#1.8k of heavy whump

[pigeonwhumps]

Sarita

Bug and Company masterlist

Taglist: @littlespacecastle @flowersarefreetherapy @whumplr-reader @whumpinggrounds @painful-pooch @i-eat-worlds @a-funeral-romance @rainydaywhump

Introducing Sarita, a very mistrustful new rescue who's just woken up at Alix's safehouse.

Sarita appears very briefly in The vet.

1.8k

CWs: BBU, pet whump, dehumanisation, derogatory language about sex workers and sex, past rape, religious mentions (in a bad way), victim-blaming, discrimination against Romantics, self-loathing, stabbing (brief, with a fork), past betrayal, caretaker new whumper, multiple whumpees

When Sarita wakes, she's nowhere she recognises.

So she's not back at WRU. That's good, the handler didn't catch up to her. She's not on the streets, which is odd, that's where she last remembers being. Not back at the safehouse that betrayed her either. So it's somewhere new.

Who the hell's decided they own her or 'rescued' her or whatever this time?

It's an old-fashioned kind of a room, decorated with sickly green and purple like some weird 70s nostalgia trip. The curtains, mostly shut, are heavy and dark red with patterns.

It's really weird and she doesn't like it.

"Yeah, I know. Not the nicest room to wake up in. But at least you did wake up."

Sarita looks sharply to the side to see a dark-skinned woman watching her intently. She has Bantu knots (at least that's what Sarita thinks they're called) and a braid on either side of her face, beaded at the ends. There's also beads of some sort in the knots themselves.

"Adalia, or Bug. They/them. Do you want some soup?"

Sarita sits up abruptly. Adalia doesn't seem surprised to have an injured woman in their house, and she has a bad feeling about this.

"Where am I?"

"Alix's safehouse. You collapsed on the street in front of me, and I brought you here once I found your barcode. You should really cover that up, by the way."

Sarita snorts under her breath. "Safehouse". Yeah, right. Maybe to someone who's not a dumb slut like her, who didn't give up their life to lie on their back all day. Never mind that she was a receptionist later, never mind that she cared for children and took care of the house and is taught and educated and was trained as a multi-purpose pet. All that ever matters is that she was trained for sex and had sex and so apparently she wants to open her legs for every damn bastard who so much as glances her way.

She doesn't listen to the rules (Adalia just assuming she'll stay for longer than it takes for her to get out of bed, apparently). She knows what they'll be. Don't get too close to people, don't try and have sex, don't lead people on, you can use the common areas but only when the other pets are gone and clean up after yourself (she rolls her eyes at that. It's not like she's going to contaminate anyone), make sure to pray for your soul because apparently being raped every night for years means she's going to hell, and oh yeah, don't even think of getting comfortable because we'll sell you out to WRU at the first opportunity.

She never chose that. She never chose this. She still hurts from the handler. And she wouldn't have even come here if she'd had any sort of a choice. Stupid body, betraying her like that.

She's not surprised. Everyone else has.

"And that's everything. What's your name?"

Instead of answering, Sarita shoots out of bed and dashes for the open door.

"Wait! Calm down!"

Sarita ignores them, running downstairs. It's taking too long, someone will catch her, but she couldn't have jumped out of the window. Not on the first floor at least, not when she doesn't know if there's a flat roof or what the ground's like. Not unless she was absolutely desperate.

She spins around in the hallway. The front door will be locked, safehouses don't like pets leaving without permission, especially her, but the back. The back. There must be a back door.

Where?

Where's the back of the house?

Front door's that way, back door must be the other way. This can't be too different a layout to the other safehouse, it can't be far away. She runs in that direction, ignoring Adalia calling after her.

She enters the kitchen and skids to a halt. It's a nicer room, she recognises vaguely, clearly redecorated recently, but that's not what she's really focusing on.

There's a woman blocking the door.

She shifts to the side and takes a step towards Sarita.

Sarita panics. She picks up the nearest thing she can find – a fork, four prongs, silver steel, gleaming in the sunlight – and stabs it into the back of the woman's hand.

The woman screams, stumbling, and Sarita bolts past her into the small garden. There's got to be– no– fuck, fuck, fuck. There's no exits from the garden.

There's no exits from the garden.

The majority of it is scrubby grass, although there is a shed at the end. It's green, metal, small, old. There only seems to be one exit. That's good and bad. It means she'll be able to see what's coming. There might even be tools in there she can use to defend herself. But she won't be able to escape easily.

She runs into the shed. It's mostly empty, but she dives into the corner, crouching, eyeing the door closely. It hurts it hurts she hurts so much from earlier, it burns, she wants to curl up around herself but it's too dangerous, she needs to be able to see what's coming.

She crouches there for a while, listening to the sparrows and moving leaves outside. It's nice and quiet, and she's not currently being hurt.

Then she hears uneven footsteps outside and scrambles to her feet, legs shaking, grabbing a pair of secateurs and holding them out in front of her.

A young woman limps inside. She has a colourful cane in the opposite hand to what seems to be her bad leg, and is wearing a choker and a knee-length black dress with a long sweater over it, the sleeves rolled up to uncover her hands.

"Hi. I'm Maria. Will you drop the garden shears?"

"Fuck you," Sarita replies vehemently. She's not going to leave herself undefended for this woman and all the rest to betray her.

Maria shrugs. "Okay." And she doesn't move.

Sarita doesn't really want to talk to her but she apparently can't help it. "Why are you still here? I stabbed your stupid safehouse owner. You going to hand me back to the reacquisitions team personally?"

"We're a safehouse. Emphasis on the word 'safe'."

Sarita snorts. "Yeah, right. And you're also safe for dumb sluts like me who chose to be a pampered whore because I couldn't be bothered to do any real work. Pull the other one."

Maria's face is strangely blank. "Do not. Don't say things like that. Please." There's a hardness in her voice that wasn't there before.

"Why? That's what everyone says about me. Why shouldn't I say it?"

"Because you shouldn't talk about yourself like that. And–"

She hesitates. Sarita is listening more closely now. No-one's ever told her that before. They're usually too busy insulting her.

"And I don't want to be insulted like that either."

Sarita blinks. Wait, what?

"Alix – the woman you stabbed – she specialises in Romantics. Those with Romantic training. The non-WRU equivalent. So don't talk about us like that."

That stops Sarita dead in her tracks. She finds herself unconsciously lowering the secateurs before catching herself.

"You're all slu- Romantics?"

"Yes. Well, some of us are joint. O's both Object and Romantic. Max isn't Romantic. But he came with me from the same owner and we weren't being separated."

"How long have you been here?"

"Three years, give or take. O's been here longer and Bug came with Alix."

That seems a bit long if Alix was going to betray them all. But still.

"Are you sure it's not just because it's easier to hand you over if you're all in one place?"

"Yes." Her voice is tight. "I know you don't trust Alix, but can you give us a chance? Or at least stop being so insulting."

Oh, fuck all of this. It's not just Alix, it's everything. She can't trust anyone. How does she know Maria is telling the truth? Sure she doesn't act like an owned pet but that doesn't mean she's not lying. Sarita stabbed Alix, who Maria seems to like (and from Sarita's experience, safehouse owners are not to be liked or trusted). Everyone she's ever met has betrayed her. Safehouses are just another type of trap. Why the fuck would she trust anyone? Trusting people just leads to betrayal. And letting herself get close just makes it hurt more.

"Of course I don't trust you. Why the fuck should I give you a chance?"

"You won't be trapped. There's a loose fence panel behind this shed in case of a raid. Just talk to Alix, that's all I'm asking. Then you can leave if you still want to. Please? At least leave with supplies."

Sarita narrows her eyes, trying to work out if Maria is telling the truth. She supposes she doesn't have to go very far into the house. And the kitchen has plenty of knives she can take. Because she doesn't fucking trust them even if Maria seems determined to persuade her otherwise.

"Fine."

Maria smiles tightly. "Good. Will you drop the garden shears now and come with me?"

Sarita drops them (she can't exactly bring them inside, after all) and edges around the walls of the shed, coming to stand near Maria, just out of arms reach. Maria nods to her and Sarita follows cautiously back to the house.

Alix is sitting on the flaking white step, Adalia wrapping her hand. Maybe the wound isn't too bad then, if they've dealt with it with a first aid kit.

Not that she'd feel guilty if it was. Fucking safehouses.

Alix looks up and smiles as they approach. Adalia tucks in the end of the bandage and looks up too, glaring at Sarita. Alix nudges them.

"Fine. I'll leave you two alone. If you hurt her deliberately again I'll kill you."

That last is directed at Sarita, and she nods. Not that she's planning to, but if she does hurt Alix it'll be because she has to run, so Adalia won't get her anyway. But seeing someone be so protective makes her insides ache.

Maria and Adalia disappear inside.

Alix moves her hand out, winces, and nods at the seat beside her instead. Sarita stays where she is, just out of reach, every muscle tensed, ready to run when she needs to. Alix shrugs.

"Sorry, Bug can be a bit overprotective at times. I'm Alix, she/her. Leader of this safehouse. What's your name?"

"Sarita. She/her." She thinks she uses those pronouns anyway. She doesn't really care. But other people do.

"Nice to meet you, Sarita. I think it's time we talked."

[daniwib]

911 Mature Fic Master List

This is a master list of my Mature rated 911 fic. There are separate master lists of my fic with other ratings.

Currents

Rating / Ao3 Warnings: Mature / none

Genre: Crack, whump

Chapters / Length: 9 / 50k                                          

Main Pairing: Buddie getting together

Set: season 3

Summary:

After the tsunami, Buck convinces the LAFD to upskill firefighters in swift water rescue skills and so the 118 go on a white-water rafting trip. Team building and pranks happen – and some other things too.

Choices & Consequences

Rating / Ao3 Warnings: Mature / none

Genre: Whump

Chapters / Length: 5 / 23.5k

Main Pairing: Buddie getting together

Set: season 5b

Summary:

Athena was wrong. The man she thought was the Speed bomber was innocent. And now Buck and Lucy were missing.

Trust me, Darlin’

911 / Supernatural crossover written with TheInverseUniverse

Rating / Ao3 Warnings: Mature / Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Genre: Whump, angst

Chapters / Length: 11 / 77.8k

Main Pairing: Buddie

Set: post season 3

Summary:

“Trust me, darlin’,” Dean whispered in his ear, and Buck nodded, all too aware of the gun against his head.

They’d met twice before, their paths crossing as they worked their ways across the country. Two chance meetings, two very enjoyable encounters. Years later, a series of demonic church arsons bring them back together.

Being taken hostage was not how Buck expected to reunite with Dean.

 

The Benefits of Massage

Rating / Ao3 Warnings: Mature / none

Genre: Crack

Length: 3k

Main Pairing: Buddie getting together

Set: post season 5

Summary:

Buck navigates one of the trickier aspects of parenting, and does it pretty well, or so he thinks.

Until everything comes to light at a 118 barbeque.

 

There walks darkness

Rating / Ao3 Warnings: Mature / Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Rape/Non-Con (presumed rape not actual, but there is non-con)

Genre: Whump, heavy angst

Chapters / Length: 7 / 27.7k

Main Pairing: Buddie

Set: season 5

Summary:

Maddie didn’t kill Doug in the woods when he attacked her. Instead, he was arrested and sent to prison for life. The same prison the 118 are called into to deal with the riot fires in started during a prison brawl…

Buck doesn’t get a good look at the second escapee in the ambulance until it’s far too late.

All the time in the world

Rating / Ao3 Warnings: Mature / none

Genre: Hurt/comfort

Length: 1.8k

Main Pairing: Buddie getting together

Set: season 6b

Summary:

A missing scene between when Buck fell asleep on Eddie's couch and the kitchen scene in which Eddie has a panicked flashback and Buck comforts him.

Losing Hope

Rating / Ao3 Warnings: Mature / none

Genre: Mpreg, miscarriage

Chapters / Length: 2 / 10k

Main Pairing: Buddie

Set: season 3

Summary:

Hope can be a powerful force, but what happens when it's lost?

Buck and Eddie's love story takes a tragic turn as their relationship ends abruptly after Eddie feels betrayed by the lawsuit. Alone, Buck faces the consequences of their actions when he learns he is unexpectedly pregnant – then loses the baby.

In the midst of his heartbreak and despair, Buck decides to keep a secret that will haunt him forever. With secrets and misunderstandings threatening to tear them apart again, Buck and Eddie must discover whether their love is strong enough to overcome tragedy, or not.

 

The Reluctant Werewolf Support Group. Founder: Evan Buckley

* WIP, has not been abandoned.

Rating / Ao3 Warnings: Mature / none

Genre: Crack. Utter, utter crack.

Chapters / Length: 3 out of 4 / 14k

Main Pairing: Buddie

Set: post season 5

Summary:

Eddie gets bitten while on a call. Buck is convinced that Eddie is a werewolf. Eddie is not.

Ashes

Rating / Ao3 Warnings: Mature / none

Genre: Angst

Length: 428

Main Pairing: Buddie

Set: no particular time

Summary:

When civilian lives are lost in a large fire, Eddie watches Buck grieve.

 

Buck – yer a dragon!

Rating / Ao3 Warnings: Mature / none

Genre: Utter crack, shifter AU

Length: 9.8k

Main Pairing: Buddie

Set: post season 6

Summary:

Eddie and Buck finally talked after that poker game and have been happily together ever since. Life couldn’t be better. Eddie was happy – and Buck was, too.

So happy, in fact, that Chimney had started teasing him about his expanding waistline now that he’s in a settled relationship. And he has been too tired to do much working out lately…

Then one day, Buck starts having stomach issues. No one can figure anything out – until disaster strikes and suddenly there's an egg. Yes, that’s right. An egg.

OR: Buck lays an egg.

 

empty, broken, lonely, hoping

Rating / Ao3 Warnings: Mature / none

Genre: Presumed Dead, angst

Chapters / Length: 9 / 44k

Main Pairing: Buddie

Set: post season 6

Summary:

Eddie's world crumbles when Buck’s apartment building becomes engulfed in a cataclysmic seven-alarm fire, resulting in a devastating mass casualty event. Amidst the chaos, Eddie and the rest of the 118 grapple with the heart-wrenching belief that both Buck and Christopher have met a tragic fate within the merciless inferno.

[miaouerie]

whumptober 2020 ------ day 11. defiance/struggling/crying

@whumptober2020​ Rebelcaptain Hunger Games AU: Cassian is Jyn’s mentor in the 70th Hunger Games. After being crowned victor at fifteen years old, Cassian is all-too-familiar with what it takes to bring a tribute home, and what becoming a victor really means.

content warnings: nonexplicit underage canon-typical prostitution, drug mention, minor character death (canon and OC), heavy angst

previous: day 1 / 2  / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Back in the Capitol, Cassian is just a few days shy of his sixteenth birthday when he receives a summons to President Snow’s office.

The summons comes on the morning of the commencement of the 63rd Hunger Games. Cassian wakes up alone; Jeron didn’t wake him before leaving for the Games Headquarters with Irga, and the tributes have long since departed for the Arena with their stylists for their final preparations. As Cassian eats his breakfast with only the silent Avoxes for company, he lets himself feel the relief he tried to hide back in District 5 when his father informed him that he wouldn’t be responsible for mentoring a thirteen-year-old boy to his certain death. But if Cassian’s not participating in the Games as a mentor, then is he supposed to stay here?

The answer comes with a knock at the door. It’s an Avox, holding out a powder blue envelope. The flap is sealed with wax, and inside is a single card. On the back, in neat type: Presidential Manor. 2 o’clock.

Jeron did not say specifically that he was expecting Cassian to stay on the District 5 floor for the duration of the Games, but he did say something important to him: If President Snow requests your presence, go. But you must tell me everything that he says. Understand? Say that you do.

Cassian says that he does, but he doesn’t. How could he? Eventually he will, but that comes later.

-

Cassian is seventeen when he receives the first calling card.

Last year, Snow had been judicious in managing the interest in Cassian; after the Bacchanal, Snow had sent him to only two patrons. One of them had been his biggest sponsor in the Games, who coolly informed him I was already owed your time, and I do my collecting with interest while the other recounted with lurid zeal how many others they had to outbid for the only other claim to Cassian’s premier year. They gushed about it as a trio of Avoxes worked to tie Cassian up in thick red ropes, binding his arms and legs; the ropes crisscrossed over his skin in biting patterns that left their marks after the session was over, at least until he was brought to the Remake Center and then it was like nothing even happened at all.

He didn’t dare tell his father. Snow had made it clear what he was expecting of Cassian: inconspicuous and unhesitating obedience. He had made that very, very clear.

On the card is a name, a place, a time. Cassian swallows down the feeling that this will hardly be the last.

-

Cassian turns eighteen. District 5’s tributes this year are a fourteen-year-old boy and his fifteen-year-old sister. This year he wanted to mentor, in the same vein that a trapped animal will jump to gnawing off its own leg if it means a chance to escape.

Jeron doesn’t let him. Why would he, when Cassian can’t tell him the truth? Snow has him saying that he’s assisting with Capitol programming for the Games; a kind of internship, he’s to say to his father. Internships aren’t a thing in the districts, not where the highest education level tends to be for getting to journeyman from apprenticeship, and so Jeron takes the news with cautious pride. It isn’t clear if Jeron’s noticed that Cassian is almost never on the District 5 floor when he and Irga take breaks from mentoring.

The brother and sister are a favored duo from the start, in large part because of the astronomical odds of their reaping. But it certainly helps that they’re spunky and resourceful; Jeron and Irga have an easy time securing sponsors. They enthrall the audience and make the 65th Hunger Games a spectacle with their carefully planned partnered kills. Cassian has no doubt that they aren’t getting any fun out of it, unlike what the narrative for them is on the shows covering the Games.

The Games are a never-ending source of entertainment and Capitol citizens have an insatiable obsession with it. Cassian watches the Games progress from many different broadcast displays—occasionally the same one twice or more—because the Games serve as an ever-present backdrop in the bedrooms and parties he’s whored out to. That’s how he learns that the drama and action alone are captivating to the Capitol audience at large, but it’s having the godlike opportunity to change the tides at a single whim that appeals to the powerful elite.

Cassian is there when the fates of the brother and sister from District 5 are decided. Cygnus Vondel, a business magnate with long-standing ties to Panem’s public sector, has been rooting for the male tribute of District 4 hard. Cassian happens to be at the man’s manor, working as part of the entertainment bought for Cygnus and his sycophantic passel of underlings when he hears the man crow loudly.

“See that!” he yells over from the bed where two naked women have been attending to him. “D’you know what the Gamemakers said when I requested this gift be sent? That it’s the single most expensive gift ever given by a sponsor. My dear Finnick’s going to win—absolutely no doubt about it—you all can thank me later at next year’s Bacchanal!”

Cassian watches as the fourteen-year-old boy hefts the trident, testing its weight in his hands. He might have the appearance of a sun-kissed cherub with his golden hair and blue eyes but Finnick Odair has been racking up his own tally of kills, and the gleaming trident grants him a new showy offensive.

He can hardly stand to watch when the boy gets the drop on the District 5 siblings, trapping both with a weighted net and then finishing them off with the trident. He’s almost thankful for the slap to his face, the nameless voice that hisses to him “Get back to work,” so Cassian does.

-

Cassian turns nineteen. The Capitol, officially, is in uproarious celebration.

Nineteen is the age of majority in the Capitol; citizens christen the date with a debutante event called the Decem. There’s whispers and then demands to throw a fete in Cassian’s honor, and then it’s all downhill from there.

Before he turned ninteen Cassian was an off-the-books secret, available only to those Snow allowed enough privilege to know. Now, Snow is going to have Cassian go public with a new persona. It’s been all laid out for him: Jeron Andor’s son, known to be somewhat shy in the public eye, will be usurped by a playboy ready to romp in the Capitol.

When Cassian informs his father he will be attending the Decem event Peridot Starlight is hosting for him, they get into a huge fight. It’s the last major fight they have, with Cassian shouting out his frustrations and anger about his impotence in the face of the Capitol—all guised as a nineteen-year-old not-quite adult yelling about how he’s old enough, he should get to do what he wants, and if he wants to go party in the Capitol during the Games Jeron can’t stop him. He puts every piece he hates of himself into the lie because he’s been forced to lie to his father for the past three years, he has to keep lying to protect their family; what part of that can’t you understand, Papa?

Afterwards he shuts himself in his quarters and hides in the shower until he’s dragged out by his style team to prepare him for the last evening event before the 66th Hunger Games begin: the tribute interviews with Caesar Flickermann. During the interviews he’s too tense to notice the way Jeron looks over at him, his concerned whispers to Irga during the interviews. After the program is over Cassian has a client.

“Where are you going?” Jeron asks.

“Out,” Cassian replies, and perversely he’s thankful that in a way he doesn’t have to lie to his father anymore about what he’s doing. Even if it’s just by swallowing up that lie with an even worse—this time all-consuming—lie.

-

The 66th Hunger Games last for a month; the time until the Closing Ceremony is almost another two weeks. After that Snow tells him he has requests to stay another three weeks, and so Cassian stays for four.

It’s easier this way. He goes from arm to arm, bed to bed, party to party, in an endless blur of raucous laughter and flirty touches and sex, sex, sex. He’s introduced to drugs that will make him last longer, make him unravel easier, prolong the blur in his head that keeps him from thinking about how his father and Irga have already gone home with two more dead tributes and how he’s still here in the Capitol because he hates the idea of having to come home and continuing to lie to everyone and his mother, whom Jeron has undoubtedly told about what Cassian is doing in the Capitol.

When Cassian finally comes home he feels like a completely different person; he can hardly bear looking at his mother in the eye. But his father…

It’s been a week since he’s arrived back from the Capitol, and Cassian has been holed up in his room ever since. He’s absentmindedly stroking the hair growing back on his arms when there’s a knock on his door; it’s his father.

Jeron enters his room at first gingerly, before crossing it in three strides to hug his son. Cassian is startled, but being in his father’s arms like this, the hug feels so familiarly comforting; it has him feeling almost childlike, in stark contrast to the kinds of embraces he’s had to endure. It’s almost a disquieting feeling, how quickly it takes him back to a time from before he was a victor, before he existed more for entertainment than as a child, before he had been forced to grow up too quickly by Capitolites too eager to consume him. His father hugs him and tells him in no uncertain terms that he loves him no matter what and in spite of everything Cassian has ever done. And to remember, mijo, everything I do, I do it to protect you. You and Mama.

The words melt through the numbness in Cassian’s heart to touch a part of him that has grown cold, slowly warming within his father’s arms. He lets himself be held, holds on tight to his father, and wishes he would never have to let go.

-

The next day, he finds Jeron dead in the study. When Cassian goes to her house to bring the news he finds Irga dead in her study, too. The day after that he’s taken back to the Capitol, where he’s sunk back into a nightmare he hasn’t been able to wake back up from.

[bellakitse]

✨ 911 Lone Star Angst week & 911 Lone Star Weekend Master post ✨

I didn’t make a fic post for angst week, so I figured I would combine my posts with Lone Star weekend. Thank you to everyone who interacted with my fics these last two weeks. Every comment, reblog, kudos, and like means so much to me. Also, a huge thank you to the mods at @911lonestarangstweek for such a fantastic event!

911 Lone Star Angst Week

The one I can’t live without - T - 2.1K

Day 1: Emotional whump + “How do we fix this?”

“Am I okay?” he hisses like a rattlesnake. “My boyfriend just took a swan dive off a four-story building with an asshole with a gun. What do you think, Carlos? Does that sound okay?”

Carlos does something reckless at work upsetting TK.

Under the surface and tryin' to pretend - T - 1.8K

Day 2: Physical whump + “Does it hurt badly?”

He knows he’s probably coming off as rude and anti-social as he ignores his friends. They’re supposed to be having fun at their local honkytonk after a long tiring week at work, but he can’t focus on them when his attention is on a certain officer across the bar playing pool with a stranger who is way too close for TK’s liking.

+

TK mistakes a situation. It forces his feelings to the surface.

I'll hold you close, wipe away your tears - T - 1.1K

Day 3: Coda / fix-it fic

He feels their talk downstairs went well, but he can still see how Carlos’ shoulders are bunched up, and the smile he gives TK back comes out more like a frown.

+

Missing scene for episode 2.04. After they make up, Carlos still needs reassurance TK won’t leave him.

Ease your heavy heart - G - 1.3k

Day 4: Sickfic + “You need to rest.”

He leans against the doorframe taking in TK and their little boy. He’s fast asleep, his face tucked into TK’s arm, his tiny fingers gripping his father’s shirt.

+

When their son gets sick, TK feels guilty for not realizing how serious it is sooner. Carlos comforts him.

911 Lone Star Weekend

The 'B' Word - T - 3.3K

Day 1: Romance/“You are the only one for me.”/Fluff

“I’m crazy about you,” TK blurts out, stepping out of his hold to pace. “I didn’t plan it. I didn’t see it coming. You were just supposed to be this cool guy I had good chemistry and good sex with, someone I would be friends with and share a bed with on occasion."

+

Carlos and TK run into Carlos’ three sisters on the street and decide to have dinner with them. Over the course of the meal, their friends with benefits relationship changes.

Making friends in Life or Death situations - T - 2.6k

Day 2: Emergencies/“Please, stay awake.”/Angst

“No,” Nancy shakes her head quickly, tightening her hold on his face so he can focus on her. “You have to stay awake,” she continues, her voice cracking as fear grips her again. This is her friend, sure they don’t know each other that well, but Carlos is nice and sweet and the love of her partner’s life. He’s her friend, damn it, and she’s not going to lose him, not after losing Tim. “Please, stay awake.”

+

Carlos and Nancy are trapped together after a tornado hits the pharmacy they are in.

Friendships, Proposals and Tabitha the Cat - G - 2.0k

Day 3: Found Family/“We’ve got your back, no matter what.”

Nancy waits until it’s firmly locked before she turns to Carlos. “Dude,” she says, putting a hard emphasis on the word. “Give that man his ring already.”

+

Nancy’s friendship with Carlos and TK grows when she stays with them while her place is rebuilt – she helps Carlos work up the nerve to propose to TK.

[ixalit]

Part two!!!

HTP Rec List Part Two, because not everything fit in one post due to the picture/divider limit

(Here’s part one)

Love, Pandora by coffeestainanalyst

3k, stucky

noncon is referenced but in the past, this is very much an aftermath fic, graphic flashbacks, objectification, victim blaming, self hatred, consent issues

Summary:

Written for a kinkmeme prompt asking for Steve & Bucky to be in a relationship post CA:TWS. Everything seems fine, until they raid an abandoned HYDRA base and find graphic evidence of Bucky's sexual abuse by HYDRA.

To quote the prompt: Cue horrible, painful, mortifying shame on Bucky's part (coupled with the fear that Steve certainly couldn't want him anymore now that he's seen exactly how soiled Bucky is) and Steve who's so horrified and angry with the perpetrators that he just barely keeps it together enough to reassure Bucky that he's not disgusted with him.

Pictures Came With Touch by Nonymos

6k, stucky, steve/bucky/sam

standard winter soldier trauma umbrella, past rape/non-con, touch-starved, non-consensual drug use, sex pollen, but no sex, cuddle pollen if you will, with a side order of angst, mutual pining, pre-OT3

Summary: So, there's this drug that makes the Winter Soldier addicted to his handler's touch and Barnes got a surprise dose and now he imprinted on Sam and it's been a long goddamn battle and Sam would just like to go to bed, please.

Happiness In Slavery by @hanitrash

10k, 4 chapters, complete

Steve/Bucky, Bucky/Rumlow

rape/non-con elements, restraints, hurt no comfort, no happy ending, dead dove: do not eat, hydra sex dungeon? Yes please!, bottom steve rogers

Summary:

Steve is captured while on a mission and wakes up in a very uncomfortable position, surrounded by some very familiar people. Apparently HYDRA knows it can't break his body, so they set out to break his spirit instead.And as it turns out, even the great Captain America can be broken.

Wash This From My Hands by nevtelenwriting

10k, stucky,

graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con, oral sex, electrocution, non-consensual touching, threesome (m/m/m), kinda threesome anyway, brainwashing, mind control, handcuffs, torture, implied past relationships, post captain america: the winter soldier, object penetration, forced orgasm, rough oral sex, non-consensual oral sex, forced blowjob, dead dove: do not eat, inappropriate use of stun batons

Summary:

Steve miscalculated. This was his fault, all of it.

Steve, Sam, and Bucky are hunting down what is left of Hydra operations, half fueled by justice and vengeance, and the gnawing need to keep Bucky safe. They fall in over their heads.

yes, yes of course this is going to hurt by alcibiades

1.8k, bucky/winter soldier, stucky

hallucinations, pre captain america: the winter soldier, non-consensual drug use, solitary confinement, dehumanization, all the winter soldier tags, dissociation

Summary:

Hydra trash meme prompt: During a programming session, Bucky Barnes vividly hallucinates being raped by the Winter soldier. Additional warnings for a little bit of body horror and mention of spiders. Proceed with caution.

They leave him in a cell that has no windows and a heavy metal door. He slumps into a corner; his body is shaking all over, freezing cold and wet with some kind of icy slurry that drip-drip-drips into a puddle around him. He tries to ask them where he is, what they're doing, but his tongue is like a lead weight in his mouth and the best he manages are a few wordless groans.

"Leave him there," says a voice from outside the door, as it swings closed. "He'll be back to normal in a couple of hours."

For What It’s Worth by throttlegainwell

11.7k, stucky, steve/hydra agents

graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con, protective steve rogers, protective bucky barnes, hurt steve rogers, hurt bucky barnes, hurt no comfort

Summary:

When he found the safehouse, after it had been scoured for evidence, he’d personally taken it down to studs. He recognized the room from the tape.

What he hadn’t recognized so far was any of the men from the tape. None of them had surfaced, none had been so involved in Project Insight that they hadn’t run for the hills when defeat was on the air. And he knew their faces. He knew them. He knew their ugly jeering voices and their obnoxious laughs and their appendectomy scars and at this point he might even recognize their dicks at a urinal.

He’d know them the second he saw them. If he saw them. Part of him hoped that Bucky wouldn’t, but Bucky seemed to remember a lot more than he claimed, so it seemed a stretch too far.

As he rather violently found out seven months later, on a side street in Prague at two thirty-three in the morning, it was.

Handler Protocol Mandate 384 by @hanitrash @buckybleeds

6.5k, 3 chapters, complete

Steve/Bucky, Steve/Bucky/Sam, past Bucky/hydra agents

dubious consent, bucky barnes recovering, dissociation, sam wilson does not get paid enough for this shit, whump, angst, hurt/comfort, hopeful ending, everything hurts but it gets better, bottom bucky barnes, service too steve rogers

Summary: Sam winds up in over his head when a very specific type of programming gets triggered at the abandoned HYDRA base.

Give Me Your Filth by @dsudis

15k, stucky

graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con, torture, waterboarding, flashbacks, panic, restraints, hurt no comfort, internalized victim blaming

Summary:

"I don't care," Bucky said. "I don't care which one was you and which one was someone else. You're underneath me now. It's my turn. I do things now, and you lie there and take it."

This was going to hurt.

the day when I rose at dawn by radialarch

5k, stucky

graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con, hydra made them do it, fisting, oral sex, pining, post captain america: the winter soldier

Summary:

The one where they go undercover as the Winter Soldier dragging a captive Captain America back to his masters.

In Hydra, Vine Do You by Quarra

27.5k, 2 chapters, complete

Steve/Bucky, Bucky/Hydra agents, Steve/Hydra agents

graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con, gang rape, consentacles, plant monster steve, predicament bondage, gags, butt plugs, orgasm delay/denial, forced orgasm, multiple orgasms, cock & ball torture, non-consensual body modification, medical experimentation, multiple penetration, overstimulation, dehumanization, breath play, whatever the plant version of oviposition is*

*see ao3 for more tags

Summary:

While the Asset is in the middle of an experimentation session with the Chem Sci department, an emergency happens in another lab. One of the other experimental creatures escaped its containment cell and the Asset is ordered to go take care of it. He's hosed off, plugged up, geared up, and sent upstairs post-haste to deal with the problem.

Unfortunately, the Asset is still flush with drugs that make him incredibly aroused. When the escaped creature notices, he takes an interest.

Much to the Asset's delight.

Four Across by @justanotherstonyfan

5.7k, stucky

graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con, oral sex, conditioning, triggers, hand jobs, anal play, knife play, comeplay

Summary:

Written for a prompt on the Hydra Trash Meme

So say HYDRA uses the Winter Soldier to seduce people as a spy as well as to assassinate people. Some people like it vanilla, some people like to dominate him - and some people want to be dominated by him. He's conditioned to be dominant when triggered by a certain word or phrase. There's a word/phrase to turn dom!WS off too, but the character of your choice has no idea what it is. They didn't mean to trigger this aspect of the Soldier, they just happened to say the wrong thing.

[comfy-whumpee]

Whumping Safely 101

Many people in this community have mental health problems, face various types of discrimination, and have complicated relationships with some parts or types of whump. In particular, I aim this at people who care about the experience of survivors and others with triggers – partially because I am an abuse survivor who often flirts with triggering content as part of my love of whump.

Keeping your blog safe is difficult, takes effort, and is never a perfect process. But as the community grows and grows, it’s really important that we hold ourselves to a high standard. I would argue that this is a responsibility of all content creators, but especially those of us in the messy playground of whump.

I’ve got three sections in here: content warnings, writing with care, and community interaction. I’ve tried to make it navigable. It’s about 1.8k words. Shorter than a lot of drabbles! I welcome good-faith criticism on this topic and further questions on my own views.

Content Warnings

The biggest responsibility, in my opinion, is empowering your reader to make their own decision on whether they want to expose themselves to your writing. This also happens to be by far the easiest way to help people whump safely.

What to warn

This is a big and ever-changing topic. Some things you should warn for as a rule of thumb are anything NSFW, pet whump and box boy whump, drugs and alcohol, medical and hospital content, graphic gore, intimate partner violence, and animal harm. It can be tricky to draw the line of what counts – what needs a warning? If you’re in doubt, just warn it anyway. It doesn’t hurt.

If someone requests a trigger be warned for, even if it’s something that feels obscure or tame, show compassion and agree to the request. This is someone who cares enough about being able to read your writing that they wrote in! They want to be able to read it and enjoy it. You’re being complimented.

Otherwise, look at what other blogs tag for. You’ll see some variation in styles and levels of detail, but it’s a good way to gauge what people think is warn-worthy, when we’re often writing stuff that would already be R-rated in mainstream media.

Read Mores

The easiest way to make sure people don’t see your triggering content is to use a cut. Tumblr is not a very functional website and likes to delete cuts, but a cursory check of your posted content will usually tell you whether it’s worked. With asks, cuts are very spotty, so don’t be afraid to post an ask response separately with a screengrab of the original question. People often then respond to the ask itself with a link to the post, especially if it’s a whole drabble. Tumblr is weird and bad so just do your best.

Content notices

I.e., a quick summary before the drabble, usually in bold, to state what will be coming. I like to distinguish between using content notes (CN) and trigger warnings (TW) to indicate severity. Others might use the old phrase ‘dead dove do not eat’ to indicate this is a heavy piece, and often you will see qualifiers like ‘intense’, ‘mild’, ‘mention’, ‘referenced’ (i.e. it is discussed but not actively happening), and ‘implied’ (as the opposite of ‘explicit’). I’ve also seen a couple of people use ‘vibes’, which is a really nice way of demonstrating that it’s there, but not the focus. A quick paragraph like this, or just a line, lets people make a quick risk assessment on their reading.

This is also important if you’re sending in asks or requests to people. If you want to ask about something triggering, send an inquiry first about whether the blog is okay to hear it.

Tagging

Tagging is a chore, but it’s your primary way of warning people about your content. The main benefit of tagging is that you can be as detailed as you want, because can be tagging for content in general, not just triggers.

In a best case scenario, you’d tag the kind of whump you’re doing, tag triggers, tag characters, and even your ‘verses, because tagging is your index for your blog. If you tag reliably, you help your future self and your readers find stuff, and you also make your blog really dang safe. People who have unusual triggers can blacklist tags, and will pick up on your content tags to help them.

Don’t just tag your own writing. Tag your reblogs, tag your prompts, tag your asks. Yes, edit your asks to add the tags. Tag your images and gifs. Tag your images as images and your gifs as gifs.

If you aren’t up for detailed tagging for whatever reason, just tag for triggering content, and add stuff to that list if you’re asked to. My usual technique is to make a mental note of tags while I’m formatting and editing before posting.

Be aware that your first five tags will be used in search results. If you’re using tags that are associated with kink too, such as ‘shibari’, you might want to rethink your tag order if you don’t want interaction from those blogs. Also think about what tags might come up in non-whump contexts, such as ‘collar’ or ‘PTSD’. Some tactics for getting around this I’ve seen are adding ‘whump’ after the content or writing the tags in past tense (i.e., ‘collared’).

It is also a good idea to watch out for when you might be reblogging something whumpy that is intended as kink / porn / fetish, especially in images. Tagging these as spicy / nsfw / kink is a sensible move.

Writing with Care

Okay, now for the harder stuff.

I mean here to lay out some guidelines for how to write in a way that helps your reader build good faith. This is a much more nuanced topic, and it’s different for everyone. There will always be differing opinions on what should and shouldn’t be written about, what a good depiction of a sensitive topic is, and how to discuss that topic. I tried to strip this back into absolute basics that I hope we can all agree on.

Maybe your whump involves abuse. Maybe it’s gaslighting. Maybe it’s severe mental health problems, or addiction, or slavery, or you write about or analogise real-world issues. Whump deals with the dark stuff, and that’s a big part of its appeal. But don’t ever forget you’re writing the dark stuff.

(Try to) Know what you’re doing

Some of us play fast and loose with plots, medical accuracy, worldbuilding, and other things that get in the way of the pain we crave. This is all well and good, but when we start using whump that speaks true to people’s lived experiences, we shouldn’t be careless with it. I’m particularly talking about things that get represented poorly in mainstream media, such as abusive relationships, issues around marginalisation, mental illness and disability.

Be critical of media that you’ve consumed. Think about how its depicted things that you want to depict in turn. Look for opinions on fictional representations of those issues. Be aware that you might be more ignorant of things than you realise.

Look at how others are writing these issues, particularly if they’re writing from a perspective different to yours. If you haven’t personally experienced what you’re writing about, e.g., if you don’t have PTSD and you want to depict a character who does, seek out stuff written from or with experience. Listen to the experts.

If you’re looking for stuff about representation specifically, I recommend this collection of posts about ‘Braving Diversity’ cultivated by Writing With Colour, who are in themselves a fantastic resource for this topic, and have recommendations for other blogs that deal with intersecting issues.

Listen to others

Missteps are inevitable. Nobody is perfect. If constructive criticism is offered, that’s also a compliment to your writing. Someone read your work and thought about it, and thought you’d care about improving it. They’re offering themselves as a resource for helping you see your work in a new light.

Criticism is hard and sometimes hurtful, but even if we don’t think it’s accurate, there’s often a grain of truth in it. If someone tells you that your writing is harmful, think about why they’ve said that, not whether or not they’re correct. This is an opinion! Opinions are subjective! But what drove someone to send that in?

You don’t have to respond to all your criticism and definitely don’t respond straight away. Being respectful to those who are trying to help you means taking the time to consider it properly. Sometimes, they don’t need a response. Others, you might want to learn more about what they think before deciding. You might have already discussed the topic, in which case, you might just want to reblog your previous posts.

If it’s sent in bad faith or is outright hateful, you’re well within your rights to just delete it and move on. You might get the same criticism over and over again, and that’s exhausting, and you don’t have to retrace your steps for everyone.

But if it’s new, even if it puts your hackles up, you can always stop and wonder why someone felt that strongly about your work.

Take a step back

One of my better-known characters is a pet whumper who conditioned his victim to adore and depend on him. It’s not always easy to represent how deeply messed up that is within the text – though I think that’s part of the challenge – but in meta-commentary, I am always describing him as a creeptastic bastard lacking compassion and self-reflection. I hope to always give the reader the confidence that I know just how wrong it is.

This is a really simple thing you can do just to give readers good faith in you. Show that you know what you’re writing is dark and messed up. Show your understanding for the issues you’re handling and that they’re complicated. It might seem self-evident, but when you’re writing the really dark stuff, or unhealthy relationships, or institutionalised whump, you can inadvertently create the impression that you just think it’s fun. The fact that it’s fiction does not automatically absolve you. Show that you care about doing it right.

Community Interaction

I’m going to keep this one short and sweet because I will almost entirely be preaching to the choir here.

Be polite to others. Imagine saying what you’re saying to their face.

Don’t send anon hate. Just don’t. If you can send criticism off anon, do so.

Nobody is obligated to interact with you.

Nobody is obligated to monitor their own reader base.

If someone says do not interact, do not interact.

If someone says do not interact, why they’ve said that is none of your business.

You don’t need to spread the word about someone’s bad politics.

Ask yourself if your input is needed, or if what you’ve said has already been said.

You don’t have to take a side.

Take care of yourself. Take breaks. Remind yourself that whump is a small part of the world.

That’s all from me, folks. Stay safe.

[queenangst]

weekly fic round-up #6 (bnha)

weekly fic roundups cover boku no hero academia fanfiction, and generally showcases gen whump fic. for more fic recs, check out my fic rec tag, my bnha fic rec tag, & my weekly fic roundups.

you can check out my AO3 and my works as well if you’re interested.

there is danger in existing by vikaurum (kousanoes)

gen; 1.8k; chapters 1/1 complete; hawks & aizawa, todoroki, tokoyami

“Right, right, pardon my asking,” Hawks says, waving his hand. “So, let me try again: do you have any dead brothers?”

Hawks, and the aftermath of a devastating battle.

thoughts: ouch. a punch in the throat. 

In Which Dabi is Definitely Not a Todoroki by naggeluide

gen; 11.9k; chapters 5/17 ongoing; todoroki shouto & dabi, league of villains

Dabi caught the heavy packet of papers that Shouto shoved at his chest. "What's this?"

"That's from Fuyumi," said Shouto. "Ten years' worth of medical insurance forms, unpaid library fines, your immunization card and dental record, five years' worth of incomplete tax returns --"

"Good thing I'm not Todoroki Touya," smirked Dabi, shoving the papers back at Shouto.

He got a raised white eyebrow reminiscent of Fuyumi herself in response. "You're disowning us because you don't want to do your taxes?"

---

The Todoroki kids are convinced that Dabi is one of them, and now Shouto won't leave Dabi alone.

thoughts: this is crack treated seriously and it had me howling with laughter. this fic is so funny, the premise is ingenious, and i just love it. it’s absolutely ridiculous and it’s just a fun read!

Dishabille by Princeliest

gen; 3.3k; chapters 1/1 complete; hawks & best jeanist

Hawks, 18 and having just knocked his hero debut out of the park, loses his jacket in a fight and conclusively proves to himself that heroics skills do absolutely nothing for his self-confidence when faced with pushy journalists determined to make things all about how he looks with his shirt off.

Best Jeanist, 31 and ten years into playing the fashion industry as a pro hero, has some thoughts on appropriate media conduct towards young heroes.

thoughts: oh yeah. oh yeah! protect young new heroes; this was a nice read. younger hawks!

Ashes by Xenolis

gen; 3.3k; chapters 1/1 complete; midoriya & aizawa, midoriya & asui

It was in Izuku's nature to save people, even when the situation was too dangerous.

OR: Izuku just fuckin' yeets himself into a burning building to save someone like a selfless dumbass.

thoughts: izuku is a dumbass and i approve of this fic. 

Relentless by sarissiguh

gen; 24.6k; chapters 7/? ongoing; midoriya & bakugou (midoriya/bakugou tagged)

The Vangaurd Action Squad is sent to kidnap Bakugou from a summer training camp. As they get ready to make their escape, one of them has the bright idea to take another student as well, as somewhat of an offering to Shigaraki. What will happen to the two classmates? Will they both be saved when the pros make their move to rescue them?

thoughts: honestly i’m just enjoying the bumpy ride. we love some nice training camp angst. 

take my (helping) hand by warpinator

gen; 2.1k; chapters 2/23 ongoing; midoriya & class 1-a

Izuku's been having some trouble with his old injuries and would really rather no one find out. Unfortunately, Class 1-A is a little too nice for that.

thoughts: this is shaping up to be a really nice fic! really excited to read more, and get to see midoriya’s interactions with more characters and the sweet hurt/comfort.

equal opposite reaction by rexcorvidae

gen; 1.4k; chapters 1/3 ongoing; aizawa & midoriya

shouta jumps to conclusions, and has to deal with the fallout

if he'd known he'd be dredging up a decade of trust issues, he might have tread a little more carefully

thoughts: rex came into my house and shot me point blank, and i loved it. amazing. 

[flyswhumpcenter]

Turquoise Puddles Under Our Feet [Fever February Day 15: Keep Me Warm]

FEVER FEBRUARY INDEX

Summary: After they manage to run away from one of the most dangerous bounty hunters of their city, Kaede and Shuichi have a small talk about school and their duo as a whole.

Fandom: Of Shells and Spells (original work with Danganronpa cameos) Relationships: Saimatsu (Kaede/Shuichi)

Word Count: 1.8K words

Notes: I never specified the prompts had to be whump, did I? Have a nice, exploration oneshot for the reboot of my magical girl(...ish) series Oh Shells and Spells. I've been in an OSAS mood lately, and that's what's breaking that artblock I put myself in. In case you ask why this is such a mess, OSAS is an original magical girl-ish story based around my own original universe, but with other characters thrown in for maximum potential memery (and fun). I had originally planned for only Makoto and Kyoko, but these two entered Shipping Hell lately. There's also gonna be Magical Dads and some other characters. This is set rather late in the story I'm planning, though. The two aren't supposed to know Annabelle from the get-go of OSAS book I, but oh well, this is mostly a test run more than anything.

AO3 version available here.

In the middle of night-time Hellesimbault, run two teenagers dressed in pinks and blacks. Behind them are ever-growing puddles of turquoise water, gaining space, eating away the paved roadway and dark grey sidewalks. There are waves of chills going down their spines and an urge to flee as soon as possible from the source of these waves.

The dark streets allow for two things: not being directly spotted by the bounty hunter running after them, and not seeing her face as she attempts to annihilate the both of them.

“Come back here, young mages,” an eerily calm voice calls for them, flat tone filled with unspoken rage.

They don’t reply. The witch’s waiting for them to say their position aloud so she can track them through their voices. That’s the last thing they need, so they keep quiet, as quiet as they can be when they’re running and have to breathe as they hurry to a possible shelter.

The blonde girl grabs her friend’s arm and pull them both into a corner, her other hand on his mouth to retain a surprised yell trying to exit his body. They see the with walk past them, violent tides coursing through their entire beings, puddles upon puddles of turquoise water where her feet were. An intense cold run through the street, sparing nothing in its path, her red hair flowing gracefully along the waves she emits.

Once she’s past them, the girl gives a quick look, and invites him to exit their improvised hiding spot. With a swift hand, she removes her butterfly-shaped mask, revealing pink irises.

“Are you alright?” she asks him, a gentle smile on her face.

“I… I’m fine,” he replies with a shaking voice. “It sure was scary.”

A small giggle escapes her lips.

“That’s why she’s called The Witch, isn’t she? She’s one powerful mage… Anyway,” she changes in tone, “why not make our way back to Anna’s? It’s getting late.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

The Witch. She’s one of the most powerful bounty hunters of Hellesimbault. She got to know her exact pseudonym through some research: Rei, the second-in-command of the Fragmenta Guild. Rumours say some of its members are teachers in their school, but that never got confirmed. For now, they take the opposite direction, to go back to Annabelle Moinot’s place.

“Kaede?”

“I told you to call me by my alias when we’re on a mission.”

“Sorry,” he blushes as he apologizes, “I thought we weren’t on a mission anymore…”

“How many times did I tell you to stop apologizing for nothing, Shuichi? Well, it’s not that important. What matters is what you wanted to ask me.”

He gets his mask off but lowers the bill of his hat with his other hand. Better stay transformed in case any bounty hunter other than Rei comes their way. Those rascals must know about her trying to find her missing sister by now.

“Don’t you think it’s getting cold in there?”

Shuichi is rubbing his arms together, blushing, white smoke coming out of his mouth.

“It’s because of Rei’s magic. You seem to be freezing, though… You’re sure you’re alright, Shuichi?”

His teeth are slightly cackling now. This isn’t reassuring.

“Maybe not sure per say, I’m just cold. I guess I’m more sensible to temperature shifts than you, Kaede.”

The music prodigy’s face softens, looking a bit away, then back at him.

“That’s true, Fire elementals are always feeling temperature more easily… Isn’t it Mr Parillot who keeps being cold because he’s a Fire elemental too?”

He nods in agreement. “That’s probably why I’m feeling hotter than you all of a sudden…”

“Excuse me?”

A heavy silence settles between them. Shuichi feels both cold and hot sweats running down his temples and back. An even huger blush installs itself onto his face. He tries to hide even more of his face with his hat, eyes looking away.

“We’re out of the zone Rei has frozen,” Kaede says in a slightly snappier tone, “but it’s still the cold of the night.”

She puffs, crosses her arms, and attempts catching his glaze.

“Shuichi, you’re sick and trying to hide it again, aren’t you!”

The boy flusters even more, and his hat eventually falls down. She catches it with her hand. His entire face is both blushing and flushed.

“I told you before, you shouldn’t go out with me if you’re sick… I’m saying this for you! I don’t want you to get killed because of me!”

“N-no! I’m always here on my own wish, Kaede… I didn’t feel bad enough not to come. It’s just a tiny fever, those happen sometimes…”

Kaede squints her eyes.

“Yeah, sure. For now, let’s go back to Anna so you can have a nice blanket to roll around in. I’m sure Mr Moinot is worried sick for us right now!”

“You’re right, let’s go home before you get sick too.”

She deadpans but smiles afterwards.

“That’s so nice of you to think about.”

On the way to their “headquarters” (Kaede likes the ring of that, it gives it that extra special touch she strives for), they talk about school again. Being a tenth year, a high school freshman feels like being both old and young, in a way. They talk about Mr Parillot again, remembering his weird shenanigans, his movies and his tendency to insert English in every sentence he spews out.

His shivering doesn’t seem to stop. That worries her, because he shouldn’t feel so cold, even if she herself feels some chills from the night temperatures. She has to find a way to make him feel better before they reach the Moinot house.

Kaede casts her battle outfit away, to his surprise.

“The way is clear, so I thought it would be nice to change back to my regular clothes.”

“You’re probably right, but...”

“I know what you’re going to say,” she interrupts him with a smile. “You can remain in your battle gear, Shuichi, if it makes you feel a bit warmer. I wanted to switch back because I have something which could be of some use…”

She feels the weight of her backpack again, which she opens to get a blanket out of.

“I brought this with me in case we stayed very late in the streets and had to find a place where to rest for a bit. It may be a bit too small for that, on second thought, but I’m sure it’ll be useful for you!”

“That’s not necessary, Kaede… You should use it for yourself…”

She wraps the blanket around him, and despite a face of refusal, he clutches it around him and sniffles noisily.

“You always think of me, Kaede… Sorry for being such a burden, you shouldn’t have to always get something for me…”

“Pssh, nonsense. We’re best friends, that’s what best friends are for, right?”

“S-sure, but I can’t ever give you something in return, and you’re usually the one good in battle too… You’d probably be better off with someone better than me, like Rantaro or Kévin…”

Kaede pouts again, barely noticing the fact he clutches his heart with his right hand and the blanket with his left.

“Shuichi! If I wanted to go on such crazy misadventures with them, I would have asked them! Stop putting yourself down like that! I’m sure you would be more powerful if you trusted yourself more.”

He slightly looks at her.

“Thanks for putting up with me…”

She beams him a warm smile.

“You should give yourself more credit, Shuichi. You’ve always been such a help for me, because you notice things better than I could ever do. I would be lost without you, trying to find my sis! The underground world is scary, and if you weren’t by my side, Rei would terrify me beyond my mind… So I think you should stop seeing yourself as a hassle, and more as my partner in not-crime!”

He nods timidly, the tiniest smile on his lips.

They proceed to their HQ.

[brigdh]

Yuletide recs, for fandoms A-M! I have just barely gotten this in before author reveals, and clearly still have half the alphabet to get through. Ah, well. First off, my own gift!! Water Lens Benjamin January, gen, 2.4k, Teen. “The good widow couldn't dump you in the fast section of the river, apparently,” January said. “It had to be the mud.” “If she'd only panicked five minutes earlier,” Rose agreed with a sigh. “We were on the bridge then – although given the state of that particular river I wouldn't necessarily put money on it being that much cleaner.” All my all favorite story tropes are here: bathing together and playing with hair and the OT3 and Rose doing science and there’s even a mystery to solve in here too! It is wonderful and I love it and everyone should give the mystery author more kudos. And here are my other favorites: so come home 12 Dancing Princesses fairy tale, gen, 21.5k, G. A detective is called to a space station to solve the mystery of whether--and how--twelve astronauts are accessing the surface of a forbidden planet. A very well-written sci-fi murder mystery, with great worldbuilding and characters. Recruits American Gods, Mr Wednesday and Mad Sweeney, 4.2k, G. The Norse god of battle and a mad Irish king walk into a bar. This is not a joke, my son: except in a sense, it is. They are Old Gods, it’s the New World, and the game must be kept going. Really great backstory on the gods in WWI. The Locust And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side - James Tiptree Jr., 2.2k, Mature. Letter of Fr. Francisco Nadal to Fr. Bartolomeo Strozzi, 1588. The original short story is about the horrifying effects on humanity of alien sexuality; this fic translates it into Imperial Spain and makes the different cultural setting really work. Because everyone needs some terror on Christmas! And on the seventh... Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian, Jack/Stephen, 11k, G. This decision might be considered the luckiest, as standing near Jack meant that Stephen was not alone in his fall overboard. Or it might be considered the unluckiest, as standing near Jack meant that Stephen was foremost in the splinters' path, when the ranging shot abruptly found its range. Desert island fic with H/C, angst, kissing in the ocean, and new species of birds. AKA, everything good in fic. And for that riches where is my deserving? Benjamin January mysteries, Ben/Rose/Hannibal, 1.8k, Teen. If Ben was honest with himself, he suspected that one day Hannibal might simply vanish from their lives. He desperately hoped that this was not the day. Delicious Hannibal whump plus the OT3! What more could anyone want out of the tiny fandom of my heart? Family Gathering Books of the Raksura, Moon-focused, 2.8k, G. After some of Jade and Moon's first clutch are confirmed to be Royal Aeriat, Pearl wants the fledgelings brought to her bower. Ember thinks Moon should be there too. Really adorable baby-fic, with some lovely Pearl characterization. Home Books of the Raksura, Consolation gen, 4.1k, G. It turned out that living like people instead of monsters required all sorts of skills and tools. Cleaning required soap, and some inkling of how to apply it. Consolation’s flight, having been raised by monsters, not people, had none of the requisite skills. This is the post-canon fic about how Consolation learns to be a person that was my greatest wish for Christmas, and it's everything I could have hoped for. Mordre, She Wroot Canterbury Tales, Wife of Bath-focused, 8k, G. At least one pilgrim will not make it to Canterbury. Yes, you ABSOLUTELY DO need the Wife of Bath solving murders in your life. Just trust me on this. Underworlds: The Life and Afterlife of Richard Upton Pickman Cthulhu mythos, gen, 3.7k, G. Explore the life, works and enduring influence of Richard Upton Pickman, a controversial artist of the early 20th century. This exhibition includes several paintings never before displayed in public, including all of Pickman's graphic, unsettling "horrors" currently remaining in North America. The Boston Globe called Underworlds "stomach-turning food for thought"— but decide for yourself! Young children may find Pickman's paintings frightening; parents are advised to consider carefully before allowing them to proceed. This program serves as a guide to the exhibit. Audio versions for your mobile phone are available at the Parrington museum website. Such a well-done pastiche of a museum guide to a series of horrifying paintings. What Is Begotten The Eagle of the Ninth, Marcus/Esca, 7.5k, Teen. Esca learns the Latin word by accident, from Stephanos of all people. Soul-mate. A soulmate AU with an absolutely lovely take on the canon. Of Devils and Other Fine Things Fallen London, The Wistful Deviless/Zee-Captain, 1.1k, G. Wooing a devil can only end in tears. Really fantastic interpretation of what a relationship with a devil really means. head above water Gattaca, Jerome-focused, 1.2k, G. “Do you know,” Jerome’s mother asks his coach, “how Jerome first started swimming? Did he ever tell you that story?” Absolutely wonderful backstory for Jerome. Suspect Gattaca, Anton Freeman-focused, 1.8k, G. Five things Anton thought upon seeing Vincent was a suspect for murder (and one thing he said). Lovely character study on a minor part of the movie, this feel so right. Attempt #534: The One With The Bees The Good Place, Chidi/Eleanor, 8k, Explicit. “Eleanor!” Chidi looks even more upset as he blurts out, “The universe doesn’t want us to have sex, okay?” Eleanor chokes. “I’m sorry, what?” In which Eleanor and Chidi repeatedly try – and fail – to have sex. Totally hilarious, and also hot. Care and Feeding of Your Janet The Good Place, Janet-focused, 1.2k, Teen. Please read this guide carefully before activating your Janet. So, so, so funny. Operation: Seduce Michael The Good Place, Michael/Everyone, 2.3k, Teen. If at first you don't succeed, send a different cockroach. Really hilarious fic about the plan to seduce Michael, with pitch-perfect character voices and humor just like the show's. so slip your hand inside of my glove The Handmaiden, Hideko/Sook-hee, 2.6k, Teen. Hideko lets Sook-hee teach her how to distinguish sapphire from spinel and obediently bites the gold Sook-hee brings back to her. Hideko and Sook-hee, after. A post-canon fic that is beautiful and just perfection. Who's Got Who The Hateful Eight, Chris Mannix/Marquis Warren, 6.7k, Explicit. Warren makes inventive use of Mannix's sheriff star. And, for that matter, inventive use of Mannix. He thinks that will be the end of it. You know, as much as love Hateful Eight, I never expected to begin shipping Mannix/Warren. What can I say but that this fandom has some damn good writers? And they know their porn; good lord this one is hot. As Ice in the Desert Historical RPF, Richard I "The Lionheart" of England/Saladin, 2.3k, Teen. Saladin visits Richard's sickbed with fruit, and a question in his eyes. Gorgeously written, really some of the most beautiful descriptions I've read in quite a while. Two people on the opposite sides of the Crusades in a moment of peace. all the nameless that keeps us rising despite IT, Stan/Richie/Beverly, 4k, Teen. When Stan went over to Richie’s house after dinner to tutor him for their math test tomorrow he thought he knew exactly what he was signing up for. Beautiful depiction of loss and love and a game of spin-the-bottle. Epilogue Jane Eyre, Jane-focused, 3.4k, Mature. Not everything, Jane learns early on, is real. Deeply creepy alternative interpretation of the canon. I love this possibility. How Else Would Sailing Ships Ever Have Navigated? Jeeves, Madeline Bassett/Honoria Glossop, 2.3k, G. “Do you think,” Madeline said to Honoria as the more impressive parts of nature gradually crept up upon them, “that all daffodils are the daughters of sunlight?” Absolutely adorable fic for some minor characters with a pitch-perfect tone for the canon. the worlds that spin beyond our atmosphere Jupiter Ascending, Jupiter/Caine, 7.8k, Teen. When Jupiter woke up, there was a small metal sphere on the pillow beside her. She blinked at it, because it certainly had not been there when she had gone to bed the night before. Then Aunt Nino began to stir and grumble as she too woke up and Jupiter snatched up the sphere, lobbing it hastily into her half-packed suitcase on her way to go and make the coffee. In which Jupiter is propositioned by a space travel agency (but fancier!) and introduces Caine to her family. Gorgeous worldbuilding and wonderful expansion of the canon. I love the descriptions of other planets in here. Damsel King Arthur (2017), Arthur/The Mage, 3k, Teen. In which there's a girl, a dragon, and a castle, and Arthur resolves not to let the truth get in the way of a good story. Totally hilarious and a great fit with the canon. Those parts, which maids keep unespy'd Kushiel's Legacy, Phedre/Joscelin, 1.9k, Explicit. There are few things Phedre has never done. There's one she's never done with Joscelin. Wonderful hot and sweet fic. Het anal, which is rare to see in fanfiction, but so very well-done here. Midwinter Queen The Lion in Winter, Henry/Eleanor, 1.6k, G. Christmas at Chinon, 1183. Conversation gambits keep the Christmas fires burning. Cynical and regretful and funny and heavy, this story does a better job of capturing the voice of the canon than almost any I've read. By Degrees Mansfield Park, Mary Crawford/Fanny Price, 16.6k, Mature. Her conscience had been disturbed, and she could no longer dislike Mary Crawford enough to be safe from her, if such a thing had ever been possible at all. Really excellent slow-burn for one of my favorite Austen ships, and the Fanny characterization is just ideal. Canada Gold Mean Girls, Regina George/Janis Ian, 3.9k, Teen. Regina joined the CIA to catch bad guys. Unfortunately, this time, that meant she had to work with Janis. Yeah, so it turns out that the thing that's been missing from my life is Mean Girls f/f rival spies future-fic. I am so, so glad that this story exists because it's amazing.