#( sorry for the insane tags tumblr fought me )

[emmett-stone]

There wasn’t much more he could say, really. He’d already been at it for hours, begging for his life, and by this point Emmett was getting bored. Earlier in the night, it had been fun, as it always was. The empty threats of, “They’ll find me,” he’d said with shaky words. “They’ll—they’ll fingerprint me.”

Emmett had smiled, drill in hand, pushing the button once, twice, just for fun. Just to see the way it made him jump. “They’ll be finding parts of you for years,” Emmett said. “But I promise you, your hands will not be included in that.” His victim paled, and Emmett’s smile grew. But now, hours after, the light of morning teased the horizon, and Emmett had a lunch meeting at twelve. He needed to get a move on.

“I think we’ve both had enough, don’t you?” Emmett asked casually as he picked up the ax that had propped against the steel table to his left. The man sat there slumped over as much as he could be while still tied to the chair, duct tape across his lips. He’d managed to get it off a little over an hour ago, breaking the seal on the corner with a particularly powerful scream after Emmett had broken his kneecap with a sledge hammer. He was broken now Emmett thought, which was okay. That’s how he preferred his victims. After the hours they’d spent inside the warehouse together, he’d expect nothing else, really.

“You’ve taken up enough of my time tonight,” Emmett accused, because it was his fault. It was always their own fault. He just wanted to take the time to make sure they got what they deserved, every time. He was nothing if not thorough. Holding on by the haft, he spun the ax back and forth in his hand, intentionally careless with it the second it swung remotely near his victim’s leg. The freshly sharpened bit embedded itself in the soft skin, and the man in the chair coughed out a groan, fresh blood seeping out his nose while tears fell from his eyes. “Whoops,” Emmett laughed as he met his clouded gaze. His expression shifted into an overexaggerated pout of pity, though he knew he’d never actually be able to feel sorry for him or any of the others. “Oh, you poor thing,” he cooed, crouching down quickly to crowd him, nudging aside his shattered leg without thought to help himself closer. His victim lurched back as much as he could until both the rope and wooden chair stopped him from moving. Even bent down, Emmett’s intimidating frame towered over him, and he smiled as he stroked a gentle hand down the side of his victim’s face as he shook, dirt speckled sweat beading up along his forehead.

He smiled at his reaction, seeing the fear in his eyes felt like he was injecting something directly into his veins. Emmett assessed him, a little sad at having to leave so soon, but knowing that he still needed time for clean up. He sighed theatrically, swinging the toe of the ax forward again, nicking his victim’s intact leg, just for fun. He knew he didn’t need any goodbyes as he held the handle firmly in both hands, swinging the weapon towards his throat like a baseball bat. It was almost a clean cut, but he’d done better. And in his early days, he’d definitely done worse. His head hung there, held on by threads of tendons and tissue, a shocked expression frozen on his face as a residual tear fell from his eye.

Emmett’s shirt was the first thing to go. It was useless, really, already being drenched in blood to care about it now, but it was part of the routine. Dismembering was always time consuming, but satisfying. He slid his earbuds in, unworried about the bloody fingerprints left behind as he pressed the side button to initiate songplay. A soft pattering filled his ears, along with the quick, friendly uptick of a guitar, followed soon after by bold trumpets. He closed his eyes, letting the upbeat song fill him, move him, a smile spreading hopelessly across his lips. Rivulets of blood dripped down his face and bare chest as he swayed elegantly back and forth as if at a ball, lost in the music. At the crescendo of the chorus, he took his second swing of the ax, slicing cleanly through still warm skin. As promised, he took his hands first, kicking them off to the side as a reminder to burn off the fingerprints once he had finished dismantling the corpse.

He swung the ax again, and again, and again, until his body ached from it. Until the body beneath him ceased to exist. Until he was drenched in the blood of this man who had the audacity to try to touch what he now considered his. The song was on an endless loop, replaying constantly as he worked away at ridding the scene of evidence. After hours, he gathered everything up in barrels, he made his way outside to his dug up kill kit, shuffling through the strewn about items for a rag to wipe his hands. He glanced over at the vats of hydrochloric acid behind him knowing his night wasn’t anywhere close to being done. His blood still hummed in his veins, high from the kill and the lingering scent of amber and vanilla from hours earlier. Closing his eyes, he basked in the break of dawn, listening as the early morning songbirds sweetly welcomed the light of a new day.

[staycalmandhugaclone]

Identity Pt 4

Part (4) of Identity, the next arc of Doc's Misadventures! If you're new, start at the beginning with Touch Starved!

I owe loads of responses and I'm sorry! I got the writing bug and any spare time I've had in front of a computer, I just wanted to write! Quick answer to the most common question, though: Yeah, the implication is that the contact is her dad - that'll be touched on a bit more later, though, and I'll try to actually be a good tumblr person and respond to everyone's lovely comments this week now that I've purged this chapter out!

Huge preemptive warning before even getting to the real warnings! This is one of those particularly dark chapters that may be too intense for some readers. If that's the case, I'm more than happy to make a summary for continuity's sake; just please take caution to read the tags

Warnings: torture, waterboarding, drowning, interrogation, panic, panic attack, flashbacks, self-blame, giving up, longing for death, temporary insanity, arguably inappropriate use of sedation, guilt, profanity, intense whump

WC: 3,231

Fire tore through my nose and throat, body wrenching forward with violent coughs that sent pain shooting down my side, but the movement stopped short, chest held fast to something behind me – no… beneath me? I couldn’t think beyond the desperate need for air, head shaking as though it might rid my eyes and nose of the liquid still dripping down my face as my jaw gaped around choked gasps. The distorted hum of unfamiliar voices resonated nearby, pausing mere seconds before another torrent of icy water crashed over me, robbing me of what pitiful taste of air I’d fought so hard to gain and sending me back down that spiral of panicked suffocation, diaphragm convulsing uselessly beneath that torturous burn of drowning.

Something locked around my jaw, forcing my gaze toward the blurred colors that surely hid an unknown face and drawing a startled grunt of pain from me. I could almost hear words, confident at least that they were male before my attacker released me harshly enough to slam my already throbbing head against whatever lay beneath it. I’d only just realized my wrists were bound behind me when another frigid wave was thrown at me, again leaving me sputtering for breath.

“… a patient man…” That voice growled, mind finally grasping some meager bit of clarity. “I suggest you answer my questions before things get really unpleasant.” Wheezing, I quickly looked about us for some hint as to what was happening, but the dark cell offered no clues toward who he was or where he’d taken me. I think I was tied to a chair leaning back at a precarious angle, but I couldn’t move enough to check before he grabbed me again, fingers burring into my already bruised jaw.

“Eyes on me, yuh damn rat.” He grumbled. Without conscious thought, I realized some part of me expected to find a grizzled, old man covered in scars, eyes full of enraged contempt, but that’s not who stood beside me. He appeared to barely be in his thirties, white shirt marred with sweat and blood and stains I tried not to look too closely at lest I see something far worse. Years of drinking left is stomach distended and his skin blotchy, and what light may once have filled pale, green eyes had long since abandoned him. There was no anger fueling his actions, no obvious cause for him to seek retribution from long held vendetta. This was his job, and he’d simply lost the will to be bothered by the horrors it forced him to do.

“Ah. Guess yuh weren’t really awake yet, were yuh?” He hummed more to himself than to me, “Concussions can be tricky like that…” With a deep sigh, he stepped back, hand dropping absently away from me. “Let’s start over, then.” The way he rubbed his hand over his face, the weariness dragging against his movements, it felt so painfully displaced against the way my heart raced.

“Who ordered the hit?” Lost, I could only stare at him, thoughts far too muddled beneath fear and confusion to fathom a response. “How about we start with something easier?” He muttered, though he still reached for something behind me. I heard the click of a button followed by the rush of water through pipework overhead, and the terror that gripped me was visceral, body shaking too hard to manage even a broken gasp, limbs wrenching against the shackles about my wrists and ankles.

The vague sensation of pain each movement sent tearing through my left side didn’t matter, nor the growing understanding that there had been an explosion; that everyone near the podium must have been caught in the blast, and I couldn’t begin to guess the extent of my own injuries even as I recalled the horrifying images of those far less fortunate. That knowledge, that pain, none of it mattered in the face of where I now lay: trapped before this stranger who owed me no loyalties and sought only to force answers from me that I could never give.

“Where are yuh from?” I wondered if the hint of a slur in his voice was from mere disinterest, or if he’d already begun numbing himself with some bottle stashed amidst the grime-streaked walls. “Not gonna tell me your name, either, I assume?” My jaw ground shut, gaze turning blindly to the dark ceiling above us. He offered no further warning before clicking another button to unleash the next rush of water. I managed to keep most of it from flooding my mouth, but the pressure forced enough up my nose to send me into another fit of strangled coughs.

“You’re with the Republic, yeah? Some kinda spy or something? What’s that fancy swamp planet…” He seemed to think it over for several seconds before remembering. “Naboo! You from Naboo?” Breath shattering between clattering teeth, I kept my attention turned pointedly away from him, clinging to some distant memory that it was better to remain silent during an interrogation; that even shouted curses yielded more easily to breaking than simply never speaking at all, and then I had to come to terms with that simple fact that that’s exactly what this was: an interrogation.

How long had it been since the gala? Was I still on the same planet? Was I on a planet at all? I didn’t want to acknowledge what the answers to those questions might mean; didn’t want to let myself listen for the rumble of engines or hum or air recyclers. It was easier not to know.

A tsk sounded from the man beside me, and I had to fight not to let my expression crumble beneath that fear.

“A’right.” I wanted to slap him for the disinterest in that breathy sigh, anger drawing my lips into a scowl. Again, there was no warning. A dark sack was pulled roughly over my face. I had just enough time to gasp before that water began to pour down. My chest bucked with violent fits, fighting to force some sliver of air through the endless onslaught, but it wouldn’t stop. Why wouldn’t it stop?

The was a moment when that determination first faltered beneath the weight of a panic no amount of logic could hope to supersede; a fleeting breadth of understanding just how alone I was, how little I meant, and how hopeless even the denial that forbade me from listening for engines truly was, because regardless my dreams and nightmares, regardless the sincerity of my intentions or the purpose I once believed drove me through moments when I wanted nothing more than to shatter, the simple reality was that death didn’t care and all I’d done would amount to nothing. There was no promise of one more chance, no reason swaying whether I lived or died, no thought beyond a bone-deep, primal terror, and not a damn thing I could do to change any of it.

Powerless, I laid beneath the flow of soured water, body thrashing uselessly as the man just stood there, watching; waiting. I couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, the sensation of that sack about my face constricting with each failed gasp overwhelmed every memory I’d ever made, forsook every imagined possibility of a future, dispelled whatever higher knowledge supposedly separated sentience from feral beasts, and I knew he was utterly impartial to all of it as my lungs burned, spine wrenching against restraints that offered no leeway. The weakness that crept up my limbs was a strange thing. I barely noticed it beneath the new form of darkness overtaking me, yet some whisper of frustration balked at how quickly my muscles began to fail, how deafening my heartbeat became as those frantic coughs faded beneath wet gurgles.

Still, there was some futile sense of denial, a disbelief promising me that he wouldn’t actually let me die; that this was merely some sick form of intimidation meant to break me, and I knew exactly how foolish that thought was as the water flooded my lungs.

-

Agony filled my chest, my head. Fire burned my sinuses and left my throat raw as my torso convulsed in violent coughs even as I strained for breath, begging my own body to grant me some small taste of air. It felt like waking; like I’d been asleep for ages, mind hazed beneath that fog of confusion.

“..ere yuh are… Come on back.” Was that voice familiar? I vaguely thought it shouldn’t be despite how my eyes automatically travelled toward it, unable yet to make out anything beyond a blurred shaped. “Can you tell me your name?” Were his words slurring, or was my hearing merely faltering beneath that disorientating weariness eager to drag me back into unconsciousness? I knew that question, though – it had long since become ingrained into my psyche from years of asking. What’s your name? What’s the date? Where are we, right now? Where…

My lips stumbled around an initial attempt at forming an answer but managed only a choked whimper beneath a hurt that left even strangled gasps crippling. That moment of physical hinderance was enough to grant the very beginnings of a clarity that threatened to break me as some distorted mockery of sensation slowly began to return; glimpses of soiled walls, the scent of putrid water, pain lancing through joints held fast about the hard surface beneath me, through flesh left raw and torn from how violently my body had struggled against restraints still binding my wrists and ankles, looped about my chest and stomach, and the fear that stole through me was like nothing I’d ever known.

In an instant, my heart began to race, the rhythm far too quick to not be a danger in itself, but I could spare no thought toward something so mundane as a heart attack as my every muscle began to convulse, the icy obstruction of adrenaline flooding my veins as logic and rationale faltered in the wake of memories.

“Damn… figured it’d figured take longer ‘en that.” He mumbled, and I froze at the bundle of still dripping cloth hanging from his hand, unable to either tear my gaze away nor stomach the sight of it. “‘ere’s how this works,” he started, utterly unmoved by how my body shied from him as he reached toward me with that cursed fabric. “Ain’t gotta go through any of that again if you don’t want to.” The way my every cell screamed against the feeling of that mask being pulled even halfway down my face left me thrashing anew, numb to any damage sustained from how desperately I found myself flailing against my bounds. “Just gotta answer my questions, an’ it all stops.”

There was no thought; no memory even of how to think as the first drops of water danced atop my forehead. My every muscle tightened, body wrenching away with more force than it could take. Something cracked. I didn’t feel it. My teeth ground together even as my jaw strained to open, to drag as much of that precious, stale air into my lungs as I could.

“Who are yuh working with?” Rage. There was no suffocating torrent of liquid. It was barely a splash, but he knew exactly how little work he needed to do to rend me into that hysterical frenzy that so effortlessly robbed me of all but my most ancient, primal instinct, and I loathed him for how quickly it worked, lips wrenching back into a snarl.

The next gush held none of that earlier restraint. Water filled my mouth and flooded my nose, instantly sending me into ragged, gagging coughs, body jerking in an effort to at least lean onto my side that I might rid my airway of that burning, frigid certainty of drowning.

“Who orchestrated the explosion?” I thought of the mercenary as another surge of water poured over me just long enough to leave me gasping.

How do I free him!

“Who was the target?” I don’t know if there were words in whatever scream I felt tearing through my throat, but he waited mere seconds, unmoved by my choked cries.

Tell me.

“Who placed the bombs?” His emotionless voice reverberated through the darkness, lifting the mask just clear of my lips after each question before dragging it back down in the wake of answers that left him wanting, and I could only flail atop that unyielding surface as he unleashed that frigid water again and again.

I thought of the hatred in my brother’s eyes as my mind flickered at the edges of suffocation.

“Who ordered the hit?”

Did I deserve this?

“Who’s behind the assassination attempt?”

Why didn’t he just kill me?

“Tell me who ordered the hit.”

Kill me.

“Who were you sent to kill?”

Kill me kill me kill me

“Who placed the bombs?”

His earlier boredom was beginning to turn impatient. My body barely managed to struggle anymore. Didn’t matter.

“Who ordered the hit?”

I wanted that darkness. Yearned for it… because anything was better than this endless torture, hours and seconds and years of drowning with no hope of it ever stopping, no sense of time, no sense of self.

“Who-”

The sudden flurry of sounds meant nothing. I’d long since lost any grasp on reality, more certain that I was already dead than I was that those harsh, broken wheezes voiced my own, failing attempts at breath. I don’t know when that sack had been removed nor what muttered pleas tumbled listlessly from numb lips. Flashes of grey and white armor held no meaning, nor did whispered words blaring through speakers, though I remembered some fleeting thought toward the futility of whispering into a mic.

Movement. It didn’t feel like that perceived sense of endlessly falling preceding loss of consciousness… It felt like… running? My eyelids bat against the illusion painted atop the black cloth I was so sure awaited me the instant I managed to truly see. It wasn’t until I tried to move that that madness returned. No restraints held my arms trapped behind me. No unyielding board pressed painfully into my back. I was held only by the arms looped beneath my knees and shoulders, and the instant I understood that, I fought with every hint of strength granted to me by that panic-induced insanity.

I couldn’t hear anything above the chorus of sudden shouts, focus trained solely on freeing myself of that near embrace. I’d barely begun to thrash before feeling the floor rise up to meet me, body instantly kicking out to distance myself from my captor until my heels slid useless atop muck-coated stone, doing nothing more than pressing my back more firmly into the wall behind me.

“…” Muffled words lost beneath the pounding of my heart and the rasp of air catching in too-moist lungs fluttering with hyperventilated breaths stolen between wet coughs. I tried to draw my arms between myself and the figure kneeling before me, but could barely convince my hands to twitch, flared fingers trembling mere inches above the ground.

“…! …ack! Come on, kid; come back!” His voice finally broke through that frenzy, and my eyes locked on his, every muscle freezing beyond that persistent shiver I couldn’t begin to quell. He seemed to hold his breath, waiting to see if I’d break again. My brows drew weakly together, thoughts too frantic to more than stare at him for several seconds.

“…W… Wol…” His shoulders sank at my stammered attempt to call his name.

“Right here, kid.” It was such a strange thing to hear the gentleness in his voice, but that lingering sense of wrong drew me further from the shattered recess of my mind, vaguely noting the four figures posted around us, and I didn’t need to see their helms to know who they were, that they had their weapons trained on the corridors stretching out at either side of me, ready to fire at the faintest hint of a threat. They’d found me… This was real… So, why couldn’t I free myself of that relentless fear, that deafening need to run, to find some dark corner and hide?

“I need to get you out of here.” He explained, words purposefully slowed in a way I should have taken offense to. In that moment, however, that slowness was the only reason I could make sense of them. Get out… They were going to get me out of here… but my body revolted from the very thought of letting him touch me again, of letting anyone touch…

“You can hold on to me, or I can carry you, but we can’t stay here.” I wanted to shout at that familiar, cold logic, the silent apology nestled in his hushed statement, frustration spiking at the weakness preventing my hands from clasping over my ears regardless how useless I knew the gesture to be.

“Hey – hey, look at me.” The guilt tainting his command made me want to scream even as my eyes automatically flicked back to his, some distant thought finally realizing he’d forgone protocol in favor of letting me see his face, helmet abandoned on the ground beside him. My name left his lips in a whisper, head ducking slightly to draw my unsteady gaze back toward him.

“We need to move.” My jaw tensed with curses and pleas and senseless shouts, despite my inability to hold enough breath to manage more than a stammered whimper, chest still seizing with half coughs from the phantom sensation of flooded lungs.

“Do you want me to sedate you?” He barely murmured the quiet offer, head ducking toward me. Did I… I thought of that blissful emptiness… that escape from this fear, from the pain of wounds I couldn’t remember sustaining, from the anger wrought by my own inability to force some semblance of control over myself, and, with a sob, I nodded. His expression darkened, but he said nothing as he returned the gesture.

“Close your eyes.” He whispered, and the tremble seizing through me redoubled, terror spiking at the threat of subjecting myself to that darkness. “You’re going to be alright, kid… Just close your eyes.” He promised… I’d never doubted him before… not like this… but how could I possibly believe him? I knew he could see how frightened I was, how lost I was in that fear; I knew he was counting every second wasted trying to guide me through this, how each of those seconds redoubled the risk of being caught, but he said nothing as I struggled to find myself through that panic, and he wasted no time when I finally managed to force my eyes shut.

The instant I felt the prick of needles, my body balked, managing to jump mere inches away, but his touch was already there, hand delicately catching my cheek as those fleeting reserves of strength abandoned me, muscles quickly going limp against him.

“Alright… I’ve got you… I’ve got you.” A final shiver darted down my spine as the warmth of his breath danced across my scalp, barely noting how carefully he eased me back into his arms, but the distant familiarity of finding myself nestled against him, of tasting his scent in my every stammered gasp even as I felt my mind begin to slip away was a comfort I clung to until even that faded.

Next Chapter

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[disco-tea]

I posted 3,546 times in 2022

That's 1,774 more posts than 2021!

985 posts created (28%)

2,561 posts reblogged (72%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@swinging-stars-from-satellites

@disco-tea

@candiliam328

@chasingfictions

@alittlemoretime

I tagged 3,436 of my posts in 2022

Only 3% of my posts had no tags

#buffy the vampire slayer - 913 posts

#spike - 394 posts

#dracula daily - 312 posts

#spuffy - 272 posts

#buffy summers - 138 posts

#dawn summers - 109 posts

#btvs imagine - 106 posts

#stranger things - 106 posts

#to keep - 99 posts

#btvs memes - 99 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#and it’s the way seeing dawn and buffy being a family even without memories makes spike’s brain go ‘wait where’s my familial affection’

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Wait so they sealed Jonathan’s diary…y’all Mina isn’t getting the paprika recipe 😭

1,489 notes - Posted August 25, 2022

#4

No because I’m coming for the kneecaps of every filmmaker that looked at Lucy’s suffering—Lucy’s slow and painful suffering where she’s so scared and weak and confused and SICK—and said, hey that’s sexy we can make it sexier let’s make her sexier too while we’re at it

1,746 notes - Posted August 26, 2022

#3

Funniest thing about Crimson Peak is that the ghosts are trying to help but they have the misfortune of being visually terrifying and unsightly so it constantly turns into the “WHY ARE YOU RUNNING??” vine

2,766 notes - Posted October 15, 2022

#2

I’m so upset I’m so upset because we immortalize Renfield as Dracula’s bug-eating minion. Dracula’s faithful servant. But do you know what he did? HE DIED PROTECTING MINA. He was the only one protecting Mina at the time. He died trying to selflessly protect somebody because they were kind to him. Because they treated him like a person. Because he couldn’t stand the idea of them being slowly drained and killed. He physically fought Dracula and it cost him his life. And maybe it’s just because I don’t know my Dracula adaptations all that well…but I don’t think how Renfield actually dies is talked about enough. I don’t think it’s appreciated how, here is somebody who believed they could prolong their life by consuming other lives…but in the end he GAVE his life for another.

3,469 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Why would you do a bunch of storytelling gymnastics with the “oh Mina was Dracs wife in a past life” so you can invent a love story between them when Jonathan Harker is right there in the source material trekking through wolf-infested forests, half insane, just to get back to Mina. Jonathan is right there, trusting Mina with knowledge he doesn’t even remember himself. He’s right there, full of fury and rage, ready to cut Dracula in half and drag him to hell himself. All for Mina. He’s ready to become a vampire for Mina. Like it’s just insane to me we somehow as a culture decided that some musty creepy old dude was more attractive than a sweet charming guy with unhinged feral energy lurking just below the surface. Also he’s got white hair, a machete, trauma, and he might not be 100% Normal anymore. And you want me to root for the COUNT? The stalker guy with bad breath who doesn’t possess a single ounce of actual romanticism?

Like sorry, but there is nothing in Coppola’s Dracula that will ever be more romantic than Jonathan Harker holding Mina close despite her thinking she’s dangerous and tainted. Jonathan holding her, murder in his eyes while simultaneously having nothing but infinite tenderness in his hands as he ruffles her hair.

6,028 notes - Posted October 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[recycledcactus]

Brave Warrior

(Technoblade Poem)

He was born in flames that forced upon him survival. Made from all blood that he had spilled And all the blood that could ever be spilled. With words that he left abandoned on a silent tongue.

He built his name on the cries of bloody orphans And the screams of their dying parents. Swore himself a man that left families in ruin. When they asked why, He let their sobs fall on deaf ears.

His body was like a tapestry Of every blade clashing against a shield, And every arrow Piercing one’s heart. It held a map of all his victories and nations conquered And of his haunting prowess. Though he flaunted his power; He hid, scared and unsure

His veins coursed with the yells Of the hopeful warrior And the brute force of the guiltless barbarian. And the ichor of his godhood still bound him like a prison; Ever a time, a thousand days from now or eternity, He would not be free

On their knees, With the knowledge they’d never see another sunrise, His victims asked him ‘What are you? A god, or a monster?’ And without hesitation or stutter, He would reply ‘What’s the difference?’ For who was he without either?

His hands knew the rough earth Like he was at last home. And hot blood slithered on his skin Like the hopeless prayers of dying sinners. His callouses brushed against the sickle that harvested his crops, And with the same tool, He gutted his foes to insanity. But they still demanded more.

His feet took him across lands Where his name was branded into people’s fears. A threat or a plea? He did not care. He met a man who wore the same shackles as he And fought the same wars he lost his humanity in. When they clawed his minds for blood, They would get it. They would always get it.

Though he’s killed hundreds of men, And his hands have been soaked with broken words, And he swore himself a faithless god, And walked the world with a man as lost as he, Still his followers stayed.

And they whispered in the corners of his immortality ‘Blood for the Blood God’ Like a sacred vow. A hymn just for he. So in return, he promised them ‘Technoblade never dies’

Oh, brave warrior, you did not know That when the sun bowed to the horizon, When the sky lit up in the face of injustice, And when Death opened her arms to them, You would split open the earth And weep:

‘Technoblade never dies’

-poem by @recycledcactus on tumblr

Okay HUGE thanks to @strawberiitea for hyping me up and convincing me to actually write this poem. I haven’t written a poem in two years but I figured I’d try it out again! So thank you wifey <3

Also I’m going to tag some people who might want to read this (I’m sorry if you don’t): @dogin8 @trickszie @phantom-clock @star-of-nobility @emo-and-confused @quinnthe-queer @ur-friendly-neighborhood-rat @rubi-is-here @comfymoth @flick-innit @noorahqar @fiveup 

[lukashomeros]

Adimos Tapes: Chapter 1

Present - Virgil

7 years ago, Virgil decides to spend the weekend at a cabin with his boyfriend at the time Patton. When he returns home two days later, he finds his mother brutally murdered and his twin brother Janus missing, but that was 7 years ago. He had all but given up ever seeing his brother again, so Virgil moved on with his life and married his high school sweetheart.

Now his brother is home, and he won't tell anyone what happened. Though one thing is clear, Janus is convinced his captors will return for him.

I'm getting used to using tumblr, so if I need to add any tags please let me know!

Out of all the things Virgil expected of the day, he would have never guessed this. Not in a million years. He couldn’t comprehend the words the officers in front of him said and barely registered the comforting hand of his husband on his shoulder. At some point, he was guided to the living room and sat down.

“Come in,” Patton called after the two officers who followed inside, sitting across from Virgil. “Here, love.” A cool glass of water was placed in his hands and Virgil sipped from it. Questions swarmed his mind, but not a single one made it past his lips as the officers continued.

“We found him a month ago, but he was in intensive care and refused to speak, so it was almost impossible to ID him at the time.” One officer spoke, sitting up straight and maintaining eye contact with Virgil. Meanwhile, the other kept his gaze down but maintained good posture. “He’s still…” The officer pondered an appropriate word, biting his bottom lip. “Scarred, and he won’t speak, but we’re certain it’s him.”

“I want to see him, I have to see him,” Virgil blurted out, gripping the glass tightly with shaking shoulders as he fought back tears. As he fought back images of the video the bastards who took his twin brother sent him. It was no use though, fighting anything. “He must be so scared,” Hot tears spilled down his cheeks while images of his brother flashed in his head. The pure panic as Janus realized it wasn’t Virgil in the kitchen, the thud of his body falling on the hard tile after turning too fast to run away, the scream of the man-

“Virgil, breathe for me, please.” Patton cut through the memories and wrapped his arms around his husband, holding him close as he sobbed. They remained like that for some time, before he managed to calm down.

“How did…did you find the son of a bitch who took him?” Virgil asked softly, still clinging to Patton who kissed his head. The officer’s words made both visibly tense, even Patton who appeared to remain completely calm otherwise.

“No, and I won’t lie to you,” Said officer sighed and leaned forward, head bowed slightly, “the only reason we found Janus is because they allowed us to.”

“What do you mean?”

“The FBI followed a trail of breadcrumbs they left, videos and notes, to a home. At that home, they found a closet full of VHS tapes, costumes, and in one of the front rooms a large box. In that box we found your brother, he had been left for us to find.” His voice betrayed the stoic composure he had been attempting to maintain. What he neglected to tell Virgil was that Janus had been left in a costume of his own, as if on display. A short dress with a mask over his head. He had been assumed dead at first, but after checking for a pulse, the FBI quickly brought in paramedics. Virgil did not need to hear that right now, though. “You need to prepare yourself when you see him, alright?” Virgil nodded, gulping down the rest of the water to try and quell the dryness in his mouth.

The drive towards the hospital was painstakingly slow, and without the background noise of the radio it about drove Virgil insane. For obvious reasons, Patton had refused to allow his already upset husband to drive. Although, despite the gut-wrenching silence, neither spoke nor turned on the radio. They simply resigned to their thoughts for the 30-minute drive, Virgil’s mind drifting off to a better time.

While the twins played Mario Kart together-including Janus’ pet snake, currently hanging on his shoulders-Janus gave his iconic grin and cheer after winning a race, 1st place. A smile that was contagious, even if Virgil barely made 6th place. Life had been so carefree, not a single worry. Their parents accepted that both of them were gay and loved them unconditionally despite the two being quite the handful at times. Virgil’s chest tightened as tears threatened to spill down his cheeks once more. Would Janus ever go back to be the gleeful kid he was before, he doubted it. After all, 7 years in what Virgil could only assume was a literal hell had to have damaged him irreparably.

He unconsciously reached for his husbands’ arm, tugging lightly on his sleeve, lest he delved back into a panic attack. As a result, Patton hummed and held Virgil’s hand, intertwining their fingers while driving with his other. How had Janus changed? The question struck fear in his heart.

When they arrived at the hospital, they still had not shared a single word between them, but their hands remained interlocked. Although, they had to break apart to step out of the car, but only for a moment. They walked together to a secluded wing of the hospital, two police officers standing outside a door. Janus’ room, it had to be. Virgil’s breath caught in his throat as the officers focused on them.

“I’m…I’m here to see my brother.” He said as one officer stepped over to him.

“I’ll need to see ID,” Virgil nodded and reached with shaky hands for his wallet in his back pocket. Patton mirrored him, pulling out his own ID. The guard examined both, before speaking again, “Only family is allowed inside for now, Doctor’s orders.” He led Virgil inside the room, leaving Patton waiting outside with a solemn expression and arms held behind his back.

“Janus?” Virgil softly called out to his twin who stared blankly up at the ceiling. As the words left his mouth though, Janus’ expression twisted to pain for a split second before becoming neutral.

“Janus, this is your brother Virgil,” A doctor who had been sitting next to him, clipboard in hand, stood and slowly walked over to Virgil. “I’m Dr. Picani, a psychologist here.” Virgil vaguely recognized the handheld out for him, which he shook without sparing the doctor a glance. Rather than acknowledge Dr. Picani, Virgil looked his brother over. Before Janus had been pudgy, not fat, but he had weight on him, whereas the Janus in front of him had sunken in cheeks, thin and bony arms, and, as much as Virgil wanted to deny it, he assumed his legs were in the same condition despite the hospital blanket covering them. The most damning though was the left side of his face, multiple faint scars most likely from cuts. They stayed strictly on the left side where the only difference between the twins lay. His eyes, specifically, Janus’ once-vibrant golden colored eye, now dimmed with the horrors he endured.

Something else Virgil noted.

“Look, at me, Janus, please,” Virgil’s voice cracked. In spite of the pleading in Virgil’s voice, Janus kept his gaze down, staring at his lap albeit shifting uncomfortably under his stare. So as to prevent either from becoming too upset or setting Janus off, Picani in a hushed whisper scolded him.

“Do not get angry with him,” He held his wrist tightly, “The men who held him beat him into submission. Avoiding eye contact is the least of his worries, right now.” With that, Virgil completely deflated.

“Please, just say something to me, Janus. Let me hear your voice again”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you want me to say.” Virgil about melted at his voice, it was barely audible, almost as if Janus was afraid. No terrified, he noted as Janus began rubbing the side of his leg, which was almost a bit of a relief. It was a nervous tick that Janus had before he had been taken, something those monsters neglected to take from him. Although, as soon as Virgil took notice the action ceased immediately and Janus began opening and closing his mouth attempting to speak, but nothing came out. Dr. Picani went to his side in a slow, but clear stride.

“It’s alright, Janus, you can say whatever you want,” He gently held his hand and the two shared a silent moment before Janus spoke again.

“What…I’m…I’m not sure,” Janus laughed dryly, and tears clung to his eyes while his body began to tremble. “Not sure what you want me to say…” He repeated that every so often and each time more heartbreaking than the last, Virgil couldn’t take it. He stepped closer to the bed and in a stern voice, demanded.

“Who took you?”

“Who took me, who took me,” Janus’ eyes glazed over, “the masters, they’re coming to get me right?” He gripped the doctor’s arm and met his gaze again, panic setting in his face. “They have to come to get me, I know I was bad, but they wouldn’t abandon me…” He mouthed the words ‘they love me,’ and Virgil’s stomach twisted.

“Excuse me,” He rushed to the bathroom in the hospital room, hunching over the toilet and proceeded to throw up his breakfast, not noticing a reassuring hand on his back.

“You have to be strong for him, I know this is hard, but you cannot lose it in front of Janus.” Dr. Picani said, sitting on the floor next to him and rubbing circles on his back as Virgil continued to dry heave. How could Virgil remain calm? His brother’s spirit was completely crushed, this wasn’t the sarcastic, witty twin he grew up with. This was a pathetic, beaten boy who had fallen for his captors.

“He’s not Janus, what could they…” The question died on his lips. What could they have done to shatter him like this?

“He is Janus and he needs you now more than ever,” Picani shifted to stand and pulled his hand away, “he spent 7 years under their control, he needs understanding and reassurance to make a full recovery.” Virgil stood on his shaky legs and wiped his mouth. “If you truly cannot take him in then- “

“No, there’s no one else who can take him in, but you’re right, Dr.” Virgil straightened himself up. “I have to be strong for him.”

[severetimetravelnerd]

Hatred and Love (ft. G Dragon) Mafia AU

Part 8

Both you and Jiyong are desperate to save Hanbin, but you both react in different ways.

(I don’t own any of the images used. All credit goes to the original owners.)

Taglist:

@unabashedturkeytreeslime​

@happiestgirlontheeastcoast​

@kwonnansi​

@aarfyie​

@suhappysuho​

If there is anyone else who would like to be tagged, you can comment or leave me a message :))

I only write on this blog on tumblr, so if you see my work on any other platform, please let me know immediately.

Okay, so here, the war against EXO intensifies. It has appearances from Daesung, Taeyang, TOP, Mino, Hanbin and EXO (mostly Kai). This continues with the EXO storyline, but again, I have nothing against EXO :)) I love them, but I had to use someone for the plot.

Sorry I got a little delayed with this update :((, but I haven’t been feeling too well the past few days :((

Warnings: Violence, Death(not main character), Injury, Blood, Eventual smut, Abduction, Guns and Knives, language, emotional breakdown. Mentions of torture in this one.

————————————————————————–

Jiyong froze against you, unable to believe what he just heard. He just stared at Youngbae. Voice hard, he said, 

“What did you just say Youngbae?” 

Youngbae gulped. He looked at your shocked face, knowing how much you cared about Hanbin.

 “Jiyong, let’s discuss this outside? Why don’t you come outside-”

 Jiyong cut him off, voice growing harsher by the second.

 “Youngbae, tell me what happened right this instant.”

 Youngbae knew not to disobey Jiyong when his voice took on that tone, but he couldn’t help but feel bad for you, sitting there on the bed, scared and worried for your friend. He hesitated, and then he said,

 “They took Hanbin when he was out getting something for Y/N. They are now holding him hostage. They’re saying they’ll only release him if we give Y/N to them.” 

Jiyong jumped up from the bed, immediately switching back to Mafia boss. You knew he had a lot of work, but you just needed to ask him what he was planning on doing. You needed to know. You hated that Hanbin was in danger because of you. You grabbed his sleeve, starting to ask him something, but he just shook off your hand and gave you the coldest, most disgusted look you had ever received in your life. He didn’t even bother turning around after that, because if he did, he would have seen the way you shrunk back from him. You let him go, not saying anything else, trying to tell yourself he was busy. He walked out of the room, coolly giving orders on the phone. Youngbae turned and looked at you, pausing to walk up to you and squeeze your hand. 

“Y/N, it’s not your fault. Hanbin will be fine.” 

He hurried out after that, knowing there was a lot of work to do. You were left alone in the room, rocking yourself back and forth on the bed. You felt like it was all your fault. You knew Hanbin was in danger because of you. You needed to change that. You had to find a way to get him back. And somehow, at the back of your mind, in the middle of all the guilt, you couldn’t stop thinking about how Jiyong broke his promise.

Jiyong didn’t return that night. You didn’t sleep that night either. You knew Jiyong wouldn’t return that night, and while a small part of you was waiting for him, most of you was just terrified for Hanbin. Hanbin had told you stories about EXO. About how while Jiyong was the most ruthless, they were slightly sadistic, the remnants of which could be seen in all their victims. You were scared that Hanbin would end up like that. You hated yourself for asking him to get you those tablets for your headache. If you hadn’t, and if you had just managed to get by, then he wouldn’t be in the situation he was in now. You couldn’t stop thinking about how Hanbin was the least experienced member when it came to actual violence. He was a complete softie. Yes, he carried weapons, but you were better at wielding them than he was, which was saying something. You closed your eyes and lay down flat on the bed, trying to calm your mind and think of a way to get Hanbin back, but all you saw was the image of Hanbin being tortured over and over again, until his face was bloody and he couldn’t speak. You kept hearing his cries of pain, and you started tossing and turning, desperately trying to get those sounds out of your head. But you couldn’t. Finally, you just curled up on the bed and sobbed, weeping at Hanbin’s voice and bloody face, wailing for someone to make it stop, for someone to make it go away. You cried like that until you had no more energy left to cry, just slow sobs shaking your body from time to time. You just gripped the bracelet Hanbin gave you a little tighter and begged

 “Please, please let him be okay.”

 before you fell asleep, exhausted and unwell.

You woke up a few hours later. There was still no sign of Jiyong. No one had given you any news about Hanbin, or told you what they planned to do. You couldn’t see any way out of it either. The only way you could see was if you went there in Hanbin’s place. You knew EXO was scary, but somehow, you still had some amount of faith in Jongin. You were willing to take that risk and put yourself in danger as long as Hanbin was back safe and sound. It was all your fault anyway. You were the reason the two gangs started fighting. You were the reason Hanbin went out that day and got caught. You were the person they were asking for. You just didn’t know whether to do it. Whether you had it in you to leave Jiyong. Whether he would let you. You knew you wanted to save Hanbin, but you didn’t want to leave Jiyong. He was special to you. You didn’t know what to do. You needed to speak to someone, anyone, to get a better idea of what was happening, but there was no one around. You were driving yourself insane from wondering what you could do, when suddenly, you realised something. You had Jongin’s number. On your phone. You could just call him. No one in Jiyong’s gang had it. You stared down at your phone, the anxiety at the bottom of your stomach killing you. You cracked your knuckles and called him. You were beyond nervous, but you knew you had to hide it, so you pinched yourself to focus. Jongin answered on the first ring, voice sounding breathless and concerned.

 “Y/N?”

 When Hanbin woke up, he had to blink quite a bit to get used to the bright light everywhere. Although he was confused in the beginning, he suddenly remembered how he was chloroformed near the medical store while getting medicine for you. Immediately, his eyes darkened and he became wary. He had to be in EXO headquarters. He quickly took stock of the situation. He wasn’t injured. He was tied to a chair. He wasn’t gagged or blindfolded, so that was good. He started feeling uneasy. This wasn’t really EXO’s style. They definitely would have tortured him by now. Something was up. He was looking around for something sharp to cut the ropes with when he heard a low voice from behind him. 

“Oh, you’re awake?” 

He froze. Jongin slowly made his way in front of Hanbin, dragging a chair in one hand and holding a drink in the other. He sat down and leaned forward, sipping on his drink. 

“You must be hungry. Can I get you some food?” 

Hanbin glared at him and shook his head. Jongin shrugged. 

“Oh well. Suit yourself.”

 Hanbin knew they would have searched him for weapons. He was unarmed. Trying to keep his voice bored, he asked, 

“What do you want from me?” 

Jongin shook his head.

 “Come on Hanbin. You know we want nothing from you. We just want Y/N.” 

Hanbin felt his gut twist a little. He hated the thought of you there. 

“What do you want from her? We’ve told you we’re not going to give her up. You have to know by now that she’s boss’s girlfriend.” 

The way Jongin’s jaw twitched, Hanbin knew he had hit a nerve. 

“Hanbin, she’s my friend. I know her. I know she wouldn’t want to be with someone like that. I know you guys are drugging her.”

 Hanbin couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his mouth. 

“And you think she’d want to be with someone like you?”

 Jongin grip on his glass tightened. 

“I know she wouldn’t want to be with the man who killed her uncle.” 

Hanbin hid his surprise well, saying, 

“You don’t even know what her uncle has done to her.”, 

but he didn’t know your uncle was dead. He knew Jiyong hadn’t ordered that. Jongin sighed, putting down his glass. He stared at Hanbin deeply, trying to make up his mind. He wiped his face and did away with the animosity and the poker face. All Hanbin could see in front of him was the face of a man who was worried sick about someone he cared about, and didn’t know what to do. 

“Hanbin, you care about Y/N, right?” 

Hanbin knew to answer that question honestly. 

“Yes, yes I do.”

 “Okay, so please tell me how she is. Is she happy? Is she safe? Who shot her that time?”

 Hanbin just stared at him. EXO’S Jongin never asked anyone for anything. He forced them to do what he wanted them do. It was different this time. Hanbin decided to tell him the truth. 

“She is happy. She is safe. We’ve trained her in self-defence and in shooting. That time,” 

he paused, hesitating a bit, 

“Jiyong hyung shot her.” 

Jongin looked pained.

 “He shot the woman he loves?”

 Hanbin nodded. 

“Jongin, you have to understand that it was before he accepted that he loved her. He regrets it every second of the day. He will keep her safe. He won’t hurt her.”

 Jongin’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t say anything. The two of them just sat there in silence for a while. Jongin then broke the silence.

 “Hanbin, I need your help.”

 “Why would I help you?”

 “Because it’s for Y/N.” 

Hanbin remained silent. 

“Because one of Joonmyeon’s men caught you, I can’t help you more than this, but you should know that I fought for the right to keep you here instead of giving you to Sehun, who’s usually in charge of torture. I know that Jiyong won’t give up Y/N, but if by chance she does come here, I need you to escape with her. I just want to see her and speak to her. Apologise for not telling her earlier. Make sure she’s okay. I know the other guys will want to keep her here and torture her for information about Jiyong that I know she won’t give. I’ll help you guys, but whatever you do, do not let her stay here. She’ll be tortured and forced to marry me.”

 Hanbin just stared at Jongin, eyes wide.

 “Are you serious Jongin?” 

“Yes, I am. I know my people. She doesn’t deserve that kind of life. I don’t think she deserves to see that kind of life by staying with Jiyong either, but it will always be better for her there. Just take care of her for me.” 

Hanbin couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

 “Is there anyone else who thinks this way in EXO Jongin?”

 Jongin sighed.

 “Most of us used to. But after a while, we got too caught up in trying to beat you guys. I know Baekhyun hyung, Jongdae hyung and Chanyeol hyung agree with me, and they might be willing to help. I know Kyungsoo hyung and Minseok hyung understand my point, but they won’t help. But Joonmyeon hyung, Yixing hyung and Sehun are hell bent on using this to beat you guys.”

 “Why do they want to beat us so badly? We’ve always been rivals, but it wasn’t always this bad.”

 Jongin’s eyes softened. 

“They had some sentimental attachment to the Hongdae area you guys took from us. Their family graves are there.”

 Hanbin didn’t know what to say to that. He just sat there thinking. Jongin interrupted his thoughts. 

“So, what do you say? Will you do it?”

 Hanbin gulped, knowing it was risky to trust him, and said, 

“Yes, yes I will.”

 And that was when Jongin’s phone rang. 

“Y/N?”

 “Jongin.” 

You took a deep breath. Your voice was hard when you said, 

“Where’s Hanbin?” 

Jongin sounded happy to hear your voice. 

“He’s right here. And he’s fine, don’t worry.” 

Your voice turned harsher.

 “How do I trust you? Especially when you’ve pretty much started a gang war over nothing. Since when was I your girlfriend?”

  Hanbin smirked when he saw Jongin wince a little at your harsh words. 

“Y/N, I swear you can trust me.” 

His voice turned pleading. 

“You know me! You know me, don’t you?”

 You remained silent.

 “Y/N, I told them I was going to ask you out. I never told them you were my girlfriend. They just adapted the tale to suit their needs.”

 You still remained silent.

 “Y/N, I just want to see you. Come to the address I texted you. I swear I’ll let both you and Hanbin leave unharmed. I just really want to talk to you, explain things and make sure you’re okay.” 

You ignored everything he said. You knew better than to agree to what could be a trap.

 “Is Hanbin there, Jongin?”

 Hanbin responded. 

“Yes, I am.”

 Immediately, your voice became warmer.

 “Hanbin, are you okay? Is he lying?” 

Hanbin glanced at Jongin, and nodded to him. 

“Yes, yes I am. He’s not lying Y/N. He’ll help. Just… come armed.” 

“Hanbin, he hasn’t done anything to you, right?”

 Through all that tension, Hanbin smiled, knowing you’d be fidgeting around from nervousness.

 “Yes, Y/N, I am completely fine.” 

You heaved a sigh of relief. Your voice becoming harsh again, you said,

 “Jongin, we’ll see about that offer.” And you cut the call. Jongin and Hanbin both looked at each other and smiled. They knew you would come.

You were scared. You knew it could be a trap. Hanbin might have been held at gun point and forced to say what he said. Jongin really didn’t have a great track record. He could just be trying to get a hold of you. You didn’t know what to do. You did know that you had to tell Jiyong. So, you waited. You knew deep down that you had to do this to get Hanbin back, because it was your fault, but you wanted to tell Jiyong, because you were scared, and you didn’t want to go into it alone. And although you waited all day, Jiyong only came into the room at 2 in the morning. You were running on two hours of sleep, but the adrenaline kept you up. You couldn’t help noticing that Jiyong was still glaring and behaving cold, like he would around his men. You gulped and you approached him.

 “Ji?”

 He slowly opened his eyes and looked at you with a barely concealed glare. 

“What is it?”

 “I called Jongin, and he-” 

Jiyong’s eyes went from uninterested to absolutely raging mad. He slowly got up and walked towards you, making you walk back, feeling slightly scared. 

“Y/N, did you just say you called Jongin?”

 His voice was deadly.

 “Yes.” 

He laughed. And then, his tone turned condescending.

 “You had to go and do that, didn’t you? You know you know nothing about the mafia world. You had to go and call EXO and appear weak and desperate.”

 He scoffed. His tone made you feel like trash. So absolutely useless.

  “As it is, I had to lose my family because of you, and then you go make things worse. It makes me wonder why we’re not just giving in to their demands already.” He stepped back and looked at you with absolute loathing. He left, slamming the door behind him. You sat there, feeling numb, letting your tears fall down your face. You knew he was upset that he lost Hanbin, but the fact that he felt that way about giving you up to EXO was an eye-opener. After your tears had run out, you got up and changed. You changed into a pair of black shorts and a black shirt. You then went and took the knife and gun out of the cupboard and strapped them onto you and you opened the door and left.

[bellamyblakru]

HEYYYYYYY i’m so excited to respond to ur ask it made me so happy to see u in my notifs and i’m so excited for u for ur milestone! anyways i kinda want all of them but i decided to cut down to 🥺 :)))) 👀 pls rant i will read it all and ☕️ for morgwen andddd manon from the tog books. <3 <3 :*

HEY AMY!!! i hope you had a lovely day today🥺thank you for the ask💞

🥺- for my mutuals, ill talk about why i follow you and why everyone should be as well

omg im pretty sure i met and started following you like the day of that bellamy scene™️ because i remember thinking how fucking horrendous that episode ended, and, at the same time, how amazing that night on tumblr was aksnakaaj. so that night, tumblr was a fucking disaster and chaotic and funny asf. i remember texting @tkstrrand the entire ep (bc she couldn’t watch it for some reason) like how boring it was/how she wasn’t missing much blahblah and then when the death scene happened at the last fucking second, i sent her about a thousand separate incoherent texts in the span of like two minutes LOL tumblr was in shambles and i made a few posts about how fucking dumb the show was—one post i made i told my few new followers to fuck the 100 and just watch merlin and you texted me about it!! we have literally so much in common (with merlin, atla, the 100, tog!!!) that when you texted me about how you felt about that scene compared to merlin’s ending, my thought was like “this blog is so kind and we feel the same way and i need to follow asap.”

you are literally so sweet and lovely to talk to🥺that night™️ may had been disastrous, but i can look on it with a lighter heart because we met because of it!! every time we talk i always smile so much (and dw, i know i still have to get clone wars for our boy anakin👀👀)

dude, everyone should be following you because your blog is incredible, your tags are superb, and you are literally one of the sweetest people i’ve met on here😭💞 i adore you.

👀 - and ill tell you a parallel from merlin or the 100 that still fucks me up

this post for merthur still FUCKS ME UP by @camelotsheart

THE EYES. THE GIFSET’S BEAUTIFUL COLORING. THE EYES. EYES. I CANT. THIS GIFSET HAUNTS ME. parallels, man, i fucking love them.

☕️ + send me a ship/character/movie/book and ill give you my opinions on it

my opinions on morgwen:

I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I SHIP IT WITH MY WHOLE ASS SOUL. dude, their potential as a ship is incredible😭i fucking love them together. i wrote them as a side pairing in my first multi-chapter merthur fic and i adored writing their interactions and dynamic sm. if morgana was going to be with anyone, my first choice will always be gwen. i also read them as a pairing in fics all the time because the pure power-couple potential is insane.

hot ☕️ here™️: i think if someone was to bring morgana back from the brink of hatred, it should have been gwen (not merlin). so, like, i could definitely see merlin telling her about his magic and whatnot and maybe that would have stopped her from going dark side...but...i didn’t think merlin should have (ekk probably an unpopular opinion).

see, i love merlin with my entire heart..and tbh telling uther fucking pendragon’s ward that he had magic was just too much of a gamble—especially with arthur’s life on the line, which literally became merlin’s sole purpose in life (another matter for a different essay™️). i understand his need to keep it a secret from her even more when the large reptile repeatedly got into merlin’s head that she was bad news from the jump (also another matter for a different essay™️).

SO. that leaves two options for our miserable magical gal: arthur or gwen. now, i honestly believe arthur wouldn’t have hurt her if he was told. and i even think he may have became more sympathetic to the magical community because of it—especially when he saved mordred wayyyy early on that cemented the fact that arthur was not uther. but i can also understand why morgana wouldn’t tell arthur, and it’s pretty much the same reason merlin didn’t tell her about his magic: the risk was too big and she didn’t want to gamble her life with an unknown reaction.

now we get to the main point: gwen would have been the best option for her. whether it is platonic or not, gwen was always there for morgana. gwen is such a kind, loving soul, and she deeply respected and adored morgana—you can tell by the way she smiled around her in the beginning seasons, how she would get her flowers, how she would worry about morgana’s wellbeing. even though gwen was morgana’s servant, she cared for her in more ways than were required and it showed. they were best friends. the entire incident with gwen’s father, which was horrendous, might be the reason gwen would be rightfully upset about the subject of magic; however. she knew her father wasn’t magical, she knew uther was a tyrant, and she knew morgana’s heart. someone is gonna tell me that if morgana had explained to gwen what happened, how her magic was innate, how morgana would never fucking choose to have magic anywhere near her shithead guardian (who probably would have killed her imo if he knew bc you know the whole “fire will purify” bullshit), that gwen would hate her??? I MEAN LITERALLY WATCH THE LAST EPISODES AGAIN. when QUEEN GWEN realizes that the whole time it was merlin saving everyone’s asses, and she connected all the dots, her face showed nothing but pure understanding and acceptance.

gwen was such an underused character. her fucking potential arcs could have been phenomenal (again, LOL, another matter for a different essay™️), and the way canon made morgana use gwen was fucking gross and im not a fan🙃 but fuck canon. i ship them and i love them to pieces ✌🏻thank you for coming to my talk✌🏻

my opinions on manon mf blackbeak:

oh boy, where do i start? i would die for her...is that too extreme for the starting place? i fucking LOVE manon blackbeak dude. oh my god, so, remember when her and aelin fought for the first time in QoS? i remember jumping up from my lounging position with my hand over my smiling mouth because i love both of these badass hardcore women with everything i am. i mean, aelin owns my ass (she is probably my favorite character of all time rn) but manon hits differently. her storyline at the beginning was so bleh, but, man, did it escalate fast to “holy shit” to “i fucking love her” to “oh fuck im sobbing.”

the only thing i will complain about with her character in canon was the fact that my girl was straight???? excuse me?? she has been alive for fucking forever and she is straight? no. i cant accept that. tbh i ship manon and elide🥺 (i also ship dorain and chaol oops). but her character development was everything and i cant think too long on what happens because i will start crying tbh sksjsmakks

okay wow im so sorry for, uh, spilling every thought i had into this. it legit took me like a day to respond 😔

i appreciate you so much. thank you🥺💞

[holylulusworld]

Chained Hearts – Part 4

Summary: The world ended and only two camps with people survived in this desolated world. Kidnapping the leader’s daughter of the other camp believes he can make a good deal. But deals aren’t always that easy.

Pairing: Endverse!Dean x Reader, Sam, Castiel, Zachariah, Chuck, Arthur Ketch

Warnings: comforting, fluff, mind manipulation, angst, angel dicks, witch reader, characters death, explosions, fighting

Chained Hearts Masterlist

To catch up with what happened before this story read this drabble first: Beyond the darkness

  „Who the heck are you?” Dean barks glaring at the man appearing next to you.

“Don’t kill me…again. ”Zachariah says. “This time I’m on your side. Let me explain what happened to you, Sam and the others. Y/N is right. Sam shot Chuck, he shot god.”

“Wait…Chuck is god…like God…God?” You gasp.

“Let’s calm down everyone. If he realizes I’m here to help you break out I’m done for.” Zahariah whispers pointing toward the hut. “We should go back to your hut. I warded it. For a short amount of time - I hope long enough to explain everything.”

“Fine…but no tricks.” Dean warns and Zachariah nods.

----

“I remember you. Your name is Zachariah, you were the angel dick trying to get me to say ‘yes’ to Michael.” Dean grunts. “You should be dead…”

“Oh, I was dead. Thanks to you Michael killed me. Now let’s forget about the past. God, Chuck…however you want to call him is out of control. You pushed him too far and now, he wants to end this world too.” The angel explains and you sit down onto the bed, rubbing your forehead.

“He killed Jack…” Castiel says remembering the Nephilim now.

“Correct, Castiel but let’s start at the beginning. You refused to kill Jack, Lucifer’s son so Chuck did it by himself. Sam shot him and God lost his patience.” Zachariah explains.

“The undead and everyone we ever killed came back.” Dean pants remembering the cemetery and a never-ending stream of enemies…

“That’s right, Dean. The only thing Chuck did not plan was Y/N to return thanks to Amara.” Your eyes drift toward Dean as another memory makes you whine in pain. You can see you sacrificing yourself to seal the rift…then nothing.

“I died to close the rift, then Chuck snapped his fingers and suddenly Amara was back, giving me her powers. I was at the cemetery a few moments later and killed the monsters…every single monster.” You pant balling your hands into fists. “We wanted to drive back to the bunker.”

“That’s right, Y/N. Thanks to the powers Amara gifted you with you were able to kill the enemies. Chuck was worried about his plan. He knows about the stubbornness of the Winchesters and Castiel. Combined with your powers and the darkness Amara gave you he was afraid to not be able to defeat you.” Zachariah explains and you scoff.

“What happened on our way to the bunker?” Sam asks looking at the angel.

“Chuck, well God decided you need to go but Y/N surrounded you and Dean along with my favorite fellow angel with a shield made of darkness. Chuck couldn’t get through it so he changed reality instead.”

“Like Gabriel, the trickster used to do?” Dean asks.

“Correct. He used his powers to create a world similar to Apocalypse World, the future I sent you to all these years ago. He couldn’t imitate Lucifer as it was impossible for God to bring the Archangels back or they would’ve fought him. Chuck brought Azazel and all the others back to make sure you and Y/N stay away from each other, but Azazel had other plans. He wanted her to remember to get control over her powers.” Zachariah looks out of the window now and then; afraid someone might see him.

“I would never lend this ass my powers, neither would I help Ketch. I always hated the British asshole.” You spat.

“You don’t understand. Ketch was my idea. He tried to touch you, following my orders. He played his role well, even tricked Lisa.” The angel explains and you glare at him.

“This was your idea, sick bastard?” You yell.

“I had to make sure Azazel sends you to Dean to let him impregnate you. I knew once being close to Dean you would be able to break out of Chuck’s manipulation. Ketch never intended on hurting you for real.”

“I should rip you open, asshole.” Dean grunts wielding a knife in front of Zachariah’s face.

“We need to be quick. This world…we need to break it down before the manipulation starts working once again.” The angel glances at the knife as Sam places one hand onto Dean’s shoulder.

“I hate to admit it, but Zachariah is right. We need to get out of here.” Sam says.

“Fine…”

“How can we get out of here? Anyone around seems to not notice they are trapped in a ‘dream world’.” You ask.

“There’s a door. I got the key, but we must be quick. I don’t know if Chuck already recognized I stole it from him.” Zachariah says handing you the key.

“Outside of your camp Ketch is waiting for you. He’s the only one knowing the way. Go with him while I try to distract God.” The angel says.

“Why are you doing this? Last time you wanted this, wanted the fight.” Dean asks narrowing his eyes, not trusting Zachariah one bit.

“Last time it was faith, I believed in what my brothers told me is the right thing to do. Michael vs. Lucifer as we all knew it must be. This is…he wants to wipe out every single life. Every Demon, human, monster and angel. I do not tell you I’m a fan of you or your brother. You brought chaos into this world, but I must admit you and this powerful witch are the only ones left to stop Chuck. Now get out of here.”

“What about Lisa and the others? What will happen to them?” You ask.

“Lisa and the others are not real. These are only delusions, not the real person. I’m sorry to tell you but Lisa is long gone. The first wave of enemies killed her.” Zachariah says and Dean grimaces. He wiped her memories to keep her safe.

“Dean, I’m sorry but we have to go.” You say feeling the sting.

“Let’s roll. If this is a trap angel dick I’m going to find you, rip you open and roast your guts.” Dean warns.

----

“About damn time, Winchesters. Let’s get the fuck out of this crazy world.” Ketch mutters completely out of character.

“Uh—since when are you cursing like that?” You ask and Ketch sighs.

“Since I got brought back only to get tossed into this shitty version of our world. Now move your asses so we can get to the door, or rather rift…”

----

“That’s not how a good little angel should behave.” Chuck chuckles glaring at Zachariah. “Your warding and the spell will wear off soon and I’ll be able to hunt them down once again. Poor Winchesters, I wanted them to have a nice life till they get wiped out too.”

“Father, please stop this insanity. We still can return to heaven and do the right thing. We can bring the archangels back. We can bring everyone back and start anew.” Zachariah pants watching Chuck pressing his index and middle finger to his thumb, ready to snap his fingers once again.

“I will start anew. I’m a writer after all…this draft is…done. I found a new story I’d like to write so this one will go to permanent hiatus.” Chuck chuckles finally snapping his fingers to kill Zachariah.

----

“That’s it, open the door with the key.” Ketch pants jumping out of the jeep. Glancing over his shoulder he can see enemies’ approach, hundreds of undead are storming toward you and the Winchesters.

“I knew this will be the end for me…again. Run, I’m going to try to stop them, at least a few.” Ketch yells entering the car, turning it to race toward the undead.

Handling the steering wheel with one hand he glances into the rear-view mirror, smirking one last time as he watches you opening the door. Pulling the pin of a hand grenade, he drops it.

The explosion rips the car and his driver into pieces, killing the first wave of enemies before they can reach you.

Ketch’s last thought was screw God…how blaspheme.

----

“What happened here?” You gasp looking around your surroundings. It’s not Apocalypse world, but it’s close.

Undead are running toward you as you glance at the Impala parked close to the cemetery.

“Shit we never left the cemetery, I guess.” Dean curses. “We’ve got no weapons either,” Sam adds standing back to back with his brother once again.

“We’ve got the only weapon we need Dean,” You say pecking his cheek. “When we are done here we drive back to the bunker and fuck the whole night for sure.” You curse running toward the enemies forming a sword out of the darkness.

“Come and get me!” You yell as the Winchesters and Castiel follow you into the battle…

Chained Hearts Tags

@parinarain​

Forever Tags

@donnaintx, @screechingartisancashbailiff, @fallen-wolf22, @sister-winchesters99, @mogaruke, @the-is13, @helloitsmeamie203, @strayrosesbloom, @thewinchesterco, @hobby27, @kittycatlover18, @gh0stgurl, @marvelfansworld , @sandlee44, @hawaiianohana31, @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt, @katpatrova17, @notyourtypicalrose , @heyitscam99, @onethingthatkeepsmealive, @natura1phenomenon, @flamencodiva, @echoesofpassion, @cocklesbelli, @voltage-my2dlove, @fandom-princess-forevermore, @thenamelesschibi, @lauravic, @fandomsrourlives, @wittysunflower, @drakelover78, @lemondropirwin, @lonewolf471, @wronglanemendes, @electraphygelectraphyng , @spnhollis, @void-imaginations, @jay-and-dean, @shatteredabby , @juniorhuntersam, @helpmeluci, @neii3n, @goodgodimaweirdperson, @alltimesamantha, @chonisberonica, @supernaturalonice @stuckys-whore, @shadowkat-83, @officialmarvelwhore, @certaindeanwinchesterforcastiel, @wecantgiggleitsafandom, @meganywinchester, @shikshinkwon, @miraclesoflove, @yolobloggers,@guardian-tn, @lu-sullivan, @maniacproffesor, @hollymac79, @straycuties9, @destieladdict-221b, @kayla-2000, @ilovefanfic86, @gracefultrenchcoat494, @babygirls-fav, @sadn0va, @spnwoman @amiquette, @linki-locks11, @geekofmanyforms, @eggingamazinglove

If your name is crossed out Tumblr won’t let me tag you for some reason. Sorry.

Dean/Jensen Forever Tags     

@spnfamily-j2, @supernatural-bellawinchester, @butifulsoul125, @lyinginthegingerlocks, @deans-baby-momma, @hawaiianohana31, @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester, @20gayneen, @janicho88, @thefaithfulwriter, @dreaminemz, @negans-lucille-tblr @sadwaywardkid, @akshi8278, @hhiggs, @midnightsilver16830, @mrspeacem1nusone, @ria132love​, @caligraphee, @the-witch-in-silence​, @multisuperfandom​, @deansgirl-1968​, @justanotherwinchester​, @jadesupernatural​, @squirrelnotsam​

[inventors-fair]

A God Among Mortals Entries and Comments: Part 1

Sorry this took so long, my schedule has been BUSY lately.

Ula, God of Blood by @aethernalstars​ This is another victim of the “Too many good entries” problem. I felt that Ula’s base power/toughness were far too high for a recurring 2-drop that could buff itself. As a 1/1 the card is still easily playable.

Quotaltzin, The Rain by @dabudder​ I’m going to sound like a broken record throughout this entire post, but another great design that missed the bar due to the competition. Great stats, great god-limiter, and a nice twist on Hexproof makes a solid card that missed the mark by this much.

Urgon, Born of Technology by @dovin-baan​ This card has a solid design, but this was one of many entries we got that didn't have the god... “Feel”. This seems like some kind of mirrodin/phyrexian construct. 

Skolobis, God of Discovery by @fluffysheeplion​ This card had promise, but a control beater that relies on your opponent to have a large number of nonland cards in their hand past turn 6 is asking a lot. With a few tweaks, this card could be really interesting.

Norin, God of Panic by @mardu-lesbian​ I really wanted to like this design. I really did. I love Norin, I and absolutely love the flavour here, but I feel the once-per-stack chaotic nature lets it down a little. 

The God in the Machine by @lucianofsamosata​ Another victim of the “Too many entries” monster. My biggest problem with this card is that it reminded me of Brudiclad a little too much to make it stand out.

Emrakul the Silver Moon by @johnny-emm If I’m paying 10 mana for a creature, just to find out I can’t attack with it unless my hand is empty, I’m probably not going to be having fun. I’m not sure why I would want the card to lose all card types, except for maybe dodging certain removal? Forcing my opponent to skip phases of their turn is a neat idea though. If this card is supposed to depict Emrakul sealed into Innistrads moon, I’d probably make her an Artifact Creature instead of an enchantment. Some good ideas here, they just need some polish.

Awe, the Godhead by @juggernaut-is-a-metalhead All Hail the god of Control! I liked the base idea of this card, rewarding you for keeping your opponent in check, flashing this card in as a surprise, all great. But that activated ability is so powerful. The only other times we’ve seen abilities like that require you to tap either 7 merfolk to full counter, or to tap a wizard to make them pay 1. I’m just worried an ability with no limit like “nontoken” could cause it to spiral out of control. Solid design, just needs a little polish. (I’m sorry if you dont see this straight away, but tumblr refused to let me tag you)

Agniel, the Crowned Flame by @hypexion​ I 100% get what you were going for here, but your chosen god limiter let it down. The casting cost restriction is a nice idea, but in a standard set it probably wont effect how hard it is to summon, and in commander it makes casting it again with commander tax incredibly difficult, as red and white have trouble ramping and rely on colourless mana rocks to get around the tax.  Aside from that, I love that both her battle protection and field-wiping abilities are tied to her power, which is the kind of thing you’re likely to see get buffed in a boros coloured deck. 

Flidais, Goddess of the Wilds by @i-am-the-one-who-wololoes​ Flidais is her name, and Basics are her game! This card also fought hard to reach one of the top spots. A creature that rewards you for only using basic lands is a great idea, and having her feed you creatures as a reward is great. I also love your take on the gods being hard to keep down. Great design.

Yawgmoth, God of Phyrexia by @fractured-infinity​ This card is insanely broken. If this card hits the field on turn four, your opponent will probably never have a creature stay on the field ever again. The -1/-1 ability is so easy to trigger, doesn't target, and deals it out in the form of counters, which can kill other indestructible creatures. 

Pallara, Lady of Treachery by @koth-of-the-hammerpants Another solid entry that just missed out. I feel that her abilities are a little undercosted, and her “Can’t attack or block” trigger might as well not be there for how easily you can trigger it.

Coxis of the Endless Tunnels by @grornt​ Putting Haste on an Amonkhet-style god can make it feel bad to play if you can't get the condition to work the same turn you play it. The activated ability is rather expensive, considering you do have to sacrifice a creature for it just for +2/+0. Topping it off, this creature isn’t indestructible, meaning you can pay 9 mana and sacrifice a creature just to lose it to a kill spell or a bulky blocker.

Sigid, Ascended Gaurdian by @mydeergod-blog-blog I love the idea, but this card just seems so... busy. While I like your unique god trigger, it seems to conflict with what the card wants to do. I tap one too many humans in the wrong way, or one too many humans regenerate, and suddenly I just have a vulnerable 2/4. Solid Idea, it just needed a cleaner execution.

Kolatzacot, the Sun’s Eclipse by @mistershinyobject​ While I loved the idea of this card, if you manage to put three -1/-1 counters on your own creatures, then you have your opponent on a guaranteed 4-turn clock, and very little they can do will stop it. 

[the-marvel-imagines-blog]

Madness | Chpt. 16

Chapter Title: “Destiny”

Pairing: Loki x Original Female Character

Word Count: 10,712

Warnings: angst (what’s new?), violence

Name Pronunciations: Hjalmar: “He-all-mar” | Aaldir: “All-deer” | Ephinea: “Eh-fin-ee-uh”

Summary: When the lives of Tony and Harley are in question, Eva discovers just how powerful she can become, and she is faced with a difficult decision.

A/N: First, I’m sorry for the long wait. My much younger brother is on summer vacation, and I have been tasked with babysitting duty, which means that I have almost no time in the day right now to write. As I’ve said before, I’ve taken a lot of creative liberties with these characters, and I’m doing it once again. I have “borrowed” dialogue from Iron Man 3 to use in these chapters just to make them fit in with the sequence of events from the movie. The love that people gave to the last chapter on tumblr, fanfiction.net, and AO3 is absolutely insane, and it’s only going to pick up more in the coming chapters. Once again, thank you all so, so, so much, and I hope you enjoy this installment <3

Tagged: @teddyboobear @alledeglyfunny @xletmetaste-yoursmilex @itsknife2meetu @mynameisyara @j-j-ehlby-writes @jillilama-blog (anyone who wants to be tagged can message me and ask. It’s not a problem at all)

*Eva’s POV*

Tony and I sat at a table in the bar with Mrs. Davis. Harley had been right. She was glued to the chair at that table like it was her home. Even in that moment with her, feeling her sadness and grief, I still couldn’t let go of the previous night and my interaction with Loki. Everything was weighing heavier on my shoulders than ever before. I left for more reasons than just Odin’s inability to see things my way or Tony’s sudden trouble he found himself in. A part of me needed to be away from Asgard. It was a place that reminded me of all I had lost. Hjalmar, Loki, her. I lost everything on Asgard, and I was reminded of each of those losses every morning, and I lived with them all day. Still, when I saw Loki last night, something was different. Something had changed. He was the man I loved again-a little bent, but not broken...never broken. I thought I would never see him again, the man I loved with every ounce of my heart and soul, but when I visited his mind, it was like he returned to me. It was as if I proved that I was worthy of his love once more, but I knew that it was just because he reached his breaking point. We all had one, and Loki, even though he was a God, was no different.

Suddenly, I felt like I would be needed again, like I had a purpose on Asgard. I always felt like my purpose was Loki. Even after the fall, I found purpose. When Thor and I brought him back to Asgard, I found my purpose in fighting for him to be released into my care. However, our interactions had broken me down into nothing. Once it sunk in that he didn’t want me or need me, I had nothing. I was left fighting for air, and I found it on Midgard. The Midgardians had always given me a greater purpose, especially the select few I was linked to. It was the first time since Loki returned to Asgard that I could breathe again. Now, the spark was back in those crystal blue eyes, and he let me see him once more-the good, the bad, the wondrous, and the upsetting. He let me in again, and I knew that he’d be waiting patiently for me on Asgard, waiting for me to return and run into his waiting arms. I would fight for him once more.

A part of me was afraid that Ezra had set his sights on Loki. I knew Loki would be safe from him, but the mere thought of the enemy picking out my love was terrifying. Every moment I thought about it, the pain in my abdomen grew exponentially more painful. Ezra had shown himself to be a powerful player when we fought on the bridge that day, but there was nothing that prepared me for his sudden interest in Loki. All I could do was hope that the guards would keep their word to me and alert someone should Ezra make a wrong move. I wanted to know everything he did and everything he said. With Loki in such close proximity, the stakes were even higher. I had faith in him, though. I knew he’d be able to hold his own against Ezra, but when I entertained the idea, a piercing, fire hot pain spread throughout my body and stemmed from the wound on my abdomen, causing my body to tremble in pain. I had been wounded in battle on many occasions, but nothing compared to that.

While Tony spoke with Mrs. Davis, I clutched her hand, watching her son’s life like a movie before my own eyes. I felt her pride in each of his accomplishments. I felt her heartache when he was sick or upset. I felt her disappointment when he made choices that she tried to steer him away from. I saw her joy when he straightened himself out, picked himself up, and moved on. I felt her guilt that she wasn’t able to give him everything he ever wanted, but I also felt the unconditional love she had for him through it all, and that was all that ever really mattered. I knew that her love for him surpassed all expectations he ever had. Through her memories, I witnessed the man her son grew into. His compassion, empathy, selflessness, and willfulness wasn’t because of the new bike she saved up for for months. The purest, most beautiful pieces of his personality were born from the love she showed him time and time again. From the long work hours to the meals she skipped so he never knew what hunger felt like to the times when she decided she was too full for the last piece of her favorite dessert because she knew he wanted it, I saw the purest love there was: the love a mother had for her child.

It felt like a knife to my heart.

The pain I felt when I grasped her hand was familiar, and I wished to take it away for her. I felt the weight on her shoulders and the guilt that she hadn’t intervened to protect her son. I knew that she had her doubts, that the man who took the lives of others was not the man she raised. The pain within her heart tore into my own until the anger began to creep up. I wanted vengeance. I wanted justice for her son, that hopefully it would atone for some of what I had done, that maybe it would take some of my pain away. The moment I felt that anger building up within me, I silenced it, focusing every ounce of my power on her. As I pulled up her most peaceful, tranquil memories of her son, I felt her mind begin the process of restoring her broken heart. My body felt strained as I tried to take her pain from her, but I clenched my jaw and continued through it, pulling up the most beautiful memories she had. Each second that passed when I was using my...gifts, the pain in my abdomen grew worse and worse, but I would take the weight of the world on my shoulders just so that she could experience a moment of serenity in the midst of the chaos. The pain I endured was nothing compared to hers. Experience taught me that.

As the burden of her son’s death was lifted from her shoulders, her grief-stricken eyes met mine, and she recognized me. While she didn’t say my name or call attention to my identity, she knew who I was, just like Harley did when we first met. We sat in a silent moment of appreciation for one another. I appreciated her willingness to speak with us in the first place, and she appreciated what I had done for her. We were trapped in a mutual understanding with one another. We both knew what it was like to lose. She hadn’t expected me to use my “talents” to aid her, but there was an unspoken word of thanks that was exchanged through her gaze. Tony’s voice pulled her attention from me, and I engaged in the conversation once more, desperately trying to push aside the pain, “Mrs. Davis, your son didn't kill himself. I guarantee you, he didn't kill anyone,” he insisted, pushing the file back over to the grieving woman. Her puffy eyes filled with more tears as she tried to process his words, but before she could ask what he meant, Tony explained, “someone used your son as a weapon.”

Her eyes searched his, looking for any amount of dishonesty. She didn’t want to be filled with false hope, not when so much was at stake. I knew that she didn’t want to think her son was a killer-no parent would-but when she was faced with evidence that was presented as facts, she was left no other choice but to try to piece it all together. She let out a pent up breath, “you’re not the person that called me after all, are you?” she asked, reaching across the table to grasp Tony’s arm.

Before she could reach him, the woman Tony and I encountered outside of the bar slammed a badge down onto the table in front of us. My eyes scanned the badge. Ellen Brandt. Upon gaining the attention of the three of us, she smirked over at Mrs. Davis, “actually, I am,” she noted before grabbing Tony’s arm. In one swift motion, she had Tony bent over the table, his left arm twisted behind his back.

I shot up from my seat, “take your hands off of him, now!” I demanded, the fury rising in my chest. It was the same rage that bubbled up within me when I fought on the battlefield. There was a part of me that craved destruction and death, part of me that wanted to hurt those who threatened the fabric of life. I spent my entire life silencing that piece of myself and embracing peace and harmony. However, no matter how much I hated to admit it, when Brandt put her hands on Tony, that hatred and anger bubbled up again. When she showed no signs of letting him go, I clenched my jaw, my ears beginning to ring. She pulled Tony up once she secured the handcuffs around his wrists, and I closed the space between us, stepping around the table. My voice lowered, “remove them or they will be removed,” I growled, a fire surging through me that could burn through entire galaxies.

Her brown eyes flickered over to mine, and she shrugged her shoulders, “no problem,” she smirked before pushing Tony down to the floor. She was rough with him, handling him without an ounce of gentleness. It only awakened the primal anger within me even more.

I narrowed my eyes at her as a man approached us, looking to be part of the small town’s law enforcement. As the two interacted, I gave Tony a once over to make sure he wasn’t injured. There were no injuries that he sustained in the quick altercation with Brandt, but it still didn’t sit well with me. He began moving to push himself back up off the floor, but every sense in my body told me that something wasn’t right. There was a part of me that just knew that something was about to happen, that we wouldn’t leave here unscathed. I motioned for him to stay put, not wanting him to be hurt in the crossfire. His was a life I would never be willing to risk. He furrowed his eyebrows in response to the unspoken direction I gave him, not understanding why I wanted him to stay down. The man was a genius, but there were times when he lacked perception.

I finally turned my attention back to the conversation between Brandt and the officer, who looked to be losing his patience quickly, “well, why don’t you get on the horn to Nashville and, uh, upgrade me?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Alright. You know what?” Brandt asked with a sigh, gripping her badge tightly, “I was hoping to do this the smart way, but, uh, the fun way is always good,” she remarked, her skin beginning to glow as if there was a fire lit beneath it. I furrowed my eyebrows, but I had no time to process the new information before she used her badge to burn the officers face while he was distracted by giving orders to his men.

My first thought was Tony and the promise I made to his father before he was even born. I ran to his side and lifted him from the floor, dragging him to the exit as the screams erupted at the sound of her two consecutive gunshots. I glanced behind us to see that she had killed both officers. Her eyes scanned around the room at the frantic people who were finding cover and running out of the bar if possible, “what are you doing?” Tony asked as I pushed him toward the door.

“Get out of here!” I demanded, not willing to risk his life the same way I was willing to risk mine. Brandt would target more people, and I couldn’t bear to see anymore souls delivered to death that night. Not when I had the power to stop it.

Tony shook his head, “I’m not leaving without you,” he argued.

I sighed, turning my attention over to Brandt who had eyes set on the two of us. She raised her gun and took a shot. In the split second between her pull of the trigger and the time it took for the bullet to reach Tony and I, I pivoted my body, shielding Tony as best I could. I squeezed my eyes shut, clenched my jaw, and balled my hands up into fists in anticipation for the initial burning, but there was nothing. She had been aiming directly at Tony when she pulled the trigger, so there was no way she missed it. Upon opening my eyes, I saw that Tony was frozen in shock, his eyes wide as he stared at me. When I turned around to face Brandt, I noticed that she shared the same look in her eyes, as if she feared me. I glanced back at Tony, “get these people out of here, then we’ll leave together,” I compromised, knowing that he wouldn’t leave without me no matter how much we argued about it. I was prepared to meet my end in that bar if it meant he was protected.

He gave me a quick nod, and I reached behind him, snapping the cuffs from his wrists. Turning around, my eyes locked with Brandt’s, and the fear that had once been in her eyes began to die away. I narrowed my eyes at her, knowing that this would be a battle neither of us would win. I would lose a piece of myself if I was forced to kill her, and she would lose to me no matter what. I shook my head, desperately hoping she would listen to reason, “this doesn’t need to end like this,” I reminded her, wanting to do whatever I could to talk her down. Killing needed to be my very last option. While I could put her down without much of a struggle, I couldn’t resort to that without trying to reason with her first.

She snickered, “I won’t be meeting my end today...but you will,” she threatened, raising her gun once more, aiming at me this time.

I nodded my head, “so be it,” I sighed, pushing Tony out from behind me before I grabbed her wrist, turned into her, and twisted the gun from her hand. In the struggle, she fired off two shots directly into the wall. If Tony had remained behind me, she would’ve shot him. The screams around me only fueled my anger. Like Loki had once done, Brandt was jeopardizing the lives of the innocent, but unlike the situation with Loki, I would break her if need be. Once I relieved her of her firearm, I pulled the clip from it, emptied the chamber, and threw it at the window. The force caused the window to shatter, and the gun landed on the street outside. Knowing that she would have to take me on without her weapon, she raised her fists, and I noticed that they glowed just as her skin did before it all began. It was like there was a fire beneath her skin, but mine was hotter.

As she lunged at me, I ducked out of her way, blocking each of her blows. She was fast. With my wounds, I was slower than usual. Had I only been burdened with the wound Ezra inflicted on the bridge, I would’ve been faster. I could’ve subdued her quickly. However, I still had the wound in my back, causing every movement to burn even hotter than before. I fought through it, the pain only propelling me forward. Every quick movement, every blocked attack, every step was like someone was tearing me open and lighting my insides on fire. She lunged at me once more, managing to grab my throat. She was stronger than the average Midgardian, but there was something special about her. She was gifted. Her hand around my throat burned my skin, but before I could push her away, she threw my body against the wall as if I was light as a feather. I skimmed over a table before hitting the wall, and when my back connected, I realized just how much force she used to throw me. The wind was knocked out of me for a moment.

I choked, trying to pull the air back into my lungs as I massaged my throat. A fleeting thought crossed my mind that I would’ve been better off to just give up, that it wasn’t worth it. Tony could handle himself. I had only intervened a few times throughout his life, but he was more than capable. That thought was tossed out the window as soon as Brandt turned and set her sights on Tony who was finishing his task of clearing people out of the bar. I pushed my body up, fighting through the pain once more. Now, it was my turn to provoke her. I grabbed the table she threw me across, and I lifted it up before throwing it at her. The table crashed against her back, breaking into pieces. She turned back around to face me, completely unfazed by the attack, “you just won’t stay down, will you?” she asked, her fists glowing even brighter than before.

I shrugged, “I’ve been told I’m a real pain in the ass,” I remarked, recalling what Tony told to me the previous night. I sighed, knowing that this had to be the end, “this is your last chance to make the right choice. Stop, and you will live. Continue, and I will be forced to break you,” I fumed. She smirked, and I knew that she had already made her choice. I nodded my head, saddened by what was to come. However, she pushed me to my breaking point, and I would no longer hold back when it came to her. I would still do everything in my power to subdue her, but I would no longer be on the defensive. I ran at her, tackling her down to the ground. The heat from her body burnt my skin, but they healed just as quickly as they had appeared.

As I tried to wrestle her into submission, my focus faltered when I checked on Tony’s progress. I noticed that he was escorting the last person from the bar. Brandt took advantage of my lack of concentration, and she twisted our bodies, securing her place above me. He hands wrapped around my neck once more, and she began choking me. Her strength was impressive, but I was trained by one of the greatest warriors Asgard has ever seen, a man who just so happened to be my father. Aaldir taught me that brute strength was important at times, but speed, endurance, and technique were more valuable in the long run. As she focused all of her energy on choking me, I grabbed one of her arms, pivoted my body beneath her, hooked one of my legs around her neck, and slammed her body to the floor. Maintaining control of her arm between my legs, I thrust my hips upward, snapping her arm in half.

While she yelled out in pain, I pushed myself away from her, rubbing my neck. She groaned as she pushed herself up to her feet with her good arm, “you bitch!” she roared, closing the space between us. As I tried to push myself back up, she took the opportunity to land a hard kick against my abdomen, causing me to scream out in pain. The kick only aggravated the wound that was already there, and it caused such an unbelievable pain that caused the world to fade away for a short second.

“Hey, hot wings, you want to party?” I heard Tony’s voice from the entrance of the bar. Brandt turned her attention back over to him, which was exactly what he wanted. I could’ve screamed at him for his stupidity in that moment. He motioned for her to join him, “come on. You and me, let’s go,” he taunted her, causing her to close the space between them. Once she got close enough, he ran out of the bar, and I found the strength, once more, to push myself up off the floor of the bar.

I groaned out in pain and gripped my abdomen as I ran out of the bar. I knew what Tony was doing, and if I didn’t care for him as much as I did, I would’ve found it to be endearing. He wanted to protect me, to draw her attention away from me in order to keep me safe, but that wasn’t his job. I was meant to protect him, not the other way around. I couldn’t live with myself if he was hurt in order to protect me, not when his life meant so much more than mine. I was an orphan, a girl with no name. Tony had a role in the great war to come, the war that Thanos would undoubtedly bring to Midgard at some point. When I looked through Loki’s memories, I saw what Thanos desired, and I knew that he would find his way to Earth someday. I hoped that it wasn’t in Tony’s lifetime, but I knew that he was meant for something. I wasn’t.

As I stumbled out of the bar, a snowball whizzed past my head. My eyes followed it, and it landed on a man who was aiming at Tony as he ran across the street. When the snowball hit him, he lost his aim and fired at the window of a store across the street, missing Tony completely. My eyes followed his, and I saw Harley, desperately trying to find a place to hide. I could sense how much that boy loved Tony, how much he looked up to him. I knew that seeing his hero die would break him, and he was willing to risk his own life to protect Tony. We had that in common. When I noticed the fear in Harley’s eyes, I turned my attention back to the man who tried to shoot at Tony, and what I saw shook me to my core. He aimed his gun directly at Harley, his finger on the trigger.

There had only been one other moment in my life when I felt more fear, the time I almost lost her. I didn’t understand why the fear of losing Harley was so high up on the list, but it was. My body trembled, and I lost all sense of myself. There was no way I could protect him, no way I could jump between him and the bullet. Still, I had to try. Right before he could pull the trigger, a burst of pure fear and rage exploded out of me, “NO!” I screamed, the Earth beneath my feet beginning to quake, as if she was experiencing my feelings with me. I felt the pure terror rise up within me, and a power I had never felt before, coursed through my veins. I held out my hand, a black and red blast of energy shooting from my palm and hitting the man in the chest. The force of it sent him flying back, and I fell to my knees, suddenly weak.

I caught myself before I fell on my face, and I heaved. My ears rang as I tried to compose myself. In my state of shock, I didn’t hear the light sound of hurried footsteps over to me. Harley knelt by my side, trying to pull me up, helping me regain balance on my knees. My heart thudded in my chest as I looked down at my trembling hands, wondering what had just happened. Nothing like that had ever occurred before. I practiced magic with Frigga and Loki all my life, and I had become talented in the art of sorcery. However, there was no explanation for this. I didn’t have powers. I was just an average Asgardian. I learned the art of sorcery, since Frigga believed I had been born with a gift and talent for it. I wanted to read into what happened, but I couldn’t. I didn’t have time, not when Tony’s life was on the line. As I realized the depth of the situation I was in, my ears stopped ringing, and I regained my composure and control. My eyes locked with Harley’s, and I noticed that he was visibly shaken by what he had seen from me, “you need to leave, Harley. I need you to go home, lock yourself inside with Kaia, and stay there until we get back,” I ordered him, feeling so much like my father.

He shook his head, tears filling his eyes instantly, “what about you?” he asked, his bottom lip quivering as fear of the unknown overcame him.

“I need to be here to help Tony with this, but I can’t do my job unless you do yours, okay?” I asked, tilting my head as I cupped his cheeks in my hands.

He squeezed his eyes shut, a stray tear falling down his cheek. I wiped it away as quickly as I could, my heart breaking at the thought of potentially never seeing him again. When he opened his eyes, his eyes held every ounce of sadness in the world, “I can’t go without you,” he whimpered.

I smiled through the tears, feeling the absolute love he had for me. It was pure and beautiful, a ray of light in the darkest corners of my heart. Harley had one of the biggest hearts I had ever known on Midgard, and I couldn’t allow that goodness to be extinguished. I needed to protect him at all costs, “do you remember why I came here?” I asked, stroking his cheeks.

“To protect people,” he answered, breathing through the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes.

I nodded my head, “you’re one of those people, too, Harley. I want to protect you just like I want to protect Tony. The only way I can protect you is by sending you home. As soon as this is over, we’ll make our way back to the shack, but you can’t be here for this. I can’t risk losing you, too, okay?” I asked, thinking of the ones I couldn’t save. Harley couldn’t be on that list. When he finally nodded, I pressed my forehead against his own, calming his mind, “now, I need you to run home as fast as you can. Don’t look back, don’t slow down, just run, okay?” I asked.

He nodded his head once more, “promise you’ll come back,” he urged me.

“I’m going to try,” I replied, not wanting to get his hopes up, but I also wanted him to know that I was going to do everything in my power to make it back to him. I stood up from the ground, urging him in the direction of his house, and he began running. I turned my attention back toward the store Tony had found his way into, and the moment my eyes caught the fire raging in the building, the explosion happened, and my heart stopped. It felt like my world collapsed in on me once more, and that sinking feeling crept back up. The universe realized that I was being given too much, and I was in need of a readjustment. I had a piece of Loki back; therefore, Tony must be taken away. Tears sprang to my eyes at the thought of losing him, of losing my link to the woman I was once, to the people I loved so dearly.

I scrambled up to my feet, stumbling over to the building as the fear, anger, rage, and absolute despair built up within me. I felt weaker than ever before, but in that weakness, I found such an incredible power rising within me as well. A stray tear cascaded down my cheek as I made my way over to the building, afraid of what I could find. I didn’t know if I could handle the sight of him if Death had truly claimed him, but even if she did, I would fight her until the very end to ensure his safety and security. He was like a son to me, and I had failed too many people to fail him as well. My body trembled as if there was a pressure building up within me that I couldn’t release. When I finally reached the back of the building, my eyes landed on him as he stood upright, clearly shocked by what had just happened, “oh, God,” I breathed out, sprinting over to him and throwing my arms around his body and holding him as tightly as I could without breaking him, “I thought I lost you,” I explained, my voice quivering almost as much as my body was.

He gathered me in his arms, holding me the same way I held him. He held me like he was prepared to be my armor, like he would be the impenetrable wall between me and any danger. That terrified me. The fear I had when I thought I lost him was more than enough to drive me over the edge. I had no idea what would’ve happened to me if he was ripped away from me. I had lost too much to lose him as well. I pulled away from him just enough to give him the once over. My hands grazed his cheeks as I focused my energy on transferring his wounds to me if there was any. The second he realized what I was doing, he pulled away from me, grabbing my hands to stop me from healing him, “stop, just...let me carry these,” he insisted, his dark brown eyes pleading with mine.

Right before I could argue with him, there was a loud creaking sound radiating from the water tower, causing Tony to jump. I could feel his anxiety building up as our eyes locked on the water tower that began to tip toward us ever so slightly. One of the metal beams that held it upright was glowing red, much like Brandt’s skin did when we fought. It was heating up...melting. I grunted, “you have got to be kidding me,” I growled, grabbing Tony’s arm. His eyes met mine once more, “run,” I ordered, and the two of us took off with one another. Naturally, I was faster than him, but I couldn’t leave him behind. Behind us, I heard the metal beginning to break like it was as fragile as glass. Upon casting a quick glance over my shoulder, I saw that the tower was plummeting toward the ground. When I looked back at our path, I saw that we were completely cut off. A fence had blocked our escape.

Every scenario ran through my mind in that moment. I could break through the fence and continue running with Tony only to be overcome by the massive amount of water. I could try to shield him from the pressure of the water with my body. I could throw him over the fence and hope that he could make it to safety in time. None of the scenarios stood out to me, but when the water tower finally crashed down and broke open, I knew what needed to be done. It was as if the solution just appeared out of nowhere, even though I wasn’t even sure if it would work. I faced the water, grabbing Tony’s arm and pushing him behind me. As the massive amounts of water approached us, I knelt down and touched the cold ground with my hands, connecting with the essence of life within the planet itself just as I had when I first arrived. She was still so calm and beautiful, strong and loving. Her life empowered me, our souls still interwoven.

Upon rising from the ground, I opened my eyes and stared directly into the water that approached us, knowing what needed to be done. When I held my hands out, the water stopped on a dime to my utter disbelief. I heard Tony’s deep gasp from behind me, and I felt his body fill with amazement. I didn’t know how this was happening, how any of my sudden...abilities were happening that night. Perhaps my body just conjured up abilities in order to allow me to keep Harley and Tony safe. However, I couldn’t help but ponder Frigga’s words that day on the balcony: You are the balance. What if she was right? What if she knew something about me that I didn’t? This wasn’t who I was. I was just Eva, the girl without a place, without a name. I was the orphan. I had no purpose other than the one I made for myself...but what if?

When I saw the glowing silhouette of the man beyond the water, I recognized him as the one who tried to shoot Harley. The heat rose in my chest once more, and my hands balled up into fists, causing the flowing water to begin to shift. Where it had once acted as a gentle flow of water that I controlled, it became like the water in the middle of the ocean during a storm. I clenched my jaw, narrowing my eyes at the stranger as my body began to quake. The pain in my abdomen felt like it was sucking out the very soul from within me. I felt the power draining from me as I continued to hold the water in place, and I noticed a grin on the strangers face. As my vision began to blur, I realized what was happening. I was either going to die or faint. Either way, I couldn’t let my attempt to protect Tony be in vain. My hands raised, causing the water to raise with them, and with a scream, I used the last fragment of my power to hurl the waves back at the stranger before my world went black.

“Eva!” I heard a far away voice, one I heard my entire life. It was my father. As the sound grew louder, I heard the screams, the clanging of swords, the grunts and roars of battle, and my father’s voice once more, “Eva get up!” he commanded as his rough, battle broken hands shook my body. My eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the darkness. It felt like the evening had set upon us with the thick clouds in the sky, but I could see hints of light from above. The screams continued to grow louder and louder as my eyes found my father’s, “pick up your sword and fight!” he yelled before landing a kick against the chest of an Asgardian warrior with glowing red eyes, sending the warrior falling back. Once he was on the ground, my father lifted his greatsword, Omen, and plunged it deep into the chest of the soldier. The struggling ended, and the red glow in the soldiers eyes faded away.

I furrowed my eyebrows. These were our people, and he was...killing them. My eyes flickered around the battlefield to see more soldiers with glowing red eyes dressed in Asgardian armor. I knew some of them. Magni, Leif, Erna, Sten, and Ingvild. Men and women I once fought beside were slaughtering my people. They were being fought off by Sif, Ephinea, Thor, even Loki. It was a dream the moment I saw his face. This was all a dream. Loki would never fight alongside Thor again, and the only way he would’ve been released from the dungeons would be if I broke him out myself. Asgardian soldiers fought each other, but as my eyes continued to focus, I noticed a stark difference between the two, aside from their eyes. The soldiers with glowing red eyes had received mortal wounds that looked to still be fresh. Before I had time to process it, my father kicked my sword over to me, “pick up your sword and fight!” he demanded, his voice trembling with a fear I hadn’t heard in him at any other point. I fought alongside my father, and I witnessed him in such utter distress, but something left him with pure terror rising up within him.

I shook my head, desperately wanting to let go, “I can’t. It’s over,” I realized aloud, my eyes fluttering closed again. The wound on my abdomen made me hiss out in pain as it continued to fester and pull the life right out of me. I couldn’t even entertain the idea of getting up and fighting anymore. My entire life was spent fighting, and it was time for me to lay down, fall asleep, and allow the universe to swallow me whole. The book was over. This was the end.

“It’s not over until you give up!” my father yelled, kneeling down next to me. His eyes were stern as they had often been through our childhood, but that never diminished the love he had for us. He showed us all the love in the world, more than we deserved, but he raised us to be strong and capable. He raised us into people who showed love even when that was the hardest thing to do, but he also turned us into some of the fiercest warriors in Asgard. He taught us that fighting and bloodshed should be the very last resort, but if it came to that, he prepared us to be lethal. He reached down between us and cupped his hand over my cheek. In that moment, I took in the severity of his wounds. He had been injured, but he was still fighting. He sighed, “I taught you how to walk, how to speak, how to hunt, how to fight, how to lead. I never taught you to surrender. Giving up isn’t in your blood,” he explained, his thumb stroking my cheek. My eyes began to flutter closed as my hearing faded once more. The sky felt as if it was crushing my body into the ground beneath me. It felt like I was being suffocated. Another shake from my father caused my body to seize slightly, the pain coursing through me once more. I gritted my teeth as he spoke, “now, I know it hurts, but if anyone can handle the pain, it’s you. You’re the best warrior Asgard has ever seen, and there’s more potential in you than you know. You can do so much more if you let go and accept who you’re meant to be, Eva, not what you’ve been told you can be or the person you’ve been reduced to. You’re my daughter, my little wolf, but you must also accept where you come from. Your blood makes you powerful, and Asgard needs that right now. Your home, your people, your family...we need you,” he explained, his eyes filled with so much hope, so much desperation.

I coughed, tasting the blood on my tongue, “I’m tired of fighting,” I confessed, reaching my hand up to cup his own. Upon seeing my own hand, I noticed the bright red blood smeared across my skin. I didn’t know if it was mine or someone else’s, but it made my stomach churn.

“And yet the battle wages on with or without you,” he reminded me, “rest only comes after the battle. I will not bury you with your brother, so you will stand up and fight with me until the very end!”

I shook my head, ready to argue with him, ready to unsheathe one of my daggers and plunge it into my own heart to avoid the battle. I had suffered long enough, and for what? I lost everything I loved anyway. I lost so many friends along the way. I lost Hjalmar. I lost Loki more times than I could count, and I was bound to lose him again. I lost myself. I lost it all. Every ounce of fight I once had was spent. It was over. Then, there was a scream, a cry for help, a familiar voice on the battlefield. My eyes crossed the battlefield to see a man I’d never seen before but a man who was familiar to me nonetheless. He had long black hair and piercing green eyes. They were the color of spring. I knew those eyes. Ezra had the same mad look in his emerald eyes. This was the man he spoke of: Cul, his father. My breath hitched in my throat as my eyes caught sight of who was in his grasp.

Her.

So many questions began to fill my mind. I knew this was a dream, a hallucination, but it had been so long since I’d seen her. Her face only showed itself to me in my most beautiful dreams or my most vivid, terrifying nightmares. I always dreamt that I had her back in my arms or that I lost her once more. No matter what, when I fell asleep, I dreamt of her. No matter how hard I tried to forget her, she was there in the depths of my mind like a raging fire that I had no hope of stopping. Her crystal-like green eyes met mine, and she wept, reaching out for me like she had only once before, like she had on the day I abandoned her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and I gritted my teeth, fighting back my grief of seeing her once more.

“She needs you, Eva, whether you accept that or not. Even though you don’t see it, you’ve never failed her. You’ve never failed me. You’ve never failed your home. Are you going to start now? Or are you going to fight with me?” my father asked, the fire in my heart lighting once more.

I nodded my head, gazing back up at him as he rose to his feet. I reached out my hand, ready to die if it meant she would be safe, “until the very end,” I promised.

He grasped my hand and pulled me up onto my feet, steadying me, acting as my anchor just as he always did throughout my life, “I’ve got you, little wolf. Everything’s going to be okay,” he promised me, acting as my foundation, my rock, my steady ground. Now, it was time for me to be hers.

*Tony’s POV*

As the attackers body was thrown backward at the force of the small repulsor blast, Harley took the chance to sprint over to Eva’s body. Everything happened so quickly that I didn’t get the chance to check to see if she was alright, if she was even alive. I watched as Harley fell to his knees by Eva’s side, and he began shaking her. She looked more peaceful than I’d ever seen her before, but my heart was in my throat as I realized that her peace could’ve meant my loss. I loved her both selfishly and unselfishly. I knew the pain and suffering she had gone through, I knew what she had lost, but the selfish part of me wanted her to continue living for as long as I did. I couldn’t bear losing her because it would be like losing the last good piece of myself. The unselfish part of me was the part that loved her the most, though. It was the part of me that made me wish for the very best for her no matter what that meant for me. If I was approached by any supreme entity that promised her happiness in exchange for my life, I’d hand myself over in a heartbeat. I loved her in a way that I’d never been able to love myself, and she loved me more powerfully and unselfishly than almost anyone else. The only other person who loved me that much was my mother.

As I realized what I’d be losing if I lost Eva, I scrambled over to her body, the weight of the situation finally sinking in. Harley threw his body against hers, gripping onto her like a child would their mother. That was when I finally realized what she meant to him. They shared a connection that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but as time passed, I realized that he looked at her as his shield, his protection, his person, his mother. It didn’t take a genius to piece together what was going on in his home. From some of his comments to the bruises on his arms that were visible for only a fraction of a second, I knew that he had been in dire need for protection all his life. Even though someone had given birth to him, he didn’t have a mother, and he took to Eva like an animal imprinting on its mother. He sat up, pushing the hair from her face before wiping his eyes, “wake up!” he sobbed as he shook her. He was having a complete breakdown, and there were no words I could say to make it better. There was nothing I could do to take his pain away, and it tore me apart inside, “you promised!” he wept, his body trembling as if he was being torn apart on the inside.

My heart began to thud as she still wasn’t showing any signs of waking up. This couldn’t be the end for her. Nothing happened to her. She had been acting slightly strange since she got here, but I figured it was because she was still coming to terms with being back on Earth. She had promised to stay away, that she would fall apart if she came back. That was what was happening right in front of my eyes. She fell apart, and I didn’t know how to put her back together. She wasn’t breathing, she wasn’t breathing, she was just completely still aside from Harley shaking her. I shook my head, “Eva, don’t do this. Don’t leave me like this,” I sniffled, tears beginning to stream freely down my cheeks. I didn’t care about how I looked or how weak the tears made me seem. All I cared about was her. I reached out for her hand, gripping onto it like Harley was gripping onto her. My bottom lip quivered as I felt no sign of life from her, “you...you can’t die,” I trembled.

As I squeezed my eyes shut, desperately trying to will it away, I heard a soft voice whispering words that brought me back to my childhood, “nothing ever really dies, it simply retires for a little while only to return again when we need it most,” Eva whispered in a soft, weak voice. The memory of that day rushed right back to me. I had been sitting on the back porch of my childhood home after school. One of my classmates parents had died, and I was trying to process the meaning of it. Eva sat down beside me, and I could remember asking her if she would die. She whispered those same words to me and told me that she’d never be far away from me. When I finally heard those words, my eyes shot open, and I took in the sight before me. Harley had even sat up to take her in, to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. I clapped my hand over my mouth, trying to hold back the wave of emotions that crashed down on top of me. Her green eyes scanned both of us but landed on Harley first, “I told you to go home,” she murmured, reaching up to gently stroke his cheek.

He shook his head, tears continuing to stream down his cheeks, “it’s not home without you,” he confessed, causing my heart to twist in my chest. Even in our short time knowing each other, he took to her like I’d never witnessed before. They were meant to find each other.

Eva reached up and wiped the tears from his cheeks as tears began to form in hers. When they fell, it was like stars falling from the night sky. She could sense his pain, it was a talent she had since the first day I met her. It was like she could tune into the essence of a person and feel exactly what they were feeling; it was empathy on a whole other level. Harley let out a shaky breath and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. She closed her eyes, and a light smile spread across her lips as she basked in the love he had for her, which only strengthened the love she had for him. It took a moment, but once she opened her eyes, they connected with mine, “are you okay?” she asked, genuinely concerned with my well-being when she was the one who nearly died.

I nodded my head, sucking in a sharp breath in an attempt to collect myself. The thought that I came so close to losing her, to losing someone so pivotal in my life, it tore me apart. Her life had been put in question far too many times, and this time, it was to save me. Her hand grasped my free one as tightly as she could manage, catching my eyes. She knew how afraid I was of losing her because she was just as afraid of losing me. Once I found the strength to speak, I cleared my throat, “you’re such a pain in the ass,” I trembled, my voice breaking as my emotions betrayed me. I thought I had a handle on them enough to speak, but I didn’t. I clapped my hand over my mouth as I began crying tears of overwhelming grief, fear, and joy all at once. There were so many emotions that were bottled up that came to the surface in that moment.

As soon as the first tear fell, Eva sat up with Harley still attached to her side, hugging her. Her face twisted in pain, but she pushed through it. Once she was sitting up, she grasped the back of my neck and pulled my face close to hers, pressing our foreheads together until our noses brushed against each others. Her hand moved from behind my neck to cup the side of my face, stroking my cheek with her thumb and brushing away the stray tears. As she held me, I felt myself growing calmer by the second, and I knew she had a hand in that. There were gifts that she was given, gifts that I could never know the range of. She leaned into my ear, the side of her face brushing against my own, “you’re the reason I came back to Midgard, and you’re one of the reasons why I can’t let go,” she whispered before pulling away from me just enough to catch my gaze. The most beautiful smile in the universe spread across her lips and made me feel at ease for the first time in such a long time.

Then, like all good moments in my life, this one ended just as quickly as it began. Her body convulsed, and her face twisted in pain as her eyes filled with tears. Harley pulled away from her right before she threw herself back onto the ground, her chest heaving as she groaned out in pain. She clung to her abdomen, and it finally made me take notice of the spotted blood on her shirt. There were no tears in her clothes, but there was still blood. I reached out as she whimpered, her jaw clenching and a permanent frown finding her lips. My hand grasped the hem of her shirt, and I lifted it up, wanting to see what I could do to help. I wasn’t as talented as Bruce when it came to the medical field, but I wasn’t inept. However, upon lifting her shirt, I saw what had been hiding beneath all this time. It was clear that she was experiencing pain since she had arrived, but it didn’t seem serious. When I saw the wound on her abdomen, though, I realized just how wrong I had been.

*Eva’s POV*

My vision blurred as I tried to focus on Tony. His eyes scanned the wound on my abdomen that throbbed and left me useless for the moment. I tried to breathe through the pain, but it wasn’t taking it away. I was still uncertain of what happened to make it hurt so bad. I’d experienced worse flesh wounds than that one. I’d been stabbed before. I’d been cut, choked, shot, and beaten. I was a warrior of Asgard, so I knew pain, but every ounce of pain I’d felt before meant nothing compared to this. The pain of a mere slash shouldn’t have amounted to much, and it should’ve healed quickly. However, this one had festered. Tony’s eyes filled with fear, which was the last thing I expected from him. The wound was disgusting, so I expected him to be taken aback by it. It looked like that part of my body was slowly decaying. Just as the throbbing pain stopped and the more constant burn kicked back in, my head fell back against the ground, and I worked on catching my breath. Tony’s eyes locked with mine, “what happened?”

“Before I came here, I was wounded in battle. I thought it would heal, but...it hasn’t even started. It’s just gotten worse,” I answered through labored breaths, “it was this, or he was going to kill one of my closest friends. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Are you going to be okay?” Harley’s worried voice sounded from beside me. I gazed up at him, feeling like the luckiest being in the universe with him looking at me with so much concern. I was lucky that I was loved even after all I had done. Still, the care that he had for me could hurt him, just like my love for him could hurt me. Upon my inability to answer his question, he looked to Tony, “is she gonna be okay?” he asked, desperation filling his voice as he looked for an answer.

Tony nodded his head before his eyes caught mine, “if I have anything to do with it, she will be,” he promised, speaking to both of us. I wasn’t afraid to die, but I knew that I had to fight for the sake of the people I vowed to protect. Tony was one of them.

I gazed up at Harley, “don’t worry about me. I’m gonna be alright,” I insisted, trying to give him as much hope as possible. I didn’t want him to fear my death, even if I was about to draw my last breath. Death would come for each and every living being at some point, so to fear her when the time came made no difference. My hand found his smaller one, and his bloodshot eyes found mine, shattering my heart.

His eyes narrowed at me, “you promised not to leave me!” he shouted, his voice cracking in desperation. My near death hurt him in ways that I couldn’t understand.

I shook my head, “and I didn’t,” I reminded him.

“You almost did!” he snapped, pulling his hand away from mine as he frantically dried the tears from his face. He sniffled, “you almost left me alone, and I don’t want to be alone anymore!”

The moment he spoke those words, I realized exactly what our relationship was. I knew that the mother/child feeling that I had for him wasn’t one-sided, and it took that moment for me to recognize what had been sitting right before me all that time. He reciprocated those feelings. He felt just as deeply for me as I did for him. I couldn’t discourage him from them or try to push him away because it would only hurt him, and I refused to be one of the people who hurt him, “in your life, there are going to be people who leave you, but that’s when you need to be stronger than ever before. Those are the moments, the moments when it seems like the whole world is falling apart, that you need to gather yourself and carry on. I may not be around forever,” I confessed, causing him to shake his head in denial. I reached up, my hand grazing his cheek, “I may not be around forever, but when my time comes, I want to know that you can make it through whatever life throws your way. I want to know that you’re prepared for whatever comes next because you’re a warrior, little one. You can make it without me.”

His bottom lip quivered, “but I don’t want to,” he whimpered, wearing every emotion on his face. In his sadness, he looked away from me, almost as if he was ashamed to be feeling so much sorrow and anger. It was sincere, though. I nearly died, and he was justified in his anger. I put myself in a dangerous situation, which-regardless of my intentions-could’ve gotten me killed. I had almost broken my promise to him, and that would’ve torn him apart. I knew what this was like. I’d been in similar situations before.

“Harley, look at me,” I insisted, trying to reach his face. He pulled away even further, and I knew that if I didn’t intervene, he would pull away emotionally as well. I gave up trying to turn his head and settled for grabbing his small hand in mine, “look at me,” I urged him once more before those sad eyes locked with mine. I knew that look. I’d given that look to my brother countless times before we went into battle. Loki and I gave it to each other on more occasions than I could count. I knew what it was like to lose, but I needed to let Harley know that he’d never lose me. I told him the same words Hjalmar once told me, words I told Loki, Steve, Tony, and her. I swallowed hard, hot tears stinging my eyes, “nothing-not even death-could keep me away from you. Even when I meet death, know that I’m always right by your side. Every breeze you feel rush past you, the warmth you feel when the rays of light from the sun hit your skin, the star that lights your way home: that’s me. I’m never gone, Harley, not from you. Do you understand that?”

Just as he nodded his head, another surge of pain made it feel like my body was being torn in half, like I was being ripped apart from the inside. The pain was so intense that my vision began to blur again. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to will away the pain, trying to regain control of my own body. Instead, the pain, like the buzzing in my ears, grew louder and louder, stronger and stronger. It was like I was fighting a losing battle. No matter what I did, I was going to fail. Just as quickly as the pain started, it faded with the noise. When I opened my eyes, I was in the middle of the throne room, and he stood directly in front of me. Ezra. Familiar green eyes, strong facial features, and long hair that matched the color of my own. He was a beautiful man with the build of a God. However, the madness left him looking sick, like Loki did in New York. It was clear that he hadn’t always looked like that, like he hadn’t eaten or slept in weeks. The madness took time to settle in, and I’d weed it out if I could, if he gave me the chance.

Ezra paced back and forth in front of the throne, not looking at it, not attempting to sit in it, not even fighting an urge to touch it. He wasn’t king, and he didn’t want the throne. Still, he guarded it like a predator guarding its fresh kill. His eyes scanned along the edge of one of his daggers as he spoke to me, “the way I see it, you have two options,” he stated, a twisted smile forming on his face as he sheathed the dagger and turned his attention to me, his eyes almost glowing with hatred, “your first option is you come back to Asgard, set me free, we leave together peacefully, and I fix that festering wound on your abdomen,” he explained with arrogance in his voice as he gestured to where the source of my pain came from. He shrugged his shoulders, “your second-less appealing-option is you stay away from Asgard, I break out of this cell, kill every last one of these scum, including your beloved Loki, find her, kill all of your friends, make you watch as I slaughter her, and then force you to come with me anyway. Either way, I win. You just have a say in how many lives are lost over this.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, furious that he would call her into this, “you don’t know where she is. I don’t even know where she is!”

“You think your ignorance hinders me?” he chuckled, descending the steps to stand directly in front of me. He grabbed my neck and pulled me close to him, close enough so that his breath cascaded across my face. His hands felt...familiar, just as his eyes had. His presence felt right in the strangest way, but I couldn’t understand it. I wasn’t afraid of him. Even as he gripped my throat tightly, threatening to squeeze the life from me, I wasn’t afraid of him, “I’m a God!” he yelled before tossing me back, my body hitting the floor.

“No! You’re a monster!” I yelled, rising to my feet and closing the space between us once more. The pain subsided. Every ounce of joy, love, and compassion just evaporated into nothing. It left me with nothing but my rage. He threatened her life, the lives of people I cared about. He was a threat-a coal that threatened to burn down all that I loved, and I would stomp it out no matter what. I reached between us, my hand gripping his throat just as he had done to me only a moment prior, “and if you even think about laying your hands on her, there will be no place for you to run, nowhere for you to hide. I will tear open the universe looking for you. I will find you no matter the cost, and when I do, you’ll beg me for a painful, torturous death when you see what I do to you,” I growled, the anger and rage threatening to tear me apart.

“This...this is who you’re meant to be,” he noted, a smile forming on his lips as he gestured down to my hand that was clasped around his throat. My eyes widened when I saw what happened to them. I ripped my hand away from his throat, and I stared down at both of them as the anger continued to flow freely through me. The veins in my hands glowed red just like his had when we fought each other that day. I shook my head in disbelief. Something was wrong with me. My mouth fell open as I looked for words to explain it away. Any explanation would suffice, but I would not believe that I was like him, that I was cursed. Before I had the chance to speak, he chuckled, “I’m eagerly awaiting your decision, Eva.”

[boogiewrites]

Reports & Repertoire 10

Characters: Eddie Brock x Venom x Candace Miller (OFC)

Word Count:  8500+

Summary:   Eddie and Candy's lives start to move fast with their new careers. Finding it hard to spend as much time together, absence makes the heart grow fonder for Candy and makes her react emotionally instead of her usual logical self when faced with jealousy. Eddie tries to find out what's really wrong with her, and it leads to a conversation that should've happened months ago.

Warnings/Tags: Language. Jealousy. Nonconsensual kiss. Discussions of sexism.FLUFF. Eddie cleans up GOOD. Romantic confessions. 

Click on my icon then go to Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. (Had to do this since Tumblr killed links, sorry.)

Falling asleep and waking up in another person’s arms will make you have to face a lot of hard questions. Thanks to Venom, Eddie wasn’t finding it as hard to decipher how he felt about Candy. Having a constant influx of questions about every thought you had, had that effect on speeding up realizations.

Candy slept so soundly that night. Coffee and kisses were shared the in the late morning light with Eddie before he left. This time she didn’t have any feelings of, ‘Oh I shouldn’t have done that’, after kissing him goodbye. She didn’t regret pressing her lips gently to his forehead as he slept on her with his arm wrapped around her, half in and out of sleep with her fingers in his hair. She found herself not regretting any of her decisions thus far when it came to Eddie. The smile on her face that wouldn’t go away as she looked in the mirror that morning told her a lot about how she felt. She just needed to figure out how to tell him about it. -------- Everything begins to move fast, and not in a totally pleasurable way for Candy. Everything was coming up Milhouse for her but it was all a whirl happening around her and she fought to keep from feeling overwhelmed at times.

She has a meeting with the network and Eddie. With light praise and concerns shared, she signs a contract to begin working with them. They start pre-production and she tells the paper she’s leaving that same day. Deciding to keep with the same investigative journalism approach, they decide to simply rebrand that show as The Miller Report. She and Eddie would work together to find out where to mesh the old and new, using the pre-existing popularity of his show to launch hers, a sort of Brock report 2.0 of sorts, but with much better boobs, as Eddie teased in private.

At first, she got to see Eddie at work a few times a week, while the show was getting off the ground. Old leads, reforming a crew and figuring out how to improve on what he’d done lead to lots of brainstorming sessions between the two of them. But as it moved into shooting and interviews and on location production, Candace herself having to put in footwork on stories, they saw each other less and less. They did work for the same company, so sometimes they got to have lunch together, leaving their phones face down and trying to help the other decompress from being in the same fast-moving world of news, functioning as a small respite for each other. They mostly saw one another in passing, coming or going, walking around the same floor of the building with apologetic glances as she was surrounded by people demanding things of her and he would wave his notepad full of scribbles in her direction as he worked on questions and research for his interviews.

He traveled a lot for his work now, the more he released, the wider his net became for individuals to learn about. He spends most of his time hunched over a computer screen and rubbing his temples, trying to find the right angle, the right wording to get the information he wanted to set himself apart. It felt good to be back at work again but it also felt exactly like that. Work. And Venom wasn’t very fond of it.

Being back in the loop with stories, especially having Candy to hear them from, helps their need for human brains. Or rather, whole humans. The nonexistence of a body was a lot easier to hide than a headless one, so he found himself in shady parts of town where he knew bad things had been going down and letting Venom get his fill of the murderers, malicious thieves and rapists that crawled in the underbelly of the city. Due to his experience with Carlton Drake, Eddie still had that fire alive for getting back at the 1%. He tried to focus on interviewing these types and exposing them for the greedy, privileged monsters they were. Writing stories of abused laborers and blackmail attempts. He found it a lot harder to get around to eating a rich person though, lots of security and questions if they disappeared, but that didn’t keep Venom from always suggesting it and Eddie from always thinking it.

------ He finds himself in Colorado the night Candy’s show premiers and he feels like a real asshole for missing her party. But if there was anything Candy understood, it was work and he hoped she meant it when she said he didn’t hold it against him. He was out researching and interviewing the top manufacturers and dispensers in Denver and trying to bring light to the hypocrisy of white men running corporations and getting rich off what had oppressed the community of color for so long. The recreational laws in his home state made the story relatable to the local market but kept a distance while he could reach out to people in the green triangle upstate to get the real information on the conditions harvesters were forced to work in for a follow-up story.

He’s in his hotel room, sitting on the bed and loading up the network's website to see Candy’s first episode. She’d decided to tackle a sexist owner of some shops and been taking in interviews with ex-employees and discussing money taken for silence. He was insanely proud of such a delicate and intense subject that she’d go for for her first episode, but it didn’t surprise him in the least.

“Candy? Hello?” he asks, the face time screen blurred and the sound of multiple voices being heard. He’s greeted by Steph’s face.

“She gave me her phone so she’d stop looking at Twitter and what people were saying.” she explains as she laughs. “I’ll give her the phone, hold on.” he shakes her head. “If I can get her away from these guys that are over here trying to chat her up.” she smirks and stares at Eddie as she passes the bar.

He purses his lips and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, Steph, I get it. “ he says, a slightly more than an acquaintance level with the woman now since she ran interference between the two of them when they couldn’t directly communicate due to work.

“Do you?” she says, turning the phone so he can see Candy looking at a large TV on the wall, standing by a bar with three guys stood around complimenting her. She switches the camera back to her. “Because I’m not sure you do.”

“She’s a hot commodity now, I know.”

“And so are you. If you’d ever just put on your big girl panties and come over and-”

“Just give her the phone, Steph.” he groans. "I'm coming off a flight, I'm tired."

“You’re no fun Brock. I don’t know what she sees in you.” she chuckles and holds the phone out to Candy. “Guess who just landed?” she says in a much sweeter tone.

“Eddie!” he hears her happy voice and any worry he had about one of the men around her starts to fade.

“Hey babe.” he says with a warm smile to the holder of his affections.

“She looks pretty.” Venom says, hovering out of frame and watching his second favorite human.

“Your flight okay?” she asks, as she walks to a quieter part of the bar and he sees the men she’s leaving behind watch her go.

“Yeah, it was fine. And who cares, I wanna talk about you Miss big-time TV reporter.” he grins.

“Oh hush.” she laughs. “It’s not even into the first commercial break and I’ve seen it so many times already and I’m proud of it but I’m so damn nervous.” she says in a hushed voice, standing against a wall in a hallway where she can hear him.

“If you’re proud of it that’s all that matters. I’m trying to get it to load up right now.”

“Oh you’re gonna watch it?” she says with bright eyes.

“Of course I fuckin’ am!” he says with a laugh as if he’s offended. “First thing I did when I got in the room, haven’t even gone to the bathroom or taken off my shoes.” he says enthusiastically.

The smile on her face makes Venom smile “Awwww.” he says watching her light up.

“I made Steph hold my phone so I didn’t refresh social media constantly and not enjoy the moment.”

“Very smart. As always. I’m sure it’ll go over fine. You know as well as I do that right now exposing people like this is important work.” he says in an almost preachy tone.

“So is bringing attention to exploited labor, classism and racism.” she says, referring to what he’d been working on.

“Yeah, yeah but this is about you, Candy, not me.” he says with a nod. “You wanna watch it together? I’ve got it runnin’ now.” he suggests.

“Would you? I’ll leave you on while I watch it with everyone in the bar.”

“Sounds like a plan.” he says as Venom shifts and rests on his leg to watch the screen.

They stay on for the duration of it, except for the small space of time he runs to go pee. He pulls up Twitter and watches the comments come in, the hashtags being used and starts his first wave of responses with likes and retweets of supportive comments. He tells her the feedback is good, even though she refuses to look still. The usual and expected bitching and moaning from men is always there but Eddie doesn’t worry about Candy seeing them. She doesn’t hold much weight to most men’s opinions on the internet and he found himself grateful that she still seemed to hold him in such high esteem. They stay on face time until the show is over and everyone comes to surround her with their questions and her phone starts dinging and notifications of calls and messages start rolling in in waves too large to ignore. She sneaks the bathroom and whispers a sweet goodbye to him, giving the screen a kiss before they sign off.

“She seems happy.” Venom coos.

“She did. I’m glad. She should be. She worked her ass off on that and it was well done. Seems other people think so as well.”

“Her success worries you.” Venom comes in with the things Eddie tries to push out of his mind.

“I mean, sorta. Things can change when it happens.” he mutters.

“She still likes us. I can tell.” Venom tries to be supportive, speaking closely to Eddie's face so he can't ignore him.

“Yeah. Me too.” he gives a small smile in agreement.

“You know what you need to do Eddie.” he bumps his face to Eddie's temple.

“Ugh, dude I know.” he groans.

“We love her Eddie.” he says softly. "We should be a team. Just like we are. We love each other Eddie. It feels good to be told so. You should tell her so. Make her ours as I made you mine. A joining. A pairing. Make it so she cannot leave us.”

“You’re comin’ in a little hot there man but I appreciate it.” he sighs. “You aren’t totally wrong. You know it’s just complicated. With us both being in the public now and her getting my old show and there isn’t as much time as there used to be to relax. And she’s just starting so she’s gotta put in the work to get the respect even more than I do.”

“Excuses.” he states plainly.

“Well, we can’t do anything right this second about it. Let her enjoy her night, we’ll be seeing her soon enough.” Venom stares at Eddie, sensing the worry in him. --------- Candy stands in the bedroom of her new apartment, looking at herself in the evening gown she had on to attend a local awards ceremony for San Francisco Journalism. She’d been invited, which was surprising enough and Eddie was being recognized for his work. Her new job had alotted her more money, which she’d been saving up. But with the positive reaction from the public to her work, she’d gotten a raise and she thought it was time to move. She didn’t move that far away, over to a nearby neighborhood of Noe Valley, finding it’s quiet to be very appealing to her now. Her downtime was as precious as ever and she wanted something simpler, homier than her one-room studio apartment with its tiny shower and half-size refrigerator. She’d found an old Victorian home turned duplex and snatched it the day she looked at it. On the ground floor, a bedroom with a door, a bathroom with a tub and shower, a full kitchen and a dining room. It certainly wasn’t the great expanse of “full size” she’d known back home, but money was space here and she had enough to at least warrant a dining room that would fit a four-person table in it and a kitchen with a full sized fridge and a dishwasher. Simply not being able to watch the same tv from her bed, couch and kitchen felt like a huge leap.

She had rented a gown from a local designer. She was going for young and modern to keep up with the new brand she had to into account. A simple two-piece outfit, the skirt long and loose, cinched in at her waist with a peekaboo of her stomach under an off the shoulder sweetheart necked top. In all black, she hoped it wasn’t too severe, a punchy pink lip and side-swept curls, the extensions weighing heavily in her hair made her think it said take me seriously, but be reminded I can look good.

She has a driver pull up to a small bunching of people before a stretch of carpeted walkway begins, a backdrop covered in sponsored logos and a grouping of photographers behind a barricade. She stands with her mask of confidence, hands around her sparkly clutch keeping her from fidgeting with her manicured nails. She’s ushered off by a lady in a headset who has the vibe of not having time for anyone’s bullshit tonight and waits to the side where people are filing through, names being ticked off on a clipboard by a woman who looks less threatening but not overly friendly. She sees others from the network, cheek air kisses and shaken hands with meeting spouses for the first time, giving and receiving vague compliments on each others work.

She’s speaking to a local influencer who’s work she genuinely enjoys when she feels a hand on her shoulder and her nickname called in a voice that makes her heart flutter in it’s thick-accented delivery.

“Candy?” Eddie asks, only mostly certain it was her. She was so made up and he hadn’t seen her in weeks that he was left guessing until she turned around. “Or do I have to call you Candace now?” he gives her a grin.

She keeps her cool even though she’d like to kiss him square on the mouth and tell him how damn sexy he looked in his suit. It was simple, black with a matching skinny tie and a white button-up shirt. His hair pushed to the side and parted, barely a hint of stubble on his face to keep with the rugged look that would be expected of him. She’s thankful to be wearing so much makeup because she feels her face flush at the sight of him in the well-fitted suit.

“You can call me Candy.” she smiles, leaning to press her cheek to his, not wanting to get makeup on him, her hand on his arm as he doesn’t hide the dopey little smile he gets at the close contact to her. “You clean up good kid.” she laughs, giving him an approving glance as he looks away and shrugs.

His name is called from the woman with the clipboard. “I gotta...” he begins, pointing with his thumb and heading backward in the direction of the voice.

“I’ll find you inside later.” she says, shooing him off.

“Candace Miller?” called out by from the same woman as she turns towards the voice with blinking eyes, still not being used to people knowing her on sight yet. “Come on,” she says motioning for her to move forward. “You can go after Eddie Brock, easier for the photog’s, they’ll probably want pictures of you both together.” she mumbles, her pen working away on the paper.

Nodding and saying nothing, watching Eddie go ahead of her and being as charmed as everyone else at him as he turns on that masculine, confident and captivating persona she fell for first on his show that she now hosts. She’s contemplating how strange life is sometimes, reflecting n the recent turn of events when a hand ushers her forward into the onslaught of flashing lights. She takes a deep breath and sets her face in something subtle and serious. A smile in her eyes, head slightly tilted and body posed in a flattering way, she blinks slowly before them a more friendly smile, best to give them the option, she thinks. She hears her name called out in a variety of voices, seeing waving hands then Eddie’s name called, telling them to get together for pictures. It made sense, a picture to talk about the rising of one person making way for another. Their eyes give away their tentativeness to touch each other in such a public setting but to not do it would read as even more awkward. He reaches around her back and she does the same. They stand and smile while getting things shouted at them and giving the cameras their fill. She knows she’ll certainly be looking up these photos later. Suck it, people back home, this one was going on Instagram.

They’re sat together at the ceremony with other people from their network and investigative journalists. Neither of them missed an opportunity to network and pass along information to the ones they didn’t know. Candy sits and gets to be supportive as they get closer to his speech. She’d helped him on it and everything went according to plan until he thanked her in front of everyone. She hadn’t read that part.

Eddie was nervous but Venom was excited, as it usually went. Venom knew how important this event was to Eddie, so he was actually behaving himself. He’d helped put Eddie’s thoughts into something more concrete to help him win over Candy. Eddie wanted her to get recognition too, it was just another thing to add to the list of gestures to pay her back for believing in him when no one else would. “I know this award has my name on it and is for things I’ve done in this line of work but I didn’t get here alone. None of us have. And I wanted to thank someone who’s here tonight for her help. An example of what those who seek to tell the truth should strive to be. Someone who believes in those who don’t believe in themselves, and that included me. There’s no one better to take on what I started with The Eddie Brock Report and to take it to places I never could. I fully expect her to be receiving awards next year for the work she’s doing now. I’m proud to work with her and call her a dear friend, Candace Miller. This is for you.” he says, holding up the plaque he’d received and it took everything in her not to cry. People turn and look at her and she tries to hide her surprise in her face as they begin to clap and a lump grows and sits heavy in her throat. He moves backstage afterward for press and she’s left gulping noisily with eyes on her until the announcer comes back and moves the topic forward.

He’s swept away in a crowd, as all the honorees were. She’s wandering, hopping from young professional to young professional, as they were the ones who knew her work best and were willing to talk. The older higher up’s flocked together, taking in their own smugness that came with being at the top of one’s career. Candy hopes she ends up at the top of her game but doesn’t forget where she came from. A lot of these people came up when the scene was new. It was a lot easier to become a tv personality in the seventies or eighties compared to today with an oversaturated market and everyone wanting their face out there. The dinosaurs held tight and ruthlessly to their positions and she couldn’t blame them, she just wished they would be so elitist and dated in their beliefs.

She and Eddie make their way towards each other very slowly, a few steps at a time before one or both of them is caught up in another conversation with someone. They move in the direction of the hallway in the convention center, edging towards the outskirts of the huge banquet room.

“Before someone else steals you away I want to say two things,” she says raising her fingers. “One, thank you and two, how dare you.” she laughs. “You almost made me cry.” she grins, playfully shoving his arm slightly.

A smile that only shows up when she’s around comes across his face. His eyes soft, brow relaxed with one side pulling back farther than the other with those plush lips staying shut before they turn into each other, holding back the rest of it to not make himself painfully obvious.

“What you’re doin’ is more important right now. I interviewed someone that was already captured, you are going after people to capture them. That’s harder.” he says with a quiet tone, standing in close, tired of the forced interactions where he’s Eddie Brock, the investigative journalist. Putting on his alter ego where he was always self-assured and clever, ball busting and fearless. He got to take an exhale, let his face fall out of the broad smile and let his voice lower while he talked to Candy. Once again she was a form of respite for him.

“You could’ve told me you were gonna do that you know.” she gives him a soft smile. “I was 1000% caught off guard and everyone was looking at me and I probably looked like a deer in the headlights.” she chuckles.

“If I’d told you, you wouldn’t have let me.” he leans forward and grins, raising his eyebrows at her.

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head at him. She begins to open her mouth, some smart ass remark about him being right but her not being happy about it as he’s yanked to the side. She turns her face to see Vanessa Kennistone, one of those elites she was mulling over earlier take Eddie’s arm like she was already very familiar with him. Without a glance to Candy, the svelt cougar pulls Eddie away as he stutters in surprise. He tries to look back to Candy before the older woman takes his chin and keeps his face on her, leading him out of the room. Candy is left with a red face, frozen, blinking rapidly in confusion.

Her brain can’t help it, bless her. She starts running over every possible reasoning for this sort of behavior. Sometimes her quick brain, the dots it could connect, the lines it wanted to draw without any effort were more of a burden than a blessing in her personal life. She’d pulled him away like she’d hypnotized him. Did he know her already? In her absence had he been filling his needs elsewhere, he was certainly a good looking and charming enough man to play boy toy to a woman like her. Was he using her for intel? She shakes her head hard and takes a sip from the champagne flute in her hand. She needed to stop, she was upsetting herself. She takes a deep breath and waits a few minutes after they’re out of sight before pursuing. No way she was going to sit and stew in what was turning out to be red hot jealousy without proof of his wrongdoings.

Vanessa, an older woman with a very good plastic surgeon has Eddie against a wall outside of a supply closet in the almost empty hallway outside the room where the after party was being held. Eddie is still trying to hide his surprise, not happy about how this woman was handling things, finding it extremely unappealing and rude. He didn’t want to be those things as she was a big name in the local game, but he was giving her no reason to think this behavior was okay either. She stands within inches of Eddie, a hand on his chest as her eyes narrow and looks him over, sizing him up, fucking him with her eyes without saying a word as his head pressed against the wall to create space between them.

“Why are you hanging out with that little nobody all night huh? Give someone above a newbies pay grade some time.” she says with a deep tone, and a what she sees as a seductive smile.

“Because she’s my friend... so... that’s why.” he says with a low brow, trying to control to high inflection of his voice in his uncomfortableness.

“Just friends huh? Her loss. My gain?” she asks with a tilt of her head.

“I... uh...” he begins, a clearly uncertain expression on his face now.

“Oh he’s shy.” she laughs. “You are so sexy when you blush, you know that Mr. brock? Wouldn’t have thought a man like you would get tongue-tied over a woman. Not when you look like this.” leans in and presses her lips to his, lashes fluttering shut as he holds still.

As her timing could not be better or worse, Candy gets close enough to the recess in the wall they were hiding behind to see her kiss him. Her jaw tenses, her hands seizing up and almost breaking the thin neck of the glass she was holding. Her heart palpitates and all her biggest worries come flooding back. Eddie wouldn’t kiss someone in public if he didn’t know them. Would he? He wasn’t a make out in public on a whim sorta guy. Was he? She begins to question things she thought were certain about him. So he had been sleeping with her. Maybe him thanking her in his speech was his guilty conscience trying to free itself from sleeping with someone behind her back. But was it behind her back? They weren’t together, not in any official capacity. Did she even have the right to be jealous? She watches from the corner of her eye, trying to hear what they were saying because she was a glutton for punishment apparently.

“You uh...you’re bein’ real nice Mrs. Vennistone but I gotta get back.” he says with a quiet shaky voice that Candy can’t make out.

“No, you don’t. I’m right here, I’m all you need to be worried about.” she says confidently, pressing herself against him. Candy takes a noisy gulp and looks away for a moment to gather herself.

“I’d rather get back to my friend.” he states, his voice cracking.

She pulls back and pouts. He wasn’t finding a grown woman pouting something to be considered attractive. “Why? That friend of yours used you to get what she wants, so why not use me to get what you want? She’ll be fine without you. She’s a big girl, I’m sure she can handle herself.” she says in a condescending way, Candy only picking up some of the words, but it was enough to make her face go red with the insinuation.

“Excuse you?” he says louder, putting his hands on her shoulders to create more space between them.

“Candace Miller.” she says with an obvious tone and a loud sigh. Her voice annoyed enough to be loud for Candy to hear it. “She slept with you to get the show from you right?” he gives her a disgusted look. “Oh please, everyone does it. Don’t act so high and mighty. You journalists.” she rolls her eyes and tsks.

Candy’s heart drops. Her face falling and going pale. Was that what everyone thought? With wide eyes that reflect the notion that she really should have seen coming in their wide and watery expression. She blinks rapidly, swallowing the lump in her throat and decides to remove herself from the situation. She clearly had a few things to think about.

“That is not what happened.” he says, his chin jutting out for emphasis.

“Oh is it not?” she suggests with a smirk, flipping her overly coiffed and sprayed, large dark hair.

“No. She helped me out if anything. She was willing to work with me when no one else would. You’ve got no reason to talk about her like that, she got where she is because she’s smart and talented and a hard worker.” he says, starting to push back on her, Venom stays quiet but is calculating the possibility of eating this woman, wondering how bad all that hairspray would taste.

“Alright, alright. Calm down, big boy.” she says in a condescending way, trying to reach out to touch his chest again.

“No. We’re done here.” he says with a straightening of his posture, his voice dipping lower as his anger shows through.

“Why? I’m offering you sex and the ability to make a connection higher up and you want to go ‘hang out’?” she says, a hand now on her hip, looking at him in disbelief.

“Yeah. I would.” he states obviously.

“Why?” she says more angry, shaking her head.

“Because you don’t really give a shit about me. You only care now because I’ve had a successful piece out. I only want to be around people who actually support me as a person, not because they want something from me .” he steps back and she looks him up and down with a quirked brow.

“So you’d rather hang out with your “friend” Candace than get fucked? By me? And insult me in the process?” she holds her hand to her chest, her jaw slack and chin low at the audacity of this young man.

“Well... yeah. Doing nothin’ with her would be a lot better than getting fucked by some self-centered piece of work like you.” She blinks in surprise. His face hard and certain, eye contact not wavering at the still almost disgusted look she had on her face.

“I see you’re as reckless as ever. I shouldn’t have wasted my time on you. You’ll be sorry for talking to me like that.” she says, crossing her arms and pursing her lips.

“I doubt that lady. Who do you think the public will believe? A has been anchor lady or a journalist who works and fights for human rights?” he says taking steps backward, his hands out, palms up at his sides.

“I have more reach and power than you two put together.” she scoffs.

“Maybe, but we know who we are. We aren’t out trying to sleep with someone to ignore the fact that we can't truly connect with people and try to manipulate those under us. So we’re gonna go forget about you and have a good night because we aren't assholes who want to metaphorically whip our dicks out in every conversation.” he says with an attitude-filled head shake as he lets his articulating hands fall to his sides when he turns his back to her.

Candy is standing just outside the door, on the other side of the nearly empty entryway where only a few people smoking were idling. She considered bumming a cigarette even though she didn’t smoke, she just felt the mood warranted it. She ignores his fast footsteps, acting like she couldn’t identify them by sound alone, knowing the shoulder shifting saunter that Eddie moved about the world with.

“Hey, Candy.” he says softly, coming up and touching her bare arm as he tried to hide the anger on his face. “You wanna get out of here?”

She gives him a curiously blank expression, eyes filled with emotion but blinking fast. “Why? The people here clearly want to talk to you.” she says with her lips tight as she speaks.

He tilts his head at her. “I don’t...” he sighs and his brow lowers. “I don’t really feel like this is where I should be.” he says quietly.

“What are you talking about? You got recognized.” she states obviously.

“That's not what I mean.” he says with a wince of his face.

“Then what do you mean?” she asks, her face still painfully indifferent.

“These people...” he shakes his head, looking back into the building.

“That woman?” she asks with sad eyes under a lifted brow.

“Yeah.” he says, noticing her closed off body language.

“I saw her kiss you.” she blurts out, looking away from him. “You don’t have to pretend like you need me around anymore you know.” she says softly. “You’ve been doing fine on your own...clearly.” she says with anger in her eyes and tone.

“Woah, wait, what?” he asks with a higher pitched voice, his hands held up in surrender.

“I heard what she said.” she mutters out, looking to the ground and crossing her arms.

“What’d you hear exactly? Because I think you’re missing the more important pieces of that conversation." he says with a huff of a laugh at her attitude.

“I heard her say I slept with you to get the job. So that must be what everyone thinks right?” she rolls her eyes and sighs, face hiding how upset she was.

“Candy, no, that woman was being a bitch, don’t listen to her. She was jealous I was trying to leave and get back to you.” he says with pleading eyes.

She meets his eyes again, still sad and hesitant.

“She was! And I told her that’s not what happened! That you got the job because you’re good. Plain and simple.” he says quietly but with enthusiasm.

She blinks slowly. “I should’ve known people would think I slept with you to get it.” she whispers.

“Is that not why you slept with me?” he jokes.

She slaps his arm and frowns.

“Ow, okay. Bad timing for that joke. Just tryin’ to lighten the mood.” he says rubbing his arm. “Who cares if that’s a rumor anyway? We both know that’s not true.”

“Easy to say because you’re a man. You’re not the one whose work is being undermined.” her voice tight and tone still severe.

“That...” he sighs. “That is true.” he nods. “But everyone really likes your work though. So what if they think we slept together?” he leans in closer and speaks softly, eyes sad for her being upset, neither he or Venom wanted to see her upset.

“I don’t care that think we slept together, I care about it in relation to the job.” she sighs. “And we did sleep together. We...” she looks around. “ We do. Or, did. Had been. Whatever.” she shakes her head. “So it’s not totally false.”

“Even if we hadn’t, I would have recommended you for that job. You can’t think I mentioned you just because of the sex.” his brow low and voice cracking as the desperation to convince her was heard in his voice.

She stops a moment and takes it in, taking a deep breath and willing herself to look into his soft eyes that were pleading with her to not feel sad. “No.”

“And even if we weren’t sleeping together, they might say it anyway. So either way, it’s a lie and it doesn’t matter. People like your work, Candy. You’re getting to help people, that’s what’s important. Not what some people with sticks up their asses think.”

“Yeah.” she says with an angry sigh. ”I know.” she says defensively, chewing her cheek. “I’m just...” she rolls her eyes and sighs loudly, closing her eyes and shaking her head before chewing on her thumbnail for a moment. Eddie stands still and lets her process her feelings, seeing them shifting over her face. She furrows her brow and meets his eyes again. “So are you like...” she purses her lips and vaguely motions with her hand to nothing. “Sleeping with her or something?"

“What the- Oh, god no!” he says with a disgusted look on his face. He sees she thought he had been with Vanessa and it clicks for him why she was so bent out of shape. “You thought me and her? That we were?” his face takes a more humorous turn.

“So took you away and kissed you, what was I supposed to think?” she mumbles, lowering her head in shame.

“That’s she’s a sexual predator?” he suggests, giving her a light-hearted smile.

“Sorry I just...” she shrugs. “I dunno what I was thinking.” she mumbles again, which was also unlike her.

“Not with that smart, pretty head of yours that’s for sure.” he offers to make her feel better. She gives him a fleeting, weak smile. “What’s wrong? Somethings up with you.”

She swallows her pride and tries to figure out how to express these feelings in a mature way besides you kissed another girl and it made me sad. But we aren’t even dating so it shouldn’t matter to me at all. But it does. “I thought since we hadn’t... been together in a while that maybe you were seeing her now.” she admits, her eyes shifting back up to his, he could see the uncertainty in them and he was touched by it.

“No, she’s just a sleazy cougar, not my type at all” he huffs out a laugh. “You think I’ve been seeing someone else?” he asks in almost a whisper, lowers his head in close, his shoulders shifting towards her and hunching.

“It’s a reasonable assumption. I don’t know what you do when I’m not around.” she says quietly and defensively.

“Work." he says with a soft chuckle." Work and miss you." he states, his lips pouting out and looking her over. "I’ve just been busy. This writing and traveling around so much is new and I’m still getting used to it. That’s all. You’ve not come around either, have you been seein’ somebody?” he asks to make his point.

“No. I’ve been busy.” she says with a light tone, the lines around her mouth softening as she loses her anger and hurt she’d worked up in herself.

“Well see... in the same boat.” she nods and looks away. “That’s not all, is it? You’re still being distant and that means something’s wrong. You’re always up in my shit about everything. Tell me... Someone do somethin’ while I was back there with Mrs. Step Mom in a porno?” he offers her that dopey grin of his and her chest hurts.

She swallows audibly and sighs. He was good at observation she’d give him that.

He works through the events up to this in his head out loud. “You thought I was with someone else, you saw her kiss me and you got upset,” he says, his hand on her arm, turning her body towards his. “Are you...?” he blinks and leans in close, trying to hide the teasing that wanted to rise in his voice. “Jealous Candy?”’

She opens her mouth to say no but that’d be a lie so she shuts it again and frowns.

“You are aren’t you? Oh, babe, come here.” he says with a warm friendly tone. “Why would someone like you be jealous? The only woman getting my time right now is you.” he takes her into his arms by surprise. She’s taken back by it enough to forget there might be people watching them and her frown breaks, feeling her heart flutter with his words.

“It’s really childish of me, sorry. I should know better.” she shakes her head and shuts her eyes. It was if she'd forgotten what liking someone felt like. Those sharp, knee-jerk reactions from strong emotions that came with it that could make even a logical person like her react too quickly, a little too harshly in defense of her heart.

“Nah, now if you’d gone all real housewives on her and yanked her wig off then that would’ve been immature.” he jokes, holding her shoulders and looking at her face, finally cracking a smile. “There’s my pretty girl,” he says and gives her cheek a soft a soft rap with his knuckles. “Why would I wanna hang out with anyone but you? You’re the only one that wanted to be around me when everyone else hated me.” he says with earnest eyes. He watches her face soften, hoping his words were alleviating some of her worry about his loyalty to her.

“And now everyone loves you.” she says with a hint of a smirk.

“Nah. They just act like they do. They just want my time for selfish reasons.” he dismisses the statement with a shake of his head.

“I know the feeling.” she says quietly, sighing out afterward.

“Yeah, it comes with the territory. Sucks. But at least we know we won’t be like that, huh?” he says trying to cheer her up further.

“No. We won’t.” she untenses her shoulders and gives him a smile he’s been working towards seeing again.

“All you ever wanted me for was to do some good.” he smirks. “Well I mean...and a few other things” he laughs.

She shoves his arm and grins “Charming as ever.” she shrugs “But also correct.” her mischievousness was back and his chest feels warm as they look at each other for a weighted moment.

“So how about we blow this popsicle stand, huh? We can go do nothing together instead of stay here? We’ve got tonight to hang out, when was the last time we just went and hung out?” his voice raises and almost cracks in its sincerity.

“It’s been months.” she says exasperatedly.

“Too long. C’mon. Let's go eat some greasy food together like we used to.” he says taking her hand and tugging her forward.

“Dressed like this?” she laughs, hand motioning between the two of them.

“You look beautiful, why not?” he asks with an unintentionally cocky nod of his chin.

A soft smile comes across her face with a hint of blush at his compliment. He’d never called her that before.

“Did I not tell you that yet?” he leans in. “Because I should’ve. You look great tonight, Candy. Or can I say hot? That’s not as sweet and I gotta keep my brand in mind of bein’ sweet with you don’t I?” he teases as her face stays flushed and she grins at the attention. “Oh, that got her blushin’.” He teases and laughs, thumb rubbing over the back of her hand he was holding. “C’mon gorgeous,” he says, putting his arm around your shoulders. “They not complimenting you on the job? They should be. You’re a hell of a lot better to look at than I was.” he laughs, kissing the side of her head. “How do you feel about poutine? I was just in Vancover and the shits insane. There’s a food truck court a couple streets over, what d’ya say?” he asks, nodding his head towards the street.

“I say bring on the poutine, eh.” she chuckles, eyes wide with affection in them instead of worry now as she watched the happy expressions pass over his handsome face. ---------- They walk down the quiet street to Candy’s home after they get out of their ride. She ’s holding a corndog in one hand, she and Eddie alternate bites as he carries her shoes for her, his suit jacket draped over shoulders along with his arm.

“This is me.” she says, looking up at the pastel-colored house, opening up the door with her key.

“This is very nice. A little...family oriented of a neighborhood for you but, it looks nice.” he says, taking in the well taken care of street. He walks into the dark house, the place smelled the same as her old apartment, but she looked like she fit in here better, she should be surrounded by nice things, he thought.

“It’s quiet and I wanted somewhere I could hide away when I wasn’t working.” she says, flicking on a lamp and taking her shoes from him, setting them on a bench by the door.

“I get it.” he empathizes and nods, eyes taking in the rooms.

She watches his face, wondering what thoughts were moving around behind his eyes, as she could tell by the way the corners of his eyes crinkled that he was distracted. “I had more fun out eating with you than I have in months.” she admits, her soft words making his head turn and look down at her. “I really miss having you around.” her lips purse and his pout slightly as she steps towards him.

“I miss you too. No one else laughs at my jokes.” he grins and she smiles, moving to put her hands on his sides.

“Well, it takes a certain sense of humour with you. And patience.” she chuckles, a playful look on her face as her arms slowly wrap around him.

“And I’m thankful every day you put up with it.” he beams down at her as her eyes turn softer in the dim light as she looks over his face.

“I know you have to fly out tomorrow...” she begins, tilting her head, her eyes at his lips and giving away her intention. “But would you wanna spend the night?” her voice is nearly a whisper as if she was afraid to ask.

“Why let the night end now? This is the best I’ve felt in a long time.” he admits, a charming smile looking down at her as his soft and smooth voice wash over her, bringing goosebumps to her skin. One of his hands smooths her hair on one side, fingers trailing down her neck as he looked her over.

“You...interested in making us both feel better than we have in a few months?” she asks, leaning in and he mirrors her, an arm snaking around her to pull her close.

“I’ve had to look at you in this dress all night. It’s been on my mind. A big distraction if you ask me. Almost made me forget my speech” he grins and huffs out a soft laugh.

“That a yes?” she asks with a shake of her head.

“Always a yes for you.” he says with his crooked charming smile before she pulls his him down by his tie to her for a long overdue kiss. His hand moves to the side of her face instantly, wanting to feel the soft skin and hair that he’d missed falling asleep in. The kiss isn’t rushed and doesn’t feel as desperate as either expected. A slow passing of lips and gentle caresses of tongue come and go in a relaxed expression of their fondness for each other.

Despite feeling warm and tingly, and hopeful for what was coming to a head for them, Candy pulls away to make her intentions known. There wasn’t time to be vague anymore. “Eddie?” she whispers against his lips and he hums at the sound. “I really have missed you.” her large doe eyes blink up at him and he slumps at the feeling they give him.

“God, I’ve really missed you too. Not just this...although I’ve certainly missed this but... just bein' around you.” he almost whines.

“We should stop missing each other and try to start finding each other instead.” she says with a lighthearted tilt of her head.

“What’d’you mean babe?” he asks with a furrowed brow.

“I hate that it took me getting jealous like a little girl to say something.” she rolls her eyes at herself. “But I don’t want you sleeping with anyone else.” she admits, a passing sadness for the thought crossing her face. “And...I don’t want to sleep with anyone but you.”

“I don’t want you to be with anyone else either.” he confesses, his brow softening along with the look in his eyes.

“So should we...agree to be exclusive?”

“I made that decision for myself a long time ago, to be honest.” he says with a subtle smile.

“Yeah. I suppose I did too.” she huffs out an embarrassed laugh at the realization. “You would like to...be with me, wouldn’t you Eddie? Like a couple... together.” she says with a nervous glance.

“I would love to.” he almost swoons out at her. “You’re my favorite person, really, you know.” he says with a smile. “I’ve wanted to tell you how much I just...really, really like you for a while but I didn’t want to scare you off. Y’know after what you said about me not having my shit together.” he winces slightly. “Which was entirely valid.” his voice inflects upward in agreement.

“I know I said some harsh things after we first slept together. But you’ve really put in the work Eddie. I’m proud of you.” she says placing her hand on his cheek for a moment. “And by suggesting this I don’t want you to think I’m ashamed or something of you, because I’m not. The total opposite really,” she says shaking her head fast. “But would you mind if we kept this on the down low? With the possibility of rumors about me sleeping with you to get the job I don’t know if it’d look good for us to be open publicly about it.” she says quietly, hoping she wouldn’t hurt his feelings, but she had a career, a brand, and a reputation to keep up.

“No, I totally get that Candy, I do.” he nods. “You gotta protect yourself now.” he says sweetly.

“But I thought if we were honest about wanting to be together that made it would make it easier for us to reach out and see each other more. Because now it’s not weird to text at the end of a long day that we wanna see the other.”

“So many unsent texts that I thought sounded too needy I’ve drafted saying just that.” he chuckles.

“I’ve thought about it more times than I’d like to admit.” she smiles. “I didn’t want our jobs pulling us apart and then we become just some people that used to sleep together back in the day, you know?” she says with a heartfelt honesty that makes Venom break his silence and make a content noise of appreciation for Candy and her sweet words, making Eddie’s brain feed his hunger with the love drugs again.

“I’d never let that happen.” he whispers, touching the side of her face again. “We can make time for each other better now. You’re closer to the airport too, if you’re home I can stay here the night before I fly out.”

“Starting tonight?” she smiles, tiptoeing to brush her nose against him.

“Starting tonight.” he coos back, tilting his head slowly.

“I hope you don’t need a lot of sleep, Eddie.” she grins, a little giggle escaping her as he smiles against his lips.

“I’ll just be getting my sleep on the plane, I take it?” he chuckles.

“Oh yeah. I’m gonna introduce you to being with me properly.” they bat their lashes and hum contently at each other before locking together in another kiss. Unlike just minutes before, this kiss surges forward, feeling desperate in the best sort of way. She lets her guard down and he shows her how much he needs her. They no longer have to say they miss each other out loud because they simply show the other with how their bodies react with everything being out in the open now. Well... almost everything.

@hardygal69 @raceylacy @emerald-bijou @negansdirtygirl22 @brianaisasongbird @vale0413 @izzy-the-ginger @chortletortoise @onomatopoetic-aesthetic @anrm1 @jademox @nightcraver @venomous-possibiities @tinastarkandco @chipster-21

[justauthoring]

Running, Freedom, Salvation (15/19)

Prompt: “Run, run, run. That’s all we ever do. All we’ve ever done.” You paused, feeling the wind brush through your hair. Taking a deep breath, you steadied yourself and met his eyes. “Do you think it’ll finally stop?”

Maze Runner: one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight

Scorch Trials: one - two - three - four - five - six

Death Cure: one - two - three - four - five

I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Send me a little comment in the ask section or leave it below on what you thought of this chapter. It doesn’t have to be long, I appreciate every single comment I receive and telling me just helps inspire me to write it more frequently.

AGAIN, remember if you’d like me to continue this series, just leave a little comment or an ask letting me know. I will NOT continue the series if no one wants me to.

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that. If you want to repost my work. please ask first - but even then I might say no.

Pairing: Newt x Reader

Based off of: The first 15-20 of Death Cure.

Tag List: @blackbrokerosey - @some-fantasy-thoughts - @ilovemymoose - @alienadvocate - @itsfangirlmendes - @thatproffessionalfangirl - @nightingalethewriter - @143amberrose - @joycewrites - @floweryukheii - @hey-margot - @hippieballs - @wearegoldeninthenight - @betcoop - @crystalshines2909 - @darthweasley7 - @desired-love- - @honeymoonavenue - @legit-fandom-trash - @musicandbeat - @thespeedofwind - @sellinxhs - @sumlariss - @togetherlikepeanutbutterandjelly - @sarcasmdunbar - @strangerthingsluv - @mythicalamphitrite - @thisishowieroll - @independentgirl​ - @heathernsweets​ - @illumminated - @highly-uncomfortable-titles - @ktminn01 - @awkwardlyarts - @j-marvel-memester - @mdgrdians - @writingandhotcocoa - @shootingstarsaretearsofheaven Wanna be TAGGED? Message me letting me know! italics means those Tumblr won’t let me tag.

-

“We have to get her back, Thomas.”

“I know.”

“Minho and Y/N, the both of them. Tomorrow, we can’t fail.”

“I know.”

“Thomas... Y/N, she’s...”

“It’s okay, I know. I’ll get her back. The both of them. I promise.”

Light bled into the darkness of the trailer. You watched sparks fly from afar as confusion flooded you. 

The chain connected to the restraints around your wrist rattled in response to your fidgeting. You felt your heart race in anticipation. There could only be two people behind the door now, the same two people who had taken this compartment right off the train cart.

Your voice was still raw from the screaming you’d done, in hopes of alerting your saviours that it was in fact you inside this compartment. The only thing is they’d been calling for Minho too, and you can’t remember the last time you’d seen your friends face. Not since that night.

After six months of being in WICKED’s hands, part of you couldn’t remember what your friends looked like. What Fry looked like, or Thomas, or Newt... Couldn’t remember the sounds of their voices, couldn’t remember the feeling of Newt. It was cruel how life worked. Newt and you had finally accepted your feelings for one another, finally told one another, and you’d been ripped from his hands.

The other part of you remember that night, the night you’d been taken. The only thing that kept you sane was the look in Newt’s eyes as he watched you being dragged away. The desperation in the way he’d screamed your name, and fought against the hands that held him back so he could get to you. So, he could save you.

Six months later, and here he was.

You were at the back, behind rows and rows of other kids that had all suffered the same fate as yourself. You knew Aris and Sonya were near the front, quite a few rows ahead of yourself. And it was them that Thomas and Newt saw first the moment they finally broke open the door.

You felt your heart still, your entire body freeze in response. You saw Thomas first. Your brother, your big brother, and it made your eyes water in response. You’d missed him, missed the security of him. Having your memories back had been a blessing, but you’d only remembered Thomas was your brother for a short amount of time before you were ripped from his hands, again. Just like when WICKED, when Ava, had sent you in the maze. All to punish Thomas.

But that was nothing compared to the feeling that flooded through you at the sight of Newt. He looked the same, all the while he looked different. You’d missed him so much. You wanted to cry out for him, and Thomas, alert them that you were here. But you found your voice stuck in your throat, any words you wanted to say died the moment the reached the tip of your tongue.

“Aris,” Thomas called, relieved. Rushing to Aris’s and Sonya’s side, he crouched near them. “Hey, you guys okay?”

“Yeah,” Sonya nodded, “we’re fine.”

As Newt and Thomas stepped forward, Harriet followed, grabbing both Sonya and Aris in a tight hug.

Your heart sped as Newt and Thomas grew closer to you. It was a matter of seconds before they saw your face, but it felt like so much longer as you watched them walk along the different rows, no doubt in search for you and Minho.

Your happiness was just that dimmer - because, Minho wasn’t on this cart.

More people continued to walk on, but all of that drowned to the back of your mind the moment you met Thomas’s eyes. He was a few steps ahead of Newt now, and there were no words to explain his reaction at the sight of you. He paused in his step, lips parting as he uttered your name; “Y/N...” in a breathless whisper.

Him calling your name had caught the attention of Newt, but still Thomas turned around, desperate for Newt’s attention. With a desperate call of his name; ”Newt!” Thomas and Newt knew they’d saved you.

The two of them rushed forward, and a choked sob left your lips. Thomas fell before you, while Newt hung in the back, stunned. Your eyes met his, and you felt a tear fall down your cheek before your attention was stolen by Thomas. 

“Are you okay?” Thomas breathed, shaking his head. “I need the bolt cutters,” Thomas called, turning his head. “Now!”

Harriet rushed forward, sending you as smile as she squeezed past Newt and handed Thomas the bolt cutters. He didn’t wait another second before snapping the cuffs around your wrists, freeing you. 

The moment you were free, you stood up, wrapping your arms tightly around Thomas’s neck. He returned the hug by sliding his arms around your waist, squeezing tightly. With a breathless whisper, he sighed; “thank God you’re okay...”

You pulled back, smiling at him before Thomas, respectively stepped back, revealing Newt. You stood there for a moment, absolutely still as your lips curled into a soft smile, letting out a half-hearted chuckle. “Newt...” You whispered, eyes glistening.

It must of been the sound of your voice that pulled Newt out of his stupor, because in the next second his hands were on your cheeks, pulling you in for a kiss. You returned the kiss without hesitation, a chuckle of relief leaving your lips as you curled into Newt’s embrace. With his hands sliding to your back, you pulled back, a smile on your lips as you met his blue eyes. 

Newt shook his head; “I was so worried...” He breathed, the disbelief still evident in his gaze. “You’re okay?”

You nodded, cupping his cheek in your own. Newt’s hand fell on your black eye, frowning but you only shrugged off his concern. That was for another time, later, when things were more settled.

A hand fell on your shoulder, and turning, you glanced up at Thomas. 

“Minho?”

And just like that, the happiness you’d felt swarm within you disappeared. Pulling back from Newt’s embrace, you looked back and forth between the two of them before looking down at your feet. “We were kept separate,” you mumbled, voice low, “I haven’t seen him since that night.”

-

“Here, drink this.”

Glancing up from Newt’s side, you accepted the mug from Harriet’s hands with a grateful smile. The water felt amazing down your sore throat, and despite the black eye and how exhausted you were, you felt, for once, less scared.

“Took you guys long enough to rescue us,” Aris mumbled, chuckling softly.

Your eyes glanced at the wound covering his entire face, frowning softly.

“It’s good to see you, too, bud,” Thomas said, patting Aris’s knee. “So, what happened?” He asked, glancing at the three of you before settling on the many cuts and bruises that littered the entirety of Aris’s face. Your frowned deepened as the memory of that day resurfaced. 

“I fought back,” Aris nodded, “tried to, anyway.”

Thomas slowly glanced back at you, as did the rest as Newt pulled you closer against himself. With a frown, you pointed at your eye, shrugging. “This is from Janson,” you nodded, “when I saw the guards wailing on Aris, I fought back, like him. Janson punched me the moment I moved.”

A fainy chuckle left your lips, your finger tracing the edge of the cup. “Seemed like he’d been waiting to do that for a while.”

“You’re lucky you found us at all,” Sonya said, after a moment. “They had us on the move a lot. It felt like something big was happening.”

“Any idea where they were heading?” Newt asked, eyes sliding from Sonya to you.

“All I know is...” Aris started, shaking his head lightly, “they kept talking about a city.”

It wasn’t hard to noticed the stunned and baffled faces that befell your friends. Shuffling in her seat, Harriet furrowed her brows; “I didn’t think there were any cities left.”

“That’s because there aren’t,” Brenda spoke up, pulling your gaze behind yourself and on her. “Not still standing, anyway.”

“Okay, wait,” Thomas called, turning back around. “What about Minho? Why wasn’t he on the train?”

You glanced up, meeting Aris and Sonya’s gaze as a conversation passed between the two of you. Slowly, you turned your head to the right, eyes falling to your feet. “I’m sorry, Thomas,” you whispered, “he was.”

-

“You’re insane if you think i’m just gonna stay behind.”

“And you’re insane if you think i’m gonna let you come,” Newt spat back, pausing to glance back at you. “Especially after I just got you back.”

Shaking your head, you crossed your ams over your chest. “I’m not letting you go alone, Newt.”

“He’s not alone,” Fry spoke up, poking his head through the car window. With an innocent smile, he grinned at you. “He’s got me.” You glanced over at him, narrowing your eyes, silently telling him that this wasn’t the time. Fry, luckily, got the hint, settling back into the seat before rolling up the window to give the both of you a moment.

Instantly, you turned back to Newt. “Nothing you can say will change my mind.”

Frowning, Newt stepped towards you. His hands fell on your waist, tugging you forwards before your face was inches from his own. One hand then fell on your cheek, cupping your jaw as he let out a heavy breath. “I just got you back,” he whispered, slowly glancing up to meet your eyes. Your determination faltered slightly at his words, and the meaning behind them. “I can’t lose you again.”

Biting your lip, you glanced down, setting your hands on Newt’s chest. “Newt, when I was captured, there was only two things that kept me sane. You, Thomas and everyone back here and Minho. Hoping Minho was okay, praying that he was okay, is what kept me sane, just as much as you did.” You poked his chest, meeting his eyes. “He’s my friend, just as much as he is yours, Newt. And if you, Fry and Thomas are going to save him, then so am I.”

Newt frowned, deeply, probably because he knew what you said was true, but there was still a part of him that wanted to keep you out of dangers way. You understand, more than he’d ever known. Because as much as you wanted Minho back, you were also coming to keep Newt safe, as well.

“I just got you back too,” you whispered, voice breathless. “And i’m not leaving you now.”

Newt hesitated, just a moment, before he sighed. “Fine,” he nodded, albeit reluctantly, “but you stay by my side, okay?”

Immediately, you nodded, gripping his waist a little tighter for reassurance. “Okay.”

You heard footsteps, and instantly knew it was Thomas, Pulling back from Newt, you leant against the car to the boys left, biting your lip as you watched Thomas run up the stairs adjacent to you, head dipped down as he zipped up his backpack. 

Then, “where do you think you’re going then?”

Thomas slowed to a step at the sound of Newt’s voice, Newt flipped on the light next to him to reveal the both of you. Thomas’s eyes slid from Newt to you, his frown deepening when he met your eyes.

Letting his backpack fall by his side, Thomas sighed. “Guys...”

“Don’t be twat about it,” Newt chastised, stepping towards your brother. You let a small smile fall on your lips at his words, shaking your head. “I’m already in,” he said, taking the backpack from Thomas’s hands. “Come on.”

“Y/N?” Thomas asked, his eyes falling on you.

Shrugging your shoulders, you pushed up off the car just as Newt walked past you. “I’m not abandoning Minho, now.”

With a heavy sigh, Thomas shook his head, stepping forward. “No,” he huffed, “no, not this time.” He stopped before the two of you, just as Newt shut the car door behind him. 

“Look,” Thomas continued, “even if we find Minho, there’s no guarantee we make it back from this.”

“Well,” Newt smirked, “you’ll need all the help you can get then, won’t you?” Following his lead, you grabbed ahold of the door handle, opening the driver seats door, and revealing Fry. He leaned forward, leaning against the steering wheel as he smiled.

Thomas scoffed, shaking his head.

“Well, we started this together,” Newt reminded, “may as well end it that way, too.”

“Okay.” Thomas said, a minute of silence passing, “let’s go get him back.”

-

“You want us to go in there?”

You followed the direction Newt pointed, frowning. “I’m not sure that’s the best idea...” You mumbled, glancing briefly to your left as Fry walked past.

Thomas stopped beside Newt, map in hand as Newt teetered on the idea. “I don’t wanna come across as too negative,” he started, “but I mean, if I was a Crank, that’s exactly where I would be.”

Pulling his gaze up from the map for a moment, Thomas shook his head. “I don’t think we have much of a choice,” he explained.

Slowly, you let your eyes fall back on the way you were meant to go, biting your lip in anticipation. Yup, that dark, deep and scary tunnel definitely didn’t seem like the best choice. But, if it’d take you to Minho, then, you guessed it was worth it.

“All right,” Newt called, pulling your gaze on him as he shuffled back. “But, I get shotgun.”

You scoffed at him, rolling your eyes as you followed behind him. You walked to the back of the car, directly behind Newt’s seat, as you pulled open the door, sliding in. Fry, of course, went to the driver’s seat and Thomas slid in beside you. With one last hesitating breath, Fry started up the car, and begun driving.

Before you knew it, the four of you were far into the tunnel.

Newt leaned out the window, turning on his flashlight for a little bit of extra light as Fry inhaled deeply. “Well, here we go.”

You met Thomas’s eyes, inhaling deeply yourself as you leaned back against the seat. Thomas pointed his flashlight past you as you followed the direction of it, glancing around the tunnel with a mixture of curiosity and fear. There was no guessing or telling what awaited the four of you down in this tunnel, and you didn’t know if you wanted to find out.

“Yeah,” Newt nodded, “just take it nice and slow.”

Fry abided by Newt’s request, slowly driving through the many abandoned cars that surrounded you all. The few seconds of peaceful driving ended rather shortly, though, the moment you saw a figure up ahead.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Newt mumbled, just as Fry pulled the car to a stop.

Leaning forward, your shoulder bumped against Thomas’s as the both of you peered through the front window, warily glancing at the Crank before you. It’d yet to notice your guys existence, but you knew, one wrong move and that statement would no longer be true.

Fry and Newt turned their heads back at you and Thomas, just as the Crank began gagging and flinching inhumanely.

After a moment, Thomas nodded; “it’s okay,” he soothed, “it’s just one, so take it slow, go around him. We’ll be fine.”

“Take it slow,” Fry repeated, voice raspy, before setting his hands back on the steering wheel. He coughed slightly, taking another deep breath to prepare himself. “Take it slow.”

Newt leaned over, rolling up his window as you leaned against his seat. Meeting his eyes, you nodded, praying that everything would go smoothly.

Your praying seemed short-lived, as in the next second, you felt Thomas slam against you. Your lips parted in surprise, eyebrows drawn in in bafflement as you turned to ask him what was wrong. Your unasked question was answered the moment you saw the woman standing outside his window, hands pressed against the glass.

Setting your hands on Thomas’s shoulder, you shuffled so you were turned to the left, giving him more room to back up.

“Please,” the woman gasped, “please.” Before you knew it, her breathing grew rapid and she’d begun smacking against the side of the car. “Help me. Please. Please! Let me in!”

A yelp left your lips when a bang echoed beside you. Turning your head, your eyes widened at the sight of a man against your window, hands pressed against against the glass as he banged profusely. You and Thomas shuffled to the middle of the car, and you pressed into him tightly as you grabbed ahold of him in terror and panic.

“Okay, Fry, we gotta go.”

“Fry,” you called, voice flooding with alarm, “we need to go!”

“Please! Open the door!” The woman continued to cry.

More Cranks continued to surrounded the car, loudly thumping against the side of it.

“Just floor it, Fry!”

“Hold on!” Fry screamed, as you glanced warily around yourself in dread.

This was not good. This was not good.

The car zoomed forward, just as a Crank hopped onto the front trunk. It screeched loudly, bloodied face peering at the four of you as Fry continued to drive, going as fast as the car could possibly go.

The Crank begun pounding on the glass, cracking the window as it gnawed viciously.

“Woah, woah, woah!”

You held onto Newt’s seat and Thomas sightly, body tensing with trepidation, your entire body stilling with anticipation.

“Come on, Fry! Shake him!” 

“I’m trying!”

With a sharp turn to the left, the Crank ended up sliding to Fry’s window, as he let out a cry of terror. Fry continued to swerve left and right, your body sliding each way with the movement of the car. Sometimes Thomas slammed into you, sometimes you slammed into him.

“Hang on!” Fry bellowed, slamming the Crank hanging off the side of your car, against another. It rasped loudly in response, and your head flung behind you in response, watching as it’s body rolled away before slowing to a stop.

Before you could turn around and look yourself, you heard Thomas warn; “Frypan, watch out!” And then the car hit some sort of bump, before falling the the right. A groan left your lips as you slammed against the far end of the car, Thomas’s body falling on top of you. Then, the car had flipped upside down, and the top of your head hit the groan with a cry of pain leaving your lips.

You coughed, gagging, as did the others when dust flew into your faces.

“Everyone okay?” Thomas asked, his eyes falling on you.

With a groan, you nodded; “my head...”

“My hand...” Frypan mumbled, voice croaking. “My hand!”

The engine sputtered a stop, the lights turning off with a sudden blink, before you were enveloped in darkness. The only light left was Newt and Thomas’s flashlights.

Thomas shifted, until he was before you and his foot was able to reach the window next to Fry. “Fry, cover your eyes,” he advised, kicking his foot forwards and breaking the glass into tiny pieces.

“Shit, okay...” You groaned, “you okay, Newt?”

“Yeah,” he coughed, “you all right?”

You nodded just as Fry hissed; “shit, my hand.”

Thomas crawled forward, pulling himself through the window he’d just broken. “Wait, Thomas!” You called, scooting forward yourself. He extended his hand towards you, helping you pull yourself out. The moment you were out of the car safely, he helped you to your feet, hands falling on your shoulder to steady you.

You nodded up at him gratefully, coughing lightly.

“Wait, Y/N! The door!”

“Can you get out?”

Thomas rushed forward, pulling on the handle of the door, and yanking. It failed, as the door was stuck against something and with a sigh, you circled around.

“Newt,” Fry mumbled, “you all right?”

“Fry, go around,” Thomas called.

“I’m trying to go out!”

You reached the other side, a few steps ahead of Thomas, and crouched down to pull open the door. Before you could, it swung open, Newt falling out in response, with a huff. Your braced yourself, trying to help steady Newt as he pushed himself to his feet. Letting your hands fall on his waist, you pulled him against yourself.

“You okay?” You questioned, eyebrow raised in concern.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, “I think so.”

Thomas stepped up beside you, turning to the door. “Fry, you good?”

Whatever Frypan had been about to say was cut short by a loud scream. Instantly, your eyes snapped up from Newt and turned to your right. Your eyes widened in alarm when you saw the Crank who’d screeched stumbling forward, at a rather fast pace, headed straight for you.

Newt reached for the gun attached to his hip, cursing when he realized it wasn’t there. “Oh, shit...”

“Frypan,” you called, glancing down at him quickly. “I think we gotta move.”

“Wait a minute!” Fry bellowed, crawling back into the car.

“Right now!”

“Fry, now!”

Grabbing onto Newt’s arm, you slowly shuffled back, falling behind him as your eyes snapped between Fry and the Crank running directly for you.

“Come on, what are you doing? We need to go!”

“Come on!”

“Hold on!”

Turning to the car, you shuffled forward. “We have to go, Fry! Now!”

Once again, he only yelled; “hold on!” In the next moment he was crawling out of the car, jumping to his feet with a rifle in his hand. Turning to the Crank, he cocked the gun, shooting it directly in the stomach as he flipped, crashing to it’s stomach.

Panting, you stepped forward, staring down at the thing in disbelief.

“Nice shot, Fry,” Thomas panted.

“Thanks.”

Growling and screeching echoed once again, and when you looked up, there was a lot more than just one Crank running after you now.

“Okay, we gotta go!”

You shuffled back, Thomas pulling on your arm before spinning. You, Newt and Thomas begun to run forwards as Fry hung back, holding the rifle out before him as he continued to shoot.

“Fry,” you screamed, “come on, let’s go!”

“Go, go, go!”

Once again, you all broke out into a sprint, your feet moving as fast as possible beneath you as the sound of the Cranks screeching continued to echo around you. But, you all quickly halted to a stop, when more Cranks appeared before you. You shuffled back, nearly tripping over your own feet as you grabbed ahold of Newt, bumping into him.

“Watch out,” you called to Fry, watching as Crank reached out for him.

“Fry, you got any left?” Thomas asked, referring to his gun.

“Yeah!” Without another word, Fry begun shoot at the Cranks before you and behind you.

“Okay, this way, this way,” Thomas warned, gesturing to the Cranks creeping up behind your backs.

“What do we do?” You asked aloud, heading snapping both ways with wide, panicked eyes.

“Okay, Fry, other way, other way!”

Fry listened, turning back the other way. He pressed the trigger, but no bullet came out and with fright, he tried reloading the gun, failing. “I’m out!” He called, cocking his gun uselessly.

The Cranks, on either side, continued to shuffled forwards, growing closer and closer by the minute. You could feel your heart quiet literally leaping out of your throat in hysteria, your mind growing blank at ideas on how to get out of this one.

“Shit!” Thomas cursed.

You grabbed onto Newt’s hand tightly, turning to him with wide eyes. Was this it?

-

let me know what you thought? remember, reblogging always helps!

[hopeduckling13]

A Wish Come True: Chapter 8

Summary:  How quickly can your mood change from pure happiness to pure horror? In a millisecond.The day Killian and Emma found out they were true love, they were ecstatic. That is until, they were forced to say goodbye to each other. For forever. Or so they thought.Can they still manage to find their true love for each other after five years of seperation or is it too late?

Fandom: Once Upon A Time

Ship: Captain Swan

Setting: 5 years after 5x20 Firebird

Also on AO3, FF.net and Wattpad

Catch up on Tumblr: [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7]

Reblog to be tagged in future chapters: @bioshocked-fallout

--- Henry’s POV ---

 I jump up in bed. Bathed in sweat. My heart pounding violently against my chest.

This is far from being the first time I wake up from a nightmare ever since that day five years ago.

Somehow, I’m alright after seeing all the crazy stuff that’s happened in Storybrooke since my mom broke the curse – all the villains, trying to destroy us and our happy endings, all the monsters. But watching Hook die right in front of me – my mom being forced to stab him – her true love – was too much, I suppose.

I can’t even count how many times I relived that fateful day in my sleep and it doesn’t stop affecting me. Not in the slightest.

I know I should probably talk to someone about it. Back during the original curse, I talked to Archie and it helped me. It made everything easier. I was able to think better there and therefore always managed to form plans to make my mom believe. I’m not saying they were good plans, that worked in the slightest, but still. They would’ve works, if she wasn’t so stubborn. At least what I like to tell myself.

So maybe, I should get help again.

But I just can’t. I don’t even want to. Not really. There’s nothing to talk about now. At least there’s nothing I want to talk about.

I wouldn’t even know where to begin.

I do sometimes mention my feelings about my grief to Violet – she’s been a great help to me. I love her a lot for it. But even she doesn’t know the extent of these dreams.

I kind of told her I have the dreams once every few months, which was a big fat lie. But I don’t want her to worry, so I do this to protect her – at least that’s what I like to tell myself.

With everyone else, I just don’t think talking to them would be a good idea. Because they might tell my mom and I don’t want to worry her, either. She’s been in enough pain to last a lifetime. I don’t want to cause her any more of it by letting her know that I can’t deal with Hook’s death on my own – not even five years later.

I miss him a lot.

I know we weren’t actually related to each other, which is quite the shocker in this town, but I still loved him a lot. We were pretty close.

He was like the dad I never had. He was always treating me well and I could tell, that he didn’t just hang out with me because he wanted to impress my mom – like that stupid monkey in New York. What was his name again? I guess he wasn’t that important. It’s not like he was ever good enough for my mom anyway. He didn’t even make her that happy since I could always tell, that something was missing from her live or rather someone.

Hook.

And now he’s gone again and this time it’s final.

I miss him more and more every day, I realize. Whoever said, that time heals all wounds, was a big fat liar. It’s been five years and I feel possibly worse.

Hook genuinely cared about me. I even knew that deep down, when I didn’t have my memories after the second curse was broken. I did choose him as my babysitter then after all over my grandparents. And that wasn’t just because he showed me cool card tricks. I enjoyed spending time with him altogether.

He also helped me, when my actual dad died. He told me a lot about him. It’s actually quite funny, that I kind of miss Hook more, than I do my own father. I guess it’s because I was never happy with how my dad treated my mom. She deserved better than him. She deserves someone’s unconditional love – and not someone who is only there for her when it suits them.

Hook was good for her. He loved her more than anything and the feelings was quite mutual. She was so happy whenever she was with him and then her happy ending was taken away from her.

It’s just not fair.

She had to go through so much pain all her life because everyone always abandoned her – grandma and grandpa, August, my dad and the list goes on and on.

Why couldn’t fate just let her have this happiness for once? Why can’t she just be happy for once without getting her heart broken in the meantime.

Anyway, I get up and get ready for school.

Once I’m all done, I grab my backpack and walk downstairs. I greet my other mom, before attempting to leave.

“Henry. Where are you going? It’s far too early. You normally don’t leave for another half hour. Join me for breakfast.” Mom says, before I can sneak out the door.

“Sorry. I can’t. Science project. I promised Violet I’d arrive early, so we can work on it before class starts.” I answer with a shrug.

Mom gives me an annoyed look. She isn’t too fond of Violet, I’ve noticed. But I don’t care about that. I love her and that’s all that matters. “Okay. Goodbye.”

“Bye.”

I leave the house and sigh in relief. Luckily, she isn’t a human lie detector like my other mom.

No one can know, where I’m about to go. Then I’d also have to talk to them about the nightmares and since I don’t plan to do that, this is my secret.

Every time I have these weird flashback dreams, I go to the Jolly Rodger before school. It somehow calms me down. I don’t know if it’s the water or if it’s the fact that the ship makes me feel closer to Hook even though he’s gone. Probably the latter.

When I get there, I stand at the railing in peace, watching the ocean in awe. That is until I can hear footsteps behind me. Soon enough I hear a voice I never thought I’d hear again. This can’t be possible, right? He’s dead. I’m actually going insane, right?

“Who bloody dares to step foot onto my ship without permission?”

Then I feel the tip of a sword pinching my back. I can’t imagine this, right?

I slowly lift my arms up and turn around to confirm my suspicions. And as expected I’m faced with Hook, who’s dropping the sword to the floor as soon as he sees me. It really is him. He looks exactly like he did five years ago. Those are even the same clothes.

“H-hook?” I stutter out. Please don’t let this be a dream. “H-how is the p-possible?”

“It appears I’m back, my boy.” He smiles at me and I run into his arms. He seems surprised by gesture, but it doesn’t take him long to wrap his uninjured arm around me, patting my back with his hand.

“I don’t understand. How are you here?” I ask him, while not knowing whether to cry or laugh right now. I’m just so damn happy.

Hook is back and now everything will be okay again. I will be happy again and so will my mom. Carter will finally be gone. I can’t wait for that.

“I don’t exactly know that either, Henry. One moment I was in the Underworld and the next I was here in Storybrooke. Maybe it has something to do with the anniversary of my death yesterday…maybe the dead ambrosia worked, but it just took five years. I don’t know.”

“Wait, you’ve been back since yesterday? Why didn’t you come home last night?” I ask. He wouldn’t be here, if he went home. There’s no way mom would let him go anywhere without her, if she knew he was back.

I look expectantly at Hook, and he seems to debate whether he should tell me or not. He’s very hesitant and opens and closes his mouth multiple times.

“I just didn’t.” he finally says, sadness laced into his voice.

And that’s when it hits me. Oh shit. He probably knows about that no-good Carter. And he seems to believe, that they are serious, which they definitely aren’t – unless you ask Carter himself.

“Oh, no. You know about Carter, don’t you?”

He nods.

“I didn’t mean to keep anything from you, Henry. I just wasn’t sure, if you knew.”

“You need to go to mom now and tell her you’re back. She’ll be so damn happy to see you.”

Hook shakes his head softly. “No. I think it’s better if I stay away Henry. It’s the right thing to do.”

“But she loves you! You can’t just give up. They’re not even serious – not in the slightest.”

“Didn’t look that way to me.” He sighs. A pained expression covering his whole body.

I need to get him to mom someway. They deserve to be happy and the only way for them to be happy is to be together. They’re true love – I mean Hook said himself, that he thinks the ambrosia might’ve worked. That’s all the prove we need.

Hook always fought for my mom and their relationship. I’ve never seen him this down. Not even when he first got to Storybrooke and was still trying to kill my grandfather.

What the hell did that idiot Carter do to make Hook so hopeless?

Oh no.

He did not. Not again. Right?

“Please tell me he didn’t propose again?”

“No, why? Did he before?”

“Like four times.”

Hook’s eyes begin to shine even more. They always get incredibly light, when he’s sad. He’s completely broken by all this. He probably thinks, that mom doesn’t love him anymore, which is the most wrong thing I’ve ever heard. I need to fix this for both of their sakes.

Luckily, I got here, before Hook could do something stupid like skip town or something.

He wouldn’t have done that, right?

“See, Henry. That’s what I’m talking about. It is serious, so I’ll back off. Emma doesn’t need me confusing her. She deserves to be happy – even if it’s with someone else. You’ll see one day, Henry.”

I sigh.

No wonder him and my mom get along so well. They’re the most stubborn people ever.

“Don’t you get it? He asked her four times and she said no each time. Because she doesn’t love him. She only loves you, so please, go to her and make her happy again. It’s been awful these past five years. I don’t think I’ve seen her smile once since she lost you – not in a real way anyway. She’s miserable without you. Please.” I’m begging by now and it seems to work. Hook’s face softens and I can see how much he tries to hold back his tears. He never wants to see her sad, which is why I had to use this. Even if it hurts both him and I.

I start walking and pull him after me towards the docks.

“I have to leave for school now, and you have to go to mom. Now. Please.”

“Okay, Henry.”

“Promise?”

“On my ship.”

[sweetlysilent]

Web of Lies (Part 9)

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Summary: In which they say keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but what if they're one in the same?

Part 9: Untold Thoughts

Song Rec: Feel It Still - Portugal. The Man

Web of Lies (Masterlist)

Feedback is much appreciated! (I will also be doing a tag list so if you'd like to be tagged send in an ask or comment on this post!

Y/SV/N = your super villain name

Peter blinked rapidly at the words that left your mouth, had he heard you correctly? Did you say what he thought you said? He had to of been hallucinating right?

His eyes slowly flickered down to your hand which was in your grasp, his palm growing hot at your touch, this was real, he wasn't hallucinating.

Within an instant he quickly yanked his hand out of yours, taking a few steps back as you stared at him, a mischievous glint in your eyes that he'd never seen before.

"Y/N... W-Why would you say that?" Peter hesitantly asked, now standing a good few feet away from you beside Ned who stayed silent, not wanting to get anymore in the way than he already was.

A dark laugh emerged from your lips, your head shaking in response at his question, as you locked eyes with him once more.

"You really think I'm an idiot don't you? That I wouldn't figure out what you've been up to for these past few months? News flash Parker, nobody can magically do a one eighty over night and become a new person." You snapped at him, your arms crossed as Peter's face visibly paled.

"You don't think I didn't pay attention to all those times you and Ned had those hushed conversations that I wasn't included in? Or how you'd slip out at random times of the day? Or how you'd come back the following day with cuts and bruises?" You continued to pressure him, trying to get under his skin to make him feel on edge, to make him feel exposed.

Peter shifted anxiously under your gaze, everything you had said was true, but that's not what made chills go down his spine, it was the fact that you had known about his secret for a lot longer than he had expected, meaning you were always steps ahead of him, as if this was all one big plan.

"I don't know what you're talking about Y/N, people change, they grow up." Peter tried to defend himself, shrugging his shoulders as well before crossing his arms as he sent you a glare.

"You're so full of shit Parker." You seethed, your eyes sending daggers his way as he watched you carefully.

"If I'm so full of shit, then so are you. You're just as guilty as I am." Peter all but growled out at you, causing your eyebrows to raise at his tone.

"Maybe, but you already knew that right?" You countered, tilting your head to the side, a smug smile on your lips.

Peter sent you a glare, his fists clenching in anger as you stood in front of him, his once best friend, who he loved and did everything together with was now his enemy, and trying to kill him.

"You want to know how I found out your little secret?" You taunted him, a smirk on your lips as Peter rolled his eyes, but gave a slight nod, earning a delighted sound from you.

"It was a while back actually, the night the lady got attacked, I came over and the first thing you brought up was if I had heard about what happened. You knew so much, about the situation it was as if you had been there, and from that moment on I became suspicious, soon enough after I fought the "famous" Spider-Man, and then it all started to fall into place like a puzzle." You grinned, letting out a short laugh, causing Ned to flinch and Peter to roll his eyes.

"The way Spider-Man acted was how you acted, the way he talked was how you talked, and you want to know the best part of it all?" You questioned, your eyes pouring into Peter's intently, not waiting for his response.

"I knew you were Spider-Man because deep down you knew who I secretly was, and it drove you insane to think that your best friend could be your enemy," You let out a short laugh before continuing, "But, you had to be sure, so, you started to question everything I did, and it wasn't until you broke into my house that you found the proof you needed." You stated, all your jumbled up thoughts leaving your head as it filled up Peter's.

"You just didn't want to admit it to yourself." You concluded, your voice seemingly softer this time, causing his eyes to flicker up to finally look at you.

Peter was quiet for a minute while Ned watched anxiously, you were also his best friend, but there was a difference between him and Peter, he had accepted that you were Y/SV/N, whereas Peter hadn't.

The room was filled with an unbearable amount of tension, so thick you could cut it with a knife.

A few more minutes passed before Peter cleared his throat, his arms crossed as he chewed on his bottom lip, trying to process everything in his mind.

"You do realize you left me to die right? You left your best friend to die Y/N." Peter whispered, his voice quiet as he spoke, unable to stop it from cracking at the end.

He was hoping that maybe, just maybe it would trigger something in you, something good if you had any of that left within you.

His words were replaying in your head, causing you to avoid eye contact with him, as much as you hated to admit it, he was right.

Peter noticed your change of demeanor instantly, quickly shooting a glance at Ned as he gave him a sly thumbs up before refocusing on you.

"It wasn't my choice." You replied in a hushed whisper, your mind going back to that day when your boss told you to exterminate the pest, that pest being Spider-Man himself.

"Everyone has a choice Y/N." Peter counteracted, his brows furrowing at your response.

"You don't understand." You shook your head, a defeated laugh leaving your lips.

"Then help me understand." Peter pleaded, his eyes searching yours as you stared at him blankly.

"There's nothing you can do, it's too late." You admitted, breaking the gaze between the both of you.

"Y/N there has to be something we can do!" Peter shouted, now getting slightly aggravated with you, his arms going up in the air, his eyes wide as you let out a sigh.

"Peter. I'm not a good person, I've done things that are unforgiveable, hell I even left you to die and I knew what I was doing." You confessed, the memory causing your heart to hurt.

"I remember leaving you underneath the rubble, hearing you cry out for someone to help you, but I knew nobody would come, and the worst part about that was I was okay with it." You admitted, the words getting caught in your throat as you spoke, you wanted Peter to understand that your alter ego wasn't someone you could just "fix."

Peter's heartbeat quickened the more you spoke, becoming more rapid the more you revealed about leaving him to die, although, he was sure for a split second it stopped when he heard you admit that you were okay with it.

"-And you want to know the worst part of it all?" You choked out, a tear trickling down your face, causing Peter's expression to soften a bit at how broken you really were, this was the real you.

However, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what else you had to say, his heart was telling him 'no' but his mind was telling him 'yes,' and before he knew what he was doing he was nodding for you to continue.

You took a deep breath, wiping the tears off your face with the back of your hands before looking up at him once more.

"-I remember liking it Peter." You whispered, your eyes locked with his as you said it, seeing a flash of hurt and pain in his eyes, but trying to stay strong so he wouldn't assume weak.

He let out a shaky breath in response, glancing over at Ned who seemed utterly scarred, having now found out the harsh truth.

"Y/N," Peter mumbled out, hesitantly taking a few steps towards you, before resting a gentle hand on your cheek, rubbing a tear away in the process.

This was the Y/N he remembered, the vulnerable and open one, not the closed off and evil one.

"I know you're a good person, deep down in your heart you know that this isn't you, that all those crimes you committed weren't you." Peter explained comfortingly, his eyes flickering between yours as he spoke.

"Your alter ego did those horrific things, not you. Your boss manipulated not only you, but the other version of yourself in the process because you trusted him. If anyone is to blame, it's him, not you." Peter stated firmly, his heart beating rapidly in his chest once realizing how close the two of you actually were.

You sat there for a few moments pondering his words, he was right in a sense, but he was also wrong too.

You quickly snapped back into reality, your eyes widening at the small gap between the two of you, along with Peter's anxious breaths.

You bit your lower lip in thought, before leaning forward a bit, as you pressed your lips against Peter's cheek, the gesture catching Peter off guard, his eyes going wide along with his cheeks turning a shade of pink.

Another tear slipped down your cheek as you pulled away, causing Peter's expression on his face to change from pure happiness to pure concern.

"I-I'm sorry.." You whispered, your face expression full of agony and regret as a dark red color started to coat your hand, along with the floor below you both.

[…]

"Peter!"

Apologies if there's no keep reading link, I put one in but lately Tumblr has been having issues, and it's super annoying. :/

If there's a line through your user Tumblr wouldn't let me tag you :/

- :) -

Tags: @jugheadismyking @fucking-reddie @queenofallslay @prancingdestiel @ba-responds @infinity-strange @blindinglightsandtwilights @cupofclintbarton @peachyhollands @miss-glitch @4-a-m @hedwigthelegend @thelifeof-momo @bichwhofarted @softvocalyugs @imnomundanenoramuggle @httpmcrvel @tiannawashere @hawaiiantozier @wing3d @the-crime-fighting-spider @getawaycartay @dennythepooh

[wrestlezon]

aew dynamite 4/20/22 liveblog containment post

happy 4/20. we're starting this ep late

cm punk match: good i have to rewatch it though i missed parts of it

i cant believe they pulled out the handcuffs on wardlow. this is so unfair to me specifically

i called them the blood club and then was like oh my mistake blackpool and then yuta came out with his blood tights so maybe i was right the first time actually dante martin's avoidance flipmoves against danielson was super cool did excalibur bring up the wrestling observer and someone else went yikes? was that in pipmode or not lmao lmfao is this going to be the signature bcc move where its the three of them beat the hell out of the three opponents

the elite out here in full black funeral attire oh man kyle is going to lose his match isnt he... elite losing streak

wardlow appeared on screen and my friends im watching with yelled

tony khan announcement! i wonder what itll be njpw president! wo-- ADAM COLE...??? RUDE????? LMAO omg he's stealing their thunder!!! gasp! jay white! i suppose he is finally free after fighting all his wrestledads in impact(?). i only have a very surface level knowledge of this guy gathered by tumblr osmosis but i like the cut of his evil jib.

mjf is here! shawn spears is throwing popcorn on people-- THE TWO OF THEM ARE MAKING A MESS he still has the handcuffs on. cool. whatever i am unphased (lying) *looks at the corner graphic* oh no sammy and tay are showing up today??? ough hmm wardlow fought the blade in a solos match a while back when he was building up his streak right straps: down. nips: unleashed powerbombs! live mjf reaction yea wooo!!! get them wardlow!!!! am i really going to be graced with handcuff bits? every week for as long as this wardlow bit is going on? wow. awesome. this show gives me so much

eddie promo!!!!! yesssss :)c

i am sitting and watching this kyle vs jungle boy match but i have to admit these two are not guys i particularly focus on. actually now that i think about it, it IS weird seeing these two tag guys do a solo match against each other... im glad kyle doesnt spray tan. or at least doesnt look like it. refreshing wow??? kyle won??????? i wasnt expecting that oh hes going up against samoa joe next. rip kyle omg its cage

mjf promo time lmfao shawn spears is serenading his chair i love mjf insanity hours. may your empire crumble there was something else i wanted to say here but i forgot it

hook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i want to see what happens here. will danhausen show up? what the fuck is his hair right now oh! its one of the workhorse men yay danhausen! danhausen on TV!!!!! proud for him DANHAUSEN YOURE CHALLENGING HOOK??? SPICY danhausen and hook are real opposites and i am entertained. this is probably an annoying segment to read for danhausen dislikers. sorry. i am a fan of his weird energy

i hope scorpio sky gets that belt back. but also this promo explains why im going to see sammy and tay later i suppose

nyla rose vs thunder rosa promos...

oh here they are... sammy and tay. i can tolerate them on their own (them being a pda couple is funny on an ironic level) but i can't handle them AND danbert at the same time. ethan goin' off oh dang please end this feud this combo is too much for me

house of black time! wow we're in real promo hours right now i laughed at the "narrative" line i have to say also i dont know who theyre talking about-- is it fuego

lmfao dmd literally brought legit sports guys with her? lmao? (sleeping emojis) oh wait i can pull up the emoji keyboard hold on.😴

serene deeb hikaru shida! oooo ooooo streetfight!!!! ooooooo!

excalibur nailing this insane promo match list marathon. standing ovation for this man

coffin match coffin match that skateboard hit was really loud!! oh no! not that fan's sign! OH ITS STING!!!! i love this bit. i fall for it every time wow this is turning into a darby and sting vs ahfo tornado tag aint it NO GRANDPA THATS TOO HIGH!!!! i appreciate how the steel chair is the perfect size to wedge in between the ring ropes. real frog on a lilypad type stuff right there oh my god!!! jose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! cool ending

[franeridart]

Can we also talk about how Bakugou went from "weird haired guy" to "Kirishima. Change of plans". Oh man I didn't realize how much I missed the anime *cries*

BOI CAN’T WE I just spent the whole morning crying over seeing the moment Bakugou recognizes Kirishima as an equal animated nbd at all r i p me - I think this might be the first time Bakugou calls anyone by their name, actually, and I just!!! that’s because Bakugou heard Kirishima’s words and recognized him as a good partner and a worthy hero and someone whom he could respect and I’m gonna be grateful for chapter 133 for the insight on this for the rest of my always I !!!!!! have feelings g a h

Anon said:ok ok ok ok but but listen what about BAKGOU AND OCHAKO they are the most popular couple and the most cutest , i think you should try to draw them once i would love love to see this !!! of course just if you want hehe thanx

Ahhh sorry anon but I really don’t ship that - I mean, it’s true that I ship Bakugou with a bunch of people aside from my main two, but if they’re part of Deku’s group you can fairly assume they’re not between my Bakugou ships? And I only romantically ship Uraraka with Deku, Tsuyu and Iida anyway so! You’re probably not gonna see any romantic baku/ocha from me, sorry o

Anon said:Since we know what Bakugou’s parents are like, what do you think Kirishima’s parents are like?

I have a similar ask somewhere asking about Kaminari’s parents as well, so I guess I’ll answer both here?? As a general rule I don’t really like making headcanons over stuff I’m sure the manga will give me in the future, so I can’t say I’ve thought about this too much - there are a few things I work under the assumption of while drawing, like for example I’m taking for granted they both have at least functional families, considering Aizawa personally visited their homes to ask their guardians about allowing them back to school, and if anything had been weird he would have noticed

I like to think Kaminari got his quirk straight from one of his two parents with no mixing happening, and got the Kaminari surname from them as well, but that’s all I ever allowed myself to settle on as far as Kami’s family goes, everything else changes based on what I need for the current scenario I’m thinking about… I do often end back on him being an only child, though - in the same way depending on how angst or lighthearted I want it to be my ideas for Kirishima’s family change a lot, but generally I think I mostly fall back on the idea of him having a big family? In a scenario like that his parents are kind and love him a lot, but having many children and needing to split their attention on all of them might cause them to overlook him a little (it would explain his obsession with being flashy, for me) then again, who knows? I don’t know how canon you can consider the infos SMASH gives, but in one of the strips Kiri mentions working part-time, and the fact that he doesn’t seem to have problems with money kinda makes me believe he might be independent from his family like that (unless he’s a rich kid, also very entertaining as a possiblity)

I’ve seen a lot of headcanons floating around about both of these guys’ families and possibly being related to villains, that would be cool too, though I’m not sure how much I believe it

I’m sorry this ended up being little to no useful at all lol as I said, I just shift between scenarios a lot - imagine settling on one and growing attached and then having to let it go once Hori proves it wrong, that’d be terrible for me

Anon said:Oh my god…we had a black cat called nitro !! He was super affectionate and high strung. Thanks for reminding me of him. great art as always !!!

You’re!!! the second person telling me they have/had a cat called that!!!! °O° is it a popular name for cats? I just called her that for Baku’s quirk tbh hahaha

Anon said:I would L.O.V.E to do a BNHA art collab with you my lord!

BOI THAT’S FLATTERING!!!!!! I’ve never done collabs before though, so I dunno if I’m comfortable with this? I’ll !!! have to think about it!

Anon said:Not only is your art adorable but how much you babble on in the tags is absolutely precious, you’re like a sunshine who always brightens up the day just by being yourself!

Way to make me blush anon oh my g o d!!!!!! I’m??? glad I can make you smile with my incoherent blabbering??? It’s super nice to know because tbh I just have way too much to say about everything hahaha (read: I dunno how to shut up. ever. rip)

Anon said:I just wanted to say your asks posts and doodles and literally just your whole blog in general brightens up my day so much no matter how sucky it’s been. I had a rough day today but the first thing I saw when I got on tumblr was one of your bakugou drawings and it made me smile when nothing else that day did and I just wanted you to know that. Also you seem like one of the most honest and heartwarming people ever. I hope you have a good weekend. ❤️

gODS what’s up with you guys trying so hard to make me a smiling and blushing mess here aaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!! thank?? you???? I’m really, really, really happy I could make you smile!!! That’s the reason why I post my stuff to begin with, knowing I could help you even just a little bit means a lot!!!

Anon said:I’m really sorry if I reposted anything!!!!! Its truly out of habit….😌 But really, I’m sorry. (By the way, your art is amazing!!)

Thank you!! And as long as you took down whatever you reposted, your apology is more than accepted! Thank you for being understanding! But that kind of habit is something you should really grow out of, anon - for most artists, if they wanted their art on other websites they would post it themselves, and as long as it’s about sharing it here on tumblr a reblog is more than good enough! It’s nice of you to want to share my things, and I’m happy you like my stuff enough to want more people to see it, but since I don’t have accounts anywhere else on the internet I don’t really want my stuff there either - a link back to the original post would suffice if all you want is share, wouldn’t it? 

About this, thank you so much to all the super nice people telling me they’re sorry about my stuff being reposted! There’s a lot of you and posting all the asks here would make this post insanely long, but know that I read all of them and I appreciate every word! To those mentioning they do tell people to take my stuff down when they notice it being reposted, thank you so so so so much, and to those worrying I might stop posting, for now that’s still not going to happen - I might reduce the amount of stuff I post for specific fandoms or ships, but I love it all too much and I love sharing my love for them too much to just stop. And thank you for all the nice words and compliments too, you’re all so kind to me !!!!

Anon said:I don’t know if you’re familiar with Dave and Buster’s (it’s a big arcade/restaurant for mainly adults) but I went the other day and all I could think about was “holy shit, Kuroo, Bokuto, and Terushima would have the time of their lives here” anyway, just thought I’d share that with you since I know you ship them as well cx

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we don’t have those in Italy so I can’t say I am, but this sounds interesting and if it’s bo kuro and teru I’m always up for hearing more! What kind of place is it? How does it work?? *O*

Anon said:Not a question or anything but I just found your blog and it is so nice??? Like all your art is amazing and you’ve made bakushimanari my ot3 and you bakusquad doodles are just perfect too. Just thank you for existing and your art and ideas just give me life. That’s all

THANK YOU OH MY GODS!!!!!!!!!! I’m so so so happy you like my squad stuff?? Lately they’re the most entertaining thing to draw tbh, I’m glad there’s actually people who like all the silliness hahaha I wish you the best weekend, anon, I know this ask just made mine, tbh!!

Anon said:LMAO when did Allen strip I don’t remember that

It’s in an extra! God I can’t remember what they were talking about so I can’t find it, I’ve been trying to since I got this ask (if??? anyone knows??? that’d be much appreciated???) but anyway they were hosting something? It might have been a character poll or something similar but I’m not sure, and Allen was The Host™ and at some point he started stripping and talking about added prices for it and if I remember right Reever and/or Johnny might have started crying for his forever lost and now non-existent innocence (was that a pun? possibly)

Anon said:OMG!!! I get so excited every time I see you posted something and now you just !!! uploaded !!!! all !!!! these !!!! BAKUGOU !!!! BIRTHDAY !!!!! COMICS !!!! AND !!!! I !!!!! AM !!!!! SO !!!! HAPPY !!!!!! (and they are all so adorable!!)

I’M GLAD YOU LIKED THEM HOLY SMOKES!!!!!!! Every time I post so much all together I always worry it’s too much haha I’m sorry for clogging all your dashboards now and again rip

Anon said:I was so excited this chapter of bnha because I thought we’d finally learn Kirishima, my babies, backstory but then we didn’t and now I’m sad (im still holding out for him having met/seen Bakugou in middle school for some reason and being inspired or something).

That’s tbh a good headcanon I’ve seen around now and again, and until Horikoshi will finally stop holding back all the Kiri infos you!!! keep on doing your thing!!!! he for sure already knew of him because everyone did thanks to the sludge incident, so why the heck not 

(I can’t say I share the hc though, since until they fought together during the USJ attack Kirishima did think of Bakugou’s quirk as Everything He Ever Wanted™, but he didn’t seem to be much into Bakugou himself? I dunno I dunno Kiri’s very gay and got around to sticking to Bakugou like glue in something like fifteen chapters I can’t say we saw much of how he used to think of him before deciding he wanted to marry him lmao)

Anon said:I love Kirishima so much it’s genuinely confusing, like this boy is literally sunshine and I want him to be happy with his explody bf. The latest chapters gave me life because he is shining and I want the world to love him like I love him. Your art of him is beautiful and the best thing ever.

BOY THANK YOU!!!! I’m glad I can do him justice in your opinion? He’s SO MUCH and SO BRIGHT !!!!!!!!!! It’s kind of hard, making him just as good as he is in canon, but that’s cause he’s perfect how is he that perfect how does he even do that I 100% share all of your confusion anon when did I even fall this hard for that child

Anon said:I’m most into the voltron fandom tonight so if I followed every blog that was suggested I would be burried in more discourse than I can handle lmao so I will just try to dig through tags to find weeks

……that’s really one messy fandom you decided to stick with, anon, I admire your strength - but!!! as far as ship weeks go, since the voltron fandom is pretty huge maybe there might be a blog dedicated specifically to letting you know when fandom events are supposed to happen! You should try digging around for that!!!