#Eleven would get so high he would start talking with walls

[theoldsports]

In an alternate universe where art wasn’t involved in such a toxic situation, what would college art be like as a boyfriend? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I feel like he’d be open to just about anyone as long as they had a good personality and a good heart. It wouldn’t matter if they played tennis or not; he’d love them for them and hope they’d love him just the same. Idk just some thoughts 💭 😚

Art is the boy that has had a broken heart one too many times and too much shit talked about him for him to run around hurting someone directly on purpose. He is, as far as college athlete relationships go, an exceptional boyfriend.

Art’s major is also Physics. It’s Physics. No arguments.

His girl parties? He’ll show out if it doesn’t ruin his game/practice schedule that weekend. His girl hates parties? They’ll stay in.

As a matter of fact, Art’s probably gonna swing for a girl that’s not a tennis player, but kindly tennis-curious. He likes having someone to teach about the game. And to mutually learn about her world and interests.

He’s probably gonna pull a talker. Art is a talker when he’s with another talker, but he has a hard time with other more reserved folks day in and day out.

Once he starts talking though, Art’s going to keep talking.

The kid knows he has a difficult schedule, but he’s going to want to spend time with his girl. Just the walking between places, having lunch, going to Target, studying, catching a cigarette behind the athletics complex kind of time. Those are the best moments of his day.

Art is going to ask to move into an off-campus apartment with his girl way sooner than is rational. Dealing with thin walls, squeaky lofted beds and roommates doesn’t yield a healthy relationship necessarily.

He loves staying in bed all day with her. Just laying there and chatting.

Unfortunately, he’s a really early riser. Art was conditioned to be. On school days, he’s very oh, yeah, I go up at six, ran a mile and had some toast. You want coffee? There’s some on the counter. Like that’s a normal way to be.

His media comprehension for plots in movies isn’t high. Movie nights are kind of wait, I don’t get why it’s call Ocean’s Eleven. So Art gets a lot of that explained to him and he… likes having the little things explained to him like he’s stupid. It’s funny, because he’s so fucking smart that his girl always wondered if he was faking it for attention…

Art’s dreadful when he’s sick. He’s not gonna try and push through it. He’s going to lay there and be useless when he’s ill. He wants to be taken care of.

Fundamentally supportive. There is nothing Art will not do to help his girl. Nothing.

He’s helpful with STEM-based homework.

Hand-holder. Art likes leading his girl from place to place. Or maybe being led is more apt.

He’s a lost puppy. His biggest flaw is being too loyal. This could result in brash, clinginess. Not all too bad or traumatic.

Art is a realist. So when he fantasizes with his girl about the future, that is what he wants. This relationship isn’t a joke or some game of chase.

This relationship is the thing that gets him fired up. He will stop at nothing to keep it nice through the good and bad times.

(He also understands that not every time is a good time. He will stay through the shitty moments too)

Art is dreamy. He really, truly is.

[fiapartridge]

late night talking | jack hughes

summary: jack’s having a terrible day and decides to call you late at night…

warning(s): swearing

kinda not in love with this one but what can ya do!

Jack hated calling when it was late at night because he knew you'd answer every single time— even if it meant sacrificing precious hours of sleep and living like a sleep-deprived zombie by the time the sun comes up. 

But tonight, he just couldn't resist it. 

His day was absolutely terrible. It all started with waking up an hour later than his alarm was set, then missing breakfast with the team because he couldn't find his tan T-shirt anywhere which resulted in him tearing apart his entire hotel room searching for the missing piece of clothing that was simply rolled up at the bottom of his suitcase, then getting a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his new AF1s on his way to the arena, and as the stupid cherry on top, the Devils lost their last road game of the—almost clean sweep—West Coast roadie to the fucking Seattle Kraken. 

And he knew you were tired. You spent all day texting him about all of the essays and projects your professors were assigning you. You were awake until 2AM (New Jersey time), hacking away at all of the assignments. You couldn't wait to go to sleep. 

You finally put your writing utensils away and stored your laptop in the drawer of your desk where it would be waiting to be opened tomorrow for more work. Your hair was in a messy bun and your pajamas were strapped against your body. You were so ready for bed. You pulled back the covers and shimmied yourself in, careful not to move the pink blanket resting at the foot of the bed. 

Skimming through your emails one last time, making sure there wasn't any last-minute work assigned by your professors, you turned off your phone and placed it on the bedside table. Your arm stretched a little farther to click the button on your lamp, but when you saw Jack's caller ID and the photo of him giving you a piggy-back around the Prudential Center, all systems were on high alert. 

You sat back up, pulling the phone to your ear. You were terrified. You knew Jack hated calling you late at night— even though you told him loads of times that you didn't mind. So if he was calling you now, knowing it was 2AM where you were, he must've really needed something. 

The line was silent when you answered. Nothing else other than a faint static could be heard between the two of you.

"Jack?" you called. "Are you okay?"

You could hear his breathing. It wasn't calm, but it wasn't rapidly fast either. It sounded like a boy with something on his mind.

"Hey, Y/N/N," he said. He was so quiet, it felt like you had to lean into the phone to hear him better. 

"It's eleven in Seattle. Why aren't you asleep?" you asked.

"I wanted to, I just," he paused. Static. Calmer breaths. "I just missed you so fucking much, Y/N."

"I miss you, too, but it's only two more days. I'll see you on Sunday. What's going on?"

You couldn't see him, but his head was shaking back and forth on the other side of the line and he was rubbing his forehead like a middle-aged man after seeing his kids scribbling all over the walls. He was stressed and tired and all he wanted was to come home and see you, to sleep in your bed tonight, and to be with you.

"My day was just... terrible. It was unbelievably terrible. It was like one bad thing would happen and then ten minutes later, another bad thing happened. It was like God was just shitting over my entire day. So much fucking shit."

You laughed softly, a slight yawn mixed in between. "I don't think God was resting at the toilet, shitting all over your day, but it sounds like it was pretty bad. What happened?"

He sighed. "No, I should let you go to sleep. It's what? Two o'clock over there?"

"You called, and I answered. Tell me."

He took a moment, like he was actually debating whether to tell you or not. He knew you would go to extreme lengths to get it out of him, and he didn't want to tire you out even more. "We lost."

That was all he said.

Two words.

We lost.

You were confused to say the least. You knew he lost. You kept up with every single one of his games. They won every single road game before that: the Hurricanes, the Ducks, the Kings, the Sharks. So what, they lost to the Kraken? It's not like they won't have another chance to win again on Sunday against the Penguins, or Tuesday against the Golden Knights. There were so many more games to play. What was the big deal?

"Okay... is that it?" you asked. You dipped your toe in, scared that he might blow up and tell you something dramatic like 'it's more than a game, it's my life.'

But the line went quiet again. Nothing more than a bit of static and breathing. But then he talked and you wanted to do nothing more than book a flight out to Seattle and run to him with your arms out. You wanted to be there for Jack— you always did. 

He sighed. "It's just— we were losing for so long and when we were winning again, it felt so good, like we were finally back. Like we were a team again. But then we lost and, I don't know, it felt as if we were back on that losing streak, like it was yesterday. Like none of the road games even happened. We were just— losers again."

You rolled your eyes, and laughed. Yes, you laughed. Jack was confused, too. He wondered why you were laughing. He just poured out his entire thought process, all of his feelings, and you were laughing. Why were you laughing?

He frowned. "It's not funny, Y/N/N."

"I know, I know," you wiped your eyes. You didn't know if you were tearing up because you were deliriously tired or you were just laughing too hard. "It's just— you lost in overtime. You were close. It wasn't an 8 - 1 loss, or a complete shutout. You almost won, Jack. It was one goal that separated you and the other team. So what, you lost one game? This one game won't cost you your chances at playoffs and it won't make me love you any less. No one thinks that you are a loser. I'd rather be with you than a guy that's won every single one of his games. I love you, Jack. Win or lose, it's always you."

"So you don't want to be with Pastrnak?"

You rolled your eyes and giggled. "Not into beards."

He laughed. "Really? Because I think I'm starting to grow something here, Y/N/N."

You scoffed. "In your wildest dreams, Hughes."

"Speaking of dreams, I should probably let you get back to that."

"Alright, just— know that I love you, okay? Win or lose; I'm always gonna come home to you, and I'm always gonna love you."

You could hear the sound of a light switch on the other side of the line. Jack was getting ready for bed, too. He crawled underneath the covers, knowing his teammates were probably out getting drunk somewhere at a bar nearby. But he didn't care about grabbing a beer and throwing all of his feelings into Taylor Swift karaoke with Nico Hischier (that was more of a 'you and Nico' thing). All he wanted was to hear your voice, to tell you goodnight, that he loves you, and that he'll call you again when the sun comes up.

Because to him, you were worth more than a lifetime of wins.

[catmaraudersfan]

Dib's rant:

Zim and Dib are in High School/Hi Skool and friends by now. They are very protective of each other:

Dib has a TERRIBLE day. Zim notices and brings his friend to the roof, activating a sound and vision barrier so that neither the cameras nor the Humans see or hear the two of them.

Zim prompts his friend to get his feelings out and that it's not good to hold them in and also reminds Dib that he helped Zim with his emotions concerning the Tallest's betrayal. Zim is returning the favor.

Dib hesitated, so Zim assures him that he won't mock him or use it against him.

Dib then let out a banshee-like scream in frustration, making Zim flinch from both the noise and sympathy. Zim himself felt like that and even SCREAMED like that after learning about his mission.

Dib then collapsed against the wall with a sob, Zim sitting next to him and placing a comforting hand on his back.

"I used to tell myself they would one day wake up and believe me. But they're never gonna believe me," Dib confessed in a wavering voice.

"You remember that one Halloween back when I was eleven or twelve?" He asked, getting a nod from Zim. "I think those monsters that chased us were our classmates."

Zim both WAS and WASN'T surprised to learn that.

Seeing Zim's curious look, Dib explained that the bullying didn't start with him calling Zim an alien. It started YEARS before, when Dib and his classmates were TODDLERS.

By the time Dib realized that he had worked himself into a tantrum, he was stomping around on the roof, crying and screaming at his classmates and Humanity as a whole at the TOP of his lungs.

Suddenly, Zim is in front of him and pulling him into a hug.

A couple of hours pass and Dib is resting his head on Zim's shoulder. Exhausted by the breakdown.

"Your vanity will eventually lead to your demise," Dib mumbled tiredly into Zim's shoulder, too tired to be mad anymore.

"Zim agrees," the Irken replied, knowing the Dib was talking to the brainless Humans and not him.

[moonsgemini]

american heartbreak - i

summary: all June Summers wants is to be Rafe Cameron’s date to the county fair dance. Everyone from town would be there and she was tired of going alone. She was tired of watching him dance with other women, tired of waiting around for him.

warnings: cowboy!rafe x oc (minimal to no oc description, mutual pining, angst, fluff

wc: 2.7k

an: I hope you guys enjoy! I love cowboy rafe. I also just love writing au’s there’s so much more room for creative freedom. I basically just use rafe as a face claim bc drew starkey is a literal greek god.

series masterlist

The sound of June’s boots as she paced back and forth behind the counter were beginning to drive Amber crazy. She was trimming tulips to make a new bouquet but she could barely concentrate when the her coworker was an anxious mess. The soft sound of music wasn’t enough to drown out the clacking of boots against wood. June bit her fingernails anxiously, her stare not leaving the floor as she was lost in thought.

“June I swear I’m going to kill you if you don’t relax,” She scolded the girl who stopped abruptly.

She smiled sheepishly, “I’m sorry, I just am really nervous. What if he like laughs at me or something?”

Amber rolled her eyes, “That boy would never laugh at you.”

“You never know. What if he like thinks I’m crazy or worse never speaks to me again after he rejects me because he feels so bad!” She exclaimed dramatically.

“How do you even sleep at night with all this worrying?”

“I don’t get much of it.”

All week June had been practicing over and over in her head how she would ask her lifelong crush, Rafe, to the county fair. At the end of the night there would be a dance that the whole town went to. It was a big deal around here, and going with a date was a big deal. Every year there would be some new surprising couple that would be the talk of the town for the next few weeks before some new gossip spread. June had been pining over Rafe Cameron like a love sick puppy since they were eleven years old when boys started becoming cute and not gross anymore.

She had planned on asking him when he came in this afternoon. Rafe always came in on thursday evenings after practice to buy a fresh bouquet of flowers to take to his mom’s grave. A tradition he started in high school, the day before the rodeo, he’d go visit his mom. To this day he swore she was his goodluck charm. When June started working at the flower shop at sixteen she was ecstatic to have another excuse to see Rafe.

She glanced at the clock on the wall and her palms started sweating, it was six now which meant he was out of practice by now. June decided to make herself busy in the mean time to occupy her jittery fingers.

Rafe parked outside the small flower shop and let out a sigh of relief. Being at the flower shop on meant it was the end of his practice week and now he just had to worry about riding. It also meant he got to visit his favorite girl, and he wasn’t talking about his mom.

He looked into his rearview mirror of his old pick up truck and adjusted his hat. Checking himself to make sure he didn’t have any dirt or muck on his face. He got out of his truck making long strides towards the door. As he entered that all too familiar bell jingled alerting June and Amber or his presence. The smell of fresh flowers over took his senses, as well as the presence of his favorite flower girl.

June looked up from where she was picking the leaves off of the carnation stems. Her eyes widening for a second, her face beginning to feel hot as she smiled shyly at him. Suddenly any ounce of confidence she had to ask him about the dance left her body. That smirk he always wore turning her into a pile of mush. She’s surprised her legs were still holding her up as he walked over to the counter.

“Hi Rafe,” She said softly. Amber smiled to herself as she watched them interact. She sneakily walked into the back room to give them some privacy. It was a little routine she did whenever Rafe came in.

“Hi sweetheart, whatcha got today for me?” He asked resting his palms against the counter supporting his weight as he leaned towards her.

He was such a natural flirt. She could barely look him in the eyes most of the time, “we just got a bunch of beautiful tulips in so I made you a bouquet of purple ones with some baby’s breath,” June walked over to the one of the bucked holding an abundance of bouquets, “I also put a few daisy’s to add a bit more to it.”

She showed him the bouquet proudly. A wide smile spreading across his face, “That is beautiful. You’re so good. Mom will love them.”

June knew Rafe’s mom. She cared for everyone in town like they were all her family. Whenever June would be over at their house hanging out with Sarah she would make them food, always let them ride horses. When they were really young she’d let them play in the rain and get all muddy, when other mom’s in town would scold her for letting the kids look like a mess. She was the sweetest woman.

“Always the best for her,” She fidgeted with her hands nervously. If he knew the effect he had on her he’d be too powerful.

He pulled out his wallet and handed her a twenty. Since he was their best customer she never charged him more than that. Clueless Rafe just thought that was how much each bouquet was, “Am I seeing you tomorrow at the rodeo?”

She nodded, “Of course. I might help out Mrs.Mayfield sell raffle tickets.”

“Always the helpful one. I better see you at the Rooster after,” He pointed at her scolding playfully. Roosters was one of the local bars everyone went out to.

June laughed softly, “Maybe, I doubt you’d even notice if I wasn’t there.”

“Darlin I always notice when you’re not around,” He smirked, “I better get going to see mom.”

“Goodluck tomorrow Rafe,” She smiled with a small wave as he began walking out.

He tipped his hat at her with that cute lopsided smile on his lips, “I’ll see you tomorrow Ms.Summers.”

June watched him walk out to his truck, a dumb love struck smile on her face. That crush she’s had on him since second grade was never going away.

“You chicken.”

She jumped and reached to clutch her chest, “Oh my god you scared me.” She scolded her friend.

Amber had her arms crossed leaning against the doorway to the back, “You didn’t ask him!”

“I couldn’t! My brain got all blurry. I-I just can’t handle the thought of rejection. Especially not from him.”

“Did you not hear everything he said to you?” She walked over standing in front of June, “He practically was begging you to go tomorrow. Verbatim said ‘I always notice when you’re not around’ um hello?”

June shrugged, “He’s just being nice, that’s just Rafe.”

Amber stared at her with a deadpan expression, “I wish I could put you in a choke hold right now.”

She rolled her eyes, “I’ll try to ask him tomorrow after the rodeo.”

“I’m sure you will. But we’re definitely going out after,” She smiled.

-

June and Amber had been friends since they were in diapers. Their moms being best friends themselves it was almost a given that their two daughters would be just as close. After they graduated high school they took all the money they had saved up and rented a cute little house in town. Now they were working on buying out Mr.Robertson for his flower shop. They had been working in it since they were fifteen and they wanted it to be their’s. Mr.Roberston kindly offered to sell it to them since he was getting too old to take care of it himself and once he sold it he’d move to Florida with his daughter.

The girls were close to buying it, needing a few more months to get the rest of the money. Most people wanted to move out of the small town they were born in but that wasn’t June or Amber. June liked it there, she liked the familiarity and the comfort it brought. She liked her life here, she liked living with her best friend and working with her too. She liked being five minutes away from her parents. June felt lucky to be where she was and have the people she had in her life.

After closing they had stopped by the grocery store to pick up stuff for dinner. Now headed home in June’s dad’s old mustang they enjoyed the cool summer afternoon breeze and listened to their favorite artist, Taylor Swift. June felt like she had the perfect life. The only thing she longed for was someone to be by her side. Of course she had Amber but she wanted a romantic relationship. She wanted someone who could hold her at night and take her out on dates.

It’s not like she hadn’t tried to get a boyfriend. June had gone on a few dates but they never ended well. She was seeing Liam, a local mechanic, for a month but then she saw him flirting and kiss another girl at Rooster’s. After that she went on a date with a local bull rider, one of Rafe’s teammates, but he never called her after the night was over. June thought it was because she didn’t put out on the first date. She doesn’t know that it was because Rafe cornered the guy and threatened him. Told him if he ever went out with you again he’d tie him to his truck and drag him across town.

Amber had her own boyfriend, James, who was friends with Rafe. They worked together on the Cameron farm and occasionally helped coach Rafe. June has refused his attempts to set her up with Rafe more times than she could count. James moved to town a few years ago after he heard that the Cameron’s were looking for another ranch hand.

“Wanna invite Sarah for dinner?” Amber asked as they carried the groceries into the house.

June shrugged, “Sure, we haven’t seen her since she left for Charleston.”

“I’ll call her, can you get started on the potatoes please,” Amber said as she started dialing Sarah.

“yeah yeah,” June rolled her eyes playfully as she unpacked the grocery bags.

The three girls were all friends in school and Sarah ended up moving to North Carolina for college once they graduated. They managed to stay as close as possible with the distance. Sarah is Rafe’s sister and of course she knew of June’s infatuation with her older brother. Sarah wanted them to end up together, always talked about how perfect it would be to have her as a sister in law.

When they were younger and June would go to Sarah’s house she always prayed she’d run into Rafe. Occasionally she would but he was the same old Rafe back then. Would make slightly flirty comments towards her making her flustered and making her crush on him grow.

-

The girls sat around the dining table laughing at old stories from their childhood. Every time they got together it felt like they were fifteen again sneaking alcohol from Ward’s liquor cabinet and turning into a fit of tipsy giggles.

“And then Rafe came out from the barn and June practically jumped on him she was so excited to see him,” Sarah laughed tilting her head back.

June covered her embarrassed face at the memory, “Oh god! I forgot about that.”

“That was the closest you’ve gotten to him like ever,” Amber added, “You need to drink tequila again.”

“That will probably be the closest I get to him ever,” She said a hint of sadness in her voice.

“June you should just ask him out yourself. Forget all that old fashioned stuff. My brother would never be mean to you.”

June took a sip of her wine, “I know he wouldn’t be mean but it’s the rejection that turns me away. He could have anyone why would he want me. He also is always out with some other girl. She’s usually a lot prettier than me.”

“June Summers you know I don’t tolerate that negative talk in our house,” Amber scolded, “You are beautiful and he would be lucky to have someone like you. I also highly doubt he’d reject you.”

She smiled at her, “And how do you know that?”

Sarah rolled her eyes, “Because he’s like practically in love with you! He doesn’t great other girls the way he treats you. He also looks at you different.”

“Then why has he never asked me out! It just doesn’t make sense. I’d rather keep him as a friend than lose him completely.”

“I wish he didn’t have such a thick skull then maybe he’d have some sense,” Sarah stood grabbing the girls empty plates to take to the sink.

“Fallin off too many bulls in his life,” Amber giggled.

June stood to grab the bottle or wine to refill their glasses, “Oh I’m gonna head out soon. Rafe is picking me up on his way home from James’ and he texted me he’s on his way,” Sarah said beginning to wash the dishes.

“Come on so early?” Amber gave her puppy eyes.

She laughed, “Yes, I have an exam online in the morning I still need to study for. That masters won’t get itself ladies.”

“Speaking of James has Amber told you that she thinks he’s going to propose soon,” June smirked trying to forget about the fact that Rafe was coming to her house soon.

“Shut up!” Sarah exclaimed.

“I know! He’s been so suspicious lately! He’s been working a lot and he’s not so subtly asked me for my ring size last month. Then he went to the city last week but he didn’t want me to come because he said he was doing some boring errands for Ward,” Amber’s cheeks began hurting from smiling so much at the thought of her boyfriend, “But I don’t believe that for a second. I think he went to buy a ring.”

“Oh please get married soon! I want to be a bridesmaid,” Sarah said excitedly as she dried her hands. There was a knock on the door as she finished, “That’s me, go get the door June while I get my things together.” She smirked at her friend.

“I hate you guys,” She whisper shouted in case he could hear them. Amber practically pushed June to the door.

She took a deep breath fixing her hair a bit before opening the door. He stood looking the same as he did earlier that day, still just as handsome as before. He smiled as soon as he saw her, he was really hoping it’d be June answering the door.

“Hi Rafe,” She said softly. Her timid demeanor returning whenever she was around him, he made all her confidence vanish always.

“Hi sweetheart, how are you tonight?” He asked with that cute smile he always wore around her. For a second she pretended he was picking her up for their first date.

“I’m good, and you?” She asked politely still stuck in her daydream.

“Better now, is Sarah ready?” He asked breaking her from her fantasy. Truthfully Rafe didn’t want the conversation to end but he knew he was there for a reason.

“Uh yeah she’s just getting her things,” As if on cue Sarah showed up next to June.

“I’m ready,” She hugged June tightly, “I’ll see you tomorrow Juney.”

“Does that mean you’re going out tomorrow with everyone?” Rafe asked with a smirk, a hopeful glint in his eyes.

“I guess so, can’t say no to this one,” She smiled nodding her head towards Sarah.

“I’m her favorite what can I say,” Sarah shrugged smirking, “Come on Rafe I gotta study.” She walked towards the truck leaving Rafe behind.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then June bug,” He tipped his hat at her like he always did before walking down the porch steps.

“Bye Rafe,” She waved and waved towards Sarah who was smiling at the pair from inside the truck.

June spent the night praying that the words Sarah said earlier that night were true. That Rafe somehow was in love with her. But she couldn’t help that voice that was always in the back of her head telling her how that could never be possible.

Maybe tomorrow she’d have some tequila.

[sitp-recs]

heyo!! been loving the super specific rec lists youve been making lately :)

do you have favorite fics that include riding! as in. riding cock. bonus points if there’s good dirty talk about it. don’t care who’s on who as long as it is HOT! but obv i love drarry most. hope this is fun!

An ask after my own heart 🥹 thank you for the delicious request anon, here are some fics with memorable riding scenes imho. This reminded me of my fave Starker PWP but that’s neither here nor there so I’ll keep this short & Drarry. I hope you enjoy! 🔥

Move by @shealwaysreads (829 words)

“Come on, fuck yourself on it. I won’t make it move until you do.”

You Either Fuck or You Get Fucked by @fw00shy (2k)

"That's not how fucking works. Fucking's…" Draco waved a hand in the air. "You either fuck or you get fucked." "Sure," Harry said. He took out a Sickle. "Toss for it?"

in charge by @bonesliketambourines (2.4k)

Draco's bossy. Turns out that extends to the bedroom, too. Harry likes it—a lot.

Mens Rea by @lqtraintracks (E, 3k)

Mens Rea: the mental element of a person's intention to commit a crime; or knowledge that one's action or lack of action would cause a crime to be committed. “Draco Malfoy, how do you plead?” I’m super fucking guilty.

Like Gold by @the-sinking-ship (4k)

Draco runs away from home on the back of his boyfriend’s motorbike.

Catch the Snitch (No, Catch My Heart) by prolix (4.5k)

Draco secretly loved when Harry lost a match.

A Delicate Arrangement by mindabbles (E, 6k)

Harry's learned over time that a delicate touch is sometimes superior to a harsh grip. If he can remember that with Draco, he might solve the case, protect a dozen children, and he may, he may just get what he wants most.

Sexplanations (Of the Horrible Sort) by @bixgirl1 (7k)

Harry's willing to put up with a certain amount of injury, as long as he and Malfoy can keep doing... whatever it is they're doing. Maybe. Mostly. Especially if there might be more to it than sex.

Team Building for Dummies by InnerLilith (E, 7k)

Tensions run high when Harry and Draco are both drafted (as starting Seeker and substitute, respectively) for the English national team ahead of the 2002 World Cup. An impulsive bet on the outcome of a practice game resolves the tension in ways Harry wasn’t expecting.

The Page Eleven Wars by fireflavored (E, 8.5k)

In a gossip-hungry post-war Wizarding World, Rita Skeeter has a wildly successful column in the Daily Prophet known as Page Eleven. Naturally, her favourite targets are the poster boys of the two sides of the war: Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. Bored and annoyed, the two take up tabloid baiting for sport and pleasure.

like a scratch on the roof of your mouth by eleadore (E, 9k)

Two weeks into the new year, Draco Malfoy saves Ron's life in a spectacular fashion.

It's the Love of the Chase (That Created the Ride) by @lqtraintracks (14k)

Draco and Harry are new Auror partners. It's a bit dull. Until they finally see some spell action and things get a lot more interesting (in Draco's pants).

An Act of Kindness for One Harry Potter by a Sympathetic Draco Malfoy by 0idontknow0 (15k)

As Draco leaned on the wall to wait for them to get dressed, he could not help feeling like he had done a very kind thing by disrupting them. Someone should give Potter a better rogering than that sorry sod had. The man had saved the bloody world—okay, mostly Europe—the least someone could do was give him a proper shag.

you look so fine by michi_thekiller (E, 16k)

In which Draco is a Veela and Harry is his mate. Dark!Humor or Crack!Horror, you decide.

Buy A Heart by xErised (E, 17k)

Draco's cock hardens as he looks at the invitation to the charity auction; his golden ticket to one wild night of desperate sex with Potter to get rid of this inexplicable obsession. His heart whispers that one night will never be enough, but Draco is beyond caring. All he knows is that he will pay any price to have Potter over and over again.

White as Snow by @bixgirl1 (19k)

After a quick escape from danger, Harry and Draco find themselves trapped in a blizzard, a small cabin their only refuge from the storm. It's the perfect place to recover and regroup — and to have a long-overdue conversation or two.

Five Weddings and a Potions Accident by lauren3210 (20k)

In which Harry thinks he’s a playboy, everyone else knows better, and Hermione will kill Seamus if Ron tries to collect on that bet.

Waking Up Slow by @sweet-s0rr0w and @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm (22k)

'Twas the night before Christmas, although it’s July / Draco’s a shopkeeper, no-one knows why / There’s hiking and witch caves, freak snowfalls and more / Bad Christmas jumpers, nosy neighbours galore / Narcissa’s here too, but… something’s amiss / And what’s in those chocolates that’s making them kiss?

Touch Me Fall by @lqtraintracks (23k)

Malfoy was such a ponce. And he was a complete snob. And he was so fucking fit Harry wanted to jump him where he sat. It would be too easy to forget his objective tonight: to really, really, really get Malfoy out of his system.

In Your Arms, Rests My World by @l0vegl0wsinthedark (24k)

Harry presses his mouth to Malfoy's forehead; he wants to tell him that he’ll never leave, that he wouldn’t dream of it. “You make me feel safe, Potter” Malfoy whispers. “You keep me safe.”

Embers by @shiftylinguini (41k)

Werewolf Alphas aren't meant to be alone, or to suppress their ruts indefinitely like Draco has been since he was bitten eight years ago. He needs company, companionship, to knot ― he needs an Omega Heat Companion. At least, that’s what the Healers say, and even Draco can admit contacting the person they’ve referred him to might be nice.

[alwaysshallow]

— coffee at midnight, part 3

John "Soap" MacTavish x f!reader

Sometimes things are just too rough. He's here to make everything easier. (3,9 k)

1 | 2

AO3 version

Having something stable in your life was rare – you learned that at very young age, when you were tossed from one family to another. Trying so desperately to find a right home, to fit somewhere because after five foster families, you had your hope low.

Well, at least that was until a sweet couple of two women started to be interested in adopting you. First, you were hesitant. Like, no one could blame you, right? The amount of families that you've talked with and nothing came out of it, it was pretty sad for a child to be fooled like that. Yet, when everything was finalized, and Kate presented you the room with full pride, walls painted on your favorite color (she asked!) you cried.

Genuinely cried because you never thought you'd find a family like that. Two moms, who loved every version of you, wanted the best for you. Adopted by the best people in the world, eleven year old, you were on the cloud nine.

You finally had your people.

That "stable" thing also applied to relationships of every sort – friendships, boyfriends you had. Hell, boyfriend-girlfriends type of status scared the shit out of you, considering how many times you ended up crying over something, someone. If you would think about it, nothing really survived through time – maybe that's why you build a wall between you and everyone. Except your moms.

And, except Addison. She was your dearest best friend from high school days and you could trust her with everything at this point. The amount of times she was by your side in your darkest moments or saddest, like when Jake dumped you for some blond chick from cheerleader squad. You remembered vividly how she encouraged you to throw eggs at his car.

The two of you were the equivalent of all these memes about best friends. Dumb ones; the ones where you knew so many shit about each other, so if your friendship somehow would end, you'd have to kill the other person. What was more funny, it was literally like that, even if you were in military and automatically had less time.

When you were on leave? Hell, you reserved at least two days straight just for her, to tell all the tea (the tea wasn't classified at least) or to listen to it. You loved her too much.

Those walls were up until Task Force 141 came in – and specifically that one goddamn person, but you didn't need to bring him up in your mind to know that. Even if it was military thingy, you were like a found family, which was ironic, considering you thought it's gonna be 'job only' relationships.

Yet, that found family bond was so strong that when you were on leave, it was impossible not to contact each other. Not only groupchats were alive (on every platform possible), but also you met with them if there was a slight chance for that. Most of you were going home, and almost everyone before taking that "vacation" wanted to meet again. In normal circumstances, without that big "we're military" thing, so you had a few bars to swing in.

Where no one knew who the hell the six of you were, where you played pool with strangers, being experienced after late night sessions in military. Or, darts, where you once lost and almost scratched guy's eyes out when he bragged about it, and you were completely done since you loved darts.

Well, that was where boys came to conclusion that they won't even try to participate in Monopoly with you, or Ludo. Just because you were "violent" or something like this; you didn't pay attention to that because you had a plan to convince them anyway. They would always fold, especially when some money was on the table to win.

All in all, you loved them, honestly. Their humor, even if you rolled your eyes multiple times, being the only woman, except the moments when Farah or Kate helped you in field. Hell, they were irritating on purpose, only to get a reaction out of you, especially with jokes about women. But, they slowly learned that they could have other things to joke about.

Yet, they were still respectful, even if they were men.

You also loved the way you could count of them. Every situation, every little bump on the road, they were here. Maybe it was shared experience, but you knew it was not only that – empathy counted in this one too, as well as care.

Because here, everyone cared. Even on leave, maybe especially then since inner demons never slept. It wasn't something you all talked about openly, but one glance at someone could be enough to tell if someone was bothered.

Either by the past, the present, or the future. Soldiers had way too many things on their minds on all times, buried deep, so it wouldn't be a problem on the field, when they needed to focus. There were more important things, like killing the enemy, getting intel, protecting the civilians. No time for being emotional, no?

Everyone knew that eventually, it will spill all over.

And when it would, it was sure as hell it's not gonna be pretty.

Probably your moment came right after getting back to base. One day, Price told you – one day to "reset", and the next day, 2 P.M. sharp, all of the team was needed to be back in the field. You wish he wouldn't say that; you needed anything but to rest. Not after a bad day. Not after failing one part of the mission. Not after your uniform was covered in so much dirt and blood you couldn't even see your face properly or hands.

You looked nothing like your previous version, not to mention the mimics and the blank stare in the mirror. Trying to ignore it? Impossible, especially when your hands shook, as you tried to take off your clothes and wash yourself in shared bathrooms. You knew that no one will bother you at almost midnight, they were probably asleep, or playing poker.

With a sigh, you adjusted the water to your liking; it was warm, but not too warm, just perfect for a quick shower. Or, you thought it was gonna be a quick one – you needed a one scrub of your body, and one look at blood coming down the drain, to sit on the floor of the cabine. Unable to make another move, because for the first time in the while, you couldn't even wash properly.

"For fuck's sake" you cursed under your breath, mad at yourself; you were a soldier. You should be able to get yourself clean, to not make a big of the deal of something that happened many times your career.

You saw those situations multiple times, and right back then, under the shower, you were like a broken piece. Broken piece, who suddenly had all of images right in front of her eyes. Images of blood, dirt, broken bones, dead bodies. Voices in your head, people screaming, trying to get you to help them, but you couldn't do shit without orders.

With a loud sigh, you bent your legs, pulling them closer to you, your forehead pressed to knees. Involuntary tears streamed down your face. It was hard not to cry every once in a while to wind off, to let all out of the emotions go away, before they will buckle up once again. Hard was scrubbing your body, while you thought the worst of yourself, but you had to brush everything off. No matter how long it would take, it was necessary.

It was aggravating how badly you wanted to close your eyes, but couldn't since too many images were playing in your head. That's why you were staring blankly at your dirty skin, trying to actually pull yourself together, to make yourself stand again, to scrub your body reminding you of everything. For the first time in a while, you felt like you're losing yourself again, like you don't know what to do, genuinely.

Am I too much? Am I a monster? Of course I am a monster. With a blood at my hands – you thought, clearing your throat, when it started burning. You felt like in any moment, you would burst out crying.

You punched the white tiles right in front of you out of frustration; it was supposed to help in a way, but it didn't, considering that your knuckles came out scratched. And, what's more to it, a little bloody.

That was also the moment when you realized Soap was looking at you, in shock – before, you didn't even notice his presence in community showers. He looked like he wanted to say something, but out of respect, he looked away for a moment, coughing awkwardly.

You couldn't care less at that moment in which state he sees you in.

"I just walked in. I'm... 'm not some kind of creep" he started, stumbling on his own words. He wasn't the best with them in moments like these, you knew that, but appreciated still. "Couldn't find ya, no one knew, and... I was lookin'..."

"I get it, okay" you sighed, clearing your throat.

Maybe you should care that he saw you practically naked – practically because curled like this, he couldn't see your intimate parts or anything, but you didn't. You just were... staring in the wall, again.

"What do you want? Something happened?" you finally looked at him, and he raised his eyebrow, confused that you're even saying something like this, implying that he wants something from you.

"What? No, everything's alright, I just... 'st saw your face when you got out of the jeep. And, there's something wrong with ya, lass, every time you don't say goodnight."

You raised an eyebrow too.

"Fuck. You know what I mean, hen. Don't act clueless."

Of course you knew.

"Yeah, I just..." you bit your cheek from inside.

It was a hard call for you – to share what was on your mind or not. Right, as best friends to the grave (that's what Soap called your relationship multiple times), in theory it was a must. In theory only though, because practice was... a little different.

A lot to take, that's for sure, and everyone had their own problems to deal with – you knew it too well – and as his best friend, you knew his shit that he had to live through. He had enough of his bullshit, to hear about yours, but it was clear that Soap MacTavish wasn't the one who gives up easily.

If anything, he could get more curious about the problem and be more nagging, trying to help because "that's what he does best". It wouldn't probably even be another talk, but small gestures, and as much as you loved these types of things, you wanted to forget what bothered you. So, the easiest way was just to tell him.

"I see their faces. Everyone. Everyone from today, but also from the past. That pregnant lady that I killed right before I met you" you eventually said; quietly, like it was something ignominious to even think of.

It was something ironic to think, considering that you always cared about mental health and told everyone around you how feelings matter, how they are validated to feel everything. Kate taught you that, making a strong point about it when you usually were very closed about telling her your difficulties. She wanted to make you feel heard if you'd be willing to share anything, even something so little, even if you thought it was stupid.

Yet, you still felt bad.

"Terrorist." he corrected you, keeping the low tone. It seemed like the most important thing to him – to correct you that was a terrorist first, pregnant lady second. "It was you or her."

"It's not important, Johnny. My point is, we fucked up. I fucked up, pretty badly. Not only blew our plan, but someone had to pay the price. And I fucking can't even look at myself!" you laughed, feeling bitter and even weaker than before.

It was a tragedy that he had to see you like this.

"I can't even fucking wash myself because I see all of this blood, shallow wounds, and I just..." you shook your head, trying not to break more.

Especially right in front of him, when he was looking at you with... pity?

When you covered eyes with your hand, trying to separate yourself from that feeling, you could hear his footsteps coming closer. Next thing he did was dropping to his knees, at least that what it sounded like, considering that your view wasn't on him.

"I have nightmares lately. Bad ones. And from that dehydration today, from having to see the executions for getting fucking intel... it's just becomes worse. And worse. And worse."

"It's your job. You're good at it. Your job." his voice is steady and quiet, such a contrast to yours; breaking, shaky.

"I'm fucking disgusting, that's what I am." it came out snarky, sudden. You know he doesn't deserve that; he meant the best for you, he always did. Putting you before him, which irritated the shit out of you.

Many times you thought he deserved a better friend.

"I'm supposed to kill bad guys and protect good ones, not to let kill good guys for an intel. It's another fuck up mission, it's getting to my head. If we're doing any good."

"We are doing good. I... I think."

Hearing those words was something like a breaking point for you; you looked at Soap kneeling beside you, the corner of lips twitching before you broke into uncontrollable laughter. It quickly became maniac, something that you had no control over, just to transform into involuntary crying because it was enough. He thought team was doing good?

Thought wasn't enough. You needed a proof, something visible, something on paper that not even everything, but most of your work is needed and does good. Words weren't enough, and his hesitance was just a nail to a coffin you already were in because you chose this work for a reason. Helping people, make them feel safe.

As you looked at Soap, his presence was just melting the walls you had – as always, next to him, you were unable to lie or pretend like with everyone else. You felt you could just throw everything out of your system without wondering if it's appropriate. And you were crying, and laughing, and just making yourself crazy in front of him, yet he wasn't saying anything about it.

You didn't know what was happening in this moment as you were shaking; you just registered that his hands are slowly coming to you, and before he could hug you or anything, you decided to push him away a bit.

"I'm a fucking mess, Johnny." you babbled, trying to get your voice steady again. "Go, I have to... shower. It's pathetic."

A beat of silence passed between you two, before Scot decided to come even closer, pushing you deeper into the cabin. From that moment, he was getting wet too from shower stream.

"Let me."

You blinked.

"What?" you raised an eyebrow, confused what he means by "let me." Let him what? Let him tell you another story how you are brave for the work you're doing, or...

"I'm gonna help you in washing. That's what I mean."

"You're insane. I'm not going to use you like that." you stated, clearing your throat.

A certain wave of embarrassment went through you, like you just realized how bare you were; even if he couldn't see your front properly, you brought your legs closer to your chest, defense mechanism or some sort.

It was another thing that hit you, when you thought about it – how he was always there if you needed him, even if you didn't want him around for his own sake. No matter what it was, he was there, to help you. To make things better, even if it seemed like the shittiest situation in the world.

"It's not like I would take advantage of you, you know that. You're in a bad state" he whispered. "Let me do it. Please. You're gonna do the front, I'm gonna do the back."

"MacTavish-" "-please." he spoke quietly, tenderly – you heard him like this for a first time.

It was a silent agreement to his proposition when you gave him the second sponge; you didn't think that you could say "yes" to it out loud. It seemed embarrassing, it seemed like another overcrossing of a boundary.

Johnny's movements were slow and silky, like he was afraid to hurt you deeper than you were already since you closed your eyes, taking a deep, shaky breaths to ease yourself. Blood and dirt were coming down the drain, making you sick even more with a thought of people that had to be left behind.

Thinking it was some kind of encouragement seeing how all of it comes off, so you won't see "memories" of the mission, you decided to finally scrub your front, giving the whole attention to it. Because you couldn't miss a single piece, you just... needed to separate your body from the events that happened.

Move on to another, to another mission the next day. Time wasn't on your side when it was coming to processing everything on your own, lying in your bed without purpose, trying to tell yourself you weren't a bad person.

No.

You were a soldier. Safety of the world was before anything, even before you, your mental health, anything.

Twenty long minutes, and the next thing Soap did was washing your long hair with certain softness to it, massaging your scalp. If conditions were different, you'd probably joke and laugh about it, teasing him how good he does it and maybe he needs to think about changing careers.

Instead, you were just silent, eyes closed.

You always insisted on doing things alone – you learned it was the best way to not be disappointed; if you don't expect shit from people, you're not gonna be sad after, right? The perfect prevention from possible heartbreak. Not exactly how Kate raised you considering that she always reminded you about making friends to make life easier, but... life verified a lot of things actually. However, lessons from your mom were still appreciated, of course, even if you didn't quite apply them to life out of... fear? Yeah. Fear of being disappointed again.

Better to build walls around you than letting people in.

Version of you before Task Force 141 would hate you for allowing Johnny to help you like this, but the version after, the version of you that lied in bed with him, the version that trained with him, the version that was his partner in the missions?

You couldn't help but appreciate all of it. You wouldn't allow it for anyone else but him, your rock, your person, someone that you trusted to the end of the line. Someone that seen you in your worst right now, and still was there.

"Everything will be alright" Soap cooed, which made you open your eyes to look back at him; his eyes locked in moment with yours. "I'm here, yes? I'm not gonna leave you."

He was soaked, you realized; just because he sat with you under that shower, still in his shirt and cargo pants that he was on a mission with, his boots kicked to the side. You wondered if he was even comfortable enough. Probably not, and yet, he was still by your side.

"Everyone leaves anyway." you said quietly, looking away from him, as soon as you said that, feeling how he tensed. "Not me, hen. Not me." he replied in soft tone – yet again, different than he used usually, and different totally from the one he used out in the field.

Amusing to think that man was shouting few hours ago to you to get down and with ease killed a man hand to hand with his pocket knife; such a contrast to his softness. Such a contrast to hands that held a gun, such a contrast to his voice, now sweet and dripping with honey, easing your nerves, such a contrast to his image in the field.

"You have your own demons, Johnny. You don't need here to sit with me and try to fight with mine, when you have problems. It's..."

"I do have them, yeah." he interrupted you. "I fight 'em when I'm with you – selfishly, in order to fight with them, I just need ya around, healthy and recovered. I can't do that when you're injured like that. Shattered to pieces."

He got up then and tossed you a towel to catch, while you still were bamboozled by his words; you caught it though, wrapping yourself around it quickly. Johnny saw your bare back, but he didn't need to see front.

"I'll meet you in your room, hen. Gotta wash myself" he hummed. "Or, you want to help me?" Soap raised his eyebrow, smiling with the corner of his lips – clearly, he wanted to cheer you up a bit.

"You wish, MacTavish." you replied, collecting your dirty clothes swiftly. You nudged him with your hip. "You want some coffee? I think I need one."

"Yeah! Give me ten minutes."

You spent with him two hours when he came from the shower – it was disappointing considering you wanted to talk with him more, but you had to wake up early to move onto next installment of the mission. The other thing that was different than normal? If you'd have another day off, your little chat would have alcohol involved, but in these conditions you had to be good, so you just talked with him, a mug of coffee in your hands.

Coffee at midnight, as always.

Mission wasn't one of the hardest – getting intel you needed in Mexico, asking civilians about some things, so you were pretty calm when you arrived at the place. Small village; Alejandro said something about "being cautious" with people here since they were sneaky and who knew better than him? That's why you were on high alert, even if Soap was making jokes of you having "stick up your ass".

Mostly he was joking, though, you knew that he appreciated that you had your eyes everywhere.

It was the dynamic between you two – him goofing around with you rolling your eyes at him or goofing with him which usually irritated the shit out of Ghost that tried to do his job.

Back then, you were in mood number two, considering what happened yesterday at night. Your mind was still partially in that moment, with his hands being all over your back and his fingers gently massaging your scalp with all of his attention. It felt so vivid, like he would be doing it in the moment you were wandering around small village, not the night before. You already missed his gentleness, his soothing words, and...

And you were far from admitting it fully, since you shook your head, scolding yourself in your mind to focus, not daydream.

It was nothing, he'd probably do it for everyone.

At least you thought.

[nerdthatsiriuslylovesteaxx]

Helpless part 35

"Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"I- if you look now it's going to make you want to do it more, also you don't need anything more on your mind." Nico shut his eyes as Will started to unwrap the bandages, cleaning them before stitching them up. He tried to not think about what he was doing but he couldn't, he needed to see what he'd done, and why it wasn't enough. He wasn't worth all this effort, he wasn't worth keeping alive. Any hope he'd had died years ago, it died that day when he was nine. "Take a deep breath Neeks." Will whispered in his ear when he saw his expression, how tense he was. He placed a hand on the Ghost king's one and intertwined the fingers with his own. Then he softly started to sing the hymn, it hadn't worked since he healed Nico's rib but he sang it more for the calming effect it could have if he focused. He watched as his faced relaxed, and the tension in his body faded. The familiar warmth of the magic coursed through his veins, his skin started to glow as he ran a hand over Nico's arm, watching as the harsh cuts were replaced with scars and subsequently a stinging pain appeared in his own. By this point Nico's eyes were open, Will placed a hand on his chest, letting those cuts heal. Fuck, he would need more painkillers, the amount of injuries that had piled up in the last few weeks he'd practically been high on them. The lack of sleep had started to catch up to him, he'd gotten one half proper night of sleep in the last eleven-ish days but he couldn't let that stop him, people needed his help. "You okay?"

"Yeah... hey Will, what does it feel like after you heal someone? Like how much does it effect you?"

"It feels like a sort of warmness running through your veins, and then after you feel bit tired but it doesn't actually drain you that much, don't start getting out of breath until it's five different injuries, we'll for me now. When I started I would fait after each patient for a few minutes." He left out the part about feelings everyone elses injuries until they would have healed normally, there was no point in him knowing anyways. "Nico, try to get some sleep, your body needs rest." Nico muttered an okay under his breath before getting out of the chair and walking to the bed half dragging himself before quickly falling asleep. Will paced the infirmary, he wasn't sure what to do. The son of Hades hadn't been difficult but he wasn't sure how to get him to actually improve, running someone through a set of actions is easy, making sure they listen, that's almost impossible. Even if they want to get better so many people can't because of how much it had happened, he wanted to get him to talk to someone but he knew Nico didn't like opening up in that way to strangers, and the whole demigod thing would be a nightmare to work around with most professionals. Will quickly packed up everything he'd brought with him to the room remembering he wasn't allowed to keep any sort of mildly sharp object or medication in there. The room didn't have much in it, it had a bookshelf, bed and a wooden desk with a blue chair as well as a set of drawers and another table for anything people needed to bring in. Most people never came, only one person had come asking for help, the rest were concerned friends that wanted to keep someone safe from themselves. The one person who'd come willing was Annabeth, after that night on the bridge, it was only for a week and a half but he'd hoped it had helped. No one else knew about that, Annabeth has a tendency of disappearing for weeks on end so this was nothing. The son of Apollo took two painkillers and swallowed them with a glass of water, hoping they would kick in soon enough. Will walked out the infirmary and took out a pack from his short pocket, hiding behind a wall around the back of the infirmary where he knew no one would find him. He lit one a breathed in letting the smoke fill his lungs, he thought about what would have happened if he lost Nico. He thought back to everyone he'd lost, the children that died on their way to camp that he couldn't help, children whose names hadn't even been known when they were announced dead at the infirmary. Everyone he'd failed to heal, he let the rush of nicotine absorbe him, at least he tried with those ones. It was worse when he was left with a dead body and a note, seeing how he couldn't help because he never noticed. He burnt it out on the side of his leg before walking back inside, acting like nothing had ever happened.

***

[artiststarme]

What If Steve Were To Leave Hawkins? Part 11

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

I'm glad so many people liked the happy part in Chicago! Now, back to the angst. Hope you guys like it, what do you think I should do for the next part?

~*~*~*~

When all of the younger teens of the Party reached the Wheeler’s basement, the space exploded into vengeful bickering. Each of the kids, bar El and Will who were watching the display with gazes of concerned worry, had their own opinion and placed the blame of Eddie and Steve leaving on someone else. Lucas and Max placed the blame on Mike and Dustin, the two that decided Steve needed space in the first place. Mike placed full accountability on Steve, as per usual, for leaving and causing such a fuss. Taking Eddie was just a bonus that exposed Steve further to Mike’s contempt. Meanwhile, Dustin blamed Eddie for driving Steve away and himself for not doing more to keep them both in town. 

He had never felt more panicked and guilt-ridden than he did at this very moment, a feat in itself because he’d been through a lot of shit. But he had now caused both of his older male friends to flee Hawkins and he couldn’t really imagine anything worse. What, was Robin going to leave next? Perhaps Nancy or Jonathon? He thought that this summer would be the best ever. The Upside Down was gone for good, the town had begrudgingly accepted Eddie’s innocence, and the Byerses were back from California. However, this summer sucked and he felt naive for thinking something in his life could go right for once. 

“Shut up, Max! You don’t even know what you’re talking about. You didn’t notice Steve’s car outside your trailer all night, how can we trust you to tell us if Eddie was coerced to get in or not?” Dustin tuned back into the conversation around him when Mike brazenly questioned Max’s credibility. 

Lucas quickly jumped to her defense and pointed a finger in Mike’s face, “Don’t talk to her like that! Why wouldn’t we trust her? She’s the one that saw them in the first place. And Eddie knows Steve, he wouldn’t have to be coerced into his car. They’re friends!”

“Don’t talk for me, Lucas! I can speak for myself,” Max said before turning to Mike. “Listen mouthbreather, I know you have a weird crush slash stalker obsession with him but Eddie chose to leave with Steve. Probably because Toothless over there hurt his feelings by telling him everything he’s ever been afraid of. Nice going, now we lost another friend.”

Will jumped in then with a hand on Mike’s shoulder when he saw the fury ignite in his eyes. “Ok but why are we all freaking out? I thought we were worried about whether Steve was alright or not. We know that he’s fine and Eddie’s with him. Can’t we just wait for them to come back?”

All he received were matching looks of disappointment before Dustin turned to Eleven. “El! Can you go look for them in the void to make sure they’re okay?”

She looked at Will for confirmation and raised an eyebrow, did they actually want her to look for Steve and Eddie? He sighed and nodded in resignation. It seemed that the others were going to keep hunting them down regardless of what they did. They might as well use El’s powers to take a look for safety purposes. She turned back to Dustin and nodded resolutely, “Yes, I can find them.”

Max and Lucas quickly turned the downstairs radio onto static while Mike hunted down an old blindfold. Dustin gently pushed her onto the couch and urged her to rush the process. After a moment of static and mind numbing darkness, El entered the void. She imagined Steve with his mother hen personality and sunflower yellow sweatshirt with Eddie in his black outfits and bitchin’ hair. A picture started to grow in front of her. 

She saw Steve and Eddie in a restaurant, a sports bar or pub it seemed. There was a long bar running along the left side of the building that faced a brick wall lined with booth seating and high top tables. 

“I see them.”

Mike squeezed her hand, “Are they hurt? Is Eddie okay?”

The man in question was scarfing down a Reuben with extra sauerkraut. His jaw practically unhinged as he shoved the huge sandwich, dripping with thousand island dressing and sauerkraut, into his mouth. Steve was watching him in disgusted fondness, pushing him away when he tried to lean closer into Steve’s personal space in an effort to escape the smell of vinegar on Eddie’s breath.

“He is eating a large sandwich.”

Max asked, “Is Steve okay?”

Steve placed his right hand on Eddie’s thigh out of view of the other patrons at the bar. He said something that made Eddie laugh so loudly, a few heads turned to look at the pair. When one woman’s eyes lingered longer than Eddie appreciated, he hissed at her and bared his teeth. The display was less intimidating than he expected due to the pieces of sauerkraut stuck between his teeth but it only made Steve look at him more fondly. 

“They are both happy. Eddie is laughing and Steve is looking at him like Dad looks at Joyce.” Unbeknownst to her, the kids glanced at each other in bewilderment. They would focus on that comparison later.

Moving on, Dustin asked her, “do you see any identifying information? Street signs, landmarks, anything?”

El did in fact see several things. She saw a Blackhawks jersey pinned above Eddie’s head, a team she recognized from watching Hockey with Hopper. And if that didn’t clue her into their location, she also noticed the Chicago flag situated on the wall behind the bar. However, she couldn’t bring herself to tell the others what she had found. Not when she noticed the way Steve was looking at Eddie, like he had finally discovered what happiness was.

“I will not say. They are happy, they do not need us to find them.”

Dustin almost screamed in indignance, “El! They need us and we need them back home! Tell us where they are!”

El took one last glance at the happy couple, Steve’s eyes were full of love while Eddie licked thousand island dressing off of his fingers and stole french fries off of Steve’s plate. They looked happier than she had ever seen them in Hawkins and she knew she could not disturb that. She removed the blindfold with blood dripping from her nose and a soft smile on her face. “They are home, we can not ruin that.” 

Dustin shook his head and jumped up from his spot on the armchair, “I can’t believe you’d be so unhelpful! But fine, I’ll find them without your help.”

He didn’t wait to hear El’s response or the defenses of the other kids made on her behalf. He made his way outside of Mike’s house and turned his bike to the trailer park. Without much of a plan and no idea which words he wanted to say, he knocked on the door of the Munson’s trailer. Dustin wasn’t sure what he was expecting but an annoyed Wayne probably came close. 

“What can I help ya with, kid?” The older man breathed out with irritation coating each syllable. 

“Hi Mr. Munson, I was wondering if you’d heard from Eddie? Max said she saw him leave this morning and I’m worried about him. Is he missing too?”

Wayne just released a bone weary sigh and ran a hand over his face as if Dustin’s questions themselves were aging him. “Look, Eddie went off for a while with that boy Steve. Y’all don’t need to worry about ‘im, there’s no one I would trust more with my boy. Alright? I think they both just need some distance from all of this. You kids, the town. They just want to be left alone for now.”

Dustin’s eyes started to prick as tears began to build. “But please, Mr. Munson-”

“Just go home, kid. They’ll be back when they’re ready. You need a ride back?”

Dustin just shook his head and clambered back onto his bike. He heard Wayne close the door close behind him and let out an angered sound of frustration. He started pedaling as hard as he could with tears now streaming readily down his face. Dustin didn’t know what else he could do. Hopper couldn't find them using police resources, El refused to tell them what she saw, Steve hadn’t called him back since he had missed his first call, and now Wayne was gatekeeping information about their whereabouts. 

The unfairness of it all pushed Dustin to pedal harder. The tears in his eyes clouded his vision but he just pedaled faster. Until his front tire hit a rock and threw him over the handlebars. His palms skid along the harsh cement and his shin split open upon contact with the dingy pedal of his bike. For a moment, Dustin just sat on the ground and sobbed. Usually in this situation, he would go to Steve who would patch him up and feed him dinner, typically in the form of a cheese pizza and Coke. Or Eddie would pick him up on his way home from Family Video visiting Robin and Steve. But, he drove them all away and now all he’s left with is his miserable self and torn skin. 

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20: Epilogue

Taglist: @nickavalens @conversesweetheart @themostunoriginalpersonever @swimmingbirdrunningrock @eddiethegreatteddybear @harrumphingtons @call-me-big-eyes @moonshadows-13 @glittergluekintsugi @cpidcupk @doubleb11 @mentalcyborg @amoris-no-smut-allowed @purple-lemonade @labels-are-for-the-weak @thebrazilianatheist @rajumat @livelaughlexa @5ammi90 @colorful565 @marvelousforlife @chaoticcoffeequeen @gregre369 @suddenlyinlove @thegreatmistake @stillfullofshit @nburkhardt @batxsignalsx @newunknowns @thosemessyvibes @tailsfromthecrypt @luciana-rowan @bird-with-pencils @adaed5 @lolawon @flustratedcas @iwillfindmyneverland @messrs-weasley @skoomy-doompy @yearningagain @forest-fogg @bitchysunflower @stardust-era @newtstabber @bobatrash-queen @notjasontxdd @ohlook-afrog @00biscuit @grtwdsmwhr @oxidantdreamboat @the-witch-forever-lives @estrellami-1 @whatthemeepever @a-simple-gaywitch @imzadidragonfly @freddykicksasses @krimsonsimp @whatthefuccck @delta-piscium @anaibis @tinynebula @darkwitchoferie @evix-syne666 @tawghasa @pyrohonk @lillys-weird-world

If anyone else wants to be added to the tag list, let me know!

[averagewriter777]

Ghost and Doc (Simon "Ghost" Riley x F!Reader)

Masterlist

(Part Eleven)

The party would be starting in an hour, and what you had left to do was your makeup. Everyone settled into a little safehouse that was a little distance from where the party was being held. The men made sure their suits looked perfect- i.e. fixing each other’s tie’s and making sure there were no wrinkles… and you were putting on the makeup that would be accompanied with the dress.

“Damn, with that dress? Did you pick it out?” Soap, Gaz and Alejandro are gossiping like a little clique of high school girls. You pretended like you weren’t listening to every word they spoke.

Alejandro nodded, rubbing the scruff on his chin. “Based on her figure, the color of her eyes, her hair-- she looked at it, but didn’t pick it.” He sighed and leaned back into the chair he was sitting in. “I’m sure with the final look her beauty will be infinito.”

You set down the eyeliner pen that you were using, trying to refrain from putting your hands in your face out of embarrassment. Last time you’d let someone talk this much about you, well… that’s already been said. But with a mission approaching and Alejandro being your date to the whole thing, you couldn’t say or do much about it.

“Doing alright there?” Ghost had pulled up his chair next to you, looking seemingly annoyed at all the others before doing so. You’d seen it, but didn’t mention it. “Been a little quiet...”Sighing, you nodded slowly, going back to finishing the makeup on your face.

“Just the jitters. Never been on a mission like this before.” Once you were done, you turned to him and looked him dead in the eyes. “If a strange substance ever touches my glass, I want you to shoot whatever I’m drinking. Just warn me with: pretend like you’re gripping the glass too hard, and I’ll know what it means.”

Ghost blinked at you, but nodded slowly. “Yeah… I’ll let you know.” He watched you stand up, breathing out a sigh of relief while doing so. “Do you want me to zip up your dress?”

You were slightly baffled that he of all people in the team would offer, but took it anyway by nodding. You made sure no hair was touching the zipper and stood as still as you could as Ghost zipped the dress up. The hairs on your arms stood when the texture of his gloves touched your skin. “Thanks…” you turned around and faced him, not bothering to move away from how close the two of you were. “Does this look okay?”

Your teammate looked you up and down very slowly, blue eyes raking over every inch of your body before finally falling back on your face. His hand reaches up to wipe away a little smudge of mascara, your breath hitched in your throat, and released shortly after. “Yeah, looks good.” Then he walked off.

Holy fucking shit. One of your hands went to rest on the chair, while the other rested just above your heart. That’s not at all what you expected to happen. You must have worried the others because they were staring at you. “What? What’s wrong?”

Soap’s stare broke and he slowly started to grin. “Eh, nothing you should worry about just yet, Doc.” He stood up and walked over, doing the same thing Ghost had did but a lot faster and not with a blank expression in his eyes. “Lookin’ good! Picked out the right dress and that makeup is flawless.”

“Ten out of ten would take you out to the nicest restaurant in town!” Gaz added with a whistle. He laughed when you waved a hand in the air, dismissing what he said.

Price moved from his space on the wall and put a bracelet in your hands. It was sterling silver and went directly above your wrist. “This bracelet has a tracking device in it, just in case you get taken to a secondary location. Don’t worry, nothing more will happen if that occurs.” He grasped your shoulder for just a second. “Try not to get taken from the party, but get our target out to a point where we can secure him, clear?”

“Crystal, sir.” You put the bracelet on your wrist, making sure it was secure. Then you walked over to where your heels were, right next to where Alejandro was sitting. “Mind helping me put on my heels, solado?”

Alejandro choked on the water he’d been drinking, nearly spitting it out. He looked up at you with widened eyes, but didn’t say anything as he picked up the heels and started to strap them on you. “You’re not gonna be calling me that while we’re at that party, will you? Because when you said that- la temperatura de la habitación cambió.”

You laughed and patted the side of his face. “No, I’ll call you amor.” When you were set to start walking with the heels- which you would admit you needed a bit of practice on, you walked over to Ghost, who’d just finished setting up his sniper. “Remember the glass… please?” He grunted in response, to which you took as a ‘yes’. “Thanks, see you on the other side.”

(Part Twelve)

[sergeant-angels-trashcan]

Thinking abt the YA getting stranded in the DCU (interdimensional fugitives? The mother parasite part 2?) and the Batfam keeping tabs on them because where the FUCK did they come from

Anyway one of the Batboys tailing Kate (she doesn't notice obvs they are PROFESSIONALS) only to wind up face first against a brick wall or with a sword at their throat.

And at first I thought "not Damian obviously she'd have the sword too high" before I realized how absolutely hilarious this would be. They've been parkouring on the roofs of Gotham and Damian knows if he turns right up ahead he'll be able to cut her off--

Before skidding to a stop right before a sword touches his neck. He's mad, and impressed, and also pouting.

"Why are you following me?"

Damian blinks wide innocent eyes at her. "I thought we were playing the game tag. Why would you draw a weapon on me, a sweet innocent child? What harm could I possibly do to you?"

Damian is not scared btw he has five different ways to disarm her and take control of the situation and he hasn't even really started thinking about it. So he's mostly just seeing what she does.

"You're full of shit," she says, sheathing her sword. Damian's a little disappointed, he kind of wanted to take a closer look at it after disarming her. "I know murderous eleven year olds, and you are a murderous eleven year old."

"I'm ten, actually."

"My bad."

She smirks at him. Smirks! Age related flattery, done on purpose. Perhaps she's smarter than he initially thought.

"Why are you carrying a sword?"

"Why are you doing parkour on rooftops?" She shoots back.

"Why are you?"

"I asked you first."

"I asked you second."

They glare at one another. An impasse.

"Why'd the other ones send you?"

"Other ones?"

"Yeah. The tank, the pretty boy, and the coffee one. They're all older than you."

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"Mmm-hmm." The sound buzzes through her lips, disbelieving. "The fact that you surveil in what are basically shifts is just a coincidence. Naturally."

anyway Damian might actually disarm her at some point. they may rescue some kittens. By the time Bruce gets to the emergency vet, Kate has taught Damian what "ride or die" is and they're besties for life

[badteavee]

Happy birthday , by the way.

Tws / Cws : Suicidal Thoughts / Suicidal Ideation , just shitty mental health in general

Genre : Angst + Fluff

Word count : 1,074

Parings : Jeremy Heere x Michael Mell

Note : This is outside of my usual content but I love bmc and it’s super easy to project onto Michael Mell

11:30pm.

Most knew that Michael wasn’t the most stable individual , not by choice , it was just obvious. Almost weekly if not daily counselor visits , zoning out in class , starting to grey at 15 , barely functioning if he wasn’t high out of his mind. No one was more aware of it than Michael himself. Now he sat in his bedroom , staring at the wall because he couldn’t bring himself to look at his phone. He didn’t want to look at the time again , even if Jeremy texted , he couldn’t handle seeing how close it was to midnight. It’s too close to his birthday.

Ding.

Jeremy’s probably confirming that he’s on his way or he’s here. If he was , one of Michael’s moms could let him in.

11:42pm.

Jeremy slowly opened Michael’s door , a small plastic bag in one hand and a shitty blueberry muffin from Seven Eleven in the other. He knows Michael hasn’t been big on his birthday for a couple of years now but he didn’t like the thought of not getting him anything so he always got something small.

He met the taller’s eye as he set the goods on the side table , he obviously hadn’t slept the night before , his nails were halfway peeled , hang nails torn off. He won’t mention any of it , Michael barely was in a condition to talk , let alone about this.

11:44pm.

Jeremy saw how Michael turned away when he checked his phone , that was his mistake , he should be used to not checking until it was at least 1 am. He took his and Michael’s phones and put them in a drawer , grabbing the wii remotes. He handed one to Michael and sat back down , setting the tv up to play Super Mario Bros.

Michael considered declining , he didn’t feel like he could distract himself this year , he knew this was his best bet to not feel the existentialism however.

11:56pm.

Michael found himself pleasantly distracted , he should’ve known. Jeremy has known how to distract him since diapers. Every time loading takes a little too long or he has to wait for Jeremy to win for them , he can feel it clawing at the back of his mind. <i>It’s getting close to midnight.</i> he thinks. The game starts again and he feels it fade , being replaced by the competitive nature he definitely got from one of his moms.

It was game , wait , dread , game , repeat. It was a distressing cycle but distracting enough for him not to spiral. That’s all that mattered to the both of them.

11:59pm.

Jeremy quickly checked his watch while Michael was distracted , looking back up at the boy yelling at the game for something that was entirely his fault. He smiled , knowing he did his job correctly. He rolled his hoodie sleeve back up. “You know that was totally your fault , right ?”

“It was the controller ! It’s old and the buttons don’t work !”

“Excuses.”

Michael sighed , exasperated , while Jeremy laughed at his dramatics.

12:03am.

Jeremy spotted one of Michael’s moms , Rosemary , cracking open the door to quietly check in. He gave her a smile and subtle thumbs up that Michael was too busy singing along to the AC/DC vinyl he’d put on when he decided it was too quiet to notice. Rosemary grinned , slinking in to hand the boys the bowls of mac and cheese she usually made when they stayed up late.

“You boys don’t stay up too late now.” She ruffled Michael’s hair on her way back to the door , to which Michael groaned , trying to get his hair back to normal while still dancing in his seat.

“I’ll make sure he goes to sleep soon , Mrs. Mell.”

“Thank you , Jeremy.”

1:02am.

The boys had winded down by now , Michael putting on some documentary about dolphins , knowing that Jeremy had no say in the matter of what they watched. The shorter rolled his eyes , choosing to check his watch again.

In years passed , this would usually be the time he’d retrieve their phones and wish Michael a happy birthday but he knew better than to do that this year. Michael never actually thought he’d make it to 17 , something he’d only admitted once to Jeremy but explained a lot about his attitude towards birthday celebration. Every other year since he turned 13 was a possible last year but this one , now , was proof that he did make it. It’s something he should be proud of , it’s definitely something Jeremy and his moms were , but it felt weird.

Living passed what you were supposed to was an interesting experience , it felt numbing knowing you now had to plan your life , but it also was a relief. It’s nice to know you can prove yourself wrong.

Michael’s not thinking about any of that though , thanks to Jeremy , who grabbed the muffin and bag before cuddling into his best friend’s side. He held them just in case Michael didn’t want to take them just yet but he surprisingly took the small bag from him.

There were just a few new pins and patches for his jacket in there , some retro patches Jeremy found off eBay and Bob Marley pins. Michael smiled , hugging the other closer. “Thank you , Jerem..”

Jeremy returned the smile , pecking his cheek. “Of course , Micha.” He held up the muffin. “Wanna split it ?” The taller nodded , both of them trying to split the pastry best they could. It kept breaking off in smaller pieces or just crumbling all together so they gave up after about thirty seconds , resigning to just eating the pieces and taking bites from their halves.

1:53am.

Rosemary came by to check in once more before she joined her wife in bed , slowly opening the door to see them slumped against each other , fast asleep with Michael snoring into Jeremy’s hair. She softly crept in to turn off the record player and restart the documentary that autoplayed.

She paused to look through the drawer , taking the boy’s phones out. She caught a glimpse of Michael’s notifications as she did , multiple messages from him and Jeremy’s new friends all wishing him a happy birthday with stupid and excessive emoji combinations. She smiled and left the phones on the bedside table , leaning over the bed to kiss Michael’s forehead. “Happy birthday , baby..” She whispered before leaving the boys to sleep , she’ll give Michael his gifts in the morning.

[ghoulangerlee]

LEE!!!!! 1/16 WITH Phountain? 🥺 pls and ty

the name phountain fills me with so much glee 😂 once again I'm using Phantom for the name even tho I prefer Aeon haha

1. good morning

16. ...lazily

feat soft and introspective Phantom and sleep rumpled Mountain; no smut just sweetness, introspection and kisses :)

-

He wakes somewhat early, while the sun's rays are just high enough to cast light through the barely open curtains of Mountain's bedroom; it's warm in here, somewhat like a greenhouse, the perfect temperature to sleep without a blanket, but Phantom still finds himself curled under one, his head resting on the pillow just beside Mountain's as he watches the other ghoul sleep.

It's rare, very rare, that Phantom's awake first; in the grand scheme of things, he's not much of a morning person, but Mountain had been spending more time cultivating the lands while partially retired from being a touring ghoul.

Phantom remembers what that's like, even as an earth hybrid himself, the tiring days of pushing his magic into the earth, calling forth plants at the cusp of spring, blessing the lands to make sure that the gardens provide a bountiful spring harvest.

Self-sufficiency was the key to the Church's survival, after all, and long ago, the higher ups had realized that things ran a bit better if there was an earth ghoul involved.

Now there are droves of them, and Mountain doesn't have to lend his magic, but Phantom thinks that part of him finds the quietness of the church to be too quiet, there's no tour, no music to play beyond the here and there performances for Mass, no rushing from one place to another.

Things have slowed down a lot, since Papa's retirement, though the Church was thriving better than ever in his stead.

He can feel the listless and restless energy coming from Mountain, who's been on his feet since he was summoned, always needing to do something, always tending to things, and while Phantom would never be the one to tell him that he should slow down, he is glad, however, for mornings like this, where he's the first to wake.

The sun casts a glow over Mountain's skin, a little bit darker than his normal cool gray tone, from all the time he'd spent out in the sun over the summer, playing all the outdoor shows, there's a constellation of freckles, spotted brown and sepia across the bridge of his nose and Phantom has to reign in the urge to lean forward and press a kiss to them.

Not yet. Not so soon.

He doesn't want to disturb Mountain in his sleep, and a quick glance over at the clock hanging on the wall tells him that he'll be sleeping well past noon, with it already being just a quarter past eleven.

Phantom wonders if Mountain will mind sleeping in so late; it's just barely spring now and the earth ghouls had been put through so much in just a few short days, trying to get everything prepared; the summer expected to be drier than normal.

He knows this much because he's been helping out too, in between assisting Aether in the infirmary and carrying out tasks for Papa when called upon, he's been lending his magic to the earth as well.

Now a little bit stronger than before, under Mountain's patient tutelage and the stack of books from the library that had helped him find his center and find where his magic had hidden itself dormant for so long, he's able to spend more time than he had before, pouring his magic into the earth, making sure the fertile soil was as fertile as it could be.

Most nights find Phantom and Mountain in the greenhouse, a space for the two of them, beyond the common rooms where they can talk quietly and check in on each other, a place where Mountain and Phantom could start cultivating seedlings for the garden that was to be planted soon, something completely separate to the chaos of pack and all of their other duties beyond that.

Phantom exhales softly, his breath ruffling Mountain's bangs; his hair's gotten longer, in the interim, since he doesn't have to wear the helmet anymore, since Papa had all but given ghouls free reign over their own appearances within the church, no longer tethered by the masks and helmets.

He gives into the urge then, reaching out to card his fingers through Mountain's sleep rumpled bangs, pushing them back from his face, the action causing Mountain's nose to scrunch up, his eyes to flutter for a moment before they open, slowly, blinking heavily at the low light.

"Ant?" Mountain mumbles, his eyes closing again when Phantom's fingers scratch just between his horns, a low rumble of a purr starting up in his chest, "Time is it?"

Phantom leans forward, gives into his other urge and presses a gentle kiss to the freckles across Mountain's nose, "Almost twelve," he murmurs, "Didn't want to wake you, but couldn't help but..." he trails off, carding his fingers through Mountain's hair. "Missed you, maybe. Was somehow getting lonely while you're all cozied up in bed beside me."

There a laugh, a soft thing that's barely discernible from Mountain's purr and Mountain's eyes flutter open again, beautiful clear green that catch the light and make a kaleidoscope of color bloom in them, "I'm right here," he says, and then he reaches out, tips up Phantom's chin with two fingers before he leans in and presses a kiss to his mouth, slow and gentle.

Phantom hums into the kiss, worming his way out of the blanket and into Mountain's arms properly, looping an arm over Mountain's shoulder as he does so; and though the kiss stays slow, it only takes a few moments for it to turn into something a little more.

There's a careful press of teeth to Phantom's lower lip, a move that has him opening up, letting Mountain deepen it; there's no desire to make it something heavy, no arousal behind it; sometimes Phantom is completely and utterly fine with, nurturing Mountain's want and need to kiss as often as he can.

It does, eventually come to an end, though Mountain stays close, keeps Phantom close as he continues to pepper his cheeks and jaw, his lips with little kisses, lazy ones that make Phantom purr with happiness as he sinks deeper and deeper into Mountain's embrace, into their little bubble of togetherness before they have to face the day.

Across the room on the wall, the clock ticks happily over to noon.

[avelnfear]

Chapter Eleven

Masterlist

Jason didn’t know how to feel. He’d just learned so much about someone he thought he knew in such a short amount of time that processing it all felt impossible. He knew that the others were having just as hard of a time with it all as he was, but that didn’t help his own knot of complicated emotions. His neighbor knew him through the kind of magic that allowed for reincarnation to happen. His youngest brother, because he could finally admit that the Waynes were really his family, had remembered for longer than his neighbor to spare them all from the horror of their second life. The person who he thought was a manipulative douchebag was actually pretending so that the world didn’t follow apart.

He felt like his life had somehow shifted even though nothing had really changed. …That was the issue though, wasn’t it. Nothing had truly changed even though it felt, however irrationally, that it should have. Such a big secret kept for such good reasons were still massive secrets. He felt betrayed, of course he did when such important people in his life were keeping such big secrets, but he didn’t feel justified to feel hurt by that betrayal. That would be like being hurt because the Justice League had defeated a massive world-ending threat. He was suddenly privy to information that made it seem like the world should have changed somehow, but everything had the audacity to stay the same.

It reminded him of his death in a bad way. When he’d seen what was happening in Gotham from his outsider’s perspective while at the League, and to some extent even when he’d come back, it had seemed like nothing changed. Jason Todd was dead, and he hadn’t been enough to even change the person he interacted with the most. He might have been the root cause of his death, but the fact that it appeared like nothing had changed, even to the other causes of his death, was so incredibly hurtful. Now, a somewhat similar, if flipped, thing was happening and nothing had really changed. 

Jason wondered if these same thoughts, or even similar ones, were going through his family's minds. It had taken something like ten hours for the family to stop asking questions of Talia, although she didn’t answer all of them, sometimes giving vague answers as well. If they were thinking similarly, Dick would probably be beating something up or bothering everyone with cuddling requests, Bruce was probably brooding or talking it over with Clark and Diana, Tim was probably trying to do some research or solving puzzles, Duke was probably just going about his normal life until he figured out how he wants to feel about it, Cass is probably keeping obsessive tabs on the family to make sure they’re safe, Steph is probably tagging along while munching on waffles in mostly silence, and Alfred is probably focussing on keeping his usual exceptional level of service while he works through his thoughts. 

If this was before Jason had met his new neighbor, who it turns out he’s known for longer than he’s even been alive apparently, he would most likely be taking out these feelings and issues on the town, probably in one of his little fits to add to that awful image. Now though, he was laying on his couch, staring at the wall. He’d started by sitting and staring at the ceiling, but he must have fallen over at some point. It was fine though, he didn’t plan on moving unless he had to, mostly in fear of what he would previously do happening again.

Jason’s mind wandered to what they’d found out about Existences. There were many names and titles that could go into an Existence’s, well, existence. The High King that Taila had sworn by was the ruler of the entire Infinite Realms, which should have been at least a little frightening yet instead brought comfort as well as questions that didn’t get answered that day. 

How long had it been since he sat down at his couch? He didn’t know, but that wasn’t as important as going over all he’d learned to try to process it so his brain should really start focussing.

His family was mostly composed of liminals, with Damian being the outlier as a Realms Blessed Existence Bonded Liminal, which was his fancy and full title, although Talia had hinted that it wasn’t his only title. The area in a Mortal Realm that was claimed by an Existence was referred to as a Haunt, and that place was almost like their own kingdom. All Existences who were strong enough could form a Lair, which was a place for them in the Infinite Realms, and it could either stand by itself as a door hanging out in the Realms or as part of someone else’s City, Town, Village, or Kingdom. Those four are pretty self explanatory.

There are some holidays celebrated by the entirety of the Realms, but otherwise it is pretty situational and/or regional when it comes to holidays. Talia hadn’t really expanded on what holidays they did celebrate, saying that it would be explained to them later or it didn’t matter. Come to think of it, that had been her answer to a large amount of their questions. It was partly annoying and partly understandable.

The reason the Pit’s Influence had stayed around longer for Jason than most other people was because he’d formed an Existence before being chucked into the Pit for full revival. Apparently that let the corruption in the stupid green goo latch onto him in a far different way than normal. Talia had said that his fits were the corruption trying to take control while relying on his instincts after hyping some of them up and suppressing others. Danny had been filtering the corruption out at a rate that didn’t make the corruption freak out in order to avoid hurting either of them, which meant it was slow work. The several months that Danny had been here meant that a few more weeks of filtering would make some of his suppressed instincts supposedly flare up.

In terms of the Infinite Realms and death and all that jazz, they’d gotten some information from Talia. The Infinite Realms contained all afterlives, but there was also a thing called Limbo that existed for those who didn’t want to have even the slightest chance of interacting with the world or those who were too young to make the choice themselves. The souls who were too young could age safely in Limbo until they decided for themselves what they wanted to do. The souls who chose to go there after being deemed old enough would never be able to change their choice. There was also a place called the Beyond where souls who were waiting for reincarnation or fading into the Void. The Void was just ceasing to exist. 

All of this information was supposedly the barest of bare basics that Talia felt comfortable sharing without more permission from other sources. She did share with them that she was technically an outsider because she wasn’t even very liminal. In fact, most of the family would be considered outsiders and treated as such unless they were in the company of at least one Existence. It was odd to think that such world breaking knowledge would just barely cover the basics that they would need to know if they ventured into the Infinite Realms, which Talia seemed to think was heavily possible.

What most intrigued Jason was that Existences of a certain level could change to different forms. Apparently Danny and Nellie both had forms more capable of surviving in the Infinite Realms. Damian was also able to live in the Realms, according to Talia, and Jason was supposedly also capable of it as well. However, the rest of the family would need special charms to be able to even breathe and a special device to be able to properly navigate. 

Jason continued to float within his thoughts for an unknown amount of time, not even noticing when his body acted on autopilot to make food, eat the food, clean the dishes, or even to go out on patrol. When he finally came back to proper awareness, he had one burning question that felt like it would once again change everything, but he knew that he had to ask it. There was this fire in his chest that wouldn’t let him forget that one question. Now he just needed to find Danny to ask it.

~`~`~

Nellie was excited, Pops was finally in the right state of mind to remember! According to Grampa Clocky, she needed to make sure that Pops went to his Lair with Da in order to remember, but Grampa had also said she couldn’t rush it, nor could she tell Da. It wasn’t fun, but the outcome would more than make up for that. She’d missed when Pops would read to her until she fell asleep. She’d mi- 

“Nope! Don’ even dare silly thoughts!” She called out cheerfully as she slapped her cheeks a little. Soon she wouldn’t have to miss that, so there was no point stressing over it.

Making sure the blanket of shadows that kept her concealed was still wrapped around herself, she set off for Wayne Manor, where Da was still talking with Damian about animals or memories of the past. If her template was anything like herself, he would have been sorely missing the ability to talk to someone about those memories. It would have only hurt more to talk to someone who knew of the past yet didn’t really know because they didn’t experience it.

Once she reached the limit of how far her shadows could take her before she started getting noticed because of them, she slipped into invisibility and dropped the comforting blanket with a short thanks to Gotham. Now, she could truly move fast as she sped through the air with the sole intent of curling around her Pa and being close to her ghoul as she waited for that blessed day of memory remembrance.

~`~`~

Tim was honestly still kind of reeling from the heavy revelations of that day a couple weeks ago. He’d once gotten so obsessed with a case that it caused his death. He knew that he could get carried away when he really wanted to solve a case, but he never thought of it as something that could be detrimental to his health before. Normally, he would focus on research or things that he could solve as a way to process everything that he’d learned, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so with the knowledge that it’d lead to his death once.

He was even more thankful than ever that Danny had given him a safe place to tell the family about the case, Danny had probably saved his life with that, which, now that Tim thought about it, was probably the entire point. Danny had apparently been saving all of them from one thing or another the entire time they’d known the family, longer even. It was admirable and only made Tim more convinced that Danny was an amazing person.

Damian of all people was the person to help Tim the most with processing everything they’d been told. He’d sat by Tim and helped talk through all of the questions shooting through Tim’s head like bullets. That wasn’t something that Tim ever expected to happen, yet was apparently the way that he and Damian had bonded in that first life.

What a thing to have confirmed in the most confusing way possible, the idea of reincarnation. Which actually wasn’t even an idea at all. Tim wasn’t very religious, but he would have sworn by almost any god that reincarnation wasn’t something that could really be proven. Now, his thoughts on the matter had entirely shifted. There wasn’t any concrete proof behind the idea, not like he would have basically demanded before, but there was something inside of him that knew what had been said was the truth.

He’d worried about finding his twin before, but the intense feeling of hopelessness around not finding his twin was gone now. He trusted that the Existence Danny had asked for help would be able to help. There was just a sense of building dread that the answer to the question wouldn’t be something that he’d thought of before. He had the overwhelming feeling that discovering who his twin was wouldn’t be easy, in fact, it would most likely be about as earth shattering as the revelations that had happened recently. He could only hope to be ready for such an eventuality whenever it finally came.

~`~`~

Talia sighed and stretched as she finally arrived back to her rooms after one final check on everyone. Dick was talking about everything with Babs and Harley while Ivy was doing something out of town, which gave her some sense of peace knowing that he was conversing with a good therapist, however insane, and in the company of someone who knew him very well. Bruce was working through his thoughts by alternating brooding and training, which had brought a smile to her face with its normalcy. Jason wasn’t taking it well, but she hadn’t expected him to with all the corruption in his system. Duke had talked it out with his near comatose parents, which had apparently helped even for how morbid it appeared. Steph and Cass were assisting each other through it. Tim had worked through it with Damian and was now dealing with the emotional stuff by himself. Alfred was the only real shock, she wasn’t aware that he was an… old friend of Clockwork.

She figured getting some sleep wouldn’t be a bad thing as she’d pushed her body to the limits to make sure that her family and their town was safe these past two weeks. Now, finally, she could get some of the rest she so badly needed while waiting for the next part of the sly old clock’s plan to take place. Knowing him, however, the rest wouldn’t be nearly as long as she longed for right now. Oh well, a little rest was still some rest after all. She’d done her part, so she deserved at least that much.

~`~`~

Danny basked in the sunlight while Damian talked to him about whatever came to mind. It was nice to finally be able to relax as he’d been forced to take a break from work due to them being worried he’d overwork himself enough to become one of the inmates. It wasn’t possible, of course. His going insane would result in so many bad things that he made sure he was always aware of how close he was to the line, always stopping well before he crossed it.

Danny knew the level of calm could never and would never last, but he was happy to take advantage of it for as long as it could last. He was happy to finally have his family, all of his family, know about what had transpired before they’d even been born in this life. They didn’t know everything, but they would eventually. His Death Day was also coming up, but that thought wasn’t enough to dampen his mood. He just wished they could stay in this happy time for just a little bit longer, just a little longer…

~`~`~

Damian smiled down at Danny now that they’d finally fallen asleep. He knew that they didn’t need to sleep as much as they once did, but he wanted them to fully enjoy this relaxing atmosphere before it descended into the chaos that was inevitable in this family. Peace didn’t last for long, but Damian would make sure that his important people made it out alive this time. He didn’t know if he could take being one of the sole survivors again, it was too heartbreaking.

His ghoul landed beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, and, just like that, he knew that Jason had finally landed on the question that would assure his Pops regained the memories of their past. Damian sighed, knowing that the peace was going to fade especially fast this time. Still, having his ghoul next to him gave him enough peace that he felt himself start to fade into sleep. “Love you.” He murmured as he slipped into a restful sleep, only partially hearing her response as he faded from awareness into the gentle void of a dreamless sleep that reminded him so much of his ghoul’s shadows.

Yes, everything would work out this time. He’d make sure of it.

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[ceru-at-hogwarts]

Ominis' Boggart [part 1 - 12 years old]

[SFW, 850 words. Just a drabble about 12 years old Ominis encountering a Boggart. I'll post part two with an older version of him later.]

My writing master list

“Mr Gaunt, you are next,” Professor Hecat said as she watched Anne and Sebastian went back to the back of the room.

Nervously, Ominis took a step forward, aware of his surroundings more than before. He was wide awake now. He could hear whispers of their classmates, of the Boggart shaking the wardrobe violently, of a loud click when Professor Hecat opened the door.

At first, he could feel nothing. Then slowly, he could sense that the Boggart had taken a blurry, undefined shape of mass. A person. A human being. A woman. And it started to scream, in a high pitch of a young woman’s voice, twitching on the floor. Beside him, was a cruel voice he knew so well. “CR…”

“NO!” Ominis screamed, never allowing Father to finish the Curse. He did not know how long he screamed in terror, but then he felt a firm but gentle pair of hands holding his arms and someone calling his name gently. It took him a few moments before he realized it was Professor Hecat. She must have locked the Boggart back into the wardrobe and was now talking to him calmly, telling him that a Boggart could do no real harm.

Still, it shook him to the core, to relive this once again so soon. He ran away from the classroom blindly, half forgetting to use his wand to navigate, bumping into objects. He ran until he reached the nearest bathroom where he vomited all he ate that day into the toilet bowl.

It took him a good while to calm down, putting his head under the cold running water before he finally managed to get back to class. The room was nearly empty, Professor Hecat must have dismissed it early. After all that happened with his and Sebastian's Boggart, it was not unexpected.

“Mr Gaunt, a moment if you please?” Professor Hecat said while waiving the last of the students to leave the room. Ominis gulped, knowing what was coming. Professor Hecat led him to her office and closed the door behind her.

“Have a seat, Gaunt, and don’t make that face. You are not in trouble,” she said. “May I see your hands?”

Ominis took a deep breath, before showing her his open palms. He could feel Professor Hecat’s wand barely touching its surface. He felt magic humming and the memories of that summer stirred. Things he would rather keep buried forever. Things he wished he could forget. Then the magic stopped, and he felt that Professor Hecat had sat on a chair beside him and that their heads were level.

“All major magical spells and activities always leave detectable traces,” she said finally. “Nothing of course can be proven, as the echo can never prove who cast it and who received it. Each type of magic leaves a different echo, including the Dark Arts.” Professor Hecat continued while Ominis kept silent. For a long while after neither of them said anything.

When she spoke again, her voice was very gentle. “Is there anything you would like me to know, Ominis? Anything at all?”

The gentleness and understanding in her voice, her lack of judgement, and at the same time, her offer of confidence nearly disarmed all that was remaining of the wall Ominis tried so hard to maintain. He felt like he was about to slip and let that barrier down, taking the kind offer and crying his eyes out, letting out all the anguish he had kept all summer and all the long eleven years he had lived through. The Cruciatus Curse he had once again experienced as a reminder of his attempts of refusal to cast it on Muggles, and that in the end, the pain broke him so bad he ended up casting the Curse himself, the last one barely two days ago, just before the new school year.

And all these times, all he wanted was to spend a dull summer, walking in the garden smelling the flowers, reading, feeling the wind on his cheeks and the rain wet his hair, a quiet and uneventful summer. All that everything people often take for granted. All he never had.

“No… no P-professor,” he said quietly. He bit his lips so hard that it bled to stop himself from crying. He could feel Professor Hecat’s was watching him intently, but he persisted. Talking would open up things he’d try to bury deep, and if he cried, he would never be able to stop. Talking meant trouble. A part of him still could not forget the consequences of tears shed at inappropriate times in front of his family for as long as he could remember.

Finally, Professor Hecat sighed. “Very well, Mr Gaunt, you may go. But please remember that if there is anything you would like to tell me, my door’s always open. And don’t think I don’t have a good guess of what might have happened, and what you saw in that Boggart.”

Ominis nodded, wiping blood off his lips with his robe’s sleeves as he left.

[Note: I always have this headcanon that Hecat had a suspicion of what happened in his home, and always kept an eye on him. She is one of my favourite professor in Hogwarts Legacy.

Also, Ominis' boggart probably never have a defined shape, and I'd love us to experience it as he did.]

[tmnt-obsessed-ace]

At what age were they allowed to go topside? Cause i feel leo would be much more over protective and strict compared to og!splinter in the show

Well there are a lot of factors in it.

First of all the turtles are different ages. If he kept them underground until they were all fifteen like his father did that wouldn't exactly be fair. (That would mean that Rafa goes up to the surface first and the other three dont or they all have to wait till Michel turns 15 which wouldnt exactly be fair either)

And theres also the fact that the people of this New York are denser than a bag of rocks. (Considering the sheer amount of times Leonardo got called a furry/scalie is extremely high)

If the turtles are mostly covered up majority of people wont pay too much attention to them.

Unlike in Leonardo's dimension where most people scream at the sight of mutants.

So...he can work with this.

There are rules of course. The boys have to stay covered up, do not talk to anyone, stay in the shadows, stay close to him, etc

He takes them up to the surface one by one when they hit the age of 10. Its a test to see if they will be able to handle the surface.

Rafa obviously goes first, and despite getting distracted by several pigeons and crying when they passed by a Mrs Cuddles display in the toy store window, Rafa passed with flying colors.

Leon was next the following year. He kept running off too many times so it took a few more tries for him to pass. (He almost ran into the busy street at one point, Leonardo swears his heart stopped for a moment.)

Dani's time up on the surface was two weeks after Leon's. It was marginally alright until the poor boy got sensory overload from the busy city (too bright, too loud, too much happening) and he ran away. It took Leonardo almost an hour to find him in a dark alley, head buried in his knees and hands clamped over his ears. Another pair of hands were also pressed over his. That pair belonging to an eleven, almost twelve year old girl named April O'Neil. That test was a bit of a train wreck but nothing a pair of noise canceling headphones and sunglasses couldnt fix. Dani passed his next test with flying colors.

(And he got a human bestie out of it too)

Lastly was Michel.

If he passed this test, Leonardo would let them all go to the surface by themselves.

Michel's test was the one that somehow went both horribly wrong and yet he passed on the first try.

Michel got lost. The crowd had got him separated from Leonardo. He could see his father anymore among the sea of people. He was alone. When Leonardo finally noticed that his youngest wasnt next to him anymore (maybe doing this test while he had a massive migraine was a bad idea. But he had promised Michel that they would do the test that night) he panicked. He panicked badly. He was running through the crowds, trying to find his baby, until he was kicked into an alley by a yokai of some kind

Meanwhile Michel was wandering the city streets, until he saw a very familiar piece of graffiti on one of the walls. And once he tapped it he saw a very familiar Skeleton yokai.

Back with Leonardo he tried to fight the offender but it was difficult. (Highly stressed plus bad migraine)

And suddenly he has a knife to his throat, the perp demanding his money and Leonardo wouldn't be harmed.

The voice is familiar. One he hadn't heard since the fire ten years ago. Leonardo rips the yokai's hood off, revealing it to be Splinter. Now a homeless mutant rat.

"Its you." They both say, having not expected to meet each other again.

And then Splinter is smacked in the head and knocked unconscious. Señor Hueso pulled Leonardo to his feet, Michel wrapping his arms around his papa.

He went to go get help in uncle Hueso. Which made him pass the test.

Leonardo hugged his baby boy and started dragging Splinter home. Michel passed the test. He handled the stressful situation like a champ.

Until he was safe in papa's arms. Then he bawled his eyes out.

Leonardo didnt blame him.

On the plus side they got another uncle out of the situation.