#(glares at killer and dust. dust simply looks off to the side (not paying attention) and killer slightly smiles bigger (creep))

[triglycercule]

horror's jacket fluff has probably accumulated so much DISGUSTINGNESS over 7 years in it that it's managed to acquire it's own signature Dog Smell (TM). however i think this would be a prime opportunity to pet him and then get some of that disgusting smell on you because for some reasons Dog Smell is just unavoidable when you pet a dog with a lot of hair

he'd hate it but awww awww whos a good boy (ﾉ´∀｀*) whos a good boy (*≧∪≦) YOU ARE!!! awww so cute you didn't commit all those murders against innocent people you were innocent (￣▽￣)／ such a good boy!!!! (gets beheaded) (he got too embarrassed)

[its-ya-boi-autumn]

Alright look-

My little Cells At Work phase is likely going to be short-lived and I'm probably only going to manage to get 2 or 3 works out before it ends but I'll still add it to the Masterlist, though I'm not so sure of making its own section rather than just putting like "Other Animes" or like "Phases", I don't know just yet, but I'll figure it out.

Requests for this anime are also accepted for whenever, even after the phase passes I'll still write for this one~ Though I'm not so sure about smut because, well, they're cells, and they're asexual. I just find it strange and out of pocket since they're not necessarily 'human' (I have nothing against like mythical creatures or folk lore/legends and sexual content, I just think cells are different, it'll depend on my mood I suppose)

In the meantime have some neutrophil 1146 content because I was gonna write some killer t stuff but decided it would be best to start with someone easier (plus 1146 is the reason for this whole thing in the first place)

Word Count: 1455

Warnings/Contents: RBC!+GN!reader

This was the day you dreaded. The thought of carrying carbon dioxide through the heart to gather oxygen had been crossing your mind for ages, your superior warning you of the difficulties you may encounter. Though your concern wasn't getting lost or any sort of infection. It was simply other cells. You'd think being a red blood cell, you'd get used to all of the other cells around you. That wasn't quite the case however, still feeling anxious around large groups of cells you'd never met, which of course was often. This left you in a state of constant alertness, ready to move or take cover at given moment.

You continued staring at the map in front of you, wasting time. Though you couldn't wait much longer. Sighing, you folded your map up and scrunched it into your pocket along with your notes. You rolled your cart forward towards the inferior vena cava, trying to use some grounding to calm yourself. Your superior warned you of the crowdedness of the area beforehand so you'd be somewhat prepared.

Before entering though you figured getting some sort of energy would probably be best. You hadn't even been through the first trek and you were already exhausted by just the thought of having to transfer through just the first wave. There was a little vending machine nearby, you could probably get some glucose before the trip no problem.

Standing in front of the menu presented in bright lighting you browsed your options for a minute before just choosing the cheapest option. The pink and purple swirls caught your eye. You gave the vending machine its exchange before the glucose fell into the slot. As you bent down to pick it up however, someone bumped into your behind.

Upon the contact you immediately stumbled over, falling onto your hip with a pang of an ache shooting through your side.

"Ouch! Hey watch where you're-" you looked up at the perpetrator only to be met with a plane of white. His skin, his hair, even his combat gear, was all stark white.

"-going..." you trailed off, taken aback at the sight of him. He was unfamiliar, you'd never seen him before nor anyone like him. The grey shadows of his hair shaded the light blush on his cheeks.

"Oh, my bad." he said, reaching a gloved hand out to you. You took it, allowing him to haul you up and back onto your feet. You caught a glimpse of his hat. White Blood Cell 1146. You blinked a few times, the embarrassment and anxiety setting in.

"Yeah... It's alright though, I probably should of made sure no one was behind me before just bending down." you averted your gaze, eyes back onto the glucose still sitting patiently in the slot. I checked behind you again before reaching down to grab it.

"No, really, I should of been paying more attention." he refuted your response, tipping his hat to you a little likely to hide the pink on his face. A part of you felt kind of bad for nearly yelling at him, though he was right. It was totally his fault. You sighed, unwrapping the glucose and taking a few bites. The cold rang through your teeth though it was refreshing, replenishing your energy a lot more than you initially expected.

"Look, I told you, it's fine. Just be careful is all. I've got a delivery to make now so if you don't mind I'm pretty sure you're in my way. Please excuse me." you hadn't meant to come off so rude, though you really needed to get going. You were sure it didn't matter anyway, you likely wouldn't see him again. Pushing past him you carted your carbon dioxide out to the inferior vena cava. You could feel his eyes on you, though you didn't bother turning to meet them.

~

A little later on, after exchanging your carbon dioxide for that of oxygen, you made your way back around the heart to deliver it, finally done for a little while and able to catch a break. Your own heart was racing, your fingertips and toes throbbing with the adrenaline of being around so many other cells at once. You caught sight of the platelets heaving and ho-ing around the corner. You smiled, deciding to see what was going on.

"This vessel is currently under construction! Sorry about the inconvenience!" the little girl waving her flag announced to the other nearby cells, alerting them of their work.

"Hello little platelet! What's going on?" you asked, kneeling down to meet her eyes. She stopped waving her flag and gave you a smile.

"There was a minor abrasion a little bit ago, we're fixing it up though, so it should be good as new in no time!" she spoke excitedly, emphasizing her enthusiasm with a little hop and a toothy grin. You found this adorable, standing back to full height." Hopefully everything runs smoothly, see ya~" you gave her a wave, which she returned. You couldn't help yourself when it came to platelets. They were just so cute and they always worked so hard. You knew you did your part as well, though sometimes it didn't feel as good as theirs.

You heard a sound, a sort of rumbling from somewhere to your left. Your brows knit together, confusion scattering your previous thoughts. You turned your attention to the ground, the rubble bouncing around the tiles. You took a few steps back as you felt the ground shift below you. The sound made its way over to where you stood, directly in front of you. Other cells around you had begun to notice as well, their attention all on where you stood. Stunned, you continued to step backwards, not wanting to face whatever it was. Your eyes widened as the ground started to give, feeling the lurch downward.

Just as the floor cracked right under your feet and you sucked in a breath to scream out for help, you felt a force collide with your left side, shoving you to the right just in time for the ground to sink into a wide opening. The mouth of the hole gaped at you, scrambling to get up. You didn't even think to say thank you to whoever had saved your life, slightly feeling bad for not checking to see who it was. Though you didn't much care since they likely wouldn't of listened to you. Almost immediately, entities you'd never seen before started floating into the area. They're eyes scanned over their new surroundings, landing directly onto you.

"Ah, what have we here? A little red blood cell all cooped up in the arms of their savior?" the entity chuckled, it's voice possessing a feminine twinge to it. Its figure was covered in yellowish grape-like coating except for its hands, arms, and face. It had mentioned a savior. You turned your head up to notice the same white blood cell from earlier, glaring up at the germ.

"Oh- white blood cell-" he dropped you before you could finish, your head colliding with the tiles on the ground. You would have complained though you noticed him beelining directly for the entity, immediately slashing through it's body. Your eyes grew wide in shock, watching it's blood splatter across the other cells and the tiles in front of you. The white blood cell turned to face you, walking over to you as if he hadn't just murdered whatever that thing was.

"Hello again, are you alright?" he asked, his hand outstretched to you. You tsked, swatting his hand away and getting back up onto your own feet, brushing the dust off of your pants. Your hands set firm on your hips, brows knitted up at him.

"I'm fine, thank you." your harsh words threw him off guard. The white blood cells' cheeks flushed in embarrassment. You were being brash again, and in front of a large group of others after he had just saved you. Your expression softened and you sighed.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to come off rude sir." you rubbed the back of your neck, soothing the annoying ache of guilt. He drooped his head, avoiding eye contact.

"It's alright, I didn't really expect you to thank me. I did push you over twice today." he mentioned the event from earlier, cheeks blushing harder.

"Hey, it's alright. You were just doing your job. No hard feelings." you admitted, offering him a hand as some sort of awkward reassurance. He took it, his hands larger than yours and covering the majority of your palm. A smile crossed his face in appreciation of the gesture.

"Glad you don't have any negative feelings towards me then."

[gamergirl929]

Think Fast (Emily Sonnett x Reader)

@heathtobination​ Request: USWNT x reader with maybe mal or Emily x reader as well where reader has these killer reflexes and the younger members keep throwing crap at her to see if she’ll like catch it and someone throws an actual kick or something when the reader is heavily distracted and hits her in the face or something?

“THINK FAST!” You hear Sonnett shout and your hand snaps up, stopping the bit of napkin that Emily had thrown across the table at you.  

You give Sonnett a cocky smirk, the blonde rolling her eyes with a huff.  

“One of these days Y/N...” Sonnett shakes her finger at you, eyes narrowed. “I will, hit you with something, I swear it.”  

“Let’s hope it isn’t a car.” Mallory says as she flops into the seat next to you and your eyes widen as you stare at Sonnett who grins maliciously.

“No.” You point at her and she smirks.  

“We’ll see about that.”  

You smirk when you see Kelley, Christen, Tobin and Alex approaching the table. 

“Chris, Kel, Emily said she was going to run me over with a car.” You pout and Emily’s eyes widen.  

“You’re such an assh-

Emily is cut off when Kelley smacks her in the back of the head, quickly followed by another slap from Christen.  

“Hey!” Emily shouts when Tobin too smacks her, the woman’s hazel eyes narrowed.  

“Why did YOU hit me!?” She exclaims and Tobin shrugs.  

“Because the cool kids are doing it.” Megan says as she gives Sonnett’s forehead a flick.  

Meanwhile across the table, you’re basically dying, tears streaming down your face as you laugh.  

“Shut up.” Emily growls, throwing a bit of toast across the table at you, that you quickly dodge.  

“Damn it.” She grumbles and you grin.  

“It’s going to take a lot more than that to get me Sonnett.”  

                                                           ***

“THINK FAST!”  

You duck, the soccer ball completely zooming over your head and you grin, your tongue trapped between your teeth.  

“Son of a bitch.” Sonnett mumbles and you snort, kicking the black and white ball at her.  

“THINK FAST!” You shout but the ball smacks Sonnett in the side of the head before she can even turn to look at you.  

“DAMN IT!” She yells grabbing her head and you snort, the other younger members of the team laughing, some dropping down onto the field, as they howl with laughter.  

Sonnett’s bottom lip juts out in a pout and you sigh, jogging over to her and gently cupping her cheek.  

“You okay?” You ask, noticing the slight flush of her cheeks and she nods rapidly, swallowing hard.  

“YEP!” She yells, her voice an octave higher.  

Your eyes widen, brows arching as you shake your head, swiping your thumb across her red cheek.  

“If you say so.”  

Unbeknownst to you, a number of the players are laughing, not because of Emily getting hit by a soccer ball, but because your obliviousness knows no bounds.  

                                                           ***

“THINK FAST!”  

Emily lets out a lengthy groan when you catch the ice cube she’d just thrown at you from across your hotel room.  

“Gotta do better than that sweetheart.” You wink and Sonnett rolls her eyes, cheeks dusted pink.  

“Yeah, yeah.” She grumbles, as she flops onto the bed beside Lindsey, Rose and Sam, meanwhile you flop down in your bed beside Mallory.  

“You ever going to learn?” Lindsey asks and Rose giggles.  

“She never will.”  

Mallory stretches, snuggling into your side with a squeaky yawn.  

“You’re never going to get one over on Y/N, Son.” The brunette smiles and you shake your head as she snuggles into your shoulder.  

Meanwhile, across the room, Sonnett’s bottom lip is jutted out slightly, but not enough for anyone to notice, or so she thinks.  

Lindsey shakes her head as she wraps her arms around her best friend, the woman leaning back against her.

Your brow furrows as you glance across the room, a knot forming in your chest, something that surprisingly feels like jealousy.  

You shake your head, turning back to the TV, but you can’t help the way your eyes dart to Lindsey and Sonnett every few minutes.  

There’s no way you could be falling for dorky, mildly irritating Emily Sonnett...  

Right?

                                                           ***

Halftime.  

It’s halftime during the game against Thailand when Emily Sonnett makes her move.  

It just so happen you were talking to Mallory, the two of you laughing at something the shorter brunette had just said.  

Later, Sonnett would admit that a bit of what she was about to do was fueled by jealousy, but of course, that wasn’t right now, because right now Sonnett was grinning mischievously.  

“THINK FAST!” She yells and your eyes widen.  

Emily gives the soccer ball at her feet a kick, just as you turn around, giving you only a second or two to react.  

Unfortunately for you, a second is far from enough time for you to react and it smacks you right in the face with a crunch.  

You double over, grabbing your nose and Emily’s eyes go as wide as saucers as she runs over to you, kneeling down in front of you.  

“Y/N! I’m so sorry!”  

Mallory is also at your side, a hand on your back as she sends Sonnett an angry glare.  

“Jesus!” Mallory exclaims when you pull your hands away from your nose, revealing the extent of your injury, blood pouring from your nostrils, the flesh of your nose already bruising.  

“Oh shit.” Emily whispers when she sees the usually straight part of your nose is slightly curved, jutting out on one side.  

“Is it that bad...?” You ask and Emily grimaces as she cups your cheeks.  

“Let’s get you inside...” She frowns and you move to your feet, teeth gritted as Mallory hands you a random towel to put on your bleeding nose.  

“Keep your head tilted back.” Christen says as she guides you towards the locker room, green orbs narrowing as she glares at Sonnett.  

“I didn’t mean to!” She pouts and you shake your head when you hear a smack, knowing that Christen had smacked her upside the head.  

Another smack though has your brow furrowing, that is until you hear Kelley’s voice.  

“Seriously? You had to break her nose?”  

                                                           ***

“FUCKKK!” You scream loudly as the team’s medic snaps your nose back into place, your eyes watering as you blink rapidly.  

From outside the door Emily winces, running her hands down her face.  

“I am so sorry Y/N!” She yells through the door and you shake your head with a small smile.  

The medic pulls the door open and Emily immediately runs inside, hazel orbs staring at your bruised and bloody nose.  

“Looks like you got me Sonny.” You grin and she shakes her head.  

“I didn’t want to hurt you.” She frowns and you give her a soft smile.  

“It’s okay.”  

Emily shrugs, jumping up to sit on the bed beside you.  

“I mean, you do look better...” She winks and you roll your eyes.  

“You know I was a snack before this, admit it.”  

Emily’s cheeks flush and you turn to her, brows furrowed.  

“Are you alright?” You ask, head cocked to one side and Emily swallows hard.  

“Think fast.” She says and your eyes widen.  

“Please don’t throw anything at m-

You’re cut off when suddenly, Emily surges forwards, her lips pressing gently against your own.  

Before you can reciprocate, Emily pulls back and jumps off the trainer’s bed, running out the door just as Mallory pushes it open, alongside Kelley and Christen.  

“What was that about?” Mallory asks and you shake your head, mouth hanging open.  

“I-I don’t know.”  

                                                           ***

After much convincing, Vlatko lets you back on the field for the second half, though this time wearing a nose guard, which makes the fans and Thailand players look at you curiously, wondering what exactly had happened in the little span of time between the first half and second half of the game.  

Emily had avoided you like the plague, meaning that the kiss the two of you had shared hadn’t really been discussed, and needless to say, you were ready to discuss it...  

Well more than discuss it, maybe you could put your mouth to better use.  

You clear your throat when the whistle blows you cheeks flushed red as you dart downfield.  

“Eye on the ball, stop thinking about kissing Emily.” You whisper under your breath, but you can’t help but again, think of how the woman’s lips had felt against your own.  

                                                           ***

The usual, bubbly and silly Sonnett had been quiet as the game went on, much to her teammate’s worry.  

“Is she alright?” Megan whispers to Tobin who shrugs.  

“I have no idea, I’m not use to her being this quiet.”  

Lindsey nods rapidly.  

“Yeah, it’s freaking me out.”  

Meanwhile, Emily’s hazel orbs haven’t left your running form, the ball now at your feet, though the woman can’t pay any attention to the game, considering her mind is racing with thoughts of the earlier kiss between the two of you.

“More like I kissed her...” She whispers sadly under her breath, remembering the way your lips stilled when she’d pressed her lips against yours.  

Emily is so zoned out in fact, she doesn’t realize that her teammates had moved to their feet, clapping as you run in on goal.  

Emily’s cheer is the loudest when the ball sinks into the net and you throw your hands up, your teammates careful not to bump your injured nose.  

You turn to the bench, grinning when you see Emily standing up and cheering along with your teammates, your heart skipping a beat when your gaze falls to her lips.  

You clear your throat and dart downfield to finish out the game.  

                                                           ***

Your goal ends up being the last of the game, the whistle blowing a short time later.  

The first thing you do is rip the annoying nose guard off your face and the second thing you do is make your way towards the bench, towards the woman who’d been on your mind the entire game.  

Emily’s hazel orbs widen when she sees you approaching, swallowing hard when you eventually stop in front of her.  

“Think fast.” You whisper and Emily’s brows furrow, eyes narrowing as she cocks her head to the side.  

“What do you me-

You cut her off much like she’d cut you off earlier, with a kiss.  

Emily inhales sharply, but immediately reciprocates, kissing you like she’d wanted to in the locker room, like she’d wanted to for so long.  

“FUCKING FINALLY!” You hear Mallory scream, you and Emily pulling apart with a snort.  

“LANGUAGE!” Christen and Tobin shout at the young forward who simply shrugs.  

You lean your forehead against Emily’s with a beaming smile, your grin widening when she pulls back and places the gentlest of kisses to the tip of your nose.  

“Please don’t throw anything else at me for a while.” You frown and Emily shrugs.  

“We’ll have to see about that.”  

Your eyes flutter shut and Emily grins mischievously.  

“THINK FAST!” She yells and your eyes flash open, though instead of getting pelted in the head with something like you’d expected, her lips press gently against your own.  

If this was what would happen every time Emily said think fast, you think you could deal with that.  

[mochuelovelli]

A comic idea I had before my pen died

So this was inspired by the Louie's Trauma post which I highly recommend reading. Hopefully I won't delete this later and will find the user who posted that. I'll probably come back to edit this when it isn't dark 20 lmao.

"You guys don't get it! We almost DIED today!" Louie barked upon entering the mansion, wiping away the chalky debris from nearly escaping another collapsing ruin. He hacked, trying to dislodge the dust in his nose but only succeeding in further agitating it while the rest of his family started to shake off the powder upon entering the home.

"Well, yeah but we almost die everytime we go on adventures." Huey quipped nonchalantly as he patted out the dirt from his hat before placing it back on his head.

"It's kinda our thing. Its nothing new, man." Dewey chimed before shaking like a wet dog, succeeding only in spraying Webby who ended up sneezing on him.

"Exactly! Don't you realize how insane that is?!" Louie said, ignoring his siblings antics. A few moments pasted as he waited for someone, anyone to say something but the just kept starring and it felt as if his skin was full of worms.

Meanwhile, a certain unlucky duck began to descend down the east wing stairs after deciding to use Scrooge's bath while he was out adventuring again. Upon hearing Louie continue he stopped and hid behind the suit of armour to remain out sight for the time being.

"Stop looking at me like that! I shouldn't be crazy for wanting my family and I to not get axed!" He exclaimed, causing the groups eyes to collectively widen before Della rushed out an excuse.

"Louie we are just a little confused, that's all. Why now? What was worse about this adventure than anything else we've done before?" Her voice found stability half way through but it also increased in tension though she looked more conflicted than upset. At least not upset with him.

"Nothing! But that's the point! It's the normalcy, it's the sheer number of times someone has been almost eaten by a chimera or accidentally released an ancient curse or having to break into some facility to save us or gets lost-!" At each example, the youngest triplet locked eyes with the other kids who were the cause of that particular excursion. Only holding back when he caught his mother's gaze. One which was a mix of regret and expectance in the most empty way possible. This was new. She had never given him that kind of stare before, not when she grounded him, not when he was revealed to be working with Glomgold, and not even when he decided to keep all of Scrooge's money.

And it felt so much worse.

"It's not fair, that I'm the only one that feels like they're drowning because I can't keep my head above water like the rest of you!!" He yelled out with a wave of his arms as he tried to turn his attention back to the others. He was also struggling to keep the tears that suddenly began to well up in his eyes from falling. Scrooge, who had creeped back farther towards the entrance began to hesitantly walk forward.

"Oh, lad that's not true-" he began as gently as his voice would allow before he was interrupted by his nephew's cry of anguish.

"THEN YOU AREN'T PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT'S HAPPENING!" The boy in green screamed at the top of his lungs, so loud that Huey actually stepped back and covered his ears.

"See here young man, don't raise your voice and interrupt you uncle when he is trying to talk to you." Mrs. Beakley scolded as she placed her hands on her hips, though her glare didn't deter the little duck.

"Grrrr-I DON'T CARE!!" He cried, waving his arms before gripping his feathers and pulling hard. At the sight, Beakley along with the other adults, began to worry.

"Louie, please let's just calm down and talk it out I know you'll feel better-" Della tried again, this time sounding a little more desperate and emotional. However, she was yet again cut off by her third son as he redirected his wrath back at her.

"No!! You don't know me! You don't understand how much it hurts to never stop worrying that you and everyone you love might be snuffed out. You guys aren't real I..." He was practically seething that he again lost steam half way through.

How pathetic, he thought, I can't even be properly mad without breaking down crying.

"Maybe you're right," he let out a humorless laugh as he sunk further into the depths of his worn hoodie. It stank of debris, sweat and possibly bug guts but he tried not to think about it.

"It does sound funny when I say it out loud. A duckling drowning because he can't swim in a puddle. How ironic."

"You caught me! I'm a liar and a cheat! Somehow! Somehow after being raised along side two great brothers and by a dutiful uncle for ten years then suddenly finding out you're related to the best treasurer hunter and richest duck in the world! I made so many new friends, had fun expanding my "business" beyond sneaking soda at Funzone's! I got my mom back! I shouldn't want anything! I don't need anything but yet it's never been enough for me ever! You know who else is like that? Glomgold! The Beagles!Don Karnage! Mark Beaks! Magica! Lunaris! They all take and take and take because they don't know how not to!" For several heart beats, nothing but the sound of the combined sniffles of mother and son could be heard within the halls of McDuck manor. Not a soul, living or otherwise, stirred for six whole seconds until Louie kicked a rare dust bunny; something Duckworth would manage to tease Mrs. Beakley about for the rest of the week if she doesn't figure out how cast him back to the underworld before then. Which most likely won't happen.

"Let's face it, how things go around here... I never stopped being the bad guy." Louie did his best to compose himself again by wiping his bill with his sleeve, ignoring the taste of black licorice that was probably the remaining guts of Killer Bugs of Malaysia stuck in his hoodie.

"That is not true!" Della denied wholeheartedly, refusing to let her son believe he would become anything like those urchins. Especially Lunaris. Despite her cry, however, the duckling simply wrapped his arms around himself tightly before marching upstairs.

"I'm going to my room, please don't follow me." He pleaded meekly as the remaining children tried to follow him up but were stopped but Scrooges cane.

"Louie..." Webby called out as she watched him disappear upstairs, only when he did Scrooge put down his cane and held it firmly out in front of him with a stoney expression.

"I didn't know he felt that way..." The duck in pink whispered out as she clasped her hands together.

"Me neither, I feel like such a jerk!" Dewey agreed dejectedly before turning to his brother who had been mumbling something since Louie began to walk up the stairs.

"I should've known something was wrong earlier, I'm the eldest it's my responsibility to look after you guys." He said clearly with folded arms placed under his arms.

"No children, don't blame yourselves for this. It's not your responsibility." Mrs. Beakley reassured as she knelt down to place a hand on Webby's and Huey's shoulder.

"But granny we're his family, it's our job to look after each other. We could have at least told someone about it if we had known." The spy's granddaughter argued, rejecting that they didn't have any fault in whatever happened to Louie.

"No, Mrs. Beakley is right it shouldn't..." Della was once again interrupted, this time actually annoyed as it seemed that something metal had fallen to the ground. In fact, the entire suit of armour including the left over air-horns and one very unfortunate sailor had fallen down the steps.

"Donald?" His twin questioned in some exhaustion as she and the kids were quick to run over and help him out of the pile of laid onto of him.

"Why were those things still in there?!" He groaned kicking one of the cans hard enough to cause it to go off again and making him fall back over the suit. The Duck family rolled their eyes and picked him up again, this time making sure he couldn't slip again.

"Why were you hiding behind the suit of armour?" Della countered while also swearing she had gotten rid of those air-horns months ago.

"And why were you upstairs?" Scrooge asked with some suspicion as Donald only coughed and turned towards his sister.

"I didn't want to barge in when you guys were clearly trying to talk with him but I didn't want to leave because of what was happening." Whatever levity Donald temporarily brought to the situation vanished as Della gave her brother a regretful stare that was ever as bitter and confused as she felt.

"I can talk to him if you'd like." He offered with a slight gesture to the west wing which gave her an excuse to look somewhere else.

"I overheard pretty much everything and if any of us is equipped to handle being stressed out about our "family outings" it would be me." Donald continued in a rare moment of confidence that took back the rest of the family, all except Della and Mrs. Beakley, the last of which was a little surprised to hear it again regardless.

Della only took a moment before she turned back to Donald with a sad smile on her face.

"Thanks, Don."

To be continued

[meowthatimclean]

Write Off Wednesday: Stranger

A/N: Hi enjoy some shadow hunter fan fiction (this is based on the books not the tv show. If I ever base it on the tv show feel free to shoot me)

The boy with the blue hair grinned as he was allowed access to Pandemonium, the current hotspot for young adults surprising given most people only visited once. He smirked realising he had everything to do with that. It had been weeks since the Shadowhunters had turned up and tried to kill him and he’d been trying to lay low lest to not alert them to the fact he was still alive. Though looking out into the crowd it appeared he hadn’t been too successful: there, dressed in a fraying t-shirt and jeans stood the fiery red-head who’d inadvertently saved his life. She stood in the throng of sweaty people barely dressed and in some kind of monster getup, looking around widely. Before he could even think about it he was marching over, grabbing her arm and towing her gently into the storage cupboard where she’d witnessed him die. He expected her to struggle when she realised a demon was towing her into a private room but she didn’t, she just continued to look bewildered.

“What are you doing here again?” he asked and then took a large step backwards as he realised that she was friends with Shadowhunters and this very much could be a trap.

“Where is Simon? What have you done with him?” She demanded, glaring at him with her arms crossed sternly. He struggled to marry the image in front of him with the lost looking girl in the middle of the dance floor.

“What, because I’m a demon it had to be me? For your information, I don’t like my men unaware of what I am,” Clary’s eyes narrowed at his blatant disregard for her friend but she seemed to believe him as she unfolded her arms and threw them up in exasperation.

“I’ve been looking for him everywhere. He gets kicked out of the institute and just runs all over the city apparently”

“Would you like to take a walk with me?” he asked cutting her off, causing surprise to flicker behind her eyes. Guess it’s not everyday she gets asked to hang out with a demon.

“Just to see if he’s outside I mean,” he added quickly so as to not throw her off and to justify his actions to himself. “You’re clearly not a normal shadowhunter and I can assure you I’m not the only demon here so walking with me will have its benefits,”

“Fine,” she sighed “but only because I might come across Simon,” and with that she’d marched out the room and was weaving through the crowds to get to the exit. She confused him, she was most definitely a shadowhunter no one else could hold a room or incite the icy panic within his gut the way a shadowhunter could. This, however, wasn’t the confusing part. She also incited the warm pull of temptation in the way that a human would. How could a shadowhunter, the very being created to destroy him, tempt in such a way.

Strolling along the street outside the club they both kept their eyes on the masses crowing in the smoking area and queuing to get inside.  The river stretched on to their left as they walked the path beside it. The silence between them was almost comfortable as he looked for a potential fight and she prayed she’d see the familiar face of her friend.

“So… Jace tells me you’re an Eidolon demon, what’s that like?” she asked awkwardly. He wondered why she felt the urge to fill the silence and then wondered if she wasn’t quite as comfortable as she was.

Thus, he explained to her how his shapeshifting worked and why he found himself at pandemonium night after night. He tried to leave out the details of his sadistic lifestyle but Clary read between the lines.

“so you come to pandemonium to eat people?” she asked sounding horrified.

“well when you put it like that I sound evil, I do have some redeeming qualities you know, for one I’m a vegetarian”

“Oh so you don’t eat people?”

“No no I eat people, I just don’t eat meat or anything that comes from an animal,” he explained almost laughing at the expression on her face.

“Look, I appreciate that as a human your mind is clouded and biased, but for me it’s simple. Humans are destroying themselves, I’m simply speeding up the process. My logic is simple: quadrupeds are simply better and I’d rather live amongst them,” he went on to explain. His answer seemed to have stunned her into silence as they didn’t speak again for the rest of their walk.

Drunk teenagers ran by and raised voices surrounded them as they finally completed their loop and arrived at Pandemonium again. She glanced around one last time and he took the opportunity to look over her once again. She really was pretty, not in the angelic way that Isabelle had lured him in with but in a human way. He didn’t have to be cautious around her, or at least he didn’t feel that he had to be but her fierceness squashed his urge to corrupt.

“What’s your name?” she asked him suddenly. He blinked in confusion as he realised no one had ever asked him that before and so he had no answer for her. Normally people were content to know he was an Eidolon demon and that was enough.

“You can just call me stranger,” he smirked and then winked at her as he walked off into the shadows leaving her standing with the streetlights highlighting her.

“Stranger” she repeated to herself as she tried to make sense of her jumbled thoughts. She was fairly certain the presence of a demon was supposed to make her cower in fear or trigger some sort of badass biological urge to murder him. Instead she just felt comfortable as if she could spend days in his presence trying to make sense of him.

****

Clary was awoken to scuffling and clanging outside her door. At quick glance at the clock as she through on a hoodie told her it was barely three in the morning but the dread that filled her provided her with more energy than she’d have liked. Following the commotion, she was led to a part of the institute she’d never ventured into before. Church sat outside the door where the noise seemed to be coming from and he mewled and wound himself around her legs as she approached, the softness of his fur doing little to comfort her. She had no way of knowing but she was certain she wasn’t going to like what lay in wait behind the door. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and took in the situation before her.

The cold stone walls rose high surrounded Clary in a circular room mocking her inability to avoid them. She shivered as a breeze touched her skin and she wished she’d gotten dressed properly before leaving the warmth of her bed. Jace stood in front of her, his golden hair stark against the grey backdrop. She couldn’t help but smile as he met her eyes, they still barely knew each other but he’d become a welcome comfort to her, she always knew he’d be there when she needed him. Tonight, he was dressed all in black: his shadowhunter gear, a sign that Clary should’ve taken as proof she wouldn’t like what happened next.

Behind clary in an iron wrought cage that loomed over the shadowhunters in the room stood, stood the boy with the electric blue hair. He was barely fighting back, just making snide remarks at the warrior guarding him and grinning devilishly when he was rewarded with a reaction from them. Ignoring Jace’s explanation or sounds of protest, Clary strode towards the cage and sat down in front of it.

“Hey stranger,” she joked as he followed suit and sat crossed legged in front of her. She expected him to at least attempt to manipulate her into fighting on his behalf but he didn’t, he simply sat staring.

“Why don’t you try to escape?” she tried again to make conversation and was again rewarded with nothing. Sighing she rose, annoyed with herself for thinking a demon could be different, that he could be more than a ruthless killer, that he could be trusted by a shadowhunter.

“Do you want me to die?” he asked as she was half way across the room. She turned and walked back over to him, mostly to provide herself with more time to think. Not wanting to answer but knowing she must she spoke quietly.

“How many innocent teenagers have you killed?”

Seeing stranger drop the eye contact Clary knew there were too many to count.

“Then I think it’s necessary” she stated. She was suddenly filled with a sense of confidence, as if she would be able to kill the boy herself. She was a shadowhunter after all; it was her duty.

“Clary! I haven’t killed anyone since our walk together two weeks ago. I swear I haven’t. I’ve wanted to but everyone I see has your face and I can’t kill you Clary, I could never kill you. You can trust me just please believe in me,” he begged. She was shocked by this revelation.

“Why are you saying this?” she begged starting to feel distressed now as if his life was entirely in her hands, and she supposed it was.

“Because I need you to understand that not all demons are the way these shadowhunters are going to present them. I have thoughts and convictions too remember, I’m not just a mindless killer. The tide is turning Clary and I need you to decide which side you’re going to be on,” his eyes stared up at her pleading and she realised they were a deep black, as if they were a body of water at night and she could just topple into them without realising.

“We’re different Clary”

She started to reach for him, to run her fingers through his electric blue hair and see if he was really electric. To see if this connection she felt to him would consume her and turn her to dust. She didn’t get there though, no, as she did a gasp left her mouth and she staggered away from the cage as quickly as she could.

Stranger stood, staring blankly at Clary as Jace’s seraph blade protruded through his abdomen. Black ichor poured from the wound and from his mouth as the eyes that bored into Clary gradually lost their focus. She heard herself screaming and felt strong arms pull her to them. She didn’t bother to pay attention to who held her she was too busy struggling to get to Stranger. He’d been nice to her, he’d shown her that Jace was wrong: demons could possess good in the way that warlock and downworlders could. That good didn’t necessarily come from humanity.

She collapsed as he disappeared, as if their stories were more intertwined than either of them knew. She couldn’t help but think as she drifted out of consciousness that his life hadn’t been in her hands after all.

[silverdragon-imagines-blog]

A Glitched Death - Chapter 4 - The Gang

Read it on AO3 here

[Warning for dis-tendril-ment. It’s like dismemberment, but a tentacle/tendril gets cut off instead.]

Error once again found himself in the anti-void covered in dust. He was so tired of losing control of his own body every time he did this, but, according to the voices, it had to be done. However, there was no end to be seen. Ink had continued to create more and more copies, spin-offs, and threats to the entire Multiverse, where it would begin caving in on itself. He was starting to run himself ragged with all the work he was doing, magic levels beginning to protest its overuse.

Error laid down on his back, staring up at the “ceiling” of his home. The endless white was maddening, so he had decided to attempt to “liven the place up” by throwing his strings up so they hung within reach. It was the only real decor he had at the moment, he tried not to question how they managed to hang up there from seemingly nothing, but he had been thinking about maybe hopping into a surface world to try and buy some furniture, maybe even a beanbag chair. He smiled at the thought of owning anything to make the place less barren, less maddeningly white. 

*Looks like Night’s at it again.*

Error furrowed his brow bones in confusion at the voice’s words. Another monster he didn’t know, who was apparently significant since the other voices joined in almost immediately.

*Ink’s fighting him with Dream! Never thought Dream’d muster up the courage to do that.*

*Ah, the King of Darkness. Such a foreboding title for such a small fry.*

*Looks like it’s just him this time. Wonder where his cronies ran off to.*

*ERROR, YOU SHOULD GO FIGHT THEM!*

“SiNcE WHEN HavE I eVeR JoINeD a FiGHt JuSt BecAUse?! ThErE’s LitERaLLy NO ReAsOn fOr Me tO Be ThErE!” Error yelled at the voices, and for once they quieted for a moment. He sighed in relief at the moment of quiet, bringing a hand up to rub his eyes. Then the voice spoke up.

*Reaper is with them.*

Error shot up at that, hands shaking as he opened a window-like portal to see the world they were in. It was immediately apparent that it was an underground timeline, a darkened ceiling with dead and decaying trees scattered about, dusty snow covering the ground. 

‘Must be an Underfell AU,’ Error guessed and was proven correct when he spotted a heavily graffitied “Welcome to Dustdin” sign in the distance. 

The main event, however, was in the center of the town, where an inky black skeleton stood holding the resident Papyrus by the neck with one of his many long black tendrils that sprouted from his back. He was using them to block the attacks Ink made with his brush and paint, while a skeleton in a yellow cape stood nearby with a shiny gold bow and arrow pointed at the two fighting skeletons. Ink seemed very determined to get the other to drop the Papyrus, eyelights switching between various shapes, all of them colored red, though he never moved from his spot, the hostage most likely being the reason. Error couldn’t see Reaper and frantically looked around the scene before him, hoping that he hadn’t gotten involved in the fighting, only to sigh in relief when he spotted him sitting up in a tree a fair distance away, unharmed. 

*You know, for not wanting to ruin anything, you sure do watch your ex a lot.*

*Wonder how long this fight’s gonna last. Ink doesn’t seem to be winning.*

*Not to mention, Nightmare isn’t even breaking a sweat yet.*

Error ignored the voices, choosing to instead watch as Nightmare began to walk back into his own dark void of a portal, the Papyrus in his grasp beginning to notice his potential fate. He began to plead with Nightmare to let him go, that he’d do anything the dark skeleton wanted if he’d just be set free from his hold. Nightmare’s smile grew more and more with each beg and plea, laughing when the poor skeleton monster hanging from his grip began crying in fear. 

That’s when Error saw a shadow moving across the ground, and his gaze immediately snapped back to the tree where Reaper had been, but the god wasn’t there anymore. Hurriedly he tried to locate him again when Error’s gaze returned to the fight at the sound of a gasp and a wet splat from the snowy ground. Nightmare’s hold on the skeleton monster’s neck had been severed easily by Death’s scythe, cold glare and unsettling grin directed at the now wounded dark skeleton, weapon poised to sever his head in a single motion. The Papyrus had crawled away as fast as he could towards the other two skeletons opposite his captor, the yellow cloaked skeleton dropping his bow to turn his attention to him, while Ink held his brush at the ready to continue fighting if need be.

“Are you done yet, false king?” Reaper spoke, his “Death voice” as Error once called it echoing through the abandoned town. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave this place, before I decide to change my mind about letting you live.”

Nightmare simply glanced at Death over his shoulder and smirked. 

“I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other again soon enough, Lord Death,” Nightmare laughed, as the void-like portal appeared underneath him and he fell through.

Error breathed a sigh of relief once Nightmare was gone, gaze lingering on Reaper, making sure that he was truly okay, before closing the window completely. He lay back down with an arm over his eyes, adrenaline running through his mana lines as he tried desperately to get his breathing back under control from the scene that had transpired.

*Don’t you think it’s strange how Reaper was helping Ink?*

Error thought over what he had heard from the voice, and the answer his mind supplied was one he wished he could change, or at least that it wasn’t the truth. 

‘Reaper and I are enemies now...’

The thought saddened him, but he had already accepted that what they had together long ago was over. What were the chances that Reaper would even recognize Error as the love he’d lost? Error felt tears prick at his sockets, and he started to try and rub them away before the voices noticed his “weakness” and ganged up on him again. Then that voice returned.

*You know, I bet Nightmare’s got a portal to his hideout still open right now. He didn’t have his buddies with him this time, which I bet means they went out for supplies while Ink wasn’t looking.*

“WhY wOUld I wAnT tO gO ThErE?” Error questioned the voice, and the others snickered as the voice spoke again. 

*Oh Error, your life would be so much easier if you just listened to us. You could have ALLIES, people to help you out, if you’re lucky anyway. For all you know, Nightmare might just have enough pity on you to help.*

He tried to ignore the laughter and jeers that were thrown his way after that, and instead opened a portal to a copy that was on the surface. If he was going to try and find one of Nightmare’s portals, he may as well get his beanbag chair in the meantime.

_______________________________________________________________

The streets were crowded with people and monsters, though they never seemed to pay Error any mind with his skull covered by his jacket’s hood. He’d never been so thankful for it until now, otherwise who knows what would have happened. 

He had somehow managed to keep himself under control when he got to this world, so he wouldn’t end up alerting Ink to his presence so soon after his last “outing”. He had wandered the streets for a few minutes, avoiding running into anyone who happened to be near him, while keeping his head down so no one would see his face. As he was passing what looked to be a hobby store (maybe he should try something like knitting or crocheting, just to have something to do in his spare time), he saw another skeleton with his hood drawn up disappear into an alleyway down the street. Error quickly glanced around him and quickly stepped into the furniture store next door. 

He knew he needed to hurry, so he found the giant beanbag chair he had been wanting (and it was a blood-red color too, blue stitching holding the fabric together) and quickly shoved it into his inventory when no one was looking. He ran outside of the store and ducked into the alleyway down the street, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. He couldn’t help but giggle at the fact that he stole something without getting caught, something he hadn’t had to do since he was young and on the streets. When his quiet laughter had stopped, he glanced up and looked around at the alley he was in, sockets widening at the sight of a shadowy portal slowly closing at the other end of it. He started booking it down the alley, diving into it before it closed, and landing against something hard on the other side.

It was quiet, so quiet that he felt like he couldn’t breathe, not that he needed to do so in the first place. Slowly, he opened his sockets, looking around to see himself surrounded by other skeletons. They seemed shocked at first, but their expressions quickly faded into amusement.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” A snide voice spoke.

He whipped his head towards the voice, looking up into pitch-black voids that made up another skeleton’s sockets, skull stained with streaks of black from his sockets and a too-wide grin on his face.

“Think we should take ‘im to the boss, Killer?” another more gravelly voice spoke, almost against Error’s skull. He flinched, leaning away from them as he took in the sight of a much taller and broader skeleton, with a singular red eyelight and a gaping hole in his head. He too wore an almost crazed grin on his face.

“Hey, once you two boneheads are done talking at my stalker, you mind getting him off of me?!” A slightly higher pitched voice spoke from beneath Error, causing him to jump and quickly scramble away from the skeleton he had apparently landed on top of.

The previously crushed skeleton sat up, rubbing his back where Error had landed on him and glared at him with red and purple eyelights. Besides his eyes, the skeleton looked to be the most normal-looking Error had seen thus far.

“S-SorRY AbOUt tHaT,” Error stuttered, both embarrassed and fearful of the monsters around him.

“Huh, since when does fresh meat sound so terrible,” the giant skeleton spoke, earning himself a jab in the ribs by the skeleton he had previously called Killer.

The monster Error had landed on sighed in annoyance, then stood up, brushing himself off, and looked down at Error.

“Pretty sure I know who you are. Pretty sure Paps knows too,” he spoke, taking a step closer, “and if we’re both correct, then the boss wanted to meet with you anyway.”

He smirked then held out a hand.

“The name’s Dust, and welcome to Haventale, little glitch. The current hideout of Nightmare’s Gang.”

[asflowersfade]

Ficlet: Jack’s Christmas Miracle

A what-if MacGyver ficlet. What if Mac got shot throwing that dart in ep 211? Jack’s POV.

Jack hates it when Mac’s somewhere he can’t get to him, be it in the hands of terrorists or some psycho - or the LA police. Maybe that’s even worse because he can’t just bust him out, guns blazing. And that helplessness is making him all… antsy.

And now, not only is the kid still accused of murder and domestic terrorism - seriously, Angus MacGyver, of all people! - there’s a cartel killer after him on top of that! If those-those... doofuses who arrested Mac in the first place won’t keep him safe from that guy, it’ll be adding insult to injury and Jack will have to kick some ass!

Fortunately, when they arrive at the police station, engines roaring and tires screeching, Jack and Cage and their small army in black, cops get out of their way. Either Matty called someone or their little merry band looks official enough for the police to accept that they actually have a right to be there.

Jack really doesn’t give two damns because in that moment, he hears the loud pop of a controlled explosion from somewhere inside the building and if he isn’t completely mistaken, that’s one of Mac’s. Which could only mean that the killer got to him, after all!

He must look truly fierce and resolute because when he barges into the station at the head of his people, the cops - who all appear a little wild around the eyes - simply point down the hallway and down the stairs, in the direction of the basement. Jack wonders fleetingly what’s Mac doing in the basement, but then he pushes the thought aside and follows the pointing fingers.

Bodies, that’s what he finds first; FBI agents by the look of them. And the smell of cordite hanging heavily in the air. Then an open door and a half-finished room, the black detective holding their killer at a gunpoint, the other cop, the older one, bleeding from a gunshot and…

Mac. On the floor, with his hands pressed tight against a dark red stain on his stomach, a stain that’s quickly spreading, blood soaking into his shirt, pooling around him, turning gooey mixed with plaster dust…

“Mac!” Jack yells, crossing the room quickly. He doesn’t pay attention to anyone but the kid as he drops to his knees by Mac’s side. He pushes his semi-automatic back, letting it dangle from its strap, as he reaches out for his partner.

Mac lets his head loll to the side and blinks at Jack dazedly. “Hey,” he whispers, blood staining his lips already and trickling from the corner of his mouth.

“Cage, call it in,” Jack shouts over his shoulder without taking his eyes off Mac. “We need an ambulance here, now!” Then he gently pulls Mac’s hands away from the wound to check it. And winces. Yeah, better keep pressure on it.

A field dressing is passed over his shoulder and he glances back. Cage, on the phone, is handing him a bundle of gauze that she pulled out one of her many pockets. He nods at her gratefully. He covers Mac’s wound with it and presses down hard, cringing inwardly when he hears Mac moan in pain.

“Jesus, kid,” Jack whispers. “Didn’t I tell you to sit tight? That we would leave here together? Couldn’t you have waited five minutes with your stupid heroics?”

Mac gives him a wan smile. “S-sorry.”

Jack glares at him. He glares because he’s scared. He’s downright terrified because Mac’s always been the palest kid Jack has ever known but now he’s turning downright gray and that’s not good, that’s not good at all.

“Yeah, well. This time, you follow my orders and stay awake, you hear me?” Jack says when he sees Mac’s eyes flutter and close, flutter and close. “Hey, Mac. Stop that!” he snaps and reaches out with one hand to pat Mac on the face, leaving bloody fingerprints all over his cheek. “Mac!”

“T-tired,” Mac slurs.

“I know, buddy, I know, but you have to stay awake, you hear me?” Jack demands sharply. “Listen to me, Mac!”

Mac doesn’t listen.

They let Jack ride with Mac in the ambulance; there’s very little anyone can do to stop a determined Jack Dalton, especially when he’s wearing tactical gear and holding a weapon. He goes where Mac goes!

In the hospital, though, he was to wait outside, in the waiting room, just like everybody else. But patience’s never been his forte, so he paces up and down the hallway, looking grim and scaring everyone with his guns and bloodstained hands. He really doesn’t care.

It’s not until the others arrive and Matty orders him to calm down or else that Jack finally unstraps his semi-automatic - the pistols he keeps, thank you very much, who knows what psychos could be lurking out there! - agreeing to take a quick shower in the doctors’ restroom - he’s not leaving here! He also accepts the change of clothes that Riley picked up for him at home.

“This should’ve never happened, Matty,” Jack states after he comes back. He’s standing at one of the windows in the waiting room, staring out across the dimply lit hospital parking lot.

Matty who joined him there, nods. “I agree,” she replies quietly.

He glances down at her, then back out again. “No, I mean it. We do our job and not because of the big bucks or the fame. We do it because it’s right and we go where you send us. We risk our lives every day and we deserve more than to be disavowed the moment the situation gets hairy, especially on US soil.”

He shakes his head. “We didn’t do anything wrong. Mac didn’t do anything wrong and yet, they hung him out to dry. I didn’t expect anything less from the CIA - they’re all bastards who would sell their own grandma to cover their asses, we both know that - but not from us. Not from the Phoenix Foundation. Not from the Oversight! This wasn’t right!”

“I agree with you, Jack,” Matty reiterates and this time, something in her voice makes him really look at her. “I agree that’s why I scheduled a meeting with the Oversight first thing tomorrow. If we’re to work on our home turf, then we need a better protection, especially in cases when bad intel from other agencies leads to a screw-up. If anyone is to be held accountable, it won’t be my people!”

Jack stares at her a moment longer, then he just nods because his throat’s too tight for him to speak. He’s always known that he could count on Matty Webber, but it’s one thing to know it and it’s another thing completely to hear it said out loud.

Then the door at the end of the hallway opens and a doctor walks out, asking for the family of one Angus MacGyver…

It’s Christmas Day and they should all be home, well, at Mac’s house, unpacking gifts and bickering and making fun of each other. Instead, Jack’s in the hospital, sitting at Mac’s bedside, watching him sleep.

He sent the rest of their team home - they didn’t want to go but Jack insisted, promising to call the moment anything changes; they were all exhausted after the week they just had. But they promised to come back in a few hours. They wouldn’t be dissuaded from that and Jack didn’t blame them.

But now, he’s alone here, in Mac’s private hospital room - working for the Phoenix Foundation does come with some merits - and he’s just soaking up the fact that Mac’s alive. Because from what the doctor said, it was touch and go there for a while. Gut wounds are always tricky. But so far, Mac’s holding his own. Jack’s very own Christmas miracle.

There’s a movement in the open doorway of the room and when Jack turns his head, he sees that cop, the older guy, Detective Greer, standing there with one arm in a sling. Oh right, he was shot, too.

Slowly, with one last glance at Mac to make sure he’s still asleep, Jack gets up and joins the cop in the hallway. 

“Detective,” Jack greets him neutrally. Deep down he understands that this man was just doing his job, that he is not the bad guy here, but if he’s here to arrest Mac again, to make trouble, Jack will punch him, shot or not.

Greer nods at Mac. “How is he?” he asks and he seems genuinely concerned.

“The doctors think he’ll pull through, given a little luck,” Jack replies, still wary.

The detective nods. “That’s good. I’m glad.” Then he pauses, and clearing his throat, he continues. “I came here to thank him for what he did down there, in the basement. He saved our lives.”

Jack keeps quiet, his face unreadable.

Taking a deep breath, Greer continues, “And also to tell him we’re dropping all charges against him. Considering all the evidence, we would’ve done it anyway but we received a very... hm, strongly worded email from upstairs, ordering us to leave you guys alone.”

Ah, so Matty did rip the Oversight a new one. Nice. He’ll have to invite her for a drink.

Greer stares at Mac for a long while, frowning a little. Then he opens his mouth only to close it again, only to open it once more and turn to Jack with a question. “Who are you, guys, actually? Who is he?” He nods at Mac, still lying asleep in his bed, surrounded by blinking machines keeping track of his vitals.

Jack looks at Mac and smiles a little. “Someone very special,” is his only answer. Then he claps the cop on his uninjured shoulder and says, “Goodbye, detective. And Merry Christmas.”

And with that, Jack returns to his vigil by his partner’s bedside. After a moment, Detective Greer departs, leaving him and Mac alone again with just the hush of the hospital around them.

[imagine-knb]

Three Reasons Why [Hyuuga Junpei] 2/5

Reason 1: He lends you things…

Heart beating wildly in her chest, [Name] grips the handle of her gun more tightly, her finger ready on the trigger. She looks towards the left, then towards the right, wondering if there were any signs of danger she could have possibly missed. When the coast seems clear, she continues forward, smashing through the old rickety door of a deteriorating department store. She can hear the groaning of the undead before she sees their rotting flesh and a chill runs up her spine.

"Behind you!" A male voice is screeching, catching the attention of the flesh eaters all around the surrounding area.

Shifting her visage slightly to get a better look, [Name] presses fully down on the trigger of her gun, releasing an onslaught of virtual bullets. The enemy that had been sneaking up behind her barely dodges the attack, swiping at her side and taking the last ounce of her life. Suddenly the screen is counting down from ten.

"Ah! Do you have any more coins?!" [Name] pats at the pockets on her school uniform, searching for the currency she needed to continue playing her arcade game. Beside her, Riko is patting down her pockets as well, but to no avail. The both of them come up empty and the screen flashes a 'GAME OVER' in large red letters. "Man, and I almost beat my personal high score too…"

"Maybe Hyuuga has some money to spare," Riko suggest, jutting her thumb towards the opposite side of the arcade.

Nodding in agreement, [Name] and Riko make their way to where they had last seen the bespectacled captain. It wasn't long before the familiar sound of a basketball swishing through a hoop met their ears and they instinctively followed the sound. To nobody's surprise, Hyuuga, Izuki, and Kiyoshi were standing side by side, each with a smaller than average basketball in hand as they played at the basketball arcade game. Glancing at the digital score board that was above each game, the girls could tell that they had been playing for a while.

"We came to the arcade so you could relax after practice, not shoot some more hoops," [Name] teased gently, bumping her hip against Hyuuga's and causing him to miss the current basket he was aiming for.

The ball bounced off the moving rim of the arcade game, directing itself back towards the shooting guard. Hyuuga caught it easily midair before he directed his gaze towards his girlfriend, the slight glare of his eyes and pout on his lips showing the annoyance he had. For a moment, the lights in the arcade reflected off his glasses and [Name] could see her reflection clearly in them. She grinned, her eyes focusing on her own smile as he proceeded to speak.

"We were having a competition and you just messed up my streak," Hyuuga commented dryly. He noticed her gaze didn't quite reach his eyes and he scowled a bit, flicking her forehead. "Don't use me as a mirror."

Despite the slight sting that now focused itself on her forehead, [Name] found herself giggling at her boyfriend's behavior. Leave it up to him to make a competition out of an arcade game.

"Thanks for helping me win, [Name]," Kiyoshi said, his ever present smile plastered on his face. "But what was it you girls needed?"

"We ran out of coins," Riko stated, holding her hand out towards the males. More specifically, she held her hand out towards Hyuuga, knowing full well that he had been the one to bring the most amount of cash to the arcade. "Cough it up, glasses."

"Hah? Why me?!"

Hands on her hips, Riko glared at the tall captain. "[Name] and I need more money to beat that zombie shooter. Come on, we both know you have enough to spare."

[Name] held up both her hands in defense, waving them around a bit. "I just want to try one more time to beat my high score," she explained, suddenly feeling bad for asking him for money. "Please?"

Grumbling more to himself than anyone else, Hyuuga dug a hand through his pockets. He pulled out a few coins, handing them over to the awaiting open palm that Riko held out. She chirped out a quick 'thank you' before turning on her heel to skip back towards the game the girls had previously been at. [Name] stayed in place for a moment longer, flashing her boyfriend another grin.

"Thank you, Junpei," she practically sang, swinging her arms around a bit childishly. "I owe you one!"

"Whatever," Hyuuga mumbled slightly, poking her once again on the forehead.

Laughing wholeheartedly, Riko recounted the adventures of [Name]'s character to the boys, over-exaggerating all the trick shots and close calls she had suffered through in the video game. Every so often she would flail her arms through the air, nearly causing Izuki or Kiyoshi to fall off the bus stop bench in surprise, as she told her tale. Sitting on the opposite end of the bench, [Name] smiled, often piping in with her own telling of the story.

"Sounds like you had a killer time."

"You wouldn't believe it! The end boss was so disgusting," [Name] exclaimed, ignoring Izuki's pun as her nose scrunching up a bit at the thought of the oozing mass that she had to defeat at the end of the game. "I'm so glad I got to beat it, though! I finally beat the high score!"

Standing beside his girlfriend, Hyuuga rolled his eyes a bit despite the small smile that made its way to his lips. Inwardly, he was glad she had enjoyed spending time at the arcade, though he was a little upset that it was at his money's expense. Silently, he dug through his pockets, noticing the lack of coins that were there.

"Oh, look," Riko said, pointing down the road as she got up from her seat. "The bus is here. Come on guys, that'll take us home in no time."

Kiyoshi, Izuki and [Name] stood as well, each of them digging through their pockets for the change they would need in order to pay the bus fare. The large vehicle soon came to a stop in front of them, the doors opening wide in order to let the teenagers on. One by one, they filed onto the bus, depositing their money into the slot provided. [Name], hand outstretched to pay for her ride, noticed the lack of a presence behind her and quickly turned to see Hyuuga still standing at the bus stop.

"Junpei?"

"You go on ahead," he answered, waving her off with a flippant hand. "I'm going to walk home today."

"Don't tell me you don't have money for the bus," she teased. The silence that followed worried her and, with a frown, she realized the money he had lent her at the arcade must've been for his bus fare. Digging through her school bag, she pulled out her wallet. "Come on, Junpei. I'll pay for you."

Shaking his head in refusal, Hyuuga gave her a stern look. "I'm not going to let you pay for my bus ride."

A rude grunt came from behind [Name] and she turned to see the impatient bus driver glaring at her. Making a quick decision, she pocketed the money before waving a goodbye towards the back of the bus where she knew the other Seirin members were watching. Her eyes briefly met with Riko's and the brunette gave her an almost knowing look. Hopping off the bus, [Name] went to stand next to Hyuuga as they both watched the bus quickly drive away towards its next destination. [Name] could practically feel Hyuuga's disapproving glare burning through the back of her head.

"Why didn't you take the bus?" He asked.

"I decided I'm going to walk today," [Name] answered, taking the first few steps in the direction towards home. When she had gotten a few feet away from Hyuuga, she turned on her heel and gave him a warm smile. "Well, aren't you coming? It'll be dark soon."

Heaving a sigh, Hyuuga jogged up next to his girlfriend before the two began walking, their paces synchronizing. Every so often their hands would bump into each other and, out of habit, Hyuuga instinctively latched his larger one onto hers, stopping their limbs from incessantly colliding. The warmth of his palm caused [Name]'s stomach to be filled with small butterflies and she couldn't keep the happy grin from plastering itself on her face as she slowly began swinging their interlocked hands.

"Stop that," Hyuuga ordered, though he made no move to stop the motion.

"Why didn't you let me pay for your bus fare?" [Name] asked suddenly, ignoring his demand as she continued to swing their hands. "I owe you one anyway."

A sudden tug on her arm caused [Name] to falter in her steps and she turned to see that Hyuuga had stopped walking momentarily, his intense gaze focused on her face. A slight blush made its way to her cheeks from how intimately he was staring at her and she cursed herself for being the first to break eye contact, her gaze flickering away for a mere second before returning to his.

"You're my girlfriend, you don't owe me anything," Hyuuga answered simply, his voice sounding blunt as if he were answering the most obvious question in the world. "Come on, like you said, it'll get dark soon," Hyuuga said before [Name] could respond, tugging her arm once again as he strode forward quickly. Looking closely, [Name] could see trace amounts of pink dusting his cheeks.

Sly smirk making its way onto her face, [Name] poked Hyuuga's arm. "Ohoho, Junpei, don't tell me you planned this so you could have me all to yourself."

"D-Don't be stupid, idiot!"

Smiling goofily at her boyfriend's suddenly bashful attitude, [Name] proceeded to swing their interlocked hands once more. She'd just have to repay him some other way when they got home.

…And doesn't expect you to pay them back.