#I want to be in the super secret fourth corner

[gabriels-golden-kazoo]

I’ve discovered there’s three sides to the spn fandom

In one corner we have the Dean lovers who for some reason hate Sam (how could you)

In the other corner we have the Sam lovers who hate Dean (also how could you with an acknowledgment that he isn’t always the best)

And then in another corner somewhere else we have the wincest shippers who seem to hate Cas (not the ship for me but you guys do you)

Gonna start a petiton for a super secret fourth option where everyone just chills and doesn’t hate on any characters because everyone in the show is flawed or fucked over at some point

[sweetestofchaos]

Safe Place | B.C

After a hard few weeks, Chan just wants to breath a little easier and he can only do that with you.

p. bang chan x black fem!reader

r. pg-16

w. depictions of exhaustion - use of noona - reader is older than chan - terms of endearment - fluff - super soft

wc. 1.7k

a/n. hello everyone. it's been a while since i wrote for any members of stray kids. chan is such an important person to me because i see a lot of myself in him. the man needs to sit his ass down somewhere and rest, so this is me, giving him what he needs. i hope you enjoy. also, please excuse any mistakes, like i said it's been a while

Chan is tired and not the ‘I need to sleep it off’ kind of tired. His mind is restless, the member’s voices and their endless Channie hyung echo in his ears. His body is heavy, invisible boulders cling to his shoulders and weigh him down. He feels everything and nothing all at once. 

It’s dark out, well past midnight by the time he leaves the JYP building. He bows his head in thanks to the driver as he steps into the back of the SUV and tosses his bag onto the empty seat beside him. Chan tells the driver his destination as he buckles his seatbelt and the man selects it from the few programmed addresses. Soft music, maybe a lofi playlist flouts around the small space and Chan’s eyes slip shut with a deep sigh. He rests his head against the window and feels every turn the truck takes, he knows this route by heart. Fifteen minutes go by and the car rolls to a stop. Chan blinks his eyes and covers his mouth as he yawns. Again he bows his head in thanks and grabs his bag before he exits the SUV.

Chan waits for the SUV to pull off before he walks in the opposite direction two blocks down. His bag hangs off his back, thumping against the small of his back with each step. Street lights cast a soft glow in the night and Chan yawns again, his eyes watering slightly. Shaking his head, Chan turns the corner and hikes the bag higher up on his shoulder as he walks up the path that leads to the front door of an apartment complex. Reaching into his hoodie pocket, Chan grabs a black mask and quickly puts it over the lower half of his face before he walks through the doors.

Making his way to the elevator, Chan’s fingers tap against his thigh as he waits for the doors to open. Just a few more moments and he will be able to be human for the first time in a few days. The doors open and Chan steps into the elevator, pulling his phone from his back pocket as the doors slide shut. He pulls up his messages and tapes on the smiling face next to the contact name homegirl. He starts to type out a message and stops when he sees the time on his phone, it’s half past one in the morning. Chan clicks his tongue and shoves his phone back into his back pocket. 

The elevator ride is quick and silent, there is no music for which Chan is thankful for. He steps out onto the fourth floor and walks down the familiar hall to the last door on the right. Standing in front of the door Chan keys in the secret code that he knows by heart and pushes open the door. The sound of nails faintly clicking on the tiled floor catches Chan’s attention as he toes off his sneakers and kicks them to the side. As he locks the door behind himself and walks farther into the apartment a shadow grows larger on the wall and Chan smiles softly as the long furry body of Ginger, a Salukis dog comes into view. Ginger takes slow steps, sniffing the air as she turns her head towards Chan. 

“Come ‘here girl. Come here, Ginger.”

Chan calls the dog sweetly and crouches down with his hand outstretched so the dog can find him. Ginger was born blind and she is the sweetest dog that he has ever meant. Ginger knocks into his hand and Chan coos as he pets the dog and gives a few kisses to her head. Another shadow grows on the wall and Chan’s eyes roll upward when a pair of baby blue sock covered feet come into sight. Bare legs are exposed up until mid thigh that is covered by a pair of pale tan sleep shorts that have moons and stars on them. As he trails his eyes farther up, there is a soft tummy that isn’t covered by three inches of the matching spaghetti strap shirt and Chan smiles as his eyes lock onto the woman’s standing before him.

The sleep set looks cute on the woman, the tan complements her melanated skin and the way her skin glistens in the soft light that spills from the oven in the kitchen stove makes her look like a dream. Giving Ginger one last pet, Chan rises to his feet and shuffles over, the bag on his back slipping down into the crook of his arm. Vanilla, coconut and musk invade Chan’s nose and his mind fizzles to a gentle quiet as the woman takes the bag from him. Her hand wraps around his fingers and he shuffles along, letting the woman lead him farther into the apartment.

“Go to bed Ginger,” the woman’s voice is sleepy and sweet as she speaks to the dog and Chan wishes that she would speak to him with that same voice. 

As the woman sets his bag on one of the chairs in front of her island bar, Chan feels his heart start to pick up as he is led to the bedroom. The room is the same as it was when he visited two weeks ago. The bedding is new, the white and grey now replaced with a blue lavender, which Chan recalls being one of the woman’s favorite colors. The warmth around his hand vanishes and Chan shivers, feeling colder than ever as he stands in the room covered by his hoodie. The woman moves around the room, grabbing a pair of boxers and sleep pants from a dresser along with a silk scarf.

Chan’s eyes flick up to the woman’s face and he notices that she is wearing a light green durag in place of her normal black cheetah print bonet.

“You changed your hair?”

“I did.”

The woman steps into Chan’s space and reaches up towards his face. Her manicured nails lightly tickle his skin as her fingers graze his eyebrows, temples, cheeks and jaw. Chan melts into the touch, his body leaning forward just slightly to apply more pressure.

“Change outta those clothes and come lay down. I’ll wrap your hair.”

In the blink of an eye the woman is no longer in front of Chan and he frowns as vanilla musk lingers around him. Shaking his head, Chan undresses, stripping himself of all his clothing before he slips on the fresh pair of boxers and black sleep pants. Grabbing his dirty clothes, Chan places them on top of the small pile on the floor and heads out the room. He needs to wash his face and use the toilet. From the hall Chan sees the light in the bathroom is on and his bare feet paddle on the tiled floor, slapping gently.

In the bathroom the woman is filling a bowl with warm water mixed with makeup remover. Chan smiles and clears his throat. The woman glances at him in the mirror and offers a smile before she turns around with the bowl in her hands.

“Let me wash your face.”

Chan leans against the sink and the woman stands between his legs. Chan rests his hands on her hips, his thumbs rubbing the soft, plushie skin gently as he self soothes. The woman’s touches are light but firm. She wipes the smudged eyeliner, washes away the thin layer of concealer and dabs at the remains of some tinted lip balm. She swipes a toner pad across Chan’s face and pats in a serum before she rubs in a face moisturizer to finish the shortened nighttime routine. 

“I’ll wait for you in bed, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Chan tightens his hold on her hips as she moves back and she giggles, sharing a sleepy smile with Chan. Leaning forward she presses her lips to his and Chan sighs into the kiss. He pulls her closer, their middles pressing into each other’s and his fingers indenting into her skin. Fingers weave into the back of his hair and Chan groans as a warm tongue massages his bottom lip.

“Go to the bathroom baby.”

She pulls away, slipping through Chan’s fingers like smoke and he inhales deeply. He can still feel her pressed against him if he tries hard enough. Forcing himself to step away from the sink, Chan uses the bathroom, watches his hands and brushes his teeth before he hurries back to the bedroom. She is already in bed, sitting up with the scarf resting in her lap. Chan crawls into bed and sits beside her silently. He closes his eyes as her fingers thread through his hair and massage his scalp before she carefully wraps his hair for the night. His bonnet must be in the dirty wash now that he thinks about it.

They lay in bed together on their sides staring at each other. Chan admires the way her eyes sparkle in the darkness, the way she offers comfort with the smallest gestures and very little words. She shifts, now laying on her back and Chan slides closer, resting his head on top of her chest, above her heart. Fingers rub at the nape of his neck, a kind pressure that makes his shoulders relax and his breathing come easier.

“Do you want to talk?”

Chan shakes his head, burying his face into the plushness of her breasts. He snakes one hand under the shirt and cups the mound of flesh in his palm. He squeezes it lightly, the weight settling him as the warmth seeps into his veins. He doesn’t want to talk. He doesn’t want to think. He just wants to be…that’s all he needs. Here and now, in this bed, held in her arms, Chan is just him. 

“Rest baby.”

Chan’s eyes close at the gentle command and every tension bleeds out in an invisible wave as sleep pulls him under. Vanilla, coconut and musk comfort his senses, the body heat from underneath him soothes the aches he feels and the rhythmic beating of her heart quiets the never ending thoughts that keep him so productive throughout the day.

“I love you,” Chan’s voice is fleeting, being pulled between sweet dreams and the nightmare of life.

“I love you too. Get some rest.”

“Right-” Chan yawns loudly and snuggles farther into the woman’s soul, “thank you, noona.”

[ywpd-translations]

Ride 771: A new gear!!

Pag 1

1: This is the fight's gong!!

Pag 2

1: Ohuruaaaagh!!

Pag 3

1: Buooooogh

2: The lead is here, two people!!

3: Sohoku and Hakogaku!!

So the ones who are aiming for the sprint line on the first day of the Inter High…. Those two…

4: are the same two people from last year!!

5: Huh waa

There are still almost 3km until the sprint line, but …

Pag 4

1: They're accelerating like they're right before the sprint line!!

Ruaaagh

Oooooogh

2: They're so fast!

How many kilometers per hours are they going at!?

A bike can go at that speed!?

3: But those two….

Was it my imagination?

Pag 5

1: They were smiling!!

2: Hahaha, not bad, San-na!!

You're keeping up with my acceleration!!

Keeping up!? With your acceleration!?

Buah!!

Oi oi, that's-

Pag 6

1: My line!! Orange!!

Honestly, I'm surprised!!

2: I'm number 4, the ace climber, and I'm a Hakogaku third year

Honestly, during the last year both my power and my acceleration 

3: have increased by several steps!!

4: Is that so!!

5: There are practically no sprinters within the club who can keep up with me!!

6: But you did

You didn't just stick to me from behind, you lined up!!

What does it mean!! It makes the corners of my mouth turn up!!

Pag 7

1: Hahaha that's because

2: He's shooting ahead!!

3: I'm a genius!!

5: Nice acceleration!!

Pag 8

1: Orange!!

2: The speed of your attack, your acceleration power and the lack of hesitation when taking the curve!!

Hahaha

Pag 9

1: It's really like you said, you definitely powered up!!

You got stronger since last year!!

4: Even while taking a curve in an unsteady position, with my shoulder hitting against yours.......

5: What's wrong, San-na, what's this

6: Are you about to say something secret you can't let the spectators hear?

Pag 10

1: you counter it firmly with the trunk of your body!!

2: Didn't they just make contact with each other while taking the curve!?

Waaaa

Sohoku's number 4 pushed back that huge guy from Hakogaku with his hips!!

3: Buah!!

You're the only one

4: You're the only one who can make me shake like this!!

Pag 11

2: They hit each other again!! It's a super close combat!!

So what’s the deal with all your banging around since earlier, then?

Ah, that?

3: Is this a request?

You mean you want me to show you

Pag 12

1: the true essence of my special explosive acceleration!?

Okay then, watch closely!!

4: His movements are so fast!!

5: This my Special Highstone

Pag 13

1: Hyper acceleration!!

Pag 14

1: He left me before my own eyes!!

Is this guy for real!?

Dammit!!

2: This is fun!!

3: Are you surprised, San-na? Hahaha

Until last year, I accelerated with the image

4: of a gear going into place

Get in

Get in

Get in

Pag 15

1: But now I've come to the point that I can freely make it go into place matching my own timing!!

4: The number of gears I've prepared is

5: “Number”!?

6: The first one is “white”

7: The second one is “shironeri*”

8: The third one is “pale yellow”

9: The fourth one is “gamboge*”

The fifth one is “orange”

(*NdT.: all the names are colors, these ones are Japanese traditional colors)

Pag 16

1: All together there are six levels!!

This year I divided my acceleration in six stages!!

2: Six stages!!

Seriously!?

Pag 17

1: And by the way, my acceleration from earlier was “unbleached silk” the second stage

2: Did it feel fast!?

3: Naturally, once we get before the sprint line I'll use

4: the sixth one, “golden yellow”!!

Pag 18

3: Dammit

4: So there's also things like this in the Inter High

Seriously?

5: Now I understand the reason for our hard practice and for the harshness of training camp

Without that I wouldn't have been able to fight on this stage

Pag 19

1: Issa and Doubashi..... just when I thought the sprint fight was narrowed down to those two.....

2: Another person comes chasing!!

3: Did he break away from the pack behind and got here!? He wasn't there with us earlier!!

In such a short time he shook everyone off and chased us!?

4: Even though I've been pedaling at full throttle since earlier, he keeps getting closer!!

5: So there's also things like this!? At the Inter High!!

Pag 20

1: It's filled with monsters!!

Hayaaaa

2: But that's fine by me

I thought my part was over....

But there's still work left to do!! I won't let this guy get to the lead!!

[netegf]

uneasy lover

pairing: rafe cameron x f!reader

plot: when you and your secret boyfriend are held captive by carlos singh, he gets over-protective and scheming.

word count: 1.5 k

warnings: some angst but ends fluffy, talk of secret relationship, some references to violence, foul language, some suggestive content/innuendo though no smut explicitly detailed, attempts at humour

In theory, the rules were simple. No contact.

Though, in retrospect, you suppose Rafe operates almost entirely outside of theory, and more often than not, needs the rules explained to him a few times.

He was more… physical.

What are words to chains, and maybe that’s what you needed to stop a Cameron from doing something they wanted.

It’s how you find yourself in your current predicament, taking sharp left turn after sharp left turn, trying to shake away a long-haired, burly shadow with sparkling teeth and a charming, but deceptively comforting Southern drawl.

You lose him on the fourth one and suddenly you’re right back where you started.

That was the thing with Rafe.

It took every ounce of pulsing muscle and cracking bone to pass ‘Go’, only to realize that was the easiest part.

You cut through a few alleyways that you’re sure would make Rafe’s lip curl with disgust, but then blurry Figure 8 comes into focus with its expansive money-green lawns and homes that might as well have moats or flying buttresses, they’re so large, and it’s perhaps true this place is a vacuum because it’s hard to consider anything else.

Barrelling through the front door of a house with more window panes than you can count – though you’ve tried on a number of inconspicuous occasions – you make your way to that one room after a sharp left, not bothering with any of the usual, or in recent months, unusual, pleasantries.

“Care to explain why Barry is following me around like a stray dog?”

Rafe stands at the corner of the room, adjusting something on his night stand.

He makes a quarter-turn of his body and regards you with a generous once-over and a bite to the inside of his cheek. He is sin number six. Gluttony.

“I dunno.” He says plainly. “Small world, and all that?”

“Rafe.”

“Gee, it’s hard to say. Maybe he likes your perfume.” He quips, again, ignoring the warning in your voice.

Rafe throws his hands up, like he’s the one that should be exasperated.

“You know what? Fine. You want to be difficult, then I’m leaving.”

It’s half a bluff, half the truth, and one-hundred percent the last thing he wants to hear.

When you turn the corner with your bag slung tight over your arm in entirely theatrical disapproval, he huffs out at least two lungs worth of air, including the dead space.

“Yeah, alright, I get it.” He mumbles dejectedly, wiping a hand across his jaw. Always touching his face before a big reveal. “I asked him to tail you. So what?”

“What?” You spin back humourlessly. “Why would you do that?”

“Why?”

Now, he’s the one humourless.

“Do I really have to be the one to remind you that this place is crawling with treasure-hunting lowlifes that want those dirty Pogues six-feet deep in the ground?”

“Don’t call them that.” You bristle. “Plus, we’re back in Kildare, Rafe. C’mon.”

Rafe rolls his eyes callously, at the first or second part of what you said, you’re unsure. Knowing Rafe, it’s probably both.

Biting your lip, you can’t help the sinking feeling that pulls your heart towards your stomach until they’re some strange super-organ.

In Barbados, you knew this would be a problem. But even you didn’t think it’d come up this soon.

“That supposed to mean something?” He chuckles bitterly. “I’ll be sure to remind Singh of that when he’s not too busy, you know, dropping bodies for a diary.”

You scoff. It wasn’t nearly that simple. This was Pope’s family you were talking about. “You know it’s more than that–,”

“I know that my girlfriend’s life is in danger!”

Rafe can be aggressive, that’s unsurprising.

But it feels different when it seems like he has the right to be. He continues.

“And I know that I’m not allowed to go anywhere near her. She won’t let me, remember?”

You stay quiet for a few moments, then offer dimly.

“You said you were okay with that.”

“I am!” He lets out a breath, correcting himself. “I-I’m trying to be.”

Nodding, that was a sentiment you could relate to.

When Singh had separated you from the rest of the Pogues for an interrogation you were poorly prepared for, the last thing you would’ve expected was an impromptu rendezvous with a boyfriend that you, under every moral code, were not supposed to have.

Did it feel good negotiating with a dreamer with a gun? No. And especially not when you didn’t have any particularly useful intel about the thing he was looking for.

The best you could do was promise a photo-copy of the diary, but even then, Singh didn’t seem satisfied.

But those nights you spent trapped in that house were the same nights without prying eyes and judgement and boundaries that had been set under different pre-tenses, and even more importantly, they were nights with Rafe.

His stirring gaze. His always too-hot hands. His lips that deliver soft promises about how everything’s going to be okay, and kiss and suck like it’s a sport for which he wrote the rules.

Nights loving him shamelessly.

Sleeping next to each other in the same bed.

Nights that would be hard to recover from and were, evidently, messing with both of your heads.

Because here you were, in Kildare, re-tracing steps you weren’t supposed to.

“Those guys are trigger-happy. And your so-called friends? They don’t seem to fucking care—,”

“They are just as scared of you.”

At that, his eyes slowly fall shut, chest shuddering slightly and his forehead pinches under his fingers.

“You don’t get what it feels like, okay? To not know whether you’re reading a book by the pier, o-or choking on your own fucking blood somewhere while I’m none the wiser.”

The imagery makes you flinch. It's the eyes. Like he’s seen it.

“You don’t think I feel that way?” You begin, incredulous. “Every minute of every fucking day? You think there aren’t people on the island that want you dead, my own friends included? And for good reason? I can’t even defend you. Do you know what that feels like?”

The pause lets you know he’s absorbing your words, rather than defending them with a bat.

He swallows, lamely offering. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I’m sorry.”

Rafe sits down on his bed, running a hand over his shaved head. His body slacks like he’s been holding himself taut the whole time, inflating the whole of his figure.

Always inflating. Always deflating. Always breaking your heart when it happens.

You slowly trudge toward him, still standing and winding your hands around his neck, though his eyes stay fixed on his upward-facing palms in his lap.

“You can tell Barry to drop the security detail.”

He looks up quickly. More than surprised to see the corner of your lips lifting. But eyes still somewhere else. Still guarded.

“He sucks, you know that?” You chide. “He was whistling the whole time.”

Rafe groans under you, head falling to your chest.

“I told him to be discrete.”

���Oh. So, that’s what he was doing when he asked me to buy him a pack at the corner store.”

“Fuckin’ Barry.” He laughs half-heartedly, then bites his lip. Begging you to finish what you started earlier. “You were saying?”

“You can drop the security detail.” You repeat. “Because I’ll… stick around for a bit.”

His eyes widen a fraction, mouth falling open in what you imagine is going to be annoying, but you beat him to it.

“Just a few nights. Don’t get too excited.”

Rafe’s hands creep up from his lap to latch around your waist, pulling you flush against him.

He buries his head in your torso, pressing a tender kiss to the bit of exposed skin on your midriff, then nods like he’s the best goddamn multi-tasker in the world.

“You’re the boss.” He agrees cautiously, nursing a smirk on his lips.

“And you’re,” you whisper before giving him a bruising kiss. “… a drama queen.”

He raises an eyebrow, tall throat bobbing.

“Thought I was a Kook prince.”

You shrug, scrunching your nose for effect. “They’re not mutually exclusive.”

Rafe nods in exaggerated understanding, lips playfully pursed.

“Yeah, whatever.” He laments too-easily.

Then there’s that look.

“… guess that means you like royal dick?”

Dislodging from him at once, Rafe cackles behind you as you rifle through his drawer for a clean shirt and a pair of boxers.

“Actually, call up Barry, and tell him that he and I are gonna be spending the evening at the Wreck!”

But it’s a completely hollow threat, and the way you stroll into his bathroom and turn on the hot water for a shower seals the deal.

Rafe calls out some iteration of ‘Baby, I was kidding!’ and it makes you smile when jets of water cascade over your body like a weighted blanket.

It feels crazy. Or maybe it feels crazy that it feels right.

Maybe they weren't mutually exclusive and you could worry about the consequences another time.

[piratefalls]

a bonus list! for the longest time i did not read wips because it seemed like the second i hit subscribe they stopped updating, but! this fandom has, for the millionth time, awakened something in me, so here's a super delayed wip wednesday in which i tell you the wips i've been following and enjoying.

masterlist.

(make me) misbehave by r_holland

Alex Claremont-Diaz has done it again. The Texas-born singer-songwriter released his fourth studio album second skin Thursday at midnight. Full of Claremont-Diaz’s signature lyricism, critics are praising the album for the cohesive image it paints. second skin is the result of a young writer at the top of his game, and every lyric depicts for the listener a picture of a sun-drenched secret romance. Fans are clamoring to be the first to uncover the mystery girl at the center of it all, although Claremont-Diaz remains tight-lipped on the subject… *** Or: Alex Claremont-Diaz is a singer-songwriter rising up in the music industry. Henry Fox is the shining star of an acting empire. This is a love story.

A Man Born To Lead A Nation by BisexualChaosDemon

Henry was born to be a spare. A spare of a spare, in fact. He would never need to wear the Crown, so he was allowed to build his life with Alex in the States. New York, Texas, marriage and soon maybe kids, it is everything Henry throught he would never have and better than he could have ever dreamed. But, what will happen when Philip tells them he won't take the Throne after Catherine and the line of succession ends up in tatters?

Binary Light by Leaves_of_Laurelin

In the sci-fi smash-hit movie Binary Light, Dev Creehil (played by Alex Claremont-Diaz) and Qindeli (played by Henry Fox) go from enemies to reluctant allies to friends. While a legion of on-line fans believe that arc should have included a ‘to lovers’ at the end, the behind the scenes truth is that the lead actors stayed firmly enemies to enemies throughout filming. Fresh off a brutal breakup, Alex is back for the sequel and back to dealing with Henry—the asshole Hollywood nepo baby who has failed to conceal his disdain for Alex ever since their first chemistry read. In the script the shippers will finally be getting what they’ve always wanted, but, as some of Henry’s ice begins to thaw, what Alex wants has become decidedly more confusing.

Burning Love by absoluteaudacity

“You’re such a wanker,” Henry says emphatically, but there’s no heat in it. “You love me,” Alex counters, because Henry does and he knows it, but Henry makes sure to roll his eyes anyway so Alex’s already impressive ego doesn’t get too much bigger. -- The Ignite My Heart sequel

Every Time My Heart Swings Back to You by TheLastKnownSurvivor

"Promise me," James says, gaze firm as he looks into Gabriel's eyes. "Promise me. Let's meet again." Hundreds of years ago, Prince James and Sir Gabriel fell in love following several chance encounters despite their very different stations in life. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the two star-crossed lovers met a tragic end due to the anti-sodomy laws of the time, desperately wishing for the chance to meet once more. In the modern day, Alex and Henry are college students who have been haunted by mysterious visions for years. Despite a poor first meeting, the two are inexplicably drawn to each other and the visions grow in number and intensity. Slowly, they try to piece together the story and discover it is that of their past lives. Yet the question remains as to whether it's a past worth remembering and if they can disentangle themselves from the tragedy in this life.

Heist Society by OrchidScript

“Don’t sound too giddy, sweetheart,” Alex answered. They turned a corner up onto Fifth and descended the first set of stairs down onto the F line, the bright orange bubble a welcome sight. “I have half a mind to put your hands in cuffs where I can see them before letting you into that store.” “That threat is more tired with every turn, Alex.” Henry followed, hands in his pockets and a half step behind. “You know as well as I do that diamonds don’t interest me.” “But they are a girl’s best friend.” “If Marilyn is to be believed,” Henry hummed. “I also hear gentlemen prefer blondes.” “You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Alex rolled his eyes. ____________________________________________________________ After two months of proving their partnership's value, Alex and Henry are asked to consult on a jewel heist by Alex's mentor, Rafael Luna. Facing unfamiliar territory and a questionable undercover plan, will their effort make or break their burgeoning relationship -- or turn it in a new direction entirely? Part of the Portrait of a Thief series

Ho, Then Make It Fashion by TuppingLiberty

Alex is an in-demand model who has been modeling since his teens. He knows how to use his body, he knows how to wear clothes. But he has barely any time for friends or anything else. He and Henry cross paths a different way, but still end up in the same place. ;)

my every road leads to you (it's to you, i'll always belong) by blackrose1002

Right there, on the other side of the room, sipping something that looks like gin and tonic, watching the room just as discreetly as Alex, is an MI6 agent. One that Alex last saw about a year ago, during a mission in Madrid – a mission Alex would very much like to forget. Henry Monte Cristo fucking something. The ridiculously attractive British spy that screwed Alex over so spectacularly he thought both Zahra and his mother were going to kill him. (Or the one where agent Alex Claremont-Diaz needs to work with agent Henry Mountchristen-Fox, but there's just one little problem. Alex can't fucking stand him.)

Salt Follows the Moon by Pondermoniums

Vampires exist, and it's no secret. What is a secret, is that Henry Hanover-Stuart Windsor needs a blood donor. Alex Claremont-Diaz just can't leave well enough alone.

Rule Britannia by DuchessdePolignac

“Understand what? Are you anticipating there being an interview question on the number of men Prince Henry has gone out with since he came out? Or do you think the Ambassador is going to ask you questions like, ‘Hey, Alex, why do you think he’s such a serial dater who can’t keep a relationship? Do you think he cheated on his age-appropriate hunky Brazilian boyfriend with that sixty year old oil tycoon with a face like raw leather? Is he a greedy gold digger or does he just have questionable taste?” ** Philip is King and Prince Henry is living his best, openly gay, tabloid-fodder life. But something doesn't feel right to Alex about the progressive fantasy the Hanover-Stuart-Fox's are selling. Or: where Henry is a political courtesan fucking for King and Country, and Alex is the diplomat who foolishly and earnestly falls in love with him. Can Alex understand Henry's motivations, and can he live with the reality of being in love with a high-power courtesan with dangerous clientele? Or: A long and long-winded meditation on sex and power, and power and sex.

Something Borrowed, Something Blue by anincompletelist

When June gets engaged, Alex, her brother, and Henry, her best friend, are asked to be the official Guys Of Honor. There’s a month to plan the whole thing, which would be near impossible anyway, only made worse by the fact that being around each other the last several years has only ever led to petty fights and useless competition. Unfortunately, as the two most important men in her life - aside from her fiancé - they don’t really have much of a choice. Alex has a lot of feelings about this. As it turns out, Henry does too.

The Haunting of Cursed Hearts by wordscavenger

Moving to a new city can be difficult. Moving to a new city known for its tragic history involving witchcraft and murder can sometimes involve more difficulties than one bargains for. When Alex takes a job in Salem, Massachusetts to teach law classes at a local university, he ends up renting a room above a lovely little bookstore run by his very handsome, and very British, landlord. The more time he spends in this quaint New England town that is more popular than he had ever realized, and the deeper he gets into its haunting season, the more he can’t help falling for the secretive man with a sweet little dog and even sweeter kisses. If only a centuries old curse wasn’t hell-bent on keeping the two apart. -- Or, a cozy seasonal supernatural mystery about new beginnings, falling in love, and learning that magic may be more real than one would think.

The Story of Us by princebutt

Henry Fox is only attending this American football game as a PR stunt. That's all it is. He's definitely not fatally attracted to the brash quarterback Alex Claremont-Diaz who had the audacity to publicly call him out for not taking his number at a concert... that would be absolutely idiotic of him.

as always, if you want to be tagged in the future just let me know! i am uncomfortable taking tagging liberties - especially if we have never interacted - because i am horrifically shy lol.

[kiwiana-writes]

WIP Word Search

Oh god I've been tagged in this three times—thanks @anincompletelist @theprinceandagcd @hgejfmw-hgejhsf—so now I have a long-ass list of words 🤣

My words were: make, hide, square, edge, atmosphere AND hope, smooth, skin, water, paper AND proud, ceaseless, worried, dark, pointless. I am very literally begging the universe to ensure I don't have all 15 of these in WIPs, but I'm putting all this nonsense under a cut just in case.

MAKE appears in: Climb up and meet the sky

“This isn’t your local flight school’s Cessna, okay? The open cockpit’s the easiest part—she’s got no starter, no brakes, no flaps, no nose wheel. She’s not going to fly her way out of trouble, either; she’ll stall or spin. She’ll make sure you’re aware of every tiny mistake you make, sweetheart.”

HIDE appears in: Chantilly lace and a pretty face

A few days ago it was Between us we have more security than a Taylor Swift concert, who else could it be?; last week was I so appreciate you announcing yourself so I have time to hide my parade of lovers; the first time, though, was Alex’s personal favourite: Are you sure you are, in fact, home, and haven’t stepped into a deeply heterosexist 1960s sitcom?

SQUARE appears in: The way we get into each other's bones [angstapalooza RWRB edition]

Henry turns to Alex, his expression carefully guarded as he squares his shoulders in a deliberate, measured way that is utterly at odds with the carefree boy Alex used to look at in the glossy pages of J14.

EDGE appears in: a super-secret collaboration with @indestructibleheart that we just started poking at yesterday (I have no idea how long it will stay super secret BUT)

There’s a flash of light out of the corner of his eye, the unrelenting glint of sunlight hitting metal, and Henry’s hands curl into fists around the edge of the sink as he looks up.

ATMOSPHERE appears in nothing!

HOPE appears in: [Henry writes]

(Also, in a very chill no-pressure way, I notice you’re not writing as often as you used to -- I hope everything’s going well for you!)

SMOOTH appears in nothing! (Well, lots of things that I've already published but no WIPs)

SKIN appears in: Introspective rimming

Alex moves like he’s trying to crawl inside Henry’s skin, letting out soft moans and shivering gasps that burrow their way between Henry’s fourth and fifth ribs and carve out a place for themselves there, somewhere only Alex has ever reached.

WATER appears in nothing!

PAPER appears in nothing!

PROUD appears in nothing!

CEASELESS appears in nothing!

WORRIED appears in nothing!

DARK appears in: [Stranger Than Fiction AU]

The man in front of him has much longer hair, for one; dark, wild curls framing a face that’s a little softer, with a less sharp jaw.

POINTLESS appears in nothing!

I AM TAGGING @anchoredarchangel @blackandwhiteandrose @indestructibleheart @onthewaytosomewhere @orchidscript @ships-to-sail @stereopticons @tintagel-or-cockleshells @whimsymanaged and, as always, anyone who wants to play!

Your words are: land, answer, spare, funeral, value

[nightcoremoon]

somehow the boys managed to fuck up its narrative harder than both marvel AND dc did, by trying too hard to just be a modernized watchmen, but stumbling over its own dick at the last second by making literally all of its characters the dumbest morons who ever lived and following the exact footsteps of thirteen reasons why. trying to redeem the rapist by giving him a sad backstory? CHECK. forgetting that the catalyst of the main protagonist is the dead girlfriend whose ghost showing up was a central tenet of the core narrative before that entire plotline was scrapped because the new girl came along? CHECK. fourth season ruined by Super Smart Black Girl being a complete nuisance? CHECK. potentially grounded themes and hyperrealism and kinda intelligent social commentary absolutely fucking buried underneath a mountain of tasteless schlock thrown in to be marketably ~edgy~? CHECK. bad acting? …okay you got me there.

don’t get me wrong, the actors are fucking amazing. they performed their parts PERFECTLY. some of the best acting you will ever see in your life. 90% of the writing is excellent.

then the other 10% is the stupidest trash you’ve ever heard.

tell me why I feel more sad about a fucking octopus than I do about half the main cast getting thanos’d because they are obviously not gonna break the number one golden rule of screenwriting which is NO ON SCREEN BODY MEANS NO DEATH for anything but a literal actual baby because the number two golden rule of screenwriting is nobody wants to see a dead baby. rammstein almost got sued because their third album is a dead baby. and I can’t take the dead baby seriously because superman melted a woman’s face with his eyeball lasers, and there was no discretion shot. just straight up gore porn. it doesn’t even look good, the cgi is SO BAD.

MORTAL KOMBAT 9 HAS BETTER GORE EFFECTS AND IT’S 13 FUCKING YEARS OLD.

the show would be better if there was no sex or gore. you have to be a very special kind of shitty to accomplish that.

the social commentary started off great and then it had all the subtlety of a brick to the face, except the brick is on fire soaked with hydrochloric acid and filled with nitroglycerin and launched out of a cannon on the ISS at 200 miles per hour, and the face is an active fucking volcano. resident evil 5 was less on the nose. Chris Punched a Fucking Boulder. Homelander Is Literally Donald Trump. Republicans Are Bad. And Racist. And Misogynist. And Secretly Gay And Kinky. Rape Is Funny When It Happens To Men, Right? fuck off.

like yeah I agree with you (on some of it) but you don’t think that maybe you entered the realm of Tasteless about a season and a half before the Literal Actual Orgy Episode?

i almost don’t give a shit about season 5. what can they possibly do to untuck themselves from the corner they fucked themselves into by completely sabotaging the character of basically the entire fucking cast except for the main villain who turns out to be the Secret True Protagonist all along. they wanna try SO HARD to be watchmen but they can’t even do that right because they ruined the premise in season one. there are no real superheros; nobody was born charles xavier or erik lensherr, everybody was grown in a lab. every mutant is wolverine. oh no it’s just another aluminum foil hat series. womp womp. Government Bad. we get it. 🙄

[strangeswift]

Merry Christmas, @belovdly !! I'm your secret santa!

For your gift, I've written a little Christmas themed ficlet of the party featuring established byler, set post season five. Hope you enjoy!

(Thank you @elekinetic for beta-ing!!)

@bylersecretsanta

-

If you'd asked Mike Wheeler an hour ago to tell you the most difficult thing he's ever done, he probably would have said fighting off a hoard of demo-bats, or escaping the mind prison of a psionic lunatic.

And yes, those things were exceptionally difficult, but if you asked Mike Wheeler in this very moment the most difficult thing he’s ever done in his life, he would unequivocally tell you, building this goddamn gingerbread house.

 He probably would’ve given up on the goddamn gingerbread house almost immediately, if it weren’t for the fact that he was caught up in a gingerbread house building competition. 

It was El's idea to build gingerbread houses, and Dustin's idea to make it a competition. El and Dustin were a team, as were Lucas and Max, and Mike and Will.

Mike wanted to win this stupid competition, particularly so that he could rub it in Max’s face when she and Lucas lost.

The problem was, building the gingerbread house proved to be pretty difficult. One side of the roof kept sliding off, no matter how much icing they added. 

Mike didn’t understand how Dustin and El got theirs built so easily. Lucas and Max had the decency to struggle a little bit, but even they eventually managed to get their house put together. Mike and Will were terribly behind. 

Granted, Mike spent quite a bit of their allotted time tossing gumdrops in the air and trying to catch them in his mouth in an attempt to impress Will. (He didn't catch any, so it didn't seem to impress Will, but did make him laugh, so it was totally worth it.) Still, the stupid gingerbread roof wasn't helping matters. 

Mike was holding up the stubborn piece of gingerbread, waiting for the icing to dry on their fourth attempt at attaching the roof. He slowly lifted his hand, and the roof finally stayed put.

Mike grinned and nudged Will. “Fourth time’s a charm.”

“Very impressive,” Will said sarcastically.

Mike looked back at the gingerbread house just in time to see the roof slide off. Again.

Mike and Will groaned in unison.

“I don’t understand why it’s not sticking,” Mike said, frustrated.

Dustin picked up the tube of icing next to Mike. “Probably because you’re using icing that expired in 1970,” he said.

“What?” Mike snatched the icing from Dustin, and read the label – which did indeed have an expiration date of December 1970.

“Did you know it was expired this whole time?” Mike asked.

Dustin shrugged. “Yeah, I was surprised the rest of your house stayed up so well. I don’t know why you were using that stuff.”

“It’s the icing you handed us!” Mike said.

Dustin smirked. “I found it at the bottom of the cabinet, but it was Max’s idea to give it to you,” he admitted.

“Dude!” Max said and shot Dustin a look.

“You’re actually the worst,” Mike said to Max, “El do you hear that? Max sabotaged your competition.”

El looked up from the gingerbread house which she was focused on carefully decorating. “That is not sabotage, that is called a prank.”

“Thank you, El,” Max said smugly.

Mike sputtered, “How is that not sabotage? El, do you know what that word means?”

“Wow, dude. That’s super condescending,” Lucas said.

“No, I’m genuinely asking! Sometimes she doesn’t know words!” Mike said.

“Wow, Mike,” Dustin said, shaking his head.

El was giggling uncontrollably.

“I think we’re glossing over the fact that Max and Dustin sabotaged Will and I’s gingerbread house. Which is unbelievable,” Mike said.

“Mike,” Will interrupted with a laugh, “it’s okay. Let’s just try again with some not expired icing.”

Mike met Will’s eyes, and he couldn’t be annoyed anymore, watching the way Will's eyes crinkled at the corners when he laughed. 

“Okay,” he said, smiling at Will, who smiled back.

Max scoffed, and Mike narrowed his eyes at her. “What?” he demanded.

“Oh, nothing. It’s just funny how you’re an absolute nightmare to everyone except for Will,” Max said.

“Okay, that is so not true,” Mike said, and looked to Will for backup.

Will shrugged, “Kinda, but it’s cute.” 

Mike felt his face warm. “See, I’m cute,” he informed Max, who rolled her eyes.

“You’re certainly something,” Max said.

El looked up from placing gumdrops on the roof of her gingerbread house. “It is cute,” she commented.

“Uh, thanks El,” Mike said.

She smiled at him before promptly turning her attention back to the gingerbread house.

"Okay, yeah, Mike's adorable, glad we established that," Lucas said, "Now can you please help me decorate? I’ve been doing this whole thing by myself while you sat there laughing at Mike,” he said to Max.

“Sorry for having priorities,” Max said, but she picked up a handful of m&m’s to help Lucas make the windows.

Will nudged Mike with his shoulder. "Hey, let’s try again."

Mike nodded. He started to pick up the piece of gingerbread, but Will also went to grab it, and their hands brushed together.

"Sorry," Will mumbled with a smile.

"S’okay," Mike said. His skin felt warm where it brushed Will's hand, and he couldn't resist lacing their fingers together. Will squeezed his hand, and he smiled as he reached for the good icing with his free hand.

“Gross. You guys are so gross,” Dustin complained, pointing at their joined hands.

“You’re just jealous Suzie-Poo isn’t here,” Mike said as he applied icing to the borders of the gingerbread.

“Maybe, but you’re still gross,” Dustin said.

“I think it is sweet,” El said.

“So sweet,” Max said with a grin.

“Shut up Max," Mike said, "as if you and Lucas weren’t all over each other during movie night last week."

“We were not all over each other,” Lucas said.

“I think they just held hands,” Will recalled.

“Thank you, Will,” Max said.

“We’re just holding hands!” Mike protested, but as he said it he dropped Will's hand to place the gingerbread roof on for —hopefully— the last time.

“Yeah,” Max said, then took the lollipop she was sucking on out of her mouth and pointed it at them, “but it’s gross when you guys do it." 

“Ouch, Max,” Will said, “Just because we’re two guys holding hands–”

“Oh, stop it,” Max said, and threw a handful of m&m’s at Will’s chest.

Will laughed and tried to dodge the m&ms. “Jeez, there’s no need for violence,” he said.

Mike was holding the roof of the gingerbread house on, but he used his free hand to pick up a gumdrop and pelt it at Max’s forehead. It bounced off and landed on the table, and Max scowled at him and rubbed her forehead.

“Oh calm down, you guys know we love you. And your gay love,” Dustin said to Mike and Will.

“Dude,” Lucas said, “their gay love?”

“I hate all of you,” Mike said, “All of you except for El and Will, I hate.”

El smiled, “I love you too!”

“I didn’t say– Okay sure, love you,” Mike said.

“Awww,” Will said with a smile and leaned into Mike.

“Oh my god, you’re on thin ice too,” Mike told him.

Will smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Dustin and Max pretended to wretch. Mike couldn't even pretend to be annoyed, because he was too busy trying to get his blushing under control before he was brutally teased.

He and Will were going on almost a year of dating, and yet, Will still managed to make him blush. Constantly. 

“Lift your hand, see if the roof held,” Will said– with a smirk that meant he most definitely knew what he was doing to Mike. 

Mike lifted his hand, and finally, miraculously, it held. The entire table erupted into cheers.

“Yeah, yeah. Screw you guys,” Mike said, but he was smiling.

"Come on," Will said, gesturing to their gingerbread house, "we have a lot of catching up to do."

“Just a second,” Mike said, and picked up a gumdrop off the table.

"Mike, seriously stop wasting gumdrops!" Dustin said, but Mike was already tossing it in the air and tilting his head back.

He definitely threw it too high, the green gumdrop almost hitting the ceiling. As it fell back down, Mike braced himself to get hit in the eyeball or something. 

Except, it didn't land in his eye. It landed directly in his mouth. His eyes shot open in surprise as he looked at Will.

El whooped and Dustin said, "Wow, alright, that was impressive, I'll give you that."

Will's lip quirked up at the corners and he rolled his eyes, "Good job," he said.

Mike grinned and grabbed Will's face, then pressed a kiss to his lips, gumdrop still in his mouth. Will made a surprised sound, and there was a chorus of groans as they were pelted with candy, but Mike didn’t care.

He pulled away, and Will pushed his shoulder gently. 

"I mean it, we have to get to work. And uh, you have a lollipop in your hair."

Mike scrambled to pull the lollipop out of his hair, but it was stuck.

"Max! What the hell!'

[rosy-thorneded]

StupidPeterStory-4 and Okay so plotty plotty plot plan made me breathe slightly harder through my nose, what are those about?

I LOVE StupidPeterStory-4 (the four is only there because google docs freaked out on me with the doc and duplicated it four times. And the og wouldn't open for me, so I used the fourth) Basically Peter, as Spidey, cracked a super duper top secret code for a super weapon that everyone and their dog wants, but no one had been able to crack it. Word gets out somehow that Spider-Man of New York has the code key and everyone and their dog go after him to get it. Shield picks him up off the pavement after a fight and then put Spider-Man in protective custody with the Avengers. This was my attempt at the "domestic Avengers and Spider-Man" fics that were so popular. It's got like 6k words, but no end goal or real direction on where it was headed.

Captain America walked confidently into the room, shield on his back and mask off. Tony closely followed, who was followed by Hawkeye, Thor, and Vision. Surprise flickered across Cap’s face as he grabbed the chair directly across from Peter. “Let’s keep this brief, Fury. I have things to do and your helicarrier reeks of rules and protocols, and you know I’m allergic.” Tony said flippantly, not looking up from his phone. Before the director could reply, Peter pipped up. “I agree with Tinhead.” The way Tony’s head snapped up made Peter smirk. “Spidey? Wha-“ His eyes found the injuries. “Jeez, who kicked your ass this time?” Peter rolled his eyes. “This old lady in manhattan. Apparently, putting glue in a lady’s hair isn’t the best way to say you’re uninterested and don’t appreciate her advancements.” Hawkeye snorted, and Tony rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but the director cut him off. “Where’s the rest of the team?” “Busy.” Captain America answered. “Your call was short notice and wasn’t an immediate emergency. Everyone who could make it did. What’s going on here, Director Fury?” Peter’s hand shot up like a grade schooler’s. “I am being held against my will!” The Captain blinked, and Fury scowled. Pointing at Fury, Peter continued, “you should arrest him for kidnapping, blackmail, and threatening to lock me up in the middle of Nevada with no trial.” Stark barked out a laugh. “Okay, so the usual with Shield. Sorry, Webhead, we don’t have the clearance to arrest him.” Peter slumped back into his chair dramatically, muttering, “it was worth a shot.” Peter shrunk just a little bit more under the hard, pointed look Fury was giving him. “I want you to keep in mind, Spider-Man, that I am more than willing to put you back into a holding cell for the remainder of the meeting where you will have no say in what happens next. So I suggest you watch the funny comments. Do I make myself clear?” Feeling irritated and cornered, Peter let out a resigned, “yeah.”

I miss this one and want to post it so badly, but I literally have no idea where to take it.

Okay So Plotty Plotty Plot Plan is an attempt to pull together ideas for a Danny Phantom event. It's literally just a doc of me rambling about achievable plot ideas for a crossover concept that I won't be able to use for future events if I post about it here. It was just me trying to get a full outline of a story before actually writing it. Which is..... not something I naturally do. I have not looked at that doc since writing it.

[honeyypotato]

alrighty then well this is more of a funny headcanon request for the aot girls but hell why not. Male or gender neutral reader (whatever you comfortable with) getting self conscious that they have a small penis and often say so to degrade themselves but the first time they actually do try to give the s/o a bj they are actually super huge (idk I think it’s funny

Ok I’m ngl this idea is so funny to me too, I’m so glad you sent it in jkahdlskf thank you

I’m so sorry it took me so so long to get this out, I was bonked over the head with life stuff. I hope you like it, if you’re still hanging around tumblr ❤

Characters: Mikasa, Sasha, Annie, Hange, Pieck

Minors DNI pls and thank u this is nsfw stuff :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mikasa

I feel like Mikasa would be the kind of person who’s really body-positive and always tries to shut down your self-deprecating jokes, always talking you up and generally just being really sweet

She’d always swat at you for anything you say that’s bad about yourself, even if others were laughing along with you

Would get really flustered when she finally takes your pants off

“O-oh, you really shouldn’t joke about things that aren’t true…”

After her first time seeing you, she’ll get a little flushed at your jokes because they just remind her of your actual size, but this would only fuel you to continue making them for a different reason

Sasha

Sasha would absolutely take you seriously at first and be really supportive your first time in the bedroom, she’s the kind of person where these kinds of jokes go right over her head

Like the first 3-5 times you made a joke about your size she’d nudge you and hiss “you can’t say that to people, gosh.”

She might actually get a little jealous too, thinking you’re going around telling people what’s in your pants when it’s supposed to be something only you and her know

But once you get into the bedroom, she takes one look at you and goes down on you immediately, without hesitation. U don't even get two words out before her mouth is on u

After she knows you’re joking, she actually likes it, because it’s your little secret how big you actually are…and you’re all hers

Annie

Annie would absolutely go along with whatever you said about yourself and it would kinda become a running joke between you two

But this is her own way of making you feel better about yourself

If she notices you actually get put off by her jokes she’ll sit you down and let you know that she doesn’t care, that’s not why she’s with you

“So what if you’ve got a small dick? You’re still hot as hell. Own that shit.”

She’d go silent for a minute or so after taking your pants off, she’d be at a loss for words I think

She might also punch you tho (lovingly), and then tell you not to make stupid jokes that aren’t true

Hange

Hange would absolutely try to be professional about it, adjusting their glasses and clearing their throat…but then muttering some snide remark under their breath

Later on they corner you in their lab, asking to test out a theory or two

“You know, I think we should actually put what you say to the test. Every hypothesis needs a solution.”

But after they do test their “theory”, they announce it every time you make the joke

“Oh, come on, you know that’s not true, we tested it already!” 

(They want everyone to know that they know your dick size, no matter how embarrassing it is for you)

Pieck

I think Pieck would have one of two reactions depending on her mood: the same reaction to your jokes as she would with any of Porco’s, an eye roll that turns into a half-hidden smile

OR she would flirt with you without batting an eye

“This is the fourth time you’ve brought this up today, I think we should see if you’re telling the truth.”

she secretly finds them funny too, but doesn’t want to lose her composure 

Even after she sees you for the first time, she’ll play along with your jokes and turn them into foreplay

She’d also use it against you in the bedroom, taunting you despite the fact that you’re so big she’s struggling to speak

"Oh, this? I can fit it in my mouth, easy."/“Is that as deep as you can go? Oh, come on, I’m not THAT tight…”

[theressomethinghappeninginparis]

Okay, a lot of stuff happened and I'm currently thinking of residing in a hostel or something so I don't have to travel here again. I visited the places I found important on my map and gathered some information on anything I could get my hands on.

Transcript of the first page: Pawn Shop: Nothing. It was closed although the opening hours said it should be open. I will ask around if anyone knows the owner and will come back later, maybe they are on a coffe break. Serpent Rouge: The club's dead like anything in this, pardon me, shithole. They have a front entry that's locked and a back door with a glass window that I could technically smash in. To ass to my criminal record. There was also a lady called Janice that mentioned another woman inquiring her about the happenings and I tookt he bait as she suggested I worked with her...okay, I lied, but listen, it would benefit us all. I got some information on the other woman's tasks: she wanted to find a guy named Bouchard(?) and she should stay away from him. From what I know and what the murmurs in Paris are saying, Bouchard is a drug dealer and shady as well. What I would want from him, who knows.

Transcript of the second page: Herbalist: I need a new pen and I spent a fortune on this herbalist. I paid for some tea, asked him things, paid for paracetamol, asked him another, back and forth. What I got out of him is that I should stay home and not snoop around, that most people are bribable but him, the healing balms really stops bleeings and if I have some business here I should ask Bernand(?) and not him. Who the fuck is Bernand and why is everyone so secretive around here?

Transcript of the third page: Park: I met an old man feding birds there. No idea who he is, I also did not ask, but I mentioned the murder of Carvier here and if he knew anything about it. He explained he keeps low since his friend Arnould(?) was attacked by something or someone and he assumes it was the monstrum, and people are asking him a lot these days. The lady inquiring Janice earlier, does he mean her? Chruch: The church isn't one anymore, it's the base of a legal boxing club. The guy working there as a referee I think likes gold and was thick, and intimidating and he wasn't talking too much. So I didn't expect a nice answer, left in one piece, and as I asked him about Bouchard, he said I shouldn't go further if I want to see the next day. Cool!

Transcript of the fourth page: Café Metro: The 4th arrondissement of Paris is flooded in trash I swear. It's dirty, neglected, most houses are abandoned and the café looks like a place you'd stay if you lost all money and dignity. It's also collecting rust at the front door and old papers in beneath it. There was one customer reading newspapers in the corner, old wine and the bartender was semi happy. After he told me I was nosy and I was asking around like another person today I tried offering him something. I tried it with painkillers but he suggested something I could help him with. And he gave me a plan! Can you believe this shit. He hands me a scrap of paper and wants me to solve his "problem". Don't ask me why I agreed.

Transcript of the fifth page: The problem is as follows: there is a trinket in the Serpent Rouge in the broken stage light. The club is full of, guess qhose goons? Bouchard. And I'll probably see my grandfather before I get to the box.

In conclusion I lied my way through Parism will get the trinket, and totally not die doing that. I need to do some things that sound like a bad thriller. I need to find this Bouchard guy, I need to talk to Rennes (the pawn shop owner apparently) like Pierre (bartender) told me to, and I have a day to figure all this out. He offered me to sleep at a dorm above his café, I accepted it and shoved a cupboard in front of the door. I heard junkies outside and the place is crawling with shadows.

Transcript of the sixth and seventh page: Here's the super accurate perfect correctly scaled map by Pierre. I slept like crap and I got keys from him. He won't go there with me so I need to get in myself, I will use the door I wanted to ahem shatter at first. If anybody asks, I am a janitor.

Writing this in a parallel street again and I'm feeling anxious. So. The club Pierre said was full of goons is full of people. No kidding. There were dead security men on the floor, electronic music blasting, the blood wasn't dried out completely. The top floor was not to be reached by me, the stairs were stuffed with musical equipment. And I'm not touching anyone. I called the police anonymously and my plan is now as follows: i'll get myself a box that's fitting into the stage lights. The pawn shop should be suitable for that. I'll tell Pierre he can pick up the box at, let's say, the park. And I'm doing it for professional secrecy reasons. Like, what is he pitching it in exchange??

I'll get a box, go to Pierre, tell him to spit his information out, leave and never be seen again.

[allylikethecat]

💋 💌⌛️

YES THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for sending me something off of the works in progress emoji ask game!! If anyone else wants to send something the list can be found HERE if anyone else wants to send some or reblog for themselves! As always, I love ask games, and I love fanfic, and I love our little Tumblr community and am so grateful that people are willing to engage with me. Thank you!!

💋 - snippet of a wip of your choice

You're getting a snippet from All the King's Horses (I know probably not the one people want lol) but I am SO EXCITED about it and I also just realized today is Wednesday not Thursday which means I have to wait even longer to share it so I am sad. George cleared his throat. “Matthew and I are going to head out,” he said, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.  Gabi looked up sharply, “Matty’s coming?” She asked, a smile playing on the corners of her mouth and George flushed. Polly had no doubt filled her in on their Cold War. “Yeah,” said George, “we’re still good to meet you at Jalapeño’s?”  “Yep,” said Gabi, “just waiting on Polly to finish giving meds.” “Cool, I think Ross and Waughty will be there first, they said they would get a table,” George said, hooking his backpack over his shoulder. “We’ll see you soon?”  “Sounds good,” said Gabi, flashing George a thumbs up with a glint in her eye. Matthew was standing by the entrance to the barn when George returned, wearing a pair of wayfarer style sunglasses and a well worn Kentucky Horse Park baseball cap tugged down over his curls. George swallowed a pang of disappointment, even sweaty and squished from wearing a helmet all day, George liked Matthew’s curls.  “Ready?” George asked and Matthew nodded, following him to the parking lot and climbing into the passenger seat of George’s truck.  George looked away as he did so, not wanting to get caught checking out his ass, admiring the way his navy blue breeches pulled tight as he hoisted himself into George’s lifted vehicle, the hop jump he had to do to get in only highlighting how small he was. George quickly banished the thought of how that meant Matthew would fit perfectly, tucked against his side.

💌 - how many wips do you have?

Too many 💀 Officially in progress being actively update (at least in The 1975 fandom I'm pretending the other fandoms don't exist at the moment) I have five: All the King's Horses Make Way for Ducklings You Know Where the City Is It's Christmas (So This Is Gonna Be a Nightmare) On a Friday In terms of ones that exist and are actively being worked on but aren't ready to be posted / haven't been posted yet I a have five more: Tennessee Stella McCartney (the Nashville™️ fic) Now Is the Hour (The teen dad fictional!matty fic) Vampire AU (we're still working on a name) The End of SATVB Sick Fic One shot (name also TBD) That super secret fourth thing that I keep joking about So apparently all in all that's TEN WIPS and i did not realize it was that many and now I'm stressed... (Less work has gone into them - but I also have the infection verse fics where Baby Gatty gets together and Fictional!Matty is readjusting to the public eye after the chapter eight events of the A&E fic but I'm not emotionally ready to admit that I have 12 WIPs lol)

⏳️- wip you're planning on doing next

That is a very good question! I whatever fic gets updated on Tuesday will be determined by the poll that I still don't have the results for yet (it ends soon if you haven't voted yet!). Once the Christmas Fic is finished I would like to start posting another one of my in progress WIPs, I'm just not sure which one yet. I also want to FINALLY hopefully get the SATVB sick fic finished - I'm just worried people are going to be disappointed because I have taken so long to finish it and I'm worried it's been over hyped

Thank you SO MUCH for sending me this ask oh my gosh!! I'm so excited about my various projects (even if I'm a little stressed I hadn't realized there were so many lol) and I hope you continue to enjoy my posts in the meantime! I hope you have a great rest of your day and a great week!

❤️Ally

[ohtobeleah]

was the reader for unambiguous love there for like all the Russian stuff in season three? Or was she kinda like just vibing and has suddenly been dragged into all the stuff with Vecna for season four

I’d say kinda there kinda not. Let’s dive into some context before we visit part two. Here’s the unambiguous love Masterlist

I could see Steve barrelling into Waldenbooks, huffing and trying to catch his breath as he ran up and down aisles lined with oak and pine bookshelves—full of neatly tidied, colour coordinated, author and genre alphabetically organised. That had to be your doing.

“Oh good, there you are!” Steve’s voice is pulling you away from the shelf you were currently working on, a copy of The Fourth Protocol by frederick forsyth in your hand. The red cover bright and all consuming. “I need you for a moment!”

“I can’t just drop what I’m doing—“ before you could finish your sentence Steve was gripping at your wrist—dragging you gently up from the spot you were kneeling. “Hey!!”

“It’ll only be a minute!” Steve whispered, dragging you to a secluded corner of Waldenbooks. Trapping you in the corner against a bookshelf. “You know Russian don’t you?” Steve asked, looking over his shoulders cautiously. Your eyes full of questions and concerns.

“Uh, no—I know Romanian Steve, not Russian. The Soviet Union scares the hell outta me—“ you chuckled, shaking your head. “What’s got you in such a flurry?”

“Dustin thinks he’s intercepted a super secret Russian code on his radio, just having a hard time cracking the code.” Steve admitted, without a single bit of hesitation, his trust in you prominent. Without a shadow or a doubt.

“Sorry—“ you pressed your lips together, unable to help Steve in his quest. “I might have some coding books somewhere in here but I’m not too sure.”

“Nah, don’t even sweat it, any excuse to see you is a good excuse.” Steve smirked, leaning in to press a gentle kiss upon your cheek, his lips soft—leaving a radiant heat behind in their wake. Madonna’s ‘Open Your Heart’ playing across the speakers, a favourite of yours straight from your own mixtape. “Madonna huh?” Steve chuckled, acknowledging the song that played in the background, filling the silence the Waldenbooks was.

“She’s an icon of our time Harrington, don’t sleep on Madonna.” You teased, swaying to the beat softly as you tried to hide your smirk, biting your bottom lip gently before moving back to the original conversation. “But no, no Russian speaking book worms here, sorry I can’t be of bigger help.” You sighed, fingers playing with Steve’s as he leaned in, one hand leaning up against the bookshelf behind you, your back pressed gently against the organised spines. Official trapped, even if you wanted nothing more to be here.

“Like I said Y/L/N, don’t even sweat it.” Steve ghosted your lips for a moment, his hooded eyes low on yours. “Any excuse to do this—“ his lips melting with yours. A hand gently caressing your cheek, the pad of his thumb softly rubbing against your skin, textured and covered with 4 hour old makeup you slapped on 5 minutes before your shift. Melting into the moment as you deepened the kiss. Tongues dancing together as soft gentle moans escaped.

“Steve!? Y/n?” You knew that voice, would recognise it from anywhere. Dustin Henderson, you’d tutored him in math, for a smart kid he definitely needed help from time to time. “Oh my god—“ Steve was pulling away before you had a chance to think. You’d been sprung. Caught red handed. “This is amazing, what’s going on? Are you too dating?” The questions spurting a thousand miles and hour from Dustin’s mouth were endless. Steve’s cheeks turned a crimson red as he tried stammering over his explanation. Trying to keep whatever the two of you were a secret. Not because he didn’t like you Or because he didn’t want people to know, he just wanted time to figure it out together, just you, enjoy the moments.

“No!” You both sighed harmoniously, eyeing each other off before continuing. “No man, no—we aren’t dating, we’re just friends.” Steve explained.

“Just friends— you repeated, Dustin didn’t buy it for a second as Steve shoved him out of Waldenbooks, looking back over his shoulder as you giggled. Shaking your head as you went back to organising your books. listening as Dustin gave Steve some smack on the way out.

“Do you just go around making out with all your friends like that? Or just the really out of your league pretty ones?”

If there was going to be another time where you popped up in the story line. It would be the time Steve literally used himself and Robin as a battering ram when he decided to protect you from the not-so -himself Billy Hargrove. Slamming into the side of his car with nothing but love in his eyes.

“Shit” you hissed. “Jonathan, get the car started, Nancy, get the kids to stay on the right side of the car!” it came out like an order as Nancy passed you the handgun she’d picked up from one of the Russian Guards. “Thanks–” turning the safety off as you checked the clip. “Go, now.”

Standing between the car that Jonothan was working hard to start, you aimed the gun that shook in your hands high at Billy, sitting possessed behind the wheel. Eyes trained heavily on you, if looks could kill.

“What the fuck am i doing.” you whispered to yourself as Billy came racing towards you, hoping the game of chicken would come to an end when he’d pull back. But no, he was coming at you, at the group in the car, in full force. “Shit!” you hissed through gritted teeth. Firing not one, not two but seven shots his way, smashing his windscreen to smithereens as you did so but never once hitting your target. A shit shot full of adrenaline. The clip empty before you knew it, ducking because surely that would help ease the force of an entry car you didn't even see where it came from let alone that it was Steve until you turned back around to see another car had rammed into the side of Billy’s. A bloodied and bruised Steve Harrington behind the wheel in his stupid Scoops uniform. Robin, bless her heart, beside him. “Oh my god, Steve!” you shouted, dropping the now rendered useless handgun as you sprinted towards Steve's side of the car. Ripping the door open as Steve slumped out of his seat into your embrace, falling to the ground in a lump of tangled arms and legs. Embracing each other.

“What the hell is your problem!” it came out as if you were angry at him, Steve only chuckled. “You have some sort of Death wish Harrington?”

“Nah, Just a savior complex, you’re welcome by the way.” Steve cooed, looking up at you as you cradled him close to your chest, coughing a mixture of dried blood clumps and fresh blood up. “Don't do that again olay? Try to be a hero?”

“What so you can take all the glory? Fat chance.” you tried to laugh at the seriousness of the events. “Are you alright?” you cooed, pushing Steve's hair away from his face.

“Ask me tomorrow when we go to that diner downtown.” Steve couldn't help himself. You couldn't fathom his stupidity at a time like this. Smacking him softly before gently and lovingly connecting your lips to his. Bruised and bloodied but you didn't care. Any excuse.

“Are you asking me out while the world is ending.”

“Any excuse Y/L/N, any excuse.”

So yeah, i could say in confidence that you were there but also not, but as for the events of season four? You were there for everything, although Steve probably wishes you werent because then that way he would know for sure you’d be safe. Plus, he never really understood why you were so nice to Eddie Munson in the first place to get so involved. Jealousy, Jealousy.

[kageyuji]

secretly dating (until you forget his camera is on)

⤷ atsumu, oikawa, iwaizumi, suna ; [gn!reader]

warnings/genre: secret dating trope, fluff, crack if you squint, ‘baby’ used as a petname (iwaizumi)

notes: reblogs are super helpful !! so pls reblog ;-; i’ll kiss you, not clickbait

━━ atsumu;

good luck </3

atsumu.exe has stopped working

he probably panics and leaves the class LMAO

still doesn’t change the fact that people realized what was happening; his phone lit up with several notifications from people

stepping into his room, you saw your boyfriend half asleep at his desk. he lifted his head at the sound of his bedroom door clicking open, humming softly. you smiled at him — he was adorable when he looked so sleepy.

“hey,” you said, setting your bag by the door.

you walked by him, kissing the top of his head as you went. he hummed softly again, smiling. after ruffling his hair, you continued to make your way to his bed. you sat cross-legged at the foot of it, waiting for him to finish whatever it was he was working on.

a chime was heard in the room, followed by two more. curiously, you looked towards his phone. he did too, a similar look of confusion on his face.

then his eyes widened, and he quickly moved to click the ‘end call’ button on his computer screen.

“what’s wrong?”

you moved to peek at his phone. he’d unlocked it and showed you the message from suna before you’d even made your way over to his desk though.

“angel, i had my camera on.”

“oh. just tell them you’re studying with me or something.”

“no, i mean,” he looked worried. “you kissed me. on the head, sure, but you wouldn’t do that if we were ‘just studying’.”

the reason you’d decided to keep your relationship a secret was something he’d done to protect you. he loved you, and he of course he wouldn’t let you doubt yourself.

that didn’t change the fact that his fans could get a little... possessive.

you hummed, stepping forward to kiss his forehead. “it’s fine. i know not to believe petty, jealous little middle schoolers.”

he laughed at that. “alright then. but... tell me if something happens, okay?”

━━ oikawa;

ngl a part of him was alright with this

he knew how protective his fans could get, and he hated the idea of one of them getting under your skin

but then again, he likes people to know you’re his, and that he’s yours

so he might be a little flustered at first, but he won’t deny it

“oh, tooru, listen. so-”

whenever you walked into his room, you hadn’t paid any attention to the fact that oikawa was still in class. but you heard the quick snap of his finger, looked up at him pointing at his computer.

“oh,” you say. a lot quieter this time. “sorry, baby.”

you try to be quiet about stepping out of your shoes. oikawa looked terrified though, so you were quick to walk over to him. that was when you noticed that there seemed to only be a few people in his class.

no, that wasn’t right, you realize. they were working on a project together — you’d heard oikawa complaining about it the other night. which means that his camera was on, and so was his mic.

“was that y/n?” iwaizumi’s voice sounded.

“uhm.” oikawa really couldn’t say anything else. he cleared his throat, then looked over to you. his chair rolled over to you a little grabbing you by the wrist and pulling you back over to him.

his hands found your hips and he pulled you down onto his lap. still, he didn’t answer anyone. he just hooked his chin over your shoulder and smiled.

“lucky bastard.”

━━ iwaizumi;

he doesn’t care that much honestly — it was a mutual decision to keep the relationship quiet, neither of you wanted the attention that it would inevitably bring

after all, seijoh’s ace didn’t seem like the soft or romantic type

(he is, to the point that it surprises even him sometimes)

he’s not concerned for himself, he just doesn’t want you to be upset with him over it

“y/n? could you hand me a pen? should be on the nightstand.” iwa muttered, right after the ding signifying that he’d joined his class.

your eyes followed where he was pointing, and you reached over to grab the pen he was referring to.

“here.” you tossed the pen over to him.

he caught it with ease, clicking it and turning back around to face his desk. “thank you, baby.”

it was quiet for another second or two, and then you heard iwaizumi’s phone start to ding. hearing the noise twice made you look up, a third and fourth time coaxed you to crawl across the bed. a fifth made you speak.

“who is that?”

he just hummed, reaching for his phone. oikawa had a habit of double texting, which iwaizumi didn’t really mind, but he was supposed to be in class at the moment and didn’t want to get distracted.

and then his eyebrows shot up his forehead. quickly, he looked towards his computer, and you watched him click the camera and mic buttons. as they turned red, you realized.

“did... did you forgot to turn off your camera?”

“and my mic.” he said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair.

you could see the annoyance on his face. if you didn’t know iwaizumi as well as you do, you might have assumed all of it was annoyance. but it wasn’t — there was worry pooling in his stomach.

“are they off now?”

“yeah.”

you stepped off of his bed and padded over to where he was at his desk. your arms wrapped around his neck, pressing a kiss to his temple.

“it’s fine. we can ignore them, kisses might distract us, no?”

“that is an option, yes.”

━━ suna;

suna loves you, which is why he wanted to keep the relationship a secret

while most of inarizaki’s fans fawned over the twins, particularly atsumu, it didn’t mean suna was without his own fans

besides, the attention that came with it wasn’t really something he wanted

whether that be from fans or his own friends

“rin,” you whined, stepping into his room.

you found him sitting on his bed, his computer in his lap and his back leaning onto the headboard. a smile tugged at the corner of his lips when he looked over to you.

“hi, angel. what’s wrong?”

“tired.” you groaned, and made your way over to him.

he moved his computer off of his lap and patted the bed beside himself. you took that as an invitation to cuddle, so you moved over to lay beside him.

your back was pressed against his chest and one of his hands was wrapped around your waist. he propped his head up with his other arm.

he could see the computer from this position, but he couldn’t be bothered to turn over and check his phone. it was blowing up with notifications, but he figured it was just atsumu or someone yelling about something else.

“are you gonna look?” you said, though there was a slight slur to your voice; sleep was already beginning to takeover.

suna huffed and turned over, and before you could ask him what the notifications were about, he reaching over you to you his computer. you watched the camera button on his computer turn red and realized it’d been on.

“did- was that on the whole time?”

he gave you an apologetic look. “yeah, i didn’t-”

you shook your head. “jus let me nap. can worry about everythin’ later.”

he smiled and hummed, then wrapped his arm around you again. he pulled you into his chest and kissed the top of your head. “yeah, of course. sweet dreams.”

[drabbles-of-writing]

Coming Home

AO3

third owl fight attack! This one’s prompt was “Hunter and Luz being siblings”, and I kinda ran with it

Summary: Saying that Hunter was worried for Luz would be an overstatement. He wasn't worried, he was just...vaguely curious. He knew that she'd take some time in the human realm, to be with her mother, but...well, it'd been almost two weeks, and nobody had heard a single thing from her. So, really, breaking and entering was an entirely reasonable reaction.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Now, Hunter knew, on some level, that Luz would be in the human realm for a while.

To be fair, he hadn’t had much time to think about it, what with  everything  going on. There was the Grimwalker revelation, which was also a kind-of clone revelation, and Luz offering an outstretched hand, and sitting on the ground in the human realm with the portal flickering and pulsing angrily, the dust settling as he held his uncles broken mask in his hands--

He’d been more than a little preoccupied, to say the least.

And Luz had gone through the portal the second it had all finally calmed, when there was nothing left to fight, with goodbyes he couldn’t remember. He wasn’t sure exactly when, everything had gone pretty numb by that point.

He just knew that after the first two days, when he was finally dragged out of his miserable wallowing in ditches by a very exasperated palisman and Owl Lady, Luz wasn’t there.

The others noticed her absence and the slight hole she left, he knew they did, but they never really commented on it. What with Bonesborough falling apart in a literal and metaphorical sense, everyone was kinda busy trying to patch all of it up. Like dealing with that one demon who kept talking about ancient magic, who was apparently the small rat demon's dad. And making sure Kikimora stopped escaping prison for five minutes. And dealing with the other Coven Heads. And apparently there was some people  mad  that the old wild witch ways were coming back--

Nobody really had the  time  to wonder about Luz off in the human realm, seeing her mother again.

And for the first week, he  didn’t  worry. He had an existential crisis and bothersome witches to avoid like the plague. His days were spent distracting himself by making everyone's lives miserable, since they kept insisting on holding him captive in the Owl House instead of letting him decompose in the woods for some reason. And honestly, Luz knew  way  too many people, because he’d stopped bothering to keep track of everyone by the fourth hour of being in that house. 

After he realized trying to run for it or annoying everyone into kicking him out wouldn’t work, he mostly hid in the dark corners where nobody would see him for hours at a time. Used to be for days, but apparently the Owl Lady was just as nocturnal as him, and they’d run into each other early in the morning when trying to grab a snack.

He had Rascal for company, at least. Say what you will about the little guy, but he was as loyal as he was stubborn.

But, after the first week, Hunter was starting to  really  notice a severe lack of annoying humans running around.

Apparently, so was the others, because he was noticing a few of them beginning to get a little antsy. He would’ve brushed it off, but he could hear a distinct influx of mutterings that sounded like ‘Luz’ and ‘portal’ and ‘human realm’ from his hiding places, when they thought no one else was around.

It was almost halfway through the second week before he knew it, and that was  far  too long for Luz to be away without so much as a note. 

And she was  probably  fine, he reasoned. But Luz being away without even a call was suspicious enough,  two  was downright concerning.

By then, Hunter was somewhat starting to recognize the faces that filtered in and out of the Owl House, and he began to plan. 

Somehow, he managed to wait until he saw a girl with familiar purple hair step in through the doorway, speaking words he didn’t bother to listen to as she sat on the couch he was hiding under. 

Rascal had, of course, chosen to perch himself on the head of a chair across the room, where barely anyone would care to notice him.

She was talking to some small illusionist he saw earlier (he may recognize faces, but names were a whole other matter. He’d never had to memorize names unless they were important to Belos, and if they weren’t, they were irrelevant. He should probably work on remembering their names), something about buildings and repairs or something, it wasn’t his problem. When the illusionist stepped away, off towards the kitchen to grab something, Hunter decided to poke his head out from underneath the couch.

“So what's the word on-- ow!”  He yelped, jerking back under the couch when he got a foot kicked into his nose.

“Titan,  don’t  do  that, you prick!” Amity snapped, inching a little further to the left as Hunter peeked out only one eye from under the couch this time, giving his best spiteful glare. “Why are you even  down  there?”

“Because nobody bothers me,” Hunter growled, holding his nose as he began to wiggle out. “Everyone’s so  clingy  in this house, it’s maddening.”

“Do you actually mean clingy, or are you referring to basic kindness?” Amity raised a brow, narrowing her eyes as he stood and brushed himself off from the dust bunnies that gathered under the couch.

“Irrelevant. Why hasn’t the human returned yet?” He demanded, leaning against the arm of the couch as Amity sat at the other end, giving a reasonable distance between them.

“Luz?” Amity blinked, clearly taken aback by the question.

“Yes, is there another, different human that you have to bring up every five minutes I should know about?” Hunter snapped, and got a curled lip and bared teeth from Amity in response.

“What, getting bored of the rest of us?” Amity snarked, crossing her arms. 

“Don’t flatter yourself, barely any of you were entertaining to begin with.” Hunter huffed. “Now do you know why the human is avoiding us or not?”

“Avoiding?” Amity frowned. “Luz’s not  avoiding  us, she’s just visiting her mom.”

“With radio silence for almost two weeks,” Hunter said, doing his best to stamp down his impatience. 

He  really  would have rathered asking the Owl Lady about this, but he’d learned from the last time he tried that she’d twist any conversation regarding Luz to be about him, so the next logical best bet would have to be her incessant, chattery, girlfriend. Titan, Luz had the weirdest tastes.

“She’s been away from her mom for four months.” Amity said, rolling her eyes like this was some concept he wasn't understanding. “She’s not gonna see her for a day and then come right back.”

“But still!” Hunter threw his hands in the air, ignoring Rascal’s minorly concerned chirp from across the room. “You think someone like  Luz  would go without contact for almost  two weeks?  She would’ve at least popped in to say hello, or go on some ramble about what’s going on in the human realm. She’d feel guilty about leaving you guys to repair everything on your own by the second hour.”

“It’s just...taking her a minute,” Amity said, and that was the first small crack in her resolve he saw. Had she not seen him at his lowest the first time they spoke, he would’ve been proud of the fact he could chip away at her far easier than she could at him. “Luz wouldn’t avoid anyone out of the  blue,  that’s not like her.”

And he  knew  she was right on that, as infuriating it was to admit it. Luz wouldn’t  abandon  people, she’d be more likely to keel over on the spot from spontaneously growing a bile sac. And perhaps a part of him  was  being a little over dramatic, but there was just this little twist in his chest that curled tighter when he considered going back to hiding in empty rooms and letting everything continue on,  waiting  to see if anything would change rather than  making  it change.

“Besides,” Amity continued. “As Luz’s girlfriend, I think that I would  know  if--”

“Oh  Titan,  just  forget it.”  Hunter groaned, tugging on his ears as he stepped away from the couch. “Whatever, you’re useless about this, anyway. If  you  don’t know when she’s coming back, and the  Owl Lady  doesn’t know, then nobody will.”

Amity stayed silent for a moment as Hunter stormed off towards the doorway that led to the staircase, Rascal flying off his perch to land on his shoulder with soft, almost melodic chirrups.

He contemplated if he could steal something from one of the spare rooms up there. Everyone was fluctuating between them the last few days, but they often left their stuff in there for him to take. It was fun watching them get so riled up about their missing junk.

“We,” Amity started, and Hunter paused in the doorway, one ear pricked. “We were planning on going into the human realm,” She admitted, voice quiet. “If we didn’t hear anything from Luz by the end of this week.”

Hunter turned around then, noting Amity had one hand bunched up on her leg, fisting the hem of her shirt and rubbing her fingers between it in a nervous tick. She avoided his gaze, and he saw, for just the briefest of moments, the uncertainty spilling off of her, possibly having been doing so for far longer than when he’d noticed the same signs from everyone else.

“Well,” He said, and she looked up at him then, and the vulnerability was gone in a snap, replaced by a curious, slightly accusatory, expression. It unnerved him how familiar it looked. “By all means, don’t go telling  me  about your super secret rescue missions, not like  I’d  want to join.” He muttered.

“Count it a blessing that I told you at all,” Amity hissed, ears flicking back. “Maybe if you promise to be nice, we’ll let you come along.” She taunted.

“Maybe if you people hadn’t  kidnapped  me, I wouldn’t be causing so many  problems.”  Hunter growled back through gritted teeth, breaking eye contact for only a moment when Rascal lightly bit and tugged on his ear, trying to urge him away.

“Like you need an excuse--”

“Uh, am-am I interrupting?”

The two turned their heads, realizing that the small illusionist, he’d figure out the kids name later, was standing in the living room again, a box of juice in his hands as his eyes flicked between them.

“No, Golden Boy was just leaving.” Amity waved him off, leaning back against the couch.

“You weren’t even clever with that one, Blight.” Hunter sneered, rolling his eyes as he turned to leave.

“Wittebane.”

“Call me that again and I’m ripping your teeth out.” Hunter threatened, pointing a finger at her as he backed out of the room.

“No name,” Amity amended, sticking her tongue out at him.

“You are on  thin ice.”

 ,

That night, Hunter was opening the window in Luz’s old room.

His escape attempts had never really worked before, the weird tube demon in the front door took his job of keeping him contained  very  seriously. Everyone else just liked watching the show and tapping in when needed.

However, he  also  knew, from the mutterings that Luz had told him in those few snatches of time in the days that they had talked before everything went wrong (or right, depending on who you asked), that she’d snuck out through her window  multiple  times without the demon realizing. Apparently she had bribed him once or twice, and now he barely reacted to the sound of her window opening, sort of like a reflex.

He’d meant to use it for his next escape attempt, just to see if it’d work for him, to run for the hills if it worked, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He’d be  damned  if they left him out of nabbing Luz from the human realm.

So Hunter tugged his cloak tighter across his shoulders, despite it being torn in many places, he had yet to rid it completely, and slowly opened Luz’s window.

He waited, tense, Rascal just as silent from within his hood. When there wasn’t the sound of a piercing voice after a few seconds, he cautiously poked his head out.

Nothing.

Either the bird really  had  grown to have no reaction to Luz’s window opening, or he was just as tired as everyone else. Or off eating bugs, that was plausible.

He slowly edged out, only having a moment to peer down at the ground below until he swung out of the window, hands gripping the windowsill as he edged himself down.

He hung in the air for a moment before releasing the windowsill, dropping to the ground below in a crouch. The perks of the Emperor’s Coven were few and far between, but hey, living there had made him an  expert  at being quiet.

He darted around the Owl House, crouching so as to avoid being seen through the first-floor windows, because there was always  someone  awake, no matter the hour. The portal to the human realm had been moved not too far away, but far enough that it couldn’t be, you know, automatically seen by anyone approaching the building.

He spared one last glance towards the house before he booked it off towards the woods, already mentally cursing himself for wearing a  white cloak  in the middle of the night. Why did he think that was a good idea,  why  did he think that was a good idea--

He made it to the cover of trees, somehow, without anyone sounding the alarm. He ducked behind a tree, catching his breath for a moment as he waited for shouting to arise.

Upon realizing he was in the clear, he pumped a fist in the air with a soft  “yes!”  and got an encouraging whistle from Rascal, who he gave a quick scratch on the head to.

He then hurried a bit further into the trees, soon faced with branches, vines, and bushes all stretched out across the beginning of a slope before him.

He reached out, grabbing one of the vines and yanking it aside, revealing the structure of the portal to the human realm, its soft humming mostly muffled by everything covering it. He ran his hand down the exterior of it for a second before pushing more vines aside, allowing a small enough space for him to crawl through.

He’d been to the human realm before, technically. Belos’s wrath had only just begun to reach into the human realm before he had managed to be stopped, and Hunter had a few moments out there, feeling the grass and seeing the trees. They really  were  green, and he couldn’t help but see it all and know with certainty that there was no magic within any of it. Hollow. It was a feeling he was familiar with.

But this time was different, and he inhaled for a moment before giving Rascal what he hoped was his best determined look.

“Alright,” He said. “Let’s see what’s been keeping her.”

 ,

He spent about half an hour in the woods of the human realm until he managed to find Luz’s house.

She’d never really said  where  she lived, just that it was the closest house to the forest. Nothing about directions, so he spent his time wandering about trying to find a house that wasn’t falling apart.

Rascal gave up and eventually flew off at some point, returning about five minutes later, chittering loudly and pulling on his hood. Hunter knew better to argue, and had followed until he came across a house that actually looked  lived  in, as opposed to the one he’d appeared in.

“If you led me to a random person's house, I  will  throw you into the sea.” Hunter warned, only getting a cheery whistle in return as he walked around the house.

He eventually found a window on the first floor, and pushing on it, was delighted to find that it was unlocked. He opened it, hoisting himself inside as Rascal darted in.

He realized the window was right over a kitchen sink, and lightly stepped a foot onto the counter beside it. He slowly swung himself inside, not even bothering to shut the window behind him as he dropped to the floor. He might need that escape route later.

Rascal was off exploring without a second thought, so he allowed himself to stalk throughout the kitchen, eyes flickering over photos and magnets stuck to the fridge. He saw ones that looked like letters, colors, and even saw a photo of a woman and a young, crazy-looking child.

He peeked around corners as he darted through the house, cracking open doors before continuing through hallways. One of the doors he opened  looked  like a bedroom, but he saw something with a scaly tail poking out, so he let that room be. The human realm was bound to have its own oddities.

The other bedroom he saw did have a person sleeping in it, but she didn’t look like Luz, much too old, so he quietly shut that door again and tried a different one.

He opened the last one, at the end of the hallway, already preparing to snap back that Rascal had brought him to the  wrong house,  when he took in the bedroom.

He only needed to see it for half a second to see the immediate resemblance to the mess that was Luz’s room in the Owl House. He slipped inside, leaving the door open just a crack in case Rascal showed up.

He crouched, eyeing the posters along the walls, shelves full of random junk, books strewn across the room. The figure sleeping in the bed was practically twisted backwards, blankets already halfway on the floor. He approached it, slowly standing up as he loomed over them, searching their face.

“Oh thank the Titan,” Hunter breathed, stepping back as he pressed a hand to his chest. That was Luz, for sure.

She stirred, slightly, hand twitching as she mumbled incoherently in her sleep. At least she wasn’t actually kidnapped or something, he reasoned.

“Hey, human,” He said, a little louder, but enough that he hoped the others down the hallway wouldn’t hear, shoving at her shoulder. “Wakey wakey.”

Luz mumbled in her sleep again, one eye barely cracking open before she turned over and tried to bury further under her covers.

Hunter grabbed her leg poking out from the blankets and yanked her off.

Luz’s yelp was cut off as he smothered the blankets over her, pausing as she fumbled around trying to get it off, ears pricked as he waited to see if anyone had heard.

“I’m  awake,  Vee, I’m  awake--”  Luz pulled the blanket off her head, her glare almost immediately replaced with shock.

“Hey,” Hunter grinned, flashing fangs. “Miss me?”

“Hunter?”  Luz exclaimed, before immediately covering her mouth with her hands, eyes darting towards her door like she expected someone to be there.

“Oh don’t sound  so  surprised.” Hunter scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You oughta step up your game if you think you can escape me in another dimension.”

“What are you  doing  here?” Luz whisper-yelled, scrambling to her feet as she looked wildly around her room. “Did-did the  others  come?” She asked, giving him such a scared look he was a little put off by it.

“No? I mean, they  will  be, I just got ahead of the curve.” Hunter shrugged off her odd reactions. “Made sure I got to you before they did, didn’t feel like being left behind on the ‘let’s drag Luz back kicking and screaming’ plan.”

“Oh no, oh no,” Luz shook her head, one hand on her head as she began to pace. “Are-are the others  looking  for me?”

“Will be by the end of this week,” Hunter said, watching her curiously. “Why? This a bad time or something?”

“Yes! Yes, this is a  terrible  time!” Luz exclaimed, barely managing to keep her voice down as she whirled towards him.

“Did you get grounded?” Hunter narrowed his eyes. “Because if so, let me just say, I know about fifteen different ways to lessen the extent of the grounding, and twice as many ways to sneak out, this place isn’t even all that fortified--”

“No! Well, I mean, I kind of am,” Luz winced. “But that’s not--you can’t--you need to  go.”  Luz said, gesturing back towards the door. “You can’t be here.”

“Do you need a body disposed of? Because I also know a lot of ways to--”

“I’m touched, but no.” Luz gave him a withering look. “Don’t even wanna know why you know that. You have to  leave.”  She insisted, beginning to shove him towards the door.

“Aw, but I came all this way to see you,” Hunter whined in a dramatic tease, slowly leaning back, therefore putting more strain on Luz as she tried to push him out. “You don’t want to see me?”

“Believe me, I’m  very  happy to see you’re okay,” Luz assured through gritted teeth, offering the smallest of smiles. “And I’ll bother you later. But now is  not the time.”

Rascal took that moment to poke in through the crack in the doorway, landing on a shelf and eyeing the two with what felt like judgement. Hunter promptly dropped all his weight on Luz, nearly crushing her. 

“Damn,” He whistled when Luz’s knees refused to buckle. “You got some muscle hiding under those skinny bones?”

“That, and you weigh as much as a half-filled sack of lumpy potatoes.” Luz muttered, already pushing back up to her full height as she took Hunter with her.

“You’re  impossible.”  Hunter huffed, standing back up onto his feet and snickering as Luz stumbled with the lack of weight. “Seriously, what’s the hold up? Are you getting bored with us already?”

“No,  first of all, I’d never do that.” Luz pointed a finger at him. “And I’m offended you thought I ever would be.”

“It’s a reasonable assumption.”

“It’s not. And second of all,  I’m  serious, you  cannot be here.”  Luz stressed, grabbing his shoulders, a movement that instinctively caused him to flinch, just the tiniest bit. “If my  mom  sees you here, she’s going to  freak--”

“Luz?” A groggy voice called, and Luz stiffened so quickly with such  terror  crossing her face that Hunter tensed as well. “Creí haber escuchado algo, are you--?”

Hunter saw the door to Luz’s room open, and immediately threw an arm out in front of Luz, giving a quick whistle that Rascal had learned to recognize by now. In a flash, he was holding his staff in his other hand, Luz pushed behind him as he pointed his staff towards the figure in the doorway, ears pressed back and fangs bared in a low, warning growl.

The person froze, eyes going wide, one hand still clutching the door handle.

He recognized it as the older woman he saw in one of the bedrooms, hair still mussied from sleep, the glasses on her face smudged from someone having grabbed them clumsily. The sleep had vanished from her eyes the moment she saw him, a faintly glowing staff pointed only a foot away from her.

“Hunter, Hunter, no, stop!” Luz was quick to grab Hunter’s arm after barely a second of tense silence, shoving the staff down. “She’s my mom, she’s safe!”

Hunter paused at that. Granted, his experience with biological family (as biological as Belos could be) wasn’t the best, but he had heard a few stories, here and there, about Luz’s mom. And Luz would go into a Slitherbeast den for anyone who asked nicely, but hey, he still thought that if someone was willing to fight  Emperor Belos  for them, they had to be something special.

“Oh, sorry.” He said, all hostility evaporating as he drew his staff back, holding it at his side. “Reflexes.”

“Luz,” The woman said, slowly, and Hunter was so instantly reminded of when the adults dealing with him were trying so hard to not lose their shit that he halfway raised his arm to shield Luz again. “Por qué hay un chico extraño en tu habitación?”

“Puedo explicarlo!” Luz was quick to exclaim, clutching Hunter’s arm, and he looked blankly between them. He’d heard of other languages in the Isles before, often ones spoken by demons, but this was a new one on him.

“Oh estoy segura de que lo harás!” The woman snapped back, hands on her hips now, not bothering to keep her voice low. 

“What’s she saying?” Hunter whispered to Luz, eyes still darting between the two. “Is this a ‘we’re about to start fighting’ situation or a ‘you’re grounded for life’ situation?”

“No te puedo creer.” Luz's mom grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Okay, so, uh,” Luz clasped her hands together. “I promise, mami, this is  not  what it looks like.”

“What does it look like?” Hunter blinked, giving Luz a concerned expression now. “It doesn't look like I’m a robber, right? Because this place has nothing  near  worth stealing.”

“Please stop talking,” Luz hissed out of the corner of her mouth, never taking her eyes off her mother. “Mami, this is, uh,” She faltered for a moment. “This is Hunter.”

Her mother cracked open an eye from where she was rubbing the bridge of her nose, sending such a seething glare that both kids shuttered. 

“You know what,” Hunter said, letting Rascal transform out of a staff and back into his usual self, letting the bird land on his shoulder as he clapped his hands together. “I can see that you're busy, so I think I’ll just be--why is she staring at me like that?”

The woman was staring at him now, well, Rascal, eyes locked on the cardinal on his shoulder like it had suddenly grown five heads. He flicked an ear in confusion, turning to Luz to ask what her mom’s problem was, only to see Luz immediately face-palm.

“Estoy atascado con un idiota,” Luz mumbled under her breath, and Hunter could pretty easily guess what the last word had meant, and bristled at it.

“Hey--”

“Okay,  so, Hunter,” Luz kept her hands pressed together, using them both to point towards him. “Thank you for the visit, really, but I think we’re done here.”

“We,”  Luz’s mom finally managed to speak, and Luz cringed with a sheepish smile. “Are going to have a  talk.”  She growled, though it lacked any of the reverberating sounds an actual growl would have. He always wondered how humans ever got the last  hit  of their point across without growls or clicks or hisses. He realized now that tone had a  lot  to do with it.

“And that includes  you,  young man.” The woman added, turning her glare towards Hunter, and he wouldn’t be ashamed to admit he wilted a bit under it. She could’ve disintegrated Kikimora on the spot with a look like that.

“Yes, ma’am.” Hunter ducked his head, and ignored the quiet snickers from Luz that she quickly tried to smother.

The woman stepped to the side, allowing the two of them to shuffle out of the room. Luz went out first, giving Hunter an expression that was somehow both  ‘sorry’  and  ‘I told you so’  and  boy  did he want to punch it.

Hunter hurried out after her, one hand cupped over Rascal protectively, unable to fight back the urge to hide him from everyone and everything new, that he’d be broken in half the second anyone got close.

As he passed her, he knew she was staring at him with a far sharper gaze than she had Luz. He glanced out the corner of his eye, and she was staring at his ears, at Rascal, and just as he stepped into the hallway, her eyes narrowed in on the scar along the side of his face.

He’d had people stare at his scars before, it wasn’t new. Scars weren’t uncommon in the Boiling Isles, but ones as big and prominent as his were generally expected of witches far older than him, far more known for their battles and their victories.

He growled in the back of his throat, briefly twitching his lip to flash a fang. It was near-instinctive at this point, a quiet reminder of who he was, of who shadowed over him, and that it was impolite to stare, to mind your own business.

Luz’s mom jerked back at it, a far stronger reaction than the ones he was used to getting. He was used to a quick aversion of the eyes, hurrying to turn their heads the other way, a simple glance to elsewhere in the room. She stared at him with even more apprehension and worry than before, like she was confronted with a wild animal in her home.

His ears pressed down and he hurried off down the hallway, almost stepping on Luz’s heels from how close he walked behind her.

He noticed an eye peeking out of a room up ahead, and Luz gave a weak, almost teasing, salute to whoever was inside. He saw a flash of scales and what might've been a pitying look until they slipped out of view.

Luz stood off to the side as she exited the hallway, and Hunter stood next to her. He gave her a questioning look, one she nearly missed from how much she was staring at her feet. He nudged her shoulder, gaining her attention, and Luz gave a weak, nervous smile.

Alright, so he was  definitely  missing something here with his woman.

“Kitchen table,” Luz’s mom said, pointing, and the two obeyed. Hunter had no real reason to, he knew this. She was human, he could just leave, and she wouldn’t be able to stop him. But she was important to Luz, clearly, and he knew, tragically, that he’d feel guilty if he left Luz alone.

Luz sat in one of the chairs at the round table, and Hunter took the one next to her. Her mother eyed them for a moment before taking the one across from them.

“Can I just say, that I did  not  invite Hunter here--”

“Oh, so  that’s  how it's gonna be?” Hunter whirled his head to her. “Throwing  me  under the bus? Sorry I wanted to  check in.”

“I am telling it  as the truth.”  Luz insisted, glaring at him. “Would you rather I tell her that I purposefully invited you here at,” She turned towards the wall, squinting at a clock hanging there. “Two twenty-three? Why did you come here so  late?”  She demanded.

“Technically, it’s early.” Hunter corrected. 

“I’m actually going to punch your teeth out.”

Rascal cheeped from his shoulder, and Hunter nodded sagely like he had said something. Rascal  could  talk to him, of course, in words that only he could hear, but he often didn’t. And the best part was that he could never prove to anyone that Rascal wasn’t shit-talking them.

“Enough,  both of you  . ” Luz’s mother said firmly, hands placed on the table that had them both straightening to attention. “Luz,” She turned to her daughter, rubbing her temple with one hand as she gestured with the other towards Hunter. “Explain him, please.”

“Like, life story, or why he’s here, or what he is, or--”

“Just  please  tell me he’s not from where I think he’s from.”

“Oh,” Luz glanced between Hunter and her mother, gears turning in her head. “He’s...not?”

“Dios ayúdame,” Her mother groaned.

“You told me to say he wasn’t! Actually,” Luz frowned as she turned to Hunter.  “Do  you count as someone from the demon realm, biologically? I don’t know how that whole, er, Grimwalker thing worked, like are you a direct clone, or--”

“I’m gonna stop you right there, because I’ve been avoiding dealing with that whole situation for the past two weeks, and I’m not about to start now.” Hunter raised a hand to cut her off.

“You…” Luz narrowed her eyes at him. “You need a therapist, dude.”

“You’re the fifth person to say that in the last week.”

“Why,”  Luz’s mother cut in again, silencing their conversation. “Is there a  demon boy  in my house?”

“I’m a witch,” Hunter corrected.

“Don’t you count as, like,  half  a--”

“What did I  just  say, Luz?”

“Right,” Luz snapped her mouth shut. “Uh, so, I’m assuming he broke in--”

Hunter groaned, gripping his head in his hands as he slouched over the table. Rascal chittered gently as he hopped off his shoulder and onto the table, nudging his arm.

“--but he wasn’t going to cause any trouble!” Luz added quickly, seeing her mothers expression continue to sour. “He just-he wanted to make sure I was alright.”

The woman eyed the two of them for a moment, and Hunter refused to look up and meet her gaze.

“Hunter, is it?” The woman said slowly, cautious, suspicious, but not accusatory. 

“Yes, ma’am.” Hunter sighed, relenting to lift his head, messy hair hanging in his face.

“How old are you, exactly?”

“Mami…”

“Sixteen, ma’am.” He mumbled, resting his cheek in his hand.

“And…” She hesitated for a moment.  “How  old is that in witch years…?”

“...sixteen?” Hunter gave her a perplexed look.

“They age the same as us.” Luz assured, and her mother seemed to relax just a bit.

“Gracias a Dios por eso,” Her mother mumbled. “Alright, and how did you get in?”

“Window,” He tilted his head off towards the one in question, still open over the sink.

“Of course,” The woman muttered under her breath. “The  one  time I didn’t lock it. Okay, now what is  that?”  She gestured towards Rascal on his shoulder, and he raised his hand to let the palisman hop onto his hand.

“My palisman,” He said, settling the bird down on the table, but keeping him a far enough distance from Luz’s mom that she wouldn’t be able to grab him. “I call him Rascal. Which reminds me,” He nudged Luz’s shoulder. “Where do you keep those seeds you have for your palisman? She keeps screaming at everyone and the Owl Lady doesn’t know how to make her shut up.”

“Is she okay?” Luz straightened.

“Yeah, little jays fine, she’s just being a pain in the ass.” Hunter grimaced.

“Watch your language, young man.” Luz’s mom leveled a finger at him, and he eyed it for a moment. “Now what do you mean ‘Luz’s pailsman?’ What in the  world  is a palisman?”

“Oh, uh, nothing! Nothing important, really. Just, like, staff things.” Luz said quickly, and Hunter and Rascal shared a look. Luz loved her palisman, as bratty as she was. And he knew from experience that Luz didn’t think of palismans as ‘nothing important.’

He drew a hand around Rascal and scooted him a little closer towards himself.

“Okay, okay,” Luz’s mother inhaled a steadying breath, as though to keep her cool. “And you are breaking into my house, early in the morning, to see my daughter.”

“Really just to make sure she didn’t, like, get kidnapped on the way up here.” Hunter shrugged. “Everyone's worried about her, so I took one for the team, and all that.”

“Everyone?” Her mother frowned.

“Her...friends?” Hunter gave Luz a sideways look, and she avoided his gaze.

“Mija, you have friends in the  demon realm?”  Luz’s mom balked, with the tone of someone who didn’t quite believe it, who almost felt as though they were being tricked.

“I told you a bit about them…” Luz mumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

“You,” Her mother chuckled, shaking her head, the first sign of anything lighter than what they’d had so far. “You really can’t help but be friendly to everyone, huh?” 

“It’s how she got stuck with me, it’s a real problem.” Hunter said, and got an elbow jabbed into him for his troubles, wheezing as he clutched his side. 

“Well, you certainly are an...interesting acquaintance,” Her mother said slowly, eyeing him, and he barely resisted the urge to briefly flash sharpened teeth when her gaze lingered on the scar across his face again. “And you showed up, by breaking in...just to check in on Luz?”

“Yeah?” Hunter managed to cough out, cracking open an eye to give the woman a confused look compared to her suspicious, searching one. “Why else?”

“...alright.” She said, and her gaze went back to her daughter. “I wasn’t aware that there would be... situations  where the demon realm followed you  back.”

“Neither did I, really.” Luz was quick to assure, hands raised.  “Hunter  of all people being worried about me is the most confusing and touching thing that’s happened so far.”

“I was not  worried.”  Hunter whirled to her. “I only came here because everyone  else  was, and they were going to leave me out of the rescue party.”

“Rescue party?” Luz’s mother startled, and he should really learn her name.

“Aha, he doesn't mean that.” Luz waved her hands quickly. 

“I do?” Hunter narrowed his eyes. “The others were planning on busting out of the portal to come find you by the end of this week. I didn’t want to be left out, so I broke in ahead of time.”

“There are demons coming  here?”  The woman exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

“Pretty sure the little rat dog is the only demon coming along.” Hunter corrected. “The others are witches.”

“You  know  his name is King.” Luz grumbled.

“Yeah, but it's way more fun to call him a rat.”

“Luz, cariño, are we going to have  more  witches breaking in?” Her mother stressed, stepping away from the table and already beginning to pace.

“Not-not when Hunter gets back to them!” Luz said, also standing. “He can tell them to hold off, that I’m fine, and all that.”

“And deal with them getting all pissy I broke out?” Hunter demanded, scooping Rascal up in his hands as he, too, stood.  “Hell  no, either they hear from me with you there, or I don’t tell them shit.”

“Watch it,” Luz’s mother warned him again, this time only giving a quick glare. “And Luz is  not  going back there.”

“Then you have two to twenty witches, plus one demon, knocking on your door.” Hunter shrugged. “What’s the big deal?”

“Luz, what did you get  into  while you were in the demon realm?” Her mother groaned, rubbing her temples.

“I mean, you didn’t ask a  lot... ” Luz tried, hovering about two feet from her mom.

“You have two to  twenty  magical demon people ready to break into our home to make sure you’re okay,” Her mother said, turning towards her daughter. “You didn’t...you didn’t tell me you had  friends  there.”

“I feel like I just said this,” Hunter squinted. “I told you Luz has friends in the Boiling Isles, isn’t that expected? She makes friends with  everyone.”

Luz rubbed her arm and looked down at the ground, and her mother’s mouth twitched downwards for a brief moment. He felt like he was missing something.

“Are all of your friends like him?” Her mother said after a moment, gesturing with a hand off towards Hunter.

“I resent what that implies,” Hunter huffed, ears pressed down as he tucked Rascal between his neck and cloak.

“I mean, personality wise? No, he’s the biggest brat of them all.” Luz assured, and Hunter visibly took offence. “Well, Matt was  also  a brat, but he’s a friend of a friend, and I think he’s calmer now.”

“They  are  annoying, though.” Hunter piped up, and prided on barely reacting under Luz’s seething glare.

“Well they can’t come  here,  your first friend has already caused enough trouble.” Her mother said firmly, and Hunter rolled his eyes at that.

“Please, breaking and entering is tame for me.” Hunter scoffed, and got an even more worried, and possibly judging, look from the woman.

“You're not helping.” Luz whispered, immediately turning back to her mother. “I’m sure we can figure this whole thing out. I can probably get Hunter to tell them to calm them down without me having to go back, Rascal can bully him into it, he likes me.”

“That’s a  low blow,  human!” Hunter hissed, a low, drawn-out sound that had the woman tensing and Luz only rolling her eyes. “I do so much for you, and  this  is the thanks I get?” He ignored Rascal’s gleeful chitters that sounded suspiciously like laughter.

“We’re  even  on that front and you  know it.” 

“Debatable,”

“This is  serious,  Luz.” Her mother said, and Luz’s mouth clicked shut. “Christ,” She sighed. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d made  friends  in the demon realm?”

“You didn’t ask…?” Luz said slowly.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Hunter said, leaning against the island counter. “I drag Luz back, she hangs for a day or two to calm everyone down, and she comes right back to have quality family time, or whatever you guys call it, until you’re all finished.”

“Absolutely not,” Her mother said instantly. “Luz will not go anywhere  near  that portal.”

“It’s not gonna blow up, it’s stable.” Hunter raised a brow, not noticing Luz freezing up. 

“Luz is  not  going back to that demon realm,” She insisted, and he was sure she would be growling if she could. “Listen, could you please just tell the other witches to stay back? I don’t want any trouble from that realm coming through here.”

“Ouch,” Hunter said dryly, twitching an ear as he crossed his arms. “Why’s this got you in a tizzy? I came here to bring back Luz anyway, why is this an issue?”

Luz and her mother met eyes for a brief second, and Hunter knew then he was missing something, because it felt like a conversation passed between their eyes and Luz ducked her head again, ashamed.

“Luz,” Her mother spoke in soft tones, though she was rubbing at her face. “You didn’t tell your  friends--”

“I was going to--”

“Luz, honey, you can’t  omit details  from people--”

“I know, I swear I was just busy trying to see you--”

Hunter set Rascal down on the island counter and gestured towards him. The palisman fluffed his wings before proceeding to peck incessantly on the counter, making a loud clinking noise. It got both humans mingling words to come to a stop as they both turned towards him.

“Hi, sorry to interrupt, but I’m still here.” Hunter said, scratching his bird's head to get him to cease once he had their full attention. “What am I missing?” He asked, pointing between the two.

“I apologize Luz hadn’t informed you earlier,” Her mother started, and Luz gripped her arms and looked away from them both, shoulders hunched. “But she won’t be going back to the demon realm.”

He stared. He blinked once, twice. He could see Rascal staring too, just barely in his line of sight.

“Come again?”

“Luz had been trapped there for so long,” Her mother went on. “And-and she was surrounded by  demons  and rain that scalded skin and-and Vee told me of Emperor’s and experiments,” 

Hunter flinched at that, ears pressing flat as he turned his head to the side.

“It’s clearly not a safe place,” She continued, and her eyes dropped to his notched ear. “And...there’s much to catch up on, to talk about.” She said, in a polite tone that told him not to press that particular matter. “Surely, you can explain this to them?”

Hunter stayed silent for a moment, aware of Luz peeking at him with guilt across her features. He didn’t meet it, he knew he’d get more riled up if he did.

“Yeah, so,” Hunter said calmly, clasping his hands together. “That’s  not  happening.” 

“Excuse me?” Her mother reeled back a bit.

“Listen, Miss...what are your last names again?” He asked Luz, though he still didn’t let himself fully look at her.

“Noceda,” She said, sounding confused now.

“Ms. Noceda,” He continued. “I can speak from personal experience when I tell you that the Emperor and any experiments he had are  far  beyond gone,” He said, bitterness dripping from his words. “And I--  we  have your daughter to thank for that.”

Her mother startled for a moment, opening her mouth to speak, but he plowed on.

“Half the things that made the Isles dangerous, including the very reason your daughter was late coming home, are either burnt to a crisp or in the ground.” He said, holding her gaze. “And I can tell you this, with one hundred percent sincerity, that if I go back and tell Luz’s friends that she won’t ever be coming back, you’ll have witches and demons in numbers nearing the thirties knocking on your front door.” 

“Is that a threat?” The woman managed to get out first. 

“With all due respect, Ms. Noceda, it’s a promise.” 

“Thank you,  Hunter.” Luz was suddenly at his side, seizing his arm in a grip that felt like he was losing circulation. “That’s  enough,”  She said, giving him a warning look. “I think she gets the message.”

“Luz, what in the world is he talking about?” Her mother asked, eyes back to her child.

“It-it’s a long story, but he’s right about the Emperor!” Luz added quickly. “He’s...he’s gone, and-and I don’t think he’s coming back.”

“He won’t.” Hunter said, and left it at that.

“Luz, cariño, I’m sure we could work something out with your friends.” Her mother assured. “I’m glad a man like Vee had described is gone, but I’m sure they would understand.”

“That her mom won’t let her come back?” Hunter scoffed, and Luz tugged forcefully on his arm.

“Hunter,”  She hissed, and he looked at her then, and saw the fear practically  radiating  off her. He wondered if it was something she’d picked up from Amity or vice versa, to be brimming with emotions, but leaving them largely unnoticed until someone actually  focused.

“Look, I…” Luz hesitated for a moment. “I  promised  that I’d stay with her…” She mumbled, and the last piece clicked in his mind.

Luz had promised she’d stay, to a likely terrified mother, and Luz was never one to skimp out on promises. She either kept them or agonized over trying. And it’d make sense why she wouldn’t want to tell anyone, she promised she’d  leave forever,  and no plans or compromises from the residents of the Owl House could sate a mother worried for her daughter. 

Also made sense why she wanted him to leave. Her mom did  not  seem to like the place, and him being there had to be somewhat breaking the little ‘promise’ of interacting with someone from the demon realm at all.

“Oh,” He said, instead of all that, ears pricking slightly. 

“I’m sorry to have it all sprung on you without warning,” He heard her mother saying, though he wasn’t looking at her much in that moment, but she sounded genuine. “But the demon realm doesn’t necessarily seem to be...the  safest  of places.”

“It’s not,” Hunter confirmed, slowly straightening to face the woman again. “But hey,” He shrugged, feeling Luz letting up her grip on his arm. “It’s home.”

Her eyes dropped to his scar again, just for a moment, and he didn’t bother to hide his eye roll this time.

“Trust me, I’m an outlier in how deadly the place  actually  is.” He muttered. “These,” He gestured broadly to his face, not quite feeling the satisfaction he assumed he’d feel when he saw her wince. “Were caused by something  outside  the Boiling Isles, something that never should have been there in the first place. He’s gone now.” He rumbled a growl. “We made sure of it.”

She looked apologetic, and he’d give her that. But she shook her head with a sigh all the same.

“I’m sorry, truly, but Luz and I agreed, it’s not safe. I’m glad she could make friends there, I really am,” She said, and he wondered what kind of friends Luz had had in the past, because she said the word ‘friends’ like it could have five different meanings. “But it’s not safe for her.”

“And?” Hunter threw a hand out in a broad gesture. “It was never completely safe, no place is. You gonna look me in the eyes and tell me Luz would never sneak back out? I’m giving her another week at best.”

“Hunter!”

“Look, I’m  really  just trying to wrap this whole complication up,” Hunter sighed unsympathetically, aware of Rascal chirping and head-butting his arm. “Unfortunately, I  know  you, and I know you’d rather wallow in a chasm for eternity than never go back to the Isles. And as entertaining as watching a whole drama unfold would be when your mom would eventually find out, I  really  don't want to deal with that headache.” He grumbled.

Luz looked to her mother then, and her mother looked back. Luz’s hand was still clutched in his sleeve, watching her mother worriedly as she met her confused gaze.

“Luz?” Her mother said slowly, and Luz fiddled with Hunter’s sleeve.

“Mami, I...look, I didn’t...my friends, they...I don’t…”

“Hi, sorry, can-can I butt-in?”

The three whirled around, Hunter automatically putting an arm in front of Luz and taking a step back at the sight.

A basilisk lay in the doorway to the kitchen, tail curled somewhere out of sight. It was a young one, about the size of Luz. That’d work, he’d taken on bigger before, not like he had any magic for a basilisk to steal--

“Vee,” Luz’s mother breathed. “What are you doing up?”

And of  course  she was someone they knew. Amazing, wonderful, he loved being out of the loop that there was a  basilisk  casually within the house, that wasn’t unnerving at all.

“You guys aren’t very quiet,” The basilisk--Vee--shrugged as she slithered in, and Hunter took another step back, his arm in front of Luz causing her to be pushed back as well. “Hey there, uh, new guy.” She offered a small, shy wave to Hunter, and he eyed her before hesitantly returning it.

“Vee, I think you should go back to bed, we were discussing--”

“I know, I heard.” Vee brushed off Luz’s mom. “I actually have an idea for, y’know, this predicament. No offence, but I can't really sleep with you guys arguing.” She said, the wringing of her clawed hands the only sign she was nervous, stopping only when she was between them, with Luz and Hunter on one side, Ms. Noceda on the other.

“Should I be worried about this?” Hunter whispered to Luz.

“Nah, she’s cool.” Luz whispered back.

“What if, and hear me out...we all sleep on this,” Vee said, palms pressed together. “We think it over during the night, and when it's actually  light  out, we talk about Luz wanting to go back to the Isles and the rules that would have to be put in place. And also nobody breaks in.” She tacked on quickly.

“So you  do  want to go back?” Luz’s mother turned to her, and he saw the hurt and shock in her eyes.

“I…” Luz looked like she had a ‘no,’ at the back of her throat, and he truly did believe she would’ve said all her mom wanted to say. But he nudged her side, and she looked up at him, and clearly he was doing  something  with his face, because the empty assurances died out.

“Y-yeah, I do.” She mumbled, looking back to her mom. “I...really,  really  want to see them again, back in their realm.”

And he avoided looking at Ms. Noceda’s face, because the shock and pain increased significantly.

“Well, I, for one,” He said, ducking around Luz. “Agree with the lizard's plan. Sleep on it, talk in the morning with Ms. Noceda, yadda yadda, all that fun stuff.”

“Camila is fine,” The woman murmured, sounding a little dazed.

“Lizard?”  Vee hissed, tongue flickering out as she narrowed her eyes on him.

“Right, sorry, snake fits better.” Hunter said before he could stop himself.

“You have permission to beat him up.” Luz said casually, ignoring Hunter’s indignant shout of “traitor!”

“I, yes, yes,” Luz’s mother--Camila--sighed, stepping back and bracing herself against the kitchen counter. “Tonight has been...a hectic one. It’s far too late to be talking about things like this.”

“Does this mean I can go?” Hunter asked, pointing with his thumb behind him. “Preferably without alerting everyone that I snuck out?”

“I don’t know  how  you got past Hooty,” Luz sighed, tilting her head and beginning to walk towards the front door with a quick, affirming glance with her mother that both had barely managed to make, Hunter immediately following.

“I escaped through your window.” Hunter said simply, and he noted Camila looking up slightly at that, until Vee approached her, murmuring in soft words he knew better than to try and eavesdrop on.

“Of course you did,” Luz grumbled, opening the front door and practically shoving Hunter outside. 

“Alright, alright, I get it, I’m leaving--”

Luz stepped out onto the front porch with him, leaving the front door open just a crack, enough so that she could be seen through it, and in turn could see Camila and Vee talking back by the kitchen.

“Am I going to get a personal lecture?” Hunter asked cautiously, crossing his arms as his ears flicked down. “Look, in my defense, you didn’t exactly explain a lot of things to  me--”

Luz lunged, and he stepped back and raised his hands defensively. Instead of a mean left hook he was expecting, he got arms wrapped around his sides, squeezing the air out of him.

Hunter wheezed, and would’ve doubled over if Luz wasn’t in the way. She didn’t let up on her hug, and after a moment of trying to get his thoughts in order, he slowly drew his arms around Luz, chin tucked against her head pressed into his chest.

“I’m glad you're okay,” Luz muffled into his shirt, and Hunter may have clung on a little tighter, aware of Rascal watching this all from his shoulder.

“Feel like you said this already.” He managed to get out.

“I know, I just wanted you to know I meant it.”

And if Hunter tilted his head down to press his face into Luz’s hair then, she didn’t say anything.

“Good to see you still kickin’, too.” He mumbled. 

“Miss me?” Luz teased, throwing his words back at him as she pulled her head back slightly, and Hunter quickly did the same to look down at her.

“Hardly,” He huffed, clearing his throat to hide how it cracked halfway through. “I just didn’t want everyone leaving me out of all the fun.”

“Uh huh,” Luz raised a brow. “So you just  happened  to drop by to make sure I was alright on the one night you  actually  managed to escape the Owl House without being caught?”

“...listen--”

Luz laughed, and Hunter sputtered over his words. He growled and pushed her back and off him, knowing his face was flushing as he turned away and crossed his arms. Luz’s laughter didn’t stop at that, and Rascal sounded like he was laughing, too.

His ears drooped down and he half-heartedly bared teeth, in what may have been an attempt to hide a smile.

“You’re such a massive pain, you know that?” He growled. 

“I do,” Luz grinned, laughter calming down to giggles. “I learned from the best.”

“That, you did. That Owl Lady couldn’t be more overbearing if she tried.” Hunter muttered.

“She’s got a bit of an empty nest syndrome, you get used to it.” Luz lightly nudged his shoulder. “It’s her way of welcoming you to the family.”

And he didn’t even have the time to process  that  whole sentence, because Rascal was fluttering onto Luz’s shoulder, cheeping as Luz raised a hand to scratch at his head.

“Make sure they know not to worry too much, okay?” She continued, looking up at him. “I’ll try and sort this out.”

“Does that mean you’re coming back soon?” Hunter paused, tilting his head. And maybe there was a tone of hopefulness in his tone, maybe.

Luz hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly in thought. She looked back towards the front door, though he couldn’t see if Camila or Vee were anywhere near it, what with the angle being off and Luz blocking most of it. He wondered if they could hear their conversation.

“I think so,” She said, quieter this time as she turned back to him with a small smile. “I... hope  so.”

“So do I, they’ll be insufferable without you.” Hunter teased. “Have fun thinking up how to explain to them your apparent promise.”

“Don’t remind me,” Luz groaned, throwing her head back. “Look, it was a panicked situation, and I didn’t want her any more scared than she--”

“Save it,” Hunter said, not unkindly, raising a hand to silence her. “I’ve made worse spur-of-the-moment decisions. Contrary to popular belief, I know you well enough that you’d never stay away for long. You have a habit of being a people-pleaser.”

Luz relaxed, and raised her hand to let Rascal hop onto it. She offered him back to Hunter, and he took the bird into his hands.

“Still, I’m sorry.” She said, wringing her hands together. “For all of this.”

“If all goes well, you’ll get to tell them that yourself.” He said, and attempted a smile.

“Hopefully,” Luz said, glancing back towards the door. “So, that means you’re willing to tell them what happened?” She asked, a pleading note to her voice.

“As in, I tell them that I broke out of the Owl House in the middle of the night, escaped to the human realm, found you when I  knew  they were going to do the same thing, and then came back to the demon realm  without  you, just to tell them you’ll  probably  be back soon, but I don’t know when?” Hunter said, ears lowering more and more as he spoke, raising a brow.

“...yes?” Luz tried, hands clasped behind her back as she looked up at him with wide, puppy-dog eyes.

“...I don’t know  why  I put up with you.” Hunter groaned, relenting as his shoulders slumped, letting Rascal fly up onto his shoulder.

“Because you care about me,” Luz teased in a singsong tone, her relief immediate.

“Unfortunately,” He muttered unthinkingly, before the words processed in his head. He tensed right after, eyes locked on the wall behind Luz.

She looked surprised for about half a second before she practically  lit up,  beaming excitedly at him.

“Anyway,”  He said quickly, voice higher than normal,  knowing  he was flushed up to his ears. “I should be off before your mom gets even more pissed at me.” He said, sharply turning on his heel.

Rascal was most definitely laughing at him now, and he pulled up his hood before shoving the bird into it, silencing him. He leapt down the stairs leading up to the porch, instead of walking down them like a normal person.

“Well, in her defense, you  did  break in.” Luz reminded, though there was a certain giddiness to her tone as she watched him leave.

“Like you  haven’t  done it!” Hunter scoffed behind him, beginning to hurry back towards the forest, head ducked low.

“Yes, but we don’t need to  tell  her that!” Luz hissed, voice notably quieter as she fearfully glanced back. 

“No promises!” He called back, a grin forming as he picked up the pace. “Call it compensation for throwing me to the wolves!”

“Wh--Hunter!” Luz squawked indignantly.

He turned on his heel for just a moment, giving Luz a mocking salute before ducking between the trees of the forest, cackling as Luz’s calls of “don’t you  dare!”  faded behind him.

“Alright, Rascal, prepare yourself.” He said, hearing his palisman chitter from within his hood, with a hint of annoyance to it. “We’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

[adamruz]

Happy Mother's Day

Summary: A fluffy piece for Kim’s first Mother’s Day. Not responsible for any tears that may be shed.

Word count: 725

After dinner from their favorite Italian restaurant down the street and Kim's favorite chocolate cake was served, Makayla ran into her room to bring out Kim's presents. "Happy Mother's Day, Mom!"

First was a beautiful bouquet of flowers that Makayla picked out two weeks earlier. Adam spent way more time at the flower shop than he wanted to as she took her precious time picking out each individual flower, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy watching her face light up as she walked throughout the shop. He wanted to make sure Kim knew her daughter's dedication behind the bouquet. "Mack picked out every single flower and color because she wanted to make it super special."

Makayla nodded with excitement. "These look and smell beautiful, bud. You did a good job!"

Next was a small jewelry box and inside was a necklace with a charm made out of Makayla's favorite piece of blue sea glass with 'Mom' engraved in white. Adam knew how special the sea glass was to both of them, so he jumped at the idea when Makayla said she wanted to get Kim a necklace. He didn't have a clue about where to start looking for a place that would make it, so he recruited the help of Hailey and Trudy. Their secret meetings sometimes caught Kim's attention, but he was glad she never asked for details because he didn't want to spoil the surprise. "This is so pretty. I can't believe you turned your favorite piece into this. Thank you Makayla. Adam, can you help me put it on?"

The last item is what really got her though. Adam was still standing behind Kim after helping her with the necklace and this gift was a surprise to him too since Makayla made it at school. Kim looks up at him while mouthing "you told her" in between her tears when she saw Makayla's drawing of four people. He nodded nervously in return as he hadn't had a chance yet to tell Kim that he talked to Makayla about the baby. He placed his hands on her shoulders and she held onto the one on her left shoulder.

It was the three of them holding hands on the beach with a fourth person, who looked like a smaller version of Kim. While they never found out the gender, they were both convinced it was a girl and Adam knew she would've looked like a mini Kim.

"I hope it's okay. Adam told me you had a baby that's in heaven now with my mommy."

Kim was finally able to compose herself and said "It's perfect, Mack."

"I wish I could've met her."

"Us too. You would've made an incredible big sister," Adam responded.

After Makayla was put to bed, Adam was cleaning up in the kitchen as Kim sat at the table. "Hey Kim, I'm sorry I told her about the baby without you. I know that was your thing to tell her, but she cornered me in the grocery store with the shopping cart when the sonogram picture fell out of my wallet."

Kim started laughing before she reeled herself back in for this serious conversation. "Adam, it's okay. They're both your daughters too, so you have every right. It was only a matter of time until she found out."

"Phew, okay. I was really worried about that. Those types of conversations with her always scare me because I don't always know what I should or shouldn't say."

Kim moved closer to him and placed her hand on his chest. "I get it, but you don't give yourself enough credit. You did amazing with her with this and while I was in the hospital." His nerves subsided and he let out a smile.

"You still have that photo in your wallet?"

"Yes, I moved it from my locker to my wallet. It's a reminder of what we almost had, what we have now, and what we can have." Adam pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"But can we get back to the fact that our seven year old daughter cornered you in a grocery store when you are an elite cop, studying to become a detective?"

"Kim, I don't know how to explain it. We're in for a world of trouble is all I know."