#Best writing on earth

[foolsocracy]

cheeeese

[fixing-bad-posts]

ily you 28 year old adult freak

[fantastic-nonsense]

I know in my heart that Chip Zdarsky could save Tim Drake if he was handed a solo maxi but he's too busy fucking over Bruce and the rest of the Batfam to do it 😭

[purpleshadow-star]

Imagine if Nico could learn to control when he turns into shadows.

Like, in The Blood of Olympus Nico would start fading after shadow traveling too much, and sometimes Reyna and Coach Hedge wouldn't be able to touch him, and one time he even accidentally walked through a tree. Imagine if he learned to control that intangibility.

Imagine if he could just turn parts of his body into shadows. Imagine if, in a fight, someone swings at him, and he knows he can't dodge in time, so he turns into shadows for a second so the weapon goes right through him, and while his enemy is confused he uses the distraction to land the final blow.

Imagine if he could just walk/reach through walls and doors and stuff.

I just think that, for someone with the title of ghost king (and as a child of the Underworld), he deserves more ghost-like powers.

[doodle-pops]

Modern AU: Brother’s Best Friend | They Get Jealous When You Bring A Boy Over

Headcanon: Maedhros, Celegorm, Fingon, Angrod, Egalmoth & Beleg

Request: How about this, remember your brother's bestfriend au with Beleg, Maehdros, Fingon, etc? How about the sister brings over a guy because she thought that the elves didnt have a genuine interest in her? And they get jealous. With all the same elves - Anon

A/N: It was a pleasure writing these headcanons for you, anon :) My stomach was performing cartwheels writing them jealous.

Warnings: female reader, heavily suggestive content, making out

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ. Maedhros

Just your typical Friday night when he pays your brother a visit and the first sight he stumbles upon is you and some…GUY being all close and flirty with one another as if nothing ever happened between you two.

Being the eldest of seven siblings, his temper and jealousy control knows no bounds because has been through it all. So when he notices the interaction, he quietly shuffles aside to meet with your brother in his room and BOILS.

Y’all really thought Mae wouldn’t become jealous, especially after all those nights of spending hours in your room while your brother peacefully sleeps like a log? He wants to launch that guy out of the house like a javelin for simply breathing in your direction.

The entire time he’s in your brother’s room, he’s creating all the excuses to step out just to return downstairs so he can stalk the interactions until he can no longer take it and corners you the moment you step aside.

“I like your friend.” His deep voice startled you as he stepped into the kitchen after your friend ran off to the washroom. Mae’s eyes never left your figure standing behind the counter and shyly looking away as though you were caught committing a crime. You were in his eyes.

“Mae,” you softly replied with a scoff and a shake of your head. “It’s not what you think.”

“Then tell me what it is,” he growled.

Your eyes snapped upwards and met the darkened look in his eyes as he fought against the restraints he created whenever he was around you in the open. His silvery orbs were shifting into darker hues of grey, swirling around as his look morphed into jealousy with a touch of hunger. His footsteps were light and calculated as he slid into the kitchen and came to stand behind you, pushing a lock of hair away from your ear.

His towering presence and body heat radiating off him made your stomach flop and butterflies erupted. Just the mere act of him pushing your hair away from your ear left you anticipating. And you were lucky. His hot breath ghosted the shell of your ear as he craned his neck to match your height while he placed his right hand on the countertop to sandwich you.

“I’ll tell you what is. You want me to bend you over this counter like I always do and make him watch and listen as you moan my name,” he breathed while his lips brushed against the tips. “How can a guy not want you? Look at you, even I want you and I don’t appreciate competing for what’s already mine. So tell him goodbye because you already have a friend: a boyfriend.”

“Since when?”

“Since now.”

Feeling like all the air had been forced out your lungs from how hard you were breathing, your fingers curled into the countertop as the images began flashing across your mind like flashbacks. Gulping and managing to reply, you looked at him from over your shoulder. “If you’re jealous, you should just say so.”

“I’m not jealous, princess. I’m just claiming what belongs to me.”

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ࣪ ִֶָ. Celegorm

All hell is going to break loose the moment he and your brother walk through the door and witness the sight of you and some random…GUY is all cute and playful. Standing close to each, bumping shoulders and laughing at his jokes.

It’s worse when your brother doesn’t even know who this GUY is, so this gives him the cue to step up and become the big bad wolf to cryptically remind you that he doesn’t tolerate it and you’re in trouble.

The first thing Celegorm could do is make himself known by standing as menacingly as possible in the area and STARE until you both become uncomfortable. Either you speak out on his actions or the boy, and if he does, Tyelko loves the direction the confrontation is heading.

You should count your blessings that your brother is present because he wants to know just as much as Celegorm does, and he’s also preventing Celegorm from flipping your house inside out.

His gaze was locked on you the entire time, wanting you to catch the hints that you weren’t going to be let off the hook for this stunt. “So who’s your lil friend over here?”

Rolling your eyes exasperatedly at the silver-haired oaf, you turned your head to cast an apologetic glance at your friend before introducing him. “This here is Nestaron, and he’s in the same year as me in uni. We have most of our classes together.”

Without missing a beat, Tyelko’s brows furrowed as he threw a questionable look at your friend before returning his focus to you. “Together? What do you mean by that kitten?”

With the simple use of your pet name, the poor boy inwardly cringed and felt like he was overstepping boundaries he didn’t know were up. His eyes were everywhere but you and Tyelko as he fiddled with his thumbs on the stool while you and your brother’s bestie were having a murderous stare-down. You couldn’t understand why he was being so negative about your friend when he didn’t even know the boy.

“Um…” Your head swivelled at the sound of your friend’s voice and watched as he hopped off his stool and grabbed his bag pack. “I’m gonna head out now. Sorry if I ruined anything between you two, I didn’t know you were together.”

“We’re not together.”

“Yes, we are!”

Nestaron’s eyes darted between you and Tyelko, while Tyelko and your gaze were locked on one another. His face wore a triumphant smirk while yours held disbelief at his jealous behaviour. In the middle of your stare-down, Nestaron ushered himself out of the kitchen without saying another word and departed from the house.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“What the hell is wrong with you?! I come over and some random guy is being all flirty with you. Don’t even tell me that he wasn’t flirting because I know what flirting looks like. I do it with you all the time!” he whisper-yelled, finally entering the kitchen to corner you between him and the fridge. His forest eyes held anger and sadness in them the longer he held your gaze.

Fighting the urge to bite your tongue, you narrowed your eyes at him and craned your neck upwards to challenge him. “Why do you care so much?!”

“Because I don’t sleep around. If I do, it’s only one person, you. There’s meaning in that, but you haven’t recognised it yet,” he uttered softly whilst lifting a finger to caress your cheek. It wasn’t long before his gaze darkened as his words lingered in the air and his gaze fell to your lips. “So if I were you, I’d continue making your little meal while thinking about it because you’re gonna have to apologise to me later…night.”

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ࣪ ִֶָ. Fingon

No, jealousy is not his favourite colour because green doesn’t go well with his appearance. He refuses to reach that level where his temper tips into becoming the green monster, so all he does is painfully observe with a fake smile and silently SIMMERS.

What he doesn’t know is that he is genuinely jealous the longer he stares at you and your new buddy outside, laughing and chatting away too close for his personal taste—he does notice the way your new buddy stares at you when you weren’t looking, and he isn’t happy about it.

His face contorts and his breathing quickens, and his focus isn’t even on your brother explaining some new game he’s been wanting. The entire time he’s calculating what and how to approach you without hinting that he wasn’t pleased with the interaction.

He didn’t want to appear like some jealous-possessive type of lover—he wasn’t sure if you considered him that—but Fingon knew that something had to be done to reaffirm his security when it came to your relationship.

Pleased to have found a moment to steal away from your brother, he manages to accidentally bump into you the moment you re-entered the house from the backdoor, leaving your buddy in the backyard. Noticing Fingon muttering to himself, you paused from entering the guest toilet and walked over to inquire.

“Hey,” you sang and tapped his shoulder. “You okay? Noticed you’re looking sad?”

Feeling your hand on his shoulder, he melted under your touch and swivelled around to face you with a nonchalant expression while he was dying on the inside. Eyes shortly roaming your figure, he took an up-close image of your attire and ground his teeth. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

His left eye twitched.

Stifling a burst of laughter behind your hand, you tilted your head and teased—wasn’t a smart move on your end. “You haven’t spoken a word to me since you came over and I missed you. This isn’t because I brought my friend over?”

Fingon stifled his laughter—attempted to which came out like a scoff followed by a dark chuckle. He poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue before slowly biting his lower lip. “Now where’s the humour in that? What’s so funny about missing me when you invited your little friend out there to keep you company? You shouldn’t keep him waiting too long; he’s probably getting lonely.”

His inability to hide his jealousy while denying it was adorable the longer he pouted and hunched over the counter contemplating. It urged you to step closer and wrap your arms around his waist, moulding your body against his. “You’re jelly Finno. I told you, he’s just a friend. Only a friend.”

But Fingon knew otherwise, for in your friend’s mind, he considered you more than what you did. And much to his annoyance, Fingon was beginning to lose his patience from the way you were pressing against him, driving him insane with your sweet fragrance. Breaking the restraints, his hands found themselves cupping your neck and tilting your head upwards to meet his lips brushing against yours. He smirked at your sharp intake of breath.

“Jealous,” he purred. “If he’s just your friend, then you wouldn’t mind if I staked my claim right here and now?”

“We can’t do that right now Fingon.” You were trembling in his hold the more his lips brushed against yours.

“Oh no sweetheart, that’s for tonight when I have all the time in the world. For now, a little kiss,” he breathed raspy as his lips trailed past your lips, along your jaw and to the junction of your neck and shoulder. “Right here, where you can show it off for me, hm.”

Indeed his definition of a little kiss was a few scattered hickeys on either side of your neck for your friend to receive the message.

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ࣪ ִֶָ. Angrod

He wants nothing more than to toss your friend out the front door by his collar like a javelin without hesitation. His anger is seething the longer he stands beside your brother being introduced like he’s a side character all of a sudden.

It’s worse when your brother shows clear signs of knowing about your friendship with your guy friend for some time. Angrod’s eyes are twitching, and he’s irritated that you would even consider another boy to be your friend when he existed.

Were his frequent visitations not enough to get it into your head that you were together? The entire time he’s in the house, his eyes are locked on your little friend, gaging his every move to ensure they don’t cross a line.

And the only line your friend managed to cross was the way his eyes would lock onto your figure as you moved around the house. Was the need for looking like some love-sick puppy necessary?

“I don’t like the way you’re looking at her?” Angrod grumbled as he sat on the stool on the other side of the island while his opponent sad on the opposite side returning a challenging smirk. “It’s quite disrespectful since she considers you a friend, don’t you think?”

“Says who, you? Jealous of a little competition? Afraid that I’ll win her heart with my charm and good looks?” your friend sneered and folded his arms to appear larger. He was lucky that you weren’t present in the kitchen as he and Angrod had their exchange.

“Someone who looks and is built like the Shoebill stork shouldn’t be boasting so loudly. I would humble myself if I were you,” countered Angrod with a triumphant smug while darting his eyes at the staircase to look out for your return. He’d hate to be caught arguing for your attention like some jealous child—he hated engaging in the act currently as they argued.

Feeling insulted, your friend cleared his throat and released a sarcastic laugh. He wanted to return an insult concerning Angrod’s looks, but the blonde was indeed too handsome to bring down. Instead, he changed the topic of insult to another. “Going for my looks is a bit low, don’t you think? At least I’m not the one parading around as Y/N’s fake boyfriend; hate to say it, but that’s all you’ll ever be.”

“Funny that as Y/N’s fake boyfriend, I get to be in her room every night and anytime I visit instead of being limited to the kitchen…” Hitting the roof of his mouth with his tongue, he threw a wink at his stunned opponent whose jaw visibly clenched at hearing the disadvantage he faced. There was no way for him to overcome this defeat; indeed he had lost the game. “As her fake boyfriend, I get to know her inside-out, and more. What do you know?”

“I–…I…”

“Nothing. So consider this a respectful warning. The next time she calls you over, don’t. Your intentions don’t match hers and mine.”

Before your friend could respond, your footsteps echoed in the distance as your feet came thumping down the staircase and bounding into the kitchen. The first person you walked past and greeted was Angrod with a blink and smile before turning to sharply raise your brows at your friend and heading into the fridge, unaware of the tense exchange they both had.

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ࣪ ִֶָ. Egalmoth

The fact that you thought for a second that after all the ramping around the sheets you and Egalmoth did and STILL thought it wise to bring a male friend over was you setting yourself up for some punishment.

Egalmoth wasn’t going to let this go…until he assessed the situation and decided the outcome was justifiably enough to his liking. This included the entire build-up process of eyeing your friend down and turning his visit into 21 questions.

If you were going to bring someone over, at least pick someone worth being in your presence to make the repercussions lessen. Instead, you picked someone who couldn’t hold a candle to your flame and then dared to state to Egalmoth’s face that he was interested in you.

Egalmoth was ready to get this over with and done. He wanted this BOY out of your house and never to set foot inside here again while ensuring that this incident never happened again…with anyone else.

“El, what are doing?” you barked out in a muffled voice as his hand clamped over your mouth. His face was inches apart from yours as he managed to fit his body into the cramped spacing of your guest toilet, not too far from the living room. Despite the dim light, you were able to notice the wicked gleam in his eyes as he towered over you.

“Shush, princess. Have no fear; I’m only doing what I’m supposed to: ensuring what belongs to me carries a signature.” He grinned wickedly as his hand slid off your mouth to wrap around the front of your throat and applied a small amount of pressure to the sides to prompt your eyes to roll into your head. A small whimper escaped, causing him to bite his lip. “Do you think your friend would mind I helped his eyes to stop roaming?”

The only response was a soft whine as he applied more pressure while nibbling on your lower lip. It didn’t take him long to turn his nibbles into slow kisses, leaving you breathless. He left no room for your body to pull away as he engaged in the sinful act in the privacy of your guest toilet. All your moans were gobbled up by him—a courtesy he was kind to pay—however he didn’t spare his mouth travelling lower to place hickeys down your neck, biting and sucking your skin as though it were nectar.

“E–…El, we’ll get caught…”

“Even better.”

Much to your fear and his satisfaction, in the middle of his hands travelling further to cup your ass while his mouth was busy on your clavicle, a knock on the door and your name went off. “Y/N, is everything alright? You’ve been in there for a while now.”

Suddenly, you heard Egalmoth’s voice rippling by your ear. “Go on…answer him or I will.”

The fear that resonated from deep within made you blurt out a rapid, shaky reply. “Y-Yeah, I’m f-fine. A little stomach, ah…problems.”

He hesitated to reply on the other end, finding your responses suspicious, however, he nodded his head and returned to the living room to wait for you.

“That wasn’t so hard was it, love? Now let’s see how many marks I can leave on you in five minutes.”

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ࣪ ִֶָ. Beleg

He’s confused because as much as he’s sleeping around with you; you are welcome to have friends of the opposite sex. However, it’s the proximity of the interactions that’s been bothering him since he was introduced.

Even a glance he made in your direction, there was a little guy friend who was, too close and with his arm wrapped around your waist. Beleg needed to check his eyes and perform a double take for that one. Your friend had Beleg plotting if removing someone’s hand was acceptable in instances like this because he needed it to be.

The rest of the night Beleg had vanished out of sight, cooling himself off with a walk in the dew because, for the first time, he was unsure about his self-control. He really liked you but didn’t want to ruin anything by confronting your friend.

It’s only when he returned during the early hours of the morning, that he realised that his cooling off was pointless since your friend was still present in the house.

“Why are you still here?” Beleg’s voice rang out clearly with a hint of displeasure as he eyed your friend up and down, scrutinising him harshly. “The celebration’s over, you should be at home.”

“Ah, about that. Y/N asked me to spend the night.”

Beleg believed that murder was the appropriate answer to this issue and not removing a limb. His eye twitched at the audacious remark which prompted a series of rises and falls of the corners of his lips. He had enough time to commit the crime and clean up the scene before anyone woke up. That seemed like the most suitable plan.

“Y/N asked you to spend the night? Doesn’t sound like the Y/N I know,” Beleg replied and took a few steps into the living room to remove his jacket. From the new angle, his forest eyes were shining brightly with thirst and eagerness. “Sounds to me like you invited yourself here when you should be at home. Would you like me to take you home?”

“Relax man,” your friend surrendered, laughing with his hands raised. “I don’t mean any harm.”

“Of course you don’t. You’re entirely harmless because your arms around her waist all night weren’t enough for me to know your intentions.” Walking into the kitchen to grab a can of Sprite from the top shelf, he popped the lid off and took a deep swig while boring holes into his challenger’s caught expression. If it was one thing you couldn’t Beleg with, it was knowing when someone was interested in another person: he knew the body language all too well.

Crossing his arms and legs as he leaned against the counter, your friend whispered ‘touché’ before he attempted to stand his ground once more. “If it bothers you this much, then why haven’t you made any move on her yet instead of leaving her available for people like me to have a chance?”

The urge to throw up at the assumption was vividly expressed on Beleg’s visage the longer he stared. With the can of Sprite already discarded in the bin, Beleg grew tired of maintaining the unnecessary weight of the conversation and chose to silently walk out of the kitchen with a small ‘good night’, making a turn for the staircase.

“Where are you going?”

“To sleep, what else.”

“I know, but shouldn’t you be sleeping down here since they don’t have any rooms to offer?”

Beleg chuckled, shaking his head with a victorious triumphant grin. “That only applies to you. I get invited to sleep in Y/N’s room whenever I’m here by Y/N. Good night.”

Masterlist

Taglist: @lilmelily @ranhanabi777 @mysticmoomin @rain-on-my-umbrella @asianbutnotjapanese @batsyforyou @ladyenchanted @mcwentfandomtraveling @involuntaryspasms @aconstructofamind @addaigio

[thebumblecee]

So @mooshkat did the coolest thing ever and continues to be the best and sent me our baby for if I’m going down, I’m taking you with me as a HARD COPY and it’s so fucking beautiful 😭😭😭😭 with art by me and the lovely @birdclowns as well in side

I’m so 🥺 rn

[snakpple]

ikkkkkkk michael doesn't fuck with adam

[faelapis]

sorry but there's no real difference between pissing and whining about spiderverse's lack of nominations and pissing and whining about any other marvel movie's lack of nominations.

[hersurvival]

You will awake soon,

The sun did in fact rise again

And there was enough oxygen

Be gentle with yourself today

And if you find that a hard thing to accomplish,

I will gladly do it for you

Do not let confusion over take you,

I know I have had a habit of doing so -

Causing you to spiral

But it is all rather simple

No matter the size nor shape

Of space you currently occupy,

I love you all the same

No matter your violent tendencies

Or the embarrassment that arises

When you struggle to express yourself to me,

I love you

All the same

You may not be perfect but neither am I,

Please let me see the beauty in you

The same as you swear you see it in me, too

[moonshynecybin]

Do you have anymore thoughts or scenarios for the fco au?

i like to imagine them both making a lot of dumb jokes about being competitors for stupid sponcon in the years after coming out. like veryyyyy stupid Valentino You Are Sleeping On the Couch Now old married jokes in commercials where they cannot. fucking act. shilling for yogurt. also joint press obligations marc loves a joint press obligation he needs a buddy and he should give alex a BREAK. alsoooo love the concept of vale chillin on a chaise lounge in bali like an emperor king skinny chest out swim trunks scandalously low on his hips bemusedly watching marc set up a whole tripod to get a slutty pic for the sunscreen company. getting horny about it as marc hikes his bathing suit higher and fusses with the lighting on his abs.

ummmm also i DO keep thinking of all of the sensitive gay boys at the academy actually getting to hang out with marc as teens and how funny it would be for your biggest on track rival to be your idol's boyfriend that helped you realize you were gay when you were 16. #pray4bez. funny ripples outward 2 me. pecco marc clash at portimao but. thats his stepmom. the entire towing saga. like realistically i think they would probably just be a lot more normal about marc (like how enea is about him) but. my comedy situations...

[bearsinpotatosacks]

Fic idea where Richie fully tries to reconnect with life

First chapter is Richie being invited to go dress shopping with Frank and Tiff as she's their flower girl. He gets along with them and thinks he could be friends

Second chapter is him reaching out to his parents, who he cut off contact with since he left home. He tells them what they missed, how they were partially right by their suspicion of the Berzattos because Richie feels like he keeps getting drawn in only to be pushed out when things get tough, he feels like their caretaker and the one putting them back together. It's rocky but it's a start. His dad apologises for the hard, neglectful way he treated him, and that he missed having him in his life a lot more than he cared about the rules he put in place. He shows them the Bear and his mother apologises then.

Third chapter is Richie applying for jobs. He's realised how this is another sinking ship and he can't go down with another Berzatto. I think it would be interesting if Carmy started to improve, he talks with Sydney and she ends up staying but Richie ends up leaving. He's spent most of his career in the same place and he's grown more than that. I think it would be a nice end to his character arc to have him leave the Bear, and in some ways the Berzatto family or at least him putting boundaries in place, while Sydney gets accepted in and let's herself be accepted.

This could also have him having some interviews that don't go well. Him being rejected, perhaps mirror Tina's episode with him putting so much time in at the Beef that's now the Bear but not being good enough for the same role elsewhere as he's not educated and doesn't have enough experience.

Fifth chapter is him getting a job. I can see him working somewhere not Michelin star as he doesn't care for them, but somewhere that cares about the food and the people. I can also see him working in a hotel, or, controversially (?) leaving the hospitality industry as a whole and taking his passion for people and working somewhere else.

Can anyone else see Richie as a good nurse or is it just me? Him seeing the same faces, having a rapour with them, making them smile and helping them, I can see him flirting with elderly ladies to make them smile (yes I'm thinking of him being a palliative care/geriatric nurse

He hands in his notice at the Bear and when asked why he goes into how it's heartless. He's trying so hard to improve himself but how can he when there's so much tension and he's not respected, he's earning the same wage as he did at the Beef but is working so much harder and longer and is still relying on tips even though people pay $175 a head. He also tells them, trying to be respectful, how they've all collectively failed at making the Beef better by wrapping their dysfunctions in a different jacket, so to speak. Syd wanted things to be better, for people not to feel and act shitty but now it's even worse because there's no fun. They've got more debt and everyone's unhappy and he can't put another Berzatto back together, he can't go down with another sinking ship and he respects himself more than that.

Sixth chapter could be a time skip. Think 2 years later, Richie’s finished his associates degree in nursing and is starting as a nurse for a carer company. He goes out to celebrate, someone books the Bear, he's heard that things are better, not Michelin star but not shitty quality like the Beef, somewhere in the middle.

It's strange for everyone else, seeing Richie as the customer. He kept in touch, but life's busy, he became more like a true cousin, one you see more at family functions than day in day out. He’s on good terms with his parents, good friends with Tiff and Frank, Eva’s growing up, turning 8 now. They stay close to closing, he leaves a big tip but waves through the window before going.

[another-supernova-girl]

Just finished watching Black Hawk Down, for the first and absolute last time (nothing about this movie was made for me, couldn't even really enjoy Mr. Hartnett with him being so Baby™), in order to complete a request. I'm going to try and knock it out today while everything is fresh because I did not enjoy this movie at ALL and I have no desire to watch bits of it over and over for the sake of keeping his character...well, in character, like I usually do in my writing process. BTW, if I've been tagging you, and you aren't interested in this one, I one million percent get it, and I'll see you on the next one...which will probably be something horny, because I really need that after this.

[syn4k]

i like to think that after everything goes down, when the cameras stop rolling, after a particularly intense rp event sometimes cubitos go up to each other and theyre like. hey man just checking. this is still for fun right? we good? and the other guy is like yeah we're good :] and the first guy is like okay awesome ily man

[tricoufamily]

no ok we finished episode 2 what they have done to katara is unforgivable. they have completed zapped every ounce of her personality away. why. why. look how they massacred my girl

[funkinmadnesss]

Finished Mysterio’s alien form ref! :]

[hcdragonwrites]

Just one night (a @journey-to-the-au Drabble)

Ok this is the part two! This is the comfort/ fluff of what happens after Six Eared Macaques previous rampage from Nightmares. I am glad I split these into two so people can pick and choose.

Mild trigger warning: Brief mentions of attempted SA (again nothing goes into detail at all but still sometimes this can still be a trigger.)

It’s over.

The nightmare is over.

Then why does it feel like i'm breathing but I can’t catch my breath?

Willow felt her heart beating too fast, her mind repeating the nightmare.

The cave still smelled of blood.

The imposter was dead. He lay there, finally revealed, a monkey of gray blue fur with a face of shadows. Nothing to be distinguishable of who, or what, his personality had been before it assumed the skin of their leader. Of her friend.

Of Wukong.

Her Wukong had come through the water of Water Curtain Cave in a flash of gold, eyes blazing red. Almost like a Heaven send. A blessing.

In that moment Willow had stepped forward, to the embrace of this nightmare she had dutifully taken as her yoke, a blur or fiery orange had smashed its way through the curtain of water.

“IMPOSTER!” He had called in challenge, his staff coming free of his ear. With a flick of the Kings wrist, the weapon grew in tremendous size.

The imposter had turned, hackles rising, bloody mouth circling back into a snarl. Wukong had roared. The imposter had screamed. Then they were upon each other. It had been a battle, long and difficult. Fur had flown, stone had shaken. At times the combatants had traversed the skies, shooting like two wayward stars from a bow through the Heavens. More blood fell.

In the midst of it, the imposter had cleaned the remnants of its meal from his mouth, making it impossible to tell the twisting and twining fighters apart. Which was which?

Willow had waited as finally, after gods and other immortals had been unable to tell who was who, Mama Courage and Wisdom stepped forward. Willow couldn’t hear the words being spoken between the celestials and Wisdom. She could only hear a ringing in her ears, a drumming of her heart.

She couldn’t catch her breath.

Willow's palms were wet with sweat and white. Whiter than porcelain. Courage took one of those hands, holding it tight. Breaking her numbness, her shock. Willow grasped the hand, holding on. The fear still coiled in her gut, a snake tightening its hold on her. But Courages hand was the anchor she clung to as her body battles within itself.

Wisdom had found him out, had picked out the real Wukong. A mother knew her child. That’s when the imposter had lost. He had felt it, probably, sensing the shift in the wind. In that moment he tried to run. The mirage of his disguise had fallen off in the fright. Wild white eyes, teeth bared of flesh. And now.

He was nothing more than a stain on the floor.

“Don’t you want to kiss me?” The words echo, still alive within Willows head.

Willow was trying to drown those words out.

She’s failing.

The storm inside her body is a rage of water, threatening to drag her down. Those blue eyes flash sharply in her head and Willow feels herself shake.

“Willow?”

She startles. She flinches, shaken from the very real echo of what had almost happened. “Reaffirm our union… Maybe more later.”

Willow looks up, kneeling on the stone floor of the cave. She doesn’t remember when she sat back down. Wukong stands before her. He blocks her view from the rest of the cave, from what the other troop members are beginning to clean up. He blocks her view from the bodies. But Willow still sees the imposter, has to see it. She has to kill the fear in her head that at any moment, any second, those ice eyes can come back and stare into her. To ask things of her that make her soul pull away and her body go cold.

“Willow?”

Wukong stands before her, eyes o so vulnerable. His voice is bleeding uncertainty, his hands fidgeting. He looks to her then looks away, confused on what to do.

Willow also doesn’t know what to do.

How do you tell your friend that someone wore their skin and killed and began to stalk her every step? Willow feels Mama Courage beside her, the hand squeezing. She looks up.

‘It’s him Willow. It’s our Stone Monkey.’ She signs and taps in her unique monkey way. It had taken a long time for Willow to learn this sign language, struggling but wanting to understand. Now, after decades of living together she had mastered this speech. ‘Go. You both need each other.’

‘What of you? He needs his mothers too.’ Willow signs back, not trusting her voice. That storm inside her throat is threatening to release, the track of her tears still wet. Mama Courage notices this and frowns in concern.

‘He needs a friend more. He needs you.’ She signs back. ‘And you need him most of all. To banish that demon, that nightmare. You are still shaking.’

It was true. Willows body still shook as if she had caught a deep bone chill. The blue eyes flash in her memory. Ice cold and drowning her from within Wukongs face. She had been chilled in a sense.

Before she could respond, Mama Courage had stepped away. She disappeared behind Wukong, going to help Wisdom with the mess and to spread the word of what had occurred. To reveal the truth.

Now it is just the two of them.

“It’s ok Willow.” Wukong spoke, gaze still averted. “I asked my Master if I could spend a night to … to fix the problems at home.” Willow watched as those hands wrung against each other. “But if - if what has happened- if my face brings you concern- makes you uncomfortable— I understand.”

Willow saw him step a bit off, unsure of what to do.

The eye of the hurricane was moving over Willow, that numb silence beginning to break.

Another half shuffle. He was moving closer to the carnage behind him, further from her reach. Further from her.

He’s just as afraid as I am that something has broken between us. The realization hits her like a slap.

The great wave within her, the one she had tampered down to keep her calm, to keep her cool as she had faced that monster covered in blood—

It broke through her.

Before Wukong could step further back, to disappear, to help, Willow had his face in her hands.

Willow braced her courage and stared into those eyes, determined to banish the fear that somehow, the monster had escaped. The Monkey King's eyes widened, gold within a sea of red. Willow pressed a kiss to his temple, a test.

If you are my sweet boy, my handsome monkey, she thought vehemently, this will prove it.

If you are that monster … I’ll see it in your eyes.

Willow waited.

Wukongs face was full of surprise. He blinked rapidly, uncomfortable about the intense eye contact. He looked away, looked to the side. Then he looked back up.

“Willow… what … what happened ?” For he could sense something beginning to churn within his friend. A tipping point of sorts and he, the cliff she balanced on.

The monster is dead.

Relief.

Willow breathed out. The air in her lungs shook.

Relief broke the iron in her spine. What little courage she had clung to swept away and she let it. In the dozens of decades she had been with Wukong, had cultivated and grown their trust and friendship, she had found and grown a safe place to be herself. Not Earth Reaching Willow of Polestar Palace, Eldest Daughter. To be her true self. To be one with the emotions she had suppressed. The feelings she had to repress as a princess unless she gave the wrong impression, put on the wrong face, among her fathers courtiers.

I want my friend. The longing was fierce and wild. It scorched her veins and pricked her eyes with fresh tears. A strangled sob passed between her teeth as she tried to stifle it with her fist.

“Willow?”

I need my friend - I need him.

She could be just Willow here, in his arms. She didn’t need to be a shield. She didn’t need to be a princess. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck, holding.

“The last thing I want is for you to go.” She whispered. And that’s when it fell. The tears came fast and hard, her body shaking with it. The hurricane was passing over here, the eye of the storm now past. The wind within her was full of the past years spent with the imitation of her friend. His watching eyes, his burning brushes against her hands. Those days when he had hinted, suggested, and plainly stated he wanted more—

Wukongs hands held her arms, cooed in her ear. “It’s ok Willow. Let it out. Breathe.”

“Don’t go…” she whispered, making a mess of tears on his shoulder.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. I’m right here.”

Nightmares. She felt them all coming across her mind then, each time she lifted her face to catch a breath. The nightmares flashed into her head. But they weren’t nightmares.

“He can’t hurt you Willow. He can’t hurt anyone ever again.” Wukongs voice was fierce in that promise as he turned to press a kiss to her temple. Sealing the promise as he rubbed her arms like a mother to a babe.

They were memories. Of all the times the imposter, the Six Eared Macaque, had pressed her for touches. Had asked for kisses. Had attempted many times to get her away from the eyes of others. Earth Reaching Willow had walked the halls feeling eyes always upon her.

He had cornered her one terrible night and had reached for her. Willow had felt like a rabbit caught in a snare as his hand had caressed her face, had trailed to her lips. He had been interrupted by Rin Rin coming in to ask for bouquet suggestions, wanting to know what blossoms to pair best with what greens in preparation for a feast. Her friend had saved her that night and she didn’t even know.

None of them had known.

Each time the memory popped up, Willow flinched away, trying to curl deeper into the orange fur. Trying to burrow into her friend because he was real. And she needed that reality from the wake that was her mind. It grounded her, allowed her to be scared. Willow breathed him in. The imposter had never smelled quite right, had never felt quite right, hadn’t talked quite right. At least to her.

Wukong, this Wukong- her Wukong, smelled of the world, of growing things and sunlight, of ozone and wind. Of rain upon dry stone. The Six Eared Macaque had been floral and fruity, sweet like a honeyed nectar trap, like a carnivorous flower. And she the unwitting fly.

All the things he had tried to do to lure her in had failed. Willow had survived.

Barely.

My Wukong is here. My friend, my confidant, my partner in this eternity. I do not have to be brave anymore. I don’t have to be strong. Here, I can cry.

Nothing could ever replicate the muscle memory, the familial way that Willow and Wukong both folded into each other's embrace. They had hundreds of years to build this body-deep familiarity with one another. This instinctual trust.

Not even a six eared all knowing demonic monkey could copy that.

Willows sobs were not slowing. They were gaining traction instead. All the fear of years of living with a masked monster in their midst, all the close calls that Willow was remembering now, battered her. Wukong shifted a bit and she felt more than saw Wukong grow in size. Her arms moved apart, having to move from holding his face to grab his middle.

“I’m going to move us Willow. Is that alright ?” His voice is soft, questioning.

My sweet friend, so tender in his asking.

She can’t trust her own voice but nods. Then they were up, an arm beneath her leg and another holding her back. As the sounds of the waterfall retreated, Willow felt the tightness in her chest start to loosen. Breaths she couldn’t take before, that seemed to catch in her throat, came easier.

Each step took them away from the roar of the water. With each crash of tears, Willow curled into her friend. Mama Courage had been right. She had needed him.

Wukong finally stopped moving, settling the both of them down onto the stone floor. They were in an alcove, a bit of a stone hollow off of the main passageway. Willow looked up at Wukong then as he crossed his legs. He nestled her into his lap. His tail wrapped her own lags, a warm blanket against the cold.

“Comfortable?”

“Mhm..” Willow sniffed. Her nose would be stuffed later but she didn’t care. Couldn’t care. She wiped her eyes and tried to see through them.

Wukong looked terribly sad, his face on the brink of breaking itself.

“Oh darling…” she hiccuped. Willow touched his forehead. The golden circlet was cold across her fingers. “It’s not your fault.”

She could see it hurting, eating away at her friend. A worm within an apple core, destroying all the good fruit about it.

They only had one night. One night.

Willow wished for more than just a night.

“Wu-Wukong.” Her voice came out thick. Her monkey leaned into her touch, those golden eyes warm and full of love.

“You don’t need to relive those things.” He said. “Not tonight. Not ever again if you wish. You don’t even have to trust me again. My face … it has been used for terrible things…monstrous things. I see it in all of your eyes.”

Unspilled tears pooled in his face. “I can see it in your eyes. In my mothers. In my friends. In Ba and Ma and Liu and Rin Rins eyes.”

“You all have ghosts in your eyes and I can’t banish them. Because I caused them. ”

Those sad words were spoken with such sorrow, with such rejection that Willows was moving before she could think. Willow pulled his face down to hers.

“This isn’t your fault Wukong.” Willow said.

“It is completely my fault…”

“Oh my sweet Monkey…” She said into his fur. I wish you didn’t have to go- I wish you could stay here, stay with us with me, to help chase those memories into the dark. “How I missed you.”

Wukong swiped some of her tears off her cheek, rumbling not words but noises.

“But you have a pilgrimage to be a part of. You are needed there.” Willow says.

“I’m needed here.” The guilt is eating him, swallowing him up bit by bit. The words he couldn’t say were evident in his eyes. If I had been here none of this would have happened, they said.

“You will always be needed here.”

“Maybe not as welcome.” Wukong pulled back, looking away. “ A stranger took my face and committed atrocities. That face, my face, hurt you. My mothers. My friends. My home.” His voice is shaking. From anger, from sorrow, she did not know. Wukong was powerful. He had challenged Heaven, had defeated dragons, outwitted gods. He had shapeshifted into a thousand different things, had gained a weapon that matched his own abilities. He was a warrior, a King who cared for his people.

Wukong hadn’t been able to protect them. It ate at him. Swallowed him in an endless loop of pain.

“I wasn’t here to protect you.” He whispered. Wukong had burst through the cave, seeking his doppleganger with anger. When he had seen the bloody remains of Cloud, the smiling face of his imitation covered in blood and approaching his mothers and Willow—

He had lost it.

“Wukong look at me.”

He didn’t move his head, despondent. Willow dug her fingers in deeper to the fur, twisting the large monkey about just enough to see him clearly.

She carded those fingers through Wukongs fur, half comfort for her and half comfort for him. Those fingers plucked and pulled, tugged and tended in the ways the monkey king had shown her, all those years ago when she first came to Flower Fruit Mountain.

“It’s better than brushing,” He had said. “It’s a way we say we love one another and strengthen that love. A language spoken through our hands.”

Willow spoke that silent language now. She moved the fingers through and around his face, over his ears. Willow silently kissed the tears from his cheeks as she cried her own. His pain was hers. And hers was his.

In that silent and dark place the two took shelter against the world. Willow from her own memories. Wukong from his own perceived failings.

The story of what happened fell slowly from Willows lips. She held nothing back. Wukong would either stiffen or growl, huff or pull her closer at each new unearthed memory. Willow lived them again here and now, feeling the night slip between her fingers like grains of sand. She had only one night.

One night to banish that blue-eyed monster from its association with Wukong. I won’t let that demon take him from me.

It was a fierceness that surprised Willow. It gave back some of her strength, allowing her to speak nakedly about the truth of what had happened since Wukong began his pilgrimage.

I won’t let him be poisoned to me. I won’t let my experience of a few years erase more than a lifetime of memories.

Willow would not leave that between them. She loved Wukong too much to lose him to some faceless cannibal that had been a drop in the ocean of time they had spent together.

It would take more than a night Willow knew, to repair what things had been shaken. But she would get the worst of it done. She would find a way to see him again before his journey was done. She needed him. And he needed her.

If I have to blackmail all of Heaven I will. I’ll air my fathers own dirty laundry to steal a few moments with Wukong on the road. Then once he’s home I won’t let him go till he knows he’s wanted and loved by all of us. He’s family.

Willow cried and in turn counseled her friend. Wukong simply sat at times to listen, at others times he spoke of promises and things he would do, ways he would make it up to her. Willow would shake her head.

“Just be you. Just always and forever be my lovely Monkey.”

“I promise.”

And together, in the very heart of the mountain, the two wept. Once the sun rose, Wukong brought Willow back to his mothers. He said his goodbyes. The pain and indecision on his face was at war with itself. Willow, when her turn came to say goodbye, took Wukongs hand. She wrapped her pinky around his.

“When I see you again I’ll tell you of all the things we’ve done.” Willow whispered, pressing her forehead to his. “I will tell you of the seasons change and I will tell you of the coconut toddy and sweet plumb wine we drink for you on your birthday. Of Ba and Ma’s latest stunts, of how Liu and Rin Rin act cuter than ever as they continue to court. I will tell you of all the babies born and all of the younglings who try to prove themselves to their amors.”

Willow felt Wukong shake a bit. She tightened her hold on his other hand, squeezing. “I will tell you of the new trees we plant, of the new games we invent, of the new relationships we cultivate.”

“The most important thing I will tell you though is how much we love and miss you, Wukong. How we are all eagerly awaiting you back at home. How, even now, I can’t wait for your return.”

“You … mean that?” He stared, golden sunset eyes misting over with new tears.

“Oh love. You don’t have to ask. I always miss you.” She smiled. “You are my handsome monkey. My lovely monkey. My best friend. I want you to be happy. And if ever those fellows you travel with make you guess or judge yourself harshly— then I will remind them why I chose you. Of all the beings and people of the world and Heaven, I picked you. And you picked me.”

“I don’t want to go.”

“The sooner you go.” Willow said softly. “The sooner you will come back to Flower Fruit Mountain. And the sooner I can enjoy those peaceful days with my husband.”

Wukong gave one last desperate look back, and it took all of his family’s willpower not to call him, to beg him to stay. Instead, Willow waved smiling at him. Mama Courage and Mama Wisdom both held each other, smiling at their boy.

Marshal Liu stepped closer to the smaller group, along with Ma and Ba and Beng. A silent gesture of we will take care of them, in that action.

Wukong smiled, half heartedly, and leapt through the water. Gone as quickly as he had arrived.

Willow turned then, hands clasped within their robed sleeves. She had a task to do now.

“Marshal Liu?”

“You have an idea, don’t you Mrs Willow?”

“Are my thoughts that evident?” Willow smiled as Marshal Liu nodded. He kept pace with her. walking as Willow turned deeper into the cave.

“I need a few scrolls of parchment.” The idea had already taken shape in her mind. Wukong may be stuck within his duties to his pilgrims. But she was not. She would have to be wise, be careful. She didn’t want to turn this into a heavenly spectacle. She did have a few contacts, however, that could be trusted with the whole truth of her urgency. “I need to write a few letters to Heaven.”

“Heaven?”

“Yes. I know Liu. I don't write home often.” As the sounds of the waterfall faded again, Willow felt her heart thrum with determination. “One night is hardly enough time to heal what has been wrecked here. And I intend on calling on a few favors.” She would send her letters, seeking out sympathetic ears discreetly. She would help Sun Wukong heal just as much as he had helped her. They would do so together. Even if the distance may be great I will find a way.