked with sweat.

“P-please, I’ll be good, I need it, I need you to do it, fuck, please.”

“No.”

You pressed the vibrator into the cock ring and Jungkook nearly screamed, cutting himself off by snapping his jaw shut and yelling into the floor, hips jerking in your hands. You kept it there for a good five seconds before you removed it and backed up, reaching into the velvet bag again. Jungkook had maybe one shaking inhale before you gripped him under his armpits, hoisting him up.

“Let go of the ring,” you commanded, and his hands dropped, helping you get him to his knees. His bruised knees. Still, he leaned against you, soaking your clothes with his sweat, spreading his legs out more so his body lowered and your head could be seen past his shoulder. 

You reached down and removed the cock ring, Jungkook gasping in relief. It rolled away, now forgotten.

“Get yourself off.”

“B-but, noona…”

Your hands appeared and pressed against his nipples, turning on both bullet vibrators at once.

“Get. Yourself. Off.”

“F-fuck!”

His hand immediately flew to his cock, viciously pumping himself as you rubbed his nipples with the toys, his groans rumbling in his chest with the vibrations, so strong, so intense, his tan skin glistening with sweat, arm tattoos dancing as he stroked himself fast, his cock so hard it was purple now, veins popping out.

And, like the masochist he was…

Jungkook grabbed the head and squeezed firmly, cutting off his own orgasm with a wail.

You responded just as fast, dropping your hands and shoving the vibrators against his balls, twice as much stimulation as before. His head fell back against your shoulder, half-moans, half-screams of your name as he bucked into them, working himself up once again, your breath against his neck, your eyes watching Jungkook’s reflection – his shaking legs, his balls cupped in your hands, his abused and overstimulated cock popping in and out of his tattooed hand, his now inflamed nipples, sweat dripping down his neck, long black hair flared out against your cheek, the mole under his lower lip trembling with his cries.

Fuck, he was everything. Everything you ever wanted.

“Ah, noona, yes, yes, you’re so good to me, so good…”

“Cum on the mirror,” you demanded. “Cum all over yourself, pretty boy.”

Jungkook whined, snapping his head back down, feeling you increase the vibration setting on his balls and that was it, the tipping point as he sobbed out your name, shooting all over the mirror in large splatters of white, jerking his hips so it traveled higher, sticking onto the reflective glass, all over his reflection.

And he watched it, moaning, so entranced by his likeness covered in his own cum, dripping down in slow smears, messy and dirty.

You turned off the vibrators, withdrew your hands from him.

“Lick it off.”

Jungkook was exhausted, wheezing, hoarse, and yet he still removed his hand from his cock, crawling to the mess he made, pink tongue flopping out, licking his own cum off the mirror, eating it up with groans of satisfaction. You watched him, fascinated, surprised he even listened to you, surprised he was still going, because honestly at this point, you really thought you had gone too far, but Jungkook was enthusiastically making out with his own face with his orgasm at your command, and loving every second of it.

“Jungkook.”

He pushed himself away from the mirror, immediately coming to you, his dark brown eyes hazy with pleasure. He dumped himself in your lap. You still wearing all your clothes. He looked up at you, lips curving into a naughty grin.

“I love it when you turn me into your plaything.”

This guy.

“What do you want?” Jungkook panted. “I’ll do anything. Anything for you.”

Oh, that’s right. You had spent so much focus and energy on Jungkook that you completely forgot about yourself. How did that happen? Ah, but you were so tired now. You let out a puff of disbelief and slid down to the floor.

“I want a nap. Get back to me tomorrow morning.”

-

You woke up slowly to something wet and hot between your legs.

Can I wake you up by eating you out tomorrow morning?

If you brush your teeth.

Really?!

If you brush your teeth, yes.

Your fingers curled into the sheets, breathing in Jungkook’s scent. His bed. His tongue against your opening, softly lapping, burying his nose into your core. You pursed your lips, sighing softly. The tip of the wet muscle slid up, licking at your clit. You pressed your hips into his face and the large hands around your thighs tightened, holding you closer.

He moaned, so hot, right into your pussy.

Your hands released the sheets, sliding across the fabric, up your hip, tracing his fingers. Eyes still closed, feeling for his long hair, clean, fluffy, wild from sleep. Burying your fingers in the strands, pressing him down into you.

“Ah, Jungkook…”

He licked faster, lips closing around your clit, pushing his head into you as he pressed your thighs into the sides of his face. You could feel his cheekbones, his jaw rubbing against your skin. Felt his wet warmth, rapidly rubbing your sensitive nub.

“That’s a good boy,” you purred and he whined, vibrating your pussy with the sound.

Your fingers tightened in his hair and you hissed, gliding into your orgasm, dripping into his mouth as your clit throbbed against his tongue, pleasure flooding you like a warm blanket.

You finally opened your eyes, breathing out as you saw Jungkook’s handsome face between your legs, cleaning you up. He kissed the insides of your thighs, nuzzling your skin. He seemed to feel you watching him and his eyes looked up, bright, doe-like, chocolatey. His pink lips glistened with your release.

“Noona?”

“Mhm?”

“Can I keep the collar?”

You raised an eyebrow. He smiled at you, playful, naughty.

“If you pay for it,” you replied, half-joking.

His tongue flashed out.

“I can pay in cash and in orgasms.”

You laughed as Jungkook dove down between your legs once again.

--

masterpost

[velvetcoves]

little things in your relationship with the v3 boys + Byakuya <3

- mod velv

K1-B0 (KIIBO)

★ him tapping on your shoulder when he has a question, something to show you, etc.

★ Kiibo was a bit scared to cuddle you at first, due to his bulky frame, so he always has some sort of sweater or sweatshirt with him at all times in case you need cuddles

★ him refusing to let you consume anything unless he’s checked it over at LEAST twice

★ him always asking you how you’re feeling throughout the day

★ Kiibo making you little bracelets out of thread, and sneakily slipping them on you. by the end of the day you’ve got like 5 on your arm that you have NO idea when or where they got on you

★ ^ because of this, he likes to play with them on your wrist while you sit together and you’re just “wait what-“

KOREKIYO SHINGUJI

★ him running his hand up and down your back just enough to give you shivers every time

★ Kiyo gently pulling you to his side if you wander too far

★ him leaning down next to you just enough to whisper teasing words and sweet nothings into your ear throughout the day, before nuzzling his masked face into your neck and pulling away

★ Kiyo just being so nurturing with you

★ braiding his hair while he just relaxes into you. like you just playing with the gorgeous locks he sports, while his back is flush against your chest as you hum. he can’t get enough of it.

★ Kiyo kind of.. latching onto you in your sleep. good luck on getting out of bed on time hehe

RANTARO AMAMI

★ like i said in my relationship HCs, Rantaro is a bit of a doodler. so be prepared for that

★ him acting a bit like a crow and giving you the objects he finds. they mostly consist of rather small but breathtaking things. like a dried flower, a really pretty rock, etc. and his reasoning is that “it just reminds me of you. it’s because you’re so gorgeous.” the gODAMN FLIRT-

★ him sending you little smiles and smirks throughout the day, along with winks

★ Rantaro humming to you when you both are together, no matter if you’re alone or not.

★ ^ those little humming moments usually turn into him saying the stupidest things in a sing-songy voice. while you’re a giggling mess, he’s biting your ear-lobe gently while just seductively whispering something about cows and you just lose it

★ him booping your nose a LOT

SHUICHI SAIHARA

★ you straight up SNATCHING his hat and parading around in it

★ trying to figure out what tf he just wrote on the piece of paper he gave you like 5 minutes ago because his handwriting is so messy and you’re just “ 👁👄👁”

★ Shuichi constantly linking your pinkies together

★ you two having a couple of inside jokes that are the FUNNIEST things

★ him helping you edit any workload or essays that you need to submit soon

★ ^ along with that, Shuichi helping you write your essay that’s due at 11:59 and it’s currently 11:50. you two POWER through it lemme tell ya

GONTA GOKUHARA

★ Gonta teaching you how to handle certain bugs, as they’re delicate

★ you getting carried by ✨Gonta✨

★ straight up BABYING him if he ever gets a cut. like he’ll be working with some ladybugs and he hasn’t even noticed the decently sized cut on his arm, and you’re just “gONTA YOUR A R M-“ and he’s just “oh! Gonta not notice. oops :)”

★ ^ smh and then you’ll lightly scold him because you want your boyfriend to be careful and his heart is so full of love for you during these moments

★ you needing something from a height only he can reach, and Gonta just hoisting you’re up onto his shoulders so you can grab it

★ Gonta is w a r m. he’s like a full on human heater. so y’all’s cuddle session is otherworldly

RYOMA HOSHI

★ Ryoma silently laughing when you screw things up or start to stutter. he thinks it’s hilarious

★ also like Shuichi, snATCHING HIS HAT

★ ^ good luck keeping it for long though. he knows. he’ll find you

★ him actually opening up about his older tennis stories. your breath catches in your throat when you can hear the passion in his voice, dancing with a tinge of sadness and guilt as he tells you stories you’d never get to experience yourself

★ him being the big spoon. he needs his p r i d e.

★ ^ h o w e v e r. catch him on a bad day and this man is your little spoon through and through.

KOKICHI OUMA

★ Kokichi full on LAUNCHING himself at you if you ever come into his eyesight

★ him squeezing his way into you. like, if your arms are crossed, he scoots his way under your arms so that you’re holding him against your frame. another example is that if you’re sitting down, Kokichi will absolutely plant himself in your lap

★ Kokichi wiggling his way onto your back and falling asleep. you’ll most likely have to carry him in a piggyback ride on these rare days

★ him annoying you to no end just so you could kiss him to shut him up

★ chase scenes. that’s all i’m gonna say

★ him taking things that you’d need in a moment and having you look for them

KAITO MOMOTA

★ Kaito going off about constellations or somethin like that smh we love him here

★ him straight up YOINKING you back into his chest if you ever stand in front of him

★ you playing with his goatee randomly. he finds it adorable, but a bit embarrassing when you do it in front of Maki, he’ll tell you to stop. lmao don’t listen to him keep doing it

★ ^ Maki finds it hilarious

★ doing this thing when you two are reading and you have the book. you’ll straight up slam the book shut right under his chin to screw up the goatee and it’s FUNNY

★ Kaito just bein’ a simp for ya

BYAKUYA TOGAMI

★ him stealing very subtle glances at you from across the room. he likes to observe you, basically. the way you talk and move your hands with so much life, he LOVES it

★ you laughing whenever he scrunches up his face in distaste.

★ you resting your chin on his shoulder when it’s just the two of you. he’ll be searching for a book and you just plop your head right next to him on his shoulder, and he’ll say something like “too dependent on me now, hm?”

★ ^ stupid little rich boy smh i love him

★ while Byakuya isn’t a very cuddly person, but you two find alternatives. like you holding onto the sleeve of his suit thingy and such

★ that changes at night tho lmao like Korekiyo he LATCHES onto you

[nobodies-png]

Okay. So this is like, the funniest prompt that I found, wrote a bit for, and forgot about. I wrote it for a different fandom, and then thought "Organization XIII would be funny for this..." Org. XIII is turned into children and now the Reader has to (make sure they don't die) take care of them. Ages like... 4-9 because that's when children are the funniest. Do what you will with it

ngl im a sucker for old cliche prompts like these, every fandom has at least an au for this specific setting or some kindergarden au lolol

anyway here’s some HCs as to how they’d act and stuff !

Xemnas :

One of the oldest kids, but you don’t really know what to make of him. You were expecting Xemnas to still lead the rest, scare them into submission with a simple glare or something - turns out he’s rather timid. Barely speaks, you get the feeling he’s ignoring you on purpose, just makes a lot of faces and noises to indicate what he’s feeling. 

Somewhat clingy too, but unlike Demyx and Xigbar who want to get your attention through any means possible, Xemnas just grabs onto the hem of your shirt and follows you everywhere in silence. Doesn’t cause much trouble, but he doesn’t help you keep the others in check either, a true neutral I guess. 

Sometimes, he will just disappear and show up whenever you least expect him. Loves to climb and sit on tall places. Spaces out a lot. Compared to the rest, you can probably leave him to his own devices, as long as he’s not left alone with Xigbar or Larxene. 

Xigbar :

Actually the oldest, but pretty annoying and high maintenance. If he got on your nerves as his regular self, then you’re in for a fucking ride - this Xigbar is here to cause problems on purpose. He likes to talk, a lot. And it’s sucks because it’s usually endless and mindless chatter or pointing out everything that he sees. 

If he starts to get bored, he’ll scurry off to bother someone else, but it usually ends with someone crying or hurt. Don’t even bother keeping him on a leash, the bastard is too smart to be contained. 

Xigbar is one of those kids that can be extremely useful if you get him on your side, as he has no problem snitching and ratting out the others. The best way to keep him from losing his other eye or gouging out someone else’s is to bribe or trick him into helping you (just know that he can also be bribed by the other kids, Xigbar WILL betray you). 

Xaldin :

You expected Zexion to be the loner type, but turns out it’s Xaldin - he’ll always be on his own or avoiding the others, usually around the kitchen since you’ve banned everyone from going in there until they return to normal (not that they listen to you, but oh well). 

Xaldin is pretty much like those kids who hate being treated like kids and who pretend to be above the rest. While he might seem calm, it’s really easy to get him riled up, a simple “I bet you can’t do this or that” and he’s off to prove himself. 

Oddly enough, he gets jealous easily - if you give Roxas a cookie or whatever for behaving, then you GOTTA give Xaldin one too or else he’ll throw a fit. The best thing you can do with him is be honest and confess that you need him to chill the fuck out and Not Die :tm: while you take care of the others, he’ll feel all grown up because you told him the truth and will calmly stay in his room. 

Vexen :

One of the oldest kids, the stereotypical kid who only has ONE interest and won’t shut the fuck up about it, which is cute but not everyone has the patience to sit through a 6 hour talk about dinosaurs. You never expected this baby Vexen to be so into dinosaurs out of all things. Of course, just because he only talks about them, doesn’t mean he’s not curious about all that shiny lab equipment. 

You can’t keep him distracted with dinosaur books all day, he still has the heart and mind of a scientist ! Because he’s a very obvious nerd, he’s the target for a lot of members in the organization, namely Larxene - and when Vexen gets flustered or frustrated, he freezes up. Literally. He WILL freeze the entire room too.

Your best bet is to pair him up with Zexion or Xion, since they’ll gladly sit down to listen and learn. The three will gladly stay locked up in the library learning and reading. You just gotta hope Vexen doesn’t instantly crush Zexion and Xion’s dreams by ruining their fairytales with facts and logic.

Lexaeus : 

Also one of the older kids and the tallest too. This Lexaeus is just as stoic and intimidating as the original, but apparently he’s also very sensitive. Everytime he speaks to you it sounds like he might be about to cry. But he looks fine ? So you really don’t know what to do about him. 

Either way, Lexaeus is also very helpful and responsible, so you can trust him to watch over the rowdy kids and keep them relatively safe, just try not to pair him with the suuuper loud ones. 

Probably the type to take the blame and responsibility for any pranks gone wrong under his watch, even if you fully know there’s no way he’s responsible. Lexaeus is the epitome of “I just want everyone to get along”. Somehow, he’s very gentle with the others (as gentle as one can be when straight up dragging Xigbar out of the ventilation system) but he’ll break any toys and other items given to him.

Zexion :

Zexion is very very small, so you can probably understand the stress he’s going through, surrounded by these animals. Like Xemnas and Demyx, he’d be pretty clingy but he wouldn’t be able to follow you around or cling to you with all the others pushing and fighting around. 

So you can either just carry him on your shoulders or leave him with Lexaeus or Vexen as mentioned before. If not, Zexion will wander and either fall asleep in the Grey Area or find the library on his own. 

Not a problematic child, really. Zexion lacks the energy and the feralness to join any shenanigans - he's also smart enough to know that he’ll be better off listening to you and staying clear out of safety hazards. Though there’s always the chance of other members taking advantage of Zexion’s naive and curious nature.

Saix :

You were expecting him to be a tiny version of his regular self, bitter and strict. Surprisingly, he’s way more fun as a kid, glued to Axel by the hip too. They’re the duo you should look out for - Axel is the one who gets them in trouble and Saix is the one who makes sure you never notice they were behind it all. 

The one with a TERRIBLE temper right after waking up. Saix won’t hesitate to bite and claw anyone who tries to wake him up, even Axel knows better than to try. If it’s nap time, let him go, don’t even try to stop him. Don’t let anyone else near him.

Other than that ? A very nice kid in general, he feels a sense of responsibility when it comes to the younger members, so he’ll be the one to keep Axel in check whenever Zexion, Roxas or Xion are around. As for the older ones ? They’re on their own.  

Axel :

Axel is the first one to say “fuck” and it spreads like wildfire. So if you start hearing a bunch of kids swear at the top of their lungs, you know who caused it. You’ll also know because you’ll find him laughing and wheezing on the ground. 

Somewhat naive, if you tell him he can’t say “invertebrae” because it’s a swear world, he’ll believe you. But SURPRISINGLY he’s very aware of how dangerous his fire powers are - like, Axel wants to cause trouble on purpose, but he doesn’t really want anything to escalate and get anyone actually hurt. Unless it’s Vexen. If it’s Vexen, then it’s fine by him. 

You might hear “Y/N, LOOK” before seeing Axel in the kitchen casting fucking Firaga on a bag of Totinos or something. He and Demyx somehow keep getting targeted by the Dusks, who love to play pranks on them. 

Demyx :

Most likely to eat food off the ground, or anything shiny and colorful, really. He has the exact same vibes as the little brother who likes to follow people he thinks are cool to try and impress them, just to be considered a cool kid too. 

Demyx is very clingy but also a sneaky kid, he can easily cry his heart out so you’ll pay attention and protect him from people he’s pissed off. This is literally why most of the kids don’t like to be around him, cause he’s THAT kid who will ruin everyone’s funs by calling the responsible adult if he gets upset.

Instead of being musically inclined, Demyx just makes a lot of noise - constant loud humming, blowing raspberries, stomping his feet or tapping/hitting things, repeating funny noises or phrases he picks up. Probably has an old ass iPod or an MP3 you can distract him with.

Luxord :

DO YOU KNOW THOSE LITTLE KIDS WHO ARE SMARTASSES ? The ones who act like they know the mysteries of the world and give you a look of superiority because you clearly don’t know what tubby custard really is ? Yeah, that’s Luxord.

Full of fun facts that he LOVES to brag about, but most of them are fake and he’s none the wiser. You cannot correct him either because it’ll be like telling an 8 year old that Santa isn’t real. Thankfully, you don’t HAVE to correct him because that’s what Xaldin is for. 

Most likely to steal Xigbar’s eyepatch for himself and somehow convince everyone else that it was HIS eyepatch in the first place. How ? We don’t know, we just don’t know. Also Luxord might just steal little trinkets from everyone and stash them under his bed like the little creacher he is. If you can’t find your keys, you know who’s got em.

Marluxia :

A natural big brother figure. Very understanding too, even if you’ve heard from Larxene that he’s tired of everyone pulling his hair and that he might shave it all off just so they all stop. Yeah, there’s some lingering resentment in there. He’s 50/50 on being a little bastard and an angel.

Marluxia volunteers to help you take care of the other kids, mostly because he likes bossing others around and because he also likes reading books to Zexion and Xion so they fall asleep. 

LOVES to leave trails of petals and flowers wherever he goes, but REFUSES to clean up. Always seen with Larxene - Marluxia is also lowkey competitive so he sees the Axel + Saix duo as rivals. In what, exactly ? Who knows. VERY picky with food too. Actually, just very picky and petty in general.

Larxene :

The one kid who develops a personal vendetta against you from day 1. Larxene DESPISES being told what to do, so if you’re constantly telling her not to do this, to do that and whatever, she will make your life a living hell and do the opposite out of spite. 

You didn’t hear this from me, but Larxene is GENUINELY upset that she keeps accidentally zapping people whenever she plays with them. It’s really hard for her to apologize too, so you’ll have to step in a lot to de-escalate the situation.

Larxene sticks forks in outlets JUST to scare others, since she cannot get hurt at all by electricity. She just seems to enjoy making others afraid.

Roxas :

One of the youngest, Roxas doesn’t KNOW what “using your indoor voice” means, he’s either DEAD quiet or SCREAMING about how he’d like to have ice cream as a treat, please and thank you. It’s really fucking funny to see honestly. Just make sure he doesn’t sneak up on you and scare you shitless.

The type who gets dragged into shenanigans rather than cause them - he’s a very neutral and calm kid otherwise. The worst thing he can do is just steal everyone’s dessert or something because of that intense sweet tooth he’s got.

A lot of the older kids LOVE trying to get him and Xion to laugh, because Roxas has this permanent poker face AND because they both have really funny snort giggle laughs. 

Xion : 

Also one of the youngest, very sweet, patient and polite ! Xion also tends to be very clingy, always needing to hold hands with someone whenever she walks around Castle Oblivion. No one has the heart to tell her no, either.

Can get VERY VERY irritating and angry when someone tries to make fun of her or Roxas. Like a little hurricane of puppies - Xion won’t stop pestering all the meanies until she’s received a proper apology. If she somehow ends up hurting someone, she’ll insist on making up too.

Xion also tends to copy people she likes, similar to Demyx. You might catch her imitating your movements or way of speaking, or even copying the Dusks’ movements - but just make sure she doesn’t see you, Xion will explode out of embarrassment.

[badass-at-fandoming]

Just Little Ventrue Things ~

I finished a Camarilla Ventrue run of VTMB. Mostly, the only thing Ventrue these days know how to do is Dominate, run screaming, eat hot chip, and lie, and [high falsetto voice] here’s a list of other nonsense I discovered:

PC’s name is Christina; she’s a Dominatrix because I’m bi. Her sire was one of her clients, and she’s actually very, very angry about his death. She doesn’t mind being a vampire. She’s Wiccan and part of a coven

In this Camarilla run, I decided I would only do quests given by Camarilla members. My justification was that, while Christina is intelligent and curious about lore, she focuses on tasks that immediately relate to her and her goals. She’s not curious about others; won’t go out of her way to talk to them. She’s not a bleeding heart, like my other PCs, and she believes in the Camarilla’s laws. She just hates LaCroix for killing her sire. Her plan during the game is to curry as much favor within the Cam as possible and cozy up to LaCroix so she can stab him.

Enough backstory

Nonsense time

Smiling Jack laughs at you if you don’t eat a rat in the tutorial. LOL. The Ventrue dialog is like “I could barely choke down the homeless man: please don’t make me eat a rat!”

The blood in the Santa Monica haven’s fridge is now blue blood. Does regular blood make Ventrue sick? I was too scared to experiment.

[spots Mercurio] I am going to steal that ghoul

Rosa: The people you’re looking for are up there. Christina, assuming Rosa is a Cam agent: Okay, thanks, bye

Never spoke to the Thin-Bloods again (sorry Lily baby ;-;)

Everyone except Julius still leaves when the PC reaches Hollywood

If you try to feed on Julius, he WILL kick you in the head and you WILL glitch into the fire, be on fire; run away screaming in Prada

You can skip the whole basement of the Ocean House Hotel if you manage to jump over the hole in the staircase???? Like?? You mean the spookiest fucking level has been optional this whole time I”M

[ghost appears] [Christina smacks it with an axe] None of that.

Club girls speak to Christina and I’m on the FLOOR

Therese “kills” Jeanette, even though I had enough oompa to make that not happen.

Therese joins the Camarilla and says she’s in good position to be the next Prince??? Hello??? Where is our Prince Voerman ending????

Went straight to LaCroix, called him “sir,” and he name-dropped Napoleon.

LaCroix tells Christina to go visit the Anarchs. She blows the Anarchs off (Nines made a growly face, Damsel dialog yowl-exited out after I asked if she wanted to join the Cam; Skelter threatened to murder me twice). When LaCroix told Christina that, while he admired her Cam loyalty, she must listen to her enemies to understand what they wanted, it felt like he was actually being a good sire and mentor.

That’s weird.

When Christina asked for his history, he very carefully explained his lineage, like the important part of Ventrue culture it is.

Overall, I found LaCroix-being-nice-to-me extremely unsettling.

Sir. Stop smiling at me, sir. Stop being impressed I don’t ask for money. STOP MAKING ME UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE LIKE YOU, SIR.

In contrast, LaCroix sounded genuinely betrayed at the end

Also made it more obvious when he started to lose track of his marbles

Ventrue PC seems juuuuuuust tall enough for her forehead to glitch into the ceiling of literally any confined space

The dirty Elizabeth Dane policeman didn’t psspspspsp at Christina so the whole ship was 15 white-knuckled minutes of making police dance and scuttling about

There is!!! A lot less!!! Talking in this game!!! Than I remember!!! She is only good at talking and ordering people around i am bEGGING

All EXP goes to Dominate and making Christina extremely charismatic and buff.

Ventrue himbo????

Beckett un-himbo-ifies her

She insults Beckett on their first meeting, spitting out “What do you want, wolfie?!” I thought this was appropriate because she died like, 4 times on that warehouse mission and was Extremely Stressed And Under Duress

Beckett’s response of “Oh, you’re too young to have mouthed off to the truly old ones yet.” makes his later snide remark of “the young ones are so temperamental” 900% funnier. Yeah, LaCroix! Beckett thinks I’ve grown and am now more mature than you! XD

Missions involving sex workers hit different when you’re a sex worker.

Christina was incandescent with rage at the Brotherhood

Grout’s mansion mission was a lot of “I have no interest in this nonsense.”

For the first time ever, I didn’t kill anyone during the Museum quest! This is because Christina ran very fast and Dominated every guard as quickly as possible. Every single fucking guard knew she was there, but could do nothing about it, because they were dancing. The door to the sarcophagus locked (it will do this if too many guards are agro), but locked doors are no match for noclip hack.

Entertaining image of a tall woman absolutely blasting into this museum room and Beckett tackling her to the floor like wait! I must snark at you! You are legally obligated to speak with me!

Isaac is still somehow a pretty chill guy to work with if you’re Camarilla.

Christina didn’t visit VV or Ash. Interestingly, Ash didn’t show up at the hunter monastery later. Did he just die in his club? Is he still there, waiting, deciding?

Christina @ Andrei: what the fuck is this shit

“I don’t care. It’s ugly. Clean it up.”

SEWERS.

Not as bad as I was expecting

Did take shortcut, run away from fights, ducked out in the middle for a snack, and bring 7 blue blood packs tho

Gary threatened to shred her face with a cheese grater, which I thought was Toreador only dialog?? It must be connected to the Appearance Stat. Which Christina has maxed out.

When Heather became Christina’s ghoul, I was delighted because I thought this meant Christina would always have fresh blood.

No

If you ask to feed on her too soon after the last time, Heather says she feels light headed and wants to lie down. The dialog exits out

I love you, Heather bb

Perfected the art of nudging NPCs into corners

Mitnick’s quests now feature Enforced Nap Time for all guards

Seriously, Dominate is ridiculously powerful, hooooly shit. I get why people like it. I also like it when people do things I ask them to do.

Christina can’t sneak, but she CAN strongly encourage everyone to choke on their own tongues.

Very high contrast in the beginning of the game: 2 punches would knock her over, but anyone she spoke to would obey immediately and without question

Chinatown goes by ridiculously fast if you can’t sneak and don’t do any sidequests besides Mitnick’s.

For the first time ever, Zhao survived! This is because Christina made him take a nap.

He just told her to leave

You’re welcome, my good dude

IDK if it’s a game glitch, but Christina would vocalize? In battle, she grunts with effort and pain.

Got to the point where I kept expecting Dominate dialog in every interaction and would get disappointed if it didn’t show up. What do you mean I have to actually convince people? That’s lame.

Christina was polite and charming to Ming Xiao, who also conveyed a deeper betrayal than normal at the end. ;-;

I promise to give you a Ventrue boy toy soon, Xiao

Finale arc quests went by VERY FAST because Christina can’t sneak for shit. Just run in, Dominate blazing

You can skip the outside bit of the Hallowbrook Hotel if you find the open door on the top level what the fuuuuuuuuuCK

[“A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” plays while Christina wipes out the Sabbat in 10 minutes]

Andrei disappeared mid-fight and didn’t come back until I complained that only I was allowed to run away from boss fights

I’m categorizing “triggering the interaction to save Heather” as something quite difficult to do. The timing has to be just right. I’ve missed it twice now. BUT hacking into the game to save her is easy.

I love you, Heather bb

Final Beckett talk had the vibe of “You’re a very different person than me, but you’re also High Humanity and trying to do good. You don’t deserve to die.”

Damsel threatens to kick the shit out of Christina and is extremely reluctant to tell her where Nines is

“Out of all people, they send you? All right, let’s just talk terms.” - Nines because Christina was short with him one (1) time

WEREWOLF HARD

You can just?? Walk out of your haven?? Without speaking to Jack at all???

I didn’t do that

But I could have

[”Dust in the Wind” plays while Christina kills entire Camarilla hit squad in 3 minutes]

You can visit Mercurio and Trip on your way out of Santa Monica??

Mercurio makes no comment on the blood hunt. Business as usual with him. This is fine.

Christina: I’m SO going to adopt that ghoul. And perhaps Isaac can be convinced to part with Romero...

(For the first time ever, my PC boinked Romero. Twice, to receive the break up email)

This is definitely a glitch, but Christina brushed up against Caine, and a worried voice said, “Are you all right?” It sounded like the same voice actor, but a higher pitch?

Always nice to think about Caine demonstrating care

Christina asked Caine who he is, and Caine replied that he “gets people where they’re going. [He’s] a driver,”  which is a nice nod (lol) to both his literal job as a driver and as a shepherd/creator/god to Kindred. Caine creates and makes fate.

Caine triple checks with Christina that she’s sure Strauss won’t betray her. Thanks, Vampire Dad. :’D

For some reason, only other Ventrue guarded LaCroix’s tower. I wonder if this is intentional. Like all the other Camarilla Clans backed Strauss and left? So only LaCroix’s Ventrue lackeys remain? Anyway, it created some weird moments where Christina fought her double.

KILL YOUR DOUBLE

Sheriff laughed in haughty joy that he was to kill Christina. I don’t remember him laughing in other playthroughs.

Christina ruining Caine and Jack’s prank oh noes

[notyetneedcoffee]

Park Here

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Smut

Naughty Date Night Series

The red and white 1955 Chevy Bel Air stood out among the slick black and sliver sports cars in the garage. A wide smile crossed your face. “Perfect.”

“Told you I could rent one.” Tony grinned. He held out a black case. “Here’s the rest. Just set it on the ground, open it up and press the power button. I’ve already put the micro speakers inside the car.”

You pulled him into a tight hug. “You’re the best.”

“I just dig the idea.” He laughed. “I may have to steal it later and claim it as my own.”

Rolling your eyes, you took the case and the keys. As you placed the case behind the passenger seat of the Chevy, you inquired. “How long until Steve’s training sessions are done?”

“They’re scheduled to go until five.”

An hour and a half. Plenty of time. “Excellent. Thanks.”

Steve entered the suite with a smile and call of your name. His smile widened when you came out of the bedroom wearing a cheery sundress that buttoned all the way down the front and slip on sandals with just a little heel. Wearing little make up, hair loose, you’d dressed fresh and simple just like he preferred.  

“Well, hello beautiful.” He beamed, his large hands cupping your cheeks and mouth covering yours in a sweet kiss.  

“Hi, handsome.” You gazed up at him. “I pulled a note out of the jar.”

“And?”  

“It said, ‘take time for an old fashion dinner and a movie’. So I’ve made some plans.”  

“I take it we’re not staying in.” His hands dropped to your hips.  

“Correct. But we’re not going anywhere fancy either.” You licked your lips. “No need to change out of your tee shirt and jeans.”

“Okay then, let me get my keys.” Steve’s soft lips pressed against your temple.  

“Ah, no.” You took his hands in yours. “We’re not taking your car. I got us a different ride for tonight.”

A slow smirk grew across his face. “Alright. I’ll follow your lead.”

“I like the sound of that.” You grinned. 

When you led him to the red and white classic, Steve laughed with delight. He took the keys from you and held the door open. As you slid in, he kissed your hand.

Settling behind the wheel, Steve grinned over. “So where to?”

The drive-in served thick messy burgers with piping hot fries. You laughed and talked, easily ignoring everyone around. Steve grinned as you licked salt from your fingers. You giggled as he took your hand and kissed the back of your knuckles. The tip of his tongue slipped out and his eyes promised all kinds of pleasure.  

“What time is this movie we’re going to?”  

You looked at the darkening sky. “Soon. It’s should be just about right once get there.”

“There isn’t a scheduled time.” Steve frowned.  

“Hey,” you nudged him. “Trust me. Remember?”

“Absolutely.” Steve grinned.  

As you drove through the darkness, at every turn you told Steve to make, he would raise an eyebrow and smirk at you. You’d giggle. “Trust me.”

The parking lot lights were mostly off when you pulled into the empty hanger at the far end of Stark’s flight strip just north of the compound. Steve opened his mouth, but you laughed. “Trust me. Pull around back. There’s a couple traffic cones, park between them.”

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” He drove the car around the the back of the building, the only lights coming from the car and the stars above. He spotted the cones and parked as instructed. “Now what?”

“We watch a movie.” You got out of the car and pulled the case from behind the seat. He watched as you quickly set up the portable projector beside the car. A thirty foot image shone on the white wall of the hanger. The car filled with the sounds of the opening credits of the film.

Slipping back into the car, you moved all the way over on the bench seat until you were curled against Steve’s chest. He was grinning like a fool. “A drive in movie. You set up a drive in move for me.”

“It’s an entire American staple that you missed.”  

His palm turned your face to meet his. “You’re incredible.”

Steve kissed you slow as the opening to Hitchcock’s Rear Window began to play on the screen. He smiled against your lips and pulled you closer. So, you snuggle up and get comfortable in his arms.  

After a few moments Steve’s lips ghosted against your ear, “It’s really not fair. You know I don’t like scary movies.”

You giggled. “Captain America scared by an Alfred Hitchcock movie?”  

“He’s terrifying.” Steve chuckled.  

“You can hold on to me during the frightening bits.”  

A devilish grin spread over his face. Steve shifted you around, guiding your leg over his lap. The bucket seat in the old car left plenty of room. He grinned like a kid at Christmas as he began to unbutton your sundress.  

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” You giggled, hands tracing over his strong shoulders.  

“Distracting myself during the scary parts.” Steve answered, face not quite serious. He moved aside your dress to cup your breasts through the lace of your bra.

You rocked your hips into him. “It just started. Nothing scary has happened yet.”

“Not the point.” Steve wet mouth laid hot kisses against your neck. “Hitchcock is terrifying. You need to protect me.”  

You laughed, fingers raking through his hair, nails lightly scratching against his scalp. He practically purred. One of his hands bunched up the skirt of your dress, pulling it free to give him full access to your thighs. His thumb rubbed along the inside of your thigh, moving closer and closer to your core.

Taking his face in your hands, you kissed him. He rutted up against your warmth as you gently sucked his lower lip and ran your tongue along his.  

“Fuck, sweetheart.” He gasped. “Do you want to keep these?” His fingers tugged at your barely there panties. You shook your head and Steve tore them at the hips. His fingers slipped between your folds. “Mmm, so wet.”

You tugged blindly at his belt while nipping the edge of his jaw. You opened his jeans, tugging them down just enough to release him. “Been thinking about fucking you in this car all day.”

“Hell, yes.” Steve groaned as your fingers wrapped around his cock. He kissed you hard, a growl rumbling up from chest. “Is that what you need? Need me fuck you hard? Make this car rock until you scream?”

God. He made you melt when he used that tone of voice. “Please.”

“Move here, baby.” Steve manhandled you onto the bench seat beside him. He placed you on your knees, leaning over the seat facing back. Lifting your skirt, he massages his fingers into your ass. “Gorgeous.”

You bit back a whimper as his fingers slipped into you. Gripping the back of the seat, your head tipped as Steve’s nipped at base of your neck as he put a knee on the seat and curled beside you. A shiver slipped down your back. Wet sloppy sounds filled the car as he pumped in his fingers in you cunt. In the confines of the car, your panting and the heat of your bodies quickly steamed the windows.  

“Steve,” you whined. “God, so close.”  

Reaching back, you wrapped your fingers around his cock. Steve groan, tongue running along the curve of your ear. He felt your cunt clench around his fingers. “Fuck, yes, sweetheart.”

Your thighs shook. The tension low in your belly tightened. Fire bloomed, burning out to your toes. Your cried out. Steve held you close, mouth locked onto your shoulder, hand working you through your orgasm.  

Steve pushed his jeans further down and curled behind you. The head of his cock easily slid through your wetness, filling you. “Oh fuck!”

His arm wrapped around your middle, and his other hand gripped the back of the seat beside you. Steve began to pound into you, hard and fast. You cried out, over sensitive nerves exploding. He growled, drowning in the feel of you. The sound and smell of sex filled the car.

“Yes, yes, oh fuck, yes.” Steve chanted. You began to quake. His fingers pulled at your nipple. You exploded. Steve grabbed your shoulder plunging harder into your release. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” You came hard, flooding over his cock, letting out a scream. It drove him over the edge. His hips snapped, pushing in hard, filling you. “Holy shit.”

You felt boneless. Slick ran down your thighs. Muscles twitched. Steve rolled back onto the seat, pulling you into his lap. Your face buried in his neck, breathing in the scent of him. His hand traced up and down your thigh. After a moment he chuckled.

“What?” You sounded drunk.

“We never even made it to the back seat.” He grinned. “Are we supposed to do that in the back seat?”

“Hmm. Probably.” You giggled.

“Well, let’s start the movie over and move to the back.” His voice rumbled in your hair. “You may have to save me from the scary parts again.”

TAGS

@acf2510 / @asiaaisa77​ / @babygurl8840​ / @badassbaker​ / @bangtan-serendipity​ / @beautifullungs​ / @buchanansebba​ / @buckybarneshairpullingkink​ / @cashewsaremyfavourite​ / @daughterofthenight117​ / @dsakita​ / @geeksareunique​ / @imma-new-soul​ / @jennmurawski13​ / @jesseswartzwelder​ / @kiki5283​ / @lbouvet​ / @lovely-lollipops-blog​ / @mcubabydotcom​ / @messenough​ / @michelehansel​ / @mindtravelsx / @morganhoran1671 / @my-favorite-fics-and-imagines​ / @night-cereus​ / @notyourtypicalrose​ / @patzammit​ / @rainbowkisses31​ / @readermia​ / @rynabarnesrogers​ / @sammghgecko / @scarlettsoldier​ / @sebbysstangirl​ / @sexyvixen7​ / @sllooney​ / @thegetawaywriter​  / @theneuropsychwriter​ / @the-omni-princess​ / @the-reading-octopus​ / @thorfanficwriter​ / @unadulteratedwizardlove / @vanillabunn21​ / @vxidnik​ / @what-is-your-plan-today​ / @wildmoonflower​ / @wwe-fanfiction-queen​ / @girlmadeofivory​ / @buckybarnesplumwhore​

[hannahshattuck]

Found Family

Pairing: Clint Barton x Bucky Barnes 

A/N: A prompt that was sent in to @thirsty-thoughts-clubhouse​. I LOVE the winterhawk ship and we always need domestic Avengers in our lives. Send in an Ask or DM to be part of my taglist or a request. Enjoy!

Warnings: lost child, mentions of death, angsty then fluffy, mostly fluffy

Ships Masterlist (TTC) Main Masterlist

Bucky joined the “After Action Clean Up Crew”, as Tony calls it, because he was done with the fighting and wanted to help more. He knew that realistically he would never be able to do enough good to counterbalance the bad he’s done. He’s lucky that he found someone who’s been able to look past all that and see the good in him, even if he didn’t believe there was any.

Shortly after he moved into the Tower, he ran into Clint when he was heading for breakfast. Clint looked like a bus hit him. Bucky knew the man was basically 50% coffee but it seemed even that wasn’t doing him any good. Bucky later found out, when he ended up in the kitchen at three in the morning after a nightmare, that Clint wasn’t sleeping due to the fact that he kept thinking he was under Loki’s spell and was worried he would hurt his teammates. Bucky convinced the archer to lay on the couch and he would watch over him while Clint slept. After that the two became inseparable and then started dating after Natasha and Wanda locked them in the elevator where a very heated make out session ensued. 

Bucky was walking through a collapsed house when he heard a whimper. He stopped walking and listened for the sound again. The whimpered sounded again and it was in the direction of what seemed like the bathroom. The super soldier slowly made his way over there while announcing his presences as to not scare the owner of the sound more.

“Hey. It’s okay. I’m here to help you.” Bucky carefully moved pieces of house out of the way and came across a clawfoot bathtub with a mattress secured over it. It was secured in a way that was protecting and not trapping. He reached for the locks and broke them easily. Another whimper sounded as he moved the mattress. There, curled into a little ball as tight as they could get, was a little girl staring up at Bucky with her blue eyes filled with unshed tears, brown hair, wearing shorts and tee shirt and was barefoot.

“Hi sweetheart.” Bucky smiled as he knelt down next to the tub giving enough space between him and her. “Can you tell me your name?” She shook her head and curled into herself more, if that was possible. “My name is Bucky.”

She looked at him over her knees that were pulled to her chest. “Buh?” 

Bucky smiled bigger. “Yeah, Bucky. Can you tell me your name?” 

“Avery.” She whispered. 

“That’s a really pretty name. Can you tell me how old you are?” The little one held up two of her little fingers. “Two? Wow. You’re so big!” Bucky smiled being silly trying to make him seem less intimidating. She smiled a little bit and Bucky counted that as progress. 

A shine caught her attention. Avery uncurled herself and crawled closer to him and pointed at his metal hand. The only part of his arm that was visible due to the bright yellow long sleeve he was wearing. 

“Pretty.” Avery looked up at Bucky. He flipped his hand over with his palm facing up giving her the option to grab his hand. She placed her tiny hand in Bucky’s big one. “Go?” 

Bucky was shocked. This little girl knew him for maybe a minute and she trusted him enough to go with him.

“You wanna go with me?” Bucky asked. Avery nodded her little head. Bucky’s heart swelled at that. “Alrighty then. I’m going to stand up so I can help you up okay?”

He stood up slowly in order to not scare her with his height. When he stood up all the way, Avery lifted her arms above her head, the universal sign for ‘up please’. Bucky grabbed her little body and lifted her into his arms. Her arms went around his neck and she laid her head on his shoulder, her face turned towards his neck falling asleep. Bucky wasn’t sure how long she was in the tub by herself but it must have been a long time. 

As he walked through the debris of the house he noticed out of the corner of his eye two bodies underneath the rubble. Bucky held under her bottom with his left arm and used him right hand to keep her face into his neck, shielding her from what he can guess is her parents bodies.

He saw the Quinjet he rode in on and Bruce standing on the open ramp. He looked at Bucky walking in with a little one in his arms. Bucky went over to the beds that were attached to one wall of the jet and laid her down. Avery whined a little bit in her sleep not wanting to leave Bucky. 

“Shhh, sweetheart. It’s okay. I’m here.” He brushed the fingers of his flesh hand through her hair to calm her. She calmed down and Bucky grabbed a blanket to cover her little body.

“Ready to go home?” Bruce questioned as the ramp folded in. Bucky nodded not taking his eyes of the little girl that wormed her way into his heart. 

---------------

Clint got the notification that the Quinjet Bucky was on landed and ran all the way to the landing pad. When the ramp folded open he saw his man holding a little body wrapped in a blanket in his arms. Clint skidded to a stop and looked at Bucky with an eyebrow raised.

“Please tell me you didn’t steal a kid.” Clint questioned jokingly until he saw the heartbroken look on his lover’s face. “Where’d you find her?”

Bucky moved so Clint could see her face. She was awake and was looking at Clint warily. “What was left of her house, in a tub with a mattress covering her so she was protected.” Bucky covered her ear that wasn’t pressed against him and lowered his voice, “I saw her parent’s bodies, Clint, and I don’t know how long she was there.” 

“Oh sweetheart.” Clint leaned to see her face and Bucky shifted her to where she could see Clint. “Hi honey. I’m Clint. Do I get to know your name?” She stuck her thumb in her mouth and nodded her head. She poked Bucky’s chest. 

“Oh, you want me to tell him?” Bucky chuckled. She nodded. “This is Avery. And she’s two.”

“Oh my! Two? She’s such a big girl.” Clint tickled her little toes that poke out. Avery let out a little giggle that made the two Avengers heart’s melt. “Are you hungry? I just made dinner. It’s chicken noodle soup.” Avery put her head up and looked at Clint. 

“Noodle soup?” She asked with a gleam in her eyes.

“Do you like noodle soup?” Bucky asked.

She looked at Bucky, “Uh huh!”

“Well let’s go then!” Bucky said and skipped off with Avery to go get ‘noodle soup’.

Avery seemed to take to Bucky which neither man minded. While Bucky fed Avery, Clint ran out to get some necessities like diapers (since they weren’t sure if she was potty trained), jammies, clothes, socks, shoes, sippy cups and bottles, toys, stuffies, books, blankets, some snacks, a highchair, bath stuff such as toys, shampoo, body wash, lotion, and who knows what else Clint bought.

“Did you buy the whole store?” Bucky laughed as Clint walked in with at least ten big bags filled with stuff. 

“I’d rather be over prepared then under prepared!” Clint stated. Bucky rolled his eyes playfully and fed Avery another few bites of soup until she started to refuse.

“Are you all done?” Bucky asked. The little one nodded her head. Clint handed his partner a damp paper towel to clean her up. Once her face was wiped, Bucky picked her up and took her to their shared bedroom. Clint came in with a pair of footie jammies, a diaper, wipes, baby powder, and a stuffie of Thumper from Bambi. The soldier laid her gently on the bed.

“I’m gonna get you out of these clothes okay? We’ll get these cozy jammies on you and give you all the snuggles.” Bucky tickled her tummy. Avery squealed and kicked her legs playfully. 

Both men carefully got her changed not wanting to spook her. After she was changed, each man took turns changing in the bathroom into sweatpants and a tee shirt to sleep in. All three of them got in the king sized bed where Bucky and Clint snuggled her close. Avery’s breathing evened out as she fell asleep her little arms wrapped around the stuffed bunny.

Bucky looked at Clint, “You should have seen where she was. The tub I found her in was the only thing standing. God, babe, who knows what she heard or saw.” Bucky felt tears prick at the corner of his eyes. He looked down at the little body in his arms.

“Hey, it’s okay. What matters is she’s safe now. You know we do have to call child services to see if she has any other family.” Clint wrapped his arms around his lover and the little girl.

“Yeah I know.” Bucky said sadly.

“But let’s put that to the side for now. Okay?” Clint kissed Bucky’s forehead. The brunet nodded his head and cuddled in close to the blond. Both men fell asleep that night hoping for the best for the little girl in their arms.

---------------

It was just over six months since Bucky found Avery. It ended up being she had no other family so she stayed with Bucky and Clint since she was comfortable with them. They introduced her to the rest of the team and Wanda became her favorite, other than the two men who were taking care of her. 

Bucky and Avery became like two peas in a pod. They were always together. Whether it was playing with toys or baking cookies, the other team members would catch them together. Their favorite thing to do was to play with the dolls she slowly accumulated over the months.

Clint stood in the doorway of the room they made as Avery’s watching the two who were laying on their stomachs coloring in an animal coloring book with Avery’s favorite stuffie next to her, Thumper from Bambi. Clint was out planning a big surprise for Bucky’s birthday that’s coming up.

“Papa!” Clint tuned back in as the toddler made her way over to her papa. About three and a half months of being with them she started calling Bucky ‘daddy’ and Clint ‘papa’.

“There’s my bunny.” He picked her up and spun her around, her giggles echoing throughout the room. “Are you having fun with daddy?” 

Avery nodded with a big smile on her face. “We play dollies and color and dance silly!”

“Dance silly?” Clint looked at Bucky with an eyebrow raised. Bucky sighed playfully and stood up.

“We had a dance party after lunch. And when you’re dancing with a toddler you gotta dance silly.” Bucky explained.

“Ah gotcha. Well, maybe next time I can join.” Clint gave Bucky a peck on the lips.

“Eewwww!” Avery exclaimed covering her eyes playfully. Both men looked at each other smirking before they attacked her with kisses. Her giggles once again filled the small space.

“Alright my sillies. How ‘bout dinner time? Whadda want?” Clint asked situating the toddler on his hip better.

“Noodle soup!!” Avery screamed. Both men laughed knowing she would express her love for the meal that became her favorite.

---------------

Bucky groaned as something jumped on his back. He heard little giggles and someone shushing. He knew exactly who it was but continued to pretend to be asleep. 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!” 

Bucky pretended to snore which made more giggles erupt. Little hands gripped his shoulders and shook him with all their strength.

“Daddy! Wake up! It’s your birthday!” A now three year old exclaimed. Clint and Bucky found out that Avery’s birthday was the day before Bucky’s which constituted for celebration all week long. 

Bucky reached his left arm the three year old and tackled her into the middle of the bed and snuggled her tight.

“Mmmm. Imma snuggle my favorite teddy bear.” He gently squished the girl into him.

“I not teddy bear daddy!” Avery giggled. 

Bucky opened one eye to look at her. “What?! You’re not my teddy bear.”

Avery kissed his cheek. “Silly daddy.”

“Yep, daddy’s silly alright. Hey Av. You wanna give daddy his present now?” Clint asked. Bucky looked toward him and saw the other man had something hidden behind his back.

“Now! Now!” Avery pulled herself free from Bucky’s grip. She sat on her knees as Bucky sat up and Clint sat the edge of Bucky’s side. The blond handed the girl a large orange envelope which she handed to the super soldier. “Open open!”

“Okay okay!” Bucky chuckled. He turned it over and carefully undid the flap. He pulled out a thick stack of papers. Bucky pulled them out all the way and read the top page.

He looked at Clint with tears in his eyes. “Are you serious?” His voice cracked.

Clint nodded with a watery smile. “Yeah, baby. She’s gonna being ours. I talked to the social worker and all we have to do is sign the papers and then a court date will be set.” 

Bucky set the papers down and grabbed the front of Clint’s shirt to pull him in for a emotional kiss. When they pulled away both men were crying happy tears.

“Daddy? Papa? Sad?” Avery couldn’t understand why her soon to be parents were crying.

“No honey. We’re not sad, sweetheart. Happy tears.” Bucky pulled her into a tight hug. “Happy tears, sweetheart.”

The soon to be family of three continued to hug each other as the men cried tears of joy.

Shortly after Bucky’s birthday, the two men officially adopted the girl they’ve called their daughter since the beginning. All the Avengers spoiled the new family. Steve offered to paint a family portrait, Sam and Natasha partnered to get the family a good family car, Tony decided to build a state of the art bed for the little girl who suffered from infrequent nightmares, Pepper said they were welcomed to stay in the tower for as long as they need or want, Bruce and Helen Cho would take care of anything medical for Avery, and Maria, Phil, and Fury assured the family they won’t be called for awhile unless absolutely necessary. 

Clint and Bucky were thankful for everyone and everything. Even though the men didn’t really talk about having a family before Bucky found their daughter, they wouldn’t have changed it for anything. Sure the circumstances were not the best but they were able to give a little girl a safe place to be. A family and a home.

Tags: @patzammit​ @sherlocksmanwatson​ @katiew1973​ @rocketrhap3000​ @emilyisreallycool14​ @harrysthiccthighss​

[smol-and-grumpy]

Something Just Like This - CH38

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: Dean Winchester, mobster boss. He’s a little cocky, a lot ruthless and more often than not, short tempered. But he’s also, Dean Winchester, a war veteran and hero who suffers under a shit ton of PTS. He met her in a bar and thinks it’s fate that brought her to him. Little does he know why she’s really here.

Warnings: Relationship fluff, implied smut, a sprinkle of angst

WC: 4486

SERIES MASTERLIST

Y/N wakes up with Dean breathing down her neck. 

“Dean,” She says, pushing back a little to get him awake.

“Jesus, what?” 

She giggles. Dean’s always so cranky when he gets woken up. His sleeping schedule has changed completely since he’s not working anymore and even more since he takes care of her. To her, it feels like he’s been catching up on sleep that he’s missed since the day he came back from the war.

“Today’s the day.” She says, and turns inside the covers, hitting her cast against his shin.

“Fucking Christ, Y/N!” Dean shouts out in pain.

“Sorry.” She whispers and Dean lies on his back, spreads his arm out and lets her crawl in. 

“It’s okay, just be careful. What’s today?” He asks but she thinks he knows. She’s been talking about it or a week! Counting back the days and hours leading up to it.

“The cast?” She says anyway, rubbing it into his face.

“Oh, the cast!”

 *

 They’re sitting in the hospital where she has an appointment for a last check up. She has to undergo a last x-ray that’s why they couldn’t let Sergei remove it. 

Dean’s sitting beside her in the examination room after she took the x-ray, mindlessly browsing through his phone when she feels something warm between her thighs. She whimpers softly.

Of course Dean hears it, and leans closer, whispering to her, “What is it?” There’s a look of concern on his face and he puts his phone back into his pocket.

She blushes and there’s the door opening, the doctor comes in with x-ray in hand. 

Leaning to Dean before the doctor sits down, she whispers back, “Your cum just ran out.”

Dean’s jaw drops and he swallows hard, tries to make a straight face when the doctor starts to talk about her injury.

She hides her smirk.

It was kind of an accident this morning. Dean had helped her with the plastic bag for her cast before she showered, only thing was that she was already naked and really, one thing led to another and she found herself pinned to the shower walls with Dean’s cock rocking up into her. 

He had asked her where she wanted him to come and honestly, there’s not many places that she likes it, and she likes it most when he comes deep inside. 

Dean was taken aback, but he was so close he couldn’t even pull out anymore even if he wanted to.

That leads them to now, where his cum is leaking out of her and she knows that Dean likes the idea. Loves it when he knows that she leaks him. Maybe not really while she sits at the doctors with him checking her ankle while she wears a skirt, and the doctor could technically see her damp panties. 

She flinches every time another blob of cum runs out of her, and the doctor thinks he hurt her while he works on her cast and all Dean does is grinning like an idiot every time she flinches. 

The doctor asks her about her pain level, hands her another pack of painkillers just in case and with that, they’re off.

Dean’s hand is on the back of her neck, squeezing as he walks her to the car. “Fuck, I had a hard time concentrating in there knowing you’re leaking me while the doc could see it.”

He pushes her against his car, her back hits the rough door, and kisses her rough and hard before his hand disappears underneath her skirt to rub at her clit through the damp panties. Dean slips a finger inside, runs it through the thick slick of his own cum before he groans into the kiss. His finger comes back out and he brushes the slick finger at her lips, she sucks it in, which makes Dean groan out even louder and he pushes his hips forward, making her feel how hard he is.

“Can’t wait to get you home,” He growls, parts from her and opens the car door for her. 

“What will you do when you get me home?” Her grin is cocky, just how he likes it and she knows.

Dean leans his elbow on the car, whispers to her in a low dark voice, “Oh, you’ll see.”

He slams the door close and runs to his side, gets in and starts the engine. He drives off with a screech, takes Baby to its limits.

Y/N has to laugh as they’re on the road, folds her left leg up on the bench and turns her body towards him. She watches him for a while, looks at the vein in his neck, Dean’s biting on the finger of the hand that’s not on the steering wheel.

“Stop looking at me like that.” He drawls, it’s loud and deep. 

“Looking at you how?” She’s baffled.

Dean frowns, “I know that look alright, it’s when you’re up to no good.” And with his next breath he adds, “The answer is no.”

She moves forward anyway, grins stupidly as she lowers herself down, lays her hand on his thigh.

“Baby,” His voice vibrates, it’s some kind of a warning, she knows that, it’s just… she doesn’t really care. 

Her hands work on his belt, and Dean groans, looks down to her, a crease between his eyebrows. She palms his cock through his pants, feels it hard underneath the cotton of his jeans. “Seriously, I don’t have any cops on my payroll anymore. We’ll be in so much trouble.”

Her fingers already lower his zipper down, and she looks up at him, pouts a little too, for the effect.

“Please, daddy?”

She can see Dean’s hand tightens on the steering wheel as he lets out a loud moan upon hearing her say the word. He can’t resist the combination of all the things that triggers his fancy, and she’s missed that. Missed how easy she can rile him up. How easy it is to get him to cave in, because he’s doing just that, as his hand goes to her head to push back a strand of hair that’s fallen in her face, while her fingers lower down his zipper. Dean doesn’t say anything, only looks at her like she’s the only thing that matters.

  The week leading up to the wedding is uneventful. She’s back to drawing and painting mostly to kill the time, tries to find a purpose in life again since she now literally has nothing else to do and no injury to recover from. 

Maybe, Y/N thinks, she can talk Dean into letting her work on the new house with him. Because that’s the place where he’s at most of the time since she’s cast-less. He wants to get some things done before he could show it to her and he’s excited for it like a kid on Christmas morning. 

She usually stays up until he’s home, mostly watching crime documentaries on Netflix and cuddling with Bubbles. She misses Cuddles, missed that old grumpy cat and she still blames herself for leaving him behind. 

It’s three days until the wedding and she’s been out and bought a dress, found some nice flats to go with it and cozies herself up with a container of ice cream when she hears the turning of a key in the lock. 

Dean comes in, walks to the couch to greet her and bubbles. He smells like plaster and varnish. He steals a spoonful of ice cream, before stealing a kiss from her. “Be right out.” He says and she knows it’s because he goes to take a shower. 

Sometimes Dean would come back to see her taking a bath and upon seeing it, he undressed hastily to join her. They also manage to go to Bobby's once when Dean came home earlier. That was nice. Bobby was delighted to see her, even though she was scared to go there at first, still thinks that Dean’s people will hate her. 

After she eats half of the container, Dean comes out of the bedroom, dressed only in his pj pants, his hair and body still damp. She clenches her jaw, because the sight does something to her. The sight being him shirtless, with damp ruffled up hair. He comes closer and she can see all the little freckles sprayed on his body. 

“Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” She asks, raises one eyebrow, not that she minds, though.

Dean sits down next to her, one finger hooks into the collar of her shirt, pulling at it a little. “Because you’re wearing my shirt.”

Oh.

Yeah, that’s right. 

He usually comes home and changes into a shirt after showering and he wears the same shirt for a couple of days, because he usually sleeps shirtless, only wears it to sit with her on the sofa. Today she missed him, so she took the liberty to wear it because it smells like him and she loves that.

“C’mere.” Dean spreads his arm and she climbs into his lap, the ice cream container still in her hand and all. 

Y/N lays her head on his shoulder, and Dean kisses her forehead before he takes the container out of her hand. 

“Yeah, take it before I empty it.” She says and buries her face into the crook of his neck. She sniffs him, his scent totally makes her light headed.

He laughs, eats the ice cream and watches TV with her for a while wordlessly. She likes that too, next to talking or sex. She likes how comfortable they are in their silence. She doesn’t always need to talk and she doesn’t always need him to talk. Sometimes it can be really great to just sit here and not talk at all. 

When the show ends, the ice cream is gone and Dean gave it to her to set it on the coffee table, because she’s still on his lap and he couldn’t move. She takes the remote, zaps through some channels to see if there’s anything on.

“Can I ask you something?” Dean asks out of the blue.

“Sure.” She says, not sure where this is going but they make it a habit to answer anything truthfully.

She looks up at him and his finger comes up to paint over her face. Painting the line of her eyebrows, down her nose, the crease around her lips. As if he wants to memorize her with the tip of his fingers.

“Why did you think I could ever be happy? I mean, without you.” 

He’s talking about the letter she left, she knows that. Sometimes, he would ask her things that crossed his mind. There’s still a lot of why’s and what ifs that they need to work through.

Y/N throws her arms around his neck, lays her forehead to his face, feels his bread scratchy and somehow soft. “Because,” She says, “When you love someone, all you want is for that person to be happy, even if you’re not part of that happiness.”

“It’s bullshit, though.” 

“Language!” She warns him.

Dean sighs, “That’s bullcrap!”

“Why?”

Dean’s arms come up around her and he places his lips to her forehead and mumbles into her skin, “Because there’s really no happiness when you’re not part of it.”

 ***

 Anna and Cas’ wedding is upstate and Y/N is packing her things because Dean said that he’s booked into a hotel nearby so that they wouldn’t have to make the long drive back after. 

She’s already dressed in her navy blue cocktail dress as he walks in wearing a fucking suit, he still looks like a walking billboard ad for an expensive perfume and she thinks that it’s probably never going to change. Dean manages to look flawless with everything he wears and it’s really not fucking fair.

He’s never seen her dress before so he takes some time to take in the view before he opens his mouth to ask, “Not red?”

“It’s a wedding, I don’t wanna stand out and steal the thunder.”

Dean chuckles at that, walks closer and bends down to kiss her. “Well, you do steal my heart.”

“Ugh. So cheesy."

“Hey!”

They laugh and he picks up their bag. She wonders why they had to dress up already when they could do it there in the hotel but Dean makes up some excuses and what does she know. She’s just his ‘plus one’ anyway. Today’s certainly not about her. And also not really about Dean, even though she needs to tell him something that’s been nagging her. She decides that it could wait. Doesn’t want to ruin the mood, especially not when there’s an almost two hours drive ahead of them with no way to escape each other should things get awkward.

 *

 It’s a beautiful place which Cas — or rather Anna — has chosen for the wedding. An old manor, with a big white pavilion in the middle of a meadow. A square wooden dance floor off to a side, tables set up all in white to the other side. There’s a flower arch in the back too, with white chairs lined up for the ceremony. 

Y/N wonders if her wedding would be similar to this as well. Wonders if the man standing next to her would be Dean. She doesn’t even know if Dean wants to get married at all and if yes, would she be the one he would want to marry?

Although she likes the set up and thinks it’s lovely, she still thinks that it would be too much for herself. A little too over the top. She would want something smaller. Only a handful of good friends and people, maybe in a backyard. There’s no need to really rent out anything and make a big fuss about it. But she doesn’t judge, people are different and that’s okay as it is.

They were amongst the first ones to arrive because Dean wants to be here for Cas. They find him in the manor, off in a room by himself.

Dean went straight in, hugged his friend and did some prep talk. It’s a while before Cas even notices her. She’s a little shy, didn’t have time to go and meet them beforehand since she’s been back.

“Hey, Y/N,” Cas’ voice is steady, calm. Although he’s nervous, she can see that.

“Hi Cas,” She smiles and the dark haired man opens his arms for a hug. She goes in willingly. “Congratulations!”

“Thanks,” Cas says, “It’s good to have you back.”

“No hard feelings?”

“No hard feelings from me.” Cas nods before he looks over to Dean, “Well, I can imagine that someone was hard, though.”

Y/N laughs as Dean puts Cas into a headlock.

Dean and Cas were talking and she knows that Dean pulls out everything he’s got to distract his friend. She wonders if she should go find Anna, at least introducing herself because she’s never seen the woman before but then again, she thinks that Anna probably has a lot to worry about right now and she shouldn’t interrupt her. There’s still time for when they all will be less stressed.

 *

 She sits between Jess and Gabriel when the wedding starts and Dean’s standing next to Cas in front of the arch. God he looks good and she can’t help but think about a wedding where Dean is the groom. How he would stand there and wait for the bride, a smile on his face as big as Cas’. He sees her and winks, and she blushes at that, afraid that he can read her mind.

The music starts and Anna walks in, a wedding gown in champagne color and oh god, she looks so beautiful with her red hair and all, there’s a little bump which is perfectly  accentuated by the dress Anna’s wearing. Dean had told her that Anna’s pregnant and she couldn’t be happier for Cas.

Y/N frowns at first because Anna looks damn familiar and then it hits her.

“Is Anna’s name Milton?” She whispers and asks Gabriel. 

“Yeah, why?”

“Ah, nevermind.” She says, but in reality, she does mind because her heart starts to pump faster. 

That’s Anna Milton. Brad Milton's big sister. Her ex-boyfriend’s big sister. And she knows her, she knows his mother. She looks around and spots the mother and Brad in the first row. 

Ah, that’s just really great.

*

After the wedding Dean comes to find her, wants to introduce her to Anna but she holds him back before he could drag her over. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” Dean’s one hand is on the small of her back.

“I know Anna.”

“Okay? From where?” He frowns a little but he’s not really irritated.

She sighs, “My boyfriend in high school, Brad. She’s his sister. I know their whole family.”

Okay, maybe Dean is a little irritated. Because he frowns some more, the creases between his eyebrows deepens as his lips try to form words.

“The one who took your virginity?” 

“Dean!” She shushes him, he’s so loud! She can only hope nobody heard him and whispers, “Yeah, but that was a long time ago, alright?”

“But you two still text and all that.” Dean hisses now.

Yeah, she forgot that they do, haven’t done it for a while though, but Dean didn’t miss the fact that they still keep in touch because she told him when they came clean about their lives.

“Once every six month probably, yeah. We parted as friends.”

“Huh,” Dean exhales.

“Look, I just wanted to tell you because I don’t want you finding it out from someone else around here, okay?”

“I need a drink.” Dean says and turns to leave.

She grabs at his arm, hard enough to make him turn back around. “Dean.”

Dean clenches his jaw, he doesn’t say anything, looks past her head, his gaze lost in the crowd. But she doesn’t say anything either, just waits til the storm inside of him is over. 

After a while, Dean lowers his face, his hands come up to cradle around her cheeks, thumbs tracing along her skin, “I’ll be right back. Wait, okay?”

“Okay,” 

And with that, he’s off to the bar.

He once told her that he’d like to kill all the men before him because they have found her first but what would he do to someone who was her first sexual experience? She doesn’t want to know, hopes that it won’t be a big issue because they’re adults now, right?

Dean comes back about ten minutes later, cradles the back of her neck and pulls her into a kiss, “‘M sorry,” He says, and he tastes of whiskey. “I’m trying to change, try not to be jealous and think that everyone could take you away from me. Please be patient with me?”

Her frown disappears and instead, there’s a smirk on her face. “Of course.”

“Good,” Dean smiles back, pecks her lips once more, “Okay, come on, gotta parade you around.”

Dean takes her hand, drags her to Cas and Anna and she’s actually surprised that Anna still remembers her and she hugs her so tight Y/N has a hard time breathing. Brad’s not around so at least there’s that. Dean doesn’t seem to be irritated anymore, or maybe he’s just really good at hiding it.

 *

 In the evening, Dean’s helping Cas’ with something when she stands off to the side of the dance floor, smiles as she sees happy faces and some who are drunk off their heads trying to dance, when she hears a familiar voice next to her.

“Ah, I finally caught you alone.” Brad comes to stand next to her, his hands in his pockets, as if he’s a little shy, maybe he is, because they haven’t seen each other for such a long time. He hasn’t changed, still has a big grin on his face, that charming golden boy smile and he’s overall just really adorable looking, like he used to be. She hugs him briefly before they watch the dancers together. “You want a drink?” 

“No, thanks.”

“Mind if I get one?”

“Why should I mind?”

“I just want you to stay where you are, can you do that? I wanna talk and catch up.”

She nods, “Yeah, sure.”

Brad nods back before he dashes to the open bar and is back before the song is even over. He sips his drink, holds it out to her and she shakes her head. “I forgot, you’re not a big drinker.” 

“I just don’t really feel like it.” She shrugs, which is probably weird because they’re at the wedding. Eating and drinking is all people do here. 

Brad stands there, one hand in his pants pocket and one hand holding his drink. “Never thought you’d know the bad guys, Y/N.” 

She turns her head, looks at Brad. “You know what they did?” 

“Yeah,” Brad says, “We’ve all known but Anna loves Cas so we turned a blind eye, as long as he didn’t pull us all in, we were good with the relationship. Not that it had mattered much. You know my sister, she’s as stubborn as can be.”

She chuckles, “Yeah. Remember how she was furious that we broke up?”

Brad rolls his eyes, “She blamed me even two years later. Said that I let the best thing that ever happened to me slip through my hands.”

“Awe, she was exaggerating.” She says and her eyes wander around, sees Anna and Cas on the dance floor now. Which must also mean that Dean’s around here somewhere.

“I don’t think she was,” Brad drinks up, “She was kinda right. I liked what we had but then your father died and you weren’t you anymore, you know?”

She nods to that, “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry.”

People are clapping their hands, applauding the band and soon they start up a new song. 

“Don’t be. It’s understandable. It’s just if I could go back, I would probably help you more, you know? Not being so selfish and only thinking about my own future. Yours mattered too and you were hurt and angry and I wasn’t there.”

“Brad, really,” She says, putting one of her hands on the wrist of his hand that’s holding the now empty drink, “It’s okay. I’m okay now, ain’t I?”

Brad snorts out a laugh, “Yeah, you are. Quite the catch you got there, Y/N.” 

She blushes at that. 

“Say,” Brad starts, “Does he make you happy? I mean, are you happy?”

She’s a little taken aback by the question and she might take a little too long to answer because she spots Dean in the crowd. His eyes on her as he dances with Anna’s grandmother. The woman is all over Dean, pressing her face into his chest and Y/N couldn’t help but grin. Dean sees her too, most likely he did see Brad standing next to her either because a flinch of irritation crosses Dean’s face before he’s smiling at something the grandmother says. Dean winks at Y/N then before he continues to swirl the grandma along the dance floor.

“Is that him? With my grandma?” Brad asks.

“Yeah,” She answers with a smile. 

Brad’s laughing, “Granny can get handsy, I hope he’s okay with that.”

“Oh, I think he’ll manage.” She joins in with Brad’s laughter.

The music stops and the crowd claps as the singer announces the first official dance of Mr. and Mrs. Novak. 

Dean apparently manages to break free from Brad’s grandmother and he walks in her direction.

“Hey,” Dean greets them both and she sees that he’s met Brad before. Of course he has because he’s Cas’ best man and they probably went out for dinner and what not with the whole family already at least once. Dean probably even befriended Brad without knowing that he was her ex. 

Dean weaves his arm around her waist, holds her there and pulls her towards him, kisses the top of her head. “You okay?” 

She looks up and smiles, “Yeah, are you? Brad said that his grandma can be handsy.”

Brad’s laughing at the comment and Dean purses his lips before he says, “Well, she did ask me if I wanna join her for a drink in her room after the party, so.”

“You know,” Brad jumps in, “If I wouldn’t know my granny, I’d think that you’d be joking. But it does sound like her.”

“What did you say?” She asks Dean.

“Said I’m already spoken for by the prettiest girl around here.” Dean smiles, bends down to kiss her. 

“Knowing her, she’d say that it was her, didn’t she?” Brad’s grinning, unfazed by their PDA. 

Dean turns his head, rolls his eyes at Brad, “Yeah.” 

The men both laugh and Brad starts to tell Dean other anecdotes about his flirty grandmother, and that’s when she thinks that Dean has changed. That he’s trying to change. Trying to get away from his usual jealous self. He trusts her, she knows. She has won back his trust and she’s very happy about that.

  They watch the dancers for a while until a girl comes up and asks Brad for a dance. Dean wonders if she wanted to ask Dean first but saw that Dean’s arm is around Y/N and the girl wanted to save her face so she asked the next best guy around. Because the girl has been giving him eyes the whole night already. It actually really doesn’t matter, he thinks. 

Brad accepts with a smile, leads the girl to the dance floor but before that, Y/N holds Brad back, “I owe you an answer,” She says, “I am. I hope you are too.” 

Brad nods, “Good. And yes, I am, too. That’s all that matters, Y/N.”

They watch the girl pull Brad in the middle of the dance floor, smile as he spins her around. 

“He’s a good dancer.” Dean says, is probably a little surprised how she could be so terrible when her ex boyfriend is so good.

She drives her elbow into his side, making Dean flinch, “What are you trying to say?”

“Nothing.” Dean knows when to stop. There will be no winner coming out of a petty argument. Instead he asks, “What did he ask you?”

Y/N looks up to him with a bright smile, “If I’m happy.”

“Are you?” Dean’s arm goes around her.

“Uh-huh,” She wraps her arms around his middle and Dean cradles her face, making her look up at him.

“Uh-huh?” 

“Yeah.” She smiles.

He lowers his face, kisses her forehead, her nose, her lips. “Come on,” He then says, releases her grip and takes her hand, pushing his way through the crowd and she follows, no question asked.

CH39

[kyberled]

SENTENCE STARTERS: LET’S PLAY CYBERPUNK RED, EPISODE 1 PART 1

A collection of prompts and starters taken from the first episode of Polygon’s Cyberpunk Red campaign series: [x] 

Content warnings for death, strong language, and mentions of violence and drug use. 

Feel free to change names and pronouns as needed!

“We’re recovering from several man-made disasters, and kites are popular again.”

“Oops, that’s too much armpit.” 

“I don’t know who you know.” 

“You will be remembered.” 

“You’re not allowed to say that word on here, my dude!” 

“Boop, banned!” 

“Headshot! ... Sorry.” 

“There is maybe a job down there for us, and I could use a lift.” 

“Do you want me to come up and meet you up there, or  do you wanna come down here?”

“Doc, these guys gonna be okay?” 

“He was sliced and diced and blown apart.” 

“Saw a really sad thing today.” 

“I’m not sure how we’re going to get paid for this, actually.”

“Sometimes, you get paid in other things, like trust or friendship.” 

“Exposure!!!” 

“Let’s mop up these two dipshits and figure out who did it, then hit their head several times.”

“I just realized I called these dead people dipshits.” 

“I know all of this because he was saying it in Alf roleplay.” 

“They’re very fast, but they’re faster the wealthier you are.” 

“And they’re all like, armed, right?”

“Yeah. They’re super armed.”

“Work up a gentle demeanor, if I can.”

“This one? This one? That one? This one?”

“I’ve got a lot of cool.” 

“I promise you... You will not die.” 

“I mean, everyone dies, [NAME]. You shouldn’t promise that to someone.”

“But what I’m saying is it won’t be my fault.”

“I am so sorry for this situation.” 

“Just gonna pretend that didn’t happen.” 

“I don’t think they were looking for [NAME].”

“I think they were looking for SOMEBODY.” 

“You guys are really fuckin’ bad at this.” 

“I’ll admit, I can be a little bit bad bad at comforting folks who need it. But I’ll tell ya’, I’m really good at pounding peoples’ skulls into concrete over and over again, until they tell me exactly what I would like to know.” 

“Did you mean to threaten this guy?” 

“All I wanna know is what happened here, so we don’t have another mess to mop up. And that mess I’m talking about is potentially... You.” 

“I mean, steal from the rich, no harm done!”

“And snort what you get.” 

“It is what you said, it’s what you implied. Are you going back on your word?” 

“If I knew, I’d have blackmail, and I wouldn’t be here.” 

“Reach out if you ever need anything.”

“Reach out if you ever need anything, and I was mostly kidding about the head bouncing stuff. But I will do it! But I was mostly kidding.” 

“Call me if you need to know anyone.” 

“We’re not best friends, but I just thought it would give that parasocial relationship to people.” 

“Guys, don’t say other things.” 

“You’re making it sound like there’s more than one person-- There’s only one person in the bathroom, and it’s me, [NAME]!”

“I just needed a little bit of help in here. It’s nothing to worry about.” 

“And we WILL wash our hands.” 

“Can you wait until we’re out of the bathroom to talk about this?”

“It wasn’t even weird!”

“It was very weird.”

“And wash your hands!”

“This one’s zooted.” 

“Leaving it a little open-ended, there, [NAME].”

“Soft touch.” 

“Your eyes are so gentle.” 

“... That’s a good argument.” 

“I got some papers, don’t worry how I got ‘em.” 

“I’m sorry, that was really defensive. I came at you with all that defensive energy.” 

“I can get one, if ya’ need!” 

“I’d like you to remember that I helped you, and someday, maybe, when I need you...” 

“That’s not what I’m gonna need you for, but, thank you.” 

“What’s up everyone, I just walked into a locked room.” 

“Wow, special treat for you guys today!”

“Wow, special treat for you guys today: It’s two locked doors.”

“I guess it’s a bust for today.” 

“Your... Co-dependent.... Thing, is very strange.” 

“Is this like a riddle?” 

“Do you like to pick your own lock?”

“I sometimes pick my own lock, like, to practice.”

“Your lock’s been picked.” 

“My door’s been picked?!”

“I’m old school, what can I say.”

“If they just wanted to destroy it, why wouldn’t they just destroy it?”

“You’re blowing my mind, here.”

“We can stop it.”

“You don’t need to hate [NAME], you just need to love money.”

“I was already in the van-- I wasn’t in the van, but I got in the van because I wanted to come see you.” 

“I think you got, maybe one of those three is right.” 

“I ain’t never heard of him, no.” 

“Shit. I could’ve done this my fuckin’ self.” 

“I’ll look it up for you, you’ll owe me a favor.” 

“[NAME], this guy’s dead.”

“[NAME]’s dead, he died six years ago.” 

“You’re asking the important questions, [NAME].”

“Privacy is nonexistent.” 

“I don’t wanna meet a ghost.” 

“Forsooth! We’re here.” 

“I don’t see any problems with the plan.” 

“It is striking me as very strange, now that I’m thinking about it.” 

“We both drive. ... I also drive. It’s a-- Two-person... Driving... Car.” 

“I have trouble with the break and the gas at the same time.” 

“He just sits on my lap.” 

“And you shouldn’t! And you don’t.” 

“It was like on the news.”

“It’s really hot out in the van, can I get a CapriSun?”

“I already peed.” 

“Put your smart thoughts in my dumb head.” 

“It’s a very strange slogan.” 

“I’m so glad we’re sitting down for this drink.” 

“This was, like, a decade ago, which is like 100 years ago.” 

“You guys aren’t cops, right?” 

“We’re not cops.” 

“We split a paycheque.” 

“The ol’ waitin’ game.” 

“Let’s use our two braincells.” 

“If honesty if cool, let’s be honest.”

“Fuck yeah, come on! Shoot it into my fuckin’ veins, baby!”

“Thanks a lot, buddy. Thanks a fucking lot.”

“Welcome to this most righteous cafe.” 

“Garcon! First, I would like you to tell me what an egg cream is, and then, I would like an egg cream.” 

“I brought a juice box from the car.” 

“This fuckin’ rules!” 

“Is he super hot?”

“We did it! We heisted! We killed some people! Could we be any cooler?”

“I hope it’s the fucking cast of Friends!” 

“I’m not gonna stop you from doing that.” 

“Who the fuck is this jabroni?” 

“Name’s [NAME]. Just passing through, looking for a bit of information.” 

“I don’t wanna be too forward here, but unless you’re willing to talk with me on this particular topic, your love life ain’t gonna be the only thing that’s D.O.A.”

“That’s really good shit talk.”

“You’re gonna badmouth me and my besties?”

“You gonna come in here and sass us?”

“Well, you can bully [NAME]. He’ll just fuckin’ sit there and take it.”

“I will toss your salad and scramble your eggs.”

“You’re gonna talk right now, or you’re cancelled.” 

“This is our town!” 

“How you doin’?”

“Fuck you! Thank you.” 

“No, not that - why did you shoot people?” 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to escalate.” 

“I don’t live on the streets, I have a perfectly adequate apartment.”

“I’m sorry, that’s on me.” 

“You guys know the person you’re trying to blackmail is dead?”

“I guess it isn’t your day, your month, or your year? ... Or your week?” 

“Hey, okay! I mean, where the fuck did you come from, but yeah, this guy gets us!” 

“I did just say that your blackmail’s useless.” 

“And that’s where you should stop that sentence!” 

“In the shipping business, that’s what we call... I don’t know what we call it.”

“It’s a goof-’em-up.” 

“The problem with trucks, is, uh... Have you ever seen a bird?”

“Have you ever seen a bird that just really scared you?” 

“I’ve seen a video of a bird.” 

“If you have to steal, I don’t give a shit. Steal from somewhere else.” 

“So fuck you, I guess, fuck you.”

“I’m so sweaty, it’s so hot in here.”

“I’ll delete your accounts!” 

“You think you’re a big man.” 

“You mother fucker! I can’t believe you’d do this, to ME!”

“You just killed a man! In cold blood!” 

“I wish somebody had told you it was gonna be this way.” 

“Well, I hate to see people leave the forum.”

“I’m a moderator, this is just physical moderating.” 

“I did do that.” 

“And now we’re fighting back to back!”

“Aw, we’re the real besties.” 

“I’m very proud of all of you.”

“I’m very proud of all of you, and I’m certain that will last this whole time.” 

“I feel like I shouldn’t have a shotgun.” 

“Ba-bum bum ba-da-ba-da--” (gunshot)

“I can’t fucking follow that up!” 

“So I don’t fuckin’ care.” 

“What now?! WHAT NOW?!” 

“You guys need to leave!” 

“Way ahead of ya’, mac!”

“Way ahead of ya’, mac!” (smashes through the window)

“You did a great job of just destroying this woman.” 

“I hope these people never see me again, I don’t want to come back here.” 

“Make sure to like and subscribe!” 

“We haven’t killed anybody, have we?” 

“Let’s wrap this up right now, or I’ve got a feeling there won’t be a reunion show.” 

“Okay, okay, you guys are not cool.”

“We being chill about this?”

“I don’t know what we’re gonna do with this thing, it’s useless.”

“You keep saying that, and I keep not believing you.”

“Find somebody else to rob.”

“Find somebody else to rob. Rob somebody with money.”

“Did any of you see the thing that I did where I put the guy’s head on the counter and I hit him with a stool two or three times?” 

“[NAME], if you can promise to fight that well, I can get a lot more jobs for you.” 

“I’d also love to just hang out, if that’s a thing you would be interested in.” 

“You guys had to be there.”

“[NAME] jumped through a window.” 

“Avast! Above, I see... [NAME]!”

“Let’s just say we had to wine and dine ‘em.”

“I hit a guy in the head with a stool.”

“Let’s just say we had to wine and dine ‘em. ... I hit a guy in the head with a stool.” 

“That sounds about right, yeah.” 

“The only reason you’ve been surviving this long is because of the philanthropy of others.”

“I’m too smart for this.” 

“I think we took care of them.”

“If I were them, I wouldn’t come back around here.”

“But they are still alive.”

“If you decide that you do want them dead, you know who to call.” 

“And thanks again for everything you do. ... Oh, by the way, [NAME] died.” 

[ciggylungz]

Boys are weird

BUTTERFLIES AND BANDAIDS- chapter 4

Boys are weird

••

The boy stared down at his best friend. Eyes locked on hers, trying to figure out what to say. His train of thought was halted when he heard a little giggle from Y/N

"I was just joking Haz, you look like you're gonna pass out...am I that ugly?" She stuck her tongue out at the boy and he just shook his head letting out a little chuckle himself.

"Not at all love, just caught me off guard is all" his fingers went up to pinch her cheek before dropping back on her bed. He tried to push the thought out of his head, but he does wonder about how Y/N's lips would feel on his, not just his cheek or forehead like he's used to.

He imagines they'd feel soft, they're rather full and plump. He thinks they'd feel like a little pillows against his. Her cherry chapstick leaving a little layer of grease on his, but he wouldn't mind.

He was brought out of his little day dream by the girl herself, "Harry are you listening to me?" He looked up at her and blinked a few times "sorry love, mind drifted. What were you saying?"

The young girl gave him a little playful eye roll. "I asked how I look, these jeans are new I got them because Emma said they make my butt looks good, thoughts?" She did a little spin and he huffed

"Not gonna comment on your body little love. You know you're beautiful, looks great" he gave her a smile and she returned it.

"Thanks stinky" her little hand held his cheek as she kissed his other one, smiling at him.

"No problem dummy" he blew her a kiss before sitting up and cracking his back.

"You really gonna go to Eli's house? I really don't think it's a good idea, got a bad feeling sweetheart."

He crossed his arms over his broad chest and his eye brows pinched together. The younger girl looked up at him with a tilted head

"What do you mean?"

Harry let out a low sigh and ran his fingers through his chocolate locks trying to find a way to warn her without being a dick.

"Well, sometimes guys can be jerks. Some guys don't have good intentions, they want selfish things and some guys don't take no for an answer and that's what I'm afraid of. Not ever gonna let someone hurt you if I can help it. You're my best friend, still see you like the little girl I met. Just as protective over you as I am over my mum and sister. Care about you sweetheart."

He gave her a warm smile after speaking and she took a second to let it sink in. Looking back at him a nervous look on her pretty eyes

"What do you think he wants from me?"

Her fingers toyed with the hem of her sweater when she asked, nervous energy evident with the slight shake of her fingers.

"I don't know bunny, that's what I'm scared of." He brought his fingers up to push a few curls from her face, rubbing his thumb on her blushing cheeks.

"Okay...I'll tell him I'll reschedule with him...do you wanna do something together instead?"

He gave her a smile, nodding and twirling her hair around his pointer finger.

"Course, always wanna hangout with my girl. Can go to that diner we like tonight? Steal a couple beers from your brothers stash and have a little movie night?"

Y/N smiled at the offer, nodding and holding her hand up, palms smacking and pinkies locking as they did their handshake, purely muscle memory at this point.

"Sounds good. Think Luke is at his friends anyway, he won't care. But for now let's go get some snacks and I gotta get tampons so let's go to the pharmacy."

Harry let out a groan, he may be her best friend but he's never super into hearing about periods or her needs for period products.

"Relax, you're so dramatic. I don't start till next week but I wanna just get them now cus Lily used the last of them, I'm paying for the snacks this time so be nice or I'll eat all of them myself"

She poked his chest and he just nodded chuckling a bit.

"And I'm the dramatic one?"

••

The two teens jogged down the steps of her family home, hopping over the baby gate at the bottom of the steps, greeted by her 3 year old brother Jackson, 8 month old sister Miley and then year old Violet. All of the toddlers looking up at them, instantly getting excited.

The little ones have always loved Harry, and he loved them just as much. He's always wanted to have kids, so they are kinda like his little practice family till he settles down and has his own. Plus making a baby smile is one of his top ten favorite feelings.

Jackson was the first to rush towards the older boy, hugging his leg and smiling

"Hi! I missed you! We play football together?" The little boy looked up at Harry and he smiled down at him, rubbing his head

"Course we can, later yea? Going out with your sissy for a little while. I'll bring you back a surprise though, don't tell your mommy ok?"

He talked lowly like it's a big secret, getting the toddler even more excited as he pinky promised not to tell.

The next one up was Violet, she was a sweetheart just like her older sister but she definitely has a sass that Y/N was too shy to have when she was little.

She lifted her little arms up prompting him to lean down and pick her up, kissing her cheek while settling her on his hip.

"Hey Vi, how are you today?"

The little girl grabbed onto his necklace and smiled at him

"Good Berry, tooked nap!"

The fact she still couldn't say his name, and settled for 'berry' instead still made Y/N giggle sometimes, the boy found it endearing though.

"You took a nap?! That's great! Good job!"

He highfived her tiny hand and kissed her little knuckles before letting her down, watching her run off to the little play area they had in their living room.

Finally Miley managed to scoot her way up to Y/N getting promptly scooped up, she was definitely a lovey little baby. She loved being held, kisses, cuddles any affection anyone wanted to give her, she welcomed. She was a lot like Y/N, they are both the softest most cuddly girls he's ever met. And he still finds it adorable.

The baby babbled a bit, smacking her lips and sticking her tongue out. A new trick she had learned from her older brother. Harry gave her a smile and a kiss on her rosy chubby little cheeks, giving her a quick cuddle and baby talk session before the two teens left the army of infants with their mother and started making their way towards the small pharmacy at the end of the block.

The pair made conversation as they went, mostly Y/N telling him gossip she'd heard, and because he is guilty of being quite the gossip himself, he ate up every bit of it.

"There's no way! You're lying!" He exclaimed as she told him a juicy little bit about a girl she is on the volleyball team with.

"I swear! She really is! She's pregnant, by Austin Lewis!"

She waved her hands around as she talked, both of them shocked at the piece of drama they now were clued in on.

"God, that's gonna be one ugly baby...Austin's an ugly little prick, personality and looks wise. She must be legally blind." The boy chuckled at his own comment, holding the door open for her as they entered the store.

They continued to chat among themselves as they browsed the isles, grabbing snacks and the tampons she came for. Harry made sure to snag a little bouncy ball from a crank machine for Jackson on their way out. Knowing the little boy would lose his mind over the brand new toy.

••

They made it back safe and well, both distributing the snacks and bouncy ball to their intended recipients before marching back up the steps, Y/N snagging 4 beers from her brothers closet on the way and stashing them under her bed for the evening.

The pair sat together talking and simply enjoying each other's company. Both always feeling content even if they are both on their phones not talking, as long as they were in each other's vicinity they were content.

Harry only looked up when he heard an audible gasp from the girl beside him, seeing an immediate blush rush to her face and eyes wide as ever, cocking his eyebrow at the girl.

"What? It looks like you just saw a ghost"

He sat himself up and peeked at her phone screen, eyes widening before squinting when he saw what she was looking at.

A text message from Eli, normal enough until he saw the very graphic dick pic he sent attached to it.

The boy instantly went into protective mode and snatched the phone

"Yea you don't need to look at stuff like that, why did he send you that? You're like 6, no don't look Y/N!" He held the phone away from her grabbing hands and scrolled up the thread of messages.

" 'You sure you're not able to come over tonight?' 'I had something special planned, even got some drinks for us' 'really wish you were coming...' 'know it's a bit unexpected but maybe this might change your mind about coming...got me rock hard just thinking about you baby' what the hell-"

Harry read the texts aloud and cringed at most of them, Y/N blushing like crazy hiding her face in her hands.

"I knew that kid just wanted to sleep with you. He literally sent a picture of his dick mid conversation, he has horrible game bloody hell"

Harry took it upon himself to delete the picture from their texts and send the boy a text himself.

' keep your dick pics to yourself mate, She's 14- Harry'

Sending it off before handing her phone back and blowing out a breath.

"Oh my god...this is the most embarrassing moment of my life...I can't believe you just sent him that text...I can't believe I just saw his penis...I'm- what is even going on?"

The young girl groaned as she finished talking flopping back on her bed, the boy chuckling a bit as he watched her.

"That's high school boys for you. They think with their pricks, not their heads sweetheart. They see you and have one thing on their mind, and I will die before I let you sleep with some guy who has a small dick. Not gonna happen love."

She simply shrugged and gave him the side eye, getting a cheeky smile from the boy who was covering up his sliver of jealousy with his protective tendencies. He knew it was up to her what she did with her body, but he hated the thought of her sleeping with some boy who only wants one thing from her. As much as she is a smart girl, she's still a bit naïve at times. So of course he does what he can to keep her safe.

If he has to endure looking at his classmates penises to keep her protected, then he will.

He secretly felt a bit of an ego boost seeing that kids dick compared to his, Harry knew he had at least 5 inches more than Eli and was a hell of a lot thicker. He knew he was above average in that department but who doesn't love a good confirmation once in a while?

Y/N finally let out a little laugh, starting to lose the embarrassment and find humor in the situation turning to Harry and letting out another laugh

"His dick was...ugly. I've seen others but why did his looks so odd? It was like 4 different colors! Is that normal?"

The boy snorted and laughed with her shaking his head

"Mine isn't, not sure on if it's normal or not. But out of the dicks I've seen in my life his was probably the ugliest."

She smiled at him and poked his side

"You go around looking at penises in your free time Styles?" She raised an eyebrow and he let out another bark of a laugh.

"Not intentionally usually, locker room and porn is usually where I'm exposed to guys bits. Some guys don't care much about just letting it all hang out in the showers"

The girl giggled and sat up a bit. Smiling and laughing quietly to herself while she gets comfortable against her headboard.

"Boys are weird, girls don't get like fully naked usually but I've seen lots of boobs in the locker room. Katie Wilson has really nice boobs, I'm honestly jealous. I have seen Sarah Peters fully naked in the showers, that's really it. I've seen guys in the locker room like twice when I had to go in their locker room to drop off towels and stuff, saw Seth Newman fully naked and Grant like that too, they were definitely not shy about it. A bit uncomfortable."

She let out another laugh and he did the same.

"Boys are weird." He nodded

"You're not that weird though, you're the best boy I've ever met. You haven't sent me Dick pics mid conversation either so you get bonus points for that." She poked his stomach and smiled.

"I don't typically send unsolicited cock pictures"

He laughed when she gasped at his choice of words, cheeks growing pink yet again.

"I've only ever heard people call it that in porn, do people really use that word?"

Harry gawked at her for a second before nodding.

"Yea, lots of people say it. But you watch porn?! Since when? You're a baby! You shouldn't be exposed to that!"

Y/N rolled her eyes and waved him off.

"I'm 14, I can watch porn if I want to sir. You watch porn, I've seen your search history you Weirdo. Eli isn't the first guy to send me pictures, I've sent a few before too. Not to him but to someone else."

Harry was shocked to say the least. The shyest sweetest girl he ever met just admitted to sending nudes to other people. He couldn't believe it.

"YOU sent nudes?! To who?!"

The girl smiled shyly,

"Don't worry about it, not your business mister."

He stared at her for a second before shaking his head.

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that, you're still such a innocent little girl to me. I refuse to accept you've done that ma'am. I still can't believe you've made out with people before, the only reason I accepted it was because I literally caught you doing it once. Still not happy about that one Y/N, boys are stinky! You're not allowed to do that, I decided it's illegal now."

Y/N laughed at him and pushed him back a bit

"Shut up, you're such a drama queen Haz. I'm not 4 anymore, I'm old enough to kiss whoever I want."

He grunted in response and frowned.

"Nope, it's illegal I made the law. Now I need a beer after that."

She just snickered to herself while handing him one grabbing her keys and popping the cap off with her house key before grabbing her own doing the same.

Locking her bedroom door and turning off her overhead lights, opting for her fairy lights instead. Switching her tv on, both of them sipping their beers while skimming movies before picking one. Both just drinking and enjoying their evening together, but still Harry couldn't help his mind wandering off a few times thinking about the pictures his best friend has sent other people.

And he couldn't help but be jealous.

[thetriggeredhappy]

angst&hurt/comfort, where scout is anxious and doubts his skills, so he tries to calm himself by holding/hugging/whatever his plushie (or something else, idk), whilst someone is trying to get to him, to make him confess what is bothering him? idk if you wanna make it a ship ir maybe dad spy, ily -🦂

oh dude you already KNOW dad!spy hours are 24/7 up in here. welcome to “projecting RSD onto Scout TF2 episode 85″

-

Stupid summer, stupid break, stupid losing streak. Stupid everything.

Usually Scout was excited about breaks. A week or so of getting to be off work, heading home to visit family or going on a road trip or whatever was happening. It was nice, he loved it. But this time they had explicit orders from their boss not to go anywhere or do anything. To stay on base or to go specifically exclusively to the store in the nearest town for food or whatever. He hated it. The base was too small to hang out in for more than a few days at a time. He hated it.

And not to mention that they’d finished off work on a bad note. A day of losses turning into a week of losses, half the team scrambling to try and pull together enough to get one last good push in before the break and the other half deciding to just accept the loss and do better once they got back.

And every day after battle Soldier would single out someone who wasn’t on top of their game and lecture them. And all week, instead of going for the people who were largely slacking off and not breaking their necks to try and get them some actual wins, he went after Scout, who was so frantic that he kept making stupid mistakes.

And he just... usually he argued about it, and got in a fight with Soldier, but he just... didn’t have the energy for it. The day was over. They’d lost. And Scout knew it wasn’t entirely his fault, but it kind of felt like it. Maybe if he’d tried just a little bit harder, pushed himself just a little further, he could’ve gotten the rest of the team motivated. Maybe they all would’ve picked things back up and tried too. But he couldn’t do it.

It was frustrating. He knew his job, beyond what he did on the field, was trying to keep morale up. He kept music playing, he was always up for hanging out or playing a few hands of poker or headed into town with someone to get shitty fast food. And he tried really hard to be funny and to keep things lighthearted, tried so fucking hard to keep spirits up. And he knew if he said anything about it, pointed out how literally like all of his time was spent trying to make sure everyone was feeling okay, it would...

He didn’t know. Maybe they’d just tell him off for being whiny or whatever. Maybe it would stop working so well, if they knew he was always doing it so extremely on purpose, so intentionally. He didn’t know.

But at that moment, he was feeling so much like utter garbage that he knew he had to just avoid the team so he didn’t drag the mood down further. Usually they didn’t really miss him anyways, other than idly asking if he’d gotten into any trouble while he was off doing “whatever he did”. All he knew was that him feeling like shit around everyone else would just make them feel bad too. And it was break anyways—maybe they’d just end up feeling better on their own. Especially since he wasn’t around to interrupt them.

He had plenty of food in his room, mostly chips and candy bars and stuff like that, stuff he didn’t want the guys stealing. And he’d totally share if they asked, for sure, but for that moment he was mostly just digging through the hoard for himself and doing not much of anything else.

He felt like kind of an idiot, sitting alone and eating his feelings like some kind of angsty teen in a movie or the chick in the romcom who just got broken up with. But there was nobody there to ridicule him except himself. And he did, but... the point stood.

A few days passed like that. He had food, he had the little bathroom connected to his room, he had comics to entertain himself. He slept a lot, mostly. Felt like garbage. Read some comics. Ate chocolate about it. Slept some more. He left a few times to do a few assorted things—called home like he did every week, went into the common room late one night to grab some of his records back so he could listen to them.

At one point, he got a knock on his door. He didn’t answer, couldn’t seem to find the energy to. A second knock when the first was unanswered after about twenty seconds. He still didn’t move.

The next day, another knock. This one was accompanied by words. “Scout? I know you’re in there,” Spy called, sounding annoyed.

To be honest, Scout was pretty sure he didn’t have the energy to deal with whatever Spy was about to lecture him about. So he just rolled over.

“You’ve missed every team meal for almost four days. You’re being rude,” Spy declared.

Scout reached off the side of the bed and picked up a plushie that had fallen down. It was a big, chunky pig, and he’d won it when he and Pyro had gone out to a fair and he’d knocked the ball toss game out of the park. Pyro had taken three of the plushies he’d won, and insisted he keep the fourth for himself.

He felt like even more of a dumb baby, sitting there cradling a stuffed animal like he was scared to head off to his first day of kindergarten, but he was already too tired and filled with vague unrest for it to get to him much.

At some point he heard a heavy sigh and the clack of fancy shoes moving away down the hallway, and Scout relaxed.

Twenty minutes later, a knock.

“Scout, let me in,” Spy said firmly.

“Fuck off, Spy,” Scout snapped.

“Scout, if you don’t open the door, I’m going to,” Spy declared.

“Bullshit.”

A heavy sigh, and then a few moments later the door swung open.

“What the fuck?” Scout asked, lifting his head to glare towards the door as Spy stepped inside.

“I know how to pick locks, Scout. You know this.” Spy squinted to try to get used to the light, the blinds having been drawn. “I’m turning a light on.”

Scout just grumbled, dropping his head back into the plush pig. In his periphery, the light was indeed turned on. There was a beat of silence.

“I brought a plate from dinner. I was concerned you would get scurvy, since you now apparently have the diet of an eight year old child who was given a hundred dollars and left unsupervised at the grocery store,” Spy said dryly.

“I don’t want your fuckin’ handouts, Spy,” Scout muttered, muffled.

“It’s not a handout, it’s the fact that I refuse to have anyone on the team besides me whose teeth are falling out. Take the food.”

“Fuck off.”

Spy sighed again, and after a moment he moved to put the plate on the bedside table. Scout prickled at the proximity, but didn’t give him the satisfaction of looking up.

“I noticed that while you haven’t been at dinner, you still took the time to leave a thumb tack on my chair. Usually when you do that it’s because you’re angry with me. What exactly have I done?”

“I’m not mad at you, I’m just mad,” Scout grumbled.

“You know, it’s very childish to refuse to look at someone when they are trying to talk to you.”

“Guess I’ll just keep being the dumb idiot kid of the team then, huh?” Scout snapped.

Silence for a moment. “Scout. You’ve locked yourself away in your room and refused to come out again for several days. I know that something is wrong. The team does too—they’re starting to worry.”

“That might just be the most obvious lie you’ve ever fuckin’ told me, Spy,” Scout practically spat, and was glad to have his voice muffled, because suddenly it went a little tight.

“Is it that hard to believe that perhaps your teammates care about you?” Spy asked, a little sharply.

“It’s me, in case you haven’t noticed,” Scout said next, getting his voice back under control. “People don’t hang around me on purpose. They put up with me. And then they stop putting up with me at some point.”

“That’s not true,” Spy said, tone leaving no room for argument, but Scout elbowed some argument in anyways.

“All seven of my brothers, every fuckin’ date I’ve ever been on, the standing ban sayin’ I can’t go in Engie’s workshop or in Heavy’s workspace down by the boiler or the infirmary unless I’m actually seriously injured—“ Scout listed off, ticking off on his fingers, keeping his face hidden. “My own fucking dad decided he couldn’t fucking stand me and I was two years old, Spy, what the hell does that tell you? I’m an annoying little piece of shit and that’s all I’m ever gonna be and then one of these days I’m gonna die for real out in this hellhole desert and ain’t a single damn person out here will have ever even bothered to learn the name that’s supposed to go on my gravestone.”

Dead silence in the room. Scout’s arm fell back down by his side. His voice was shaky when he spoke again.

“Nobody’s ever even asked,” he managed. “Demo’s real name is Tavish, Heavy’s real name is Mikhal but his sisters call him Misha. And plenty of you guys get asked about it all the time but you don’t wanna say. And nobody’s ever even fuckin’ asked me.”

Silence for a few more seconds.

“I’m a whole person,” Scout said next. “I’m really into sci-fi. I’ve read every mainline issue comic book ever published after ‘35. I know how to cook and draw and I know the all the stats of every person on every major league baseball team. I was in theater in high school between track and baseball season in the winters and I and got a lead role on some Shakespearicles thing before it got cancelled because of budget cuts. I bet you didn’t even know that.”

“I didn’t,” Spy admitted.

“And why would you? Who the fuck cares? It’s just dumb scrawny idiot Scout, who the fuck cares what his deal is? He can barely do his job and read any word that’s over four syllables, who cares what he does? He ain’t nothin’ today, he must never have been somethin’ in the first place.”

“Scout—“

“Tell me I’m wrong, Spy,” he snapped, voice cracking down the middle.

“You’re wrong. Scout, what’s going on?” Spy asked, and his voice sounded closer, like he’d taken a knee. “What happened?”

He understood, logically, that telling Spy damn near anything was a bad idea. He sold information for a living. But logic hadn’t ever been much help to him, and anyways, he was pretty sure he was about to break down either way, and he could either cry like a dumb little baby and Spy could go to the rest of the team and tell them about stupid Scout and his crying for no reason, or he could at least sort of maybe a little bit sound justified and a little bit less completely unhinged.

“We lost all week because I fuckin’ suck at my job, and we don’t get to go off base for some goddamn reason, and I miss my family, and I—“ God damn it, he hoped to at least get to a second sentence before he broke, but here came the waterworks. “—and I know the team doesn’t give a shit, and if they even noticed they probably think I’m being some idiot baby, and I’m just so fuckin’ tired of all of this, alright? I’m just so goddamn exhausted, all the time, and no matter what I do I can’t make my own stupid, shitty, broken-ass brain shut up, and I...”

There was a hand on his shoulder, now. For some reason that’s what unstuck the sob in his throat.

“And I just miss my mom,” he managed, and sobbed again. “And I know that just makes me a stupid fucking baby—“

“Scout, it doesn’t,” Spy said firmly.

“Bullshit.”

A sigh, less exasperated than the others. “Scout, I miss my own parents. Often. Heavy writes to his mother, the Bushman calls home once a week and stays on the phone for an hour at a time. Do you think they would do that if they didn’t miss them?”

Scout couldn’t seem to find his voice, and just sniffled a little.

“If anything, it’s good that you miss your mother. You are appreciating her now, while she’s still part of your life, rather than later on when she’s gone. That’s a good thing.”

“Here I am cryin’ over dumb shit—“

“The fact that you’re even capable of tears shows that you haven’t completely sealed yourself off from your emotions like several of our testosterone-puppet teammates. I’m fairly certain that Medic surgically removed his own tear ducts. I think Soldier is so dehydrated that he’s incapable of it. And rather than sweat he needs to cover himself in liquid-like food products or else he’ll die of heat stroke.”

Despite everything, that made Scout laugh, just a little. More of a hiccup than anything else.

“Admittedly, you have greater social needs than several of our team, and they need to take breaks. Not just from you, but from everyone. It’s part of being human, everyone requires some amount of time alone or else they start losing their minds. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t care about you—value the things you do for this team, even. Every time someone would like company when going in to town for any reason, they always ask me where you are. And you’ve given good film recommendations to everyone except for the Sniper.”

“Guy hates movies,” Scout defended weakly.

“You keep recommending horror films. As it turns out, he is a fan of romantic comedies.”

“Fuckin’ what? Seriously?”

“I was shocked too. His complete lack of taste in all areas of his life continues to amaze me.”

Scout scoffed at that. A beat of silence.

“What I am saying is that the team doesn’t simply put up with you. You’re impossible to simply put up with, you take up too big a part of everyone’s life here. Instead, they must like and respect you.” A pause. “And your father must have truly been an idiot. Anyone with two eyes would be proud of the challenges you’ve faced and overcome with all of the disadvantages you’ve been dealt over your lifetime.”

Scout sniffled, wiped his eyes with his forearm, finally managed to look up at Spy. “Anyone with two eyes? You sayin’ you’re proud of me, then?” he asked, even if it was a little shaky.

“I feel no strong emotions,” Spy deadpanned.

“Alright, nevermind about earlier. That’s the most obvious lie you’ve ever told me.”

Spy rolled his eyes, standing, brushing off the knee of his suit.

Scout looked at the plate, made a face. “Aw man, what the fuck, is that asparagus? Is Medic back on trying to make us eat healthy again?”

“The Engineer cooked it, stop complaining and just eat it,” Spy said, quickly falling back into his role of naggy just on the near side of patronizing.

“C’mon, it couldn’t have been like, mashed potatoes or broccoli or somethin’?”

“You always douse those things in salt and butter. That combined with the energy drinks means you’re going to get a heart condition before I do.”

“Just get the fuck outta my room, Spy,” Scout huffed, putting the stuffed animal aside and moving to pick up the plate and utensils.

“Very well. And go talk to Demoman at some point, he’s been whining about nobody wanting to go get fast food with him for two days,” Spy said as he walked to the door. “And you can’t borrow my car to go.”

“Fuck you, Spy,” Scout said flippantly, waving him off.

“Fuck you too,” Spy said just as casually, and made sure to close the door behind him.

[a-king-alone]

Harry Warden x female reader Summary: It's the 60's baby ~

You were just a normal person, nothing particularly special about you. You went about your daily life, without much of a care. In fact, you felt a bit disconnected from reality, but continued to do your work diligently. So, why you?

It was early February, the cooled air still felt a bit brisk, sending a shiver down your arms, feeling the hairs rise beneath. You pulled your cardigan closer; you got cold easily. As you were walking down to your neighbors house before your scheduled shift at your job, you overheard some older ladies standing near their mailboxes, gossiping or some such.

It caught your attention that there was a mine accident in one of the towns nearby. It was rare, but not unusual. The hazards of working in a mine were very well known.  Silently, you hoped everyone turned out to be uninjured and managed to be rescued safely. It may have been a fruitless wish, but you wished it, nonetheless.

You kept walking. It wasn't much of your concern. It was business as usual that day, nothing out of the ordinary. Valentine's day was upon the town, but you had no plans. Nobody was interested in you, nor did anybody from the small town you grew up in interest you. You talked about this with your friend while you assisted them for their date.

You thought of how nice it would be to move away somewhere else, to escape from the same old stale scenery you'd grown accustomed to. You worked as a waitress in one of the three diners in the town, every face you saw, you saw every day. You knew what they would order and how they preferred it.

It was incredibly boring.

Usually, you'd have left work before dusk, but you were chosen to settle in with the last of the hourly shift. Your coworkers had plans for their special love interests, dolled up and ready for their beautiful, romantic Valentine's evenings.

Fortunately, that meant everyone was busy with their plans, so the rest of your shift was you occupying an empty store. You enjoyed the silence. That is, you were, until a few men in business attire entered, bantering and laughing with one another upon entry.

Strangely, you didn't recognize any of them at all. They were fresh faces. You put on your best charming smile and welcomed them. They sat and ordered some sweets and black coffees.

As you prepared their items for them, you sorta listened in on their conversation. You couldn't deny that you were curious of these strangers. One of them mentioned the mine from the other town as you brought them their coffees. Not quite what you were interested in hearing, your shoulders sagging a bit.

"Thanks, sweetheart." You nodded, returning to behind the counter.

"Couldn't believe it, they tried to blame me for the accident. Are they insane? How could it be my fault? Had to get out of the town, it was driving me nuts." The man tsk'd as his fellows laughed at his frustrations.

They went on to mention that while rescue was in attempt at this very moment, they hadn't found anybody at all. That was very unfortunate. It brought down your mood a little bit, knowing that there were people trapped in tunnels underground, probably scared, without food or water... or worse, stuck in the pitch black darkness. How horrific.

With a small, quiet sigh thorough your nose, you brought the gentlemen their sweets they requested, mentioning to them that your diner would be closing soon. They acknowledged it and didn't overstay their welcome.

After you closed, you set off for your journey on foot back to your home. Your house was about a mile outside of the town. It was your family home, left to you by your deceased parents. You had no siblings nor much of any connection to family members from either side of the family. You preferred to be left alone.

The money you made was only just enough to keep the place together and to have a roof over your head. You figured someday you'd try to get an automobile after saving up, if you could manage it. It'd be a while before then.

The moon was bright as you wrapped your arms around yourself, to ward off the chill of the cold air. As you arrived to your front porch, you noticed something a little unusual. It looked as if your front door were open, just a tad.

Your brow furrowed as you took a quick glance behind you, then surveying your immediate surroundings. It was silent. Surely you couldn't have forgotten to close the door when you left. Your eyebrows rose. Y'know, you might have forgotten. Sometimes your head floats away into the clouds.

You entered your domicile, closing and locking the door, for sure, behind you this time. It was a cozy home, everything within mostly left untouched from your childhood. Rather dated, but still homely.

You felt like you would enjoy some tea to warm your bones, so you went into your kitchen to prepare some for yourself in a kettle. Leaving it to boil, you ascended the staircase toward your bedroom, where you stopped dead in your tracks at the top.

You closed your bedroom door. You always closed your bedroom door because there was a cold draft in the upper part of the house and you didn't like it being so cold in your room. Yet, the door was slightly ajar. The hairs on your neck rose with a strange feeling coiling around inside of your stomach.

Your home had nothing of value in it, nothing that a burglar would covet enough to steal from you. The worst of your thoughts were pinned on the idea of a pervert or serial rapist. The closest immediate object for protection available to you was an umbrella.

You frowned, very deeply.

There was a vase on the stand in the hallway where you stood. Your mother adored it. You adored staying alive, so you picked up the vase and slowly tip-toed toward your bedroom.

Instantly, you froze, once you heard a bit of rummaging. Oh my god, you thought, there's actually someone in there... Dread washed over you, but you wanted to defend your home from creepy perverts. You were the only one you had to protect yourself. You could smash their head in with a vase. No problem, right? ...Right?

With a big inhale, you kicked your door open, frantically flipping the light switch after the fact. The sight before your eyes was the very last thing you'd have ever expected to see as the light flooded the contents on the room. You dropped the vase.

It was a man. A man with a miners type of outfit slathered in dirt and grime, a gas mask covering the entirety of his skull. And there was blood, splattered in random patterns upon it. He was attempting to open your window when you burst in, his back slightly turned to you. Two pitch black circular holes met with your frozen position as his mask turned in your direction, neither of you moving.

Downstairs, you heard the tea kettle whistling for your attention and all you could do is blink. You'd never been so afraid in your life, your soles firmly planted right where you were, your lips agape in abject horror.

"I- I need... to..." you sputtered stupidly, your mind broken as you turned away from this someone, this stranger in your house, in your bedroom, who might actually kill you, and you're damn near sprinting down the stairs as fast as you never thought you could.

What am I doing?! you thought as you grabbed your own face with your hands, pacing back and forth in the kitchen. I should be calling the authorities! Finally you seemed to get a grasp on the situation and grabbed your telephone on your kitchen table, sliding into one of the chairs. As you were mid-dial, a gloved hand pushed down on the receiver.

Towering over you was the man, again, staring down at you, unmoving.

"Don't do that."

You're suspended in absolute horror and all you can do is swiftly nod, withdrawing your hand quickly from the phone to hold it against your chest, which was rapidly moving with each breath. How did you not notice he came downstairs?

You wanted to speak, you wanted to ask what he wanted, why he was in your house, but your throat was closed. You were so scared that he would hurt you, or molest you, dismember you, torture you, or kill you. Slowly, the masked man bent down onto one knee to be more at level with you as you were trembling like a leaf caught in the breeze.

"Don't cause any trouble for me. Nod if you understand."

You nod.

"Good. Didn't realize this home was occupied, looked kind of old. I need to stay here for the night. Nod if you understand." His voice was muffled, but gruff and deep in tone, causing another spike of fear within you.

You nod again. Why in the hell did he need to hide in your house? Was he a criminal? He was wearing a miners type of outfit, or so it seemed, you weren't overly familiar with the appearance of one. He rose to his full height with a sharp inhale. It seemed like he wouldn't harm you as long as you cooperated with his demands. You hoped that it wouldn't extend further than this.

His mask tilted as he watched you watching him. You had no idea what to do, feeling your mind bending and cracking to try and cope with the situation.

"W- W- Wou- W-" you began, but you couldn't get the sentence to exit from your lips at all, sucking in breath to try and ease your panicked body. A noise that sounded like a sharp exhale through the nose came from the mask, somewhat resembling a snort.

The man took the slightest step toward you and you immediately cowered, flinching your eyes shut as you turned away. God, just please go away... you thought, please don't hurt me.

You remained like that for a few seconds, hearing only silence around you, turning very slowly as your eyes found themselves drawn toward the masked man again, whom was unmoved from where he stood. You blinked, tears pooling around your lower lids despite you attempting to will them to go away.

If he wasn't trying to hurt you, perhaps he pitied you for being so pathetic.

Shuffling your gaze around, you sniffled a bit, rising from your kitchen chair in very slow, very deliberate movements while the man continued to just stare at you.

You wouldn't turn your back to him at all as you moved toward your tea kettle, stopping when you were standing in front of it. His mask followed your general direction as you went. Your chest rose and fell with your panic. You took a deep breath in. Exhale.

"W- ... Would you... like some t- tea...?" you hoarsely asked in the tiniest of whispers, your hands finding their way to clasp one another over your heart, thudding so harshly against your ribs.

The man did not move, at all. You hoped he heard you so you wouldn't have to repeat yourself, your stare trained on him and only him. Nothing happened for a moment.

And then, he nodded.

"O- Okay."

You really did not want to turn your back to this man, in fear that he would strike you down as soon as you did, take your life and then steal your home to turn into his base for criminal activities. Tears pricked at your eyes once more as you turned toward the kettle on the stove. The warmth granted the ghost of relief. As you prepared the cups of tea, your hands refused to stop shaking, causing the glasses to clink together every so often.

Nothing happened between then and you facing him again.

You turned toward him, unsure if you'd even be able to bring it to him without spilling it or dropping it on the floor. Trying your best to keep a strong grip on the cups, you went toward the table, placing both of the cups down across from one another on the surface with haste.

You took your seat, using every ounce of your willpower to one, not cry, and two, not stare at this terrifying man intruding in your house.

The man entered your view as he sat across from you. For several moments, he only sat there, seemingly watching you as you sipped your own tea. Silently, you wondered if maybe he actually didn't want to show his face to you. A criminal would think like that, right...? You weren't sure. You cleared your throat, gently.

"Um... Do you... want me to look away...?"

You weren't sure why you were even bothering to ask, but you wanted to play this as safely as possible to get out of this situation unscathed and this felt like the best option. The man didn't respond, for several more moments, causing you to squirm a bit under his seeming scrutiny.

"...No," he finally answered, his gloved hands removing the helmet, then after, pulling the gas mask off of his head from the back. He set it down on the table as he twisted the hose connected to it from the nozzle, letting the other half fall free to his side.

Genuinely, you were surprised at his appearance. He certainly wasn't what you had expected, though you were kind of expecting a monster, in all honesty. He looked far more human than what your wild imagination conjured, a bit lengthy dark curly locks, even darker eyes, which weren't looking at you, but down at the cup of tea you had offered him.

Pinching the tip of his finger, his eyes dark as the night sky suddenly met yours as you were surveying him, pulling the glove off slowly, before doing the same the other. This time, his gaze did not break away until he removed both gloves and set them down on top of his mask.

He picked up the little cup and sipped the tea.

"It's good," he commented, the tip of his tongue running over his top lip to catch a bit that had lingered there.

You felt, somehow, the tiniest bit of ease now that he had removed his gear from his person. With the mask, he looked much more terrifying. Or so you had thought for just a moment, until you found his piercing gaze glued to your eyes, nonstop.

His eyes made him look like a feral animal. Ink black. A predator.

You sucked in air audibly, your eyes widening just slightly when you saw one corner of his mouth rise at the noise you just made, that gaze never wavering from your eyes, not for a second. Like a coyote within reach of a delicious piece of meat.

You felt your stomach drop to the center of the earth.

You wanted to run, so badly, and never look back, start over somewhere else. Everything about this felt like a mistake, as if you were being played into the devils hands, being lured willingly to your own demise.

You could feel your breath cooling your lips as you breathed in and out of the gap shallowly, the anxiety making your entire body feel like it was tightly coiling inside of itself, collapsing like a dying star.

And he was smiling, just slightly. At you. This man was not right in the head and this realization was hitting you harder and harder. You were damn-near in tears, visibly trembling out of sheer panic and it seemed that sight of it brought him joy, after he had broke into your home, causing you terror. Was he... enjoying it...?

"W- Wh- Wh- Who are...?" you sputtered without thinking and the man simply shook his head with slow, deliberate motion, causing you to stop then and there. You blinked, in silence, your lips opening and closing.

The tears were threatening to fall and you desperately didn't want it to happen. It would just show your weakness to this monster and you already looked like a pitiful little mess. You picked up your cup and sipped what was left of your tea, rising from your seat with all the strength you could muster with a small sniffle. Don't show him your tears, you thought.

As you were placing your cup into your sink, the man was behind you suddenly and without warning, as you were lost in your own racing thoughts. His arm went by your side, too close to you, as he placed the cup you offered him into the sink right on top of yours.

You froze, a gasp escaping you.

And you heard what almost sounded like a very faint, very pleased... vibration of noise come from him behind you, you weren't too sure, since your heartbeat was pounding so hard in your ears you couldn't think straight.

Every hair on your body stood on end when the man had leaned down close to your neck, too close, his lips close, much too close, to your ear, his breath gentle against it  as he whispered, "My name is Harry."

He lingered there, for far too long. You could feel him breathing and you were too terrified to move at all, your lips quivering, your own breathing audibly shaking.

"But don't say it. Don't... say it."

He then backed away from you, returning to the seat he had claimed as his own at your kitchen table. The overflow began and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Wet streaks fell down your cheeks, one after another, blurring your vision as you stared into the sink where the cups lie on top of one another.

You felt so trapped. Your chest heaved and a sob erupted from you abruptly, your hands covering your nose and mouth to stop the shockwave, but it was too late. This wasn't your house anymore, it was the den of a creature hellbent on tasting your blood and gnawing on the shreds of your suffering until the bitter end. That's how it felt. That this man was your death, awaiting for you and only you.

Harry calmly stared at you as you sobbed over the sink, unable to keep a grip on yourself any longer. You had tried to, oh you had tried. You tried so hard to stay strong.

"Do you want a hug?"

You choked on your own gulp of air, your head whipping to this man with the most incredulous expression on your tear-stained face. A flicker of a smile ghosted around Harry's mouth, but it never manifested.

"Just kidding," he said, leaning back in the chair, finally, his gaze settling elsewhere.

Your eyes narrowed, but somehow... You felt your tears subside just a little bit. That sinister aura didn't feel as thick and all-consuming as it had a moment ago. He wasn't a monster, just a man. Probably a criminal... or a serial killer. But just another human being. You felt a bit more calm. Only a little.

You looked away, a question prodding at your tongue and you wanted to know if he would tell the truth. He probably wouldn't. Why would he? Harry probably wasn't even his real name. You allowed your momentary calmness fuel your strength.

"Are you... W- Were you... planning to kill me...?"

Harry seemed thoughtful about your question, though not surprised by it. You wondered if he was considering lying to you so that you'll keep cooperating without any issues arising. If it were you, you would lie. You felt sick. You were dreading what his answer might be even though you were the one who asked so blatantly.

"No. Didn't think anyone lived here," he admitted, his eyes wandering around your kitchen, observing the olden items and decor of the last decade within your home.

"O- Oh.."

Your face flushed as you realized that it sounded as if you were slightly disappointed by his answer due to the tone of your reply, which was completely unintentional. You dared to glance his way and sure enough, his eyes were pinned directly on you now, one of his brows just slightly risen.

"N- Not like that!!" you defended with your hands, turning away from a grin that had formed on his lips. He chuckled lightly at your response, shaking his head just a bit.

"I might do anything if you ask me nicely," he teased, though, it was as if it were teasing between friends, but something about his gaze seemed just a little bit more soft toward you. There couldn't be a reason for it, because you were strangers. And your interactions have only lasted for an hour at most.

"Then... Then... may I...?" you persisted in a quiet but hopeful voice with a step toward him, testing the waters of his offer, even though you knew it wasn't serious, you wanted to know if you could just straight up ask him to leave without hurting you or worse. If he would listen to you.

He seemed curious, but also cautious. His demeanor bristled slightly, but his posture remained mostly relaxed. "Depends on what it is."

Your eyes went downcast, feeling that the answer to your plea would be instantly rejected. You just wanted your home back, to be alone, to feel safe in your own house. That wasn't possible with his presence. Your lips tightened and you inhaled a breath as you steadied yourself to meet his gaze.

"Would you help me get some of my blankets down from the closet upstairs? You're... taller, so..." you mumbled, fumbling with the hem of your shirt where your eyes ended up looking.

Harry seemed taken aback by your request. Clearly, it wasn't what he had expected, though, what he had expected was probably true. It was just that you couldn't say the words out loud.

"Ah... Alright," he accepted, standing from his seat.

You walked past him, heading toward the staircase and he followed behind. As you reached the closet after opening it, you turned toward him, the closet light giving you a much clearer view of the features defining his face. He was actually somewhat handsome and you found your cheeks burning to your horror and chagrin, instantly looking downward before moving out of his way. You hoped he didn't notice.

He did.

The extra quilts and blankets were gathered from the upper shelves, bundled in his arms and he faced you, waiting for your directions.

"There's a couch downstairs," you said as you took a few steps to descend the staircase, looking back for a moment to see Harry still in front of the closet.

"Your bed," he responded simply.

"My... bed?" you repeated with risen brows, suspicious feelings swirling about in a vortex that gave you a bit of nausea. He couldn't be implying that he wanted to sleep in your bed while you were the one to sleep on the couch?!

Some kind of smirk crossed his features as he turned to your bedroom door, gently nudging it open with his boot. Before you could even get a word of protest in, he had already invited himself in, the bundle of fabrics now rested on your bedside.

Harry motioned for you to join him with beckoning fingers, you, feeling sickness in the deepest pit of your stomach, preying silently to any such beings if they even existed to please protect you from this might-be monster. You were shaking again, timidly entering what used to be your safe haven to hide from the world.

"W- Why...?" you asked before you could stop yourself, your lip quivering as your arms wrapped around yourself to try and bring yourself some comfort.

"Go on." He gestured to the covers, peeling them from their respective corners until there was space for you to slide beneath them. This time he wouldn't answer your question and you were too afraid to ask again. In fact, you were almost too afraid to even move, afraid that you were willingly slipping into your shackles of death. Or worse.

You hesitated, but he waited.

Slowly, despite still being in your basic work clothes, you obeyed and sat at the edge of your bed, maneuvering your body beneath the covers after kicking your shoes off. Harry tucked you in until you were all snug. You grimace, hoping with all your might that he doesn't try to sleep in your bed. You wished he would just go away so you could at least put on your pajamas. The fact that he was actually forcing you to go to bed made you feel angry, but your fear had your brain too overloaded to act out on it.

"Comfy?" he asked in an unusually gentle tone as he grabbed the edge of one of the extra blankets, draping that one over you as well despite there already being two upon you.

You hated that you wanted to keep asking why, why, why, to every single thing that he did. You hated it even more than despite asking, you weren't going to get an answer.

Harry leaned closer to your face, you shrinking back into your pillow. Your reaction kept him from going any nearer.

"Are you comfy?" he asked again, his tone even quieter than it had been before. You nodded feebly. Why was he such a weird person? Was he a killer? A rapist? A thief? You felt so confused and scared, it showed visibly on your facial expressions. Maybe sleep was the best option after all so that this nightmare would be over with faster.

He sat down next to you, his body touching yours with the barrier of blankets between you, but you could feel his weight on the edge of the bed, the warmth of it.

"Not gonna hurt you," he uttered aloud suddenly, his fingers intertwined with themselves, rested loosely on his lap. "Not unless you want me to."

Your eyes widened as you attempted to get your breathing under control, sharply inhaling through your nostrils when the words left his mouth. Not unless he wanted you to? Why the hell would you want him to? Is he insane?

"I- I don't want you to," you responded very quickly, a little too quickly, to which he chuckled somewhat heartily. It surprised you. He was definitely a weird person.

"I know," he said quietly, never once looking in your direction, only staring straight ahead through the maw of your open bedroom door. "...I know. So, I won't. No reason to. Thank you for your hospitality."

You wanted to snort at that. Hospitality? Forced to be kept as a hostage in your own home felt more accurate to you.

"...Well, your forced hospitality, that is," he continued with a slight chuckle, almost as if he read your very own thoughts. The fact that he laughed at your state of distress made you feel sick.

"I guess I should say, thank you for cooperating."

You weren't sure how to respond. You had not a clue what sort of person he was, or what his intentions were. He certainly wasn't going to relay that information to you. Or perhaps he would, if you asked nicely, you remembered...

"Um. Could I... change into my pajamas?" your question came out in a tiny voice, feeling humiliated with the fact that you were asking for permission, but also the fact that you were almost very sure that he wouldn't leave the room either to give you privacy.

"I did ask if you were comfy," he replied, not turning toward you, but his eyes were watching you now. You stayed silent, unsure of what that answer was supposed to mean. He was the one who forced you to get in the bed! He then stood up, taking a few steps before standing right outside of the doorframe, shutting the door behind him. You heard no further footsteps, so he was still standing there.

You were surprised that he granted you privacy and wasn't going to absolutely take advantage of you while making yourself even more vulnerable in front of him. A tiny bit of relief washed over you. You knew you weren't much to look at anyways, silently very thankful that you weren't super conventionally attractive. Or else he might have tried to take advantage of you already.

Without wasting time, you quickly went to your closet, grabbing an oversized shirt and some bottoms to switch into, throwing your work outfit into the closet. Usually you wouldn't wear so much to bed, but there was no way you were going to be in just your underwear, dangling bloodied meat in front of a circling shark. No way.

Sliding back under the covers, you settled into your cozy bed, feeling more relief especially with just being alone, for the moment, pretending it was an ordinary, normal night and there wasn't a serial killer right outside of your door.

He came back in, shattering your perfect shortlived fantasy. To the other side of your bed is where he stood this time, then, to your absolute horror, he began to undress. You turned over quickly to face away, your heart hammering away you almost thought he could probably actually hear it. You felt it in your ears as they burned.

The weight of your bed shifted, the feeling extremely unfamiliar, with the weight of someone else's body occupying the space right next to you. You had never slept next to anybody, nor had you ever slept with anybody. You'd never even kissed anyone. Your face felt overbearingly hot.

You were too afraid to speak.

Harry was shuffling around a bit, perhaps to make himself comfortable, but you felt something pressing against your back, down to your legs. It wasn't his body, you knew, as you peered over your shoulder for a second to see that he was using the extra blankets to build a barrier between the two of you. Your brows knit together, the confusions so overwhelming already.

He seemed rather calm and undisturbed, but both of those words felt inaccurate. Emotionless felt more correct to you.

"It's been so long. Please allow me to have this selfish comfort."

That was all he had said before he settled on his back next to you and you couldn't understand what he truly meant by it at all. The comfort of sleeping next to somebody? The comfort of a bed? What kind of life had he lived? You understood on some level that bed was definitely the most safe and comfortable place to be, but your space felt so invaded, so stifled. You had never shared it before.

A silence loomed between you and him for several long minutes, perhaps even longer,  until you finally felt the courage to move around enough to turn off your lamp, darkness befalling the room. You heard Harry suck in his breath once the darkness engulfed you both, but then silence. There wasn't a chance that you would fall asleep. Not at all. The silence remained, but your mind was speeding through thoughts one after the next. So fast, that you had forgotten something.

"What happened to you, Harry...?" you whispered softly after several moments, unknowing if he had fallen asleep or if he lay awake just as you were. You hoped he was asleep. Though, you imagined he definitely wouldn't allow himself to do so until he knew for sure that you were first, which is why you spoke.

Your back was faced to him, but you felt his weight shifting around, something draped over your side on top of the blankets. His arm. A noiseless breath left you as you felt the blankets being pressed closer against your backside. You had become the little spoon.

Your face felt like it was on fire and your skin wasn't even touching one another, blankets covering everything in between. Your voice felt stuck in your throat.

Harry kept snuggling closer to you, despite the barriers between you both, almost clutching onto you. You could barely, just barely, feel his breath on the back of your head. He could smell the scent of your shampoo. The scent of you, your room, everything. It was driving you mad.

"I escaped," he uttered aloud, his hold on you growing more tight as your confusion swelled even more. "I was the only one who made it out alive. I was stuck down there, in the dark, for so long... so long..."

You had no idea what the hell he was talking about, your mind derailing in several different directions all at once. A man was holding you, something you'd never experienced aside from being hugged by your father, your heart on the verge of exploding in your chest and he wasn’t making any sense.

"I had no choice," he continued softly, his voice strained as he went on. "I had to do it... I thought I was going to die down there. I had to kill them. I had to... I had to eat..."

Your breath was audibly shaking now, your chest heaving and this strange man holding onto you even more tightly before it finally clicked in your mind, the vague words he was saying, admitting that he had killed another human, other humans. And he had eaten their flesh without any other choice, stuck in the dark deep underground.

"You were trapped in that mine accident," you whispered suddenly, the pieces finally coming together for you in your mind. He wasn't a serial killer, he was a man caught in an unfortunate accident, forced to survive in conditions not meant for any humans...

"I- I'm sorry..." you continued, unsure of what to do from this point on with this new realization.

Harry said nothing after that. He only clung to you as if it were his last life line connected to his sanity. You felt horrible for him. It wasn't that it made anything he was doing okay, breaking into your house, holding you hostage essentially, getting too close to you. But you couldn't imagine the horror of being trapped in a mine with no food, no water, no light... Lost and unsure if there would ever be a way to get out. Accepting that you may die alone, in the dark.

You thought you had felt true fear when you saw Harry for the first time in his actually very horrifying outfit. You realized then that he had seen, felt and done things that you didn't even have the capacity to imagine. You felt empathy for him. No wonder he was such a strange person... How could anybody be normal after such a traumatic event?

Even though the circumstances were unusual and terrifying, a feeling within you began to stir. You wanted to help this man. Despite that he was invading your personal space, he hadn't actually molested you nor did he attempt anything of the sort.

"Please tell me everything is okay," he pleaded quietly without warning, his voice hoarse as it cracked slightly, his face burrowing deeper into the pillows, thus closer to your neck. This poor man was losing his grip and you felt helpless to do anything to bring some ease.

"Everything... Everything is okay. Okay? It's okay. You're okay now," you complied with his request, trying your best to not sound so scared while you were speaking, but your voice still shook just a bit. Harry's body heaved suddenly, startling you, as he then clutched onto you, the blankets balled into his fists.

There were sometimes noises that came from him that you couldn't really identify. It kind of sounded as if he were crying, but you weren't sure.

He was.

He had no one. He had nothing. He was wanted for murder after he managed to escape from the collapsed mine. He did what he had to do in order to survive, during an accident that was no one's fault but the managers that oversaw the project to begin with and their carelessness. Yet, he was the one who was blamed. All he wanted was to be told that it would be okay. He just wanted to feel like someone understands, but everyone looked at him with evil eyes.

You were the only one he had come across that hadn't.

He held onto you. He cried into your backside, for how long, you had no idea. He was desperate for the feelings to come to an end. He would never be the man he was before. He could never return to the life he had before. "Harry" was only a cannibalistic murderer now. His identity was stripped from him when he emerged victorious in fighting tooth and nail for his very life.

Only overjoyed to breathe fresh air, to see the sunshine he thought he was never see again, while people he used to know as friends and coworkers leered down upon him like he was just some petty serial killer.

You had no idea.

Somehow, you eventually fell asleep, despite being in a situation you'd have never come up with in your wildest of dreams. The rays of the suns light filtered through your curtains as you began to return to the waking world. All you could see in your blurred vision were the specks of dust lazily floating around in front of the window.

An arm was still holding onto you, you realized. You attempted to not move too much, turning your head to see if Harry was awake. He wasn't. His side rose and fell gently with his slumber, still as close to you as he was in the hours of the night. He needed your comfort and you provided it, even despite the very unusual set of circumstances.

Under his eyelashes, his lower lids were raw and red, a bit of dampness still visible as darkened spots on the fabric of your pillowcase. How late had he remained awake? You imagined it may be hard for someone like him to sleep in the darkness due to what he had experienced. He may not have slept at all until the faintest of sunlight came through the window.

Your assumption was correct.

You waited for at least an hour, but Harry wouldn't budge. He never even stirred when you very gingerly moved his arm and slipped away from him. For a moment, you stood by the bedside, observing this man who slept in your bed. Gently, you moved the blankets to cover his shoulders. As you were closer to his face, you let your fingertips brush softly against a few locks of his hair that had stuck to his forehead during the night.

Harry woke many hours later, suddenly jerking upright when he realized that you were long gone. As he came into your view at the bottom of the staircase, you were preparing some sandwiches for lunch with cooked vegetables and such on them. No meat, as you decided that might be insensitive for someone like Harry to smell it cooking.

"Oh, good morning, Harry," you greeted him in the most normal way you could think of, your face immediately flushed as he was in nothing but his pants. Quickly, you put a plate down on your kitchen table with the offering of food. "Hungry?"

He looked completely stupefied with disheveled hair and obviously just woke up, blinking several times at you as you attempted to make some kind of genuine smile before you turned away from him, continuing to go ahead and begin making your own meal. The first sandwich was actually for yourself, but you hadn't expected to see him just yet, so you decided to give it to him instead.

"Ah. Uh. Sure," he replied as he sat at the table, seemingly astounded by everything around him, staring down at the plate. "Good... morning?"

"It's afternoon now, but it's alright," you replied, your heart doing a million flips per second because of how he was an intruder who broke in last night, who terrified you to death, but now you were feeding him and somewhat actually concerned for his well-being. What a bizarre and rapid change of pace.

You both ate in silence after you joined him at the table, continuing in this fashion until you both finished. His satisfied expression told you that he was highly appreciative of it. You stood and took the plates to the sink.

"Hey."

You turned toward him with your head slightly tilted attentively, waiting for him to go on.

"...Thank you," he murmured, his eyes usually sharp as darts seemingly soft at this moment, not piercing into your own, but slightly downcast. Awkwardly, he shuffled his feet together.

"It's okay," you replied, resuming the dishes that you were cleaning and putting away, going on to do the same with the food you had laying out on the countertops. As you completed your tasks, you turned to Harry, holding you hands together in front of you, your lips pressed into a line as you thought about the words you wanted to say. You inhaled.

"Harry..." you began softly, your thumbs messing about with one another while he was watching you, awaiting for what you had to say, though he seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

"...You can stay here, if you want to. I- If you have no where else to go, I mean. I- I know that's weird because you... broke into my house, but..."

He blinked several times, clearly not expecting this conversation at all. In fact, he had most likely expected that you'd say, alright, you had your fucked up fun in my bed, now get the fuck out. But no. It wasn't that at all. You felt pity for him. You wanted to help him, truly. He had suffered great misfortune. And he hadn't hurt you.

"I shouldn't take advantage of you more than I already have," he responded, knowing damn well that it wouldn't be right for him to stay with you after the events of yesterday. All he had wanted was somewhere to get away from the cold. It wasn't exactly his plan to find a woman in an old house distanced from all other homes in the area.

You approached nearer to him, holding your own arms around yourself.

"I- I- I'd like it, if you did," you somehow found yourself pleading for him to reconsider, your face lighting a shade of pink in your chagrin. "Y- You said you would do anything if I... if I asked you nicely. So... please stay...?"

He chuckled a bit, exhaling through his nose. Maybe he would reconsider, but you couldn't read his expression as he let himself get lost in his own thoughts and considerations.

"Guess you got me there, huh? I'll take your offer. Thank you for your hospitality, again," he responded, more gently this time around. You smiled a genuine smile, nothing forced or faked, elated to hear that you could assist someone in need once more. He reflected your smile with one of his own.

"...Don't wear that mask again though, it really frightened me," you mentioned as you nodded toward it still sitting on the table where he had left it the night before. You found that you kind of liked his laugh when it happened, as it did now.

"I don't even know your name," he said, not outright asking for it, but inquiring for you to give that information to him freely.

And so you did.

"Is that so? That's a very beautiful name," he uttered quietly, seemingly almost to himself, but you still heard him. "I really like it."

You blushed and thanked him. You were feeling some type of way and it was disturbing but not unwelcomed, only foreign to you. You now had someone to live with, for the first time in some several years. Well, for however long Harry would like to stay. You found that you were okay with him overstaying his welcome for as long as he would like to.

And he most certainly did.

[lurafita]

Law Enforcement Avengers & Good Criminal Peter

Okay, have we considered the following:

Non powers AU

Avengers are some kind of police force (detectives/FBI/special agents/belonging to a special unit/whatever), that covers mostly high scale theft.

Peter Parker, though no one knows his real name cause he is always costumed and goes by the alias Spiderman, is a high scale class thief.

However, Spidey is a kind of ‘Robin Hood’ criminial. His victims are Mob bosses and Crime Syndicates and corrupt higher ups and pretty much anyone who has some kind of dirt on them.

Because of that, not every victim of Spiderman reports whatever he has stolen to the authorities, fearing that an investigation might uncover their dirty business.(Though many still do, believing themselves smarter than the police)

Which is why after every heist, Spiderman makes a call to the agents in charge of apprehending him, the Avengers unit; usually to the units head: Tony Stark.

Usually with the words: “Guess what I just stole.”

And, okay, technically, Spiderman is breaking the law and they should really put more effort into finally finding and arresting him. But thanks to this guy’s thefts the Avengers have been able to put some major bad guys behind bars (some of which had been the real scum of the earth). Also, Spiderman is never armed (aside from this weird bio-degradable web stuff he uses), and has never harmed an innocent (a black eye or a dislocated shoulder to a hired gun is blissfully overlooked by the agents.)

So, they kinda like the guy, okay? Have even given him a nickname: Spidey.

Not even their unit chief: Nicolas Fury, is much on their asses about catching the Spider already.

One day, Tony’s little daughter Morgan gets kidnapped, and the whole team is frantically trying to find who grabbed her. Is it someone they are currently investigating, or one of their cases that is going before a judge soon. Is someone trying to use Tony’s daughter to blackmail him and the team, or is it old fashioned revenge?

The team isn’t making any progress, there are just too many suspects, not enough info to send them in the right direction, and Tony is about to have a fucking break down.

Then his phone rings and as he answers, anticipating to hear the voice of the kidnapper of his little girl, the familiar voice of Spiderman speaks instead.

“Guess what I just stole?”

Tony likes the guy, but he doesn’t have time for this right now, and he tells Spidey as much, and is about to hang up, when suddenly Morgan is on the other end of the phone call with a happy “Hi Daddy!”

Turns out Spidey’s latest target was the guy who had kidnapped Tony’s daughter, because the Avengers had arrested the guys brother a few years ago, and the brother had just recently been killed in prison.

When Spidey was scoping out the place for his heist, he found little Morgan locked up in some dark, dank room, and got her out.

And Tony is in tears, because thank fuck is baby girl is safe. Then Spidey is back on the line and tells him to meet them in some diner that’s not far away, and also where he found her, identifying the person behind the kidnapping.

Tony and the others race to the diner, where they find Morgan making her way through an impressive amount of pancakes topped with ice cream and a chocolate milkshake.

Tony beelines to her and scoops her up and is just “Oh thank god. Are you alright Morgan? Did they hurt you? It’s all gonny be okay now, Daddy’s got you.” and so on.

And the others get some hugs in too, and everyone is just relieved and happy and Morgan seems to be unharmed and thank god.

Then they notice the young man who is sitting across from where Morgan sat in the booth, an iced coffee before him, who is just looking at the scene with a little smile on his face.

He introduces himself as Peter Parker, a bystander who had been handed the child from some guy in a costume with the order to wait with the girl in the diner until her father and his friends come to pick her up.

And they know, okay? It’s not a good cover story, and Spidey isn’t even really trying right then, and they just fucking know that this is the thief they have been (kinda but not really) trying to catch.

And they don’t fucking care.

They thank him profusely for ‘staying with Morgan’ and keeping an eye on her (read: saving her from her kidnapper). and then most of the team gets back to the precinct to get ready to arrest the son of a bitch who kidnapped little Morgan, while Tony and Morgan stay a little longer in the diner with Peter, because: “But I haven’t finished my pancakes, Daddy.”

And Morgan tells Tony all about how Spiderman broke her out of the smelly room and took her piggy back and scaled that one wall that was “So high, Daddy! I thought we were gonna fall, but Spidey wrapped those sticky webs around me so I wouldn’t slip off, and then we was jumping and climbing like in those parkerkour videos that my friend Amy showed me and it was so cool Daddy.”

And Morgan keeps stealing little looks at Peter whenever she talks about Spiderman, so Tony can guess that the young man probably lifted his mask for her (probably so she wouldn’t be scared of him). But Morgan is nothing but not loyal, so if Peter asked her to keep him being Spiderman a secret between them, then that’s exactly what she will do. (Even though she is very bad at it.)

And... then I don’t really know. Things will happen, the team and Peter (Spidey) will get closer (Tony  and Peter in particular) and maybe things even get to a point where Spidey is offered a consultant job with the team, in exchange for a prison sentence, or something like that. (It takes a thief to catch a thief, after all. And Spidey can provide a lot of insider info for the department.)

Or something else. I don’t know.

I primarily thought of this for a Starker pairing, but I think it could be worked out for IronDad and SpiderSon as well.

[the-fiction-witch]

A Float

MOVIE: MAZE RUNNER AU COUPLE: NEWT X READER RATING: SWEET + SAD

I sighed as I went around picking up glasses and tankards wiping my little rag along the tables where the ale had spilled, I kept my eyes on the wooden floor and tables and off the girls stood in there dresses leaning on the stairwell in the corner, I felt the eyes of the bar keep glued to me as he watched me. I heard the bell ring on the door but I thought little off it and continued my work till someone shoved my back almost tipping me over  "Watch it kid" he snapped as he headed over to the girls  "Newt!" My barkeep warned  "Sorry sir" I said to him "No hard done by kid" he laughs as he grabbed at some poor girl taking her upstairs  "Go on head home Newt" the bar keep said so I finished my work and handed him all the glasses getting my bag and went out to the foggy cobble streets. I groaned putting my arms across my chest to try and avoid the cold  but the damp air made that impossible, I could hear the noise from the pubs and houses I tried not to smell the sweet scents from people's homes it just made my stomach rumble and grumble slowly going though town  "Evening Newt" I heard a voice smile I looked over and saw the familiar yellow dress half torn and broken, her red hair a plaited mess from being on her back Most of the day  "Evening Teresa" I smiled to her "how's business?" "Pretty slow... Never much catch in the fog" she says  "I suppose not" I laughed  "Here, while I have you" she says handing me a couple of glass bottles  "Thanks Teresa" I smiled getting her a coin and handing it to her open palm before I headed off, soon enough I got to the alley heading down getting my key and unlocking the door to the cold dark little house.  I shut the door locking it up again and lighting a candle or two with my last match before it burnt my finger I hurried to the left room opening the little door I headed over to the crib and lit a candle just as I did someone started crying so I smiled be gently lifting little  Erwin up out his crib giving him a little cuddle which silenced his cries so I put him down tucking him tight oh no... One, two- where's Sonya!  "Oh no, oh no, oh no" I said unlocking the door and rushing out into the foggy streets "Sonya! Sonya!" I shouted as I ran thought the paths and alleys I ran for what felt like forever till I stopped to get my breath  "Newt?" A voice asked I turned to see a window opening it was Mrs linley who lived a few blocks away "I found this little one trying to steal my laundry" she says handing me little Sonya  "Oh thank god, I was so worried about you" I told her but she just giggled sucking on her fingers "thank you, I don't know how she keeps getting out"  "You know... Isn't right young boy like you raising those babies" she says "you haven't the time with work and all... Should really give them in"  "I'm doing fine taking care of them" I snapped "sorry I just... I know my mum wouldn't want us all to be separated" I said hitching Sonya up on my hip "thanks again for finding her" I smiled before heading home putting her in the cot with her brothers Erwin and George, once I got the bottles sorted I got them all out sitting in there chairs "sorry guys, as this is all we've got we going to have to ration a bit," I sighed knowing this isn't going to be enough not for Tonight let alone the week so I feed them each as much of the milk from Teresa as I could possibly spare, Teresa is a whore and has been as long as I can remember but she got pregnant not to long ago and... Unfortunately lost it. And since what happened to my mother she agreed to give as much milk as she could for them atleast till they get a bit bigger. But since it is all we have they get some milk a day and the rest is having to be bread soaked in water but I tried to keep it as fair as I could between the three. As they where having there food I got the last few biscuits they were so stale they where hard to chew and a few had rat and mouse bites in the sides but if it's good enough for the rats I suppose it will do for me.  I was just about to set them to bed when the door knocked  "Who is it?" I said in panic  "Open up Newt it's just me" the sweet voice replies I quickly opened it shutting it again behind her  "You scared me" I blushed  "How?" She giggled pulling off her black hood revealing her pretty purple dress  "I thought you might be a debter or something"  "You worry too much" she laughs going off to the bedroom I smiled sitting back on the chair  as she got sorted out "look what I managed to sneak home?" She smiled putting two apples in the table  "What would I do without you Y/n" I smiled giving her the biggest hug I could manage "Be dead probably" she giggled pushing me away and getting a knife from the kitchen "this one today, this one tomorrow" she says putting the other apple away and cutting this one into five equal prices three of which she diced up and gave to the kids and we shared the other two even if I could have swan she gave me a little more then she had  "How was work?" I asked trying to take tiny bites to make my apple last "Fine, long day" she says "how was work?"  "Okay, herb didn't pay me again"  "I'll talk to him on my way out tomorrow" she says  "No please Y/n, it's okay we can make it work"  "Newt... We can only stretch my two pounds a week so far" she says "if he's not going to pay you, you may as we get another job" she says taking the triplets to bed  "Knowhere will take me, knowhere but the factories... And I can't risk it in the factories. I couldn't have the risk of not coming home" I explain  "I could always..." She says as she came back fiddling with her dress "take up some extra work? In the evenings" "Y/n no" I told her holding her hands "no, it hasn't come to that... We'll be okay,"  "If you're sure, come on bed you have work tomorrow mr" she says "and you best not be home late tomorrow, it's bath night" she warns so I smiled and headed to the bedroom clothes scattered everywhere the window boarded shut, the old half broken bed tucked into the wall with a thousand blankets I got sorted and tucked into bed the bed as cold as everywhere else, as Y/n came in not long after having locked up the house and blewn out the candles, she undid her long brown hair and slipped off her dress and corset revealing her curves I looked away best I could as she climbed into bed "goodnight Newt" "Goodnight Y/n" I told her pulling her close she was a little warmer then me but not much, she drifted to sleep quickly nuzzling close to me as she slept her skin slight shivering so I gave her as much blanket as I could spare to try and keep her warm.

I suppose I should really explain. A long time ago, things where simple.  My father used to run the cobblers in the town with my mother helping out where she could, until I came along, and even then things where okay if a little stretched sometimes... Until my siblings came, my mother passed away in childbirth but they where able to save all three triplets, but not to long after my father ran off with some whore girl. I tried keeping us afloat best I could but we where drowning... And then Y/n. I had known her quiet a while meeting in the shop and such like but I found her one night while I was walking home from work tucked in an alley in the rain, she had run off from her abusive father and uncle but had nowhere else to go. And ever since we have lived together we share a bed but mostly for warmth and for the fact we couldn't afford a new bed so this was my parents bed together both of us working is just enough for the bills and for food but it means using every last penny.

I hated having to live this way but I refuse to let her go out and get a evening job, the things people do to those girls I couldn't bare the thought of Y/n doing that, Even if we could really use the money.  I hated how people looked at us the assume we are living in sin even if I've never touched Y/n like that...well intentionally. They look at us even worse if we go out with the triplets people think that we live in sin with three bastard children even if most around here know that isn't true 

[my-brothers-corrupted]

My Brothers, Corrupted

Chapter 3 : Section 1 : Where We Find Ourselves

Chapter One l Chapter Two l Chapter Three

With our characters separated after Anti’s theft of Blue’s magic in the last chapter, cameras begin to come back on after a long silence, and the conditions the brothers find themselves in are less than ideal – with some of them still suffering and in danger.

Trigger warnings for psychotic episodes, hallucinations, abuse and arguing between brothers, homelessness, hypnosis, and hospitalization.

 Part One of Chapter Three: Where We Find Ourselves

One of your screens fizzles.

“Anti? Anti, can you hear me, are you there?”

The voice fades into static and then cuts back a second later, a solid thunking noise interrupting the words.

“Dammit! Why won’t this stupid thing - turn back on, please, I - can you hear me? Anti, are you there?”

The screen begins to darken again.

“Please! I need you! Can you hear me? Anti?”

The camera cuts away again and is gone.

Start up again tomorrow?

Anonymous asked: If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again. If you need help, hang up and dial your operator BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEE

“Oh, holy shit, it’s coming on again. It’s coming on. It’s coming on.”

You hear shuffling and the striking of boots on tile, squeaking and a sigh a little farther to your right.

“Don’t fucking say that! It is, look, the light is on! There’s a message, oh, please, oh, please.”

His voice shakes with the weight of it. A message, a message, a message. His hands scramble at your camera, your video returns, and you are back just in time to see Red’s eyes find the little message on his screen and, then, his face fall completely.

Tears tremble in his eyes and he coughs roughly, turning away and clearing his throat, letting anger fill up his face in place of the disappointment. After a moment, his eyes flicker back, he rereads the message, and, with fury, you are all but thrown down onto the cold tile of a bathroom floor.

“Really fucking funny,” whispers Red. “What a great joke.”

You can see Dapper’s chest. One of his hands reaches down to grab the camera, but a sharp clanging sound stops him solidly and he quiets, backing away again, one hand raised.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Red??? Can you hear us? Are you and Dap okay?

Red’s sniffling quiets and you hear him shuffling again, moving and adjusting, rubbing at his face or rocking his head or playing with his fingers. After a moment, he reaches down to pick you up again.

“Yeah, I can hear you,” he says. “This… this is good news, really. It’s good news. Yeah, everything’s fine, Anti will be able to see this, won’t he? And then he’ll be able to find us and this can be over. How does that sound, Carve?”

He turns to look at him, maybe even to reach out, but the jangling sound growls up again and Dapper pulls away from him harshly. Red grits his teeth and turns back to you, rubbing at his overgrown beard.

whydoilovesomanyvillians asked: Red, dap is everything alright, where are you guys, also how longs it been since we were shut off

“It’s been… it’s been maybe a week since you were on?” Red gnaws on the bend of his thumb for a second, staring at the ceiling, trying to think. His eyes are red-rimmed and purple-circled, his cheeks darkly thin, but otherwise he looks unharmed. “Everything’s going to be fine, I’m sure, I’m sure. Anti’s going to come get me soon… unless he’s not… I don’t know where he… or why he won’t…”

Red bites his thumb again, squeezing his eyes tight shut, and draws blood.

bupine asked: dap, red? where are you? are you ok??

“I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t tell you, I don’t… I don’t think I should. I don’t - I don’t know who’s a magician and who’s not. I just need Anti to come! He should be able to trace the signal now! We’re up, right, we’re running! He should have glitched up here beside me the second I… I got it up…”

Red sets you back down again, overwhelmed. You’re a little closer to Dapper now and this time, when he reaches down, he can grab you, and with a big, beaming smile, ignoring an annoyed protest from Red, he sets you on a little counter beside him and adjusts you so you can see him and Red and the white walls of the corner they’re sitting in.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Where are you guys? Are you safe?

“We’re hiding in the bathroom of a church,” signs Dapper, mostly with one hand. “So the pastor will look around and lock up and then we can sleep in the pews. They have cushions.”

Anonymous asked: Are you guys still handcuffed to each other? How long has it been?

“Yes,” signs Dapper, face sinking, at the same time as Red gives you a pointed “no, we are not.”

Dapper shakes his head, anger flashing across his face, and reaches out to grab you again, to show you, but then Red is leaning forward to snatch his free hand and pin it to the cold floor of the bathroom. Dapper stills, staring straight ahead, his throat bobbing and his eyes cold and teary.

“Mean,” his hand tries to sign. “Mean to me.”

Red sighs so deep it turns into a groan.

whydoilovesomanyvillians asked: What's with the rattling noise

Dapper shakes his other arm and rattles and rattles and rattles, baring his teeth at Red, who draws slightly back, a flash of fear across his face. Dapper yanks his hand away and grabs the camera, and then he proudly presents to you his left arm, hand-cuffed to the handicap rail along the wall.

“Mean Red,” he repeats fiercely, yanking against the handcuff. “Mean to me.”

“Dapper! You are bruising your wrist again - Dap, stop!”

“Don’t touch me!”

“I’m trying to keep you safe!”

Dapper slams his head back against the wall and Red yelps, alarmed, leaping forward to cradle Dapper against his chest, trying to ignore the low, angry growling Dap is letting out, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

“I have to have something for the paranoia,” he begs, even as he strikes his head back against Red’s chest. “Have to, have to, have to.”

“Let’s think about something else,” whispers Red, trembling around him. “Let’s talk about something else. We’re fine.”

“Mean to me…”

“We’re fine.”

immabethehero asked: So. How was the beach?

“The beach,” mumbles Red, his eyes filming slightly. “You were with us, you remember… fire and the raging water, and everybody screaming in the distance.”

“Red did not like the beach,” signs Dapper emphatically, shaking his head against his stomach. “Red did not like it, Red does not like the river or the flame.”

Red sighs and pats Dapper’s chest slowly, a steady thump-thump-thump.

“Did you see what happened to our brothers?”

bupine asked: you don't need to tell us where in the world you are if you don't want. what happened after you got away? are either of you badly hurt? have you heard from any of your brothers?

“No, we haven’t heard from anyone.”

“I have!” protests Dap, trying to sit up again. “I can hear big brother, he says, Dapper, why aren’t you in your room? And your shirt is messy and your hair is long and what, only one knife with you? And why won’t you come home and where is your pretty blue sweater with the baby chicken on it?”

“No one’s saying any of that, Dap.”

“I hear it,” protests Dapper. “I hear it. And he says, Dapper, why aren’t you in your room? And your shirt is messy and your hair is - ”

Red pins his hand gently down. Thump, thump, thump.

“We’re not bad hurt, except Dapper can’t stop coughing. I think the smoke got in his lungs… I didn’t get him away fast enough. And he’s completely out of his mind most the time.”

Dapper blinks and stares up at Red, hurt in his eyes, but his brother isn’t looking.

“I’ve got to get him his medicine but I don’t… I don’t know how, don’t know what to do anymore. Usually I could steal it, I think, but not only is this part of the world poor as shit, but we’ve got… we’ve got…”

“Pigs!” laughs Dapper, throwing his hands up. “Pigs following us.”

“Haha,” says Red dryly, glaring down at him. “Yeah, cops. Cause the forest burned and they want to know who started it, and I - I killed that man back in Peru and they’re still looking for me… and Anti isn’t around to protect us and I don’t - I don’t know, I’m scared we’re…”

He cuts himself off, covering his mouth for a second.

“Pictures of us on the television,” he mumbles. “In the newspaper, too. I’m out of cash, I’ve been stealing shit, they’ll follow our trail, I think. Can’t get him his medicine or find anything to eat. Doubt there’s food in this church either. Too scared to go to the homeless shelters. They ask so many questions.”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Has he been off of his medication this entire time, Red? Have you heard from anyone? Any of the others...?

“Yeah, no,” breathes Red, covering Dapper’s eyes for a second, though he doesn’t know why. “Don’t have anything for him, not even cigarettes for the paranoia. Not even a steady routine or a place to stay so he can feel safe. We got driven out of a barn last night and if he could scream he would have been the whole time, and we would have been caught, cause the farmer guy called the cops on us.”

“Drag me around,” snarls Dapper, suddenly angry again, writhing on the handcuff. “Drag me, yank, yank. Mean Red.”

“No, we haven’t heard from anyone, not Anti, not… not Blue. Just running. Running and running.”

“The pews have cushions,” cheers Dap, placated again. “So we can sleep, honey.”

“Honey,” laughs Red, pushing at his hands. “I thought you were honey, Anti calls you that sometimes.”

“No, no, Blue calls me honey, calls me sweetheart, says, hey baby what’s wrong?”

“He likes you, huh?”

“Better than you do,” snarls Dapper, pulling against the handcuffs again. “Nice Blue. Mean Red. Says, shut up, Dapper, shut the fuck up.”

“Okay,” sighs Red, hands trembling, and he pushes Dapper away and gets up to pace, pulling slowly at his hair.

cest-mellow asked: is this a catholic or mormon church? i’m sure they have some bread or something lying around to eat. when was the last time you guys ate?

“I think it’s Christian, uh. Dapper, did you notice?”

“Jesus,” signs Dapper wisely.

“Thanks for the input.”

“Communion bread,” Dapper continues patiently. “Maybe even a change of clothes for the pastor. Camera is quite right. But we have to stay in here til the monster man is gone! In the hallway!”

Red ignores him, getting to his feet to unlock his handcuffs. Stole the key from this cop lady who tried to arrest them. And then Dapper put the nice golden blade between her ribs. Nausea fills Red’s mouth, but he swallows it back down. One more charge they’ll be sent to life for if they get caught. “That’s good, then. Come on, let’s go stuff our mouths with communion wafers.”

Dapper’s eyes widen. “Monster in the hallway!”

“There isn’t,” Red sighs. “Want me to look?”

“No, no, don’t go out there, Red, Red!”

But Red is already opening the door to the bathroom wide. Dapper whistles shrilly and buries his face in his hands.

“See? No one there.”

“Stay away from me!” scream Dapper’s hands, curling in on himself. “Stay away, stay away! No, no, Red, it’s touching me!”

“Nothing is touching you. Fuck, Dap, five minutes, I need you to have it together for five minutes…”

“Bear,” sobs Dapper. “Want my bear, want Anti, want my bed, want my brothers, want J-joy, where is he?”

Red unslings the backpack from his shoulder and finds his bear, once snow-white, now bedraggled with mud. Dapper reaches out eagerly, shaking and panting. Red pats his head once and draws away, taking the camera to go find him something to eat.

“It’s not that I’m trying to be cruel,” he says frailly after a moment, as though you had accused him.

bupine asked: dapper, who is it that you can hear talking to you? do you know?

“He says he hears all sorts of people,” mumbles Red, not even turning the camera back to his brother, though you see Dapper’s pale face poking out of the bathroom a moment later. “Anti more than anyone. I was hoping for a while that maybe Anti really was in his head still, talking to him or something. Anti can sometimes split his consciousness a little, I thought maybe a part of him was inside Dapper’s head. But all Dapper tells me is nonsense, and he hears the others too sometimes. I think he tried to sign to me in a German accent once… he talks about specific people, too, I’m scared he thinks they’re real. I don’t know what to do anymore. He hasn’t been this bad in a long time.”

immabethehero asked: Dok was kidnapped by the magicians. Anti took Blue and Trick into the forest, I think.

Red stops short in the middle of the pews, staring dead at you.

whydoilovesomanyvillians asked: Ya but your not gonna like it, doc got taken trick is with anti and blue is also with anti but I don't know how hes doing his magic was ripped from him and he was kinda dying when anti turned off the camera

“No, that can’t…”

Red trails off, his mouth slightly open. Stained glass glows darkly on both sides of him. He closes his eyes and opens them again.

“Dok… is he alive? And Blue isn’t… fuck, no…”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: They didn't hurt Dok when they took him, Red. The magicians are trying to help you.

“Okay, alright,” snaps Red, fury filling up his face. “I knew it, I knew some of you were on their side. Well, I’m not going to hear it, you understand? Anti’s puppy is already confused enough without hearing from the voices outside his head that Anti is dangerous. He rambles about the magicians and how much Anti’s hurt him all the fucking time, and you know what? We’re not taking it, we’re not tolerating it. That’s what he’s got to know. I’m bringing him back to Anti in one piece, just as loyal as he used to be, and that’s a promise. I promise, yeah. So we’re not taking this shit, you understand? I am away from Anti but that’s not going to change anything, and nothing Dap has said makes any sense. None, no. Not entertaining it, not thinking about it, we don’t have time to hear about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thanks. Anti loves us and the magicians are dangerous and I’m going to get us back to our master. End of story.”

He pushes against the door to the back of the church. Locked. Whatever. Red bears his whole weight against it and breaks the wood around the handle with one firm, furious shove.

“Stupid shitty church,” he grumbles, pushing into the door and flicking the light switch, making him look even more exhausted than he did a minute ago. “Stupid fucking… and now they have Dok…”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Red, I didn't mean to upset you. It's just the truth, hun. We're on your side here.

“Yeah, whatever, whatever,” mumbles Red shakily, running his hands through his hair. The color of it is getting far from his scalp. If he cut it, it’d probably be gone, but he doesn’t plan to cut it, or Dapper’s, either. “Anti’s not around to, like, curate these anymore, okay? So I’m the one who’s gotta do it. And if you want to talk to Dap I’m telling you right now - I want nothing that’s going to make him think Anti is the bad guy. He’s sick, he can’t tell.”

In the pews, Dapper is whistling Easter music, clear and pretty.

florenceisfalling asked: red, have you seen the other families out there? the happy ones? have you ever seen all of them run from the police and kill people and plan punishments and possess each other? no. what anti is doing isn't safe, it isn't good for you, it isn't love.

Red squeezes his eyes shut tight. “No, no. My family isn’t normal. My family isn’t normal. My family isn’t normal. This is how we have to live, this is how we have to. See, I knew you all would do this, I knew! I’ll delete you, I’ll turn you off! I mean it, I… oh, thank God.”

The cupboard at the back of the room has three bags of communion bread. Wiping at his mouth, suddenly filled with saliva, Red grabs the bags out and races back towards his brother, triumphant.

Anonymous asked: abnormal families deserve to be safe and comfortable, too.

Red pauses at the sight of Dapper spinning around between the pews, leaving muddy footprints along the carpet, his shirt hanging off his thin frame and his soft, dirty bear clutched to his stomach. Coughing interrupts his whistling song and he curls slightly in on himself, rubbing his own shoulders.

Something twists in Red’s gut.

“Well,” he mumbles. “Once I get him back to Anti… then he’ll… then he’ll be fine. And safe and comfortable. Yeah, yeah, Anti definitely keeps him safe and comfy. With his big sweaters and his nice cozy room. And I’ll keep him safe, I will. Anti doesn’t… Dapper will be happy once I get him back to him. Yeah, yeah.”

He nods his head down at the communion bread like he’s trying to get advice from it.

florenceisfalling asked: but will /you/ be happy? and safe? and comfortable?

Red sits down in a pew and begins tearing open a bag of wafers. Dapper turns towards him, putting a hand on his stomach, and drifts towards him, eyes narrowed in case of a sneak attack to get him hand-cuffed again.

“How do I put this?” says Red bitterly, pulling out a piece of bread and popping it in his mouth. “Hm. Okay - who the hell cares? Hey, what, this is the shit they use to make Jesus? This is worse than a cracker.”

Dapper pops up beside him, opening and closing his hand like Anti taught him to do to ask for snacks. Red is glad most of his training is intact somewhere in his head.

“There you go, little man. Come on, you’re hungry, sit down with me.”

“Not going to hand-cuff?”

“No. Here.”

He holds out a wafer. Dapper takes it and sits down beside him. Red handcuffs him cleanly to the part of the pew that holds the hymn books.

Dapper doesn’t even complain. His face barely changes. His eyes just go dead and he doesn’t put the bread in his mouth.

“I’m sorry,” says Red, voice still bitter as rhubarb. “You were the one who tried to run away when we were in that alley the other day. Even though I told you the monster wasn’t real.”

Dapper stares at the wall across from him, where a little baby Jesus is hoisted up to the stars.

“I’ll uncuff you again in the morning. Eat.”

Red flicks his hand. Dapper doesn’t move. Red takes the bread from him and puts it in his mouth, squeezing open his jaw and waiting there, patient, until Dapper begins to chew.

“There we go. Everything’s going to be okay.”

bupine asked: don't think about anti right now, red. think about what you and dapper are going to do next. are there any other places you guys can go after this, tomorrow?

“No,” says Red softly. “I guess we’ll just keep moving. As long as we can. I need… I need money, though, I need to break in somewhere.”

Dapper lets out a breathy laugh, throwing his head back. Red turns to him, scowling.

“Got something to say?”

“You can’t break in anywhere,” laughs Dapper. “Anti makes fun of you when you can’t hear him.”

Red’s face flushes with fervent heat. “You little brat! That’s not true!”

“Bad at lying,” giggles Dapper. “Bad at acting under pressure. Bad at convincing yourself to steal things. Nervous Red acting all tough.”

Red gets up and stalks down the aisle before he can hit him, his teeth gritted tight. But then again, that’s what Anti would do if he heard Dapper speaking to him like that, right? Red’s the big brother. The little ones are supposed to respect him. That’s what Anti always tells him. If Dok’s being a brat, he’s supposed to send him scampering. But he doesn’t know where the lines are supposed to be with Anti’s puppy. He has to get him back to Anti still obedient. In line. What would Anti want him to do? What would Anti want him to do about being lost and hungry with nowhere to sleep? What would Anti tell him about what clothes he should pick out for Dapper tomorrow and how worried he should be about the coughing and whether Dapper should be babied or snapped at or treated normally? Fuck, Red hasn’t interacted with Dapper for - hell, he can’t remember when, not really. He doesn’t even know this kid. He’s Anti’s puppy, not Red’s. Who the hell even is Dapper beneath the stupid little baby act he’s always playing at to make Anti like him? Why isn’t Anti here now? What is Red supposed to do? What is Red supposed to do? How is Red supposed to even start deciding what to do? He wants to smash up the cross on the altar with its big gaping arms, accusatory. He picks up a communion chalice and throws it at the wall, panting. Fuck everyone and everything but his family. And fuck Anti too for abandoning him. No, no, he didn’t mean that.

You’re acting like a dick, some part of his brain tells him, and the other part shoots back, yeah, what else is new?

bupine asked: red, do you remember anything from before dapper was... dapper? i'm not asking this to upset you, just to see if it could help you in any way. maybe you'd know how to help take care of him better.

Red closes his eyes.

“Fuck, I’m really not supposed to think about that. Fuck, and I - you know what, no, I don’t. Sometimes I get these fragments, and I think they’re Dapper because - well, the mustache, right? But Dapper would never act like that person did. Like… there’s this one I think about sometimes where it’s the guy who looks like Dapper, and I’ve - I’ve got blood all over my hands. All over my hands. And I’m just sobbing and sobbing, like a little bitch.” He laughs frailly. “Yeah, but then, this little not-Dapper - except he’s not little, really, he’s taller than Dapper, I think - he comes up to me, and he’s signing at me that it’s going to be okay, that he knows what it’s like, that he knows I didn’t mean to, that it wasn’t my fault. And then he helps me wash my hands. And I’m just standing there staring at myself in the mirror, too numb to speak, and he washes my hands clean and signs to me again and again, completely calm the whole time. Helps me out of the bloody shirt and doesn’t touch my skin and leads me back to bed. And watches over me and I’m okay.”

Red stares at the floor. He doesn’t even know what the memory - the dream - makes him feel anymore.

“But that’s just not Dapper. It’s someone else, or maybe Anti was possessing the body. Dapper doesn’t look after anyone, he’s the baby. Dapper’s just a quiet little shadow at the end of a hallway or the top of the stairs to me.”

bupine asked: well, we know that dapper used to be different, red. he did help you and your brothers. you were all equals. every one of you on an even playing field. can you imagine what that's like?

Red shifts on his feet. “Well - I - yeah, I can imagine it. Like… do you remember Christmas?”

Something warm and endless fills up his big blue eyes.

“Okay, yeah, that was pretty happy. And Trick and Dok were just playing with Doktor and their little cat, haha. And Blue could cook for everybody and we were just watching over them. But that never last long.”

His eyes darken.

“Shitty day anyway, in the end. Fucked up the next morning, didn’t I? Fuck, let’s not… okay. I just need to get Dapper sleeping. I’m so tired. Time for bed.”

He drifts back towards his brother, mostly calmed.

Anonymous asked: Okay, everybody calm down. Red, is Dap’s wrist irritated? If he’s been tugging on the cuffs too hard, they’ll be hurt. If so, is it possible to get water from the bathroom and put some on his wrist? That might help ease the irritation for a bit.

“Sure,” says Red, seeming relieved. “Yes, I can do that, yes.”

He moves past Dapper to refill his water in the bathroom.

“It wouldn’t be irritated if you did pull so hard,” Red reprimands, wetting a bandana from his backpack and cleaning up Dapper’s wrist a little. “Here, I’ll tie this under there and it might help a little.”

“Thanks so much,” grumbles Dapper’s free hand.

Red sighs and sits down beside him. “You know I’m trying to keep you safe, right?”

Dapper shakes his head slowly.

“Don’t think you know what safe is anymore, Anti,” he says. “Or maybe you just don’t care.”

Red shakes his head, looking away. “I’m not Anti. We’ve been over this.”

“Part of you is Anti.”

“Tomorrow I’m going to find somewhere to get some cash and I’ll get you some medicine or some cigarettes and then we’ll get somewhere we can actually sleep, okay? With a locked door so I don’t have to cuff you.”

Dapper’s eyes falter. “Stuck… stuck in room?”

“Yeah. It’ll be much safer that way. Come on, finish up your bread.”

bupine asked: anti can't solve all of your problems, red. he couldn't solve them even when you were still with him. don't you wish it could be like that christmas every day? all of your brothers as equals, and not only that, but happy? think about that, but don't stress yourself out. just take care of yourself and dapper :D

“Yes, nice,” says Dapper - or tries to. Signing is hard when he has to get his hands together. “Christmas! I got my bear on Christmas. Yeah, J-joy, we don’t have to go back to Anti.”

“Shh,” warns Red softly, pulling off his sweatshirt to make a pillow for him. “You’re having delusions, just trust me.”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: As much as you two are getting on each other's nerves right now, at least you two have each other to protect, right?

Red shrugs, turning his head from side to side. They sit regarding each other for a moment, Dapper staring right through him, quiet, docile. Red thinks it should make him relieved, but it doesn’t.

“How’s the paranoia?” he asks gruffly.

Dapper blinks, coming back to him for a second. He stares around him.

“J-joy,” he says. “I have to have something, I can’t keep going.”

“I know,” says Red softly. He stopped correcting him about the sign name days ago. “I’m trying to get you something.”

“Why don’t you like me?” asks Dapper, hands slow. “I think you used to.”

Red reaches tentatively forward. Dapper’s eyes narrow. His lips curl a little. Angry puppy. Red’s hand is close to him. They are both, for one instant, back in a field next to a gas station in the middle of nowhere, Peru, and Dapper feels Red strike him, and Red sees Dapper’s flashing teeth as he pins him to the earth.

Red’s hand falls away again and he moves away, setting the sweatshirt down. Dapper quiets again, staring at the floor, wondering where the aggression came from, wondering just when it was that he came to want to hurt this person who used to be his brother.

“It’s okay,” mumbles Red. “Lie down.”

Dapper is too tired to argue. His head falls down on the sweatshirt. His arm rests on the cushion of the pews and then hangs out from the hymn books.

After a moment, he feels a hand on his ankle. He isn’t sure it’s real. His tactile hallucinations are usually on his legs.

Thump, thump, thump.

“I am glad we’re not alone,” says Red eventually, very low. “And I’m glad you’re not alone either. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I promise I’m trying to keep you safe. I promise.”

Red, Anti, J-joy, Roser.

Dapper doesn’t know who he’s sitting with anymore. The light falls out of the stain glass windows and the church goes dark and cold.

bupine asked: maybe hear dap out, red. don't just brush him off like he's a baby. you two used to love each other a lot! you can be equals again, at least while you're away from anti. once you're back, do whatever you want (or what anti wants, i suppose). but doing this might help you!

“Look,” warns Red. “If this is going to work - ”

Your screen glitches violently into a myriad of colors, stripes of purple, blue, yellow, red, and green flashing rapidly across your screen. Red notices too - you can tell because he nearly drops the camera, gasping and grasping at it like he’s scared he’ll be burned.

“Anti!” he cries. “Anti, are you there? Can you hear me? I need you, please!”

Dapper is consumed with trembling, hiding his face in the folded sweatshirt. Red leaps to his feet, not sure what sort of signal he’s searching for.

“Where are you? Please? Are you there, can you find me? Anti!”

Words flickers across the screen.

I̛͟ ̭̙̪͖͉͈ͅ

am̧͈̀ ̬̙̪̬̬̪̟͎͎̭̗̟̬̲

ţ̢́rỳ

t̶̴r̘̫̖y̺̰̩ ͈̳̳̯̩̹̫͟ng͙͚̮͔

Your camera shorts out.

------------

Anonymous asked: Oh, hey Anti.

Glitches burn purple across your leftmost screen.

“Red? It’s you?”

A chair squeaks as someone adjusts. Through the blurry image, the face of a small, mousy kid is beginning to appear.

“Did you find Red?”

“Shut up, Trick.”

There’s a long pause. The child flickers into view at last, his big black eyes narrowed in concentration. He wears an over-sized t-shirt and he is biting down on his lip so hard it bleeds to his chin. On his head, the small nubs of white antlers.

“No,” he mumbles finally, processing your message. “I don’t… he’s not…”

Silence. Anti is sitting in shadows on a white tile floor, close to the legs of a chair, where Trick’s legs are turned away from him.

Trick’s hand comes down to touch Anti’s hair. Anti’s small hands push it away, but without anger, and Trick retreats again. Something is beeping.

Anonymous asked: Anti? You there?

“Quiet,” Anti spits.

Trick shuffles nervously. You see his hands clasping and unclasping on his lap. His body is bent awkwardly. He seems to be lying across something.

“Anti,” he mumbles. “You’ve been working for hours.”

“I’m fine.” So much anger in the voice of an seven-year-old.

“The antlers and the flowers are back…”

Anti blinks and reaches up. Peace lilies are vining across the back of his head and approaching his face. His teeth grit down and he tears at them, yanking them off his scalp, his black eyes welling with furious, exhausted blood.

“Anti, Anti,” protests Trick. “Please, please.”

Anonymous asked: Anti? Anti! Can you see this? What’s going on? Why aren’t Dapper and Red with you?

“Why aren’t Dapper and Red with me?” spits Anti.

Suddenly the little kid is on his feet, and Trick lets out a soft warning hiss and turns to hide the tiny antlers with his hands. Anti shoves him away and the antlers are gone; clarified by his hatred, his eyes turn blue again.

“Why aren’t Dapper and Red with me? Why aren’t Dapper and Red with me?”

“Anti, you’re going to short out the heart monitor again, you - ”

“Why aren’t they with me? Shut the fuck up! You don’t even know where they are! You’re all so fucking useless!”

Anti flings you to the ground and vanishes into a violent burst of glitching. Trick gasps, his hands twitching suddenly, electrified for a moment by the proximity to his brother’s power. Whimpering, he pulls his hands to his stomach and lies panting. You can see now, from your lop-sided angle on the floor, that he is laid across a body in a hospital bed. His shaky hands grip Blue’s motionless fingers, pressing across monitors and needles to hold him. Blue does not respond.

bupine asked: anti! trick! is blue ok? where are you guys?

Trick rubs at his face, hidden beneath a cap and a sweatshirt hood, curling in on his brother’s body. He blinks down at you for a second, eyes watery.

“We’re in the hospital,” he rasps. “Blue’s fighting really, really hard.”

Anonymous asked: You doing alright, Trick? It’s been a while :( -its-ethan-bro

Trick lets off a low groan, rubbing at his face. He’s shaky and hollow, back aching from being bent for so long. A little tray of hospital food has been abandoned on the windowsill behind him.

“Please, I’m fine, don’t worry about me. I’ve just been trying to, um. You know. Look after Blue, look after Anti, keep it together. We’re going to be fine, it’s just been scary. And I want Blue to get better.”

He pauses, turning away. Big, hot tears are pooling up in his eyes, and you can see his chest heaving as he stops himself from crying. He clears his throat and manages to make his voice mostly calm.

“Can you tell me, though, do you know if Dok is alive - ?”

His voice shatters and he chokes on a sob, hiding his face in Blue’s arm.

Anonymous asked: If it helps any, Trick, we saw Red and Dapper. They're fine for now hiding in a church, but struggling for supplies. Dap is completely off his meds and Red is wanted, so they haven't been able to travel. We haven't been able to get in touch with Dok yet but hang tight, okay?

“Oh, oh,” Trick wipes frantically at his face. “Oh, no, Dap could s-snap if he’s off his meds, and then… that would be really bad. Can you tell me where they are? I need to let Anti know so he can go fetch them, he can’t find them and he’s getting wild about it. Fuck, at least they’re alive. And they have a camera! Oh, oh, I bet Anti will be able to find them, then. I need Red here, Blue calls for him in his sleep, and Anti doesn’t like being away from puppy.”

Anonymous asked: Blue wouldn't have to fight so hard to stay alive if Anti gave him back his magic.

“Um.”

Trick stares at you. Stares down at Blue. Stares at the door. Stares back at you.

“I don’t know what that means.”

bupine asked: trick, we haven't seen dok yet. i'm sorry. he'll be fine, though, the magicians won't hurt him. they're the only reason blue is alive at all, after all

Trick’s whole body shivers and he purses his pale mouth, massaging Blue’s palm. The big hot tears come welling up again, but now he just looks tired, and afraid, and guilty, and he doesn’t answer you.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Has Blue gotten worse, Trick....??? Why's Anti a seven year old?

“That’s just one of Anti’s disguises for when we’re really in hiding… he doesn’t want anyone to find us or follow us from South America. We don’t know how many allies those people had, or if they have a way to track us, or anything like that, so Anti says we have to keep our heads really low. He didn’t want to take Blue to a hospital. We don’t even do that when we feel safe…”

Trick clears his throat and glances at Blue, is eyes falling warmly on his brother’s face.

“But Blue’s really sick, and we don’t have Dok, so…”

He comes over to get you at last and sits you the counter beside him.

Blue breathes with a mask over his face, his skin ash grey. Pierced by needles and nightmaring as he sleeps, he is a tiny white St. Sebastien, his fingers curled sleepily against Trick’s palm. The roots of his hair are snow-white.

“He’s woken up a couple times now, at least, even if his eyes aren’t doing so hot and he’s almost too tired to think,” reports Trick dreamily, lying his chin down on his wrist. “There were a couple days he wouldn’t wake up at all and nobody knew what was wrong with him. Just kept running tests and tests and tests… even now, we don’t really know… he’s just not well…”

cest-mellow asked: is noodle doing okay at least?

Trick’s face fills with a smile. “Yes. Yeah. At least Noodle is okay. Getting big now! He’s at home. No kitties in the hospital. Thank you for asking.”

bupine asked: anti, this may be a sensitive question, but... why are you in the form of a child? are you sprouting flowers because of blue's magic? we did warn you that that was a bad idea

Trick frowns at you, shaking his head. “Guys, I’m sorry, I really don’t know what you’re talking about with Blue’s power and Anti or whatever. I don’t think Blue’s been casting any spells, if that’s what you mean, and especially not on Anti. There is something fucky going on with Anti’s power, I’ll give you that, but - ”

There’s a click as the door opens and Trick looks up.

“Hi, Connor,” says a warm, accented voice, one that melts vowels into the consonants around them and sharpens the t’s and s’s. “How are you doing today?”

“Pretty good, Dr. Siong,” replies Trick, adopting a clean English accent and shifting in his seat a little. He isn’t used to talking in the hospital without Anti nearby.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

She appears in the corner of your vision to pull up a chair a few feet from him, a small, middle-aged woman with shiny dark hair pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head. Her dark eyes are focused on Trick and you see him squirm, but keep his eyes politely towards her, looking, suddenly, hardly older than Anti’s little disguise.

“Do you have more news on my brother?” he asks, with a nervous little smile.

“Well, not much we haven’t told you,” she answers. “But I’m going to confirm what we told you the other day - we believe Matti will be able to return home with you in a couple days, but life is going to be different for him for a little while and we’ll require frequent check-ups. But we can talk about that all here in a day or so when we’re getting you all finished up. I know it’s been a hard road. Right now, I was actually hoping to ask some questions about you.”

Trick’s mouth dries. Your microphone picks up the sound of his breath sliding shakily out at him, and his fingers twitch for the camera, looking over at you again and again like he’s hoping one of you will show up and whisk him away.

“Oh, yeah?” he laughs, trying to sound chill. “I like you a lot, Dr. Siong, but if you’re looking for a date…”

“Haha,” she says with a wry smile. “You’re a funny guy, Connor. I’m very glad you’ve been here so much to look after your brother. I admire that. Not everyone has so dedicated a family. I was wondering, though, if you could tell me again how Matti got these burns across his chest?”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Hey, uh, Anti?? If you can hear this, Trick's getting questioned.

Trick glances at you, relieved by the cry for help, but nobody answers. He swallows nervously, but he isn’t surprised. He has commanded little of anyone’s attention in the last week, and Anti has too much going on to worry about him, not to mention his new difficulty with managing his cameras.

But Anti prepared him for this, right? He knows what to do. Just stay calm, Trick. Just stay calm.

“House fire,” he says, leaning back. “I believe we told you that.”

“If you could just bear with me. Who set the house fire?”

“It was… an accident. Matti was cooking. Then everything flamed up and set his shirt on fire.”

“Were you there to see that happen?”

Trick chews on his lip for a second, gripping tighter at Matti’s hand.

“Are you sure that’s what happened, Connor?”

Anonymous asked: Just say you don’t know. Say you weren’t there when it happened so you can’t answer, and that it��d be best to ask whatever Anti’s fake name is because he was.

“I wasn’t there, no,” says Trick, his eyes flickering to you. “You’d be better off asking my little brother, he was there.”

“Seamus was there?”

“Yeah.”

“So Seamus saw his brother burned this badly.”

“He… yeah, he lives with us, you know.”

She shifts in her chair, scooting a little closer to him. “I’d actually like to ask you about Seamus, too.”

The words ‘oh, fuck’ all but flash across Trick’s face. He shoots you a look.

“Your little brother doesn’t seem to be handling Matti’s hospitalization well.”

“No,” says Trick softly.

“He shows a lot of signs of stress for a child of his age.”

“Well, what do you expect? Hospitals are scary. And he loves Matti, he doesn’t want him to be hurt.”

“I’m just concerned - and Connor, please understand, this is not a condemnation of you, I’m not on the attack here, we’re on the same team - but I’m concerned that Seamus’s stress reactions are not consistent with his age or the situation.”

Trick feigns ignorance. “What do you mean?”

“He seems to hide a lot. By your legs and in the corners. He shakes often. He doesn’t seem to want to be touched. Not only that, he’s aggressive when anyone tries. He doesn’t talk to doctors well. In fact, I would say Seamus seems to have developed a mistrust of adults in general. Do you have any idea why that might be, Connor?”

Her voice is too sweet. Her eyes are too fixed on him. She knows something is wrong. She knows he’s lying. She knows.

“Connor, if someone is mistreating you or your brothers…”

His mouth opens and closes, opens and closes. Her dark eyes seem familiar to him and he doesn’t remember why.

Anonymous asked: Just say you’re fine- aggressively if you have to. That should shake her off, at least for now. Then redirect the questions back to Blue.

Trick glances at you and regains his posture. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says. “Just because Seamus is a shy kid doesn’t mean someone’s goddamn hitting him.”

She is cool as a cucumber, letting him finish.

“Matti and I are the closest things he has to parents, you know,” he says, inventing now, and trying to talk the way Dok talks, clipped and cool and professional. “So if there’s a problem, Dr. Siong, as you seem to believe, it’s with us. I’m not sure I appreciate your implications. I’d prefer it if we kept our discussion contained to the medical issues pertaining to Matthew.”

Her eyes still don’t change. “Sure,” she says. “Here’s one pertaining to him - how’d he get the gash on his arm?”

“Tripped while he was holding a kitchen knife.”

“A cut of that depth and length required a great deal of force. It was not stitched for several days afterwards, as well.”

“I told you the truth already. When Matti wakes up, I’m sure he’ll tell you the same.”

“Seems he will,” she says, staring at him. “So you don’t have any similar scars on your body, Connor?”

Across his back, across his chest. On the tops of his thighs, at the back of his head, hidden by his hairline. His mouth is dry. “No.”

“I’d like to retrieve the record of visitation from the hospital where Matti was first treated for his burns. Was that here or in a different country?”

“A - a different country.”

“Which country?”

Which country? Which country? Anti will have to fake the documents anyway. “Back home in England,” he says. These aliases are English, right? Did he even pick the right accent? Can she tell?

“What hospital?”

“I don’t… I don’t know the name.”

“Connor,” she says, very softly. “Connor.”

The door pushes open and there is Anti, hallowed in the light of the hall. Trick’s heart nearly faints in his chest. “Seamus!” he calls, relieved. “There you are.”

Anti steps slowly into the room, shutting the door behind him. For a moment, his cold blue eyes fixate on the face of the woman sitting too close to his puppets. Asking questions. Asking questions while they’re sick. Imposter girl. Like the dark-haired woman magician with the light in her hands. False saviors. Thief, thief, thief.

He stalks past her and climbs into Trick’s lap, sitting up straight and regarding her coolly. She is already getting to her feet, barely taking notice of him. She looks back at Trick again and Anti feels him quail under her gaze.

“We’ll talk about Matti returning home soon,” she says. “As long as our HR department is able to verify that it will be safe for him to do so.”

Trick bites on his lip. She leans forward for a second and puts her hand on his shoulder. Anti wants to bite her. He thinks about shouting. We do not, he would snarl, like to be touched.

“Connor,” she says again. “If you need anything, please let me know. We want to make sure everything is safe for you and your family. You don’t have to be afraid.”

“Thanks,” says Trick softly.

She draws back again. “Seamus,” she says, with a warm smile at him. He glares back, but she doesn’t tremble. And then she is gone, and they are alone.

Anti sits back against Trick’s chest, listening to his rapid, thudding heartbeat. No one will take any more of his pets away.

Anonymous asked: That lady seemed very nice. Wouldn’t you agree, Seamus?

“One day I’m going to kill every one of you,” Anti grumbles, getting off Trick’s lap again. He shakes out his hands and then pulls a candy bar out of his hoodie pocket and holds it out to Trick.

“What? What’s this for?”

“Not eating your hospital food,” says Anti shortly, pushing it forward again. “Eat.”

Trick softens, taking the candy bar from him. “Wow, I didn’t think you… thanks, Anti.”

Anti sits back down again beside his legs with his camera.

“Will you stay here tonight, Anti?”

“Yes,” says Anti. “I’ll just be invisible when the nurses come in.”

“Okay.”

Anti never seems to sleep anymore.

Anonymous asked: So... how are ya, Anti?

“I would rather shoot Noodle than have a conversation with any one of you,” says Anti flatly. Trick gives a short, irritated sigh through his nose, getting up and picking up the backpack on the floor, swinging it over his shoulders. That’s visiting hours for the day.

“Couldn’t you let me stay here for the night too?” asks Trick, trying to mimic the way Dapper always asks for things, tilting his head and blinking his big eyes. “Get in the heads of the nurses so they don’t see me or something.”

“Not a chance,” shoots back Anti. “You can’t spend all day waiting around his body. Humans need, like, stimulation and shit. And better food. Pick something up for yourself before you go home. Still got cash?”

“A little, Anti.”

“Good boy,” says the child, and makes Trick’s color rise with pride. “Say good night to big brother and go.”

Anti ignores Trick as he spends a good five minutes murmuring to Blue, stroking his hair, kissing him, and massaging at his hands.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, and I’ll make sure everything’s okay, I’m going to go home and give Noodle lots of kisses for you, and I love you, and - ”

“Trick,” snaps Anti.

“Okay, okay.” Trick leans in to give Anti a kiss too. “Bye, Anti.”

Anti grabs his chin between his little fingers.

He shifts, suddenly, back to his usual form, Trick’s twin in appearance, except, perhaps, the great black eyes.

The great black eyes, the great black eyes.

Trick is fucking sinking.

“Anti,” he mumbles, feeling his brain kaleidoscope. “Anti.”

“Trick,” answers Anti coolly. “You’re going to be good tonight, right?”

“Yes, yes…”

“Go get something to eat, take the MRT home, keep your camera on - here, I have another one - and don’t kill yourself.”

“Okay, yeah. I won’t.”

“And Trick?”

“Yes, Anti, yes, anything.”

“Try not to think about Dok.”

He lets go of his chin and Trick jerks back, staggering, clutching at his head and humming to himself. For a second, he stares around the room, eyes dull and dizzy - and then he blinks, comes back to himself, and steps out like nothing happened.

“One perk of only having two,” mumbles Anti. “I can spend as much power as I want on him. Now stop bothering me. I have to find them before they get hurt…”

Anonymous asked: Trick, what actually happened to Blue?

“Blue had a stroke.” Trick’s face fills up with grief. “And there’s some kind of infection, too, with the burns and the clotting, and now - now his immune system is all fucked up, and he’s not… I don’t know, I don’t know how he’s going to be when he gets home.”

Anonymous asked: Strokes make your hair turn white? Woah, weird.

Trick flinches a little. “I don’t… really understand it. Anti says maybe it has something to do with his magic. You know? Cause that would explain why the doctors are so confused, if Blue’s magic, like, flared up, you know? And hurt him? That stuff can be dangerous and he isn’t good at controlling it, right? That’s why his poor hands were always burning him. They’re only now healing. But now Anti’s are the ones that shake. Hey, come on, I’m going to get something to eat from the hawkers before I take the MRT.”

He hoists the camera in his hand and now, you can see the city.

And it is a city, it is a city, it is a great and shining and glowing and life-covered city.

Plants burst around Trick’s feet, made place for between concrete and buildings, palm trees stretching up to the sky, encircled by crowds of people laughing and moving and dispersing like birds found a place to end their migration. Trick bounces as he walks, eyes bright, staring at the glowing city around him, clean and lovely, but his free hand drifts beside him open-fingered like he’s waiting for someone to grasp it.

Turning down one more street, the hawker stands.

Busier even than the streets, puppet-box-sized street restaurants serve just about anything he could ask for in this part of the world.

“I’m still trying everything out,” he calls to you, beaming. “There’s like forty shops right here. But there’s this one I really like, here.”

He slips through the crowd and finds himself in line at a little blue shop in the corner, now rocking on his heels. The man in front of him is taking a box of chicken and rice from one of the women running the stand, but the other one - a pretty girl with huge dark eyes, a small, crooked nose, and dyed blond hair tied back into a gleaming ponytail - notices Trick as she works.

“Hi, Connor,” she calls, and Trick’s color rises.

“Hi, Xin Yi.”

Anonymous asked: Well if Blue wakes up, you could try reading poetry to him. That seems to make him feel better at least.

“Hey, that’s actually a good idea, I think Blue really likes that stuff. You know what, I have time, I could maybe stop by the library before…”

His face seems to halt.

“No. I should just get food, take the MRT, keep the camera with me, and go home. But maybe I can find something to read to him… fuck, if Dok were here he’d - he would know - he would remember - ”

Trick blinks, shaking his head. “I - ha, I don’t know what I’m trying to say… Dok?”

“Hey, are you hungry at what?” calls the girl behind the counter, grinning at him.

Trick perks up again and turns to smile back, sidling up to the counter. “Hi. How’s it going?”

“Pretty good.”

“Busy day?”

“Actually, yeah, really busy. How’s your brother doing?”

“Good! Or… better, you know? They’re talking about letting him go soon.”

“Will you stop visiting me then?” asks Xin Yi.

Trick laughs, brushing hair from his face. “Um - I don’t know. I think I could make time for you. Maybe.”

She reaches out to push his chest. He grins.

“What can I get you, dumbass?” she says.

“Something I haven’t tried.”

“Satay noodles?”

“What’s in them?”

She shrugs. “It’s a surprise.”

“It’s a surprise? It’s a - what kind of business are you running here, Xin Yi?”

“A good one! You’re questioning my judgement, ex-pat?”

“Hey, not at all, not at all… Well, I do love Noodles.”

He chats with her a while longer and hands over S$3 for the noodles, even less than three American dollars for the enormous plate of noodles with broccoli, chicken, cilantro and a tasty sauce.

“Can I get it to go?”

“Hey, how did I teach you to say ‘to go?’”

He’s smiling again. He has fun with her. He has a lot of fun with her. He wishes he could hang out with her in a context other than this one.

“Uh, geez…”

“You forgot!”

“No, it’s in my brain somewhere! Dabao, dabao!”

She laughs and packs it up for him. He tells her goodnight and he goes.

As soon as he’s out on the streets again, everything seems darker, and colder, and lonelier, and he quiets, disappointed at his own melancholy.

Anonymous asked: What’s wrong?

“Oh.” Trick breathes out a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, this is just the hardest part of the day. I don’t like to go home and be alone.”

nikkilbook asked: We’ll stay with you. I know it’s not the same as having a warm body to hunker down with, but we’ll do what we can. Give Noodle a squoosh for us.

Trick laughs, brightening a little again. “A squoosh! Yeah… yeah, I am actually glad to have someone to talk to. It’s been sooo quiet and my head keeps racing with a hundred different thoughts. I keep turning around to tell him but he’s not there.”

He pauses, getting to his feet. “Here’s the MRT. I’ll sit in a corner and we can whisper. The house isn’t far anyway.” He grins at you.

cest-mellow asked: you don’t have to be alone buddy! we’re here for you! are you excited to see noodle? i bet hes gonna want some of that chicken >:)

“He will, he will!” laughs Trick. “Such a fucking trouble-maker. A good thief. He gets that from me, hahaha. Mischief boy. I love him.”

Anonymous asked: Aw, I love her so much.

“She is really fun, yeah. I was totally freaked out the first night we were here, like - completely in shock, kind of having a breakdown, and I’d been sitting with Blue for hours. And Anti just told me to go get some food and pushed me out. And then it was so crowded and loud in there, which is usually exciting, but that night it was just… scary. And I didn’t know where we were or what the money he had given me was worth or what to eat or how to order or - or - if Blue was going to live or where the others were… but she saw me looking freaked, you know, and she came over to talk to me. Helped me get food and told me everything was going to be okay. Now she asks about Blue everyday. Really nice, funny girl, you know, and just - wow. Wow.”

badlypostedeverything asked: How long have you been in this area?

“About a week, about a week. Anti wanted to bring Blue back to the house but he was just too sick, so I convinced him to take us to the hospital. It was scary, he was really… freaked out. Not usually Anti’s style. I think… don’t tell him I said this, but I… I think he’s really scared without Dapper. He misses all of them too.”

immabethehero asked: Where are you? The city sounds magical!

“Ah, can’t tell you,” laughs Trick. “Anti told me to be really hush-hush, even with you guys! But yeah, I fucking love this city. Might be my favorite place we’ve ever been. And wait til you see the house! It’s like - it’s like a real house, you know? Barely worn down or anything! And there’s a real neighborhood, and I’m allowed to go out on my own, see!”

He opens his arms wide on the MRT, beaming. “I’m even making a friend, as you saw - yes, it’s true, a friend who isn’t my identical brother.”

He giggles and puts his head back, rubbing at his face. “Man, if everyone was here and Blue wasn’t sick… shit, this would be like paradise…”

badlypostedeverything asked: Hey, maybe we could tell you some poetry so you don't have to go to the library for it?

“Ah! Good idea. Will you tell me some tomorrow when I get back to him?”

bupine asked: trick, do you not remember what really happened in peru? what anti did to blue?

Trick pauses.

A flash of concern runs over his face - and then a hot fear - and then a grief as big as the ocean -

And then his eyes glaze.

“Mmh,” he says. “It was a really scary night. I blocked parts of it out. I just know we were running, and I… I remember that moment in the forest when Dok raised the gun… and then disappeared…”

His face contorts with a thousand emotions and he closes his eyes, squeezing at the sleeves of his hoodie.

“But after that, I don’t know. I went down to the water and some magician who turned out not to be a total dick was helping Blue after he fell down the first time. And then Anti got us to safety first and foremost, and then realized how bad Blue was… I think strokes are hard to detect and he just thought he had fainted from the burns or something.”

Anonymous asked: Hey Trick, do you think Anti can make mistakes?

Trick bounces his leg. “Yeah, totally, dude, of course he can. He’s just like everybody else, plus sick powers and the fact that my family is better than everyone else. Obviously.”

Trick laughs. “Okay, but I get what you mean, cause just between you and me… Anti does not like to admit when he fucks up, haha. Well, not usually. But he has temper problems, you know, and even some darker shit than that… so sometimes he does things he really doesn’t mean to. And it’s hard for him to admit, but sometimes I know that he’s sorry, even though he never says it. He’s working on it, I think. Anti’s not technically human - but he’s still only human, you know? He makes mistakes too. But he always goes back to protecting us.”

Trick’s eyes drift to the window.

“And this… this isn’t his fault. But he’s going to get the others back to us. We’re going to be together again. I know Anti will make this all right.”

bupine asked: trick, what if we told you, theoretically of course, that anti changed your memories of what happened that night? this isn't to scare you- but it might help tell you what happened to blue, and why he isn't getting better.

Trick’s eyes flutter and darken, his mouth turning down.

“I don’t… I don’t think I should listen to you. I don’t think…”

He stares at the floor. Gaze fogged over like a fish’s. He is not supposed to think about that night.

nikkilbook asked: Anti was starting to freak out about not being able to mask Blue’s magic the way he could Dapper’s, and so he tried to get around it by taking Blue’s magic out and hiding it under his own. Which... wasn’t terribly good for Blue’s health. That’s probably why the horns and the flowers. Anti doesn’t know what to do with Blue’s soul trapped inside his.

Trick’s mouth falls and he stares at the camera for a long time, brow furrowed.

“That… I don’t think that? I mean… you sound kind of like Dapper when he’s delusional, you know, with the ideas he has sometimes. Not that there’s anything wrong with being delusional, he just needs help sometimes, he - look, I just - you’re not making sense. That’s not what happened. That is not what happened.”

He repeats it a couple times under his breath, pulling at his hair.

bupine asked: it's ok, trick. we know you're scared. maybe be careful around anti, though, ok? he's not telling the truth about everything, and i can tell you that for certain. you don't have to believe what i say, you have every reason not to trust us, but be careful. we'll tell you if we hear from dok, alright?

“Oh! Please do! I get so worried, I’m always thinking about how he must be scared, or worried, or missing me, or worse and I - I think he - I think…”

Trick shakes his head out. “Mh. You know what, let’s not dwell on it. Okay, I’ll be careful!”

Anonymous asked: Hey bud? Everything is gonna be okay.

Trick puts his hand on his chest, breathing out a long breath, smiling at you.

“Thank you,” he says, softly, sincerely. No one has told him that all week.

florenceisfalling asked: that's good! and we're gonna help you all be safe and together again, okay?

“Yes,” he giggles, picking up steam, his eyes bright. “Heck yes, hell yes. Thank you. Thank you. I really can’t wait. I just gotta hope everything’s going to turn out okay. I really want Blue to come home. And everybody!”

Anonymous asked: maybe that's a sign that dap's "delusions" aren't always 100% untrue.

“No, well, you’re right about that,” agrees Trick, tilting his head. “Sometimes he knows true things but he says them in ways that don’t make sense. I try not to brush him off when he’s rambling anymore, you know? But yeah, sometimes it is just delusion or hallucination or disorganization with him, sometimes not. It’s hard to pick him apart sometimes. But I think he tries really hard.”

cest-mellow asked: what exactly is “home” for you guys right now?

“Here we are! I will show you!”

The subway stops and Trick gets up, bringing his backpack and padding out of the bus and onto the pavement. This is a quieter part of town, and none of the buildings are skyscrapers anymore, but still the poverty in this part of the city is not so visibly apparent as it was in the mountains where they lived before. Here, there are small, prettily-built houses with nice round shingles on top, square and short, with the roof leaping out over tall, rectangular windows. Trick’s house, slightly hidden at the very end of their block, is tiny and nestled against the others that surround it, but he doesn’t mind. He pushes the door to the side and steps in.

“Ta-da!”

It’s clean, unlike the cabin or the medical center, but also completely unfurnished. “It’s waiting for someone to rent it! But no one has. So Anti made the system believe someone had and broke in. Hopefully no one will question it. For now, it’s ours!”

It has one big wide open space and two small rooms in the back. A cat is meowing behind one of them.

Anonymous asked: hey trick, how big is noodle now? -its-ethan-bro

“Here I am, Noodle Doodles, papa’s home!”

Trick opens up the door to his room and out streaks a little gold cat.

Well, not so little.

Still not fully grown, but far larger than he was on Christmas Day, Noodle has reached the stage in life where cats are all legs. He stretches out so long Trick leans down to admire him and then flops down at his side, mewling.

“He’s not really a kitten anymore,” says Trick, a little wistful, but mostly just in love with his boy. “But he’s gotten so, so pretty, hasn’t he?”

He’s a little short-hair with brown streaks in his shining gold fur and big yellow eyes. He opens his belly to Trick, purring, and Trickshot reaches down to scratch his chin, making him lean back and close his eyes adoringly. Trick scoops him up like a baby and kisses him all over, burying his face in the hot gold fur, and Noodle just keeps purring.

nikkilbook asked: S q u o o s h t h e b o y

“Squoosh,” Trick draws out, pressing Noodle tight to his chin and chest. “Best boy in the world. Mwah, mwah, mwah! Okay, you can go down now.”

Anonymous asked: We don’t have to focus on the details right now anyways, Trick. You being alive and healthy and Blue being alive is good enough for now. When you get home could we have a house tour? :)

“Sure! There’s not too much to see, but I really like it. Here, look!”

He carries you back towards the front of the house and shows you a little space where a kitchen should be, the plug-ins waiting patiently for an oven and fridge and a sink looking bored beneath the window. He has a good view of the darkened, quiet street.

“And around!”

He turns you to the big living space, where two little stairs lead down in what’s meant to be a den. Someday someone will probably fill it with couches and a coffee table and a tv, but, for now, there’s just a pack of playing cards abandoned halfway through a game of Solitaire, some pamphlets about their medical insurance, and a couple of empty take-out boxes gathered around a dead fireplace.

“And you can see we have a little garden out there, a little fenced-in space, very nice. And here’s my room. Mine and Blue’s, I think. Not sure yet.”

At first glance, someone might think his clothes and the sleeping bag and his weighted blanket are cast at random across the floor - but from the bunching, you guess Trick is trying to make himself a nest again, without much success. Most of his clothes are gone and he’s got only one blanket, no pillows, and a single change of clothes for Blue. Inside his sleeping bag, there is a sweatshirt with a polar bear in sunglasses on it, and, on his windowsill, a little music box.

“Okay, and this is where Anti is supposed to stay, but he never seems to - holy shit.”

Trick goes silent in the doorway of the second room. All you can see is the side of his leg and white carpet.

bupine asked: shit, what is it trick?

“Mmmh,” Trick groans, maybe trying to get words out, unable to speak around his stammer. “Mh - mh. Uh.”

He lifts you up. Round splatters of blood stain the floor near the end of Anti’s mattress and have dried on the side of it. Thorns have sprouted through the window, shattering the glass, leaving the room humid and hot. One of Dapper’s crisp little dress shirts is preserved blood-free in the corner and a long row of computers and cameras are panting as they work, buzzing without electricity despite not being plugged in. One of the screens shows the same image you’re seeing now. The keyboard is stained in spots of red.

cest-mellow asked: what’s wrong with antis room??

Trick turns around and pulls you away, shutting the door behind him and sinking to the bottom of it, looking pale and staring dead ahead. Noodle meows softly and comes over to chew on his fingers. Trick allows it, taking low, shuddering breaths.

“Maybe I should forget I saw that…”

bupine asked: holy shit, what happened here? anti's doing?

“Here’s the thing, though,” says Trick, very softly. “Anti doesn’t kill where he sleeps. He doesn’t torture where he sleeps, or cut people where he sleeps, or even do more than hit us or Dapper where he sleeps, most of the time. I don’t know why there would be blood in his room…”

Anonymous asked: Its his new magic, it’s probably hurting him. He doesn’t know how to handle it. I know you think we’re delusional and I know you think it doesn’t make sense, but he has Blue’s magic. Go sit down somewhere, we’ll explain.

Trick opens his mouth to reply, and then his face glitches, and he disappears from your view, his voice still warmly undisturbed as red fills up your screen - and then, cold white words.

I re͏a҉lly͏ dǫn͜’t t҉hi҉nk you̡ will̀.

And he starts deleting messages.

T̶ric̴k is ͞t͝he one ̛thing I have ́left͜ un͘der͟ my̷ co͝n͟t͘r̨ol. You wi͟ĺl͘ ̕N͡OT̷ ch̷an͜ge t̡h͜a̷t.͟

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Maybe it's best you leave his room alone, Trick. Maybe you and Noodle should play or something!

You come back to Trick to find him pressing at the sides of the camera, frowning at you.

“Oh! There you are!” he cries, relieved. “You scared me for a second. Don’t leave me alone, okay? I think you’re right, I think we better just… leave that room alone…”

Anonymous asked: Go sit down, Trick.

“Okay,” he says happily, getting up and grabbing a washed plastic fork out of the sink before heading to his room, holding his warm box of noodles, his cat trailing after him. He plops down on his sleeping bag and opens up his dinner.

“Thank God. I’m so fucking hungry all the time.”

bupine asked: is it... anti's blood? trick, what has been going on with anti since we last saw you?

“I hope it’s not Anti’s blood,” whimpers Trick, his face falling as he hands Noodle a piece of chicken to sniff at. “I don’t know what I would do if they both got sick. I’m not Dok or Blue, I’m not good at looking after people.”

He picks at his noodles and then gets a big forkful to shove in his mouth. As always, manners are exchanged for a faster eating experience, but Dok isn’t here to giggle at him and turn the camera away.

“Anti hasn’t been well, I know that, but I didn’t think it was that bad. It’s those goddamn magicians.” He squeezes his fork tightly. “They really hurt him, I think, when they were fighting. Especially that fucking light lady or whatever. But Anti killed a good number of them too, so there. Fuck them. I bet he’ll take the rest of them out when he goes to get Dok back. And they better pray to God they haven’t hurt him. I remember the time Dok got shot… Anti did not kill those men quickly.”

bupine asked: dapper knows a lot more than you guys do, i think. he tries to tell you but no one really listens because everyone dismisses him as the baby. maybe think about some of the things he's said and reflect on them, trick. I'm glad you're happy for now at least, though!

“Yeah, I am, this is much easier with someone to talk to. Maybe I can even fall asleep tonight. You’re right, though, yeah… Honestly if Dap was here I’d just want to let him rant to me all night. Like back in Peru, when he kept having his nightmares about Blue getting hurt - I don’t know, I don’t like to think that he actually knew because then… well, it means it could have been avoided if we just paid better attention to him. I think he knew there was someone coming after us, but… well, maybe Anti knew too, but we still couldn’t get away. Anyway, no matter how right you might be, it’s not really my place to worry about. Dapper has Anti to look after him!”

Trick stabs his noodles with a little more force. “Glad at least one of us can keep Anti’s attention.”

immabethehero asked: Anti, I think Red and Dapper are in a church oh some kind. Christian, I think

“Really! Oh, you saw them! Good, good. I mean, I think that’s good. I don’t know. I’ll tell him that, but there are a lot of Christian churches! And I think they’ll be on the move. Right? Trying to find us… I hope they’re trying to find us. Dapper was not… doing so well.”

Anonymous asked: Dok? You okay? Is there a camera with him or did the magicians not take any with them?

Trick sighs, tilting his head from side to side. “You know, Anti says there’s a camera of Dok’s still intact. He keeps hoping it will turn on. But it hasn’t yet. Anti doesn’t even get a signal from it anymore, but he says it’s still a working camera. If Dok would just turn it on. I don’t know… why he hasn’t… he would if he were okay, but…”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Hey Trick? I hope Dok comes back to you soon. You must miss him! I'm sure Noodle does, too.

Trick softens, sinking down a little against his wall.

“Yeah… yeah, I do miss him. All the time, really, but I shouldn’t dwell on it. I just - just can’t sleep when he’s not here. And then my brain, all the time, is like - ‘Where is he? Why isn’t he here? Why aren’t you looking for him? Where is he!’”

Trick gives a forced laugh and rubs at his forehead.

“But, you know, I just kind of have to keep hoping. I can’t go after him, much as I want to. I couldn’t even stay close. I think Anti just got us on a plane as fast as he could, and then picked somewhere where Blue would actually be able to get good care if he needed it. So here we are. And I just have to… wait. I just have to wait.”

He clutches at his chest for a moment.

“I think I would know, if he were dead. I know that sounds stupid, but I think I would know. Maybe. Or maybe that’s just denial. The way Anti talks makes it sound like he is, sometimes. But anyway…”

He shrugs and runs his hand down Noodle’s back, humming to himself to fill up the quiet. He’ll spend most of the rest of the night just messing around, trying to sleep, talking to you if you want to talk to him. But most everything lately is a tense, painful monotony, and he seems to be able to do nothing but wait - for Blue to wake up, for Dok to contact him, for Anti to give him any comfort at all.

“But it’s okay,” he says, to you, to Anti, to nobody. “It’s okay, I’m doing fine. Soon, everything will be okay. Soon, everything will be okay.”

immabethehero asked: Dok's not dead. He was taken, not killed.

“You don’t know what they did to him,” mumbles Trick, eyebrows furrowing. “You don’t know he’s not dead. Anti said that if they realized how strong his hold over us was…”

His voice fades away with a shudder. He closes his eyes.

Anonymous asked: If they’re smart they’re not going to turn on Dok’s camera. I hope we can find some other way to communicate to him. It’ll be okay, Trick.

“Oh, okay,” says Trick, blinking rapidly. “That’s okay, we’ll just… find another way to find him. Yeah. Hopefully soon.”

spicydanhowell asked: Trick, I know it's hard for you to sort out what's really going on right now, but believe us when we say that we have a completely unbiased view of the situation, and we know that even though the magicians were not on Anti's side, they were trying to take you in order to help you. They will not hurt Dok. He's probably fed and healthy and missing you too right now, okay?

Trick rubs slowly at his face, stressed. “I really shouldn’t be talking about it with you, but… I actually don’t think you would lie to me…”

He breathes out. In. Out. Strokes Noodle’s back. His cat meows enthusiastically, stretching across his lap and stealing another piece of his chicken and noodles.

“They don’t understand my family. They can’t just take him from us! But I - I hope you’re right, and they’re being kind to him… but he’ll be… ah, fuck, he’ll be pissed, you know? And I’m worried he’ll be scared…”

He forks another mess of noodles, but he’s too distracted to put it in his mouth. Noodle gets up slowly and takes the noodles off his fork.

“But I hope he’s eating enough and sleeping and… everyone’s being gentle and kind to him. Cause that’s what he deserves. Fuck, maybe he’s just… better off away from me. But that’s okay too. As long as he’s not too scared…”

bupine asked: he'll be ok, trick. we all know he will. we can PROMISE you they're not hurting him. those magicians risked their lives for you guys. he'll be ok.

“Okay,” says Trick softly. “Okay. He’s okay. Probably… probably safe and sound right now. It’s okay to be scared, we’re used to that. As long as he’s not hurt.”

Anonymous asked: That’s right, Doc is fine, and you will be too. Lets stop thinking about that though, it makes you stressed. Play a game with us maybe?

“Oh, a game,” says Trick. “Sure! Yeah, what should we play?”

Anonymous asked: Hey Trick, how about I-spy? I spy something gold and adorable. (Hint, it meows)

“Haha! Okay, probably Noodle. I spy with my little eye… uh.. oh, geez, I don’t know. Something square and shiny.”

immabethehero asked: Your phone :D

“I don’t have a phone,” laughs Trick. “Who do I look like, Red? No, I spy my camera! With you in it.”

immabethehero asked: Rock Paper Scissors

“Rock, paper, scissors - shoot.” He holds out a fist. “Wait, how is this going to work? Hahaha.” He’s starting to snuggle in on himself, rubbing sleepily at his eyes. Noodle is already dozing beside him, purring fervently.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Get comfy, Trick. We aren't going anywhere, okay? :)

“Okay,” mumbles Trick, rubbing at his face.

He’s never had much of a bedtime routine, but there’s no one here at all to lie down next to him or tease him for being tired or even just to breathe, steady, at his side. Even in the rest of the house, no one is lying down, no one is falling asleep, no one is whispering or pushing mattresses together or holding each other as they sleep.

He lets out a soft sigh.

“Don’t let the magicians take me while I’m asleep… I don’t want them to break in and steal me too.”

Anonymous asked: We won’t let you get hurt. Get some rest, Trick.

“Thank you,” he mumbles. He gets his music box down and winds it up, holding it to his chest. And then, out of five, we have a total of one sleeping, safe, at-peace brother. And also Noodle, curled up in gold and snoring beside him.

End Section One of Chapter Three: Where We Find Ourselves

[imagine-loki]

Loki's Daughter

TITLE: Loki’s Daughter CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 4: Healing

AUTHOR: traveling-classicist ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Avengers: Endgame AU Loki that gets away with tesseract has been using it to explore the universe. During his adventures, he comes across a little girl with developing but oppressed magical abilities. Intrigued (and subconsciously lonely) Loki keeps her around.

RATING: Fic: M for triggering content; this chap: PG-13 (it’s mostly fluff)

AO3 Link: Here NOTES/WARNINGS: Nothing special for this chapter. It’s pretty fluffy, honestly. Enjoy!

A heavy feeling of dread began to fall over Loki. He had no idea how he would save Kuna. He had no food for her. He supposed he could melt some snow and ice for water, but he would need a container to put it in. He sat down cross-legged and concentrated his seidr on his pocketverse. He was sure he must have saved a pot or pan or bowl or something over the centuries and tucked it away in there. He imagined a pot in his mind, focusing hard on the thought.

            Before him, a gold-plated but dented pan appeared in his hands. He chuckled as he remembered why he had hidden this Asgardian dish in his pocket. Nearly a thousand years ago, when he and Thor were children themselves, they had been playing around in the palace near the kitchens.

The chefs and servants hated them being down there because they were always causing a ruckus. One particular cook despised Loki. She hated Loki more because he would pinch apple tarts fresh off the trays and Thor would tattle on him. She would chase Loki away, wielding this, her favorite cooking pan, and Thor would get an apple tart as a treat for telling on him.

            He remembered one day, he and Thor were messing around in the kitchens again and being chased by old Igassok – Loki called her ‘Iggy’ and she hated it. She had seen Loki, not Thor, which is why she was following after him, thinking he was down there stealing again.

The brothers both hid in the washroom, behind some barrels holding soap powders and water. Despite her obvious hatred for Loki, they both thought that being chased by her was a fun game. Like being chased by some hulking frost giant with a great club.

She burst into the washroom. The two boys flattened out against the floor behind the barrels. Her heavy footsteps crossed the room. Loki could see her shadow on the floor in the light of the doorway. She walked up to the great washbasin which was filled to the brim with dirty water and dishes.

“Hmm,” she muttered. “Must be seeing things.”

She turned and left the room. They could hear her asking the other servants outside if they’d seen anything. Thor had gotten them all flogged so many times for tattling to father whenever he caught them stealing some of the Palace’s food, that they wouldn’t tell Iggy anything against either of the princes, even if she smacked them upside the head with her pan.

The princes let out their breath and laughed at the old woman as her voice faded away into the next room. Now stuck in the washroom for at least a few minutes while Iggy did a lap around the kitchens, they stared at each other.

“What now?” Loki asked Thor.

He shook his head. “Don’t know.” Looking around, his eyes landed on the pile of dishes above them. Thor smiled at his brother.

“Truth or dare?”

Loki smiled back. “Sure.”

“You first,” Thor said.

Loki was taken aback. His brother never let him go first at anything.

“Truth,” he said, cautiously.

“Why are you so scared of Iggy?”

“That’s easy! She beats me with her pan all the time and father never believes me!”

“You’re just a baby,” Thor teased and quickly followed with, “Okay, my turn. Dare.”

“I am not a baby,” Loki said. “That thing is made of celestial copper! It hurts! She’s already put a dent in it with my head. I still have the bump, look!” He tried to show his brother.

“Whatever,” Thor said, flippantly. “Dare me.”

“Um,” Loki looked around, trying to think of something mean to dare his brother to do to get back at him. He smiled, cunningly. “Fine, then,” he said. “I dare you to steal Iggy’s pan.”

Thor gasped and then smiled dastardly, happily taking up the dare to rob that old hag. Loki grinned. If Thor pulled it off, he would have done something bad and Loki could tell mother on him. That would get him in trouble for sure. On top of it, Iggy wouldn’t have that old pan to beat him with anymore.

“I accept,” Thor said, haughtily.

“Alright, then. Go get it.”

“Fine, I will.”

“Fine, I’ll be in my room.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

They both snuck out of the room. Loki made a beeline for then nearest exit while Thor made his way through the kitchen after Iggy. Loki had no doubt that his brother would get the pan. He had his ways of convincing people to do what he wanted. Loki was going to sit and wait for his plan to take effect.

Half an hour later, Thor returned to their room with the pan.

“See,” he said, showing Loki. “I told you.”

“Well done,” Loki said, taking it from him.

Thor grinned at him and then bolted out the door, flying down the hallway.

“Father! Father! Loki stole Iggasok’s pan from the kitchens!” he screamed as he fled down the hallway.

Loki panicked. He looked around the room for a place to hide the pan. Maybe, if father couldn’t find the evidence, he would abandon any punishment he could think of for his youngest son. Loki scrambled around the room, testing the best hiding spots but found nothing good enough.

Then, he remembered his mother teaching him about pocketverses. She had only shown him once how to do it. He had had trouble accessing the pocket ever since. After becoming frustrated with it, he just abandoned it. But now, he needed it more than ever. No one, not even the Allfather, could access someone else’s pocketverse. This was his answer, but he was running out of time.

It wouldn’t take long for Thor to reach the court chambers and rouse their father from some meeting with dusty, old men to punish Loki. He plopped down on the floor, pan in hand, and thought with all his might for it to disappear. He moved his hands in the circular motion mother had showed him, but it didn’t work.

Panicking, he tried again and again. He could hear footsteps approaching the doorway. He knew telling the truth would not save him. The truth meant telling father they were down in the kitchens where they should not have been, antagonizing Iggy. The truth meant telling father they were playing some silly game instead of studying or sparring in the courtyard. The truth meant telling father that Loki had tried to get Thor in trouble.

He concentrated as hard as he could, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Go away, go away,” he muttered, making the circular gesture over and over again.

“Loki?” Odin called from the doorway.

His eyes opened. The pan was gone. It wasn’t in his lap anymore. He looked up at his father. Thor was standing by his side, beaming.

“Yes, father?” Loki said, trying to act calm.

“Were you down in the kitchens?” he asked, gruffly. “Did you steal Iggasok’s pan?”

“No, father. I’ve been in here all afternoon…” he said, trying to act as innocent as possible. “I’ve been reading.”

“Is that so?” his father asked, raising the brow above his golden eyepatch.

“Yes, sire. I’ve been reading about dragons today. Did you know that thousands of planet systems have dragons?” he stalled. “And - and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of different species on each planet? That has to be billions of types of dragons all over the universe!”

“Mmm, yes, I suppose so,” Odin muttered. He wasn’t listening to him. Loki watched as his icy, blue eye searched the room. He walked in and passed Loki on the floor. He opened the hamper and looked inside but found nothing. “Where’s your book?” he asked, continuing to interrogate Loki.

“Oh, it’s over here,” Loki said. Thankfully, it wasn’t a complete lie. He loved reading The Natural History of Dragons. It was one of his favorites. He picked it up from the bedside table and brought it to his father.

Odin took it from him and flipped through the pages, but he wasn’t looking at them. He was looking for another place Loki could have hidden the stolen pan. Thor was pretending to play with his toy warriors in the corner.

Odin closed the book and shoved it into Loki’s chest, striding over to the box where they put their toys. Thor looked pleased. He caught Loki’s eyes as their father’s back was turned and stuck out his tongue at him. Loki made an ugly face back at him.

“Loki,” his mother said from the doorway. Her sudden appearance made him jump. Odin straightened up from the toybox, letting the lid fall. “Don’t make faces at your brother,” she said. It wasn’t much of a scold as a reminder.

“Sorry, mother,” Loki said, looking down at his feet.

“Did you lose something in the toybox, my love?” she addressed Odin. He turned and looked at her, weighing his own options. Did he risk antagonizing a mother’s wrath for such a minor fault of Loki’s or simply drop the subject?

“Mmm, no,” he grumbled and walked by, striding out the door to return to his business. Thor’s jaw dropped in bewilderment at his father’s quick abandonment of Loki’s juryless trial and sweet punishment.

“Thor, darling, close your mouth. It’s not very princely of you,” Frigga said with smirk at her eldest son. She looked down at Loki and winked at him. He looked back at Thor and grinned. It felt so good to see Thor’s plan be thwarted. And even if Loki’s hadn’t gone exactly as planned, he had still silently won this round against his brother.

Loki chuckled to himself as he stared at the pan in his hands in the diamond cave. The fondness of the memory was quickly overtaken by a hollow feeling in Loki’s chest. Now, his brother and father wanted nothing to do but kill him or lock him away. And he would probably never see his mother again.

He shook his head and stood, pan in hand. He looked down at Kuna. He hoped he could quickly get outside and back again without her waking. He waved his hand at the candlelight above, commanding it to stay put this time as he walked through the passageway. He dipped the pan into the snow that had built up nearest the entrance. He didn’t dare try to go out into the open again, lest those snowmen still be guarding the entrance. Taking a small handful of snow for himself, he tasted it, ensuring that there was a zero percent alcohol content this time.

Satisfied, he returned to Kuna. He sat a few meters away from her and put the pan on the floor. The snow began to melt immediately from the warmth of the floor, but Loki would have preferred to boil it first. He conjured up some old linens and pieces of blank parchment from his pocket and built a small fire, this time without blowing himself up in the process.

Once the fire was crackling, he set the pan over it, careful not to snuff it out. He stared into the flames for a while as he waited for the water to boil. He glanced over at Kuna. Rising to his feet, he carefully picked her up and brought her closer to the fire.

She did not wake this time. He watched her chest. There was no movement for a moment and Loki felt a pang of panic and then guilt. Then, her chest rose in a long but shallow breath. She did not have much time. He concentrated once more and tried to summon any sort of food from his pocket, but his hands came up empty.

He dropped his hands in his lap. How was he going to nurse her back to health without any food? He closed his eyes. He needed something to heal her but he had nothing. He was not trained in healing magic, relying more on potions and ingredients or his healing factor for himself in the past. As he sat there, thinking, he felt something cool fall into his hands and opened his eyes. The bottle of blood he had extracted from the kapka on Torileena glinted in his hands.

“That’s it!” he said and flinched, covering his mouth with his hand and looking at Kuna. She did not stir. He sighed, relieved.

He conjured his alembic, a mortar and pestle, and the kapka claws he had taken as well. Kuna’s moron masters had said they could both be used to create healing potions. Loki just had to make a refined composite of the two.

The water was boiling now. He took it from the fire and set it aside to cool. He poured the blood into the alembic and set it on its stand. Using the mortar and pestle, he ground the claws into a powder. For good measure, he conjured up some hawk feathers he had plucked from a very angry mother hawk and placed them in the mortar to grind in with them. The feathers were well known throughout the Realms for their healing properties.

He added the powder to the alembic with a small amount of water and attached the tube to it, angling it into another small vial to catch the composite. He waited. Slowly, the mixture began to bubble in the green glass base. It turned a rather gross shade of yellow. The vapors traveled up the spout and condensed in the bulb above it. The little droplets traveled down the tube and began to fill the container with the newly distilled mixture.

When the vial was full and all the mixture had been distilled, he took it over to Kuna. Gently propping up her head in his hand, he tried to wake her to drink the potion.

“Kuna,” he spoke softly. “Kuna?” Her eyes opened a little. “Here, I need you to drink this, it will make you feel better. No alcohol this time… I hope,” he added.

He tipped the vial to her lips and she drank from it. She swallowed a bit and made a sour face, pushing the vial away. It tasted awful; like rotten meat.

“I know it doesn’t taste very good, but you have to drink all of it.” Loki coaxed her with it again. She frowned but gave in and drank the rest in one big gulp.

“Agh!” Kuna gagged on the liquid but swallowed hard. Her whole body shuddered at the horrible taste. She tried not to heave. She did not want to get sick again. She closed her eyes and waited for the sensation to pass.

She felt a warmth begin to emanate through her body from her tummy. She closed her eyes and concentrated on this strange feeling. It traveled up from her chest, down her arms to her fingers and down from heart to her legs then toes. It felt good. Really good. Like she was being hugged by golden light.

“Mmm,” she breathed. A smile spread across her face. She did not want the feeling to stop.

“How do you feel, Kuna?” Loki asked her. He had been watching her, studying her for any signs of a negative reaction.

“I feel really, really good,” she said, slowly. Her eyes were still closed. Loki couldn’t help but smile back.

“Good,” he said. He was relieved.

“What was that?” Kuna asked. “It tasted really bad.”

“I’m sorry about the taste,” Loki replied. “Do you remember the kapka blood and claws I took from Torileena?”

Kuna gasped. “Are you a maker?”

“Uh. Um. I don’t know what that is. But I do have some skill as an alchemist. I just mixed up a little potion to heal you. I’m glad it worked so well.”

“Woah,” she said, quietly. No maker had ever paid any mind to her. “Thank you, sir.”

“Kuna, you don’t have to call me ‘sir’, remember? You can call me Loki.”

She smiled and looked down at her hands. Loki moved closer to her. He wanted to see if the bruises and cuts on her arms had healed as well. Out of habit, her body tensed. “May I see?” he asked, softly.

Her eyes darted around, unsure of what he meant. He gently took her arm and looked at the place where the chains had dug into her skin. The potion did seem to heal her wounds. The bruises had turned brown and yellow from the deep purples and blues they had been before. The cuts were scabbed and nearly healed. Even the chafing around her neck and wrists and ankles had diminished. He smiled at his work.

“Do these feel better?” he asked her, still examining them. He saw a small, silver scar peeking out of the top of the back of her shirt. He went to pull it down but she tore away.

“Y- Yes, si–, I mean, Loki. They feel b—better,” she stammered.

He turned his head. “Kuna, are you hurt somewhere else? Can I take off your shirt to see?”

She shook her head hard. “No, no, please, Loki,” she said, hugging herself and pulling her shirt over her knees and legs.

“Alright, alright, I won’t. You’re sure you’re not hurt?”

“No, sir. I’m not. I feel so much better. I’ve never felt this good before.”

“Well, alright, then,” he said. He was concerned about these scars he had seen but he did not want to push her. She was terrified of him still, he could see that. And why shouldn’t she be? She may not have seen it but he had been very close to killing her only a few hours prior.

“Well, why don’t you lie down and sleep for a while. You’ll need rest while that potion takes its full effect.”

“It gets better?” she asked in amazement.

Loki chuckled. “Yes, it does. Now, lay down.”

He conjured up another blanket for her and gave it to her. She made herself comfortable by the fire, curling up like a dog. She was nearly asleep when the wind howled loudly against the outside of the cave, creating horrifying, ghoulish echoes in the cavern. She jumped and ran over to Loki, curling up beside his leg.

He scooted over a little. “It’s fine,” he said, dismissively. “It’s just the wind outside.”

“Not the snowmen?”

“No, not the snowmen. At least, I don’t think so,” he replied.

Kuna was terrified. She looked up at Loki, wondering if he really thought it was the snowmen back to get them. He was no longer blue like he was before. His skin had returned to its normal, pale color.

“Loki?”

“Yes?”

“Why were you blue before?”

Loki’s expression fell flat. He did not wish to answer this question. It had taken him hours to completely shut out the voice in his head. He had built a brick wall around the locked pit in his mind to keep him in and now he could hear the echoes of his laugh once more.

“It’s no business of yours,” he said, gruffly.

“Oh,” Kuna flinched at his tone. “I’m sorry, Loki. I—I,” she trailed off. She didn’t mean to upset him.

She made herself comfortable beside him. He had moved a foot or so away from her but his proximity made her feel safer. She wrapped herself up in the blanket and fell asleep.

Loki looked down at his hands. He should not have spoken to her that way. It wasn’t her fault. He should have been thanking her. If it weren’t for her, he’d probably been killed by the snowmen.

He was perplexed by her. He could still feel her magic in his own aura. He knew she had magic but she had been quick to dismiss it before. However, the spell she had used to destroy the snowmen was certainly powerful. Her reaction to it was what puzzled him the most. The painful howl that came from her still echoed in his ears.

In young ones her age, magic could manifest itself in strange ways, like making objects move without touching them; finding things you thought you’d lost; making things disappear and reappear without trying; those sorts of things. But what she had exhibited was far more powerful than simple parlor magic.

            His mother had been quick to notice Loki’s aptitude early on and helped him foster his abilities using seidr. Thor had had some aptitude with magic too, but Odin had seen that his abilities would be better concentrated with the use of an enchanted weapon. Thus, he had the dwarves forge Mjölnir for him for when he came of age.

            Loki, on the other hand, trained with his mother and learned to control his abilities and focus them with seidr - a magical system of spells, runes, and incantations - that allowed Loki the ability to have full mastery of his powers. He preferred seidr to weapons-based magic. The weapons were nice and all, but he preferred the flexibility of seidr. He did not have to have some fancy weapon to control his powers. He could use them whenever and wherever he wanted.

            Frigga had tried to teach Thor in seidr, but he had no interest in it. He spent those lessons swinging his enchanted toy hammer around, electrifying the air and making his and his mother’s hair stand up straight. Eventually, Frigga gave up and let Odin teach Thor with the hammer and focused her lessons on Loki. He had loved those lessons. Just him and his mother practicing magic together.

            Loki dozed a little, leaning back against the wall of the cave. He would wake for a moment, ensure Kuna was alright and that they were still alone, before dozing off again. After several hours, Kuna began to stir. She sat up in her blanket and yawned.

            “How do you feel?” Loki asked, half-expecting her to be hungover.

            “I feel good,” she said. She seemed confused and surprised. “I feel really good.”

            “Hmm,” Loki said, impressed by her resilience and his alchemical prowess. “Good,” he added. He made a mental note that kapka blood mixed with its claws and hawk feathers cured hangovers as well as made a decent healing potion.

            Kuna looked around at the diamond cave. She liked how the walls and columns sparkled in the firelight. The shadows of the crystalline stalactites and stalagmites danced on the walls. Loki followed her gaze.

            “Pretty incredible, huh?” he said. She nodded in awe.

            “Does this mean we’re rich?” she asked and then corrected herself, “I – I mean does this mean you’re rich?”

            Loki considered her question. He hadn’t really thought about it. On Asgard, and many of the other Nine Realms, diamonds were so abundant, they were hardly considered valuable. Only the stupidest of Midgardians had fallen for their people’s own ploy of giving them a price beyond their true value.

            “Do you think they’re worth something?” he asked her.

            She stared at him in consternation. Who would think that diamonds weren’t valuable? Was she wrong? Was it a trick question?

            “Well…” she said. “I think they are. Master Machaluci said his was the biggest in the whole universe. He put it in his chest, right here,” – she pointed at a spot below the collar on her neck to show him – “so everyone would see it and know that he was richer than them.”

            Loki chuckled a little. It sounded like her home-system was made up with beings a lot like the Midgardians he had come to despise.

            “Was he wrong?” she asked.

            “Well, I guess it depends on how your world, or worlds, rather, were formed,” he explained. “Where I come from, diamonds are like little pebbles on the street. They’re everywhere. On some of the other realms, they’ve been buried for a few million years but their perfectly discoverable with good equipment. I suppose we could take a few of these and jump to the next world to find out.”

            Kuna felt sick to her stomach at the thought of doing that again. Upon thinking of her stomach, it growled ferociously. The pains of hunger fled through her body. She wanted to fall over. She put her hands on her tummy and groaned.

            “I could get you something to eat there,” Loki said. “It won’t be a big jump, I promise. We can see the planet from outside.”

            “Really?” she asked.

            “Mmm hmm,” he said, nodding.

He stood and walked over to a low hanging stalactite. He inhaled through his nose and blew out hard through his mouth and struck the diamond with the butt of his palm. A crack burst through the diamond and a chunk twice the size of his head fell away with a thud that echoed around the room.

            Kuna was in awe at Loki’s strength. He picked up the chunk of diamond and made it disappear. Kuna’s eyes widened. He had done that magic before. He smirked at her.

            “Come on. Let’s get out of here. I despise snow planets” he said.

She hopped to her feet. She was no longer dizzy or tired. She thought this was the best she had felt in her whole life. Loki picked up the blanket and stored it away. Stamping out the fire, he cast another candlelight into the air, and it followed them as they walked.

“If it turns out the people on the next planet over think this is the most valuable thing in the world, we know where to come back,” he explained. Kuna trotted along beside him. They stopped in the icy room.              

“Look up there,” Loki said, pointing at the hole in the ceiling. “See that planet up there? See the little lights on it? That means there are civilized people there.”

“Oh.”

“Well,” Loki added. “Civilized enough to have harnessed electricity for themselves. The Midgardians have only just done that, and I would hardly call them civilized.”

Kuna had no idea what he was talking about, but he sounded like he knew what he was talking about, so she just nodded. He looked down at her.

“Ready?”

She grabbed his leg and held on tight.

“Good, we’ll do it from in here. I don’t think either of us want to go back outside with those snowmen,” he said. Kuna shook her head. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

Loki concentrated on the tesseract’s energy, “Do what I want this time,” he said, aloud.

Kuna heard him and looked up, confused. Had she not done something right? He didn’t look at her. Clouds of blue vapor swirled around them and they disappeared.

Reappearing on the other side, it was dark there too. Loki looked up at the sky and laughed.

“Ha!” he laughed. “Look at that! See? There’s the snowball planet.” He pointed at a place in the sky. Kuna followed the end of his finger with her eyes. It was hard for her to see it immediately but when her eyes focused, she could just make out a perfectly circular orb hovering in front of the stars. It was completely dark and the only way she knew it was there was from how it blocked out the stars behind it.

She looked back up at Loki. She was still a little disturbed by his comment. “Did—” she hesitated to ask, fearing his reaction. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Hmm?” Loki asked, looking down at her. “Oh! No, no. I wasn’t talking to you. Don’t worry.”

Kuna was a little worried. Who else was he speaking too? She was the only one with him, right?

Loki looked up again. “Ah! Look there,” he pointed. “A city.”