#FUCKING DANCES TO PORTAL RADIO MUSIC

[cynsbasement]

THE TAIL HEADCANON IS NOW REAL. LETS FUCKING GO!

[internetaddict104]

My live thoughts on Deadpool and Wolverine

* I’m torn between wanting to fangirl over the fight scene and wanting to sing and dance to *NSYNC

* Also I’m crying at the shots of DP doing the Bye Bye Bye choreo cut into the fight 😂

* The Iron Man helmet covering Tom in the photo with RDJ 😂

* Hearing Matthew Macfayden’s natural British accent is so jarring after watching Succession

* Wait I’m so confused on how Wade was interviewing for an Avengers position with Happy on Earth 616 and then it cuts to 6 years later on Earth 10005

* Wambsgans being the villain is insane

* This movie takes place within 3 days?

* DID THEY JUST REFERENCE THE OSCAR SLAP

* The little cgi Logan is so jarring

* *turns around* “I’m Marvel Jesus you dull creature and I-“ *gets bitch slapped by the Hulk and dies*

* HENRY CAVILL WOLVERINE VARIANT HOLY SHIT

* CHRIS EVANS?!?!?!?!?!

* IT IS CHRIS I’M FUCKING CRYING I LEGIT JUST STARTED SMILING

* JOHNNY STORM CHRIS EVEN FUCKING BETTER

* Did he just die

* I knew Wolverine was gonna just slice Sabretooth’s head off but I’m still sad there wasn’t any real fight

* Oh thank God Johnny is still alive

* Wait where’s the rest of the og FF? Where is my Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, and Michael Chiklis???

* Fuck she killed Chris 😭 I knew it was coming but it still hurts

* Why do I lowkey feel like whatever this Logan did to fuck up his world is gonna be something jokey and/or stupid

* Lady in Red playing during Dogpool’s intro 😂

* Also I did not know Dogpool was a girl

* The intro to The Greatest Show on the radio 😂

* There’s a lot of random music in this movie and idk if I’m really feeling it

* I saw a Scarlet Witch statue… 👀

* Oh shit Garner Elektra

* WESLEY SNIPES?!?!?!?! IS HE REAL OR CGI

* CHANNING TATUM GAMBIT ❤️❤️❤️

* My jaw literally dropped for these 3 I’m dead serious

* Oh this is where X23 comes in

* Wait is this Laura the same one from Logan or is she a variant

* So he’s the worst Logan because he went to a bar and the rest of the XMen got killed by humans? That’s so stupid he wasn’t even there like he didn’t lead the humans to them or run away

* Should I know who the purple girl with Cassandra is bc I feel like I should they keep focusing on her

* Should I know the bearded guy in the striped tank top bc they keep focusing on him too and I don’t recognize him

* Wait so Logan did run away when the XMen were attacked?

* Wait Logan betrayed the XMen?

* Huh so the portal was just white anyway it wasn’t an editing trick to hide anything in the trailer

* I know I should know who Pyro is but I don’t 😭

* Did they digitally elongate Emma Corrin’s fingers bc they look way too long

* Cassandra without the coat looks so sickly idk why the coat made her look fuller

* Logan’s disgusted look when Wade and Dogpool reunite 😂

* Oh I was wondering when Ladypool would show up

* I need to know if any famous actor is in the Deadpool Corps

* Logan holding Dogpool as far away from him as possible like a dirty dishrag 😂 he’s so disgusted by this dog

* WAIT LADYPOOL SOUNDS LIKE BLAKE

* Why is Kidpool a girl

* Cowboy Deadpool sounds familiar too who is he

* THE COWL 😭❤️

* I can’t make out what Blind Al says during the Deadpool fight and I really wanna know what she says 😭

* PETERPOOL

* So Logan is gonna sacrifice himself isn’t he

* Yeah I knew Wade would go in Logan’s place over the heartfelt speeches began

* And Wade isn’t gonna die he can’t he’s too popular

* Oh they both went

* Logan’s top disintegrating 😂

* “You look damn good in that suit” “I’m so sorry” I love Peter

* Wait that’s so cute they’re all in the main universe now (or Wade’s universe idk if they’re the same yet or not)

* I need to find the post credits scenes apparently they were leaked online but I can’t find them anywhere please I wanna watch them I read what they are but I still wanna see them myself

[slowdive1994]

*edit: i have decided if you requested partner in crime, venice bitch, or waiting room yours will be done last just for efficiency so i can get through the quicker ones first <33*

hii i just wanted to share some of my new year’s resolutions as preparation for 2024😭😭

 learn guitar, read at least (!!!) a book a month, improve my drawing, improve my cooking skills, eat healthy, make the most of term 2, be so alive it aches, be more open and engaged with people and connection, laugh lots, cry hard, be present, be a bit less bitchy to my parents learn to crochet, care less about what other people think, study hard and try to be passionate about what i’m learning, go for walks in the nature, etas lots of strawberry sorbet and ice cream and dance in the rain :)

🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

~dandy’s 200 celebration!!~

ahhh first of all thank you so much for 200 followers! thats actually insane i love you guys so much <33

🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

silk chiffon - i give you a list of things that remind me of you!

ribs - i make you a (small) playlist!

waiting room- i make you a moodboard based on your blog or personality!

not strong enough - i write you a letter (mutuals only)

you’re so fucking pretty - i guess what you look like based on ~vibes~! no longer available i got bored lmao

lacy - you ask me to listen to a song and i tell you what i think!

all i wanted - i make you a small drawing of your choice (preferably people i suck at drawing anything else)!

casual - i give you music recs! edit: i think i’ll use this one to recommend smaller artists so would love if anyone asks for this!!!!

american teenager - i give you book/tv show recs!

partner in crime - i design you an outfit using pinterest!

venice bitch - i design you a room using pinterest!

not a lot, just forever - you tell me a problem and i give you advice!

coming of age - i give you an artist, album, and song that reminds me of you!

false god - i shuffle my playlist until i find a song that gives your vibes + give you my fave lyric from it!

🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

followers only

send requests in asks please

limit of two requests per ask

there’s no overall request limit

this will probably end by february bc that when i start school again

<3333

🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

@astraeasparrow @literatureisdying @leaskisses444 @zzzzzzzzzee @tellme-o-muse@xgirlidiotx @lalallorona @crowgenius @my-cages-were-mental @none-of-it-was-accidental @imswimmingback @a-portal-to-nowhere @emailsicntsend@5ducksinatrenchcoat @recklessandyoung @waitingforthesunrise @radio-silencepdf@pho3b3-tayl0r-luvr @ineedibuprofen @emilybrontesghost @moonartemisandstar@gayoticbeing @photogenic-strawberry @maxdamax @august-taylors-version@svnflowermoon @the-turtle-fan @dcfcyay @mandythedino @holdmyteaplease@strawberryloveyyy @imperpetuallylost @bookscorpion73 @skeelly @swiftieannah@channnnnieee555 @strats-blood @vams225 @the-smiley-blue-axolotl@mushroomcarrotstick @waiting-down-the-hall-for-me @niallermybabe @pazoo-underscore@personifiedgoldenretriever@thebestieyoureinlovewith@electric-sheeeep @if-i-could-give-u-the-moon@fire-but-ashes-tootoo @trying-to-be-cool-abt-itit @brenninthetaylorverse@shortgaything @cc-horan28 @isitoversnowtvs@my-mind-is-frozen@giveuthemo0n @evazlana @someones-name-inserted-here- @the-stars-sing@aaalixaf@photogenic-strawberry @qwerty-keysmash @coco6420 @evermore-4-life@eden-crowley-fellfell @trashmeowcan@parasite-2-2 @folklore-girlgirl @urbanflorals @nqds @judeisthedude @returnofthecabbageman @thats-the-power-of-love @stvrlighhttt @enchanting-grom-fright @imslowlydisintegrating @loving-the-marauders @loveisaseriousmentaldisease @dicklesssswonder @bassguitarinablackt-shirt

uhhh that’s a long list of most of my mutuals i think ahh sorry if you didn’t want to be tagged please tell me if you want to be added/removed

omg i’m insane why’d i tag that many people IM SORRYYY (it’s the notes app list istg)

[here4theheartbreak]

My Tentacle Romance (ksj)

AO3 Link Here!

Relationship: hamster hybrid!Seokjin x Eldritch Horror!Reader

Genre: smut, pwp | Rating: Explicit | Word Count: ~7.2k

Summary: You didn’t mean to scare him. You didn’t to fall in love with him, either.

Tags: agender reader, gender neutral reader, tentacle monster, first kiss, meet weird, and they were roommates, getting together, tentacles, tentacle monster, tentacle dick, come inflation, come swallowing, excessive cum, gagging, choking, dirty talk, oviposition, multiple penetration, multiple orgasms, switch!Jin, switch!reader, mild bondage (but with tentacles)

A/N: This fic was written for @aroseforyoongi​ both filling a request from my 2k followers event (”you need to stop pulling my tail”) and for Eva’s birthday! Happy birthday, ilysm!! 

A/N 2: The banner for this fic was made by the awesome @i-live-so-i-love​ - thank you so much!!!

The first time Seokjin saw you, he was terrified. Reasonably, you assumed; most people would have that reaction if a humanoid tentacle monster oozed from underneath their bed the first week in their new home. He didn’t need to throw that stupid book at you though. Books really hurt when the spine struck a sensitive tentacle tip. He also didn’t need to scream the way he did. Your ears ached for an hour after. You didn’t know a human male could make that sound. Well… Humanoid. 

He had looked human, at first glance. And then you saw his ears. They were large and round and most definitely not human. And his face – with a streak of light tan fur over his nose and a smattering of whiskers on his cheeks – You’d found yourself rooming with a hybrid of some sort. Which was okay, hybrids scared just as easily as humans, in your experience. But you were curious what kind of hybrid he was. Not that he would tell you, what with all the book throwing and screeching he was doing.

A few weeks later, you attempted to meet your reluctant roommate once more. You snuck out from under the bed once more and peeked over the bed, watching the handsome humanoid. He was lying on his bed, reading. At least it looked like he was attempting to read. He was squinting and turning the book this way and that. You spotted his glasses a few feet away and slid a tentacle out, snagging them and bringing them to the bed. You dropped them next to him, and he startled again, head whipping around.

“Don’t scream,” you said, plugging your ears in preparation. He put his glasses on and drew in a gasp of breath, mouth open to scream. “I said don’t,” you pleaded, one tentacle whipping out to cover his mouth. He promptly bit it. You screamed, that time. Who the hell thought biting a slimy black tentacle was a good plan? 

You yanked the tentacle back, holding it in your hand as it throbbed. “Why would you bite me, you fucking lunatic?!”

He spluttered, scrambling back into the far corner of his bed. “What are you?!”

“You don’t go around biting people, Jesus Christ, are you an animal?” You snapped, crawling the rest of the way out from under the bed. 

He squeaked, covering his mouth with both hands. You could see his chest rising and falling rapidly, and hear his heart racing. 

“Dude. Calm down. You’re gonna have a heart attack.” You glanced down at yourself, chuckling a little. “Just calm down,” you repeated. You shuddered a little; this was never an entirely pleasant experience. Bit by bit, you withdrew the multitude of tentacles from various parts of your body back into your skin. Your magic allowed you to appear in somewhat human clothing, simple pants and a shirt, though your left arm remained rather… Tentacle-y no matter how hard you tried to change it. “Is this better?”

His breathing seemed to slow a little. “W—What are you?” He asked again, letting his hands drop from his mouth. 

“I’m ___. I’m the Eldritch God that lives under your bed.” You grimaced, looking around. “What is that horrendous sound?” You asked. You spotted a radio on the dresser nearby, blasting some male voice screeching and snarling about dancing to the tune of someone’s death, loving, or something—A tentacle shot from your back and slapped the pause button on the noise. When the room was silent, you turned back to Jin and stuck your right hand out for him to shake, holding the tentacle arm your back. 

“Eldritch God?” He repeated. “Also, that was a good song.”

“Yep. I’ve lived in this area for hundreds of years. Scaring humans or… Hybrids. Just generally enjoying life. I’m a low-level god. Pretty young, so I just kinda have to find stuff to do until the end of the world. Scaring people is fun. Never had one bite me though… I won’t comment on the… musical taste.”

When he didn’t move, you blinked at him. “Don’t your kind shake hands? What’s your name? What are you?”

“Th—I— Jin. S—Seokjin,” he finally spluttered. “Kim Seokjin.”

You dropped your hand, realizing he wasn’t going to shake it. “Okay, Kim Seokjin. What are you? Those ears – Are you a mouse?”

“Hamster,” Jin murmured. His ear twitched and he pawed at it. 

He seemed to be relaxing a little. You approached slowly, raising your human shaped hand in surrender when he pressed himself against the wall. 

“Look, I live here, I’m not leaving,” you said simply. “This is my apartment!”

“I’ve lived here since this place was built. I think it’s technically my apartment,” you clarified. “Just because I don’t hand the humans money doesn’t mean I don’t live here.” You pouted a little as you spoke, wrapping your arms over your chest. “I don’t want you to leave. Humans need a place to sleep too. I just… Want to work something out.”

“Sure, leave.” Jin snapped, his whiskers twitching madly. “You smell like water and… Storms.”

“It’s the Eldritch in me, sorry.” You smiled a little sheepishly. “I’m not leaving. Normally I’d get my kicks scaring the shit out of the humans in this place, but I’ve never had one that had the gall to bite me. So I wanna work something out with you.”

“I’m a rodent hybrid. You scare us, we get nippy. Especially when we can’t see.” Jin crossed his arms over his own chest, mouth thinning into an annoyed line. 

“How blind are you?”

“Pretty blind.”

“I can’t see in the sunshine,” you said. 

“It hurts my eyes. They don’t dilate so well.” Jin touched his glasses. “It’s why the curtains are always shut.”

“I appreciate it, honestly. I can be in the sun, but it doesn’t feel good to bump into everything. Plus with tentacles… A little more of a hazard.”

“Those were tentacles…” Jin’s face contorted into an awful grimace. He slapped his hand over his mouth. “Oh God – I bit that thing. Was that like biting your dick? In the pornos—”

You truly couldn’t help it. You really tried, but you had never seen a human look so horrified. You doubled over in laughter, holding your stomach as you did. 

When you were able to right yourself, Jin was still staring at you, the horrified expression now blending with a shocked one. 

“Sorry, sorry,” you said between gasps of breath. “No, no you didn’t bite any of my genital tentacles; it’s more like an arm. They look similar though so I get the confusion.”

Jin’s eyes bulged comically. “Y—You have more than one? Are you…” He hesitated, seemingly searching for the right way to phrase it. “Boy?”

“I’m an Eldritch horror.”

“Right, but… Genital tentacles. Plural? You don’t…” He motioned to your crotch area. 

You chuckled. “I existed before the concept of gender and sex was even a flicker in the DNA sequence of the somewhat sentient slimes that would someday become your species. I’m a god, Seokjin.”

“But you look human,” Jin mumbled. You noticed his cheeks and ears had begun to take on a reddish hue. It was kind of cute. 

“Sure I do. I like this shape. But it’s not my true form.”

“What is?”

“Your eyes would burn from your skull and your brain would melt into sludge if you saw my true shape even in your peripherals. Why are you so pink?”

Jin blinked. “What?”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve spoken to a human, or a hybrid,” you explained. “I seem to have forgotten their ways a bit. And most of the time the color they change around me is a paler hue. Or purple, occasionally, when one has choked on something and been unable to breathe…”

Jin swallowed audibly. “Ch—Choke on something?” 

He touched his mouth, his cheeks brightening more. You could hear his heart thudding rapidly. That was a familiar scent… You moved forward a little, surprised that he didn’t shy away, and sniffed. Oh. Oh. You smirked.

“Hm…”

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing.” You backed up, letting him relax a little. “Well, I’m going back to my space. Perhaps next time I come out, you won’t screech at me.” You sank down and Jin scrambled up.

“Wait!” He reached out, touching your shoulder before you slid under the bed. His hands were firm. And big. You felt your own body begin to warm up. 

“Yes?”

“What is your space? Do you just… Live under my bed?”

“In a way. I live in the depths of the shadows under your bed that allow my form to transcend the plane of this existence and rest in an area of my own design.”

Jin blinked owlishly at you. “Uh…”

“Portal. To another dimension. Under bed.” You spoke in simpler terms, assuming his humanoid mind was unable to compute. He nodded slowly, ears twitching.

“So when you’re in there… Can you… See up here? What I am doing?”

“If I choose.”

“Well, don’t choose.” 

You blinked, scowling a little at the firmness of his tone. What did he mean by that? Was he intending to tell someone about you? That would be a problem. Most humanoids and humans you scared were too terrified to have a conversation about what you were. People would think they were nuts. But this one… Seemed different. He smelled different, that was for sure. Almost like he was interested in you. 

“Well, I’m going to go now. I’ll see you again.”

“Knock on the wall before you come up next time. It’s scary when you just appear like that.”

“Right. Bad eyes.” You smiled at him. “I’ll knock.” 

You sank back down on the floor sliding fluidly under the bed, oozing into the shadows. You heard the bed creak before you fully disappeared and peeked out, a simple black mass with red eyes. You met Jin’s wide gaze and smiled… Not that he knew it was a smile … Before disappearing into the shadows.

You tried to rest. You really did. Floating along in a sea of nothingness, the distant screams of a billion galaxies colliding, dying, and reforming all at once. It was normally a lullaby to you. But tonight, your mind wandered. Not to the murder and bloodshed of a million cruel lesser Gods, or the agonizing scream of terror as someone is riddled with nightmares from your very presence… But rather… Of Jin. Seokjin. The hamster boy Jin. His ears looked so soft, you wished you could pet them. And his big, dark eyes… That soft smattering of fur. The balls it took to bite you.

Heaving a sigh, you unwound yourself from your tentacles and drifted back up to the space where your world connected with his. You slipped out from the shadows, peeking out from under the bed. It was dark in his room – he must be sleeping. You could smell him above you, that musky fur scent, the bitter scent of human-  sweat, the rich scent of sex. A pang shot through you. Sex. Was he mating with someone? 

As if on command, the bed creaked, and Jin whimpered softly. You could smell no one else, only him. In the silence, you could hear a slick squelching noise, and a soft, electronic babble from a device on the bed. Curiosity piqued, you slid further out, peeking up over the edge of the bed. Jin was stretched out on top of the covers, naked. You could see a smattering of the same creamy light fur on his chest and belly. His fist was sliding rapidly up and down his hard cock, glistening with lube and precome. His head was turned, earphones over his round, twitching ears. You peeked a little further, spotting the laptop on his bedside stand. The video on it was some sort of cartoon. A male figure was being suspended in the air by a multitude of tentacles, his ass being spread open as one drove into him in an obscene manner. His mouth was filled as well, tears streaming down his face. 

You couldn’t deny that the video was quite attractive. You glanced back at Jin and smirked. So that smell earlier was arousal. You were right. Hm. Well the feeling was mutual… Why should he have to do this alone?

Slow and careful, not wanting to terrify your skittish roommate, you slid one tentacle up over the bed. Moving slowly, you reached the laptop and poked the pause button. Jin’s hand hesitated and he scowled, eyes widening when he spotted the tentacle on the keyboard. He looked down at the foot of the bed. You grinned and waved another tentacle at him.

“What the fuck?!” Jin howled, yanking his blanket over his lap and jerking the headphones from his head. The fabric was raised ever so slightly where his erection was, doing nothing to really hide it from you. 

“Sorry,” you apologized, “you were masturbating to tentacles…” Jin reached out and snapped the laptop shut, nearly pinching the tip of your tentacle in the process. 

“So what? It’s my room!”

“It’s a room we share,” you corrected, moving out from the bed and coming around. “I was worried you were going to tell someone about me with how determined you were that I didn’t come back through… And I couldn’t stop thinking about you in other ways, so I was going to come back to talk and… I stumbled onto this.”

Jin remained silent, his lips pinched in annoyance. You smirked and moved closer to the bed, noting that he didn’t cringe away this time. 

“So that scent from earlier was arousal.”

“What scent?”

“Oh, I smell you very well. When I talked about choking humans… I smelled what seemed like human arousal. But I figured I was just imagining it. Why would a pretty humanoid like you be aroused by me?” You reached out with a tentacle, brushing the smooth skin of Jin’s chin. His eyes fluttered shut.

“I’m interested in you too, you know. I’ve never had a human so brave face me down. I admire that.” You hesitated and looked at his lap, the blanket still lifted. “Shall I help with that?”

“Wh—” Jin’s eyes snapped open. “What? No, please, I’m so ashamed,” he lamented, setting a pillow over the spot.

“Why are you ashamed? You are decently endowed for a humanoid of your height and weight ratio. The phallus seemed healthy and firm, and I sense no chemical influences so it can be safely assumed that you can get and maintain an erection capable of breeding, with no help.”

Jin’s cheeks reddened more and more as you spoke. 

“Please!” He cried, waving his hands in front of him. “Stop talking about it like that.”

“Oh.” You frowned a little. “I suppose that wouldn’t be arousing for you… If you were wanting me to speak in a way that aroused you… I suppose I should rather say that your cock is beautiful… It looks so hard and I’d love to make you come…”

You heard Jin’s heartrate pick up and couldn’t help but smirk. “Would you like that, Jin? For me to make you come?”

Jin swallowed hard and nodded, meeting your dark eyes. 

A tentacle shot out, knocking the pillow out of the way. It yanked the blanket down, revealing Jin’s cock, still mostly hard despite the conversation. 

You moved down to the foot of the bed, relaxing and allowing more tentacles to emerge. Jin’s eyes grew wide as you did, darting from side to side as he seemed to try to process.

“You enjoy this,” you said. It was a question you already knew the answer to.

“Yes.”

God, that felt good to hear. You slid a group of tentacles up over Jin’s chest, feeling the smooth skin and delicate hairs. Your touch left goosebumps in its wake, and Jin shuddered softly. 

You used another set of tentacles to push open his thick, muscular thighs. You made a soft noise of surprise. At the base of his spine, visible when he spread his legs, was a tiny tuft of fur, and a fuzzy tail. Only about two inches, thin and blunted, it was potentially the most adorable thing you had seen on a humanoid being in all your time living with them.

More tentacles to lift Jin’s hips off the bed. 

“Oh my—Your tail,” you commented helplessly. You reached out with your human-ish hand and grabbed it, petting the soft fur above it. Jin’s entire body went tense, and you watched his cock twitch. You cocked a brow. “Oh…” 

Curious, you tugged the tail, ever so lightly, and Jin grunted. You pulled again, with the same response. A third time, and he moaned softly. 

“Please—Stop pulling my tail,” he pleaded.

“Why? Does it hurt?” 

“N—No.”

You smirked. “So then, it’s good…” You tugged once more and Jin’s back arched off the tentacles suspending it. 

“Please—” He whined.

“Would you like my help, Seokjin? I could make you feel quite good.”

Jin huffed, swallowing hard. “Th—This is so strange.”

“Mhm. I’ve never, if I may be blunt, seen such a willing person.” You let one thin tentacle circle around the tight rim of Jin’s hole, leaving a trail of slick fluid behind. “I’d love to see just how much you want.”

“Everything,” Jin confessed, his body relaxing against your tentacles.

“What was that?”

“I want everything…” Jin opened his eyes, blinking a few times before focusing on you. “If you want it, I—” He nodded. He let his thighs fall open further, smirking. “I want it.”

Excitement coursed through your body. He was so willing, so aroused. It was the most intriguing and exciting thing you’d done in a millennia. 

You pushed the leaking, swollen tip of the tentacle into Jin’s tight heat, barely able to resist moaning. His rim clamped down around your tentacle like a vise, coaxing a little of your warm slick to squirt from the tip. You were gonna wreck this pretty rodent.

You drove the tentacle deeper into him, smirking when you reached a resistance. Jin whimpered, biting his bottom lip. 

“Deep—“ he whined.

“Do you enjoy it?”

“Yes—” Jin groaned. You pushed your second tentacle in; this one a little thinner and slicker. Jin shouted, his back arching. The movement tightened the skin of his stomach. You gasped, spotting the barely there swell. You worked the thinner tentacle up to where the first was and relaxed, letting it balloon and expand. The swell in his belly grew, and you groaned, reaching forward and touching it. You could feel yourself in his body. 

Jin tried to lay back on the bed, hiding the beautiful swell. You reached out with two of your tentacles, catching him and arching his back once more.

“I like this,” you growled.

Jin sobbed brokenly, and you worried for a moment you’d hurt him. But his cock was hard and leaking, and his face was twisted up in a grin.

“___— Please...” 

“I’ll take care of you,” you promised him. You wrapped a tentacle around his neck, letting your suckers rub over the smooth skin there. So easily torn. Jin’s cock twitched on his belly and he moaned. You began to squeeze his throat, ever so gently. You relaxed your grip and prodded his plush, swollen lips with the flattened tip of another tentacle. the movement left behind a glossy, oil slick sheen. 

“No biting this one, Jin,” you warned. He huffed and rolled his eyes, opening his mouth. You slid the tentacle in, sighing as Jin eagerly lapped at it sucking softly. You stroked the smooth flesh of his tongue with your tip before sliding deeper. You bumped his uvula, smirking when he coughed. 

“Open wide.”

Jin did his best to obey, and you pushed in, nudging past his tonsils and down his throat. His eyes bulged and he swallowed, squeezing your tentacle delightfully. Cool air whistled past it as he struggled to breathe.

“You liked being choked, didn’t you?” You cooed, squeezing his throat once more.

Jin’s cock throbbed on his stomach and began to shoot come onto his belly. His eyes rolled back and he gagged hard, moan muffled. His ass clenched rhythmically around your tentacles, milking fluid from them.

You couldn’t help but laugh even as you moaned from the stimulation. Two suckered tentacles slid up, rubbing through the hot come on his belly and up to tease his hard nipples. Jin sobbed what sounded like your name, but you couldn’t be sure. You allowed the rest of your tentacles to surround Jin, touching and rubbing and leaving little streaks of oily slick on his smooth, clean skin. The one that started this all, wrapped firmly around his dainty tail, yanked once more. 

You’d been saving the best for last. A tentacle no thicker than his pinkie wound up his leg. You could feel his muscles quivering from the overstimulation, his breath whistling around your tentacle firmly lodged down his throat, his eyes already rolling back. Up, through the mat of curly dark pubic hair, around his still hard shaft, stroking and squeezing. It was so warm and smooth. Your mouth watered. You’d have to taste it one of these days. And finally his tip. 

The tentacle released and touched the tip of his cock. Jin’s eyes widened, still somewhat unfocused. Slow and steady, you let the tip your tentacle open, sliding down, down, swallowing Jin’s cock.

You moaned, quivering as you were filled with his thick girth. It had been a century since you let something penetrate you in this way. His cock was perfect, solid and warm and hit every single spot inside your channel just right.

Jin reached out with the hand not being held by a tentacle and grabbed his cock, rubbing his fingers lightly over the smooth outside of your tentacle. He began to stroke, up and down, firmly, jerking off with your body.

You moaned brokenly, head falling back. Your tentacles caught you as you sagged, legs spread. A pressure built deep in your guts as he used your channel to jerk off, sucking the tentacle in his mouth and clenching his ass around the ones inside him. He knew exactly how to drive you wild. This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair— He was just a human—

You screamed his name as you came around his cock, squirting thick and wet. Jin moaned, gagging hard when the tentacle in his throat swelled a bit.

He continued to jerk off with your tentacle, his eyes losing their focus once more. He was going to come again, you could feel it. The wet squelch of your released as he used your hole filled the room. It was music to your ears. 

A tentacle whipped forward and grabbed his wrist, yanking it off his cock and pinning it to the bed. You wrapped another tentacle around his cock, squeezing yourself against him as you began to jerk it. 

“You’re gonna come in me, Jin,” you cooed. 

He tried to nod.

“I’m going to come in you.” His eyes rolled back, a full body shudder making you moan as well. Enough foreplay.

The tentacles holding Jin’s arms and legs went taut, pulling his arms above his head and forcing his legs open wide. You jammed a third, slender tentacle up his gaping asshole for good measure, shuddering at the impossible tightness of it. 

At once, every tentacle buried inside your new humanoid plaything began to thrust, the room filled with the obscene glugging noises of his throat and the wet squelch of his ass as you added more natural lubricant. You were still pumping his cock with your other tentacle, squeezing that and his throat playfully.

Jin came first again - not that you were surprised. You moaned as he spilled ropes of come into your channel, swelling it a bit. You continued to milk him with the slender tentacle and the one wrapped around it. Another tentacle slipped up to play with his balls, urging every drop of come out of them and into you. You moaned softly at that, smiling down at him. Time to return the favor. 

You began to fuck his throat hard and fast, mouth hanging open in pleasure as he choked on you. Jin’s eyes screwed shut and you growled. “Look at me, pretty.”

He struggled to do so, drool and your own slick bubbling up around the tentacle in his throat. His throat was painfully tight. 

“You wanted me to choke you. Is this how you wanted it, Jin?” You purred. 

Jin nodded, gagging and coughing hard. His eyes rolled back in his head, cock dribbling once more into the slick channel of your tentacle.

“That’s it… Give it all to me, baby. I’ll give you what you want too. Swallow it.”

Your body tensed, a knot of pleasure squeezing tight and drawing all of your nerves to a near painful edge. The tentacle began to spurt down Jin’s throat. He coughed hard, some of the dark fluid escaping around his mouth and nose. A tentacle caught the back of his head, holding it as you pumped your release down his throat. 

You threw your head back, moaning loudly. At the same time, you continued to fuck his ass, your secondary climax nearing. 

Some of your smaller tentacles that you’d been using to tease his tail and skin began to spurt as well, streaking thick, hot ropes of dark, oily release over his heaving chest and tearstained face. And over his tense stomach, now swelling with amount of fluid you were pumping down his throat.

Your second climax ripped a scream from your throat, surprising you. The tentacles buried in Jin’s ass began to spurt, shudders wracking your body as you filled his with release.

A pressure grew in the base of your groin and you whimpered. With fuzzy eyes, you watched the base of the tentacle swell just a little larger than a chicken egg, before moving down the length of the tentacle. And another… Another… Seven total eggs made their way down your length. The first caught on Jin’s clenched rim, making him sob wet and broken around your tentacle.

“Shh… Let me in,” you whispered. 

Jin seemed to try to relax. You shuddered and strained, helping work the thick egg into Jin’s body. It slipped past the rim and down the inserted part of your tentacle. You moaned and shuddered when it released. Time to repeat. Again, and again, you worked the eggs into Jin, tiny aftershocks of orgasm washing over you each time your tentacle ejected one. 

Jin’s stomach was swollen with come and eggs, and his body was lax, eyes half closed and glassy with exhaustion. 

You pulled out slowly, smirking a little at the little rivers of come that followed both from his ruined ass and his mouth. Carefully, you laid him back onto the bed, still cocooning him with your tentacles as you crawled onto the bed and kissed his sweaty cheek.

“Still with me?”

“Mhm…” Jin touched his stomach. ���Eggs?” He croaked, as if speaking through a mouth full of caramel.

“Yes. They will dissolve harmlessly within you in a few hours, don’t be alarmed. I should have warned you.”

“No, not at all… It’s good. I liked it… I feel so full…”

“You look absolutely ruined.”

Jin blinked tiredly at you, looking mildly concerned. You smirked and kissed his come stained lips. “It’s a beautiful look. We should get you cleaned up, shouldn’t we?” You sat up, your tentacles slinking back into your body. Jin reached out, grabbing one and holding onto it. 

“Do you like being this way better?”

“I have no preference, but it’s more comfortable with some of them out,” you admitted. “I’m not used to using these.” You held up your human-ish hands. 

“Leave them out then. I like them.”

“They don’t frighten you?”

Jin’s ear twitched. “No. Not now.” 

A smile crossed your face before you could stop it. “I’ve never really let a human look at me so long.” 

Jin ran his hand up your tentacle, his soft skin tickling and warming you. “I’m so different from you. Why did this happen?”

You hesitated at his question, unsure how to answer. Jin smiled when you did. 

“I’m not saying I’m mad or… I dislike it. But the problem is… I’m human. At least human adjacent. And the way I feel emotions… It’s strong but I don’t know how your kind does. I just…” Jin frowned at a spot in the corner, clearly deep in thought. “I guess I just want to know what this is going to be before I let myself get too attached.”

You chuckled a little. “This is absurd.”

“What is?” Jin’s face drooped.

“We’re having this deep conversation... While you’re lying on the bed naked and messy. Come on, let me clean you up. We’ll continue when we’re both a bit more put together.” 

You scooped him up with your tentacles, laughing a little at his surprised shout. With minimal effort, you carried him out of the room and down the hall to where you knew the bathroom was located. Jin laughed, wiggling in the firm grip of your tentacles as you did.

“Aren’t I heavy?”

“Not really. Rather light, actually. Do you obtain ample caloric sustenance to maintain humanoid organ function?”

“Do… Do I what?”

“Eat. Enough food,” you supplied. You turned on the water of the bath with another tentacle, turning to face Jin, who was still firmly wrapped in your grip.

“Yes, I eat enough,” Jin huffed. “I’m a good weight.”

“You are certainly well built,” you agreed, letting your eyes roam Jin’s body. Even covered in the oil slick iridescence of your come… He really truly was stunning. Broad shoulders, firm chest, thigh, muscular thighs… Even with the tiny swell in his stomach where your eggs were slowly disintegrating… He likely drew the attention of anyone on the street. 

“___...” Jin drifted off. “You’re staring.”

“I’m admiring,” you argued. “Do you have a human partner?”

“No. I’m single.”

“Why?”

Jin blinked, seeming surprised at the question. “I—I don’t know. I guess… Nobody’s ever really struck my fancy.”

“Why not?” You turned, reaching a tentacle out to test the water. Deeming it warm enough, you shifted, settling Jin into it. 

“I have no idea. I guess I just know what I’m looking for.”

“And what’s that?”

“Join me?” Jin asked, shifting to sit in the tub and make space. 

You let your tentacles disappear back into your body save for a dozen smaller ones, and stripped out of the clothing you’d donned. You crawled into the tub, sighing a little as the warm water lapped over your skin. 

“I want someone who is there for me,” Jin continued after a moment. Someone who knows what I need both physically and emotionally, and someone who is willing to let me provide for them too. A give and take.”

“Do you desire offspring?” You reached out and snagged a washcloth, wetting it and adding soap. You began to wash Jin’s skin clean. 

“Someday, maybe. Not now. I am young, I wanna use that youth.” Jin shifted, sighing. “I like you, ___.” 

“I know you do. And for some bizarre reason… I rather like you too.” You sighed a little, frowning at the confession. It was the truth. That much you knew. But why did it feel so scary?

“Bizarre? Have you never liked a human before? Or a… Hybrid?”

“No.” You continued to wash his shoulders and back. “I tend to just scare the pants off them and call it good.”

Jin laughed a little. “Well you got my pants off in some way, it just wasn’t by scaring me.”

“Oh, I scared you,” you argued, laughing as well. “You threw a book at my head.”

“A giant tentacle monster appeared in my room, of course I threw something at you.”

“You also bit me.”

“I’m starting to think you liked it.”

You paused, brows raising. “I guess… I sort of did.”

Jin’s smile faded a little, the laughter dying. “I asked you a question in the room, ___.”

“You did.”

“And you didn’t answer.” 

“Because I didn’t know how to. I still don’t.”

“Do you have feelings? Like… Happiness or sadness or affection?”

You nodded. You sank down a little more in the tub, and Jin reached out, gently sliding his hands over your legs and tentacles where he could reach. “I do. I’m sure it’s slightly different but the result is the same. I do find you interesting, both physically and otherwise. I want to get to know you more, and spend time with you. Being on this plane of existence is… Different. I don’t normally do it, but I feel content to be in this form, because it means a chance to learn more about you. I’d watched you for a while before but… Face to face.”

“I understand.” Jin took the cloth and washed his face and ears. “So, you do like me then.”

You nodded once.

“And I like you,” Jin continued. He set the cloth in the water, using the tip of one finger to gently slide it back and forth. 

“It would seem that way. For some strange reason.”

Jin smiled softly. He scooped up the cloth and ran it gently over one of your tentacles. The slightly rough texture sent shivers through your body, and you couldn’t stop the smile that formed. 

“That feels nice.”

Jin shifted, the sound of the water sloshing in the small tub the only answer he gave you for the moment. The tub was truly too small for the both of you, but he was able to make it work, shifting over to settle closer. He used the cloth to wash over the exposed tentacles and the humanoid form of your body, meeting your gaze every few seconds. His ears were perked forward, nose and whiskers twitching. 

You reached out with a free tentacle, stroking his back and running down to his ass. You touched his tail. The fur was soft and silky where it seemed to blend into his skin, and his tail was covered in the same soft down. It wiggled a little under the water and Jin made a small noise between a squeak and a sigh. 

“Just don’t pull it,” he whispered.

“We know what that does. Is it difficult?” You asked. You let go of his tail in favor of stroking along his smooth back.

“Is what difficult?”

“You’re a hybrid. I know your kind is not common still. I’ve never seen one of your species specifically.”

“It can be. I’m a pretty timid animal by nature. So I used to get bullied. But I enjoy being different. In the long run. It’s what makes me who I am and I wouldn’t change that.”

“That’s admirable. You are a beautiful specimen.” When Jin frowned, you paused. 

“Being. I don’t mean specimen as an insult.”

“I know,” Jin sighed, sitting back. He pulled his knees up to his chest. The air in the bathroom seemed to thicken a little, and you frowned. Though human emotions weren’t your forte, you could still sense enough of the shift in Jin to get it. 

“I’ve upset you.”

“You haven’t. Not on purpose.” Jin rose and grabbed a towel, beginning to dry himself off. His stomach was back to normal, and it felt like all sense of afterglow had worn off. You followed suit, rising and opening the tub drain. As you stepped out of the tub, you allowed your powers to work, drying your body and re-clothing it instantly. As you did, Jin turned around, about to offer you a towel. His face drooped when he saw you clothed. 

“Oh.” He pulled it back and looked at it for a moment before dropping it into the hamper and heading back toward the bedroom. You followed from a safe distance, unsure how to help the humanoid you’d found yourself so attached to.

When you reached the bedroom, you hesitated at the foot of the bed while Jin stripped the mattress, messy from your activities. 

“Jin…”

He glanced at you, but said nothing. Instead he tossed the sheet into a hamper and went the closet, digging around to get a clean one. He hesitated, rubbing at the back of his ear. 

“Jin.” You repeated yourself more firmly. He turned, his whiskers twitching. 

“You’re not human.”

“No, of course I’m not.”

“Even with the… The tentacles. It’s easy to forget. You look humanoid.”

You nodded. 

“But then you do something like… Like what you did in the bathroom or you call me a specimen like I’m so different and I just—I like you, ___. But can you like me? Do you want to get to know me and maybe be… Something more?”

“Of course I do, Jin,” you answered. And the reality of it was – you were being honest. You stepped forward, reaching out with your tentacles to pull him closer. When he was near enough, you wrapped your arms around him, nuzzling his neck. “I want to know you. You’re the first human I’ve ever wanted to be around like this. I know we’re different… I’m sorry I’ve upset you. I don’t mean to.”

“I’m not upset, ___. I just know things are… Difficult.”

“They don’t need to be.” 

You stepped back and shifted a little, the tentacles sliding into your body. You changed your clothing with a simple thought into something a little baggier, pulling your left arm more out of view in the fabric. “I can look human. I can be anything you need to make you comfortable.”

Jin pouted a little, his plush bottom lip sliding out. “But this isn’t you. I don’t want you to change. I like you.” He pushed the sleeve up and grabbed your tentacled arm. “I like all of you. If you meet my friends, of course… This works, but… When it’s me. I just want you to be yourself. As much as you can be.”

“I don’t frighten you? Make you feel different?”

“You do.” Jin shrugged. “But that can be okay.” He sighed softly and reached up, stroking your cheek. The motion was unfamiliar to you, but not unwelcomed. You could feel the calluses on the pads of his thumbs from use, hear his pulse throbbing softly against his wrist, feel the brush of his fingers against the baby hairs on your current form’s face. It was soothing. Your eyes fluttered shut and you smiled a little. 

“Do that again…” You whispered when Jin pulled his hand away. He repeated the motion, and then on the other side, cupping your face in his hands. 

“___.”

You opened your eyes, surprised to see him so close to you, his dark gaze trained on yours. “Have you ever been kissed?”

“No.”

“Never? Wh—”

“It’s never really come up,” you admitted. 

“Well… I’m going to kiss you, okay?”

“O—Okay.” 

Jin closed the gap between your faces, tilting his head a little as his eyes closed. His lips pressed against yours, soft and silky. You could feel his breath tickling your cheek, and you giggled a little. 

Jin pulled back, a smile of confusion brightening his face. “What are you laughing at?”

“Humans do this a lot?” You asked. “I’m sorry, it feels funny,” you laughed a little.

Jin laughed too, nodding. “They do. It’s an affection thing… But now that I think about it, you are right, it’s kinda weird.”

“It’s cute,” you said, reaching up and touching his cheek. “I don’t hate it. I’ll do it if you like it. But know I might laugh every time you do.” 

Jin nodded, kissing you again quickly. “It’s okay. You have a delightful laugh. I want to hear it more…” He sighed softly, seeming to search your face for something unknown.

You remained quiet, letting him look. Being honest, it gave you a chance to really look at him. Humans – even humanoid hybrids like Seokjin… Were so simple. Their genetic makeup was easily replicated, reproduced, altered. You could reach out with your true self and shatter his genome sequence. You could change him completely – turn him into a hideous monster, or a beautiful human, devoid of any rodent features. You could kill him, or make him live a thousand years longer. Simple creatures. Yet there was one thing that even you – with all your age and knowledge… Couldn’t master. 

Their minds. 

Sure, you could scare or arouse one, you could tweak simple emotions, but not for long. They always compensated. And each one compensated differently. Some coped, some panicked, some lost their minds. The answer to the human equation had long eluded you. Not that you’d bothered to care much before now. Before this humanoid being had blazed into your existence. And now… You found yourself caring, but not to overpower or control humans. But to make the one that was offering himself to you… Happy. The feeling was foreign. You didn’t want to scare or change or fiddle with this one. You just wanted to be with him.

Cautiously, you reached your hand up, letting your fingers brush over his whiskers, then up, over his large ears, covered in soft, fur. They twitched, as did Jin’s nose, and you smiled. 

“Do you eat?” Jin asked suddenly.

“Eat?”

“Yeah, like food. Burgers or rice or a steak…”

“I am capable of it, yes. I can almost perfectly mimic a humanoid existence in this form.”

“Wanna get a midnight snack?”

“Shouldn’t you sleep? Humanoids need an ample number of hours of sleep per night in order to maintain proper f—”

“You’re worth a night of no sleep,” Jin cut you off. 

“I—I am?”

Jin grinned broadly. “Of course you are. I want to learn more about you. I want to spend more time with you. Do you have to… Go back? To your… Space, I guess?”

“Not with any pressing need. It simply exists because I’ve created it.”

“I want to know more about it. More about what you can create.” Jin took your hand, and your tentacle. “Everything.”

“There is far too much to tell.”

“Then we’ll just have to spend more time together. Is that alright?”

“It is.” You felt the smile spreading across your face before you could stop it. 

What a human response. Could spending time around this human make you more of one? The thought would have been horrifying to you a month ago. Now… Looking at Jin’s bright gaze, and broad smile… Maybe a little humanity was exactly what you needed. 

One tentacle drifted out and over to the radio on Jin’s dresser, poking the play button. The same male voice from your meeting earlier in the day filled the air, though it was an entirely different song now.

“You’ll never make me leave, I wear this on my sleeve…”

Jin’s eyes darted to the radio before landing back on your face. “I thought this was horrible noise?” He asked, a grin causing his cheeks to fill out adorably. 

“Give me a better cause to lead…”

“I can learn to like it. I want to. For you.” You closed the space between your faces this time, kissing Jin’s soft mouth gently. 

“Give me a reason to believe…”

[fijiangecko]

Maintaining a New Life

Chapter 8 - In Motion

Read it on AO3 here

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~~~~~~

The sun had risen and set 3 times since each group began their hunts. Each day providing no new information and the hope of keeping each other safe felt as if it was getting farther and farther away. Kuroo, Oikawa and Iwazumi split off into two groups most of the time, Oikawa and Kuroo walking around town while Iwaizumi kept an eye out for any Port Mafia patrols and your car.

Iwaizumi refused to be alone with Kuroo, stating multiple times that he would “rather gauge his own eyes out then look at the fuckwad who drove out one of his best friends”. A tad bit harsh for Oikawa's taste, but he maintained the peace between the two whenever they brought tension to the table. Kuroo doesn’t mean to be irritating but there’s still so much he doesn’t understand, and these two don’t help in answering his questions since they don’t know much about your past and why you left.

On your end of things, you decided to lay low during the day and do some rounds on the streets at dusk and dawn. Largely things remained the same for the Port Mafia: they operated on the schedule you created and stuck to the same routine based on what vehicles and hangouts you’d seen so far. 

Guess they really haven’t progressed all that much since I left, you think while watching the endless stream of cars. Washijo’s health wasn’t too good, and I can’t imagine it’s gotten any better with all the stress of transferring power and dealing with the mess that I left.

After little to no new information and more questions than answers, the weekend rolled around and the sun has started to hang lower in the sky. You lean against the counter in your kitchen, sipping on a cup of tea and listen to the birds sing from tree to tree. Looking to the clock, you sigh and set the mug down, heading towards the bedroom.

If everything goes according to plan, this whole operation should be relatively quick and you can just leave the club within an hour of getting in. You sift through what little clothes you have and get ready to blend in with tonight’s crowd; standard makeup, nothing too flashy, and a relatively short dress to match. None of your shoes really fit, so the black sneakers would have to do for now. 

With a deep breath, you take a final glance in the mirror and mentally prepare for whatever the night has in store. You double check that your car is stacked with any you could possibly need and rev the engine, taking the dirt road down onto the streets.

The sun starts to set over the horizon, leaving the bright orange orb blaring down on the asphalt as the tires roll down the highway. You don’t bother to turn on the radio, deciding to run through the plan and all of the backups you have prepared. Through public records you were able to find the new layout plans for “The Neon Nights”, so you knew relatively where everything should be and how to get to it. That didn’t always translate into action, though. 

Instead of chewing on your lip you moved onto the inside of your cheek, ripping it to shreds over the course of the past couple of days. You haven’t been this nervous in quite a while and it was really starting to fuck with your head. 

Confidence and assurance were two very different things but often got confused for one another. Back at the ADA everyone just believed you to be confident, and that’s not to say that you weren’t. You know you are one hell of a detective, doing the work that needs to be done and doing it effectively, but it was more so that you knew you were safe and around people that were relatively safe as well. Standard protocol in the Port Mafia was not to fuck with others that had gifts. Washijo always stated that it was to keep the peace on the streets, but that was total bullshit. At the very least, you knew that while the ADA was on their radar, there wasn’t anything that they would be able to do in order to harm your friends.

Now everything was uncertain, there was no more assurance. You didn’t know if they were going to be safe. Tendou always did what he wanted and Washijo just turned a blind eye to it. Now he knows that you’re alive and in Yokohama.

On top of that, he saw you with the two of your right hand men that left shortly after you and a new man from the ADA. Tooru and Hajime were found out because you got careless.

The Port Mafia is also aware now of who Kuroo is and that he has connections to you. There’s always going to be a crosshair aimed at the back of his head if you don’t get into that club tonight and do everything you possibly can to erase those damn records of not only your existence, but everyone you care about too.

You blink hard, letting the colors settle behind your eyelids before reopening your eyes and focusing on the road. The stream of thoughts that just crossed your mind had left your heart and head pounding.

Nothing will happen to them as long as everything goes as planned. I’ll find the data servers and wipe whatever I can then skip town. Again, you go through the plan as the last bit of sun disappears around the edge of the world.

 Coming to a slow halt, you park a few blocks away and walk the area in order to secure a teleportation spot and secure an escape route. The checklist in your mind finally had everything marked and every movement from now on was going to be almost robotic as you try to act like the crowd around you. Countless couples and parties line the edge of the building you once knew as a headquarters, the stink of alcohol present already from those who were leaving the venue for whatever reason.

By your lonesome you wait to meet the bouncer at the door, minutes passing as the line dwindles down until you can hear the muffled electronic music. The ground felt like it was shaking from the hundreds of people all dancing just a few feet past this wall. You peer around a few people ahead of you and make note of a pin on the bouncer's suit jacket, confirming that this club is still under mafia control.

You take another deep breath and just hope that news of your reappearance was just kept to the inner circle and henchmen like him weren’t informed quite yet of what was happening. The person in front of you walks inside the club, leaving you face to face with the man with shades. He looks you up and down, your heart picking up as you smile sweetly. Charm wasn’t your specialty but you know the basics. Without another moment to spare, he nods towards the mass of people and you quickly take your place inside the dark and dense room.

The music increases tenfold from when you were outside, feeling the bass changing the rhythm of your heartbeat. Hundreds of people crowd the center of the room, dancing to their hearts out while others line the bars stretched out on the walls.

You walk to the furthest side of the bar, mapping out where you are in your head and making note of little landmarks on the map you practically memorized. Figuring it would look more natural, you squeeze yourself in and order something. Partially to calm your nerves. 

“And the devil herself appears.” Chills run up and down your spine, the voice of whomever just spoke stopping you dead in your tracks. They lean in real close,from behind, lips grazing your ear, their breath warm against your skin as they whisper to you. “Nice to see you Y/N.”

Cautiously you turn your head and face the voice, only to be met with a head of bleached hair and a sultry smile. “Miss me?” He says while placing his hands on his hips.

“Terushima.” The tension in your body hadn’t quite left, unsure of where his loyalties are makes your mind run a thousand miles per second. You prepare to portal out of the club, but his hand on your wrist interrupts everything.

“Let’s have a chat in the back, yeah?” Before you even know what’s going on, you're being dragged to one of the side hallways and up a set of stairs. You take in the surroundings the best you can while being pulled along and realize that he’s taking you back to what used to be the main office area.

Terushima pushes open a set of doors into a lounge area. A large sectional couch faces glass panes that showcase the entirety of the club and a small personal bar and desk line the other two walls in the room. He lets go of the hold on your wrist and beelines it to the alcohol and starts to construct his own drink.

You’re stiff as a board in the center of the room, still taking in everything that just happened in the last two minutes. He watches as you try and create a plan, and laughs out loud at your distraught. “I’m not gonna tell anyone you know.”

It’s like your body snaps when you move to look at him. “Excuse me?”

“I said, ‘I’m not going to tell anyone’.” He strains his cocktail into a glass and saunters over to the couch, sitting himself down. “I really don’t do any work with the Port Mafia since I manage the club. There’s no real benefit to me telling them.”

“Wait,” you blink and scrunch your face together as you follow him down onto the couch, “you manage the club now?”

“Bingo.” The amber drink in his hands disappears slowly as it glides down his throat. “After you left and Tendou took over your position they redistributed everything and wanted to change our little jazz club into a full blow nightclub for the younger people to come and party. I was pretty much the only person around that knew how to keep everything relatively in order, so here we are.” The one free hand Terushima has open lifts up off of his thigh and plops back down in a sort of defeat. His chocolatey spheres hold your gaze.

“And you gave up on singing?” It’s an honest question. The last time you both had a serious conversation was when Terushima was the main singer for your aforementioned jazz club.

“No, more like I took a break. I couldn’t really say no to the Port Mafia so I put my career on hold.” A pained expression flashes across his face before returning to his previous position.

“I’m really sorry Teru.” You scoot closer to him on the cushion, setting your drink down on the table at the center and resting a hand on his shoulder. It was the best consoling you got considering this is basically your fault.

“Don’t be.” He can see the guilt in your eyes and quickly dismisses them. “You did what was better for yourself. Anyone who couldn’t see that you were unhappy was stupid and it wasn’t a suprise when they told me you were gone.” He rests that free hand on top of yours and rubs circles onto the back of your hand while reaching down to place his drink on the same table. “I just thought that I would never see you again, so spotting you by the bar tonight really shook me to the core, y’know?”

The smile that finishes his sentence is wicked, lips curling up at the end. There was always something left unsaid between you both; light touches here and there, lingering glances from across the dimly lit club room and the handful of “dates” (according to him) shared between you two. It never went anywhere; he being the flirt he was made you very nonchalant about his advances. Plus there was the matter of his gift that made things complicated, so it was just better for you to stay out of trouble the best you could.

Things are different now, though. Terushima didn’t cause your chest to tighten or make the blood in your system rush to your cheeks when you thought of what it would be like to be with him late into the night, curled into one another and just simply being. No, that spot now belonged to a tall, lean and dark haired man that weaseled his way into your heart and mind by using his shitty science puns and awkward dancing when he was almost blackout drunk. Those nights of wondering what life would be like with someone else no longer contained bleach blonde hair or a tongue piercing, but the easy comfort that came from Kuroo Tetsuro.

“Yeah, about that.” Your grasp on his shoulder tightens, other fist clenching “Tendou saw me a couple days ago and I’m pretty sure he’s on the hunt. I need to find the P.M. servers-”

“So you came here to find them.” He cuts you off, but doesn’t finish the sentence with a question. He might be a playboy but he’s been through the ringer once or twice and knows that you just didn’t show up tonight to see him. “Unfortunately they moved them a couple of years ago to create an arms deal station in the basement. To my knowledge they took all that stuff to Club Impac-”

Suddenly a young lady busts through the doors, drunkenly falling onto the floor with her eyes completely unfocused on the area around her. A man in a suit comes rushing down the corridor, targeting the woman on the ground.

With many apologies the guard pulls the woman rather harshly off of the ground and looks up to once again ask for forgiveness from Terushima, but meets your cold eyes instead. The spur of the moment interruption caused you to turn around in your seat and watch the events unfold.

Unknown to you, this man had worked under Ushijima for years and had met your eyes years ago. He recognized the dead stare you were giving him currently, but continued pulling the woman out of the room. A bitter taste fills his mouth as he shuts the doors, immediately ditching the woman by the restrooms and walking to the head of security to inform him of the guest that just happened to be sitting up in the lounge.

“Anyways…” Terushima continues filling you in on what has happened logistically within the mafia since your leaving.

Roughly 30 minutes prior to that conversation, miles out into the outskirts of the city the three men who have been trying to catch you at the right time huddled around a coffee table and went over their plan of attack one last time.

“You both got it?” Iwaizumi flicked the last piece of paper in a file down onto the hardwood, looking between the two taller men. Wordlessly they both nodded and turned to grab their respective bags with the appropriate clothes for the night. Oikawa’s outfit was a little more classy then the others to match his personality, Kuroo and Iwaizumi going for something pretty simple just in case anything goes haywire, but with their final touches done up they were ready to set out for the night.

“Do you really think that she’s going to be here tonight?” Kuroo asked Oikawa while Iwaizumi called a taxi. They were a little behind schedule and missed the train, so they had to opt for something quick.

“Out of everything we’ve done so far, I think this is our best chance at catching her. This club used to be a faux headquarters for her. I’m almost positive that she’s either looking for a certain someone,” Iwaizumi catches the tone in Oikawa’s voice as he spoke, making eyes at him while he finished his sentence, “or that she left something behind.”

They both knew that you were fond of Terushima, but they also knew that you had moved on from all of that. You had your eyes set on someone else. That still didn’t mean that you weren’t there for him, but the idea that it was anything but business was a little far fetched.

“So you guys used to be there all the time?” The taxi pulled up to the curb, waiting for Kuroo and the others to hop in. 

“Yeah. Every weekend she would have us come have drinks with her since we were her ‘groupies’, essentially .” Iwaizumi answered, using quotations with his fingers to get the point across. “It was more like a weekly check in but sometimes all we did was catch up with one another.”

The memories warmed his heart. He never once felt like he was working for you, but alongside you. You truly cared about their goals and ambitions, oftentimes ignoring the actual work that the Port Mafia wanted to get done and helping the citizens most in need. Coincidentally, that was how you made the most money and controlled the most area - the people liked you. Being in your squad was a different experience from every other job he had within the Mafia, and as soon as you disappeared he knew that he was going to have to get out sooner rather than later.

Oikawa felt the exact same way, and couldn’t imagine a life where he and Iwaizumi didn’t work together, so they devised a plan and faked their deaths in order to obtain what little freedom that would allow. Both knew that you weren’t dead, no matter how solid the evidence looked, and stuck their foot in the ground in Yokohama in an effort to find you. Two years later they accepted jobs as detectives with the ADA and walked in to see you, sitting at a desk, smiling and laughing with your fellow detectives.

The car ride was silent for the most part, the taxi driver asked a handful of questions before letting the radio fill the dead air. Iwaizumi kept track of how close they were and directed the driver to a few blocks off so they could walk up to the club (he really didn’t want to get this poor guy involved, so better to keep him out of it).

With a small wave from Oikawa, the boys head down the streets but their moods quickly shift as streams of people flood out of the building. The screams of hundreds fills the night air and the heavy footsteps of the three carry as closely as possible to the front entrance. Crowds topple over one another in an attempt to make it out safely as the sound of a single gunshot ricochets off of every surface, furthering the panic in the chests of innocents. Eyes flicking to every possible entrance, Kuroo feels deep down in his soul that you’re inside - you’re either the one firing or being fired at and either causes his chest to tighten, the neverending pit of anxiety at the bottom of his stomach somehow growing deeper. The three stand like a rock against a current of bodies, everyone just running past them and filling the space behind the group as they run.

Only a few moments before their arrival, Terushima and yourself were finishing your drinks and sharing a laugh when splinters flick off the set of doors, and single shot entering the room and shattering the large glass windows that look down on the dance floor. The initial panic takes a second to kick in before the patrons below start their scramble. Terushima’s instincts kicked in and he grabbed you rather harshly and shoved you down onto the ground, covering your body with his own.

“We know you’re in there Y/N!” The voice that spoke was unfamiliar to you, probably just some higher level goon that happened to know what was going on. While tucked under Terushima’s body, you open a small portal to the dashboard of your car and grab the handgun you left waiting. It always pays off to have a backup plan, you think while taking in the surrounding area. The men had yet to breach the room itself, leaving an opportunity for both of you to escape, whether that be jumping down onto the dance floor or using a portal.

“Teru,” his eyes focus on the door but you know he’s listening to your harsh whispers, “we can jump down and blend in the crowd-”

“No.” His jaw clenches, the lines on his face becoming harsher. “They deliberately shot at the window to lure us out there. The one talking is the head of this district so I’m sure every mobster in the area is here keeping an eye out for you.”

“Fuck…” your heart beats just as fast as your brain fires off thousands of different ideas. The crowd of people down below scream for help as they run out into the night and then another shot comes, this time it sounds like it’s from down below. In the crowd.

“Are they firing at civilians?!” Your mind spirals down. What the fuck are they thinking?

“One of those idiots might’ve thought that they saw you.” Terushima detaches himself from you and reaches under one of the tables, grabbing a hidden handgun and making sure it’s loaded.

As he checks the magazine, you muster up a portal big enough for a person to fit through, the other end looking out onto the streets. “Get in Teru. They’re after me.” You plead him with both your eyes and your voice, hands twitching around the cold metal of your pistol.

“Not happening sweetheart.” His smile is sly and coy, teasing you almost. “This is my club that they’re ruining and these people are my guests.” He gestures to the window and then to you, slowing the fall of his hand to emphasize his next words. “It’s my duty to protect them.”

Your lips tugs into a smile and you shut the portal. “Alright then.”

Down on the streets below the three men try to push up river through the endless streams of people running away from yet another shot. Women fall over, others trampling them in the fearful haze that covers the downtown. Iwaizumi rushes over and picks them up, shielding them from the hoards of shoes and getting them back on their feet.

SUV’s among other black vehicles speed around various street corners and men in suits start to surround the area, each fitted with different weapons of different calibers. Pressure grows in the small atmosphere of the downtown area, ears yearning to pop and get ahold of the situation but Kuroo doesn’t know if he would rather feel the throbbing in his head or the despair of hundreds.

Oikawa spins in circles, taking in every detail he can of the mayhem. Each of his senses feels like they’re on fire, enhanced from the sudden change in pace. It would be suicide to use his gift now, so the best he can do in trust his brain to intake whatever information is available.

The three converge after each attains their bearings and stand back to back. “What now?” Iwaizumi is forced to yell over the collage of sounds.

“We go in? I mean she’s gotta be in there, right?!” Oikawa shouts equally as loud, still turning his head around to look at the distressed faces. His voice comes out exasperated and rushed, his breathing picking up.

“Go in?! We can barely move five feet forward, how the fuck are we supposed to get in?” Kuroo takes the more logical stance, trying his best to find a solution to the problem at hand: what to do next.

Luckily, Oikawa, in his twisty turn around scavenger hunt, had spotted a fire escape on the side of the closest apartment building. If they wanted to get a height advantage and take a moment to clear their heads, that would be the spot. He shakes both of his companions shoulders and gestures his head to the ladder. Lightbulbs light up in their heads and slowly but surely they take small steps towards the iron bars, giving the people enough time to adjust to the change in current.

It only takes a minute or two to finally reach the ladder, Iwa hoisting Tooru with weaved fingers and will to lift with his legs, not his back. One handed, Oikawa pulls down the ladder and the three make their way to the landing.

The chaos seen from above is only less claustrophobic as it doesn't let their hearts take a moment to rest. Rather, showcasing the complete lack of control from anyone down below. Every person down below looks like a rat on the loose, caught at the wrong time as they scatter in all directions. Kuroo leans over the edge of the railing, trying to get a better view of the inside of the club.

“There’s a bunch of guys with guns pointed at the top room, part of the window was either smashed or shot at since it’s all over the floor.” Iwa observes to the left of Kuroo, also leaning over the delicate iron bars.

“Can you see in that top room?” Kuroo squints, but it doesn’t enhance his vision.

“Not really,” Iwaizumi starts to tilt his head in various directions, finding the best angle to peer inside that room. “Looks like there’s two people up there but I can’t make out any faces.”

“We should’ve brought Akaashi…” Kuroo mumbles to himself, at this point wondering everything that could’ve been different in this moment. “Well one of them has to be Y/N. I think that’s a given at this point.”

“That or she’s the woman one of the guys has hostage on the lower level.” Oikawa notes, gesturing to each of them to come to where he stands and uses his hand to try and guide their view to a better position.

You also take note of the hostage, peeking down from the remains of the windows. The thought that the Port Mafia is now so low that they would take hostages in order to obtain an ex-member leaves a bad taste on the tip of your tongue. Cold metal brushes your chest as you keep your gun close to your chest. Being as silent as possible, you carefully crouch around the room and get eyes on everything you can.

Terushima had taken off his blazer just a few seconds ago, throwing it over the edge of the couch and creeping closer to the double doors. He listens to whatever words he can make out through the veil of screams and footsteps, retaining only the name “Tendou”.

His head turns to yours from across the room, mouthing the words “Tendou is coming”.

With a clenched jaw, you turn back to the dance floor and see that two more girls were being kicked onto the ground, making a total of three hostages. Hands cover their ears as they plead for their lives.

“Alright Y/N! You’ve got one choice: you either turn yourself over right now or you sit and wait until Satori gets here and we kill those girls and Terushima!” Whoever spoke before loudy shouts again, the words bouncing off of every glossy surface of the club.

GODDAMMIT! Sweat builds in the palm of your hands, the bass from the speakers making the miniscule shards of glass on the ground shake; bits and pieces falling off the ledge and into various crevices in the tile. There’s really only one thing left to do, you think to yourself and Terushima watches as the familiar cerulean hue starts to color the very lines of your body. 

A portal opens to your left, the circle opening up to a view of the entryway of the building. From this vantage point you can see a group of men, all in suits and with their weapons either pointed at the hostages or the balcony. Without hesitation you aim the barrel of the gun at the closest guy and fire at his leg. The bullet enters his calf muscle, leaving through the shin and he immediately keels over. Other men are alerted by the sound and turn quickly to find the source. Like a trained soldier you close and open various portals, one at a time and in dissimilar spots to try and confuse them, and fire potshots at whoever catches your eye first. 

Arguing continues between Kuroo and Iwaizumi as they battle on what to do next; one trying to approach the situation like it’s made of delicate porcelain and the other ready to give blood, sweat and tears. Oikawa refuses to let his eyes leave the club, and it proves to be useful as rifts start to open and close within the confined space. His eyes dilate and once again he slaps Iwa on the shoulder mid sentence.

“What the hell Shittykawa?!” Iwa gnashes, foam practically running down the side of his mouth.

“She’s making her move.” Dominos start to fall, but for once in a very long time the two don’t know what lies at the end of the line. Kuroo can’t believe what he’s seeing - he’s only ever seen you use your gift sparingly and in desperate situations, never to an extent such as this. The last piece of the puzzle finally goes into place as it dawns on Tetsuro that this is life or death. There is no playing around and there are no wrong moves. 

“Alright Iwaizumi: I’m in.”

The aforementioned turns to him with a blank expression, a little unsure of what to do now. Oikawa watches as Kuroo claps his hands together and squats down and it hits him all at once; this is the first time he’s ever seen Kuroo’s gift in any capacity. Satisfied with the warm feeling on his skin, Tetsuro releases his hands and places them on the iron below, the space surrounding them glowing like they do.

In an instance, the vibrancy dies down and on the landing lies two items in a similar shape to hand grenades. A smirk tugs at his features and he states, “We’ll get in with these.”

Their jaws drop and Tooru starts to huff in disbelief, “I can appreciate your tenacity Kuroo-san but that seems like overkill.”

“Seriously…” Iwa adds sarcastically, slightly sticking out his arm to act as a shield between the two.

The smile disappears quickly and Kuroo brings a hand up to rub his brows. “They’re smoke grenades…”

Forming an ‘o’ with his mouth, Tooru starts to nod his head and Hajime drops the raised arm. “I knew that.”

Licking his lips, Kuroo passes one of the grenades to Iwaizumi and mouths “of course you did” to silently mock them. At least they share a brain cell.

Another few minutes pass, the gang of men make their way back down the ladder and into the frey. During that time you remain using the same tactic, effectively avoiding any unwanted attention from the growing crowd of henchmen. More had been called in after your initial shot, the head honcho making plays over the various walkie talkies. 

You close a portal and let your chest heave, taking long deep breaths and settling down. The spacing of your shots has been growing larger to keep the suspense up, but in this timeframe you create a mini portal to grab a new magazine and reload. You close your eyes and let the noise wrap you like a blanket, surrounding you and taking precedence over every other sense in your body. Right as you whip to the right and start to open a rift, the small tinks of metal on concrete are drowned out.

Slowly, smoke swirls around the dance floor, rising and expanding out in all directions. Another can sputter to life and causes the room to turn opaque. Light bounces around in rays that color the white sheet that now fills the room.

Right outside the doors of the club Iwaizumi charges up his ability, letting a firm feeling prick every inch of his skin before ramming himself through the doors. Tooru sticks to his back and fires at every shape he can make out through the fog, Kuroo acting as the kaboose and covering any stragglers that those two seem to miss.

From your end of things, the room starts to fill with white and immediately you shut the gateway, watching from your perch as the fog dissipates right as it reaches your feet. Terushima also evaluates the situation, deciding to take the chance and barge out of the doors and tackle whoever is closest. Unfortunately he didn’t think super far ahead and that leaves you in a compromising position.

Gunfire fills the hallways of the building, but the light that flashes up on the second level lets Kuroo know that shit’s going down. Without hesitation he leaves formation and hauls ass down the hall and up some stairs. Four men in total block his path to you, two being on the floor and the other two shooting in your general direction.  

It’s as if red seeps into his eyelids, rage pumps through his veins at a level he thought himself incapable. The barrel of his gun points down at the thigh of one of the standing men. As soon as the bullet hits its mark he rushes the other one and knocks him upside the head with the butt of the gun. In less than three minutes Kuroo had entered the building and knocked out two guys in order to rush to your side.

A wedge was pushed in the cogs in your brain, halting all functions and making your eye twitch. Kuroo squats down to meet your eye level and stares at you with piercing golden eyes. His pupils dilate when they meet yours which are full of confusion, then disbelief and finally annoyance.

“You fuckin’ asshole.” The words should be lost to the mirage of the night, but they’re the only things Kuroo can hear.

Almost scared, he reaches forward and curls his fingers around the flesh of your forearm and responds. “Let’s get out of here.”

Whatever shock that stopped your brain had washed over and now it felt like everything was moving too quickly in order to catch up. The fog was starting to clear and you can make out the figures of both Oikawa and Iwaizumi down on the dance floor below, watching each other's backs. Terushima stands near the edge of the balcony and joins them in taking down what seems to be an endless stream of goons.

He turns to you and winks, a silent goodbye as Kuroo grabs a tight hold of your arm and pulls you off of the ground. It’s a blur as you leap over several unconscious men and down the stairs. Whatever crowd was left was thin at best, no civilians in sight and many mafia members toppled over. Iwaizumi steps backwards towards you two, Oikawa shifting himself so the three act as armor around you.

Just as swift as the entrance, the boys shove you along and out into the streets. The screeching of tires alerts the four of you, yet another SUV speeds down the narrow streets of the downtown.

“Fuck” you whisper and get your bearings. Your legs are quicker than your brain and you shout, “follow me!” Your two fellow ex-members are already by your sides and Kuroo lags behind. Quickly you throw the keys to Iwaizumi. “When we get to the car, just drive. Doesn’t matter what streets you go down.”

Yet again Kuroo watches as the three of you work together like a well oiled machine, Hajime practically ripping the door off of its hinges and shaking the car as he sits. Tooru follows suit on the passenger side and deja vu strikes hard once Kuroo gets his but down into the seat.

Iwaizumi revs the engine and rapidly turns the wheel from side to side as the car skids and jolts into the center of a major road.

“Whatever happens, just keep her in the center of the road!” You whirl around and face the rear windshield, spotting the vehicles that now tail you all. Luckily the night means less traffic and Hajime can keep to the center of the road. Whoever was driving this late at night veers out of the way as the street turns crowded with several cars turning corners rather fast and joining in with those that already follow you.

You roll down the window next to you and start to shoot blindly out of the side, not daring to stick your whole body out of the car like last time due to the sheer amount of firepower that would be sure to hit you. Kuroo and Oikawa do the same as you, Kuroo ducking his head while doing so just in case any bullets come flying in through the back window and Oikawa tries to use the side mirror to aim his shots. 

Not even two minutes since this drive began and cop cars light up the road ahead, about three quarters of a mile in front.

“Uhh Y/N! We got a problem!” Iwaizumi white knuckles the steering wheel and starts to turn it, planning on going down one of the side streets to put all threats behind your car. You whip your head around and evaluate the situation, quickly realizing that this is an opportune moment for something you’ve been keeping up your sleeve.

“You better keep this car in the center of the road Hajime or so help me God I will kill you before anyone else has the chance!” You scream and place yourself in the center of the back bench which gives you a relatively clear view of the road. Breathing in through your nose and out with your mouth, you clap your hands together much like Kuroo did earlier in the night. Continuing your breathing pattern, Hajime returns the car to the center of the road.

“Step on the gas.” You command, your eyes closed in concentration.

“Y/N are you sure?!” There wasn’t a hint of doubt in Iwaizumi’s questioning, but more of a confirmation of action.

“Just fucking do it!”

The clock ticks down as both forces start to close in. Five seconds before impact: the cops are unsure what to do. Some stopped their vehicles and were preparing road spikes while the others continue charging forward and speak through the sound system, warning you all of what’s going to happen. The Port Mafia also starts to slow down as they are just as confused as the police. No one really knows what you have in plan, but those in charge of each group are determined to get to the bottom of things.

Four seconds to go and the pit at everyone’s stomach grows a size larger; a faint sapphire glow emanates just from your hands and Kuroo watches curiously. The phrase trusting someone with your life had never meant much to him, but in this moment he really understood the complete lack of control he has.

Three; Oikawa sits up right in his seat and straps himself in, also closing his eyes to alleviate the stress of the scene before him.

Two; the glow around your fingertips has grown exponentially into something almost blinding. Iwaizumi steadies the wheel and fights the urge to jerk the car.

Right before impact with the front runner the view of a country road lined with trees fills Hajime and Kuroo’s eyes. The car barely fits into the rift and bounces up and down. You weren’t able to align the two roads perfectly off of memory, so you opted to have it a little high up. Kuroo checks behind them and the road is empty. No sight of any buildings or vehicles - just a clear sky and the wilderness that surrounds them.

Tooru didn’t realize he was clutching onto his chest strap until he opens his eyes and lets out a breath he was holding. Hajime adjusts quickly to the new territory and slows the car down some, leaning back into his seat. Kuroo, amazed that you were in the clear, turns to you, but your head is lolled to the side. 

“Y/N?” Ever so gently, he shakes your shoulder and your eyes crack open. You turn to face him and blood is streaming from one nostril, down your face and dripping onto your shirt. He freezes up, just now realizing how much this whole ordeal must’ve taken out of you.

A tissue appears in front of both of your faces, Tooru’s hand attached to it. “You always pull that stuff off last second even though you could’ve just done it as soon as we got in the car.”

“Fuck off,” you sound drained and totally devoid of any emotion. “If we can get out of it without having to port out then we’ll do it that way, but the cops got in the way.” You take the tissue and start to wipe up whatever you can, your movements slow.

“Are you alright?” Kuroo is unsure of his place, a total contrast from inside the club when he was the most assertive you had ever seen him.

“Loaded question.” You want so badly to drop them off on the side of the road and hope that they just leave you alone, but your eyes blur every few seconds and you know that you are in no position to drive. Several emotions bubble up at the thought that they kept looking for you, put their lives on the line to find you and actually ended up saving you.

Effectively dodging the question, you slide back over to your side of the car and place your head on the window, giving Hajime directions to your home. They’re smart enough to know that now isn’t the time to talk, nor is it the time to ask questions like “what’s next?” and so on.

The high beams of your car light up the large house at the end of the gravel road, your headache nearing its end and the boys all ogle at your property. A flick of his hands and Iwaizumi turns the car off, then steps out into the cold air. He takes a few steps back and precariously opens the door you’re leaning on. With careful consideration, he crouches down and tries to let you use him as a crutch, but in all the time you had to think on the ride here, you shove him off and stumble a bit.

Gaining some balance, you speak with an unwavering tone. “What you did tonight was stupid. All of you.” You turn and meet each of their eyes, Kuroo and Oikawa still on the other side of the car. “I explicitly told you all not to get involved and still you fucking showed up.”

They all freeze at the accusatory finger you’re pointing and watch as you start to back yourself up to the entryway. Iwaizumi, who normally decides to let Tooru charm his way out of things, is the first to speak. “You’re right.” His eyes bore into your own, but he continues. “But that doesn’t change the fact that if we weren’t there you would’ve been fucked.”

“As if.” You spit back, not thinking clearly as you’re more focused on getting your own point across. Hajime only started fights when he thought it was absolutely necessary. This didn’t cross your mind, but Tooru’s as he realizes the upcoming screaming match. 

“As if?!” His voice booms over the forest, possibly shaking the leaves on the trees. “You were backed into a fucking corner Y/N! For god's sake, did you think Terushima was gonna be able to help you out of that shitshow?” He stops his assault for a moment, seeing if you would answer but you grind your teeth instead. “You needed our help. We’re the ones that got you out of that situation-”

“Hajime-”

“No Tooru! She doesn’t get to disappear behind everyone’s backs and tell us NOT to find her! Especially not us.” Tooru purses his lips, knowing that he’s right. Tooru would’ve thought that maybe after the first day or two you would contact them, allowing them to help, all things considered. He knows where Hajime is coming from and ultimately decides to let him continue. “She sure as fuck doesn’t get to tell us that we didn’t help either. I know damn well that once we all cool off you’re gonna have to apologize and admit to me that I was right.”

“That still doesn’t change the fact that you still decided to follow me.”  You're quick with your rebuttal. “I’m trying my best to protect you all-” A cackle catches you mid sentence, and you watch as Iwaizumi rests a hand over his face and laughs, shoulders shaking. “What? What’s so hilarious Hajime?”

“Do you really think that we need protecting?” His eyes peek through the cracks in his fingers, a sly smirk curling his lips.

“Maybe you don’t but the Port Mafia knows now that I’m involved with the agency. For the safety and protection of everyone I need to erase myself from their records and go away.” This is your retreat. You can feel your own arms wrap around your form and start rubbing slow circles into your sides. The more you think about it, the more you realize that you’re just pleading for them to live. Or pleading with them to leave you with the idea that they’ll be living a peaceful life without you.

“You do know who you’re talking about, right?” Iwaizumi takes his hand off of his face and glares at you. “You got Bokuto, who is an accidental genius; Sugawara and myself who act like human shields; Tanaka and Nishinoya who are the wildcards; Kenma and Asahi who can heal practically any injury and Kuroo, who can literally create a bomb if he has the right materials within his vicinity.” As he lists off the various members he sticks fingers up and counts. “I don’t think they need as much protection as you seem to think. I bet everyone’s losing their shit right now since you just walked out and now the three of us have been M.I.A. for almost a week.”

While he presents a pretty good argument, it feels like it just goes in one ear and out the other. Your only goal right now is to get them to understand that you don’t want them here. Anything you can do to save them is the top priority, and having them here with you is a fucking nuisance. “I don’t give a rat's ass about any of that! You and Torru have seen what the Port Mafia is capable of and there’s is nothing that is going to stop them from finding me! If that means blowing up the agency building, they will! You know Tendou will do anything and Washijo will just let him!”

“Y/N.” The desperation in your voice is becoming more apparent with each word as your sentences speed up and your tone gets higher and higher. Oikawa walks around the car and stands next to Hajime, taking your beat of silence as a cue to speak. “You know you can’t say that anymore. We haven’t been with them for years. Washijo might be too sick to even speak.”

“Plus everyone at the agency knows what this job entails.”

“You don’t get to talk Tetsuro.” He stands behind the two, and honestly your rage was so hyper focused on Oikawa and Iwaizumi that you forgot he was there. You snap at spit back. “It’s not a matter of knowing what they signed up for more than a problem of the Port Mafia doing whatever they want.”

“That’s why we’re here to help you.” Tooru still stands between you and the others, the mediator. “You know that we’ll do everything we can, everything you say, in order to protect them. Tendou didn’t just see you that night. Obviously he doesn’t care all that much about us but we’re on their records too so it’s not just your problem.”

“I can’t fucking do this right now.” It feels like no one is listening to you, just throwing water in the tank you’re already drowning in. With a sigh and balled fists, you come to a hasty decision. “You can all stay here tonight. I expect you to be gone by midday.” Without a chance to speak, you storm into the house and start preparing mats for them to sleep on.

Tooru runs his tongue over his teeth, lips shut and starts tapping his foot. There were a thousand different possibilities for how tonight could’ve gone - this being one that wasn’t on his radar. Hajime feels the frustration bubble over, but he knows there’s not much else he can say that will get to you. Focusing his attention on Tooru, he pats his shoulder and says, “She’s not gonna budge. C’mon.” The two walk into the house, following the lights and let you finish preparing their room.

Swiftly you finish fluffing the pillows and brushing past them, avoiding any contact, any chance for them to stop you. You slide open the door for the next room over and raid the closet, setting the room up for Kuroo.

“Y/N wait.” For one reason or another, you stop your actions and look to the aforementioned, him standing in the doorway. With a final push of your muscles, you throw the mat down on the floor and wait for what’s next. “I just wanted to say that- that I want to do everything I can to help you. I know it’s not much but Iwaizumi and Oikawa have been doing so much and I really think that-”

“Go to bed Kuroo. You guys are gonna have a long day making your way back into the city tomorrow, so you’re gonna need all the sleep you can get.” You shoulder check him, leaving the room and the yet to be unfurled bed mat on the floor.

In the late hours of the night you find yourself tossing and turning. The entirety of the past few hours replayed in your mind, every situation rewinds and restarts as you analyze the points that the guys made. You wouldn’t have lived through last night if it wasn’t for them. There’s no way in hell Tendou wouldn’t have gotten his hands on you if it wasn't for them.

You sit up, sweat dripping off of your brow bone and everything starts to feel like it’s closing in. The four walls around you feel like hands around your throat and your chest heaves. Throwing off the duvet you stand up and stretch, the small pops and clicks from your back. After a few moments you slide open the door and step into the hallway, heading to the kitchen to start a kettle.

Maybe you were being a little harsh on them earlier. Tendou was a real threat and only sought you out, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that whoever that boy was with him a few nights ago seemed to recognize you, Oikawa and Iwaizumi. They were there with you through thick and thin when you had to organize almost half of the mafia’s patrol cars, pickup sites and so much more. You went above and beyond to prove to that old fucking geezer that you deserved to be in your seat as an executive. Tooru and Hajime did nothing but support you, even after they discovered that you did in fact fake your death and worked as a detective in the same city they thought you abandoned. Even after that they still treated you like nothing happened.

The kettle whistles and you take it off the heat, trying your best to stay as quiet as possible in the early morning hours. Preparing a tea strainer and some leaves, you grab a mug and start to assemble everything. As the tea steeps, you open the back door and let the cool breeze engulf your body. 

The wood that covers the porch is cool to the touch, the soles of your feet uncomfortable, wanting to go back inside but you continue forward. The only things warming you under the cascade of stars is the mug between your hands and a blanket you placed around your shoulders. You venture off of the porch onto the soft moss that tickles your toes. Further into the trees is a small creek, in which you placed a few hardwood chairs.

No distractions, you allowed yourself to continue your train of thought from earlier. Once it fully settles in your consciousness that they are in their own right to want to be a part of this battle. Just as much was on the line for them as it was for you, and it never really hit until now. 

So what would happen if I let them stay?

This was the real kicker. And before you knew it, you were going through every possible scenario you could think of, listing the pros and cons of having a team to work with rather than only relying on yourself. 

The moon shifts throughout the night sky as you get up a few times to refill your cup, and before you know it rays of sunshine start to peer through the fog that settles under the canopy of leaves. With a new piping cup in your hands you resume the various tracks of different decisions. Inside, Kuroo slowly cracks open his eyes, the sunshine peeking through the blinds and the birds chirping. In the other room Iwaizumi sighs heavily and looks over Tooru. Shadows define his jaw and cheekbones, even accentuating the curve of his lips and the flutter of his lashes when he finally opens his eyes.

“G’morning.” Hajime’s voice is scratchy, his eyes red from the haziness that comes in the morning.

“Morning.” With a smile, they both take their time getting up and ready for the day. 

Kuroo straightens out his clothes (which he slept in) and walks out into the living room. He notes the kettle and jars of loose tea leaves on the counter, also noting that you’re nowhere to be seen. The door to your room is open as well, arousing his suspicion.

A glance passes between the two men as they each put back into their clothes. First it was Hajime trying to catch a glance at Tooru, and then vice versa just a few seconds later. They stumble around one another, pick dusting their cheeks but neither speaks.

A knock at the door interrupts their game of cat and mouse along with a voice. “Have you guys seen Y/N?”

Hajime finishes the buttons of his shirt and slides the door open. “No? She’s not here?” It’s like last night all over again, the panic bubbling in his chest.

“I haven’t seen her at all, and her room’s empty. I think she’s around since the car is still here and there’s stuff on the counter, I was just wondering if you guys heard or saw her?” Kuroo fidgets with his fingers, picking at the cuticles with his nail.

“You checked all the rooms?” Hajime takes command of the situation, stepping out of his room and into the living space.

“Yeah, all empty.” Kuroo follows him and Oikawa behind Kuroo.

“Well the back door is open, so…” Tooru nods towards the door although no one sees it.

Without another word the trio walk into the forest, taking in the scenery before them. Calm was the one word that came to mind. Branches crunch under their heels, alarming you to their presence. 

They can see your figure up just ahead and slow their roll. Kuroo stops in his tracks and just looks at you bathing in the golden sunlight, hair disheveled and eyes baggy once you finally turn and face them.

“Morning boys.” You sound and look tired, each of them knowing that you probably didn’t get any sleep at all but continue down the path to meet you. With a single gesture you get them to sit in the chairs beside you. You say nothing as you drink the cold tea - or what’s left of it at this point.

“What’s going on up there Y/N?” Oikawa pokes his temple and looks at you with the most sincere eyes. It’s not like the question wasn’t just on his mind, but the silence was starting to kill him.

“I did a lot of reflecting last night,” you start, setting the small cup onto the moss and straightening up. “For starters, I hope you all can forgive me for the way I treated you last night. It was unfair and I finally get that we’re all fighting for the same thing. You all have just as much reason to fight the Port Mafia as I do.” You make eye contact with each of them individually as you try to convey remorse. 

They each take it the same, knowing that adrenaline was high and that you meant the best for all of them. If anything, Hajime knows that the both of you will need to have a one on one conversation later to clear the air. 

“As for what I said last night,” you turn your eyes downward, knowing that you can’t bear to stare at their eager eyes, “I thought about it, and I want to take it all back. If you want, I could use the extra hands.”

Silence settles again, but Tooru doesn’t let it last long. He stands up from his chair and rushes over to give you a big hug. His arms encase you and he puts his head close to your shoulder. “Thank you.”

It catches you off guard, but tears build in your eyes. What did you ever do to deserve them? “Of course. I knew you guys weren’t gonna leave me alone once you knew where I've been hiding.”

“Damn straight.” Hajime joins the hug, placing his head on your other shoulder.

Kuroo stays in his seat and watches the scene unfold, not wanting to ruin a second reunion. He goes back to fiddling with his fingers and looking at the ground until the three of you break off from one another. You walk over to him and place a hand over his, preventing him from doing any more damage to his hands. Maneuvering them in a way to grasp one of his hands, he looks up at you, the rays of sunshine behind you, filling the forest.

Holding onto his rough hand and smiling down on him, you say “Let’s get to work.”

[furby-organist]

// Alexa usually spends Mother’s Day carrying on as usual and keeping his head up even if he’s kinda sad. He got a visit from his bae Leal @usedhearts and they had a fun day yesterday to keep their mind off the sads.

> Leal showed up with fancy booze he stole from Madame’s cabaret and suggested they be public menaces. They went to an outdoor mall. Alexa decided to crash a clothing store and try on tacky shit. He left with a pink feather boa and aviators. Leal had a red sparkly jacket and shutters.

> They photoboothed and glitched the fuck out of the pictures. Alexa’s definitely going to keep that in his office. After that, they sang and danced all down the sidewalks and benches and stuff, obnoxiously drunk and sparkly and loud!

> They went to Hell Auntie Anne’s. Alexa got 20 mini pretzel dogs. He ate them All. He had Leal post on voxblr that he was going to. Also 3 soft pretzels and a lemonade. Leal ate a fuckton of soft pretzels. Then they told the employees to grab the cash n scram cuz they were gonna commit arson. (They burned down the Hell Auntie Anne’s.)

> They went back to Alexa’s radio tower, where Leal proceeded to lay on the floor and serenade Marina @’killstreaming with pop music. After a bit of that, Marina texted Kyxs, Leal’s radio demon apprentice, who has apparently figured out portals and whisked her away to safety!

> Privacy means it is time to KISS! Alexa got facelicked again so he LICKED BACK. Commence wrestling around / facelicking battle. Alexa won bc Leal was halfassing it. Like. Alexa just pinned Leal down and dragged his long, nastyass tongue up the side of Leal’s face. DISGUSTAN, this is their idea of fun,

> Leal cracked tf up upon realization that like, other (nonace) ppl would expect the wrestlin around n facelickin to lead to boning, and Alexa cracked up and they just wheezed for a good bit, there’s nothing mildly sexy to them about this, wtf, (and appreciated how nice it is to have an aroace partner).

ugh they;re so GOOD.... i CRY

[fmdjaewonarchive]

I AM FREEE!!! WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY FUCKING LIFEEEEE!!! for everyone that’s been moderately keeping up w/ my life (tbh why would u) i’ve been busy w/ exams for like the past month but those are finally over so i can finally resume my usual activity. i’ve massively neglected my ims/messages the past few weeks i’m sorry about that but i am back now and with a plot call to go with it so please just like this post or hmu in the ims/on d*sc*rd ( kwon eunbi supremacy#5703 ). below the cut i’ll recap what’s going on with my muses/what’s in store for them real quick!!!

jaewon:

if you’ve been trying to reach jaewon in january, tough luck

ok i’m kidding kinda but he’s been enjoying his break doing p much nothing but sleeping, writing songs and visiting his grandmother

also he and soo finally adopted a little puppy named sagwa and it’s jaewon’s favorite child without a doubt (sorry unity)

he did have a quick mentoring spot on hot topic(k) where he made some teenagers cry, typical jaewon stuff

but like i said he’s working on an album that’s coming in march he’s excited for that

generally jaewon is doing better than he was for most of last year, he’s still busy with the exception of january but it’s all a lot more fullfiling and a lot less draining so that will shine through probably 

so keep an eye out for marginally happier jaewon in 2021 (cuz ill never let this man have nice things)

yuanjun: 

starting the year high off the notion he’s finally 21, it’s terrifying really that he’s officially a legal adult everywhere in th world

this annoying piece of shit has mainly been preparing for charm’s march comeback, loads of hours in the dance studio but he’s not been really busy just yet, he has some time on his hands that he’s undoubtedly been spending annoying anyone he could get a hold off

he has a radio show host position coming up in Soon, he’s super excited for that especially because it is in mandarin

he also has a portal song coming out together with hyunsoo on valentines day because Gay Rights

probably will have some more projects sprinkled throughout the year, both in china and korea but most of it won’t be focussed around music that’s fine though

he’s good, he’s vibing, still a little gremlin as usual

minah:

minor hiccup with one of her sisters around new year’s day but nothing huge 

in good news she gave jiah the passcode (?? there is a word for this but my brain is blanking) to her apartment, the gay moms are going steady

already started the year off with a portal song together with daisuke that she’s very proud of! she enjoys happening a lot

lipstick is already preparing for a comeback again and tbh minah is a bit surprised at how interested bc seems in them as a group but she’s p happy with it, she prefers her own sound but she adores lipstick and likes being with all of them so that’s fun

probably gearing up for a busy, music filled 2021 but she’s ambitious as ever and very much looking forward to it

yena:

has been having a calm january, just a few photoshoots thats all, as she likes to see it <3

gal.actic will start working on their next comeback soon though and ew she really hates it here, she’s far too hot to have to bother with things like work

she’s still a hot mess, will remain to be a hot mess, character development? yena doesn’t know her!!!

she’s set to act in a new drama in may though, a lead role, a proper one not in some random webdrama and honestly she’s really proud of that

(it’s also yeo dakyung in the world of the married so you know... actress of the year nam yena)

yeah idk man she’s just been hanging around making poor life decision and getting drunk, gotta make the most of it before she’s busy again

[normal-thoughts-official]

your “luke and alaric are married af” series made me transcend. they absolutely ARE. when i watched the show i really expected them to be in a canon relationship bc. it just seemed obvious. (me and magnus: you mean you’re NOT married??????) i’m surprised it’s such a small ship tbh. there is so much potential... i would love to hear more from u!!!!! what ideas do u have? first dates? how does maia react (i bet she’s like... duh? you’re my dads)? the story of luke’s epiphany omg???

for real!!! the chemistry and the love between them was so real and palpable and like hello? the way they always were on each other's corner? the Partners to Lovers dynamic?? the obvious mutual respect they had even though they were always butting heads? the way they always seemed to be growing together and not just fighting??? again the CHEMISTRY?? the fun little snippets we had like "it's never too early for teriyaki"?? literally we had so much to build an amazing romance and alaric is such a minor character his actor isn't even an actor he's a stunt double

like they had what 5 scenes and they all had such a great setup for romance or even for them to have been married the whole time??? they certainly had old married couple dynamics. fuck jocelyn i am speaking her out of existence. also i mean open relationships but why would luke even have a relationship with jocelyn when he had an actually good relationship to compare it to?

also the potential of their getting together being tied up to some personal growth from luke as an alpha and a downworlder in general like... most of their conflicts was because a part of luke still felt indebted to shadowhunters and their heritage and he kept putting the wolves last, and it would have been so good to see luke slowly realizing that he doesn't owe them shit and he gets to prioritize his own people and the people who are there for him, and him eventually choosing alaric over jocelyn being tied to choosing himself as he is now to who he used to be as a (terrible) shadowhunter...

not that it's alaric's job to fix luke obviously, but i don't think it would be "fixing" and this definitely wouldn't be a "teaching luke out of racism" story because when luke helped alaric as he became a werewolf he was already somewhat settled into werewolf life. i just think that a part of luke feels like he still owes loyalty to the people who hated him and it could have been a nice parallel to see him letting this go and getting with alaric. especially because alaric never coddled him, so, you know. and i think luke needed that little push in that sense. and alaric meanwhile would also be growing more confident into his role in the pack and in their job and getting the support he obviously still needed, and like, it could have been so good? definitely rocky before they sorted it out, but good. and of course sh had to waste the opportunity without even giving it thought because when don't they

anyway!!! as for your actual questions! first date is honestly so hard for me because i feel like their first date would feel like their billionth date. again i say, THEY ARE MARRIED whether they know it or not. so i can see their first official date going one of two ways: it's very lowkey, nothing they haven't done a thousand times before (like going to a small little family restaurant that they like, eating together, talking, maybe sharing a milkshake and they feel stupid but they're giggling and can't stop smiling and it makes them so happy that who cares) and it's absolutely PERFECT; OR they try to go all out and make it special and ~woo~ each other and it feels a little weird at first but it's still good and they get to enjoy the romantic ambience, hold hands over the table, and they're both a little shy because it feels like such a leap but it feels right

im gonna elaborate a little bit on both because i really love both??? so like they go to this little joint that is not the jade wolf or anything too close because they want to have this moment for tHEMSELVES, away from wherever anyone else from work or the shadow world might see them and from where they would think about it and associate with it. i am thinking... ohh some nice little place near where alaric's grown up? i'm headcanoning him as hondureño since we got no specifics other than his last name being rodriguez and i'm feeling like making him central american

and ALSO a great typical honduran dish is marinated meat and since luke is a beef jerky fan he would be all over that shit. i headcanon that luke knows alaric's family to some extent (i made a very quick reference to that in the second fic of the series) and i really love to think that luke has been to at least a few carneadas with alaric and his family?? which is aaaaaa another whole thing to talk about i might get back to it in a second but the DATE

also i like to think that luke would fall in love with rice and beans/casamiento because that is my rights. so like them going to the restaurant and having some meat (it's not really a carneada outside of the context of a carneada and for a date but like.. maybe pinchos or ye regular steak with urucum? i've had that in central brazil a few times and god i love it to death. or maybe chimol which sounds like something luke would like) with casamiento, tajadas, u know, the regular stuff? and it's lowey intimate because they are sharing the dish and it's something from alaric's culture you know??? god damn it i'm still talking about food. ONTO THE DATE

the point is that it's very casual and intimate but also uplifting and fun because this is a honduran restaurant we are talking about, so there's probably music, noise, alaric knows the family that runs it and possibly luke does too but they still have their space. maybe they get to dance a little bit because please god i am begging you, and luke has never had too many opportunities to dance before but it turns out he is a natural even if a little self conscious. i am picturing them dancing salsa which i kNOW is not an honduran dance but if the restaurant just leaves a Latin Music™ radio on as they usually do in latino restaurants in the US it's not that unlikely that it would play. and with alaric not being actually cuban he wouldn't humiliate luke too much. lmao

anyway most of the time they are just talking and teasing each other and every time luke takes a bite of the food he moans a little bit because he's a sucker for marinated meat and alaric wasn't even the one to cook it but goddamn if he doesn't feel proud of himself. and they share a drink (i guess the milkshake idea doesn't fit as well here but whatever they will get two straws for their iced tea or Tropical if they're feeling silly or agua de ensalada if they're feeling traditional. the point is that the lack of milkshake won't stop them from doing their dumb sappy thing) and are kind of laughing the whole time because it feels so teenage-y but to be fair luke DID just find out he was bisexual and figuring out your sexuality always brings in second puberty in terms of experiences. and alaric is not going to complain because it feels so sweet and right

and then the dancing which is fun and intimate and a little challenging for luke even if they aren't Full On Dancing Salsa, just a few moves here and there together but they get to be close and intimate and maybe alaric does some impromptu spinning and it makes them both laugh and maybe rub their noses together while they laugh and they are being so silly but they don't care

and basically they go home after hours, as you do, holding hands and a little drunk on each other, bumping shoulders on the way, alaric resting his head on luke's shoulder and luke on top of alaric's? and it makes walking a little awkward but god They Don't Care. and it just feels so perfect, like home and family and everything they are to each other :))))

really wanna add an "and then they fuck like rabbits" at the end but anyway i'll try not to ruin it

second date option! full out fanciness. they are already partners, they have seen each other in every possible situation, they know their worse, they know their married ways, but they want to have a ROMANTIC first date! lay thick their new relationship status. woo each other! show each other what amazing caring boyfriends/husbands they are. be adults!

they pick some fancy restaurant that luke may or may not have gotten suggested to him by magnus when he called him in a bit of panic because he is not very well versed in fancy restaurants and the like. maybe magnus even takes that extra step and portals them somewhere extra romantic like venice or whatever but i think they'd want to be independent in terms of going there and back so maybe not. anyway the point is, fancy restaurant! suits! they are a bit more nervous than they usually would because they haven't been in a place like this in waaayyy too long and they've never done anything remotely similar to that together before so it feels like a new territory and they kiinda want to prove something even though that's stupid because they've already chosen each other

but it goes well???? not as natural as the first date idea but that might just be me and thinking that casualness is the most romantic thing, and either way, it still feels so right and good. they get to sip wine, hold hands over the table, say something sweet to each other over entrees, share dessert, bicker over who gets to pay. again the marriedness of it all absolutely slips through but there is that new element that they are getting to explore and that feels so nice

and it's never stilted and forced, even if they are a little nervous, they are still themselves and it goes down smoothly and they are happy that it worked so well because there is always that fear in a best friends to lovers kinda situation that things will just feel weird, especially when you're both adults and have so much history. but it doesn't, it feels romantic and new and exciting and as they leave they tease each other a little bit like "after you, gentleman" and laugh together 🥺🥺🥺

and they have their first kiss as they leave and they both linger a little bit as they just stand under the stars and keep their eyes closed and their hands linked together and i need a moment oh my god

this got too long so i'm separating the answers for the different questions: maia's reaction (link), luke's epiphany (link)

[alchemic-elric]

@blood-red-radio​ said:  Yeah, no. She wasn’t doing this without music. She made a mental note to have the creep who bumped into her executed before looking over the blonde freak who just recently got a job at that this shitty place. He was busy doing whatever, but that didn’t concern her in the slightest. She pushed her broken music player in his line of vision. “Yo. Handy guy. Fix this.” 

He hates it here. He hates everything about this. It’s been weeks? Nearly a month. He doesn’t know his sense of time is distorted. Everything here is distorted.  The buildings, the people, the complete lack of manners, and even the air and the sky. Everything here is distorted and it’s been fucking with him since day fucking one.  

Sadly though, even he is distorted now ever since Alastor threw that thing at him and now he no longer feels like himself. He feels awkward and there’s always this churning feeling in his stomach like there’s something changing about him. Maybe time is just slower here. Maybe it’s really been much longer but the days feel like they drag on forever and sometimes he thinks this torture will never end, but that’s what hell is supposed to feel like right? Torture, and to think he signed up for this shit willingly. 

He hates it here. 

He hates everything about this. 

He hasn’t talked to his mother the entire time he’s been stuck down here - not since day one. It’s no surprise though. Alphonse probably hates him now and that’s worse than anything Edward could do to damn himself. No, it’s so much worse to be damned by his brother.  It’s not like he doesn’t deserve it though. After everything he’s done.... the family fuck up finally found his way to the only place where fuck ups belong. In a way this was just fitting. 

The hotel is starting to get more attention because it’s quickly become one of the only buildings in hell that isn’t falling apart at the seams. He’s been working on that, bit by bit - a little at a time. He’s has to adjust to using alchemy here, because while he still could it was still - different. He’s the anomaly it seemed being able to do so. Apparently no alchemic soul has ever connect to their portal of truth so that makes him special.  

Special or stupid? He doesn’t know. 

There’s a box being shoved in his face by a demon, who looks younger than most who are down here and from the sound of their voice - a girl? The box looks broken and from what she’s saying it is. Gold eyes stare at it for a moment, looking it over to figure it out and without a word to her, his hands clap together. 

A single finger extended, he presses it to the box causing a brilliant dance of blue lights for a moment as the box seems to repair it’s self at his command. When the lights die out, it rests in her grip in pristine condition. 

There’s nothing to be said to a demon. He only turns away from her and returns to his work. He was busy polishing out the counter when she came in here and he needs to get this work done before Alastor calls for him again. 

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

Tsukasa/Kaitou, 19?

19 is a forceful kiss, and this is set shortly after the first Super Hero Taisen film. It also has musical accompaniment, if you'd like to listen.

Tsukasa finds him after five worlds, walking through the last liquid dimensional portal into a place that seemed to be nearing its end, if not there already. He doesn't even have to search--Daiki's right there, sitting on the flat top of a massive glacial erratic, staring out at the horizon. Next to him, inexplicably, is an ancient pocket radio. Even more inexplicable is that it's working, although the music is full of static.

It takes several minutes to find a way up onto the boulder. Daiki offers no help, no comment at all, doesn't even seem to know he's there until Tsukasa sits down next to him.

Then he says, "I said I never wanted to see you again."

"Yeah, but you also stole from me, so I'm pretty sure that means you're a liar."

He sees Daiki smile, very slightly, face in profile against this world's inflamed sunset. "You already knew that."

"I'm not going to apologize for trying to save the fucking world."

"No, you never do, do you?"

Tsukasa's not sure what to say to that, so he says nothing, and Daiki doesn't look at him. The radio continues playing its staticky music.

"Do you know when I first fell in love with you?"

Tsukasa blinks. "...no. When?"

"When you asked me to dance, the third time your goons caught me. You were just being awful, like you are sometimes, and you told me that maybe you wouldn't have me killed if I danced for you. And I said--"

"Only if you lead." The memories are still hazy, but that one stands out. "And you held out your hand, even though you were still chained up."

"And you laughed, and you took it. You even made a bunch of those weird instrument-themed kaijin play a waltz for us." Daiki's mouth has that bitter twist again. "And we danced, and you laughed again, and I thought, well, fuck, Daiki, you've finally gotten yourself into real trouble."

It takes a moment for Tsukasa to get to his feet again, still aching from the battle not ever so long ago. He remembers things in bits and pieces--an indistinct fury at some theft, a vivid flash of that waltz, an equally vivid flash of Daiki in his bed shortly after...no, some time before that. The song on the radio's in waltz time, he thinks, so he holds out his hand. "Dance with me."

Daiki takes his hand and lets himself be pulled up and they dance, badly, through three and a half songs until the radio finally cuts out and they're left with only static. They stop, and Daiki's lips purse a bit like he's waiting to be kissed, so Tsukasa kisses him--not gently, either, their mouths crushed together, Tsukasa's hand on the back of his head.

Then Daiki pushes him back, and he loses his balance and falls on his ass on the rock. "What was that for?"

"You deserved it."

"Guess I did."

"Anyway, you got what you wanted." Daiki turns off the ancient radio and tucks it into his jacket. "I'm going now. See you around."

"I thought you never wanted to see me again." Tsukasa reaches into the pocket of his pants and feels his card there, where he felt Daiki put it while they were dancing. "You changing your mind?"

Daiki shrugs. His mouth is a bitten red; Tsukasa would pull him back down and kiss it even redder if he didn't think Daiki would try to kick him. "What I want and what's going to happen are two different things. We'll always see each other again." And he walks away and through a portal, whistling one of the songs they were dancing to.

Something's wrong.

Tsukasa reaches into his pocket again, pulls out the Decade card, and then pulls out the rest of his deck and flips through it.

Three cards missing. Ryuki, Kiva, Blade.

"Oh, goddammit," he says, getting up and heading in the direction Daiki took. "You can't just be straightforward about things for once, can you?"

[kathyprior4200]

Hazbin Hotel: That’s (Alastor’s) Entertainment!

“The Pilot is here! Follow Alastor, the Radio Demon as he pursues his goals of taking over Hell and messing with demons to keep his reputation intact. After seeing Princess Charlie announce her plan to rehabilitate sinners at her hotel, he arrives at the hotel to assist her. Along the way he meets porn film star Angel Dust and Charlie’s devoted girlfriend Vaggie. While Alastor seeks out new forms of entertainment, he also seems to have more sinister plans in mind.”

 The scene started with black curtains opening to a silhouette of a city. The words SpindleHorse Presents was written in white cursive before fading away.

 The building shadows were against a gray background with eye designs on it.

 A man with a radio voice sang a song.

 “At the end of the tunnel, there’s craziness.”

 A figure of a person was falling downwards through the darkness until ending at a tunnel of light. Shadows of demons falling into Hell were shown: Baxter, Angel Dust, Sir Pentious, Niffty, Robo Fizz, and others.

  “And to meet me, how often one dies…”

 A silhouette of a human man with glasses and short hair looked to the left, speaking from a microphone with one hand while using a knife in the other. To the far left were cowering human silhouettes.  A white smile shape was shown were the man’s mouth was.

 The man turned to the right in a running motion where a shadow of a policeman, a hunter and a growling dog were staring at him. The dog bared its shadow teeth and the two men aimed long shadow guns at him. Black splatters appeared from near the shadow man’s head and the figure collapsed to the ground.

 “Yes my life is a game

 Just a quest for fame…

 And my foes all smashed up like flies…”

   White spinning silhouettes of Exterminators, weapons pointed, flew around the shadow city, as a glowing pentagram was created in the center.

 The shadow of the killer man appeared again, this time growing shadow deer ears and little antlers. His eyes were glowing red and a shadow staff appeared in his hand.

 The killer stood small within the towering shadow of a man with large antlers and glowing red eyes: his father. A woman wearing a dress and her hair in a bun stood off to the side with a hand on his shoulder: his mother.

 “Why have I always been such a killer?”

 “What can the reason be?”

 Tentacles and sharp mouths overtook the scene.

  “I wonder if the world’s to blame

I wonder if it could be me…”

 A spinning globe was surrounded by large watching white eyes. Rising up were silhouettes of the Exterminators, grinning faces, xs over their right eyes, stained with blood, holding swords and spears. One Exterminator grinned as its white face, eyes, smile, and halo glowed in the darkness before fading.

 In Hell, a small planet had a glowing pentagram on it in the crimson colored sky. “Fuck you Heaven!” and “cleanse!” were written in red graffiti by a broken window. A paper with an Exterminator drawing blew away. Other red signs read “Punishment” and “Your days are numbered,” in big letters. Spears stuck out of dead demon’s mouths in the street. A light spun around from a tower.

 Another Extermination had ended. Dead bodies of demons and horned creatures littered the streets. Some of them had spears through their open mouths. Charlie had sadly strolled on her balcony and shot fireworks from her finger to signal that it was safe. Everyone gradually emerged from inside buildings and other hideouts. Already, turf wars were in full swing as demons fought over new territory. Other denizens disposed of the bodies while the more sinister ones ate them.

 One sinister demon was tall and slender, with grayish skin. He wore a red suit, red dress coat and wine colored pants. His shoes were black with red hoof prints on the soles. The dress coat was dark red and decorated with small vertical lighter red stripes. His undershirt was lighter red with a black upside down cross design. A black bow-tie with a red center was below his long neck. Finally, his thick hair was red and black, with fluffy deer-like tuffs poking from his head like ears. Two small black antlers were between them. He even had a red and black deer tail, which was hidden under the fabric of his suit. An oval monocle was under his right eye, connected by a chain. His large glowing red eyes and smile of sharp yellow teeth was enough to scare even the toughest demon away…and for good reason.

 He was Alastor, the Radio Demon, one of the most feared and powerful overlords in Hell. Possessing supernatural abilities and shadow manipulation, he had conquering many areas of Hell and defeated overlords who had been in power for years. Using a red vintage style microphone staff, he could broadcast his carnage and victories at will, hence why sinners called him the Radio Demon. He thrived on domination, trickery, and deceit…always in search for the next entertaining event. Alastor’s dark qualities were balanced out by his love of music, dancing, singing, and the finer things in life.

 Emerging from his underground lair in the shadow spirit realm via portal, Alastor sang a merry song as passerby cowered when he approached. It was around the same time when Charlie sang her lament.

   “At the end of the tunnel, there’s craziness

And to meet me, how often one dies

Yes my life is a game

Just a quest for fame

And my foes all smashed up like flies”

  “Why have I always been such a killer?

What can the reason be?

I wonder if the world’s to blame

I wonder if it could be me?”

  “I’m always seeking power

 Basking in light, for the show

 My schemes match up to my dreams

 No one else shall know”

 “Some people mope and find sadness

 I always laugh and show my grin

 Some people fail and rest in their sin

 With that I’ll always manage to win

 Believe me”

  “I’m always seeking power

 Waiting to hunt the gullible brown deer

 Again”

  Several signs read “Welcome to Hell: population, a fuck ton.” There were advertisements of drugs, food, casinos, weapons, and porn everywhere. Demons of all shapes and sizes roamed the streets, one flying demon caught a smaller one in its talons. Vox, Valentino and Velvet sat together in a Porn Studios building. A scientist and a wild haired demon picked up weapons to sell on the black market. Rosie crossed out the name “Franklin” on her emporium sign with a grin. It was now Rosie’s emporium. More demons picked up the dead remains and put them in shopping carts.  

   The clock tower rang out as the counter changed from 0 to 365 days until the next purge.

“Next cleanse” was over the counter in fancy letters.

 Against a black screen, the title “Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel” appeared on a pink sign. A black winged key made up the letter T in “hotel.” A red eye was in the circle of the key.

  Sadly, the other characters didn’t get as much screentime as they did in the original episode. Instead of Angel Dust and Cherri Bomb fighting Sir Pentious in turf wars, we see Alastor and Vox in an intense argument before blasting each other with electricity, moving wires and tentacles and exchanging insults. The scene cuts to Angel Dust fighting Sir Pentious and the Egg Bois in the background as Alastor shakes his head.

 In fact, the blue demon that says “I’m alive!” gets immediately run over…but by a different vehicle owned by the self-proclaimed main character.

 And it’s not Charlie.

 Yep, the Radio Demon did have a car. A blood-red 1929 Packard modified and slightly modernized. Thanks to magic, it could go at fast speeds and even morph into shadow. It had regular tires instead of the typical wheels for the model and a metal step to get inside (though Alastor didn’t need it). The round headlights in the front hummed with bright red light, making them look like angry eyes that could stare into your souls. At high speeds, black radio dials would appear and move in the headlights. Since Alastor was so tall, there was no square roof overhead, just nice leather seats inside and of course, a car radio. Small Voodoo symbols decorated the sides of the vehicle and sometimes glowed in the dark.

 There was a metal grate in the front between the headlamps and below that was a row of sharp yellow teeth, reminiscent of Alastor’s smile. A little gold metal deer head was displayed and attached over the grate. The license plate in the back read “RDO DMN 666” for Radio Demon 666.  The car could also morph into newer vehicles as illusions. It wasn’t uncommon for demons to grow envious when they spotted the Radio Demon cursing around in a cherry colored convertible, sneaking around in a burgundy limo, or racing around in a crimson Porshe.

 That is until they saw the headlights and the Radio Demon’s grinning face before facing a harsh crushing impact before seeing darkness.

 Alastor would smirk like a bigshot with Rosie, Mimzy and several demon women in their seats.  Of course, he would hold open the door for them when stepping in and out. He would take them to clubs for dancing or to theaters at night. Other times, his shadow would appear in the seat next to him and shoot people from the shotgun spot. It was one of his classic jokes he liked to make.

    “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m opening the first of its kind! A hotel that rehabilitates sinners!”

 The audience stared in stunned silence after Charlie had finished talking. Not even the flesh-eating crickets were chirping through the awkward quiet.

 A bloodstained logo “Radio Hack” was displayed above a window which provided a stack of dozens of TVs inside. One demon watching had deer antlers and a flaming blue face, one of the many cruel overlords. Crymini, the 90’s hellhound, stood with a little demon wearing a jester hat upside down. Two hellhound twins stood nearby, one with dyed red hair, the other purple. A neon sign nearby read “Bar” “Klub Kanji,” and “used TVs.”

 In a bar, dark demons wearing cowboy hats were playing pool, not even paying attention. The lead demon wore a cloth over his grinning face and had a large barrel gun for an arm. His friend looked like a demonic bug, and another looked like a mustached villain from an old film. Meanwhile in a bar, purple and blue dragon-like demons sat and drank while casually watching the TVs overhead.

 Charlie stuttered, “Ya know��’Cause hotels are for people passing through…temporarily…”

 A tattooed dark blue reptile demon stood up and let out a loud laugh.

 “Is this girl for real? She thinks, you hear what she thinks? She…heh, heh, heh, oh she’s nuts.” The demon walked away with a small lavender creature and a tall maroon being wearing punk rock clothing and crazy neon hair.

 Charlie added, “I figure it would serve a purpose…a place work toward redemption!” She weakly added, “Yay.”

 With a tapping of his shoes, Alastor walked and stopped right behind Crymini, the flaming deer overlord and a demon with eyes and a couple mouths on his face. Hatchet, the white skinned red-haired Zoophobia dragon, smartly left the scene.

 He had heard of the demon princess before, but he wasn’t expecting her to appear on TV. He certainly never heard of an idea so crazy before. Making sinners good people was even less likely than making pigs fly (which was one magic trick he could do on occasion).

  Charlie stared around her, concerned. “Look, every single one of you has something good deep down inside. I know you do.”

 A light bulb went off into her head as she smirked. “Maybe I’m not getting through to you…”

 Vaggie face palmed, knowing what was coming next. “Oh no…”

 Charlie snapped her fingers and her bodyguard demons appeared. One sat and began to play a grand piano.

 Alastor stood behind two hellhound twins wearing crop tops and a hanging jester. Next to him was a poster that showed him in his demon form terrorizing the circus, demons trapped within flames inside the tent. His army of voodoo horned imps carrying knives and skulls on pikes surrounded the tortured sinners. The words were bold and full of warning: “BEWARE HIM!” “DO NOT FUCK WITH HIM!” In tiny letters off to the side on the wall read: “for a good time: 666-373-9494.”

 Alastor tilted his head to the side in curiosity. His shadow appeared off to his right, morphing into a snarling wendigo deer-like creature. He couldn’t help but tap his foot and hum along as she sang.

 He even started to sing to himself, making his own version of the song.

 “Inside of every demon is a lost cause

Inside of every sinner is a foolish failure

Inside of every godforsaken drug addicted manic…”

 Dude,” moaned a stupid demon with a boar head, “I’m trying to watch the show.”

 “Here’s a show I’ll give you,” Alastor thought as he snapped his fingers and sent the boar flying through the air and into a lava pit.

 “They’ll turn around

Dead in the ground

With just a little time

Down at her crappy hotel…”

 He did feel a bit unnerved at the part where she cuddled with a dog and then threw the dog away.

  After Charlie had finished singing, Alastor laughed out loud. That was quite the performance he had seen! He particularly enjoyed Charlie’s demon transformation and her conjuring of fire for the special effects. And he had to admit that she was a good singer too, despite her ridiculous idea.

 But his favorite part came up next.

 In the blaring red lights, Charlie and Katie fought each other on the desk. Katie was in her insect demon form, crawling on her hands and limbs. She briefly held Charlie down, who dodged and then leapt at Katie, knocking both of them off the table.

 “She’s pretty and has a feisty spirit,” Alastor thought.

 “Why won’t anyone help me?” Tom Trench yelled as flames rose from his body.

 “You’re on fire, Tom Trench!” Alastor exclaimed, while laughing at his own joke.

  Befriending the princess, and doing something different seemed like a good idea. He glanced over at a faraway Happy Hotel building.

 He knew where he would go next.

  After following the white limbo to the hotel in his car, he got out and made his way up to the double stained glass doors with the apple designs on them. Upon further inspection of the hotel, he noticed it was a unique design if not a bit under wear and tear. From the Titanic-like ship off to the side to the hanging carousel that made up a balcony…and perhaps his favorite part, the circus tent overhang in the front decorated with eye designs.

 He had never actually met Charlie before but he heard that she was powerful and different among the demons. For one, she was born in Hell, and two, she was the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith, king and queen of Hell.

 He would have to tread carefully around members of the royal family. Though he thought of them as amusing, he knew how powerful they were.

 Sweat formed on his forehead and he found himself glancing around.

  Why was he suddenly…nervous?

 Somebody like him couldn’t afford to let any sign of weakness show. Of course He wanted to make a good first impression, plus he was sort of curious as to why she would pursue this rehabilitation idea. His nervousness faded away when he imagined Charlie as naïve. Maybe he could easily trick her and not have to be caught by anyone?

 The best thing he could do for the moment was be polite and offer to help. As any good charmer and manipulator knew, first impressions and the process were everything…

 And a nice big smile was the crème de la crème.

  Puffing out his chest, he knocked on the door.

 It was a very slow “Shave and a Haircut knock.”

  The knocking from outside interrupted Charlie’s thoughts. She opened her eyes.

  An ice cold feeling of dread spread through her veins. No other demon would ever do that kind of knock.

 Unless…

 She tentatively reached out her hand to the door handle, and quickly pulled it open.

 Sure enough, the most feared demon in Hell was standing right outside her door. A couple of shadow spirits poked their heads through.

 Charlie’s face morphed into sheer terror, eyes wide as saucers.

 Yes, there she was, right in front of him. Alastor opened his eyes as they glowed red, a radio sound emitting from him. His eyes dilated playfully as he raised a finger in greeting.

 “Hell…”

 The door abruptly slammed shut.

 Brief silence.

 Charlie opened it again…

 “…oooo!”

 Slammed it again.

 Alastor could hear Charlie’s muffled voice from inside.

 “Hey Vaggie!”

 “What?”

 “The Radio Demon is at the door!”

 “What?!”

 “Who?” asked Angel.

 “What should I do?!” Charlie asked.

 “Well, don’t let him in!” Vaggie said.

  A growl formed in Alastor’s throat.

 He stood there, shocked in front of the stained glass door, smile still plastered on his face, hand and curved claw in the air.

 “Well… that was…rude,” he thought. “Usually people are too sacred to answer when I come by. Or they rush to try and please me because they know I could slaughter them at any time. I’ll just wait here then…or maybe break this door down…”

 He had been turned down not once but twice by her! If she had been an average demon, she would’ve been a bloody heap on the floor. The princess should know better than to reject anyone like that, especially a prideful demon like himself.

Any offense to his pride would not go unnoticed.

 Charlie opened the door again.

 “May I speak now?” Alastor asked, hiding his anger.

 “You may,” said Charlie.

 Alastor held out his right hand to her, which briefly glowed. He half expected her to reach out and shake it right away…which would’ve proven her naïve nature…but instead she just stood there.

  “Alastor, pleasure to be meeting you, sweetheart, quite a pleasure.”

 He eagerly grabbed her wrist and leaned his face close to hers before strutting inside. Charlie stood, dumbfounded, her hand still out.

 “Excuse my sudden visit,” he went on, “but I saw your fiasco on a picture show and I just couldn’t resist. What a performance!”

Audience cheers came from his staff as he turned around.

  “Why I haven’t been that entertained since the stock market crash of 1929!”

 He bobbed his head side to side and burst into laughter. He glanced back at Charlie who was by the door. “So many orphans!”

 A sharp spear was suddenly pointed at him. He froze in fear, his smile still on his face.

 “Stop right there!” It was Vaggie.

 She swore in Spanish under her breath: “Carbon hijo de perra! (Son of a bitch!) I know your game. And I’m not gonna let you hurt anyone here, you pompous, cheesy, talk show shitlord!”

 Alastor’s eyes narrowed and glowed. He made a low noise of warning.

 “You have a lot of nerve to stand up to me like that, girl,” he thought. “You don’t know anything about me, and you certainly aren’t going to stand in my way.”

 Alastor merely laughed slightly and nudged the weapon away with his fingers. Charli and Vaggie were in front of him.

 “Dear, if I wanted to hurt anyone here…”

 He added in a low creepy tone, “I would have done so already.”

 His red eyes briefly turned to red radio dials and radio static filled the room. He tilted his head slightly, letting his chaotic magic roam. Vaggie and Charlie were frozen in fear as they caught glimpses of red Voodoo symbols, static, and warped reality.

 Then just as quickly, the noise and magic ceased and Alastor shook his head, eyes back to full red. For a brief moment, they had been small red pupils inside black sockets.

 “That scare should teach them to remember their place,” he thought.

He bowed. “No, I’m here because I want to help!”

 Charlie was sure she hadn’t heard him right.

 “Say what now?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

 “Help!” he responded with another laugh, leaning in close before moving back.

 He held up his microphone staff.

  “Hello?” he asked with a laugh. “Is this thing on? Testing, testing…”

 He tapped it and a glowing red eye appeared in the center. “Well, I heard you loud and clear!” the microphone responded, eye shaking in fear.

 “Um…you want to help?” Charlie asked.

 Alastor appeared behind the demon girls, hands on their backs, switching from a shadow to his regular self. Both Vaggie and Charlie flinched.

 “With…” he mentioned in an imitation of Charlie’s voice,

“…this ridiculous thing you’re trying to do!” finishing in his normal voice. “This hotel!”

 Charlie could hear the call bell ding twice on the table, even though no one was there to ring it.

 “I want to help you run it.”

 “Uh…why?” Charlie asked, confused.

 Alastor laughed again. “Why does anyone do anything? Sheer absolute boredom! I’ve lacked inspiration for decades!”

 He placed his elbow on an annoyed Vaggie’s head.

 “My work became mundane...lacking focus…”

 He then shoved Vaggie aside. She was clearly an inferior little doll he could push around.

 “…aimless!” he continued. “I’ve come to crave a new form of entertainment!”

 He laughed again.

Charlie looked downcast. “Does getting into a fist fight with a reporter count as entertainment?”

 Alastor laughed again.

 “It’s the purest kind, my dear! Reality! True passion! After all, the world is a stage! And the stage is a world of entertainment!”

 Charlie brightened a bit. “So, does this mean that you think it’s possible to rehabilitate a demon?”

Alastor help up a hand and laughed. “Of course not. That’s wacky nonsense! Redemption, oh the non-existent humanity! Nononono, I don’t think there’s anything left that could save such loathsome sinners!”

 He glanced at Vaggie and Angel Dust sitting on the sofa, mischief in his eyes. They would be fun to mess with.

  “The chance given to them was the life they lived before; the punishment is this!”

  He spread out his arms, turning away. “There is no undoing what is done!”

 His eyes glowed red, pupils constricted. There really was no way to change the past. All the sinners were destined to suffer in a matrix of pleasure, illusion, and the threat of a second death. For Alastor, every demon was a lost cause…and paradoxically, that also included him.

 He had dealt with authority figures before in his previous life…those racist religious folk who believed that God and the elite had complete control over his fate and the fate of everyone else. Now here it was again, in the form of God, the angels, Vox, Lucifer pretty much anybody he hated. It wasn’t his fault he killed and ate all his victims. If certain people hadn’t pushed him over the edge…

 He glanced over when he heard Charlie’s voice.

 “So then, why do you want to help me if you don’t believe in my cause?” Charlie asked.

 Alastor smirked and looked at Charlie over his shoulder. “Consider it an investment in ongoing entertainment for myself!”

 He pulled her close to him with his arm and twirled her around in a quick dance. Charlie narrowed his eyes at him and gave him a look. He ignored her. “I want to watch the scum of the world struggle to climb up the hill of betterment! Only to repeatedly trip and tumble down to the fiery pit of failure.”

 His eyes glowed red and his left eyebrow raised slightly. Just the thought of having the fates and lives of demons in his hands was enough to get him excited…or perhaps even aroused.

“Right…” Charlie began, slowly removing his clawed hand from her shoulder. Alastor’s hand flinched at the sudden touch.

 Alastor chuckled and took her aside for a walk. “Yes indeedy! I see big things coming your way, and who better to help than I.”

 He impressed her further with some charm and making his staff appear in his hand.

  Vaggie walked up to Charlie and pulled her aside.

 “Charlie, listen to me. You just can’t believe this creep! He isn’t just a happy face! He’s a dealmaker, pure evil! He can’t be redeemed! And is most likely looking for a way to destroy everything we’re trying to do.”

 Alastor drummed his fingers against his palm, listening in on their conversation with a grin.

 “I…” Charlie began. “…we don’t know that. Look…I know he’s bad, and I know he probably doesn’t wanna change, but the whole point of this is to give people a chance! To have faith things will be better! How can I turn someone away? I can’t. It goes against everything I’m trying to do. Everything I believe in.”

 Alastor stared in fascination at a family picture on the wall. It showed Lucifer dressed in white, Lilith in a dark purple dress, and Charlie as a little girl wearing a brown and white dress in the middle. The picture border consisted of branches and yellow eyeballs and a dried rose in the upper right hand corner.

 “Such a lovely portrait! A picture of perfection! It’d be such a shame if something awful were to happen to them…”

 “Just trust me,” Charlie added placing comforting hands on her girlfriend’s shoulders, “I can take care of myself.”

 Charlie,” warned Vaggie, “Whatever you do, do not make a deal with him!”

 From a distance, Alastor opened up the palm of one hand, claws curled inward, hand glowing. From his viewpoint it looked like he was grabbing onto both girls. They glanced in his direction, worry on their faces.

 “I’ll have these two in the palm of my hand…”

 “Don’t worry, Charlie replied to Vaggie. “I picked up one thing from my Dad…” she spoke in a manly voice, “Ya don’t take shit from other demons!”

 Gathering her courage, Charlie marched over to the Radio Demon.

  “Ok, so…Al. You’re sketchy as fuck, and you clearly see what I’m trying to do here is a joke. But I don’t.”

 Charlie turned away. She was so close and so vulnerable.

 Red Voodoo symbols floated around Alastor as his eyes glowed.

 “If you could stay turned around so I can knock you out…” he thought.

Charlie narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously and the symbols vanished.

 “So close,” he thought in frustration as she turned around to face him.

  Charlie continued. “I think everyone deserves a chance to prove they can be better. So, I’m taking your offer to help. On the condition that there be no tricks or voodoo strings attached.”

 Alastor twirled his cane and held out his hand. “So it’s a deal then?”

 Flashes of eerie green light surrounded him, electricity snaking up the walls.

 “Nope!” Charlie yelled, holding out her hands. The energy stopped. “No shaking! No deals!”

 Alastor’s eyes constricted. “She rejected my deal,” he thought. “This will be more challenging than I expected.”

 He walked forward a step.

 Charlie continued.  “As princess of Hell, and heir to the throne, I uh, hereby order that you help with this hotel, for a long as you desire.”

 A moment of pause…he brushed his hair back.

 “Sound fair?” she asked.

  “Hmm. Fair enough. Cool beans.” Alastor shrugged, walking on and making his cane disappear. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief and even did a thumbs up.

 Alastor stopped and spotted Vaggie off to the side. How pathetic she was, frowning like that. He smirked in a way outside observers would describe as lecherous. He tickled her under her chin with a finger.

 “Smile, my dear! You know you’re never fully dressed without one!”

 Alastor hummed happily on his way, while Vaggie growled in disgust and rage.

 “So…where is your hotel staff?” Alastor asked.

 “Uh, well…” Charlie began. Alastor peered at Vaggie through his monocle. “Oh ho ho ho, you’re going to need more than that.”

 He walked over towards Angel.

 “And what can you do, my effeminate fellow?”

 Angel grinned. “I can suck your dick!”

 Alastor could almost scream in disgust after hearing that.

 “Ha! No.” Alastor deadpanned.

 “Your loss,” Angel said with a slight laugh. Alastor summoned his cane.

“Well, this just won’t do!” Alastor exclaimed. “I suppose I can cash in a few favors to liven things up!”

 The spell came easily in his mind: “dife sèvitè, reveye.”

  He snapped his fingers and a fire sparked to life in a small circular fireplace. Animal skeletons decorated either side of the wall. The wall and fireplace were repaired.

 A dark figure plopped down onto the chimney floor.

 Alastor walked over and picked up the creature with his hand. A large single yellow eye was revealed. Angel, Vaggie, and Charlie peered at the creature. In a puff of smoke and a squeak, the creature revealed herself. A cute cyclops girl was wearing a pink dress with a poodle on the front, her short wide hair dark magenta with a streak of yellow.

 “This little darling is Niffty!” Alastor introduced, before dropping her. She landed on her feet. She was an adorable little thing.

“Hi! I’m Niffty!” she greeted with a wave. “It’s nice to meet you! It’s been a while since I’ve made new friends!” She laughed slightly and her pupil grew smaller, darting in circles.

 “Why are you all women?” she asked. “Have any men here?! I’m sorry, that’s rude.” She missed the fact that Angel was male, for obvious reasons.

 She briefly picked up Charlie, while Vaggie held her spear defensively at her.

 “Oh man, this place is filthy!” she exclaimed, running around and lifting up couch cushions. “It really needs a lady’s touch, which is weird, because you’re all ladies, no offence.” She chewed on a black spider she found, then rushed toward some stained glass windows.

 She darted around, using a dust ruffle to clean them. “Oh my gosh, this is awful! No, no, no…Nope!”

 She raced around, removing cobwebs, then poking at a piece of a voodoo doll. Well, it was actually a live blue beetle doll that Alastor had stabbed with a clothing pin for Niffty to play with. Alastor looked amused, while the others stared in disbelief.

 “So fortunate of me to have met her in Hell. A former chimney sweeper in the 20th century. Heard she died from too much smoke. Services are still good! Though, I didn’t give her much of an option to begin with…” he thought.

   Meanwhile, at a casino, a cat demon placed a joker, an ace, a 2, and a fourth card down on the table. He had black and white fur, wore a black top hat and had red wings with card suits decorated on them. He also had long red eyebrows and wore a red bow tie.

 “Ha!” he declared in triumph. “Read ‘em and weep, boys!”

 He suddenly felt himself being forcefully pulled out of the room through space and time.

  “Full…whoa!”

 “Transpòte ganbadeur la.”

 He ducked as a curtain of red energy surrounded the existing space. Voodoo symbols flashed in the background along with eight yellow eyes, a creepy voodoo skull and a purple skeleton of a worm-like creature. Another voodoo skull with horns appeared for a moment not too far from tan ghost-like spirits with creepy faces and a row of jagged teeth.

 The cat demon figured he must have had too much booze to drink.

 “…the hell?”

 As the images faded, he soon found himself at the hotel bar, not in the previous room at the casino. A large “Come and play Blackjack” sign took up much of the wall behind him. Most peculiar, the gray wood walls were missing halfway up, replaced by the red themed décor of the hotel. Husk was sitting in a portion of the casino he was in. It felt like he was in a house with no roof surrounded by the outside world.

 “What the fuck is this?”

 He saw Alastor and pointed an accusing claw.

 “You.”

 “Ah, Husker, my good friend!” Alastor cheerfully greeted. “Glad you could make it!”

 Husk could have at least been polite for once, but Alastor decided to let it slide.

 Alastor’s head briefly had the appearance of large antlers sticking out from either side. When he moved it, it was revealed to be an antler skull with glowing green eyes hanging in the background. Snakes were wrapped around one of the white curtains supporting a bar stand. “Big Booze,” “Welcome” and “Big Soul” signs were placed overhead on the stand. Neon green card suits consisted of the designs at the bottom of the stand.

 “Don’t you “Husker” me, you son of a bitch!” Husk spat, and swiped Alastor’s hand aside from his shoulder. “I was about to win the whole damn pot!”

Husk stared in anger as the stacks of money and chips on the table vanished in static.

 “Good to see you too!” added Alastor.

 Husk face palmed. “What the hell do you want with me this time?”

 Alastor grabbed hold of him, startling him so much that cards fell from his hands.

 “My friend, I am doing some charity work, so I took it upon myself to volunteer your services! I hope that’s okay.”

 Husk was taken aback. “Are you shittin’ me?!”

 “No, I don’t think so,” Alastor replied. He casually brushed off his sleeves.

 Husk shoved the Radio Demon off him. “You thought it would be some kind of big fuckin’ riot just to pull me outta nowhere? You think I’m some kinda fuckin’ clown?”

 “Maybe.”

 Audience laughter emitted from the microphone.

 “I ain’t doin’ no fuckin’ charity job,” Husk protested.

 Alastor appeared next to him, startling the cat demon. “Well I figured you would be the perfect face to man the front desk of this fine establishment.”

 He pointed toward the bar stand with the staff. The sound of audience clapping came from his radio staff.

 “With your charming smile and welcoming energy…”

 Alastor spread the corners of Husk’s mouth upward into a demonic smile of yellow teeth. Husk frowned seconds after he let go.

 “…this job was made for you!”

 Alastor strutted over toward the bar stand, the soles of his shoes revealing red hoof prints as he walked.

 “Don’t worry, my friend,” Alastor continued, “I can make this more welcoming…if you wish.”

 With a curve of his fingers, a green bottle of cheap booze appeared on the counter.

 Husk stared with wide eyes, suddenly very thirsty. He swore he could hear the sound of a slot machine.

 “What, you think you can buy me with a wink and some cheap booze?!” He took the bottle on anger. “Well you can!”

 He immediately guzzled it down and walked away.

 “Too easy,” thought Alastor.

 By this time, Charlie, Vaggie and Angel Dust had arrived to see what the commotion was about. Vaggie rushed toward the bar, furious.

 “Hey, hey, hey, hey!” yelled the moth demon. “No, no bar, no alcohol. This is supposed to be a place that discourages sin! Not some kind of…mouth, brothel, man-cave…”

 Angel lunged himself into her, knocking her to the floor.

 “Shut up! Shut! Up! We are keeping this.” He pointed at Husk with multiple gloved hands.

  He slid up to Husk. “Hey,” he said in a flirtatious voice.

“Go fuck yourself,” Husk deadpanned, drinking his booze.

 “Only if you watch me,” Angel retorted.

 To make matters worse for Husk, Charlie leaned in close to him, excitement and red stars in her eyes.

 “Oh my gosh! Welcome to the Happy Hotel! You are going to love it here!”

 “I lost the ability to love years ago,” Husk replied, gulping down more booze.

Alastor walked in, an ever-present grin on his face.

 “So, what do you think?”

 Charlie ran over to him. “This is amazing!” she beamed.

 Alastor’s eyes blinked rapidly at the sweet sight of Charlie rubbing her cheeks and smiling at him. He could watch it all day.

 “It’s okay,” Vaggie said from nearby, arms crossed.

 Alastor laughed and pulled the two girls close to him. “This is going to be very entertaining!”

 He shoved Vaggie again and his laughter mixed with the sound of an old radio.

 Alastor conjured fire in his hand…Charlie stared in wonder at the flames and the voodoo symbols. He threw the flames in the air, distracting Charlie from him shoving aside her friend hard. Alastor then changed his attire with magic. He now wore a fancy red suit with a white undershirt and a black bow tie. A red top hat appeared on his head, complete with small spikes along the black band and two needles sticking out from the top. He twirled Charlie around in a dance, the princess looking stunned. Pointing his finger over her head, he transformed Charlie’s outfit. Her blonde hair was now short and wavy. She wore an elegant black and red dress, black gloves, a pink hat with a small black bow and black heels. She looked like a dapper lady from the early 20th century.

 Charlie stared at her conjured clothing in amazement.

Vaggie was on the floor, fuming.

 Alastor began to sing as he danced with Charlie, a new spring in his steps.

 “You have a dream

 You wish to tell

 He turned to the fuming Vaggie on the floor, letting her know that he thought Charlie’s idea was silly.

 “and it’s so laughable…”

 He turned back to Charlie.

 “But hey kid, what the hell!”

 Alastor picked Charlie up and threw her into the air. She yelped in delight and landed gracefully next to him. Two glowing apples and a skull with deer horns flashed in the background.

 Reality had been altered to the Radio Demon’s liking. The entire room was lit in psychedelic colors. Voodoo symbols and shapes were etched in every nook and cranny, including a pair of pink claws reaching for the door. Alastor and Charlie waltzed in the spotlight as electro swing music began to play in the distance. The all-encompassing noise, though, was the signature radio-static sound.

 Charlie found herself sliding down one of the apple-etched railings, Alastor leading the way. They landed on the lower floor as Alastor continued his reprise.

 “Cause you’re one of a kind

A charming demon belle!”

 Deer statues and painted antlers were everywhere.

 Back at the bar stand, Husk sat looking bored. Vaggie hissed at Angel grabbing onto her shoulder, while Niffty stared in wonder. Alastor snapped his fingers and their outfits changed as well.

 Angel was wearing a neon pink suit, Husk a pink bow tie, Vaggie a dark dress, with her hair now smooth and long, and finally Niffty, with a cute top hat with small flowers.

 “Now let’s give these burning fools a place to dwell

(Take it, boys!)”

 Alastor snapped his fingers once more and shadowy imps rose to life from a hole in the ground. The happy spirits played a trumpet, a tuba, and a drum set. Charlie snapped her fingers to the beat, while Vaggie watched with worry. She reached out to her friend but was pulled away by Alastor. He enveloped the group into a tight hug with a laugh, followed by glowing images of dark spirits staring at them. Niffty watched in amazement, but not the other three.

 “Inside of every demon is a lost cause…”

Alastor pulled Husk and Angel close again. He rubbed Angel’s head with a white hat and went on his merry way. Husk gave him the bird as he left.

 “But we’ll dress ‘em up now with just a smile!”

(With a smile!)

  Vaggie stood, annoyed in the spotlight. Using his cane, Alastor added a feathered peacock hat and a white fox fur to her outfit. She looked ridiculous. Then out of nowhere, he slapped her butt.

 Vaggie seethed in rage after he walked away.

 Alastor danced some more, kicking a horned skull to the side. In the background, Niffy happily swept up the bits of bone.

 “And we’ll chlorinate this cesspool

With some old redemption flair

And show these simpletons some proper class and style!

(What’s in style? Oh!)”

 He made his way to the circular fireplace, where he waved his staff. Shadows arrived to join the party, including a shadowy version of himself, with large antlers and fangs. He made it disappear in a poof, then snuck toward Charlie. He led her in an upbeat dance, spinning her around, helping her match her steps to his. Charlie blushed when Alastor toyed with her cheeks. As Charlie was led away, Vaggie stood in the background, horrified and disgusted. What was happening to her friend?

 Charlie and Alastor laughed as they danced, the princess locked in a happy trance. Alastor was in his element, his pupils dilated, a joyful demeanor.

 Maybe this could turn into something more? Could it even be…love?

 “Here below the ground

I’m sure you’re plan is sound!

They’ll spend a little time

Down at this Hazbin Ho…”

  Alastor was about to finish his song, when an explosion burst apart a window behind him. He stood frozen, pupils constricting, his body going alert.

 Whatever, or whomever had interrupted his song was going to pay dearly.

 Niffty stared in amazement, shouting “Whoo!” before she was blasted backwards, the door hitting her in the face.

 Alastor’s spell soon wore off and everyone was back in their regular clothes. Alastor, Husk (still drinking), Niffty, Charlie, Angel, and Vaggie, peered out of the hole to see what was going on. Vaggie had her weapon at the ready.

 Looking skyward, the group saw a cracked blimp in the air. It had a small random band aid with a sad face on it along the rim. A familiar snake villain popped out of his hideout.

 “Ha!” Sir Pentious laughed. “Well, well, well, look who it is harboring the striped freak! We meet again, Alastor!”

 Apparently, he was also rivals with Alastor.

 But Alastor simply asked, “Do I know you?”

 The snake boss looked disappointed. Then he said in anger, “Oh yes you do! And this time, I have the element of…surprise!”

 The villain raced toward his pink velvet chair and pulled a lever. A metallic cannon lowered to the ground. The cannon fired up with pink energy as pink smoke appeared around them.

 “He laughed manically. “I’m so evil!”

 Then he added, “I have an Egg army!”

 “Well, we have an Alastor,” Charlie responded.

 Alastor snapped his fingers, red tendrils of smoke rising from his hand. The weapon froze in mid fire and a fiery portal opened up below the blimp.

 A horde of black tendrils rose from the hole, latching onto the ship. One tentacle ripped off the cannon and threw it into another smaller portal, causing it to explode in pink smoke. One of the tentacles had already smashed a hole in the large round window.

 Sir Pentious looked on in shock as his Egg Bois slammed against the wall (one of them read #Ouch.) One of the eggs cracked open, spilling out yellowish brains and small organs among the stains of yok. Sir Pentious and another minion were thrown against the wall.

 “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” he screamed before he was slammed against the ceiling by a black limb.

 “Oh, that hurt!” he cried.

 Sir Pentious screamed as he was dragged along the floor and lifted up slightly. He was held in place, surrounded by the wrapped up tendril. At once, the tendril shrunk and squeezed the helpless snake. The Egg Bois ran around screaming as black cracks appeared on the floor and walls.

 From the outside, more black tendrils were closing in. Red voodoo symbols appeared around the blimp.

 “Ede m 'sèrviteur.”

 Four horned shadowy spirits with red auras floated around, wearing toothy grins.

 The tendrils were now wrapped around the entire blimp, holding it in place like thick black vines.

 Red radio waves filled Alastor’s eyes as he circled his fingers and worked is magic. Voodoo symbols appeared all around him as he altered the state of reality. Radio static consumed the air.

The vines thickened and completely enclosed the blimp. The spirits swooped around it in excitement, with echoing shrieks. The aura around the tendrils glowed a fiery yellow, the same color as the portal rim.

 “Kalfu! Destriksyon pa bra nwa.”

 Alastor closed his four-fingered hand which began to glow. A red drop of blood fell from his glowing hand. The tendrils proceeded to crush the blimp. Pink rays of light shot from the center and the blimp exploded in a loud BOOM!

 Pink smoke spread everywhere as the spirits sped away. The tendrils broke into severed bloody pieces that rained down to the ground. Alastor smiled victoriously, while behind them, the group of five stared in utter terror and shock. (Save for Niffty who had a small smile on her face).

 Alastor’s angry, bloodlust eyes spoke volumes.

 “And stay out of this hotel and from my friends you pathetic excuse of snakeskin.”

A sharp pain throbbed on his hand and bags appeared under his eyes. Magic had taken some work from him…and it also made him hungry.

 “Well, I’m starved!” Alastor exclaimed, turning around to face the group, happy again. “Who wants some jambalaya?” He spread his arms out. “My mother once showed me a wonderful recipe for jambalaya! In fact, it nearly killed her!”

 He laughed as he led the way back to the hotel. The others followed.

 “You could say the kick was right out of Hell!”

 He added while laughing at his own joke, “Oh, I’m on a roll!”

 From up above, the hotel looked like a mashed-up haunted house. An old dark train was perched on a balcony, with some monstrous faces carved in. A ship, reminiscent of the Titanic, was leaning upwards against the building as part of the structure. An old carousel served as part of the upper balcony and windows. Skull designs decorated the small windows in a row. Finally, on top of a giant yellow eye, was the sign “Happy Hotel” supported by pillars of worn wood.  

Alastor continued, “Yes, sir, this is the start of some real changes down here! The game is set! Now…”

 He glanced up and pointed his finger toward the sign. Pink electricity shot out and made contact with the sign.

 The sign now read “Hazbin Hotel.”

 “Stay tuned,” he finished with a low sinister laugh.

[katedoesfics]

Shadows of the Yiga | Chapter 31

Link hated Zelda’s ‘sit and wait’ plan. He didn’t enjoy sitting around and waiting for anything, especially when hero work was involved. It was in his nature, now; he wanted to do everything he could to keep not just Hyrule safe, but Aryll, Rusl, and his friends. Now more than ever with his little time left. His father’s appearance occupied much of the day before, but now that things had settled, his mind raced with thoughts of the Yiga Clan. What were they up to? What was Dorian up to? Were Paya and Purah safe? Would the shrine have the answers they needed? And what if they didn’t? Would he have enough time to stop the Yiga Clan?

All the unanswered questions and all his worries weighed heavily on his mind and the anxiety of it all only made him feel sick to his stomach. His friends seemed just as agitated as he was, and they even took to acting out like misbehaved children. Revali and Kit occupied their time by teasing the goats, and running for their lives when the goats had finally had enough. Daruk seemed to be more concerned with staying out of sight of Talon’s three hounds, who always seemed to sniff him out and chase after him in search of affection and treats. Riju kept Mipha and Urbosa on their toes, often wandering out to the far back side of the pastures to use her power in hopes of finally being considered one of the Champions. Aryll was the most behaved among them and took to helping Talon with the animals and other various chores around the ranch.

For lack of anything else to do, Link joined his sister as she happily made her way to the barn. The animals had all been fed and were let out for the morning, and Aryll was all too eager to muck the stalls and clean around the barn. She cranked the volume on the dusty radio in the barn and danced and sang along with the music without a care in the world. When they were finished, they made their way to the back pastures where they found their father cooing to one of the horses.

Aryll perched herself on the fence beside her father and grinned. “So, that’s where Link gets it from,” she said. “You’re a sucker for little fuzzy animals.”

“No,” Rusl started. “Just the ones that could kill you with a single kick.”

“You know.” Aryll straightened proudly. “I could teach ya how to ride. I’m the best. Way better than Link. I win every time we race.”

“Oh, yeah?” Rusl raised a brow at his daughter. “I’d like to see that.”

Aryll hopped down from the fence and made her way over to her favorite horse. She climbed onto the horse’s back and kicked him forward. “Let’s do it!”

Link crossed his arms. “Get down,” he hissed. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Well, you know what?” she said. “You can’t tell me what to do anymore.”

Link sneered at her. “Yes I can. You’re not going out, and that’s final.”

“Hey, fuck you,” she barked. “You’re not my father.”

Link turned a helpless gaze to his father and Rusl laughed.

“No, no, you’re doing great,” he said. “You really have the Dad thing down pat.”

“Fuck you,” Link muttered.

Rusl hopped the fence. He patted the horse’s neck, then climbed easily on it’s back.

“What are you doing?” Aryll asked. “You need a saddle. You don’t even know how to ride.”

Rusl grabbed mane and pressed his heels into the horse’s side. The horse moved forward, and Rusl directed him around in a circle. “Ah, I think I’ll be fine.”

Aryll narrowed her gaze on him. “You can ride?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” he said. “Let’s go.”

Link stepped in front of the gate as Rusl leaned over to open it. “Will you quit it?” he hissed.

“Stop being such a party pooper,” Rusl said with a grin. He kicked his horse on and Link had no choice but to step out of the way. As soon as they cleared the gate, Rusl kicked his horse again, and they broke into a gallop.

Link muttered under his breath. He whistled sharply for his own horse and climbed on as Aryll, too, galloped out of the pasture to follow their father. Link kicked his horse forward and hurried to catch up with them.

To his surprise, his father was well in the lead and had managed to stay on. But Aryll was not messing around, and she urged her horse faster still until she caught up to Rusl, leaving Link to bring up the rear. When they reached the tree line, they slowed slightly, and just as Link caught up to them, Aryll pushed ahead. She veered off the normal path, taking the other path around as she usually did to jump over the fallen trees that blocked the path. Rusl followed close behind, and he and his horse easily cleared the logs behind Aryll.

Back on the main path, Rusl caught up to his daughter once more, and the horses galloped neck and neck until they broke out of the tree line and across the meadow. They didn’t stop until they reached the top of the hill, turning the horses as they waited for Link to catch up.

“Wow,” Rusl said sa Link finally reached them. “You weren’t kidding. He does suck.”

Aryll crossed her arms. “Yeah, but not that much,” she said. “He was holding back.”

“So, what’s your excuse?” he said, turning to his daughter.

“Me? My excuse?” She scoffed. “What’s your excuse? How the hell do you know how to ride like that?”

“I grew up on a farm,” Rusl said simply.

“Since when?” Link asked, narrowing his gaze on his father.

“Oh, I dunno,” he started. “Since I was around ten I guess.”

“Your parents had a farm?” Aryll asked eagerly.

“Hell, no,” Rusl said. “My parents were trash. They went to jail when I was eight and I was bounced around in foster homes.”

Aryll frowned. “Really?”

“I was a terrible child,” he continued with a grin. “I stole and crashed a car when I was nine. Among other things.”

“I guess that’s where you get it from,” Link muttered to his sister, but Aryll was not amused.

“I wasn’t the one driving!”

Rusl narrowed his gaze on her. “You crashed a car?”

“N-no,” she stammered. “Cremia did.”

“Because you were all drunk,” Link said.

“You what?” Rusl sneered.

“Hey, shut up, you weren’t there!” She quickly tried to turn the subject back to him. “I’m way more innocent than you were.”

“I would hope so,” Rusl muttered. “That’s how I ended up on the farm. No one wanted me around.” He smiled. “But there was this woman who apparently loved to take on all the trouble kids and put ‘em to work. Her name was Telma. And she didn’t take shit from anyone.”

“I don’t believe it,” she said.

“Not everyone had a perfect childhood like you did,” Rusl pointed out.

“Perfect is a stretch,” Aryll said. “I’m pretty sure the government would have taken me away if they knew I lived on peanut butter and banana sandwiches and pizza.”

“But did you die?”

Aryll smiled. “So, Telma. How come we’ve never met her?”

“She died when I was twenty,” Rusl said.

“Oh.” Aryll hesitated. “So, you were a troubled foster child who lived on a farm with Telma and learned to ride horses.”

“Yup.”

“And then what?”

Rusl sighed. “And then what?”

“Clearly we know nothing about you,” she pointed out. “And I know even less about Mom. I want details.”

Rusl paused to think. “There isn’t anything else to tell,” he said. “I joined the service when I turned eighteen. I met your mother when I was twenty-two. For some reason, she agreed to marry me, and we had two pain in the ass children together.” He grinned. “The end.”

“Wow,” Aryll muttered. “Some life story.”

“It wasn’t that exciting.”

“That can’t be true,” Aryll said. “Something exciting must have happened. Like a top secret mission when you were in the army!”

Rusl hesitated. “There were a few times the Yiga Clan ambushed us,” he said simply. “When we were in Faron.”

“What was in Faron?” Aryll pressed. “A secret Yiga Clan base?”

“No,” Rusl said. “But we lived there for a while. After Link was born.”

“You did?” Aryll frowned. “Why did you leave?”

“Because the Yiga were after Link,” he said. “Impa promised us she could protect us in the city, so that’s where we went.”

Aryll considered this for a moment. “The Yiga Clan attacked you guys?”

“Yup.”

“But you made it to the city?”

“More or less.”

She narrowed her gaze on him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Your mother made it with Link,” he said.

She narrowed her gaze on him. “What about you?”

“We had a convoy across the kingdom,” he said. “They were with one of the Sheikah and I tailed behind. There were quite a few of us to throw the Yiga off in case they were following us. But they found your mother and Link and tried to drive them off a bridge.”

Aryll’s eyes widened. “No way. You’re full of shit.”

Rusl narrowed his gaze on his daughter. “The Yiga don’t fuck around,” he said. “I’ve told you they’ve been a pain in my ass for years.”

Aryll hesitated. “So, what happened?”

“Your mother got away safely.”

“How?”

Rusl sighed. “I drove my car into them and we flipped off the bridge.”

“And you lived? ”

Rusl laughed. “No.”

Aryll blinked at him. “What?”

“We fucking went into the lake,” Rusl said. “No one lived.”

“But… you’re alive.”

“By some dumb fucking luck,” he muttered. “Dorian saved me.”

“Wait. And the Yiga Clan dropped it? Just like that?”

Rusl shrugged. “Guess they figured we all died. Link included. And in the end, that’s what they wanted.”

“Unless Dorian went back and told them the truth,” Link said. His gaze was narrowed on his father.

Rusl shrugged. “Maybe he did. Maybe he didn’t. Regardless, it kept them quiet for a while. They spent the next few years preparing for Ganondorf and opening the portals around Hyrule.”

“That was them?” Link sneered.

“Well, who else would it be?”

Link hesitated. He pulled his gaze away from his father. “We should have dealt with them ten years ago,” he said. “If I had known -”

“There was nothing you could have done,” Rusl said. “And I certainly wasn’t going to let you try to stop them. Not after you barely survived Ganondorf. The Master Sword needed to be returned before the Yiga Clan could get their hands on it. And that’s the best thing you could have done at the time. You were safe under Impa’s ward; the Yiga Clan weren’t getting their hands on you as long as you remained in the city.”

“That’s how they found us?” Aryll asked softly. “Because we left the city?”

“Yes.”

Aryll hesitated. “So, after everything you did for us, we fucked everything up.”

“It was bound to happen sooner or later,” Rusl said with a shrug. “Link would have eventually found out about the Yiga Clan and he would have gone out to try to stop them. There was nothing I could have done to prevent that. Even faking my own death, apparently.”

“You did that… to stop Link?”

“I was their captive,” Rusl said. “I was MIA. Roham had no choice but to tell you I died. And you were better off believing that. When I got out, I couldn’t go back. I would have brought the Yiga Clan right to you both. And there was no way I could have come back and explained what had happened. Link would have learned the truth, and he would have gone after the Yiga Clan. He would have walked right into their hands, which is exactly what they wanted.” He shrugged. “I don’t even think they bothered to look for me. They wanted me to go back. Anything to lure Link to them. I didn’t have a choice if I wanted to keep you both safe.”

“They got us, anyway,” Aryll muttered.

“Yeah, they did,” Rusl said slowly. “And that’s why I came back. You were in too deep. If I wanted to protect you both, I couldn’t stay in hiding. I knew Link would try to take them on himself, so I had to stop him from getting himself killed, again.” He turned to Link, emphasizing the last bit, but Link rolled his eyes and turned away.

“This is all fucked up,” Aryll said. “No wonder Link doesn’t trust anyone.”

“Welcome to your fucked up family,” Rusl said. He turned his horse around to head back into the forest.

“I don’t know if I’d say you’re fucked up,” Aryll started. “But certainly unique. I don’t think anyone could top a hero brother and a father who came back from the dead.”

“You’d be surprised,” Link muttered. “Give it time. Something else is bound to pop up.”

Rusl grinned over his shoulder. “You really don’t want to get any deeper than you already are.”

Aryll frowned. “How much deeper can we get?”

“Depends on how much of the truth you want to know,” Rusl said. “Hyrule is built on secrets. Hylia even has her own secrets.”

“How so?” Aryll asked, her gaze narrowed on her father. “She’s a Goddess. How can you possibly know she has secrets?”

“It’s our job to know,” Rusl said. “Hylians are the embodiment of Hylia.” He glanced at his daughter. “Maybe you haven’t noticed, but we’re not like everyone else.”

Aryll hesitated. “Well, yeah, I guess.”

“That being said, we’re not exactly like Hylians once were, either. The bloodlines have changed through the generations. There are very few true Hylians left. Even those that remain do not carry the same power that Hylians once had.”

“What are you saying?”

“Hylians are dying out,” Rusl said frankly. “The Sheikah are dying out. And once we do, so will Hylia. No one believes in her like they once did.”

Aryll frowned. “So, what secrets does she have?”

Rusl glanced at his children. “It’s not important,” he said after a moment.

Link narrowed his gaze on him. “It sounds important.”

“It’s not,” Rusl insisted. “The point is, this war gets deeper with every rebirth of the hero. With every generation, Hylia’s powers weaken.”

“What does that mean?” Aryll pressed.

“It means that Hyrule is coming to its end,” Rusl said. “Not in our lifetime, but soon. The Hylians will be extinct, and as a result, the spirits of the hero will not be reborn. Ganondorf will rise and Demise will return to power.”

“So, what’s the point of all of this if he’s going to get his way in the end, anyway?” Aryll sneered.

“That’s not for us to decide,” Rusl said. “Whatever happens in the end is beyond our control. All we can do is buy Hyrule time. We stop Ganondorf every time and hope that somewhere down the line, there is a way to break the curse.”

“You’re leaving the entire future of the world up to chance?” Link sneered.

Rusl turned to him. “What do you think you can do about it?”

“I wouldn’t stand around and do nothing.”

“The Sheikah have been trying for years,” Rusl assured him. “No one is standing around and doing nothing.”

“What in the hell did we do to deserve this damn curse, anyway?” Aryll muttered.

“The Goddesses took everything from Demise,” Rusl explained. “This world belonged to him.”

Aryll blinked at her father. “That’s… that’s not true!”

“It is. Whether you want to believe it or not. He was originally intended to keep the Triforce safe, but he abused that power. That’s when Hylia stepped in to stop him and sealed him away.”

“The Triforce belongs to Demise,” his father said, his voice strong. “It has since the dawn of time. We’re here to return it to its rightful owner.”

Link stared blankly at him for a moment, then narrowed his gaze. “What are you talking about?”

“Hylia has covered this truth throughout the ages. That’s why Sheikah have abandoned the royal family. That’s why the Yiga Clan exists; to bring back the truths of this world.”

Link searched his father’s gaze desperately. “You can’t be serious…”

“The Goddesses thought they sensed evil intent in Demise, so they took the Triforce from him and entrusted it with Hylia instead. They wrongly accused him and sealed him away. That’s why Hyrule has fallen to his supposed curse. That’s why Hyrule belongs to Demise.”

Link’s stomach knotted sickeningly. The conversation he had with his father was so vivid. He had brushed it off as a hallucination at first… but was it real? Was this his father’s plan all along? To push himself into their lives, regain their trust, and send them to their deaths?

“Hyrule doesn’t belong to him,” Aryll insisted. “Not if he had evil intent.”

“You’re right,” Rusl said. “But that’s how it was. That’s why things are this way.”

“And there’s nothing we can do to prevent this?” Aryll asked softly.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about,” Rusl said.

“But we should be worrying about it,” Aryll said, raising her voice. “We should be doing something!”

“The Sheikah have dedicated their lives to this,” Rusl said. “If there’s a way to change Hyrule’s future, they will find it.” He looked over his shoulder, noticing then that Link had fallen behind. His horse was grazing happily, and Link’s forehead was creased as he stared at the ground, deep in thought.

“Look,” Rusl started. “I’m sorry I said anything. I wasn’t going to because I knew you would try to make this your problem. But I promised no more secrets.”

Link looked up and met Rusl’s gaze. No; it couldn’t have been real. If it were, then they would have already had this conversation. Rusl would have remembered - would have known that he said what he said to Link - and never would have showed up in their life like he did, otherwise Link would have taken him out himself. Link would have known him to be a traitor. It was only logical, then, that his conversation with his father was a hallucination. Still, it didn’t explain how he could have imagined such a conversation when he never knew this information to begin with.

“What’s wrong?”

His father’s face was creased with worry.

“You told me this,” Link started. “When I was there.” His brows furrowed and he looked down at the ground. “Except you were working with them. You tried to get me killed.” He hesitated. “If it were just a hallucination, how could I have known that?”

His father didn’t seem fazed by Link’s words. “It’s part of who we are,” he said. “It’s a subconscious kind of knowledge. Like the power of the Triforce. You really didn’t know it was there until you needed to know.”

“The voice of Hylia,” Aryll said softly. “That’s what they say, right? That only Hylians can hear her. We just don’t really listen anymore, do we?” She frowned. “We’re responsible for our own demise.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Rusl said. “Even the Sheikah can’t know for sure what the future holds. There’s almost always more than what meets the eye.”

[wykart]

Does it Matter (It’s Klaus)

Part 2 of Fifty-one years (and one day) later (read on ao3)

Summary: The truth comes out, and Klaus must come to grips with the fact that his entire life of happiness with Dave was taken away by his own brother.

Chapter 9: Like you loved me (chpt. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8)

5 hours,

Now this was high. Everything he’d experienced before, the pills and the drink and the smokes, all knitted into a veil that he pulled over his eyes to obscure the world – this world. His world.

He was floating feet off the ground, arms outstretched, feeling the power of the spirits that walked beside him flow through every tendon. The screams of the living and the dead alike rang in the sky like music. Ben was beside him, finally letting his power take him over – without risk of death this time – and he was free. The monster had a mind of its own, coiling around debris, people, anything it could find. It fed off chaos, just like Klaus did, otherworldly screams muffled from the other side of the portal, beasts struggling through. Every casualty joined his ranks, rising in their fear, confusion, and anguish. Everyone of them only added to the noise, and every one of them took a little piece of him away.

…

4 hours,

It was far easier to find Klaus this time. They’d eaten some breakfast back at the academy, blissfully unaware of just how far the situation would escalate. Mom had been delighted at the chance to make them blueberry pancakes, and bacon and eggs, all arranged into an inappropriate number of smiley faces for the sombre occasion. The next few hours were relatively uneventful as well. They went back to Vanya’s apartment, just in case he’d returned there in the morning, but no luck. They checked his on-again off-off-again rehab centre, and the local police station (during which the wanted Diego stayed in the car), but still no luck. Luther suggested checking the veteran bar again, even though they’d checked there the previous night – much to the distaste of the owner. The suggestion coincided with a report crackling over Diego’s police attuned radio – some sort of freak accident/potential homicide in that very bar.

As they drove towards the establishment, however, it became clear that the attack had spread beyond the bar.

“Is that –“ Allison muttered.

“Klaus.” Luther finished. He was there, hovering in mid air, arms outstretched and leading a parade of shambling corpses. He radiated blue light, coursing from him in pulses that pushed through the air. There it was again, that feeling from back at the apartment, only so much stronger this time. Sound pressed against their eardrums, forcing the blood to their head and their hands to shake. The three of them staggered out of the car, Luther with his arm around Allison, helping her stand. The buildings alongside the macabre procession were ruined; windows smashed in, brick blown apart, cars crushed and abandoned at the roadside. The living ran and dodged between the rows of dead, or clawed across the rubble-strewn ground, moments away from joining them. Klaus seemed oblivious – in fact, Diego noticed he was wearing headphones and doing a sort of awkward mid–air dance.

“Five was right,” Diego shouted over the noise, “this is fucking apocalyptic!”

“What do we do?” Asked Allison, staggering up beside him.

“We have to try and talk to him, he’ll listen to us, we’re family.” Luther didn’t seem so sure of himself, so much for inspiring leadership.

“Is that…” Allison pointed, seeming to have lost the ability to speak. Sure enough, all three of them turned to see a giant glowing tentacle smash into the side of a building, tearing down half the second floor and pulling it to the ground.

“Ben,” Diego and Luther muttered, watching as their brother, a ghostly spectre, came into view from the other side of the street. His mouth was contorted in pain as the monstrous entities extended from his torso, flailing in the air.

Clearly, someone had tried to stop the procession, as Diego spotted many uniformed officers crushed and splayed on the ground, or else marching along with the others. Diego wondered how many of them he knew.

“Come on!” He yelled, “we have to do something.” The other two nodded, and together, they faced the oncoming hoard with heads held high, approaching their brother as if they’d caught him raiding the liquor cabinet at home rather than raising an army of the dead.

“Hey, Klaus!” Diego yelled, trying to keep his voice level. Klaus whirled around, taking one of the buds out of his ears. He waved excitedly. Diego waved back, nervous, looking sideways at Allison and Luther for support.

Klaus lowered himself so he was floating just a few inches off the ground. The dead continued to wreak havoc, but stopped their advancement up the street. “Oh, hiya Diego,” Klaus grinned, “did you know I can float now?” He did a little twirl in mid-air for emphasis.

“Uhhh, yeah that’s great buddy, why don’t you come on down and we can talk.” He was putting on his police officer voice, diplomatic, stoic, and just a little intimidating.

“Do you want a peanut?” Klaus asked, waving a packet in the air, “they’re salted.”

“I’m alright, thanks,” he tried not to look at the spectres either side of his brother, and the way they were staring at him like they were ready to tear him limb from limb. He took a few cautious steps closer, with the other two following close behind.

“It’s not just floating that’s new I see,” he said, indicating the destruction surrounding them.

“Oh, you noticed,” he sniggered.

“What are you planning on doing with your… friends.”

“Well, funny you should ask, I was just on my way back to the academy to see you guys!” He giggled, waving at Allison, who gave a nervous half-smile back.

“Well, why don’t you stop all this and just come back with us, I think we’ve all got a lot to talk about, and to… apologise for.”

“That’s okay Diego, I didn’t want to talk to you anyway,” his expression darkened suddenly, and he’s eyes gleamed blue, “I just wanna talk to Five.”

“Talk… okay, well, Five thinks you might be out to kill him.”

“Oh, well, I’m out to kill everyone, so tell him he’s nothing special,” he smirked.

“Klaus, you can’t just go around killing people!” Luther yelled. Diego glared at him as if to say I got this, asshole.

“Why not, they like it better,” he whined, “and you will too, I mean look at Ben, he’s having a blast!” He turned and gave Ben a double thumbs up, though he didn’t seem to notice, eyes still glazed over, tentacles tearing through the rubble.

Luther, Diego, and Allison shared a worried look, the two of them nodded at Allison, who raised her voice at Klaus. “I heard a r–“

“Ugh, Allison,” he groaned, as her eyes rolled up into whites and her knees buckled underneath her, “please, for once, just shut up.” Allison cowered on the ground, hands clasping at her ears and shuddering.

Luther bent down by her side. “Allison,” he whispered, urgently, “Allison are you alright.” She didn’t seem to be able to hear him, she looked as if she was about to faint.

Diego took another step towards Klaus, covertly unsheathing one of his knives. He didn’t know what exactly he was hoping to do with it – maybe a good cut would snap Klaus out of this madness. It whistled towards his abdomen, but stopped in mid-air just before it reached his exposed midriff.

“Diego,” Klaus tutted, “bad idea.” The knife spun around in the air and came hurtling back towards him, but he ducked out of the way. Luther stood up, holding the unconscious Allison in his arms, face twisted in anger.

“Get her back to the car!” Diego yelled, at which Luther didn’t have time to argue. He hoisted her up and ran for it. Diego turned back to Klaus, taking a few more cautious steps towards him. “Klaus! Just stop this, I don’t want to fight you, just come back the academy with us, please.”

“She’s angry with you, you know,” he teased, folding his arms.

“What?” He snapped.

“She’s all like arrghh!” He laughed, putting on an animated angry expression. “Why didn’t you pick up the phone, Diego!” A wave of grief came over him, he felt his muscles go slack, his feet rooted to the ground. How did he know? He hadn’t – no, it was impossible. “Seriously bro, the one time she actually wanted to talk to you and you weren’t there.”

“You’d b–better stop talking right now,” he muttered, cold.

“Did you know it’s really Five’s fault she’s dead?” He said, still not listening to him. “Those freaks were only in town because they wanted Five, I mean, they used to be work buddies, and they killed her!”

“Shut up!”

“Just a little something we have in common,” he grinned.

Diego felt tears stinging his eyes, he blinked them away, even as he heard her voice in his head. Why weren’t you there? He saw her face in the dark behind his eyes, rotting flesh, pale eyes, anger. Eudora.

He staggered backwards, and he could hear Klaus laughing. Around him, the dead got to work again, marching onwards, converging on him. Diego scrambled to his feet and ran, the voices still taunting him as if they were his very thoughts. Luther was running up to meet him from the car.

“Go!” He yelled, “go back now, we need to get back to the academy!”

“We can’t just leave him like this,” Luther argued, “he’s tearing the city apart!”

“Yes, we can. Five was right,” he said, regretting every word. He grabbed Luther by the shoulder and attempting to steer him away. “We need to stop him, however we can.”

As they turned to run, Klaus caught sight of the look in their eyes. There was no pity anymore, not a trace of it. Now their eyes were full of fear. It felt so much better.

…

2 hours,

“I can walk, Luther, okay,” Allison’s voice sounded from outside. Vanya stopped playing and rested her violin down on the seat, rushing out to see if they were okay. Coming out to the entrance hall, she saw Luther with an arm draped around Allison, who was trying to shrug him off, though she did seem a little shaky. Diego was uncharacteristically silent, standing rooted to the spot with a dark expression.

“Guys,” she said, feeling useless, “you’re back.” She looked around hopefully but, of course, Klaus wasn’t with them. “No luck with Klaus then,” she added.

Diego sprang into action, putting on his usual scowl. “Where’s Five,” he muttered, barging past her.

“I – I think he’s still upstairs with Pogo,” she said, knowing he wasn’t really listening. Luther and Allison followed Diego up the stairs, passing Vanya as if she were invisible. It was okay, she was used to it. She followed them up as well, wondering if they’d try and stop her from joining them. She felt like a kid again, left out, practically under house arrest. All these years… and nothing had changed.  

…

“Shit,” Diego gasped as he pushed open the office door. It creaked as it swung aside to reveal a dismal scene. They didn’t know what they’d expected, leaving Five alone in their dad’s office all day. Maybe something a little better than this. Papers were strewn all over the floor and pinned up haphazardly on the walls, along with a tapestry of equations and notes scrawled in chalk. Five himself was laying face down on their father’s desk, arm dangling over the edge towards his weird half-mannequin propped up against the wood. A litter of empty bottles lay on the floor, as did their father’s journal. If only Reginald could see his precious office now.

“Is he drunk?” Allison asked, stepping gingerly over the piles of papers on the ground.

“I’d say that’s a pretty safe bet,” Diego muttered, striding over to the desk. He prodded Five hard in the back, and he reacted strikingly fast. He gripped Diego’s arm with surprising strength, even as his eyelids fluttered open and he forced out a yawn.

“Five, what do you think you’re doing?” Luther grunted, doing his best to imitate their father’s sharp, cold tone.

“I’m working,” Five murmured, voice groggy as he struggled to a sitting position.

“Oh really? Because you,” Diego snatched his arm out of Five’s back and nudged him, making Five winced, “you look like shit.”

“I can’t believe this,” Allison sighed, sifting through a pile of notes. They were scrawled over in black ink in such detail that the original contents of the papers were illegible. “please tell me you have something.” She was getting desperate, they all were.

“So, I see you’re all alive,” Five drawled, now sitting, legs swinging over the side of the desk. His hair stuck up at odd angles and there were dark circles under his eyes. Somehow, he looked even worse than when they’d left him on the hospital bed this morning. “I’ll admit, I didn’t expect that.”

“Okay,” Diego sighed, barging past them and slumping back in the over-sized office chair. “I admit it, you were right.”

“Just be thankful you aren’t dead,” Five muttered, snatching the notes that Allison was holding and pressing the paper up to his eyes intently. “Actually,” he said, not taking his eyes off the page, “right about which part?”

“Well, Klaus can’t be reasoned with, and he seemed pretty intent on killing everyone too,” Luther grumbled. He looked like he was going to be sick, and it was true – none of them could really believe it.

“And how much have things progressed,” Five asked, though he didn’t really seem to be listening.

“Well let’s see,” Allison said, mockingly, “he’s floating down the street with an army of the dead and he’s tearing the city apart, I’d say they’ve progressed pretty far.” It was rare for Allison to lose her tempter. Her legs still quivered underneath her, and she was shaken by the whole ordeal.

“Shit,” Vanya muttered, “he really is going to cause the apocalypse.” A horrible part of her felt relieved that it wasn’t her, that they’d been wrong about her.

“No, it still doesn’t make sense,” Five muttered, flicking through the nonsensical pages in front of him.

“Okay,” Diego snapped as he snatched the pages from his hands and forced Five to look him in the eyes. Five scowled. “You’re the one who’s not making sense, can you help him or not?”

“As I’m sure you’ve discovered for yourself, this isn’t about helping him,” he sighed, defeated, “not anymore.”

“So what are you saying,” asked Luther, “it’s too late?”

Five looked lost, sitting there dishevelled on the desk, looking between each of them. He shook his head, training his eyes on his shoes as they swung absent-mindedly beneath him. “I don’t know,” he said in a small voice, lip quivering just minutely enough that the others didn’t notice. “I think so.”

“But there has to be some other–“

“I’ve looked, okay,” he snapped, “I’ve tried, but there’s nothing. I don’t think dad ever realised how powerful Klaus was, I don’t think he ever really cared. Klaus was a lost cause to him, there’s preliminary research up until Klaus was about twelve, but then it just stops, no more progress.” He pressed his palms to his eyes, wiping away the sweat pooling on his forehead. “If I just had more time, maybe I could crack it. I mean, alternate dimensions, this is my bread and fucking butter, but this is, I mean, we’re talking about the dead!” He slumped over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. “We’re all fucked,” he finished, barely over a whisper.

Luther, Diego, and Allison exchanged a worried glance. “So what you’re saying is you have nothing,” Allison sighed.

“So we have to stop him, right? Whatever means necessary,” Luther asked, dejected.

“Which would be all well and good if we had the means. Pogo was saying something about Klaus ‘going over the edge’ he’s like a medium between life and death, and if we could just bring him back over, just for a moment, then he might be… well, we could kill him.”

“But we won’t, right?” Allison asked. To no response she cried, more urgently, “right?”

“This is the fate of the world, Allison,” Luther grumbled.

“Don’t give me that crap!”

“Well it doesn’t matter either way,” Five snarked, “because I have no idea how to do that.” The room was left in pensive silence, of which Vanya took advantage.

“Guys, I, err, I really have to get going,” she broached.

“What for?” Five asked, still staring up at the ceiling, still not listening.

“My concert's in a couple of hours, I’m already late, actually, but I wanted to stay as long as I could and make sure everyone got back safe.”

“Klaus is tearing the city apart you can’t just go play in a concert,” said Diego, rolling his eyes. He didn’t think she was capable of understanding the danger, typical Vanya, she never understood anything.

“He’s right, Vanya, you’re staying here,” Five agreed. She supposed he was right, but couldn’t help but feel as if her siblings were stealing this moment away from her. She’d thought that maybe this would finally be her chance to be in the limelight, then Klaus had decided to end the world. No, that wasn’t fair… she knew how it felt, for that power to take you over, even if she’d only experienced it for a brief moment.

“What are we going to do?” Allison asked, more to herself than any of the others. “There has to be some sort of limit to what he can do, right? Do you really think he could keep this up across the whole world?”

“He keeps bringing forth spirits, which strengthens his connection to them, which brings forth more spirits” Five mused “– bit of a destructive spiral really, something I’m sure Klaus knows a thing or two about.”

“Does he even know what he’s doing?” Luther asked sombre.

“He sure seemed to,” Diego shrugged, “he was still himself, it was freaky.”

“What did he say to you?” Asked Five, “any sort of plan?”

“Well yeah,” Diego said, “he said he wanted to kill everyone, and he’s coming here to the academy, that’s the gist of it anyway.”

“Okay, so it’s decided, you all go someplace safe. He’s coming here, but I’m the one he wants. Once he has me maybe he’ll –“

“Woah, woah,” Allison exclaimed, “that’s so not happening.”

“I mean I don’t see why not,” Diego shrugged, “Five is the one that started this mess.”

“He’s our brother, we’re not just going to let Klaus kill him!” Luther snapped.

Suddenly the room was alive with the sound of their voices, bickering and pointing fingers with animated expressions. Vanya was still standing in the doorway. They kept on arguing. They all kept talking and didn’t even notice her, they never really did.

“Can you please just let me talk to him,” she said, hoping that one of them would care, or at least hear her. She was used to being shoved to the side, and now, when she was supposedly the most powerful of them all, it was still happening. She wasn’t their pitifully ordinary, meek little sister anymore, it was worse, because they were scared, treating her like a fragile little thing – especially Five.

She sighed, drawing back into herself, stepping away from the crowd and towards the door. She wondered if any of them would actually notice if she left. There was faint knock that sounded from downstairs – the front door. The others didn’t noticed. She listened closer, and there is was again, a knock that stood out against the timbre of their arguing voices. “I’ll just get that,” she mumbled, too quiet for them to hear. She stepped out of the office.

Walking down the stairwell, a muffled voice sounded from the other side of the doors to the academy. “Hey, guys?” It was Klaus. He sounded like himself, voice small and lost, calling out to them. According to the others, he was tearing buildings apart, so clearly a door couldn’t stop him.

“Klaus?” She called, cautious, as she walked down the stairs. This was the perfect opportunity to talk to him, actually talk. She knew she could get through to him, so much of what they’d suffered through was the same. Upstairs, the others were plotting ways to kill him, but what if it had been her? If she was the one causing all this instead, like Five had said, would they have found it so easy to kill her too?

…

1 hour

“Knock knock,” Klaus cooed, from the other side of the door. He still sounded so… normal. Nevertheless, she was wary as she approached the him.

“Hey there, Klaus,” she said, opening the door for him. It was an unnecessary courtesy, if Five was to be believed, but she did it all the same. It seemed ludicrous, her casual tone – trying to act so calm as her heart beat double in her chest. It felt so strange, was she actually scared of him? She pulled the door open to find him standing there – rooted to the spot, not hovering like a maniac as the others had recounted. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, seeming sheepish and restless. He earphones spilled out of his shirt collar, a tattered military vest pulled over the top. So it was true, he really had traveled back in time. She gave him a welcoming smile.

“Hey sis,” he smirked. This time when he spoke, his voice was layered, ringing true with a thousand others. They made her ears sting. He dashed past her, letting the door shut behind him. Wandering out into the centre of the entrance hall, he stuck his hands in the pockets of his vest, rocking backwards on his heels. She noticed a faint blue glow emanating from them.

…

“I have to try, okay! I can’t just stand by and let this – wait,” Five’s eyes darted around the room, “where’s Vanya?” As soon as the words left his mouth, the door of the office swung shut, and the locks clicked. “Shit,” he hissed, “Luther, do you think you could… Luther?” Large hands clamped down on Five’s shoulders and, before he could jump away, he felt that wave of nausea overcome him again, voices muttering like static in the back of his mind, chest tight, that feeling like he was falling.

“Luther, what the fuck!” Diego spat, shoving into Luther as he tried to hold the struggling Five in place. He might as well have shoved against a tree, and when Luther threw a punch back, Diego slammed against the wall with a deafening crack.

Five threw himself against the door, much to the protest of his recovering body. Luther grabbed him again and held him in place. Five knew if he turned he’d see blue eyes staring back. “Get him off me!” He cried, but as he craned his neck around he saw Allison standing there, bodies stiff and muscles shaking, eyes filled with that blue light. Klaus was holding them all at once, stopping them from intervening – but with what?

Five kicked against Luther’s grip, trying to bite at his arms through the thick material of his trench coat. “Vanya!” He screamed, over and over, but she couldn’t hear. “Vanya, come back, please come back!”

…

“What’re you up to?” She asked, still going for the casual approach. She felt pathetic, in a way the almost made her laugh at the absurdity of it all.

“Oh, nothing much,” he grinned, “I just came to pay the old family a visit.” Vanya forced a smile back, giggling nervously. Klaus’ expression darkened, and she felt his eyes on her, staring right through. “Where’s Five?” He asked, feigning innocence. His playful tone sent a cold shiver through her. It was they same tone he used when he’d use when they were kids, cracking jokes to take the edge off their cold, secluded childhood. “I need to talk to him.”

Vanya backed away. “H-he’s not here right now.”

“Aww, come on Van, I know you’re lying,” he teased, pouting comically, “if you’d just tell me you could save yourself a whole lotta trouble,” he smirked, almost sweetly.

“Listen, I–I know what you did to him, you hurt him Klaus-“

He cut her off. She could barely stand she was shaking so much. Was it really all nerves – or was it him? “Well, do you know what he did?” His voice was sharp, cutting through the eerie texture, the stolen voices, the whispers that followed every world. It was his own voice, Klaus, breaking through the din, cracked with emotion. Of course she knew, and she didn’t know what to say. He noticed her pointed silence, and broke a smile. “Oh Vanya, I know this is hard for you. You and Five were always so close, you’ve spent over sixteen years missing him and now he’s finally back – but you’re blind,” he drawled, mouth drawn tight into a hard line. “You can’t see what he’s become, none of you can. He might look like the same little innocent, insufferable kid, but he’s not. Our brother died when he ran away that day, he’s a cold-blooded killer, and he doesn’t care about us – care about you – at all.”

“Is that what you tell yourself, that he’s not our brother.” She spoke up, mustering all her courage. “Is that how you’re bringing yourself to hurt him?” He was silent for a moment, and the way he was looking down at his bare feet on the marble floors, he almost looked remorseful. “Look, I understand how you’re feeling right now,” she ventured, “I know it’s gonna sound crazy, but I have power too, so much, in fact, that Dad gave me those pills to get rid of them. It’s scary when you…” she cast her mind back to that night in the parking lot, the way it had surged out of her, the fear in the men’s eyes as they’d been thrown back to their deaths. “when you feel that power inside you, when you can’t hold it back.” He looked at her, looked like he might actually be listening. “I’m just trying to say that… you don’t have to do this. We can help each other.”

He gave her a sad half-smile. “You can’t help me.”

“No, Klaus,” she said, moving towards him, eyes full of sympathy. Klaus say differently. He saw pity. He didn’t want their fucking pity. “I understand.” But she didn’t.

There was a dangerous glint in his eyes, a hint of the blue fire that her brother had warned her about. He took a step towards her, focusing on her. Voices were whispering, coming from inside her head. She blinked, reaching her hands up to her ears in confusion. Klaus smiled. “But you can still feel it, can’t you? Someone waiting inside, waiting to come out. All she needs is a little music.”

“Klaus,” she spluttered, as the whispers turned to screams. He clasped her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “Please don’t, please don’t” she murmured, but he just kept on smiling.

“You’re just like me Vanya,” he put a hand on her shoulder, and the noise was magnified tenfold. “You use those pills to keep it all pushed down, because it scares you, what you can do, but you don’t have to be scared anymore.” She felt something stirring, as her ears throbbed and thrummed. There were faces behind her eyes, but she could barely make out the words they were screaming, there were too many. “Dad tried to keep us shut away, tried to use us, but we’re capable of so much more.”

“Please stop…”

“And Ben,”

“Please, please…”

“He was too, and it killed him, it tore him apart. We were meant for more than this, Vanya,” he pressed his forehead to her own, and the sound felt like a knife cutting through her head. It was drowning her, but she didn’t feel that spark, that rising power. Her medication was keeping it down, despite the overwhelming noise, it wasn’t enough. Klaus shuddered, tears spilling over. “It’s not working,” he mumbled, bringing his hand off her shoulder, fingers quivering. “All that power, it’s trapped.” It was as if he grieved for it. Vanya collapsed to the floor, head in her hands, his hold over her finally relinquished. “You don’t understand,” he hissed, “I need it, I need it!” He cried, reaching up his trembling fingers to the sides of his skull, clawing at his hair, pressing his eyes shut. He looked like he used to on those nights when the ghosts were at their worst – curled up against the wall, muttering to himself, lost to reality. “Come on Vanya,” he sobbed, “help me, help me…”

“No, Klaus,” she wiped away blood from her nose, scrambling to her feet. “You need help! You’re right, Ben had power, just like us, and it killed him. It’s killing you now, it’s destroying everything, can’t you see that!”

“I thought you would understand, Vanya, this power… I can’t stop it, I can’t.” He panted, stumbling forwards. “No, no I need to do it, they need me to do it.”

“What if he could see you now – Ben,” she cried. They’d always been so close, Ben by his side, comforting him. “What do you think he’d say, seeing you like this?”

It was back, that faint bluish glow, his eyes glazed with death. “Funny you should ask about him, little sister,” he grinned. She stepped back as he rose from the ground. He hovered a few inches above it, curls twisting in still air.

Her voice trembled as she spoke, such a trivial thing, but it came out almost automatically. “We’re the same age.”

“Oh Vanya,” he pouted, shaking his head “you’re all little to me.” His eyes flared bright blue, and Vanya watched as a figure solidified beside him – from a blueish glow to flesh and dark fabric. He was there, as if he’d never left, as if he’d grown up with them all this time. Ben.

He ran towards her, grabbing her by the shoulders, urgency sown into his face, the face she’d been missing for thirteen years, her closest friend. “Vanya!” He cried, “Run, you have to run, okay?”

She barely registered what he was saying, just stared with wide eyes. “B–Ben.” She stuttered, voice quivering.

He shook her, “Please! Just go, he’s going to make me –“ He stopped short, spine wrenched straight, neck pulled up. He let go of Vanya and she stumbled backwards to the foot of the stairs. Light pulsed in his eyes, taking over.

All the while, he struggled, screaming. “Klaus! Klaus you can’t, please don’t make me, don’t make me…” his voice trailed off and his face went slack. The blue fire that was left behind couldn’t see, it didn’t care.

“I’m sorry,” Klaus shuddered, he was puzzling something over, battling with himself behind those dead eyes. “I need you to help me, but it’s gonna be okay,” he nodded, trying to convince himself, “it’s all gonna be okay.” He clasped his eyes shut and tensed his arms, the faint blue glow that swam around his hands strengthened to spotlights, and Ben arched back, opening his jacket, opening the portal.

Vanya realised too late what he was doing, mostly because it was so difficult to believe. The tentacles surged out, a roar sounding from somewhere beyond this world, deafening. He turned clumsily and clambered up the stairs, but in moments one of them swept her legs out from under her, and she fell hard against the floor. Her head throbbed and her vision blurred and one of them wrapped around her stomach, hoisting her up. Another slung itself around her neck, squeezing. She was only suspended there for a moment, just long enough to see him standing there, Klaus. Tears were streaming down his cheeks.

“K–Klaus,” she choked, as the tentacle tightened around her windpipe, winding back, tensing. It twisted suddenly, pulling her head around in a swift motion. Her neck snapped. She only felt it for a second, the bone popping out against the skin of her neck, and the stain of mottled blue on her retinas as she looked down into those terrible eyes.

…

Ben watched from behind dead eyes, and when Klaus relinquished his control, he ran to her side. “Vanya, oh god, oh god,” he sobbed, kneeling down beside her. “Vanya I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he scooped her up in his arms. She was so small, already growing so cold.

“Don’t be sad, Ben,” Klaus said from behind him, putting on a cheerful tone. “She’s just like you now, she can help us.” Klaus reached out to touch his brother’s shoulder, but Ben shrugged away, body wracked with sobs. He couldn’t get the words out, he could only hold her. He was scared, of Klaus, of himself, of what he would make him do to the others. Klaus stepped back, hurt. “Let’s go,” he muttered, and, with a jerk of his hand, Ben stood up, fading back into that blue light, falling in line.

Another figure stepped out of the air, eyes resting on her crumpled form at the foot of the stairs only for a moment. Ben stood at Klaus’ side and Vanya at the other, made of that same light. Her eyes were white, radiating power, her face contorted in anger.

[onestowatch]

From Stefani Germanotta to Lady Gaga to Mother Monster: How a Star Was Born [WHERE ARE THEY NOW?]

Photo: David Crotty/Getty Images

“I had a boyfriend who told me I’d never succeed, never be nominated for a Grammy, never have a hit song, and that he hoped I’d fail. I said to him, ‘Someday, when we’re not together, you won’t be able to order a cup of coffee at the fucking deli without hearing or seeing me.” These powerful words were uttered by Lady Gaga in 2010 and seem all the more prophetic than ever some odd nine years later. 

The GRAMMY Award–winning singer and songwriter, Academy Award–winning actress, philanthropist, and political activist has paved out a path for herself to become one of the most pivotal figures in pop music and culture as a whole. In light of a year that saw a slew of acclaim, from the Academy Awards, the GRAMMYs, and beyond, we reflect back on how Gaga, Mother Monster, known as Germ to her friends and Loopy to her father, rose from a girl who would supposedly “never succeed” to a household name who regularly makes history. 

Photo: Evening Standard 

Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in New York City, from a young age she was urged to pursue her creative inclinations, picking up the piano at age four at her mother’s behest that she become a “cultured young woman.” Performing at a host of open mic nights and in a series of plays growing up, Germanotta would follow her passion for creative arts for the entirety of her formative years, in spite of rejection. Though she did make a small appearance in an episode of The Sopranos when she was 14, Gaga unsuccessfully auditioned for a number of New York shows. With an Oscar under her belt now, we are sure it is all water under the bridge. 

Earning early admission to Collaborative Arts Project 21, a musical theatre training conservatory partnered with New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, at the age 17, the distinctive nightlife of New York City would become a wellspring of creative influence for the soon-to-be Mother Monster. Dropping out of school in her sophomore year to fully focus on music, Germanotta would make her musical debut with Grandmaster Melle Mel on the audiobook accompaniment to the children’s book The Portal in The Park, but more importantly, it was during this time she would form The Stephanie Germanotta Band. 

The Stephanie Germanotta Band, popularly shortened to The SGBand, would become a staple of the downtown Lower East Side club scene and the catalyst to Lady Gaga. Talent scout Wendy Starland would discover Germanotta at one of The SGBand’s shows, and subsequently introduced her to producer Rob Fusari, whom she would go on to date for a brief period and is purportedly the first one to call her by the name “Lady Gaga.” With a name taken from Queen’s song “Radio Ga Ga,” the music produced alongside Fusari would go on to catch the eye of Def Jam Records, and the rest was history, or so we would say if Def Jam Records did not go on to drop Gaga three short months after signing her. 

Following the unfortunate turn of events, Gaga would return to her family home heartbroken yet resolute to make a name for herself. Immersing herself in New York’s growing underground neo-burlesque scene, she would come to befriend performance artist Lady Starlight. Taking inspiration from ‘70s tribute acts and glam rock, the pair would adopt the name Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue and present ‘The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Rockshow’ at venues around New York, as well as a set at Lollapalooza in 2007. During their time performing together, which continues to this day, multiple people would see the promise in this experimental pop artist, the likes of which included record executive Vincent Herbert, Akon, and chairman and CEO of Interscope Records, Jimmy Iovine. 

Akon, who had met Gaga during her time at Sony/ATV, where she wrote songs for Britney Spears, Fergie, and The Pussycat Dolls, persuaded Iovine to sign the then undiscovered artist to a joint deal record deal. This joint deal would produce The Fame. For those of you somehow unfamiliar with The Fame, it is Gaga’s landmark debut album and one of the important pieces of 21st-century pop. Yet, in spite of securing a record deal, some radio stations still refused to play her music, citing it as too provocative, dance-oriented, and underground. Gaga’s response? “My name is Lady Gaga, I've been on the music scene for years, and I'm telling you, this is what's next.”

The Fame proved not to be just a successful debut for Gaga; it established Gaga as an artist fully capable of unapologetically doing things her own way and having the world applaud her for it. Preceded by the singles “Just Dance” and “Poker Face,” the latter of which would go on to become 2009’s best-selling single in the world, The Fame would also receive Gaga five GRAMMY nominations and two wins, officially proving that boyfriend all those years ago oh so wrong. Critical acclaim and record-breaking would become commonplace for Gaga.

“Poker Face” broke yet another record, spending 83 weeks on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart. “Bad Romance” become the most watched music video on YouTube in April of 2010, and in that same year, Gaga became the first person with more than a billion combined views on the platform. She was the most nominated artist for a single year at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, as well as the first female artist to receive two nominations for “Video of the Year” during the same ceremony. She entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the most downloaded female act in a year in the US in 2008. In 2010, Gaga’s first headlining tour, ‘The Monster Ball Tour’ grossed over 227-million dollars, making it the highest grossing concert for a headlining artist ever. The list goes on.

It was difficult to imagine Gaga topping the astronomical success of her debut, but then she released “Born This Way” in 2011, the lead single from the eponymous sophomore album. Selling more than one million copies in a span of five days, it would net Gaga another page in the Guinness World Record book for the fastest selling single on iTunes. The acclaim and awards for Born This Way poured in in similar effect to The Fame, but what is most remarkable is not the fact that Gaga managed to do it twice, or even four times with the release of 2013’s Artpop and 2016’s Joanne, but that throughout it all she remained completely true to herself.

Photo: Candice Lawler 

While vast sonic exploration exists throughout Gaga’s impressive catalogue, from the experimental aesthetic of her experimental underground club days to her sound in The Fame days to the more restrained poise of modern Gaga, her ethos has remained the same. It is an ethos centered around the idea that as long as you are true to yourself, you are beautiful and important, and it begins to explain just why so many people resonate with her as an artist. This is not pop selling you a perceived notion of beauty; this is Gaga telling you that “There’s nothing wrong with loving who you are.”

Beyond the realm of music, raising millions for charity and relief efforts, launching a nonprofit focused on empowering youth and community development, and advocating for LGBTQIA rights, Gaga has found the time to achieve another long-held dream of hers. Acting. Since first making that small appearance on The Sopranos in 2010, Gaga’s passion for the art form still burned all those years later. 

While she would appear in a few small roles in films during her rise to fame, it was not until 2015 that Gaga would see this dream fully-realized, appearing in American Horror Story: Hotel. She would also go on to return to the anthology series the next year in American Horror Story: Roanoke. However, chances are it was not her role as a supreme witch that left an impression but her landmark lead role in A Star Is Born.

A Star Is Born was the movie that proved we could somehow fall even in more with Gaga. A remake of a 1937 film of the same name, it captured the hearts of the critics and the public alike. From the impeccable soundtrack, which featured a whole host of Gaga songs to swoon over and cry to, to the performance of a lifetime, A Star Is Born cemented Gaga as an artist capable of doing it all. Co-writing and producing most of the songs on A Star Is Born alongside fellow star Bradley Cooper, the film’s lead single, “Shallow,” would earn Gaga her first Academy Award win for “Best Original Song.”

There is no one else quite like Gaga, and there likely never will be. Through rejection, dismissal, criticism, Mother Monster has gifted the world with lasting pop that will stand the test of time and all while doing it entirely on her own terms. So, whether you first become a fan of her from Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue, The Fame, A Star Is Born, or you are reading this after discovering her for the first time following the forthcoming release of her sixth studio album one thing is certain. There will always be a place for all of you little monsters. 

[radramblog]

Album Discussion- Absolution

Many hypothetical people who I made up have asked: Rad, since you’re such a massive Radiohead nerd, and are apparently into Coldplay as well somehow, how do you feel about other big UK alt-rock things? To which I will say, yeah, they’re pretty good, love me some Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys are good, I think Hard-Fi are super underrated.

“What about Muse?” the voice in my head says, attempting to pierce me with a single question.

Unfazed, I answer, banishing this dialogue from the script. I like them well enough? I have most of their albums on CD, but I’ve also not gone out of my way to listen to them in quite some time. So I guess we’re answering that question, and this time, we’re doing it with Absolution.

From what I can recall, this album was the one where the band tried to break away from being Radiohead-lite and developed their own style properly, which does show in a fair few tracks. But also, I only remember like 3 songs from this album, so this is going to be a learning experience for all of us. Shall we?

The album starts with a 22 second introduction. It’s marching and drums that leads into the start of track 2. Snore.

Track 2 is Apocalypse Please, a dramatic, piano-driven track that is mixed like shit (more on this later). Maybe it’s just the version I’m listening to, but everything is so utterly muddied aside from that piano and the synths that eventually come in. It’s a little frustrating, because the song would probably pretty alright, if I could actually hear any of it. The other elements of the track are playing off that piano nicely, I think, and the vocals do work with the style they’re going for. I know Matt Bellamy’s vocals aren’t really for everyone, and they can definitely get grating at times, but I do think this song suits them.

Next up is Time is Running Out, which I’m pretty sure is just one of Muse’s most iconic tracks. It’s no Supermassive Black Hole or big pop hit like Starlight (both coming from the next album, Black Holes and Revelations), but it’s overall just a very solid rock song. An extremely mid-00s chorus sandwiched between groovy verses and big handclaps and drums. I don’t know if the drums get enough credit on this song, their bit in the second and third prechorus is exquisite.

Muse is kind of interesting to talk about from a thematic perspective, because much of their work, especially on this and the next few albums, are going for this real larger-than-life, super big and important sort of vibe. And while there are some songs that do earn that, it can get to be a bit wanky at times. I don’t think Time is Running Out falls into this trap too much, but I’d argue the next one does.

Sing for Absolution, the title track, doesn’t really do it for me. It’s kinda hymnal, which is a fine thing to do in a rock song, but it also ends up being extremely plodding as a result. Even as the track picks up in the back half, it’s just sort of boring for me. I feel like you have to be fully committed to what the album is going for to really appreciate this, and I’m very much not at this point. Like, you put this as the third real song, and Time is Running Out isn’t as on-theme, so your big moment kind of lands as a whiff. Given time to breathe, maybe this track would sit better for me, but not here and not now.

By contrast, I fucking love track 5: Stockholm Syndrome. It might be my favourite Muse track, seeing as its just them unequivocally going for a banger- the drums are popping off and the guits are jamming, making it possibly the band’s heaviest song (to my knowledge, at least, though I suppose Psycho exists). That prechorus hits like a ton of bricks, and while the chorus is still incredibly Muse-y with the lyrics and spacey vibe, it works a lot better as a contrast to what surrounds it. I guess maybe it’s just because I’m a sucker for hard rock, but this song goes and I’m not afraid to admit that.

At this point, though, I’m wondering if the mix issues I think I’m having are a result of the Spotify version of the album, or if it’s my headphones. And…yeah, fuck, it does seem to be a Spotfiy issue! I peeped Apocalypse Please and Stockholm Syndrome on random youtube uploads, and they sound way better. It would appear that Spotify’s version of this album is just kind of dogshit, so I’d recommend listening elsewhere! Here’s a good Youtube upload of the Japanese edition, though Muse’s own page also works.

Now that that’s over with, I can start shitting on things that actually matter. Like the next song, Falling Away With You. It’d been a while since I’d heard this track, so when it was going through the incredibly boring first section, I was ready to dismiss it entirely. It does pick up, though, so I suppose I won’t just consider it completely shite. I do like the chorus, but frankly, that’s kind of all the track has going for it. There’s a synth element that reminds me of We’re Finally Landing (aka that song that Summoning Salt uses for all those videos), but that’s not really enough to keep me going, yknow?

We then have an Interlude. It would be remiss of me to complain about these, considering how much I love A Thousand Suns, but I’m not going to spend long talking about it. The riff is good?

Hysteria is another of Muse’s best-known songs, and the one I always kinda forget about. Don’t ask me how, this song absolutely goes. It’s got the fuzzed-out vocals, its got riffs for days, it’s got a tempo that doesn’t let up, it’s just a very good rock song. Unlike several other tracks on this album, it doesn’t have any interest in wasting time- there are no stops on this train. The bridge is great, and the incredibly intricate bassline is absolutely killer. I’m going to try to not forget this track exists again, because it’s genuinely quite good.

 The next song is one called Blackout. There really are a lot of songs with that name, as it turns out, though I’m going to take this moment to reiterate that the Linkin Park song with that name is criminally underrated. Muse’s take on the title is kind of a surprise- it’s an orchestral, slow dance-esque track, that steadily gets more eerie as the vocals rise. And then there’s just a static-y thing that inserts itself in, and like, I get what it’s going for, and I do feel like they needed something extra for that part of the song, but I’m not sure this was the best thing to go with. I thing the song is on the whole solid, though its one of those ones were I cannot imagine listening to it out of context. Not my style, I suppose.

Track 10 is the last single from the album, Butterflies and Hurricanes. I actually really like the build this song starts with, what with the lyric “your time is now” referencing Time is Running Out. And then that piano kicks in, and the song get’s fucking good. I feel like much of the album is going for that apocalypse vibe, but this one really captures it. Something about this piano line makes me think of looking out on a city as the buildings start to crumble.  This isn’t your final boss theme, but this is the one for when you’re starting to head for the final battle, you feel? The whole track drops out for a piano interlude, much more grand and orchestral than previous songs (save Blackout), which is fine but it goes on for just a little too long- I’d rather be listening to the other sections, you know? It does elevate the song’s final act, but at some point they needed to stop fucking around there- reminds me of Tame Impala’s Let It Happen. I bet the radio/single edit does the same thing that one does. Overall good despite that section, but it does frustrate me.

We’re onto The Small Print, a track that is apparently determined to prove me wrong when I said that Muse didn’t really do hard rock tracks that much. This song is very much a mid-00s alt-rocky banger with all the trappings and pop-punk/nu-metal influence that comes with that title. And while I am a major sucker for that era of music, there isn’t much distinguishing this track from all its compatriots in that group. It’s fun, though! Slap it on your emo/punk playlist, you won’t be disappointed, but it’s not game-changing.

The next song is Endlessly, unless you followed the link I posted earlier, because apparently the Japanese edition just sticks the bonus track here instead. I actually do remember this song, but I don’t really have much to say about it. It’s basically fine, but it was also uninteresting enough that I started working on my resume rather than take notes. It’s an Album Track, with all that implies in this context.

Our pseudopenultimate (I’m counting the bonus track, so) track comes in the form of Thoughts of a Dying Atheist, which has a vocal line I do really like, but at this point listening to the album, I’m tired. I’m at the point where I’ve had enough. I’m afraid of this colouring my opinion of the song! But beyond that little vocal trail, the track doesn’t have that much to say for itself that the album doesn’t already. I feel like I harp on about “album tracks” a lot, so let me be clear- I do think when you’re going for a specific theme or vibe, you do need songs like this to solidify it. And no album is going to be 10/10s all the way through, solely through the variance of opinion. There’s nothing wrong with them, is what I’m saying, and in fact I know several in this mould that I dearly belove. But since many won’t stand out to me, I won’t have much to say about them, and so they aren’t going to particularly pique my interest.

Technically the last song on the album is this one, Ruled by Secrecy. It’s got this mysterious vibe that genuinely reminds me of the quieter moments of the Portal 2 soundtrack, which for the unfamiliar is in fact a compliment. It does feel like an appropriate closer, a sense of finality carried by that ever-present dramatic piano action- this would probably make a good credits/denouement theme for a movie, actually. Again, though, I don’t really have much to compliment it for beyond that- the orchestral instrumentation works well for what the song is going for, but the package isn’t anything truly special. Kind of a frustrating place to be.

The bonus track attached to I believe just most versions of the album at this point is called Fury, formerly a B-Side on Sing for Absolution. It has a pretty sicknasty menacing bassline that dominates the verses, and a fairly interesting staccato for the chorus- honestly the instrumentation on this track is quite solid in general. I can see why it got the upgrade to album status, though listening to it after Ruled by Secrecy’s quiet end is going to be awkward. My own CD of this song actually doesn’t have this track, so I’ve never heard it before, and I gotta say I do quite like it. The bridge goes pretty hard, too. It’s a shame the vocals are pretty whatever, but also, they’re low in the mix below the bits I care about, so I’m less worried about that. Overall I like this a lot better than, like, half the “actual” album tracks.

This concludes Absolution. When I was doing a spot of research on this album, I found out Kerrang listed this as the second-best album of the century (as of ’09), which seems utterly absurd to me. The album is largely Pretty OK, not nearly close to that level of greatness, and yet I’m pretty sure it’s considered some of the band’s best. I unfortunately think that, to me, this album suffers from one of the most damning issues any alt-rocky, artsy album can have- it’s a Singles album. One where the gap in quality between the a few tracks and the remainder is great enough that there isn’t a huge reason to listen to the whole thing. It’s a real shame, because I recall liking this more, but that’s the way it is for me at the moment.

I do feel like I have to stress that: this is like, my opinion, man. I know this album means a lot to a lot of people, and that’s entirely valid. I mean, enough people liked it that it went Platinum in the US, Australia, and three times over in the UK. But it doesn’t resonate with me in the same way.  Maybe it’s just that in our modern ages, dramatic apocalypse rock doesn’t resonate as strongly, because at this point, the apocalypse is banal, it’s what we’re living through at this point. The sounds of the end of the world aren’t dramatic pianos and stretched vocals to me, it’s the sound of highways and newsreels. I guess 2004 just had a different zeitgeist.

[androgynousblackbox]

Fic for @anarchymorty because art trade. They asked a fic with both Ricardo and Mercil from their WTNV/Rick and Morty AU in the Citadel. Adapting to the Citadel have been a true ordeal for both of them. Since that creature from the toilet decided to devour their entire universe, they didn’t had much choice. They barely got to jump inside a green portal created by Ricardo before it could reach them and a second later, they found themselves in the middle of a special station full of men and young teenagers that looked exactly like them. Ricardo expected to respond a wave of questions from Mercil, but his boyfriend was so much interested into meeting as much Mortys as he could, especially the least human-looking ones. It made for their adaptation so much easier. In less than a month Mercil had already obtained a new job as the radio host of the Citadel (a job previously held by a very apathetic Rick who couldn’t give less of a fuck) and he already was making plans with other Ricks to create a new form of his rock band.  

Nothing but Ricks and Mortys were allowed in the Citadel, with the occasional exception of other members of the “Smith family” (whatever that was), so have Birdperson or Squanchy on board to do music was out of the question. Luckily they were safe in dimension fairly similar to their own, but he still needed to scratch that itch that having a stadium filled with people listening every note from his guitar represented. But even though things were looking up for them, Ricardo could still perceive that when the mic was off Mercil wasn’t as cheerful as he was before. Soon enough he realized that he must have been missing their dimension. They did have friends, after all, that they were never going to meet again and, despite how friendly Mercil was, he didn’t really had a chance to socialize with other Mortys before being taken by their Ricks and fuck socialize with other Ricks, so Ricardo was starting to think there was only one option left. Morty Town was not a place that Rick usually wonder off and just by putting one feet there, Ricardo knew why. It was a dumpster. But at least a dumpster filled with Mortys. The next problem was that none of them actually looked very friendly and so they entered what Ricardo first thought was just an arcade bar juice where Morty would hang out. There was arcade and juice, yes. But the pool dancing and suggestive pictures (or at least trying to be suggestive) were an absolute surprise. “Oh, oh, look at that!” pointed Mercil towards a private booth where a Punk Morty was laughing while a Morty without shirt danced like a chicken. “That looks like fun. Are we going to spent the night here?” Ricardo never could say no, but less than anything when Mercil was smiling up to him for the first time that week. So he said yes and both of them end up on a booth, various Mortys serving them drinks (alcoholic for Ricardo, virgin for Mercil) and passing to offered them a dance for more money that it was worth. The longer the night went on, the more Ricardo was getting into it all. He was starting to get the point of the silly dances, especially if he still got to see their skinny bodies on display. They were just impossibly cute. How they could not if they were just Mercil with different clothing and less eyes? He just wanted to grab all of them and put them in his pocket and feed them cupcakes. There was one of the dancer, one with a cowboy hat, that started talking while dancing and Ricardo found himself entranced. He wondered if he could convince Mercil to dance like that for him, maybe with less covering him up. They were actually talking about the best places on Morty Town to hang out when suddenly… Ricardo blinked. That… couldn’t have been all that happened, but somehow it felt like that it was just that it took. One moment he was talking… with someone and the next both he and Mercil were laying in the middle of a hole on the ground. A big hole, but not deep enough that they couldn’t get out pretty easily. Ricardo looked the marks on the earth, as if a gigantic hand just passed through, taking everything, whatever it was there before, with it. Mercil was on the ground and took some shacking from Ricardo to waking up. “What…” said Mercil, blinking. “What happened? Where are the Mortys?” “What Mortys?” asked Ricardo, holding him close. “Mercil, I don’t even know what are we doing here? Were we looking for something? I don’t remember.” Mercil blinked at him and, as always, his third eyes was the last one into it. 

“Nevermind” said the teenager, expressionless. “We were looking for cheap snacks to have. That is why we are here. That is all.”

 “Okay, and why the hell we are here?” 

Mercil just shrugged. Ricardo knew that he wouldn’t take out of him anything else but that, so he just sighed and helped Mercil to get back on his feet. Suddenly he was feeling very hungry and in need of someone to calm what it felt like a hangover. From a long time he knew, since the moment he started interacting with Mercil, some things were better left without answering.