#I'll probably go see my doctor next month and see if she can do anything to help

[fitzfunnymoments]

Okay it's official. I NEED to see a gynecologist but. The trauma™️

[libraryofgage]

Harlequin Prince (3)

Part of: Steve Deserves Good Parents, Actually

Debbie and Fester Addams One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six Rick and Evelyn O'Connell One | Two | Three Harley Quinn One | Two | Three (you're here!) 10th Doctor and Rose One | Two Scooby Gang (there are plans for this one lmao, so plz be patient with me orz) Jedidiah and Octavius (from Night at the Museum) One | Two Queen Clarisse Renaldi One | Two | Three Leverage Crew One

So that Suicide Squad Isekai anime huh (it's great, I love it actually)

Anyway, I'll be playing fast and loose with Batman canon so all the batkids can be around at the same time have fun with that cuz I did (also forgive me if anyone is a little too OOC; i'm here for a good time not a long time), and the little flashback bit will continue in the next parts as Steve meets more batkids ^_^

As always, if you see any typos, no you didn't UwU

----

Harley drops him off at Wayne Manor just after ten in the morning. She tugs a window open, carries him inside, kisses him on the forehead, and promises to pick him up in a week before climbing back out. Steve watches her until she's past the gate, clutching a Green Lantern plush his mother insisted he carry around because it'll annoy his Uncle Bruce.

Steve glances down at the plush, wishing his mother didn't have to go off on a mission when she'd just gotten out of Arkham two months ago. His wishes won't actually change anything, though, so he might as well make the best of his week with Uncle Bruce.

He turns on his heel, taking in the plain bedroom that will probably become his for the next few days. He holds the Green Lantern plush close and marches to the door, stepping out into the hall and choosing a random direction to walk in.

According to his mother, Wayne Manor can have anywhere between two and ten people staying in it at one time. She told him that Dick would be the most welcoming, if not the most confused, the girls would be the most fun, and Damien would be the most guarded, likely to consider him a threat for his entire stay.

It's just his luck that the first person he runs into is Damien. The other boy drops from the ceiling, blade of his sword glinting in the light as it comes to a stop just against Steve's neck. Steve freezes, glancing down at the sharp edge as Damien says, "Think very carefully before answering. Who are you, and what are you doing in my home?"

Steve looks away from the sword, tilting his head slightly as he shrugs. "I'm Steve. I'm staying here for a week," he says.

Damien's eyes narrow, and he takes a step closer, adjusting his arms so the katana doesn't move. "Says who? Does Father know you're here? Are you a spy sent by my mother?"

"Says my mom. Maybe. No," Steve replies.

A few more seconds pass before Damien hums. "Who's your mother?"

"Harley."

"Quinn?"

"Is there another?"

Slowly, Damien lowers the sword. "I suppose Quinn is somewhat reformed. How old are you?" he asks.

"Almost six."

"So, you're five," Damien says, nodding once. He sheathes his sword, apparently deciding Steve is no threat to him. "That makes me older than you, so you have to do what I say. Consider me your big brother for the week."

"Are you gonna make me hurt myself?"

"No."

"Mom said you wouldn't like me."

"Father said I should try being more trusting and welcoming. You are small and untrained, like a puppy. I could dismember you before you hurt me, which makes you ideal for practicing," Damien explains. He's quiet for a few seconds before getting a slight smirk. "Besides, it will greatly annoy my brothers if you obviously prefer me over them."

"I'm great at pretending as long as we can do fun stuff, too."

"Then we have a deal. You will act like I'm your favorite, and I will make sure you have fun."

Steve considers this, decides Damien is well on his way to actually being Steve's favorite, and steps closer. "Mom said Alfred makes the best cookies. Can we have some?"

"Yes," Damien says, "If you're hungry, then it's my responsibility to feed you as your big brother."

He offers his hand, seeming unsure when Steve takes it, like he isn't used to this kind of contact. Still, he doesn't pull away; he just hesitantly squeezes Steve's hand before leading him down the hall.

----

Not two days ago, Steve was telling himself he'd never set foot in Hawkins High School. Now, after getting the run down on the Upside Down (and holy shit did this place suddenly get a thousand times more interesting), Steve decides he'll just have to brave the brick walls to get Eddie out.

He leans forward on his motorcycle, arms resting on the handlebars as he looks up at the building. There's an American flag waving in the wind, faded paint on the outside, and security so lax it'd be suspicious in Gotham. Steve briefly considers leaving his helmet on, but he settles for placing it on the seat once he's off the motorcycle.

Walking into the school is easy. He doesn't even get stopped by the receptionist at the front desk. She just waves him in without looking up from her book. So, yeah, getting in is easy; figuring out where Eddie is might be a little harder.

He wanders the halls and stops the first student he sees, a girl with short brown hair carrying an unwieldy instrument case in her arms. Steve places his hands on the case and gently pushes down, flashing a grin when he can finally see her face. "Uh, can I help you?" she asks, her tone implying she very much does not want to help him.

"Yeah, I'm looking for someone," Steve says.

Her nose wrinkles slightly in disgust. "Listen, dingus, if this is some kind of pick-up line dare, save it," she says, rolling her eyes. She takes a step back and Steve follows.

"Nope, definitely not," he says, "You're not my type, sorry."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, unless you're not a girl...," he says, voice trailing off and eyebrow raising as he watches her understand his meaning.

She blinks, her shoulders rising some. She glances around, confirms the hallway is still empty, and relaxes. "Word of advice," she says, "don't just say that shit where anyone can hear. People aren't exactly nice about it around here."

Steve flashes a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I can take care of myself, but thanks. Anyway, still looking for someone."

"Oh, right, uh, what's their name?"

"Eddie Munson. Know him?"

She blinks again, her eyebrows shooting up in slight disbelief. "Yeah, I know him. Whatcha need him for? He doesn't usually sell until after school."

Oh. Steve hums softly, filing away that tidbit of information for later. "Not here to buy. I'm here to take him somewhere fun," he says.

A few seconds pass in which the girl looks at Steve, drops her gaze to the instrument case between them, and then glances around the empty hall. "Well, shit, man, I wanna go somewhere fun, too."

Steve considers her for a moment, trying to figure out the logistics of fitting her and Eddie on his bike. Well, he can just have her sit on the handlebars or something. "Okay, but the instrument won't fit," he tells her.

The grin he gets in return tells him that won't be a problem. "Name's Robin, by the way."

This has to be fate, right?

"Steve. Nice to meetcha, Robin."

Robin's grin gets even wider, and Steve knows they'll be great friends.

---

"Eddie usually sits in a corner," Robin says, standing at the edge of the cafeteria with Steve. It's teeming with life, and Steve hears snippets of conversations that blur into one dull roar that settles over the space. It reminds him of bars in Gotham even more than the actual bars he's visited here in Hawkins.

He can't see into the corners from here, but that doesn't bother him. "Wait here," he says, flashing a grin at Robin before walking to a mostly empty table. He climbs onto it, reaches into one of his jacket's inner pockets, and pulls out an air horn.

Steve waits long enough to see Robin cover her ears before raising the horn in the air and pressing down. It blares through the room, drowning out conversations and forcing people at the surrounding tables to cover their ears. A few more seconds pass before Steve lets up on the horn, grinning widely at the sea of eyes turned towards him.

"I'm looking for Eddie Munson," he says, twirling the air horn in the palm of his hand.

Instead of a verbal answer, he watches as the eyes turn from him to a corner across the room. A few people even duck close to their tables to clear Steve's line of sight, allowing him to see a confused Eddie sitting with his friends.

Steve grins, pockets the air horn, and starts making his way across the cafeteria. He walks on tables, jumps between them, and narrowly avoids stepping on more than one tray along the way. By the time he reaches Eddie's table, most of the students have gone back to their lunches and conversations.

"How's it going, Eds?" Steve asks, crouching in front of Eddie with a grin. He glances at the other boys by him, notes the identical Hellfire Club shirts, and nods in acknowledgement.

"Better now," Eddie says, his startled blink telling Steve he definitely didn't mean to say that out loud.

Steve somehow grins wider. "Wanna make like a banana and split? I've got somewhere fun in mind," he says, popping up from his crouch before hopping off the table and into the narrow space between Eddie's chair and his friend's.

"Dude, really?" one of his friends asks. "We have a session today."

Eddie looks torn at that realization, halfway standing and stuck like that. "That we do, Gare-bear," he says, defeat bringing his shoulders down.

"In that case, consider this a kidnapping," Steve tells them, grabbing Eddie's hand and pulling him up. He wraps his arm around Eddie's shoulders, winks at his friends, and promises, "I'll have him home before six, though."

Eddie's friends exchange glances, and Steve graciously pretends not to notice the puppy dog eyes Eddie aims at them. After a few seconds, one of them stands up, towering over Steve and outweighing him by a good bit. He clears his throat, glances at the other two, and tries to sound intimidating as he says, "Make it five thirty, and no funny business."

Steve nods and offers a mocking two-finger salute. "Yes, sir," he replies, flashing a grin before taking Eddie's bag from his seat and dragging him to where Robin is waiting.

"So, where are you kidnapping me to?" Eddie asks, managing to stick close to Steve despite having to weave through chairs and tables.

"Nothing special, really. Just an abandoned laboratory in the middle of the woods that has a gateway to another dimension filled with faceless monsters. Oh, and Robin's coming, too. Don't worry, though, I won't let you get hurt. "

He glances over to meet Eddie's wide eyes, something warm curling behind his ribs when Eddie finally smiles and whispers under his breath, "Fucking metal."

-----

Tag List (definitely still room, so let me know if you'd like to be tagged!):

@nectandra, @y4r3luv, @just-a-tiny-void, @dotdot-wierdlife

@midwestharpy, @twilitdragoneye, @disrespectedgoatman

@lawrencebshoggoth,

And now, a meme:

[tigergirltail]

TIGER HRT CHAPTER 6 - MONTH 6 - THE CAGED BIRD

CONTENT WARNING - This chapter contains mentions of medical injections, bigotry, child abuse, self-harm, and attempted suicide. Reader beware.

FIRST - PREV - NEXT

I had my six-month check-up with Dr. Erian, an online appointment just like last time. No particular medical issues this time around, bloodwork checks out, genetic reconfiguration is stable. We can't do a thorough physical exam over the internet, but according to him, I am "the very picture of health, by the standards of your species". I'm a bit curious what standards those are, given that I have yet to hear about any other tiger therians. Hopefully there ARE standards, and he's not just giving me empty reassurance.

We also spent some time going over dietary concerns - am I getting enough meat, am I reducing my fruit and grain intake appropriately, that sort of thing. I assured him that I'm eating real meat with every meal, just like the booklet said to, I've been limiting fruits and vegetables, and I don't even have an appetite for anything grain-based. I'll probably miss what fresh bread used to be like, but I just can't bring myself to want it anymore. Apparently not every therian is following the diet they're supposed to, but the doctor didn't have any concerns about me, "assuming your answers are honest, Miss Alexis". What, does he think I'm about to lie to the one person who knows how species transition works?

At one point during the discussion I thought I heard him mutter something about a "foolish undine", but I must have misheard. Undines are water spirits or elementals or something - a fictional creature. Then again, so are dragons and lamias, but the first well-known humanity remover was a dragon-girl, and I've been hanging out and playing online games with a lamia. At this point you could tell me there's someone out there transitioning to Sonic the Hedgehog, and I might actually believe you.

I've hit the point of full fur coverage, so no more awkward bald patches! Unfortunately, this does mean I need to start taking my estrogen in a form other than skin patches, because there's nowhere left to stick them. After a lot of agonizing over the pros and cons of potential liver damage from pills versus facing down my needle phobia, I opted to ask my endocrinologist to train me on injectable estrogen. She made a somewhat tone-deaf joke about not being trained in veterinary medicine, but she was otherwise very patient and reassuring, so I let it slide.

I do want to state for the record that I am a big scary tiger who's not afraid of anything and I only cried a little bit the first time I injected myself.

My ears are definitely becoming much more sensitive - I keep hearing really annoying high-pitch noises when I'm around heavy machinery, and that happens a lot more often than you might think. My office at work is right next to an elevator, and whenever someone uses it, the motor lets out this gods-awful whine and I have to plug my ears until it stops moving again. My local grocery also has a few freezer units that give off a similar sound, constantly, and I've had to start wearing earplugs to go on food runs.

As for visual changes, I can see in the dark reasonably well, but I've also started getting headaches and discomfort when I squint or try too hard to focus on something. I guess I should probably just… try to not do that. I have spent a significant portion of my life staring at a screen, so my eyes probably aren't in the best shape overall.

Now that my physical changes are pretty much done, most people just assume I'm wearing a very intricate costume - at least, until they get close. No costume has mouth movements or facial expressions this realistic, and believe me, our top furry scientists and engineers have tried.

At one point there's a conversation on the humanity removal chat server about the political climates in our respective areas towards therians. Obviously, a lot of the right-wing talking-head shows have been shitting themselves inside-out about the idea of people giving up their humanity, especially the ones with a more religious bent. "How dare these freaks forsake God's holy image", "Humanity is a divine blessing and must be cherished", "We call on the one true God to smite these worshippers of the Beast", and so on like that. Excuse you, but I've never worshipped your discriminatory god and I'm not beholden to their 'holy image'. My goddess is one of beauty, love, and artistic expression, and the entire reason I'm changing myself in the first place is as an expression of self-love.

Most of us agree, though, that the absolute worst of the 24-hour news cycle doesn't have anything to do with how regular everyday people see us. In fact, we're rare enough still that a decent proportion of people don't believe we exist - they think that tabloids made us up to sell more copies. I don't know if that's better in terms of acceptance, but I'll take it over a torch-and-pitchfork mob running me out of town.

The conversation shifts to us sharing our locations, those of us who are comfortable doing so at least. We generally keep it vague, but most of us are at least alright with saying which country we live in. I narrow it down to a province for myself, mainly because my province alone is larger than some countries, but also because once we start to get noticed by the media and the world, there'll probably be no stopping our locations becoming known.

It's also going to get interesting if anyone starts asking how most of us are going to the same medical provider when he requires that consultations be done in person, or why the location he operates out of - Hyper City - doesn't appear on any map. Truthfully, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it myself.

The next day, I get a private message from the girl with the corvid avatar:

"Hey I saw your post when everybody was talking about where they are! I live there too!! We should totally meet up sometime ^v^"

…This is a dilemma. Obviously, I'm worried about the optics of a teenager meeting up with a 39-year-old she met on the internet, there's all kinds of ways that could be taken the wrong way, but dammit, I still don't know anyone like me in this part of the world, who knows if I'll ever find anyone else who's local? …I really want to try, but I should at least give her a warning, and a judgement-free out.

"Uhh I get wanting to meet up, but I'm more than 20 years older than you, would your parents be anywhere near cool with that??"

There's a long pause. I see her start and stop typing multiple times. I'm worried I've upset her. Eventually, she sends another message:

"I don't give a fuck what they think"

I'm taken aback by the harshness of the reply, and don't manage to type anything before another series of messages pops up:

"and they don't care what I do anyway so it's whatever" "if anyone asks I'll just say you're my weird aunt" "you have no idea how bad I want to meet someone who GETS IT" "humanity is a curse and I want to be free"

'I want to be free'. Something about that phrase hits somewhere deep, in a source of pain that never fully healed. Freedom from pain, freedom from self-hatred, freedom at any cost, even if it meant my life. I remember how that desire for freedom feels.

The only thing I can think to do next is ask if she's okay. Her response is to ask if I can go on a voice call. I'm not sure if she wants some confirmation that I'm a real person or if she just doesn't want the next part of the conversation preserved in the text log.

"Hey…", I begin cautiously as the voice call starts. "Can you hear me okay?"

There's a suppressed sniffle on the other end. "Yeah… I hear you."

For a moment I entertain the thought of going all 'when I was your age' and explaining that I was always cautioned against talking to strangers on the internet, but it's probably not the time for that. Read the room, Alexis.

She's not saying anything. I'm going to have to start this off, I think. Something harmless, something value-neutral…

"So from your icon, I'm guessing you want crow HRT? Raven HRT, maybe?"

"Crow HRT.", she states simply. "Crows are everywhere here, and I've always loved them, always been jealous of them. They get to go anywhere they want, do anything they want…" She lets out a groaning sigh. "Augh, this is stupid. You probably think I'm stupid for wanting this."

I can't hold back from giving a little bit of a laugh. "Hah! Young lady, one year ago I went to a doctor and told him to his face that I wanted him to turn me into a recessive-gene variant of an endangered species that doesn't even live on this continent, and then I threatened to bite him if he wouldn't do it. Fantasizing about being a crow is just about the normalest thing I can imagine compared to that."

"…You said you'd BITE him?"

I grin, though without a camera set up she can't see it. "Every one of us who seeks out humanity removal therapy is already a little bit inhuman, even if we don't fully know it yet. After all, why would we remove something if we felt emotionally attached to it?"

Another audible sniffle. "Holy fuck, you DO get it…"

"I sure hope I get it, it's not like I can un-grow the fur and the tail."

She gives a laugh, then there's a long pause. "…Does it hurt? Is it scary?"

"Sometimes. My fingers were REALLY sore while my claws were developing, and having your entire facial structure rearrange is no joke. As for scary, well, I sure get stared at a lot more, but I think I scare people a lot more than they scare me."

"Heh, maybe I want to be scary."

I frown a little. "I don't. I just want to be true to myself."

There's an awkward silence. After a while, I decide to bring up something I was curious about:

"So I remember you asking if there was a way to get species HRT without your parents noticing. I'm guessing they're not exactly supportive?"

She lets out an uncomfortable groan. "Mmmngh… They watch a lot of those news shows, you know, the ones that only run angry sensationalist bullcrap? Dad gets furious at the idea of anyone changing themselves, something about the 'holy sanctity of the human body' or whatever. He even thinks tattoos are blasphemy. Mom says it's the most horrific thing she can imagine, she nearly fainted when she caught me watching a stream of this one dragon girl talking about her changes."

"And here you are, wanting to be a bird… I'm sorry, that sounds really rough."

"It… It is." I can hear her voice faltering. "Hearing nothing but how terrible a waste it is, and how awful and horrific they are, and the whole time knowing that I'd give ANYTHING for it to happen to me, I just… I'm sorry, I just…"

"Hey, you don't need to apologize… I'm not going anywhere."

"I just… don't know how much longer I can take it!"

"…Take what?" I'm afraid to ask my next question, but… I just have to. "…What are they doing to you??"

Somewhere deep inside her, the dam just… breaks. She starts sobbing as she tells me about how her parents yell at her over every single mistake, how she gets shoved or hit just for being in the way, how she hurts herself just so the pain gives her something to feel and to focus on, and how she… How she once climbed up to the roof of her building and took a flying leap off. She had every intention to end her own life, but in the moment her feet left the ground and she felt the air under her arms, she experienced a rush of euphoria, for the first time she can remember.

…And a moment later, she broke a leg and several ribs when she hit the ground.

She explains that she spent over a month in hospital, a captive audience for her parents to yell at more, when they even bothered to show up at all. I'm too stunned to even react.

She's spent the years since then chasing that high, climbing trees and jumping off, finding rooftops and hilltops to go stand in the wind, looking up online videos of parachuting and wingsuiting and hang gliding, and when she first heard rumours about medical treatments that can alter one's very species, she started frantically researching. That's how she started finding other therians to reach out to, how she got involved in the group chat.

"Have you… had an appointment with Dr. Erian yet?" I have a feeling I already know the answer - something something, 'letter from a physician, two psychologists, live as your preferred species for at least a year'. The same horseshit I had to listen to.

"No… I tried to get one, but he won't see anyone under 18 without parental consent, and fat chance of ever getting that."

Huh. I hadn't expected that, it feels surprisingly principled for him. Though at the end of the day, it's probably just another liability thing - ol' Teddy Erian covering his own ass as usual.

"I just…" She's started crying again. "I just want to turn into a beautiful black bird and fly away from all this, forever… I just want to live my life on the wind, going wherever I want, never having to see a single human again…"

I can feel my own tears welling up, and that's the moment I make my decision. I'm going to meet up with this girl, and I'm going to find a way to help her. Maybe she doesn't need humanity removal, maybe she just needs to know someone who understands.

We decide on a place and time to meet up. There's a little cafe I like nearby, run by a trio of neurodivergent queer women. It's a public place, and about as safe for weirdos like us as you can get. Corvid-girl tells me she'll be the one with a feathered headband and a crow-skull necklace. I tell her I'll be the one with white fur and a tail. That manages to get a laugh out of her. I choose to take that as a victory.

There's something about the way she laughs that sounds a bit like a crow's call. I wonder whether that's intentional on her part…

A few days later, I'm sitting in the cafe enjoying a hot chocolate and a roast beef sandwich - extra meat, naturally. Dr. Erian said I have to start cutting chocolate out of my diet because cocoa is going to become toxic to me, but… chocolate! I did ask for a lighter mix though, so what I'm drinking is actually mostly just hot milk. Maybe there's a cocoa-free substitute out there I can look into…

I'm snapped out of my thoughts by a squeal of delight emanating from the front door. There's a teenage girl standing there, staring directly at me with a look of amazement on her face. Dark clothes, pale skin, black hair, headband with feathers in it, and hanging from her neck, an amulet in the shape of a bird skull. I smile and wave a paw at her. She practically bounces as she walks up to my table and takes a seat.

"Holy SHIT, you're… And you even have the… Your face looks just like… Can I touch your paw??"

I laugh and hold out my paw. "Haha, sure, just watch out for the claws, they don't stay all the way inside just yet."

"Oh, it's okay, I'm used to sharp things!"

I wince as I think back to our voice chat from the other day. I REALLY hope she doesn't mean what I think she means, but I can't help noticing she's wearing long sleeves, even though the weather has been getting warmer.

She turns my paw over and squeals. "OHMYGOD you even have the BEEEEANS!" I can't resist smiling as she starts poking and prodding at my pawpads. "You look SO!! AMAZING!!"

Corvid-girl starts frantically complimenting all my animalistic features - "Your stripes are so pretty!" "I love your tail!" "Ohh, your fangs, they're so COOL!!" - and I start uncontrollably blushing. I never would have thought species affirmation would feel this euphoric… Naturally, being a teenager, she takes this as an excuse to push even harder, and I start covering my face with my paws, thoroughly embarrassed.

"You look just like the tigers they have on stage for those shows in Vegas!"

"H-hey, that's actually not okay…"

"You know, I bet you'd look good up on a stage too! Everyone would love to see you!!"

Instinctually, I let out a growl, louder than I actually want to. It has the intended effect, in that she stops dead and stares at me, but so do a few other cafe patrons. Oh gods, here comes the embarrassment again… "H-hey, look, it's just…"

"Sorry." She's gone completely deadpan, and stiff as a board.

I close my eyes tightly. Gods, why did I DO that?? First the waitress at that seafood place, and now an actual CHILD. I REALLY need to start getting a handle on these predator instincts. When I open my eyes again, she's still standing there, and she looks like she's on the verge of a panic attack.

I need to calm her down, need to bring her back. "No… I'M sorry. I shouldn't have done that, I just… The animals they use for those stage shows get abused all the time, and it's kind of a sore spot for me."

"…Really?"

Okay, she's talking, she's distracted, maybe I can still salvage this. "Yeah… Every species has baggage, it's one of the shitty parts of being therian, and tigers, white tigers especially, they're treated like show pieces, or worse."

"…Well shit, I knew they're endangered, but… fuck."

"Yeah, it's a whole thing, I try not to -"

Our conversation is interrupted by one of the staff tapping corvid-girl on the shoulder and asking to talk privately. She reluctantly agrees to go to the back of the store and talk. At first I think maybe she's being chastised for being a disturbance, but the barista who pulled her away is giving me some very pointed looks. Worried looks, I might even say.

If I angle my ears just right, I can almost hear them through the noise of the rest of the cafe.

"…other patrons were concerned… …young lady so close to a dangerous creature…"

I wonder if the barista notices the indignant look that crosses my face when they describe me as a 'creature'.

Corvid-girl lets out that bird-like laugh of hers. Her voice is a lot more distinct and easier to pick out:

"It's just my aunt! She's not a 'creature', she just takes meds to look like that!"

The barista doesn't protest as corvid-girl returns to our table, but they're still giving me a very 'You'd better not try anything' kind of look.

Corvid-girl sits down, seemingly a little more grounded, a little more sobered. "…I guess I never thought to ask, why a white tiger?"

I lean forward, head in one paw, and give a bit of a shrug. "I relate a lot to them."

"To… being treated like a show piece, or whatever you said?"

"…Yeah. When I was little, they called me 'gifted' and put me in a separate school. I remember being excited about it, but it turns out it just meant getting more homework."

"…Ew."

I smile a little bit. "That's what I thought too! They wanted me to be some brilliant prodigy, a genius in the making, but the reality is I was just more observant and better at math than most people, that's all. I actually had to take an extra year of school because I was so bad at it."

"EWW!!"

"I KNOW, RIGHT?? But, then I went to college and graduated at the top of my class, so the joke's on them in the end."

"I wasn't even planning on staying around long enough for college…" She still has a bit of a depressed air about her, but she's not going into a panic. Maybe I'm better with kids than I thought.

"Yeah, I remember, you were going to turn into a beautiful crow and fly away forever." I try to give her a reassuring look. "But hey, the human world isn't ALL bad."

"Says the woman who's turning herself into a wild animal."

I snort quietly as I hold back a laugh. "Okay, fair, but wild animals don't get the internet, or nice little cafes where weirdos like us can just sit and talk."

"Hah, yeah… Weirdos like us." She gives a smile. An actual, genuine smile. Suddenly all the awkwardness is worth it, to see someone so deeply unhappy smile. "That reminds me, I saw on the server you're into witchcraft, can you… teach me?"

Somehow I feel like I should have expected this. The goth-looking crow girl is into witchcraft, big surprise. "I… guess? Maybe? I'm not like an expert or anything, I've just read a few books and cast a few spells is all."

"Ooh, what kind of spells??" And now she's back to her enthusiastic self.

"Just some protective charms on people who needed them, a few card readings with a tarot deck, nothing much really…"

"Does it really work??"

"I mean, the people I cast those charms on ended up safe in the end, but who knows if what I did made a difference? Some of the card readings were scary-accurate though, I think I might have a talent for divination."

She laughs. "Gonna have to get you to read my future sometime."

We end up spending the next hour or so making small talk, getting to know each other, talking about the ins and outs of humanity removal, complaining about Dr. Erian, until…

"Hey, I gotta go catch the bus back home, but… this was nice." She gives a bit of a smirk. "Cool to meet another weirdo."

Before she leaves, I ask her name - I still don't know it, I've been internally calling her 'corvid-girl' this entire time.

She gives me a disgusted grimace. "Ugh, it's 'Margaret'. I'm named for my great-grandmother, it's SUCH an old-lady name."

"Margaret, like Maggie, as in magpie?" I smile a little. "Those are corvids too, you know."

Her expression softens a little. "…Never thought of that. Still don't like it, though…"

"Well, is there a name you'd like better? I can start calling you that if you like."

She freezes. Somewhere in her eyes I can see her mind working to process what I've just said. "…Nobody ever asked me that before. I'll… think about it." She turns to leave.

"Wait, hold on a sec."

"WHAT!?" She outright glares at me, then seems to soften. "Sorry, it's… never mind."

That… was an EXTREMELY sudden mood shift. Trauma response, maybe? "I… was just going to ask if you wanted a sandwich or something to take home."

"…Didn't bring any money…"

I shake my head a little. "That doesn't answer my question. Would you like me to BUY you a sandwich or something?"

"…Egg salad if they got it I guess…"

I go up to the counter and buy her an egg salad sandwich to go. She looks like she's going to cry when I hand it to her. I… probably shouldn't make a big deal about that, but somewhere deep inside, my heart breaks a little. Does she never have anyone just… offer her food?

I'm beginning to understand why she wants to leave behind the curse of humanity. I chose this path, I wanted to be a tiger, I'm running towards something. Corvid-girl, though? She's running away from something.

I walk her outside, and she starts to walk away, but suddenly stops, and turns back to me. She walks resolutely up to me, then grabs me in a hug.

"Soft…" Her voice is muffled against both my shirt and the fur underneath. "You're very soft…"

Once I get over my surprise at the sudden gesture, I hesitantly put one arm around her shoulders and pat her on the back. She pulls away after a few short moments, and walks away down the sidewalk without another word.

I touch my shirt where her head was leaning, and notice a small wet spot.

---

Time to play "Spot the References!" Intentional references below:

"something about a 'foolish undine'" - welldrawnfish (Fish HRT)

"the first well-known humanity remover was a dragon-girl" - ayviedoesthings (Dragon HRT)

"I've been hanging out and playing online games with a lamia" - ariathelamia (Lamia HRT)

"someone out there transitioning to Sonic the Hedgehog" - sonic-spirit (Sonic HRT)

"watching a stream of this one dragon girl talking about her changes" - Rain, by Jocelyn Samara D. (Dragon HRT)

[eowynstwin]

Hi everyone. It's been a while—exactly a month since I last posted to this blog. How have you been?

A month isn't really all that long, but it's enough time to be able to look at everything that happened and understand it better. In the end, the whole situation (I've been calling it The Fuckening in my head) really didn't have anything to do with me. I was unlucky enough to run across someone willing to hurt anyone they could for attention, but also lucky enough that everyone who mattered to me in this fandom went to bat for me.

So I’ve decided to come back to this blog. I'll be posting about call of duty again as well as posting my writing. I also plan to blog about other fandoms (I’d already been doing it anyway); I've been getting back into rdr2, for example, and there's some writing I'd like to do for that.

There’s more context which I’ll put below the cut, but that’s the most important part of what I have to say; I often regret how long winded I can be, so the rest is just self indulgence if you can forgive it. I’ve thought a lot about this choice and I’m satisfied with my decision. I hope none of you will mind.

So, lol, things were not great outside of fandom stuff when it all kicked off, though I didn’t mention it publicly because we all know by now that asking for any sympathy when you’re the target of a mob is more likely to just get you raked over the coals harder. I’m still not entirely sure about talking about all of this, but I have a bad tendency to clam up when I really should be asking for support. So:

I mentioned briefly before the accusations started flying that I was dealing with bedbugs—turns out it was actually something else, but leading up to a doctor’s visit I was convinced I had an infestation, and I was stripping my bed every day to look for them. I had alarms set to wake me up twice a night to see if I could catch them, so I was not sleeping all that well. I couldn’t find anything, but I had no other explanation, and it was driving me fucking crazy. Post doctor visit it turns out I had a viral infection. No idea where I caught it, and nothing to do but wait it out. I had a massive, gnarly looking rash all over my body, and to add insult to injury I developed a fever that took me out for a whole weekend. (I’m recovered now but I have a nifty new scar on my hip from getting a biopsy.)

Next to that, I was having some PTSD flareups of my own. This was (mostly) unrelated to The Fuckening. Now, I understand that that might be hard to believe, given “Myka’s” claims, and I can’t make you believe me. Nor will I provide details to convince you, other than to say there were some things going on in my neighborhood that recalled a period of time in my life that was extremely unstable, and I found myself irrationally terrified to go home every day. For those of you who don’t experience the symptoms of PTSD, I think it’s appropriate to note that it isn’t just emotional turmoil; I, personally, experience physical pain in my entire body that lingers for hours, days, or even weeks after being triggered. (Everything regarding this, too, is fine now. I have a great therapist and a supportive family.)

All of this to say, I wasn’t exactly thinking rationally when I decided to leave this blog and fandom. And I regretted the decision almost instantly.

However, I didn’t want to let grief make any decisions for me, and also I was still VERY scared Myka was going to hunt down my personal information and either dox or harass me elsewhere. I think this fear was justified; it has happened to other writers in this fandom before.* So I decided to take some time to cool off and watch the situation develop without me.

I don’t think I need to get into the details—although if you’re interested in them, @fulltacs has been keeping track of the drama. Given the most recent development with the four obviously sock puppet blogs that popped up and immediately began stirring shit up again, I realized Myka probably would have done what she did with or without me. I just so happened to give her the ammunition she needed to do something REALLY big. It was pure bad luck.

(Also—and I’m sorry if this is just stirring the pot, but after everything they did to me I feel I deserve to make the accusation—I’ve suspected for a while that the two loudest blogs leading the witch hunt against me were far more involved in this farce than anyone has assumed. I have no proof and I do not want anyone to do anything about it on my behalf, leave them the fuck alone. But I will not forget the distress they caused me for a long fucking time, and the only way for me to let this go is to say my piece. So there. Done. Let that be the end of it.)

Having this hindsight, I feel comfortable coming back. I’m still very touched by everyone’s support, which in the end was louder than the harassment. I also think it’s important for people who care about fighting racism in any community not to run at the first sign of trouble, which I did, and I feel pretty sorry for.

That’s the gist of things. If you’ve read all of this, thank you for doing so!

*I was going to add a paragraph about halfmoth-halfman’s situation but decided against it. For one thing, she wants to be left alone, and for another, talking about the experiences of fans of color, particularly black fans, deserves its own post separate from my white experience, if I should even post about it at all.

[maturemenoftvandfilms]

Mount Justice

Featuring West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice

I'm a 20 year old sophmore at West Virginia University when I heard there was an opening for aide at the governor's office. I immediately became interested as I wanted a career in politics. I signed up for the position and had an appointment for an interview days later. I entered the governor's office and his receptionist Carry, greeted me and told me to have a seat while she grabbed the doctor. Apparently, the assitant doing the hiring went home early due to a migraine and Gov. Jim Justice will be doing the interveiw himself. Now I was even more nervous as I waited to be called into his office.

Finally, after 10 minutes, his secretary escorted me into his office. I was surprised at how big he was as he stood. At 6'7" and nearing 400lbs., Justice was a big fucking bear of a man who towered over me. I’ll admit, I was a little intimidated by the sheer size of him with myself being only 5'8", 165lbs. He was wearing a suit coat, a button up shirt, actually very distinguished and mature looking.

He shook my hand and said thanks for coming and asked me to take a seat as he sat down on a sturdy stool. At Justice’s side was his grumpy-looking English bulldog, Babydog, who sat beside the governor in a cushioned dog seat.

Gov. Justice reminded me that I was his last interview and not to worry as he was going to give me equal time to qualify for the position. It started with small talk of my school year and what I got out of it and my future for college etc. While we talked, I gave him a look over. Justice was kinda “folksy,” calling himself a frog who’s proud of his pond. Not the most handsomest guy, but I'd still love to fuck around with him for a weekend. And for some reason with his dog, Babydog watching.

Gov. Justice mentioned he was down to 3 candidates who he was considering, I begged for the job telling him I'd do what it took to get the position. He asked me what I’d do the other two couldn’t do for me. Somehow or another I blurted out "I'll blow you."

"What?" Gov. Justice asked with a look of amazement.

I was silent and just looked at him waiting for him to say something else as he had his internal struggle. I knew Justice has well-documented issues with mobility owing to his weight and height, and recently underwent a gallbladder removal surgery. So he probably hasn't had sex in at least a month or more. So I chose to take things further, getting up and walking over to him as he sat there, not knowing what to do next.

"Gov. Justice, I'm willing to work long and tirelessly at ANYTHING you put in front of me." I said, watching carefully when I emphasized anything and saw all I needed to see.

His face turned red and just shook his head as if there was nothing I could do. A feral smile arose internally. My cock hardened at the thought of him and I having sex on the desk as I continued with my proposal.

"How long has it been since you had your cock sucked?" He froze at the question, calculating since his last sexual encounter no doubt.

"Gov. Justice… Does your wife she suck your cock every night and morning? Does she make you feel good?" I asked, noticing the patch of gray hair sticking out of the top of his light-blue knit shirt before fixing the collar of his shirt.

I slowly shook his head no. I smiled meekly, putting my hands on his massive thighs before I knelt in front of him. Licking my lips, I said, "Gov. Justice, can you give me just one chance to prove myself."

With his lips quivering, he nodded yes as I slid my hands up and down his legs. Thick legs have always been a turn on for me as I let my hands explore his beautiful legs.

Then I put on my most sincere face and thanked him while I unbuckled his belt so I could undo his pants. Gov. Justice stood up a bit so I could undo his slacks. I slid them down and was rewarded with a pretty decent cock and balls. It was about 6 inches, thick, veiny and most importantly, hard. I licked from the bottom of his shaft to the tip as he shuddered in pleasure. I took in his musky smell and it felt so erotic as I flicked the head of his prick, rolling his balls over in my palm. My tongue slid down the side of his cock and back up again, licking him with vigour as I felt my cock flutter uncomfortably in my jeans. I reached down and unzipped them, allowing my prick to fall out and leak precum onto the floor.

I grabbed the base of his cock and wrapped my lips around it, my tongue thrust against the shaft I swallowed half of his manhood and went to work. I could feel the veins on his cock as my lips glided up and down his shaft as his nuts bounced invitingly against my chin. I reached up and tugged at his nuts, my fingers curled around them and he moaned with satisfaction.

"Damn! You're good." The 72-year-old exclaimed as I deep throated his thick dick.

Just then, I felt his big hand grab my head and press it down, looking up with my mouth full of juicy cock, I saw his glazed over eyes and it told me everything I needed to know. I had him right where I wanted him as I continued my assault on his cock. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Babydog. I thought it was funny that his dog was watchuing us. Then suddenly all thoughts of the dog watching fled my mind as Gov. Justice as the old man leaned back on his stool and moaned.

"Wait… Suck my balls." The governor said as he suddenly pulled back causing his dick to slip out of my mouth with a pop.

"Suck them. I try to get my wife to suck my balls, but she won't." Gov. Justice said as he grabbed me behind the head and pulled my face back to his crotch.

I quickly took one of his hairy balls in my mouth and sucked gently on it, inducing a bear-like moan from him. Sucking harder, he cried out, started shaking all over as he let go of my head and wrapped his hand around his wet cock, stroking generously. I worked him into a frenzy, moving back and forth from one of his hairy balls to the other.

After a minute or two, he stopped again and grabbed me by the back of my hair and pulled me back onto his cock. I was lost as he started using profanity tell me harshly to suck his cock and get a drink off his hose. He was having fun with me, and I was loving every minute. I sucked deep and hard as well as soft and slow making this cock last, he had no problem as he was moving his hips in and out using my face to fuck as he pleased.

“Damn, this is hot!” Gov. Justice called out excitedly as he fucked my mouth faster and faster. “Get ready. I’m cumming! Damn! I’m cumming!”

Suddenly, Gov. Justice pulled his dick out of my mouth and shot his huge load onto my face as he held my head in front of his squirting dick. Looking down with approval as he squeezed the shaft to get another drop of his cum out before flopping his cock on my tongue. Then as he shook the last drops of cum from the piss hole of his dick, I stood up as my long fat dick sprung up and stood straight out from my body. It was so hard it was throbbing.

The old man's eyes got big as he glanced down at my long fat dick and then back to his and whistled. I smiled. I always like to surprise people with the size of my dick. Seems people always expected a guy like me to have a little cock. Well, I had a monster dick. Feeling obligated, Gov. Justice surprised me by reaching down and grabbing hold of my dick. Then the old man surprised me by reaching out and closing his hand around my rock hard dick. Now that was a special moment. The old man’s callused hand felt wonderful wrapped around my dick.

"Damn! What a cock! Shit, I bet my wife couldn't take that thing. GOD! Is it thick." Gov. Justice called out excitedly as he pumped his hand back and forth over the head of my dick before adding, "Hell, makes mine look small."

"GOD! I would love to have a dick the size of yours." He said looking into my eyes, pounding away at my engorged young dick.

Feeling his rough, bear-like paws on my cock was amazing as jacked it faster and faster. Just seeing his hair arm moving back and forth as he jacked me, filled me with such excitement that I quickly shot off in the governor's hand. When I finish cuming, Gov. Justice held his cum laden hand to my lips for me to lick my own cum. I did it. When he was finished, he leaned over until his face was almost touching mine and asked me when I wanted to start.

I replied "Start what?"

[uhdrienne]

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

03. broadcast?

🌼 warnings: awkward situations!

🌼 word count: 2,297 words

"So you're moving in?" Wonwoo asks as you finish up your fifth phone call of the day.

"Guess so," you shrug as you tuck your phone back into your pocket. "I got a moving company to help me with my stuff. Not everything, since I'll be going back in a few months."

He nods thoughtfully. "And you'll need a place to stay, I'm guessing."

You look at him. "I'm not staying with you. Don't try that."

"Calm down, Miss Doctor. I'm not ever offering my place up. You'll need to pay rent for that anyway. I can arrange a meeting with a landlord for you if you need it."

"How do I know I can trust you?" You narrow your eyes.

"I know everyone in this town." Wonwoo replies without missing a beat, in the tone that grates on your nerves. "What's it going to be? I'm a busy man."

Miss Kim is nice. Probably the nicest person in the town ever.

She drafts up a contract swiftly right in the local bookshop after your discussion about your housing arrangement with the help of Wonwoo, who serves as your middleman. She also starts talking about a small clinic space for you.

"So just pay the stipulated monthly rent in the duration of the last week of every month and you're good." Miss Kim summarises after you've both signed the handwritten contract.

"Alright," you say.

Miss Kim smiles. "It's been a while since we've had any newcomers in the town. You're going to have a good time."

"I doubt that," you reply quietly, but Miss Kim waves you off.

"Wonwoo," she turns to the man sitting next to you. "I'll leave the renovating to you and the boys? Not sure about the plumbing situation, but-"

You raise your eyebrows in surprise.

"No worries," Wonwoo reassures the middle-aged woman, a warm smile on his face. "Shua and Kwan are pretty free around this time. We'll handle it. And it's for a clinic, that's important. We'll sort that out too."

"Oh, you angel," the woman sighs happily. "Well, that's one load off. Y/N, dear, I'll see you soon when you move in. No need to worry about anything. Wonwoo, Joshua, and Seungkwan will handle it for you. Goodness, I've never seen boys who work better with wrenches than they do!"

She gets to her feet, and by default both you and Wonwoo stand up too. "I have to head off," she adds ruefully. "My- Mr Woo, I mean, needs someone to collect the trash bags again."

You bow as she leaves, and spin towards Wonwoo. "You do renovation?"

"Reno, plumbing, painting, wallpaper installation, carpenting, whatever makes up a house." He smirks. "Do you need my services, Miss Doctor?"

"I'm not trusting you with my house."

He rolls his eyes and groans. "Not this again."

"It's serious!" You retort. "I want to stay in a nice place for the 3 months I'm here-"

The flap of a booklet cuts you off.

Wonwoo has opened a whole damn book of certifications. Encased in transparent pockets, they tumble down, showcasing their sheer number in all its glory. And they reflect exactly what he says, you note as you scan down the list. He has government-issued licenses for renovation, as an estate agent, plumbing, wallpaper, carpenting, and no way... he's a licensed barista? A certified mechanic??

"Not so anxious anymore?" Wonwoo chuckles as he looks at your dumbfounded expression. "You-"

"Come on," he says, slinging his backpack across his shoulder. "You should go home, it's getting late. Come back soon so you can take a look at the house and the clinic plot."

He fishes out his phone. "What's your number?" After you give it to him reluctantly, he lifts a hand in goodbye as he strides out of the shop, leaving you.

"You're moving?!"

"Why ae you so surprised?"

"You're a city girl through and through, YN LN," your friend announces. "You whine when you have to take the stairs instead of a lift in the mall. There is no way you're upping and leaving to a place where they don't even take cards."

"I asked this guy to get them fixed," you shrug. "And it's just for three months, I'm not staying forever."

"I know you just have to do something rash when you see kids in need, YN," your friend sighs. "The time when you decided to donate half your first paycheck to feed underprivileged kids? Or the time when you organised a sale in twelve hours during college to fund medicine supply for-"

"Okay, shut up!" You turn to your friend, flustered, who's laughing unabashedly now. "The kids in that town don't have a clinic. The adults and grandparents don't either. And t's a private establishment, so I'll earn a lot of money while I'm there. There's a Louis Vuitton bag I've been eyeing."

Your friend laughs again, eyes sparkling with mirth. "Sure. Whatever you say."

"Hi. I'm Joshua, everyone calls me Shua. And that's Seungkwan over there."

The two good natured men smile at you and you bow back stiffly. Beside them, Wonwoo is pacing the area that is soon to be your house, tape measure in hand.

"Hello."

"So, our newest addition!" Seungkwan smiles. "We're trying to plan your interior deco, what are you thinking of?"

"Fabric wallpaper," you reply immediately. "In taupe or grey. I'm thinking beige furniture, gives it a minimalist vibe?"

Seungkwan opens his mouth, presumably to suggest something else, but Joshua cuts in smoothly, smiling at you. "No problem. It's great that you know what you want."

At last, finally someone who gets you. "Thanks," you say stiffly, letting out a tight smile.

Wonwoo seems to be done with the measurements, as he keeps his tape measure. "Shua, Kwan, I'll take Miss Doctor to see the clinic plot. Be back soon."

"Okay!"

Wonwoo beckons to you. "Come on then."

A swift ten minutes later, you're standing in the middle of the clinic space.

"This could be the observation room," you mutter to yourself. "Or the office."

You deem the place good enough to move into. Plenty of natural light, a spacious front room, and a few more rooms at the back for observation rooms and your own office.

"Send me what you want for the wallpaper and all that," Wonwoo says, as you both leave the place and he gets ready to head back to your future house. "And it's minimum wage per hour for all three of us. We take bank transfers."

"What?"

Wonwoo smirks. "This isn't the city, but we don't work for free. I'll send you the details, you can just pay us when we're finished."

You gape at him. "I- of course I'm going to pay you! Who do you think I am, a leech?"

He shrugs. "Whatever you say. Anyway, I'll contact you when we're done, but the office might take a while more. Bye."

Dear Miss YN LN,

Thank you for your letter regarding your placement at the pediatrics unit here at Seoul University Hospital. Unfortunately, we cannot make the necessary re-arrangements as the other doctor mentioned has already started his five-year term with us. As we are in the process of preparing for the start of your contract, you were given the three months delay before you begin work.

Do advise us on what we can do to improve the situation as we hope to provide you with a positive working experience. We look forward to your reply.

Warmest Regards

Seoul University Hospital

Three Weeks Later

"Looks okay."

"Just 'okay'?" Wonwoo scoffs. "Shua spent all weekend putting up that fancy wallpaper you wanted."

"I thought you could deliver whatever your clients wanted," You hiss. Delia's eyes flick between both of you, seemingly in amusement.

"Thanks, Chief Jeon. YN's a little picky, but the place looks great!" She interrupts, and you shoot her a glare.

"No worries, Miss..?" Wonwoo smiles at her.

"Just call me Delia! YN, you stay here. I'm going to check the town out, yeah?" And before you can respond, she's out of the newly renovated house.

"She knows you," Wonwoo points out, reaching down to pick his haversack up. "You're prickly and bad-tempered, and-"

"Don't finish that."

He chuckles, fixing his belt. "Anyway, Seungkwan wanted me to pass you a message. The villagers heard we have a doctor staying here for a while, so they want to invite you to a village dinner tonight. Come if you're free, and take the chance to know them better, would you?"

"I'm not interested."

"Oh, come on! You can promote your clinic at the same time, no? Those things are usually pretty fun."

You perk up slightly and he notices. He lets out a laugh. "See you there. Bring your friend if you want to so you're not alone."

Unfortunately, Delia isn't free, what with her taking the night shift at her nursing job in a Seoul hospital. She leaves with the promise to call you when she's free to chat, and you head to the location on your own.

You bow stiffly to the three grandmas who taught you how to handle squid as they pass you, and they chuckle and pat your hand. Cringing at the feeling of old, wrinkled hands on you but saying nothing, you head towards a familiar face.

"Oh YN! Didn't think I'd see you here!" Joshua remarks cheerfully, holding tongs and standing over a portable grill sizzling with seafood. "Here, I'll grab you a plate. These prawns came in fresh, so you get first dibs off the grill!"

"YN! Over here!" Seungkwan's voice catches your attention, and you turn to see him waving you in the direction of his table. Next to him, playing with a young girl, is the chief you least want to see.

Joshua lets out a hearty laugh as he passes you a plate, laden with seafood and meat and rice. "Eat up. Stay with Seungkwan if you're a little awkward, he'll keep the conversation flowing."

You thank him a little quietly before making your way to the table. As you settle, a middle-aged man reaches to shake your hand.

"Mr Woo," He says, a little gruffly but still pleasantly. "I work in the village bank."

"Bank...?" You ask. "I didn't see one when I-" You stop yourself before the embarrassing story of you trying to retrieve your pride pours out.

"Oh! It's a small one, near the convenience store. It's quite secluded so you probably didn't catch it." Mr Woo doesn't seem fazed as he explains. Seungkwan throws his head back and laughs, "I had a hell of a time trying to find it when it was first built!"

The conversation starts and you try to listen, but it's just not the same. You're only used to chats about tough medical cases and patients, never about the day's currents, the catches from the sea, and the trash collection on Saturday mornings. You only pretend to be distracted when you see the chatterbox Miss Hwang arrive. You don't really want another debate with her.

Luckily, Delia's call when the clock approaches 9 gives you a mild reprieve. You excuse yourself and close the door to the small room at the back. It looks like the broadcast room, with a small mic there. You swipe accept on Delia's call.

"Hey, girl!" her voice rings across the line. "How's the dinner?"

"Awful," You sigh as you ean against the mic shelf. "I haven't mentioned my clinic once, and all they talk about is the day's fish!"

"Don't be such a grump," Delia teases. "That's a nice topic, you know. Life there seems so idyllic, I'd so take that over this any day."

"No you don't," You reply tiredly. "They're all so simple -- too simple it's aggravating. The chatterbox lady insisted on playing the strangest music earlier, and I wish I hadn't said I was staying here, now I have to put up and pretend I'm interested in their way of life!"

"You might like it there. The people seem pretty nice," Delia persists. Fortunately, her nagging is cut short by a call of her name, presumably from another nurse. "Shoot. I gotta go."

"Go on," you mutter. "I'll find an excuse to leave soon or something."

With a goodbye the call ends, and you mentally prep yourself to head out again.

But when you leave, you don't hear the excited hum of chatter among the villagers. Not the weird trot music Miss Hwang insisted on playing. Save for the sizzle of the grill, the whole space is silent. Every single villager's eyes follow you. Even Miss Hwang has fallen silent for once, pupils dilated in seemingly shock.

You swallow. "What?"

You turn in Seungkwan's direction. Joshua's. And Wonwoo's. The other two men aren't meeting your gaze at all, but Wonwoo is looking up and directly at you. His eyes don't have the same spark they did when you saw him earlier. They've hardened in anger and disappointment, and his jaw has tightened considerably. Joshua's deliberately looking everywhere else except for in your direction, and Mr Woo's pretending to pick at nonexistent fuzz on his clothes. Seungkwan can't even meet your eye.

You're stuck in momentary confusion until it hits you in a wave of shock and panic. The mic. The mic in the room must have been turned on the whole damn time. Your words had been broadcasted for everyone there to hear.

Your face and ears burn red, and you stride over to the table, as quickly as your shaky legs can handle, grab your bag and leave. No one follows you or tries to stop you to explain yourself.

You've stunned the whole town into silence.

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

🌼 summary: going back to the countryside where you grew up was at the bottom of your list. unexpectedly, your life changes course, and you eventually find your home in weekly village cleaning, the sound of the waves, and with the local jack-of-all-trades, jeon wonwoo.

🌼pairing: wonwoo x reader (written and smau), fluff, angst, hometown chachacha!inspired

🌼 genre(s): fluff, mild angst, yn can be mean sometimes at the start (this is inspired by the kdrama hometown cha-cha-cha, so some parts of the plot and characters are similar), wonwoo is an overall sweetheart

ch.03: broadcast?

prev. masterlist. next.

🌼 taglist: @gaslysainz @lev1hei1chou

writer's note: oh noooooo

[voidvannie]

⋆˚࿔  ꒰ 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗨𝗧 ꒱  𝜗𝜚˚⋆

⋆✩⋆ ─── 🎶and i thank god every day for the girl he sent my way🎶 - beautiful things, benson boone

⋆✩⋆ ─── pairing: jamie drysdale x isabelle hughes

⋆✩⋆ ─── beautiful things masterlist main masterlist

⋆✩⋆ ─── in which . . . belle finds out she's pregnant & has to tell jamie right away!

⋆✩⋆ ─── feel free to send in any request for things you want to see in this series, or in any of the other series on my page. Or if you just want to share some thoughts about what you read, or if you want to talk about oc's!

𝙳𝙴𝙲𝙴𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁 𝟷𝟽, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻 . ┊

belle grins as she stands in her and jamie's shared bathroom in philadelphia, her camera propped up on the rectangular jewelry box resting in the middle of the two sinks.

"welcome to jamie and i's bathroom. today is. . . ," she trails off, picking her phone off the counter to check the date, "december seventeenth. so, jamie and i have been married for six months, and i think i may be pregnant. i've had pregnancy scares before, but i feel different this time."

"it is super early in the morning, jamie is at the gym with carter and cam so i thought it would be the perfect time to take a pregnancy test." she holds the wrapped test up for the camera to catch it. "i'm gonna pee on this stick and i'll be right back."

"okay, that's done." belle caps the last pregnancy test and sits it back down on the bathroom counter, "i'm really freaking nervous. jamie and i haven't really been trying for babies, but we also haven't done anything to prevent babies from happening. either way, we'll both be excited and happy."

"jack will probably be the most excited out of my brothers, and most likely will throw himself a party. he's always asking me when i'm making him an uncle and i'm sure he has a bet going on with trevor." belle nervously fidgets as she tries to think of anything to keep her mind from wondering. "why did i think this was a good thing to do on my own?"

moments later, the timer that she has set up goes off and she picks the first test up, her jaw dropping as she takes in the small 'pregnant' on the small screen, "holy fucking shit."

flipping the other test over, she jumps in place as they also read 'pregnant', and she holds them up for the camera to see them, "holy shit, i'm pregnant! i'm fucking pregnant! i wanna call my mom but at the same time i want to keep this between jamie and i until i can at least go to the doctor and confirm that i am a hundred precent pregnant."

"jamie should be home in a little bit so the next time you see us, we'll be telling him that he's going to be a dad! okay, i need to calm my nerves down."

the camera view now shows jamie scrolling through his phone on the couch, freshly showered from his morning at the gym with a few of the Flyer's players and with no mind that he was being recorded.

a sigh leaves his lips as he locks his phone, laying it on his leg and throwing his head down onto the back of the couch, "baby! come sit with me on the couch! we can watch a movie!"

a angelic giggle rings through the room before belle moves into the view of the camera, a view of the three pregnancy test tucked away in the pack pocket of her blue jean shorts. "hi."

jamie smiles widely, leaning over to kiss her softly, "hi."

"okay, i know we promised to not be those kinds of couples, but i got you a present for six months of being married." belle smiles warmly at her husband as her hand moves to the back of his neck, gently scratching at his scalp.

"hmm, that feels nice." jamie's eyes slip close for a few second before he opens them back up, turning his head to look over at his wife with a stern expression on his face, "what did i say about just buying me shit? it's my job to surprise you with stuff, not the other way around."

"this is a good surprise, i promise. now, close your eyes and hold your hands out."

"baby, i swear, if this is another one of your tiktok pranks, i'm sleeping on the couch for a week." jamie sighs before doing as she says.

belle takes the test out of her back pocket and places them on his hands, "okay. open."

"holy shit! no fucking way!" jamie jumps up from the couch, pregnancy test hitting the floor as he jumps around, "no fucking way!"

the blonde watches her husband run around their living room before he rushes back over to pick the best up from the floor, his eyes closing over as he made sure he was actually seeing what he was seeing.

"baby, holy shit." jamie sits on his knees in front of belle, forehead resting on her legs as he took the moment in, "you're pregnant. baby, you're fucking pregnant."

"i'm pregnant." she runs her fingers through his hair as tears fill her eyes, one falling from her eye as she blinked. "we'll, it says that i am, but i'm not a hundred percent sold. i made an appointment for the doctor for thursday."

jamie nods, lifting his head up from her knees and bringing his hand up to wipe the tears away from her eyes, leaning forward to kiss her on the lips a few times, i love you's between each one. "i love you."

"i love you."

the video ends with a silent moment between belle and jamie, their foreheads pressed together before the screen goes black and the worlds, "baby drysdale coming 2026" appearing on the screen.

[marvel-and-chicago-fan]

Relationships Can Kill

Well I have no motivation or ideas to write part three and i also started school last Wednesday so I've been busy, this is gonna be a short one since i had the urge to write something. I finally got to watching the episode where will leaves and that episode was so chaotic and i cried a little. This is also based off before Jay resigns and leaves. While doing this i was researching best universities to study medicine. Even though I'm only a sophomore in high school. (This is old i started school like a month ago)

Summary: You and your older brother Nate get into a heated argument over rumors, but did he know that his last words to you would be so brutal?

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: Angst, Arguing, Fighting Drinking/Hungover, and death (My bad for this)

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You walked off the bus excited because Jay let you doordash tonight and it was friday AND Jay and Will were coming home from their brother bonding trip. You punched the numbers into the keypad and closed the door behind you. You were very thankful that Jay and Hailey had gotten a house and let both you and your brother move in with them.

“Hey Nate, wanna go play hockey with me on the lake” Nate could basically do everything but the thing he did the most was hockey, he promised to teach you so both you and him could compete against each other during the winter.

“No, I'm busy,” Nate said quickly. “Okay, do you want anything from Panda Jay let me doordash some tonight” You said “No i wouldn't wanna mess up your date with my girlfriend” Nate Spat.

“Girlfriend? I dont even like your girlfriend and i'm pretty sure she hates me so why on earth would i-” Nate cut you off and started yelling.

“I WOULD BELIEVE HER ANY DAY OVER YOU, now get outta my way, i hate you so much” Nate slammed the front door and you just stood there shocked. Instead of crying or running after him you pulled your phone from your pocket and ordered your food.

After eating dinner and getting your homework done you went ahead and texted the family group chat but only one with Will,Jay, and Hailey.

The Cops and Doctors

Y/n- When will you guys be home?

Hails <3- Soon, i have to finish this case. Do i need to bring home food

Y/n - No, Jay gave me money for Doordash

Hails <3 - Alright, I'll see you later.

Y/n - Bye Hailey

Hails <3 Bye Hailey.

You closed your messages app and decided to watch some tik tok since you would probably be bored until everyone got home.

Crash, you whipped your head to see 4 men dressed in all black standing in your room…Now you wished Nate was here.

***

Hailey walked in and the house was sortta quiet, the tv and the lights were still on but otherwise that's it. “Y/N? NATE?” Hailey shouted, nothing. Maybe they're sleeping or they're in the shower, she thought.

When Hailey peaked through Nate's door he wasn't there, Hailey knocked on your door “Y/n are you decent” Again nothing. “Y/n?.... Y/n i'm coming in” Hailey said as she was turning the doorknob.

When Hailey opened the door any happiness she had went outside the window. “Shit shit shit, NATE! NATE”

No response. Hailey didn't have time to worry about him; you were dying on the floor and you were her biggest priority.

“Y/n Halstead you do not get to do this to me, your brothers and everyone, you can't, cmon,cmon” Hailey screamed as she continued CPR.

“Hails, Y/n, Nate I’m home” Jay screamed. He waited for you to come screaming and running to him like you always did but this time you didn't, this time all jay could here was screaming and sobbing.

Jay pulled out his gun and slowly walked up the stairs of the house and walked to your room where the screaming came from. What he saw next made him freeze for about ten seconds before dropping the gun to the ground and immediately sliding over to and hailey.

“What happened?” Jay sobbed, “I-I don't know I came home and just found her like this.” Hailey replied as she CPR. Jay looked around your room and it was completely ransacked. Your dresser drawers were open and clothes either hanging from them or out of them, papers on the floor, and all your electronics were gone. Your tv, Computer, Phone, and they even somehow found your burner phone you could use to call someone in case of an emergency where you didnt have your phone because you were grounded.

“Hailey let me take over, you're getting tired.” Nothing, hailey didn't even look up from you. Jay pushed her off of you, not really a push but kinda scooted her away and continued CPR. Hailey ran to get her phone and punched in the numbers to call 9-1-1.

***

“Any sign of him?” Will asked. Nobody knew where Nate was, and his friends weren't telling anybody anything. “No, they have Adam outside the house just in case he turns up at the house” Even though the family used Life360, Nate turned his phone off. Typical of him.

Just then Connor walked into the waiting room. Will knew that face he had on very well, he knew it all too well because he would be the one to deliver the news sometimes.

“How is she?” Jay asked whistl standing up from the chair. Connor shook his head. “She didn't make it, I'm so sorry” “Bu-but you found a pulse you-you said that she was gonna make it” Jay said whilst holding back his tears.

“One of her rooms puntcered the carotid artery. I'll explain it to you when you're ready or whenever both of you are ready. Will can explain but otherwise wise i'm so sorry i couldn't have done more.” You could hear by voice that he wanted to cry but he had to hold it together for Will and Jay.

“Can we see her?.” Jays voice quiet. Connor led the brothers to the room you were in. “Oh y/n, we're so sorry” Will choked as he stroked your bruised Knuckles. Jay stood there, not moving, not reacting, not talking. His sister, his little sister, his only sister was gone, and you were never coming back.

***

6am, 6 fucking am is when your brother came back, hungover af. He looked like he drank like there was no tomorrow.

Jay nor Will was in the house. Both of them couldn't stay in that house with what happened, plus Will didn't trust Jay to be by himself so they were both at Will's apartment.

“Where have you been?” Hailey said. The whole team was doing an investigation along with another team as well. “I was out on a run” His words slurred. “Drinking? You think I don't know the signs of someone being hungover. Nate, your sister is in the hospital.” Hailey was holding back on saying you were gone. “What why?” Nate froze “Because whilst you were gone someone broke in and stabbed her to death.” Hailey cried.

“What? It was only supposed to be a joke” He mumbled. “What?” Hailey stopped fidgeting with her fingers. “It was supposed to be a joke, pay back, they were only supposed to scare her and pretend to take her stuff, they weren't supposed to kill her.” Nate said.

“Hey Adam and Kev, downstairs now, we've got him” Hailey said into her radio. “Nathanyal Halstead you're being arrested for the murder of y/n Halstead, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be used against you in the court of law” Adam said as he arrested the teen. “She was a good sister and she was your only sister, now you're gonna suffer the consequences of a Practical joke” She whispered into his ear.

Hailey wanted to be the one who broke the news to will and jay. They did do an autopsy and it did show that you put up a fight. did Nathanyal say who was also involved in your murder for his sentence to go down. 50 years in prison without chance of parole. During your funeral you were named a Hero and an amazing person to all. Even though you didn't get to be a future doctor they put up a Memorial outside med and that was their way of honoring your Dream.

The fact is i'm also learning about the human body sometimes while I'm writing chapters because i like my information to be somewhat correct. 

[fxlling13]

Lie

Dh!master x fem!reader

Synopsis: the master and the doctor both notice how much you have changed over the past few months. And it worries them.

Warnings: abuse, physical and mental. Injuries, breakdowns, Death, murder. The master kills a man. Victim blaming . Manipulation. Probably more.

Sitting in the console room, the master put his paper down and looked up. The doctor was under the console, trying to improve on something. He honestly didn't care enough to ask. Instead, there was something else on his mind. Sitting forward, he scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"What is it? Because I can hear your brain working from here." The blonde said, not moving from her spot.

"Have you noticed anything off about (y/n)?" Sliding out, the doctor sat up and pulled her goggles off.

"Oh thank god its not just me."

Coming to stand in front of him, she crossed her arms.

"She's been attached to you. It's like everything else scares her." Her observation was indeed correct and whilst the master wasn't complaining, it was worrying.

"She used to be so confident and brave. When did it change?" He asked, looking up at his old friend. She hummed, pacing slightly to try and think clearer.

"I dont think there's any point in being coy, she's obviously the closest to you out of any of us. If anyone can find out, it's you." nodding, the master stood and cracked his neck.

"I'll try my best. Should we go pick everyone up?"

They landed in the usual spot in Sheffield. Yaz was already there, bounding in once the doors were fully materialised. The master almost laughed at how excited she was to see the doctor. Dan was next, on time as usual. Immediately, he began to brag about his date with Diane. Not bothering to listen, the master stood by the door and waited. His fingers tapped against his arm worriedly. Thirty minutes late by this point, he huffed walking back over to the console.

"We could always go forward in time, to the point she arrives?" Yaz suggested but they shook their head.

"I want to see how late she is. You two can go decide on where we go alright?" Agreeing with the doctor, yaz and Dan sat on the steps discussing.

I was practically running down the street. Well, I say running, hobbling would be more accurate. I'd made him really angry this time. Stupid mistake. I shouldn't of mentioned any of my friends. Especially not him, but I couldn't help it. Not when I'd grown so close to the master. He was always there for me, to help me get away from the hell at home. Taking a deep breath, I looked at my phone and saw I was nearly an hour late. They were definitely going to question me. I entered the tardis anyway, a fake smile plastered on my face.

"Ah! (Y/n)!" The doctor cheered, rushing over to me. Giggling, I shut the door to block out the cold. I was only in a thin sweatshirt, even in the winter. Only because he had ripped my clothes to shreds.

"Sorry I'm late. Train was delayed." I lied through my teeth, praying to myself that it was convincing. Grinning, the doctor grabbed my arm and pulled me to the console. I couldn't help but wince, not expecting her to do that. Looking to my side, I saw the master stood there. He was leaning against a pillar with his hands in his pockets. Jacket discarded and sleeves rolled up, I almost blushed just seeing him. He simpered, coming to my side.

"Have a good few days off?" No. Doing my best to seem happy, I nod and told a few false stories to them.

"Well that's great! Yaz, have you decided where we're going?" The doctor asked, the pair coming to join us. The brunette suggested something and the doc got to work piloting. Suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder. Out of reflex, I flinched harshly and covered myself from harm. But nothing happened. Lowering my arms, found the master looking at me with worry. I just laughed it off, swallowing down my anxiety.

"Everything alright?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" I responded way to quickly and I knew he thought that.

"You've got a bruise on your cheek." He pointed out, thumb brushing against it softly.

Oh no. In my rush I obviously forgot to cover it.

"Oh yeah. Funny story that. Walked right onto a door frame." All he did was nod at my fake tale. Slowly, he opened his arms.

"Come here." Not needing to be told twice, I wrapped my arms around his waist and sank into his hold immediately. How could I not fall in love? From the minute he began to travel with us, the master was by my side. He'd put himself before me no matter what.

"You know I'd never hurt you, right?" Even the way he spoke with me was so soft. So genuine.

"Of course."

Three mad, near death adventures later, we were gathered round the console exhausted.

"So, drop you off to recharge yeah?" My heart dropped at the doctors words but I knew I had no choice. Yaz nod, happy to get some rest. And Dan, well he wanted his girlfriend. All I could focus on was the fact I'd have to see my 'boyfriend' again. No matter how many times I tried to break up, he wouldn't let me go.

"(Y/n)? You okay?" Dan appeared next to me. I jumped, not expecting to hear his voice. He looked confused at my reaction and lifted a hand; probably to touch my shoulder in hindsight. Backing up, I felt my back hit someone's chest. I relaxed, recognising that it was the master.

"I'm fine, sorry. Zoned out." Unconvinced, Dan didn't have time to reply as we landed abruptly. Heading for the door, the doctor stopped me.

"Stay safe." Oh how I wish she knew. But they could never know. Without responding, I left and hurried home.

--------☆

Counting to ten, I took a deep breath then went inside my house. The tv was blaring, some old Hollywood movie. Realising he wasn't there, I made my way to the kitchen. It was a state as usual. Pans piled high, moldy plates and stained glasses. Plus, it stunk of stale food.

"Where have you been?" A slurred voice came from behind me. All the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

"Answer me!" He yelled, forcing me to turn around. Having me trapped against the counter, my heart rate picked up.

"With my friends." Mistake number one. Rolling his eyes, the taller gripped my wrist so tight, I thought it might break.

"Stop lying! Are you cheating? I bet you are. You're such a whore! Sleeping with every man you lay your eyes on." Whimpering at his accusations, I shook my head fiercely.

"No I swear!" Mistake number two. Chuckling dryly, he sneered.

"Did you just yell at me? Huh, you little bitch." My body began to shake as I knew what was coming. When I said nothing, the drunk male slapped me. I fell to the floor with a thud.

"Let me guess, you were off with that man you told your mother about?" Now internally screaming at myself for talking about the master, I chose to remain silent.

"What's so good about him anyway? I bet he's just some ugly little rat. Could never be a better man than me." Anger boiled beneath the surface. Without thinking, I snapped.

"Dont talk shit about him!" Third mistake. His eyes were vacant and soulless. Saying nothing, he grabbed the wine bottle from the counter and smashed it on the edge. Glass exploded around me as I let out a scream. He held it up, ready to use.

"You're gonna regret that slut."

--------☆

Tuesday couldn't come fast enough, it had been hell these past three days. As soon as the tardis came into view, I rushed in. Everything hurt, everything was sore. I wanted to collapse and never wake up. Everyone looked at me, they all seemed to be staring. Especially the master, who stood straight upon seeing me with his brows knit tight together.

"What?" I asked confused, chest still heaving from my run.

"Your nose is bleeding." Yaz told me. Touching my nose, I found that she was right. The master stepped forward without warning and I yelped, jumping back. He froze, eyes showing clear worry. All at once, everyone moved closer. Not being able to handle all the attention, I rushed past and ran to my room on board. Going into the bathroom, I shut the door before banging my fist against it repeatedly. That man ruined everything. Why couldn't I just be happy? I turned the shower on then peeled off my clothes, it was so painful. None of the wounds were treated and they were all fresh. Stepping into the shower, I slid down the wall and sat there; letting the water run over me.

Back in the console room, everyone stood not knowing what happened. The doctor gave the master a look. He nod then turned to the humans.

"What does (y/n) do at home?" They both shrugged, not having a clue.

"She never talks about it with us. Dodges the subject mostly." Dan admitted. Sighing, the master tried to peice everything together. But, with so little evidence, it was hard. Then it hit him and god, did he hope he was wrong.

"Who does she live with?" He asked, wary of what the answer could be.

"She used to live with her boyfriend." Yaz told him, sitting on the console beside the doctor. The blonde tilted her head.

"Used to?"

"Well, she wanted to break up with him. But she still could I suppose?" Wetting his lips, the master thought over everything. It was about four months ago (for them, not him and the doctor. Time travel and all that.) that this has all started.

"When did she say she wasn't happy?"

"I dunno. Three, four months?" He looked at the doctor to see she was frowning. They were thinking the same thing.

"Go." She said and he didn't need to be told twice. The master ran down to my room, not bothering to inform the other humans. The doctor would do that for him.

Doing my best not to cry, I began to feel numb at the burn against the cuts. I'd dealt with worse. The bathroom door was suddenly thrust open, I screamed and covered myself best I could. In the entrance, the master stood there. It was too late, he'd seen it all. All the damage my body had. Shutting the door, he reached in and turned the water off; grabbing a towel in the process. He crouched in front of me, wrapping the towel around my back. His eyes scanned over every scar, cut and bruise. Without question, he pulled me into his embrace.

"What has he done to you?" Knowing that he'd figured it all out, the floodgates opened and I broke down in his arms.

"Shhh, its okay now. I've got you." Not able to respond, I just cried more. I didn't deserve his time at all, yet here he was.

"How about, we get you dry? I'll take care of your wounds. Then, I'll make sure you're nice and comfortable. Is that okay?" Nodding slowly, the master picked me up and sat me on the counter. He pulled out a clean towel, to replace the now damp one and dried me off very gently. Making sure to pat my skin with great care. After putting on some underwear, the elder disappeared for a few minutes before returning with a med kit. It was silent as he aided all the deep gashes and bruises littered on my skin. Taking my hand in his, he observed the hand shaped bruise on my wrist. It wasn't the worst injury I had, but definitely the most noticeable. I knew for a fact my back was in bad condition along with my stomach.

"He won't get away with this. I swear that. I'm going to throw him in a black hole." That comment made me giggle for the first time in ages. Smirking, the master handed me my fluffy pyjama hoodie and pair of shorts. Actually, they looked more like boxers. Either way, I wasn't complaining and put them on.

"Come on. Bed. You need rest."

"I'm fine-" a stern look cut me off. Of course, I was not fine. Instead, he carried me to my bed and sat me under the duvet.

"I'll be right back." He told me then disappeared. Resting my head back against the headboard, I took a deep breath. What was going to happen now? I was going to end up homeless. All alone. My eyes filled with tears yet again. Once everyone here found out it would be so embarrassing. They'd definitely judge, or laugh. Maybe? My head was a mess at that point.

"Hey, hey. Why are you crying sweets?" Not looking up, I heard the master speak before coming over. Something was placed on my side table, i didn't know what. His arms encased me, moving me so I was sat between his legs and leaning on his chest. I sniffled, hiding myself in his chest sheepishly.

"Talk to me (y/n). I want to help you." He tried but I just couldn't believe him. So, I shook my head at him.

"Please?" Turning myself slightly, I buried my face into his purple vest. My shoulders shook violently. Instantly, he began to rub my back soothingly.

"I hate him." I stuttered out, feeling pathetic.

"Tell me everything. I'm here for you. I'll listen." Taking a deep breath, I pressed myself against the warm male more. Though I found it hard to believe, that he'd actually be interested in listening to me, I wasn't going to pass up the chance to vent.

"It started a few months ago. He'd always been angry, he'd yell when I made mistakes or did something he didn't like. But when he started getting physical, I tried to leave. He didn't like that and he pushed me down the stairs." The masters grip on me immediately tightened after I had said that. Clearly, he was angry but I wasn't scared at all.

"After that, it didn't stop. Every time I forgot something, he'd hit me. If I spoke back, he'd hit me. If I went out alone, if I didn't clean, if I didn't cook. Especially when I spoke about you guys. Everything landed with him getting angry. And he took it out on me.  Every time." I concluded, his vest getting damp from my tears but he didn't mind. Holding my shoulders, the master pushed me back and held me at a comfortable distance.

His thumbs brushed my cheeks dry, a calming look in his eyes. Before he could say anything, I spoke out my own insecurities.

"Now I'm going to be on the streets right? I'm gonna be alone again. I don't want to be alone, please. Please don't leave me alone."

"Shh, come here." Hooking his hands under my arms, the master sat me on his lap properly; head landing in the crook of his neck. Now straddling his thighs, I was much more snug against him and able to hug him tightly. His arms were almost possessive around my waist, but i enjoyed it.

"I am never going to let you be alone. Ever. You're stuck with me. And I promise you, that he will pay." He spoke softly, kissing my cheek soon after. Turning pink, I managed to collect myself a little. My body began to go a little limp in his hold, everything seemingly catching up with me.

"Are you tired?" All I could do was nod at his words, i could tell he wanted me to sleep. But I was scared.

"Can't sleep."

"Why not love?"

"Nightmares." Understanding, the master cupped my cheeks and stared into my eyes.

"Would you like me to help with that." Nodding once again, his lips pressed against my temple and I was out for the count. Once I was asleep, the master tucked me in then stood. For a moment, he pondered what to do then began his journey back to the console room. The doctor looked at him anxiously, clearly wanting to know what happened.

"I want to kill him." He told her directly, alerting both yaz and Dan. They rushed over as he came in front of the doctor. She inhaled deeply, staring at him with intent.

"Its bad?"

"Its worse than you can imagine. Tell me no or else I'm going to kill him." Quickly, the blonde started to fly her ship. Rushing around the console, she flicked different levers and pushed the right buttons. The tardis landed with a thud.

"Where are we?" The master asked, forehead lined with frustration. All those pent up feelings weren't good for the mind.

"Outside (y/n)s House." She went over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Get him." Their eyes went wide in shock. The doctor was actually giving him permission to kill him. Not needing to be told twice, the master grabbed his jacket and rushed out.

Just waking up from a black out, the unsuspecting male stumbled into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of wine. Suddenly, the door slammed behind him, causing him to jump and drop the drink. He turned and saw the outline of another man in the shadows. Out came the master, arms folded tightly. Backing up, the human was utterly confused.

"What are you doing in my house?" He slurred, eyes going up and down repeatedly. Chuckling, he walked closer and unfolded his arms, revealing a dagger in his fist. Immediately, the man sobered up and swallowed thickly.

"What's your name?" The master asked, not sparing him a glance.

"Michael." Nodding, he took another step closer as Michael began shaking.

"Hello Michael. You're going to come with me." Of course, he complied and followed the master out and into the tardis. Once on board, he was in a state if shock. But the master payed this no mind and began to fly the tardis skillfully. Once he was happy with the place they were adrift, he stalked back over.

"Before you die- and believe me, you really are going to die- tell me. What pleasure did you get out of hurting (y/n)?" Michael's face went sour, realisation setting in. He scoffed and looked away.

"Is that what all this is about? That stupid girl. For fuck sake!" Raising his brows, the master watched in amusement, as the human had his tantrum.

"What bullshit has she been spewing now? All she does is lie! Even made up some guy with a dumb name. Just to pretend anyone would actually give a fuck about her! I never hurt her! She's just pathetic." He told him, rolling his eyes afterwards. It was silent for a second before he began again and, as you can imagine, the rage was growing tenfold inside the timelord.

"I did not hurt her! Never. God she's infuriating. Are you just going to stand there? Looking at me as if I'm stupid, it's unnerving." Michael asked, making the master shake his head with a slight pout.

"No you carry on. You're only making your death more painful." The look in his eyes was that of ice and he felt his blood go cold. It finally set in. Whoever this man was, he was being serious.

"Why do you care so much?" Ignoring the question, the master tutted quietly and lead him to the doors.

"This 'guy with a dumb name'? What did she call him?"

"Uh- The master I think. Why does that matter? Who even are you?" A smirk grew on his lips, gazing at the male with a murderous glint in his eye.

"Well, I'm not made up. That much, I'll tell you." Clicking in, Michael looked extremely confused and took a step away.

"You're the master? You're real? So she was cheating! That little bitch! When I get my hands on her I'm going t-" Instantly, the dagger was pressed to his throat, cutting him off. The master pushed him against the closed door, teeth gritted together. 

"You really are thick." He laughed out but wasn't happy even in the slightest. Michael let out a strangled breath, staring at him in fear.

"Never hurt someone I love. It won't end well for you." Gripping the back of his shirt, he opened the doors to reveal looming darkness.

"What's that?"

"That, stupid human, is a black hole." The master muttered, taking the dagger away from his neck. Without a second thought, he impaled Michael's waist. He cried out but the master didn't care. Instead, he drew him in closer and spoke into his ear.

"Enjoy your time in hell." With that final statement, he was thrown out into the void, tardis doors shutting behind him. Resting his head against the doors, he let out a breath. At least he knew this therapy was working. The master didn't get half as much joy as he used to. But he didn't regret it. Not at all. Feeling a hand land on his shoulder, he turned to see the doctor. She had a sympathetic smile.

"Go. She needs you." He smiled, nodding in recognition before heading back down to my room. Finding I was still asleep, he took off his shoes, jacket and waist coat, before slipping in on the free side. Carefully, he pulled me closer and relaxed as I subconsciously attached myself to him. Maybe even he could fall asleep like this.

Groggy, my eyes forced themselves open. Going to move, I found myself under something- or someone- weighted. Looking to my left, I found the master. He's was sleeping. That was odd, he never slept. Taking this opportunity, I sunk back down and buried my face into his chest. It was warm and safe.

My movements must have woke him as he stirred a moment later. His hands tightened on my waist and I quickly hid my face in his shirt.

"That doesn't make you invisible you know?"

Turning red, I gazed up at him.

"You were asleep."

"No I wasn't."

"Was." It went silent. Just staring at each other until he gave in. Casting his eyes to the beams on the ceiling, the master spoke.

"Maybe I was." I smiled and tried to adjust, get more comfortable.

"You never sleep." Carefully, the male pulled me further onto his chest, a hand still encasing the dip of my waist.

"No, I just can't sleep. There's a difference, love." Ignoring how my blush grew, I allowed myself to bask in his warmth. It felt nice. It fight oddly right. To be there, in his arms. A man I was once told to fear, to avoid at all cost. He now lay here holding me as if I could disappear. Mind starting to catch up, I suddenly remembered just how I got in this situation.

"What did you do? When I was asleep?" I asked, looking up at the master with wonder. He rolled his head against the pillow, eyes scanning my face. A hand traced the bruise on my cheek tentivley, a tense sigh breathing by his lips.

"Do you want the truth, right now? I don't want to upset you." Our eyes locked and I nod surely, letting him know I could handle the truth.

"I took Michael. I listened to his shitty lies. I let him talk, let him grow scared. Though, I could have done it for longer but I was too angry." He started, glaring up at nothing in particular. Sensing his growing anger, I reached forward and laced our fingers together. The master looked at our hands, the corners of his lips twitching upwards.

"I stabbed him. I threw him into a black hole. He's in a million pieces now. Floating through space. Dead." Maybe he was expecting me to recoil in fear, or give him a lecture. Instead, I sat up with a smile. I leant down and kissed his cheek, causing his eyes to widen in the process.

"Thank you. For saving me." Even if my voice was quiet, the master grinned and sat himself up as well.

"You don't have to thank me doll. I'd do it again in a heart beat." Pushing back the covers, the master got himself up.

"Wait right here." Then, he rushed out, leaving me alone. I smiled to myself, going to the bathroom. After doing what needed to be done, I washed my hands and looked in the mirror. As much as I loved my hoodie, I pulled it off and felt more comfortable. Seeing as I was wearing a sports bra, I turned and head back into my room. It wouldn't matter, I could throw a tshirt on if the master was uncomfortable. Crawling back onto my bed, I sat on my knees and grabbed my phone. Finally, I deleted Michael's number and hovered over my photo gallery. Once I have clicked on it, my heart dropped at all the cold memories stored there. They hurt to see. So caught up in my phone, I didn't hear the door open. The master looked up and froze, eyes raking over my figure. Quickly, he shook those thoughts away and came to my side, gently placing two mugs down on the bedside table.

"What are you doing?" He asked, moving so my back was flush to his chest. I showed him my phone screen, all the photos now highlighted.

"I'm deleting all of it." Nodding, the master watched as I did so and noticed how my eyes grew sad at the now black screen.

"Dont be upset, love. Its over now." Gently, he pulled me between his legs, resting back against the pillows. My body followed his, relaxing against him.

"I made you tea." Carefully, he handed me a steaming cup of tea. I took it gratefully, blowing the steam in effort to cool it. For a while, we sat there, drinking tea whilst I listened to a few of his stories. I loved hearing about his and the doctors childhood. It sounded almost magical. Whilst the master was speaking, I looked up and found myself staring at the alien. At least now I didn't have to feel guilty about my feelings. Not that I ever did, it's not like I wanted to be either Michael in the end. The cup, now empty, was taken from my grasp, knocking me out of my daydream. The master grinned down at me, brushing his fingers through my hair.

"What's with that look?"

"What look?" I asked, eyes never leaving him. Chuckling, he let out a sigh before moving his free hand down to my waist.

"I should have tortured him more. He deserved it." His fingers danced around the bruise on my stomach, light touches almost making me shiver.

"It doesn't matter now." Still, I could see it was bothering him.

"He was never a good boyfriend, even before the really bad times." The master never stopped his hand from moving, giving me full attention.

"How so?"

"He never showed me love. I could never hold his hand, or hug him. He never kissed me. I was just an accessory to him." I explained, frowning at the memory.

"Over a year of neglect. Maybe that's all I'm worth." Immediately, the master whipped his head to look me right in the eyes. It almost made me flinch.

"Absolutely not. That man was an absolute idiot. A waste of space." He seethed, inhaling sharply afterwards.

"I would never treat you like that. I would never let you go. I'd-" We both froze as he slowly realised the weight of the words he just spoke.

"I mean. Hypothetically." The master slightly stuttered. My mouth was parted, blinking in the informed.

"I would treat you better anyone. Because that's what you deserve." A smile grew on my lips, listening as the; usually calm male, fumbled with his words.

"Not that you would be interested. Now or ever. But I'm just-" Giggling, I kneeled up, gripping his collar and pressing his lips against mine. Initially surprised, the master held onto my waist and melted into the kiss soon after. Pulling back, I was taken aback when the male pulled me into his chest. My head rested against his shoulder comfortably.

"If I'd have known that the feeling was mutual, I'd have taken you away from him much sooner." The master stroked the top of my hair, pressing a kiss to my temple lovingly. Simpering, I nuzzled in closer.

"You're here now. That's all that matters." And that was the truth. From then on, everything would get better. As long as he was by my side.

[azzys-secret-kink-blog]

Interspecies Surrogacy: It's a Thing (part 1)

This is mostly fluff, but cw for pregnancy. I've never written fluff before, so let me know what yall think! (1600 words)

Rax was lounging in his ship, reading some news feeds from his home planet, when a knock rang from the door. He put down the datapad and quickly shifted back to a humanoid form.

"It's unlocked, what is it?" He called. The door slid open to reveal Rasha, his boss. She ran the Cargo Freighter Osiris, a ship that would transport anything or anyone, anywhere, for the right price. They mostly did normal and unassuming deliveries, but they weren't opposed to a few deals that were less than ordinary here and there. As far as Rax knew, Rasha had been speaking with a client about a more unorthodox delivery that they wanted to commission the Osiris team for, though usually Rax wasn't involved in the more administrative parts of the process until the finalization of everything.

"The client needs to speak to you, Rax. Apparently what he wants is something only a Despian can do," Rasha said. Rax groaned. People always looked for Despians for their weird depraved nonsense because of their shapeshifting abilities, and there weren't many around, so he wouldn't be surprised if this one was just looking to hire him for something personal.

He followed Rasha out of the ship bay, through the halls, and into her office. Most of their business was done here on the freighter, and one could go about most of their day without leaving. Rax sat next to the clients, two reptilian Jinneri, in Rasha's office, and she sat in her chair behind her desk. A male and a female, they wore long robes and Jinneri breathing masks, and sat very close to each other. Rax wasn't expecting a couple, but the answer would probably be no regardless.

"Okay, so what exactly did you want Rax for that you couldn't tell me?" Rasha asked. Rax prepared for whatever nasty thing they'd ask him to do.

"Well, you see, there aren't many other Jinneri around, and we've been having . . . fertility issues," the male said. "My wife has been unable to carry, and we haven't been able to find a surrogate, but we heard that Despians can carry almost any species, so we were hoping that you could help us."

Rax frowned. "Okay, well that wasn't the direction I thought this was going to go, but absolutely no-"

"Five million credits."

Rax blinked. "What?"

"We'll give you five million credits. We have an egg ready to go, and we'll pay you entirely up front." The female said.

Rax sat for a moment. That was a lot of credits. With that much money, he could send some home for his family and have tons left over so he could buy an actual home rather than just living inside of his ship. He didn't think he'd ever come across this kind of money in his life, but here they were, handing it to him on a silver platter.

But was it worth it? He pulled out his datapad and did a few quick searches to get the general gist of a Jinneri pregnancy. It was fairly short, only about four months, and pretty straightforward. A female would lay an egg, then the egg would be fertilized, then implanted in either the male or female parent to hatch and incubate. Some chose to do two at a time, one in each parent. It wouldn't be too long, but it would be a little difficult.

After a few minutes, Rax finally responded.

"Alright, I'll do it."

. . .

After all the paperwork had been settled, doctors visited, the whole nine yards, it was finally done. Rax was back on the Osiris after having the small egg surgically implanted into him. He would have regular meeting with Unu and Irn, the Jinneri couple, and a doctor. For the next few weeks, the egg would grow rapidly and hatch inside of Rax, and then keep growing until it was ready to be born.

Rax ran his fingers over the little bulge in his belly. He'd squeezed himself into his bunk in his regular form, which was far more comfortable to be pregnant in, so he'd learned. Julian was playing a game on the bottom bunk. Rax heard the game pause, some creaking, and a head popped up to his bunk.

"So, five million credits huh?" Julian asked.

"Mm-hm," Rax nodded.

"Soooo . . . what does it feel like?" Julian said. "Like a normal Despian egg, or . . .?"

"Kind of? But more like there's a rock stuck in there, honestly. Despian eggs generate heat, but Jinneri are born cold-blooded, so it's sort of weird. Like it sucks up the warmth. I'll probably get used to it," Rax said. He looked over to see Julian staring at the little lump. "Whatcha looking at?"

Julian flushed bright red. "Uh-"

"You wanna feel?" Rax held his hand out.

Rax didn't think a human could get any redder, but they continued to surprise him. Julian placed his hand in Rax's, who guided it down to his lower stomach. Julian felt the bulge of the egg, about the size of a cantaloupe.

"So, I was thinking, since I'm gonna be taking it easy for a bit, wanna hang out on my ship later tonight?" Rax asked. He'd been meaning to ask Julian for a while. He'd had a bit of a thing for him for ages, and after the whole egg fiasco a few weeks ago, he figured Julian might too. Might as well shoot his shot.

Julian stuttered a bit, and lifted his hand off of Rax's belly. "U-uh sure, what did you want to do?"

"I got some games and and old Coriskian tablet with a bunch of old movies and junk on it," Rax said.

"Oh, cool. I heard those movies were super dumb but really funny," Julian said.

"Alright, meet me at the ship at 16:00, yeah?" Rax shimmied to the side and hopped off the bunk to go tidy up his ship.

. . .

Rax and Julian watched the projector from opposite sides of the seat. They were on a cushioned bench built into the wall of the ship, watching one of the Coriskian movies about some nuclear power plant that turned into a monster. Apparently weird nuclear mutation films were a universal genre. Julian munched popcorn, which he'd told Rax was a common human movie snack, and Rax idly traced circles around the egg with his thumb.

Rax glanced over, and Julian quickly snapped his head towards the projection, having been caught staring. Rax cracked a small smile and snuck his tail over towards Julian's side of the bench, before curling it around his back. Julian turned beet red. Rax scooted over a bit, and used his tail to coax Julian closer until they were hip to hip. Rax put an arm around Julian's shoulders and nabbed a few pieces of popcorn. Julian, still redder than Rax could ever imagine, leaned over onto him a little bit.

They stayed like that for a while before Julian decided it was his turn to get bold and put a hand on Rax's abdomen. Rax wrapped his tail tighter around Julian's waist, and soon they were practically on top of each other. It was awkward for a long moment before the two looked at each other, and their faces drifted closer, until-

BANG!

Neither of them had been paying any attention to the movie, and a loud noise from it caught them off guard. They sat in silence for another few moments before Julian finally spoke.

"Oh what the hell." Julian grabbed Rax's face and pulled it to his and kissed him. Rax took a moment to fully process what was going on, and kissed him back.

A knock at the ship door a few minutes later forced Rax and Julian to untangle themselves from each other. Rasha opened the door, saw the boys' ruffled hair and clothes, and immediately closed it again.

"Ah- wait, Rasha!" Rax ran to the door and opened it back up. "What did you need?"

"I was just gonna say that the checks from the last job are coming in tomorrow but you guys are finally having a thing so I'll leave you to alone," Rasha said, and turned to leave the docking bay.

Rax let her go, and reentered his ship to see Julian smoothing out his hair a little bit. He sat back down next to Julian and leaned back onto him. Julian leaned back, still feeling a bit awkward, before Rax practically tackled him and continued where they left off.

They didn't really go any farther than that, just kissed with the movie in the background, but it was enough for the both of them. They laid on the bench, and Julian held one hand on Rax's belly and the other on the back of his neck. Rax was on top of him, his tail around Julian's waist. They stayed there until the end of the movie, when Rax finally broke away.

"You know, i-it's getting pretty late," Julian said.

"Wanna sleep in here with me? I have a bed mat I can set up and we can have a little sleepover," Rax said. He got up and ran over to a shelf, and pulled out a big roll of springy blue foam.

Julian smiled. "Yeah, let's have a sleepover."

Once they'd gotten themselves situated on the mat, Rax turned to Julian. "So, Rasha said we were having a 'thing.''

"Are we having a thing?" Julian asked.

"I don't know, I've never had a thing before."

"Well I'd like it to be a thing, what about you?" Julian inched his hand closer to Rax's.

"Why not? I guess if that's what it is, then it's a thing." Rax put his hand on Julian's.

"Are you sure you want a thing with me, though? I mean, Despians are cool shapeshifters and I'm just a plain old human," Julian said.

"Dude, you literally watched me give birth without flinching. I think I want a thing with you." Rax smiled

"Then I guess it's a thing."

[pascaloverx]

Invisible Bonds: The Power of Destiny

Author's Note: This fanfic contains possible strong language and explores themes of unconventional love. The relationship between the protagonists will be handled with sensitivity, without explicit scenes. If there are explicit scenes, readers will be warned. This fanfic focuses on the reader's relationship with Jungkook and Taehyung, separately.

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Chapter Thirteen

You feel like your eyes weigh a ton; it's hard to open them. However, the curiosity to know where those noises you're hearing come from is too great. They sound like people whispering, but you don't recognize any voices.But eventually, you finally open your eyes, coming face to face with a man. A handsome man, with a bewildered look and disheveled, bleached hair. He looks familiar, as if you've seen him before.

"Damn, you finally woke up. I can't... believe it. You have no idea how much you scared us." The man who was sitting in a clearly uncomfortable chair gets up and comes toward you. He must care a lot about you. That's all your mind says, even though everything seems like a blur now. He hugs you tightly, as if he doesn't want to let you go.

"Do you usually hug strangers in hospital rooms as if they were stuffed animals, or is that just exclusively my privilege?" You ask, pulling away from the stranger. He seems confused by your words, a confused sadness in his expression.

"But you're not a stranger. You're the woman of my..." He's interrupted by the entrance of a woman, a mature woman; around fifty years old, who has just entered your hospital room. She drops two bags of food on the floor as she rushes to your hospital bed in tears. Is she very close to you?

"My daughter, I can't believe you finally woke up. I mean, I dreamed of this day for six months, and finally, you're back." She's hugging me now, a hug as tight as the man's. He seems in shock since I said I was a stranger to him, while the woman who called me her daughter is so emotional that she hasn't noticed anything happening.

"I'll call the doctor. She doesn't... doesn't..." The man still seems unable to process it; now he just can't finish the sentence, still apparently confused. You breathe in frustration because you don't know what to say or do. Should you pretend to know who the handsome guy is because he seems like a nice guy? Should you return the hug from my potential mother? Or should you pretend to have fallen back asleep and go back to imagining faces for the voices you were hearing?

"How are you? In pain? Cold? You must be thirsty, right?" She asks so quickly that you can only nod affirmatively. Your head is muddled, but seeing her gaze at you while she covers you with a blanket is reassuring.

"So, the young lady finally decided to wake up from her beauty sleep. Know that your boyfriend and your mother have been with you since day one. In fact, there hasn't been a day you haven't been accompanied with a lot of love. But now, let's check your vital signs, and I want you to follow my finger and then look at this shiny device in my hand." The doctor enters the room along with the man who was here before. So, he's your boyfriend?

He checks you thoroughly, assesses if you're feeling your body normally, your blood pressure, your temperature. It takes a while until he informs you that you'll need to undergo more detailed tests, but as far as he can assess, you're fine. You sighed, almost relieved to hear the doctor say that, but something is wrong. You question the doctor about your memory loss. He says a neurological test will be done to assess your momentary amnesia but that it's probably a consequence of the trauma you suffered in the head at the time of the accident. You don't know how to react, whether to cry or just move on. You then ask the doctor to clarify the situation with your mother, who is outside talking to the man who could be your boyfriend. He informs that he will provide instructions on how to stimulate your memories and mentions how your recovery was almost a miracle. As soon as he leaves your hospital room, you watch him talking to your mother and boyfriend. They stand there for a few seconds, just listening to the doctor while looking apprehensive. Eventually, for some reason, the man who could be your boyfriend enters your room and sits beside your hospital bed. He remains silent for what feels like an eternal four minutes.

"So, are you really my boyfriend, or is the doctor mistaken?" You break the awkward silence with that question.

"I'm to blame. I think you should know that I'm to blame for this. For the accident. For you not remembering your life. For hurting you. Not that guilt made me stay by your side all this time. But I thought I should be the one to take the blame before Jung…" He speaks almost as quickly as you lose track of his train of thought. But another guy enters the room. A stormy entrance, he comes in and hugs you. A hug as strong as the others you received today. The guy hugging you has shorter, black hair. His scent is incredibly soothing, making you feel an odd urge to return the hug.

"I can't believe you finally woke up. I missed you so much. How could you be so reckless?" The man hugging you speaks while looking into your eyes, keeping the proximity of his body to yours.

"Let me guess, you're my second boyfriend and that's why my first boyfriend frowned when you came in?" Your tone of voice is unserious , as if you were telling a joke but both men in front of you seem to be in no mood for jokes.

"Did you tell her what you did?" The dark-haired man speaks while the bleached-haired man smiles slightly irritated.

"I knew you would say that, I was telling her about what happened." The bleached-haired one speaks quickly, interrupting your attempt to think about what to say before the two of them entered into an endless argument. You can feel that there is something very bad between the two men. You wonder if you're to blame for the tension in the air. Could these two attractive men have been in love with you?

"If you don't mind, I'd like to say that this conversation is making me uncomfortable. Honestly, I have no idea who you are, but you certainly seem to know who I am. I'd like to know if either of you wants to tell me who is who and what you have to do with me?" You say, cutting through the tension. The dark-haired one looks perplexed, while the bleached-haired one realizes that you are truly lost.

"I'm Taehyung, and he's Jungkook. And the whole confusion, Y/N, is because, somehow, you're in the middle of a complicated love triangle." Finally, you can put names to the faces in front of you and find out your name, which is a step forward, but it doesn't trigger any memories. As you suspected, you are in a love triangle, which would be exciting if you knew what you feel for Jungkook and Taehyung, but you don't.

"Correcting our dear Taehyung, you're stuck in a love square. The handsome guy there, before realizing he wanted you, was engaged. In fact, you got run over because you caught him reconciling with his fiancée." Jungkook speaks in a mocking tone, as if he wanted to attack Taehyung with his words but was pretending to be calm. You look at Taehyung, trying to figure out if Jungkook is telling the truth.

"If we're going to be brutally honest, you're in a damn love pentagon because our stud Jungkook, ever since he broke the soulmate connection with you, has been busy falling in love with every person who crosses his path. Not to mention that you guys are neighbors, so you can hear and see every new romantic conquest he has." Taehyung and Jungkook are staring at each other as if they might kill each other while you try to piece together the puzzle that seems to be your life. Then you feel a slight pain in your chest, as if you could feel your heart breaking. But after all, for whom is it breaking?

"Look, it's almost beautiful to see you summarizing what seems to be a disastrous love life, but I need some time alone. And you guys, could you not come back here for a while?" You say softly, feeling that it's the right thing to say. Both guys don't seem happy, as if they are genuinely sad.

"We can come back separately if that's the problem. We won't argue anymore." Taehyung says as Jungkook nods in agreement.

"I'll be more direct. I don't want you guys here. I want to recover without feeling like I have something to resolve. And both of you are literally walking problems that I will feel the need to solve. Enough. Whatever we had to sort out before, I don't want to remember it now. If Taehyung has a fiancée, let him get married and be happy. If Jungkook is enjoying his singledom, let him be the best single guy in the world without thinking about me. My priority is me, not you. Now, go away." You speak directly, without mincing words. For some reason, you feel proud of it.

"I'm not leaving because I want to, or because I want to enjoy the single life. But know that I'll be waiting for you." Jungkook says, getting up, kissing your cheek, and leaving while Taehyung seems to be processing what you said.

"You're not leaving…" You're not sure if you're questioning Taehyung or stating something, but he adjusts as if he's about to leave. Before he turns away, he quickly walks toward you, embracing you.

"You're the only person I can imagine marrying. No matter how many times you kick me out of your life, I'll be happy to have been rejected by you a thousand times." He says while hugging you tightly. However, you reciprocate the hug and feel a tear rolling down your eyes. Taehyung then leaves the hospital room, leaving you confused.

[clumsiestgiantess]

Chapter 25 of The Other-world Universe; let’s hope Erica recovers from last chapter…

all chapters linked here

[The Consequences of Your Actions]

When Ivan returned, I was lying down in the place where I'd slept the week of the tunnels' construction.  My stomach churned awfully, and my thoughts spiraled into regret after regret of things I could’ve done differently — things I could’ve done to protect Erica, or prevent her from being hurt at all.

Ivan cleared his throat slightly to announce his arrival, tearing me away from thought.  "I have good news," he said softly, "Erica's alright."  I sat up immediately. "Where is she?  What happened?"  Ivan flinched away from me at my sudden movement, but quickly righted himself.  "She was out cold when I checked up on her, but the nurses told me what happened.  They said she has to stay a few nights there, maybe longer, depending on how she feels when she wakes up."  My small glimmer of excitement faded, but I was still beyond relieved that Erica was ok.  

"What happened to her?"  "A few of Erica's ribs are broken.  Thankfully they hadn't punctured her lungs or they.. might not have been able to save her.  They put her on some pain medication that makes her tired, but there's really not much else they can do.  The best thing to do is tape it up and just wait for it to heal."

"So there was no.. surgery or anything?"  When Ivan said Erica's ribs were broken, I assumed the doctors would have to go in and put them back in place, but Ivan shook his head.  "Nope, no surgery.  Apparently, the bones will grow back on their own so long as Erica does a good amount of breathing exercises, and avoids doing any fighting for the next month or two."

"Alright," I sighed relievedly, feeling a lot less awful than before.  "Oh, and my mom made you these," Ivan added, pulling out a large bag of cookies.  "I know it's not much for you, though.  You probably won't even taste them."  Regardless, I held out my hand.  "I'll take them.  Tell your mom 'thank you' for me."  He nodded.  "And thank you for staying with me, Ivan.  I don't have many friends in this world other than Erica, so it's nice to have you here."  Ivan smiled, looking slightly embarrassed.  "You're welcome."  

It was rather late, so Ivan left to get some sleep.  I decided to stay in the valley for the night, just in case.  I wasn't the least bit tired, so I ate the cookies.  As Ivan predicted, I didn't taste much at all, but it was the thought that counted.  I fell asleep briefly, but got up after a gorey nightmare involving the military people from earlier.  The rest of the night my heart pounded too quickly for me to shut my eyes longer than a quick blink.

Bright and early the next morning, Ivan came back to see me.  He looked eager to talk with me, so I knew he had good news. Without thinking, I scooped him up similarly to how I casually grabbed Erica. He yelped, fearfully clawing at my fingers wrapped around his torso, gasping for breath. “Wh- What are you doing?!” “Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to pick you up like that! I- I just got a little excited,” I apologized hastily, opening my palm and cupping him gently. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Ivan shook his head, “No, I wasn't hurt just.. terrified.”

In the few seconds I had him in my grip, I had felt his little panicked heartbeat. “Sorry.” “It’s alright. I’m okay now.” We were silent for an awkward moment. "Oh! Erica asked me to tell you that she's alright," he told me, remembering why he’d come.  "The doctors want to keep her for two weeks at the physical therapy building, just to make sure she doesn't go off and mess up her healing process."  I gave an unamused huff.  "I bet she didn't take that very well."  Ivan laughed slightly, "No, she didn't.  Erica wanted to come out here and see you, but they wouldn't even let her do that.  I don't think the nurses trust you all that much.  They think you might pull her into another fight before she heals up."  

Though I did think it was rude of them to deny us a visit after everything I'd done for the small city, I had to admit that trouble did seem to follow me wherever I went.  I wanted to see Erica just as badly as she wanted to see me, but if the nurses thought she would be safer in the city, I'd leave her be.  "It's only two weeks, right?" I asked Ivan as I let him back down.  "Yep," he replied, "You two will survive just fine without seeing each other for a few weeks."

That's true, but Ivan doesn't know how abruptly we ended our conversation yesterday.  I'd been so shocked over the bucketload of information Erica had given me, I hadn't really thought through it all.  I planned to unpack what I learned as I made my rounds of the mountains surrounding the city.  Someone stopped me before I left, however.  

At first I thought it was Ivan, coming back to tell me more news — maybe the nurses had changed their minds.  But the man coming towards me was too old to be Ivan, though.  Mr. Stoll, maybe?  No, that was too old.  Once he got about two feet of my measurements away, I realized that it was neither of them.

"I- I know you're probably busy, so I won't stay long.  I don't know if this will even make sense, but.. did you..?"  He stopped short and re-thought about what he was trying to say — lifting his hand to shield the sun as he looked all the way up to see me.  I'd seen that kind of hesitation a few times before.  Almost anyone who met me had stumbled over their words or hesitated trying to talk with someone who they had to look almost directly up to make eye contact with.  Slowly, I sat back down in front of him, keeping a bit of distance between us so I didn't scare him off.

The little man tried again.  "Have you ever saved a mountain climber?  Specifically about five-ish years ago?"  I stared down at him, confused.  It was such a strangely specific question.  "N- Nevermind," he backtracked, "It probably has nothing to do with you."  Just as he turned to leave, I jogged my memory of what I did five years ago.  That was around the time I'd convinced myself to completely control Erica.  Not a great point in my life.  However, the strangeness of his questions caused a forgotten memory to resurface.  

"Wait!  Come a bit closer," I asked before he got too far.  The man hesitantly took a few steps in my direction, unwilling to get any closer to me than that.  I gently bent all the way down from my sitting position, so my eyes were somewhat on his level.  Now that I could properly see him, I gasped, recognizing him.  "You.. You're the guy who was stuck on the side of the mountain!" I realized, dumbstruck.  "I saved you invisibly because I was afraid of how you might react if you saw me."

His eyes went wide and he took a step back.  "So that was you?  You're the invisible being that saved my life?"  I nodded, sitting back up.  "I guess so."  The man chuckled in bewilderment.  "Wow.. I'm..  My name's Evan Felton.  It's an honor to finally meet you.  When I found out that one of your inhuman abilities was to become invisible, I realized my mystery hero might've been you."  Smiling fondly down at him, I nodded to the Cavern City.  "How did you find this place?" I asked, "I hope the apocalypse hasn't affected you too badly."  

He sighed, rubbing the back of his head tiredly.  "I lived in Barideen.  You know, the city the giants captured under that tent?"  "Woah, you lived there?"  "Mhm.  With my family — a wife and two kids," he replied.  "They're all safe now, thanks to you.”  He looked up at me thankfully, then his brows furrowed.  “You know, there are some people who speak ill of you in there," Mr. Felton said, turning towards the city.  "I have no clue why, other than the fact that they're just not used to the concept of a good-at-heart giant."  I turned warily to the city as well.  Through the barrier, I could still see the jagged evidence of my rampage months ago.  "Well," I admitted, "You don't know about my history with this particular city."

Mr. Felton turned back to me, slightly confused.  "You see, when I first came across this place, there was a dome of rock over the entire thing.  See where the rock ledges cut off abruptly around the perimeter of the city?  That all used to be part of the mountain.  It covered up everything so naturally that giants couldn't find it.  There was a bit of a.. misunderstanding.  I ended up tearing down the rock ceiling, exposing the place, and almost getting everyone inside captured.  Thankfully I managed to save them, but they probably still don't like me all that much."

"Huh," Mr. Felton mused after a while, "I guess that explains it.  You did fix everything with the barrier, but I can see why they might not trust you."  I nodded, glancing down the valley.  All this talk of my duties towards the Cavern City made me remember what I'd originally intended to do.  "I have to go survey the mountains now.  I'm sorry to leave like this, but it's my job."  He nodded, "Alright, thanks for talking to me.  I'll have to find some way to pay you back for what you've done for me.  This is the second time you've saved my life, and my family's, now, too."

I shook my head, "Oh!  Mr. Felton, you don't have to do anything for me!  I'm glad I could help."  He disagreed.  "No, I insist!  And please just call me Evan.  Mr. Felton was my father.”  I chuckled, “Evan it is, then.”  “Whenever I think of something I can do for you, I'll let you know."  "Alright," I gave in, "Until then."  The little man headed back into the city, and I began my patrol of the mountains.  My spirits had been lifted some by the unexpected visit.  It was nice to see the results of my hard work fighting to keep everyone safe.

I happily continued along my route, but when I came to the western side, I stopped dead in my tracks.  All the bodies from the day before were gone.  The others from the camp must've come back to reclaim them.  I was hoping to leave some sort of message with them — warning the scientists to stop capturing people or threatening me and the city.  However, the bodies themselves might’ve sent that message just fine without a note.  

Tomorrow I'll have to do a reconnaissance mission over to their campsite to see how they reacted to Erica's little killing spree.  That day just wasn't a good day to do it.  I wanted at least a small break from the scientists and military people.  Also, I was still holding out hope that some doctor might overrule the nurses' decision to keep Erica inside for a whole two weeks.  I had to keep reminding myself that it would be healthier for her to stay in the city, no matter how desperately I wanted to talk to her, or even just see her.

On the following day, Ivan greeted me yet again.  He had no news to report other than Erica was miserable and the doctor had approved her two-week-long stay at the physical therapy center.  Before he left, I asked him if he could find a way to get a message to either Mr. Stoll or Ms. Ashford.  I wanted at least one of the founders to know that I was heading out to the scientists' camp.  I took an extra long time eating breakfast, hoping to stall myself until either of them came to address me.  Finally, Mr. Stoll came strolling out of one of the tunnels leading to the Cavern City.  "I was told you wanted to talk with one of the founders," he said gruffly.  "What is it?"

"I just wanted you to know that I'm heading to the scientists’ camp to see how they reacted to the fight a few days ago."  Marcus raised his eyebrows in surprise, "I was going to ask you to do that yesterday, but Ms. Ashford insisted I give you more time to rest."  "I would like that, actually,” I admitted, “But I'm anxious that they might be planning some kind of nefarious revenge."  "Then by all means, go check it out!  Should I summon that boy to help you?"  "Who, Ivan?" I asked, "No, let him have a break.  I'm just going to scout out the place.  I'm not doing any fighting."  Marcus only shrugged and turned to head back into the city.  

About an hour's walk from the mountains, I came upon the site of the scientists' camp.  I almost hadn't recognized it.  Everything was gone.  The only way I realized I was in the right place was because of the abandoned city at its center.  Was it really that easy to scare them off?

Somehow I doubted the terrifying head scientist from the radio broadcast would've simply given up.  Then again, if they were only regrouping to attack later, why would they give up a perfectly good camp?  Unless, of course, they just changed locations because I knew where this campsite was.  My idea from a few days ago sprang up again.  What if the scientists just moved to a further, unprotected spot to capture innocent people where I couldn’t protect them?

Predicting their strategies was already making my head hurt.  After walking around invisibly and double-checking that the camp really was gone, I made the return trip back to the Cavern City.  My report to Mr. Stoll was quick.  The only thing to say was that the camp was gone.  I gave him a few of my theories as to why, then left him to it.

Every night during those two weeks, I slept in the valley, just in case something happened with Erica that I needed to be there for; also just in case the scientists were planning a sneak attack on the city.  Either way, I would be right there at the ready if anything too out-of-the-ordinary happened.  Ivan came to talk with me at least once a day.  I decided not to say anything to him about the recent battle — only that Erica had been an amazing fighter, but was hit quite violently by one of the military people.  

Mr. Felton..  Well, Evan, also came by a second time to offer me thank you letters that his family, and many others, had made for me.  It was touching to know so many people saw me as a hero, not just some mistake-prone giant. Even if they were too afraid to deliver the letters themselves.  

As well as continuing my surveillance, I also continued healing up my bruises.  I brought re-freezable ice packs into the other-world to ease them away.  Between those letters and the occasional visits from other-worldian friends, life was starting to feel comfortable again.  The only thing missing — the biggest thing missing — was Erica.

[northropi]

So I Think I Might Be Narcoleptic And My Psychiatrist Does Too

This has been going on for a while. Things got to a head when I was actually fired for a job due to constantly winking in and out of sleep, and it's still a considerable problem in my life because a lot of long drives (including, incidentally, my daily commute to work) are immensely risky, because no matter how much sleep I get, I just can't keep my eyes open. I was having trouble staying awake in classes as early as high school, and in retrospect I actually have a lot of secondary symptoms that point to it too.

One that's sort of a dead giveaway, albeit mild enough that it's hard to tell if it's intense enough to qualify, is that I seem to have cataplexy. It becomes hard to move, or even hold my arms up, when hit with a wave of sleepiness or intense emotion- which, you might be thinking, "well yeah you're fatigued," but it's a very different feeling than just having a tired limb and comes on very suddenly. My hands start to slip down the wheel while driving, my elbows can't stay straight, so on and so forth- if that is cataplexy, that's, like, 95% chance to be concurrent with narcolepsy, to my understanding, and a previous test that didn't diagnose me was taken under the presumption I didn't have those symptoms (and, also, an environment I apparently found very overstimulating, as I actually didn't get a wink of sleep that entire time, even over the night I stayed- my psych immediately considered this grounds for a second opinion given everything else). I also seem to have the diagnostic quality of tending to pass directly into REM sleep when hit with a sleep attack, which, frankly, makes it a lot worse. It can be hard to tell that I did pass out. In mild cases I'll see or hear someone standing next to me, blurry, mumbling something unintelligibly as I try and fail to look back up at them and answer. Less mild, I'll wink out for a minute, dream that I read something, and then wake up very, very, very confused if it's true or not, which probably is going to hamper my ability to do research in the future. Most concerningly, of course, I once almost went off an overpass because in my dream I was driving, in actuality I was very much not, and what woke me up was when I realized the sona of my internet friend should not in fact be chatting with me from the passenger seat.

Most recently was, well, not having, it's been a while, but realizing that a set of distinct memories I had were probably due to, sleep paralysis. At first I blew the idea that I had it off, but only recently have I connected the dots. What was happening was that from, like, Middle to High school, I had recurring episodes of, like... So I'd be sleeping on my belly, covers mostly over my head, and I'd feel sort of the weight of three steps landing next to me on the mattress, walking up along my body in a sequence. Initially, I assumed it was a cat. Then I started sleeping with my door closed. "Okay," I thought, "shit's haunted." It was a pretty horrifying experience even before I realized it couldn't have been the cats- I'd always just lock up in fear, in what I assumed was just some kind of instinctual, voluntary reaction, but also it seemed equally because I, you know, couldn't move. I wouldn't see anything in those situations because I generally covered my eyes under the covers, but the sensation was distinct and consistent between episodes. Bringing it up to the doctor while scheduling my new referral for another study (hopefully this one being closer to home won't make me all hyper-aware like I was for the first one), she certainly seemed to think it fit the bill, though I also don't know much about the phenomenon overall. Still, I guess that's another check mark on that list.

This leaves me in a pretty fucked up spot if true. The freeway I drive to work isn't just long, it's fucking dangerous. In a three-month period we had about as many fatal accidents, and the road is littered with car parts, not just little fragments of bumpers, like, fucking axels, just sticking up from the ground tossed to the side. It goes over a good amount of hills, big overpasses, lots of situations where I wouldn't just lightly tap a guardrail and be jolted awake, I'd go off the side and into some fuckin warehouse like the F-16C we had go down not too long ago. And here I am sometimes blinking and waking up two lanes over. Great. Job only offers semi-remote positions at most by the way, and I'm really not looking forward to gambling with other places because as much as the job itself beats me up on top of that they're actually decently nice to me there (granted i'm staying closeted lol) and simply put I don't know that better jobs exist.

beyond all that, eh, fuck it, i'll put some tags on this. interested in opinions i guess, if it sounds at a glance like it's the case or if i just have some confirmation bias going on. i actually get decent sleep at night so i don't think it's just fatigue- part of the reason i'm writing this is because i remembered the ridiculous level of recline my chair has can actually be restricted and this has really helped me not constantly fall asleep at the computer.

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - Bachelor/Clavell/Wan

Hard shell, soft core (Part 1)

It's the next morning. After having breakfast together, Xander made his way to Morgana's. Thornton opened the door for him “Oh, good morning”/ “hi, um, I wanted to see your wife”/ “uh?”/ “Don't worry, I don't want anything from her, but she seems to want something from me”.

Morgana was in the kitchen when she heard Xander's voice. After her work was done, she came back into the living room. “Good morning, you've probably come for the blood Test, haven't you?"/ “Well, there's no question of wanting to"/ ”Hnhn. We can go straight over there."/ ‘Can't we do it here?…’/ ”Unfortunately not, I don't have the materials here. Come on, it can be done very quickly"/ ‘mmh, I don't like needles very much.’.

“Yes, very few people like these things"/ ”And you think it really has to be? I've always been healthy."/ ”Don't be so scared, okay? We'll do it once and then you'll have peace and quiet for a while*"/ ‘And then you'll probably find something bad, plague, cholera…’/ ”hahaha, stop it now, okay? Just come along, the quicker you'll have it behind you”…

Even as a child, Xander was always afraid of syringes. On the outside he always acts the strong man, but on the inside he is a sensitive soul. And that was sometimes hard to hide… “Unbelievable, it's already snowing like crazy and winter has only just begun."/ ”Yes, it's pretty heavy. But at least nobody has to freeze at home anymore”.

A little later. After they arrived at the hospital, Xander was told to sit down in the small back room while Morgana gathered everything she needed. Then she went to him. He had already rolled up the sleeve of his sweater. “Uh-oh man…"/ ”Just don't look, okay? Tell me something, how's Pauline?”

„Pauline? Good… The kids too. I… I think I've done a good job so far… Haven't I?"/ ”You really have, Xander. You've done a lot for others in the last few months"/ ‘yeah, now you could do something for me, huh?’/ ‘And what?’/ ‘phh, I don't know, maybe… bring a cold bottle of beer’/ ‘hnhn, I'm afraid I can't help you with that’.

“See, it's ready”. Xander was a little surprised at himself. The brief conversation with Morgana had helped him not to focus on the awkward needle. Afterwards, she took care of the small puncture and he was able to stand up again. “So you've already unpacked the box?"/ ”Which one… Oh, you mean the big one that was just outside the door? Yes… Did you bring it?"/ ‘After I knocked my boss to the ground and confronted him, yes’/ ‘You hit him?’/ ”He didn't even have a scratch… But he deserved it”

“Well… That's true, yes"/ ‘Was anything broken from the things in the box?’/ ‘No, why?’/ ”I bumped him while he was holding the thing in his hands. It fell down…"/ ‘I see, no, everything's fine with the little devices, luckily…’/ ”Devices… Yes, Pauline mentioned something briefly. At least he was kind to you once”.

“I honestly didn't expect him to surprise us with equipment like this. But it helps me a lot with my work"/ ‘So… Are you going to do an analysis of my blood and stuff?’/ ‘Mhm, … If there's anything conspicuous, I'll let you know’/ ‘OK, anything else?’/ ‘Well, I could still check you from head to toe…’/ ‘Nah, everything's OK with me’. Morgana had to smile a little as he said goodbye and left the Hospital quickly.

It was uncomfortable for Xander in this small room. But he was also a little proud of himself. “She's a great doctor, I hardly noticed anything. it was… still kind of strange. why… is it because of my parents? They weren't the healthiest either at the end. Oh man, I hope she doesn't find anything. Shit, it's really cold”. With quick steps, Xander made his way back home.

. After Xander had left, Morgana took his blood sample to the other room in the back, where the large X-ray machine was located. This is where she had set up the machine for the blood tests. “Putting this thing together was a bit tricky, but I managed it. “. After she had put his blood sample into the machine, a soft buzzing sound was heard.

“Now we just have to wait and see. I already have a DNA profile of the little one. I'll just have to compare it with Xander's later. I'm hoping for a good result. But… if it turns out differently than I'd hoped… I'd rather not think about it. The two are only just getting closer again”

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

End of this Part

@greenplumbboblover😊

Pose by @siciliaforever

[troglobite]

alsdkjf

the duality of

i'm so fucking tired i hate this i don't want this many disorders i don't want to find out all these diagnoses there's so much wrong w me why can't i just have a normal functioning body i don't want to take immunosuppressants PLEASE i'm in fucking hell i hate this i'm not cut out for this im' a fucking weak pathetic loser i can't handle any stress at all and now i have ALL OF THIS SHIT please just stop please stop i have to stay in poverty my whole life to be able to afford medications now and that's assuming the govt doesn't destroy that for me please i hate this i just want to live and not be constantly sad and tired and in pain and exhausted please stop

and

this is crazy, my drs have taken me seriously at every turn. i wasn't looking super hard for diagnoses, i just wanted some confirmation and some help, and on her own, a dr said hey you probably have an autoimmune thing. then i waited a year to do anything abt it and that's entirely on me, and then i only had to wait 1 month to see a pcp who referred me to a rheum, which only took 6-7 months, and this rheum, she sent me for over 20 blood tests like. this is fucking crazy. every doctor i've seen has been a wonderful woman who's listened to me and treated me kindly with dignity so far, and now i get to go to an in-person appt and hopefully walk away w answers. and even before we had any idea, she prescribed me an anti-inflammatory that could've helped (it didn't, but still). like this is so nice.

third part of the duality

maybe now my mom will take me seriously when i'm in pain and say i can't do something. or that i'm so fucking exhausted and tired and can't focus. maybe ppl will believe me and pity me. maybe my rheum will look at me and go "how were you functioning this whole time?! you poor thing!!!" and give me the vitamin from that one post on here and i'll be almost entirely fixed. maybe i can run a new at-home bakery business AND do my part-time work for the company and not completely collapse from pain fatigue and exhaustion. maybe now ppl can look at me being noble in the face of so many diseases and disabilities and respect me and maybe i'll be taken seriously. or respected. or cared for.

i need my therapist like immediately so it's a good thing i see her next week after my rheum appt.

[rudjedet]

Oh hey! Another anosmic! So rare to see. I'll admit, I can smell now, but I was definitely born without the ability to do so.

My parents didn't notice it until I was 5 and I couldn't smell Vick's VapoRub, but they quickly found me like, the only anosmia clinic in the country and the first in the world, Dr. Henkin's Taste and Smell Clinic. It was and is unlike any clinic I've been to. They had rows of brown glass bottles of (probably) pungent liquids, they would collect saliva from you using name-brand lemon juice, you would get your blood drawn monthly in the doctor's own office, a little closet-sized room stacked floor to ceiling with binders. (Maybe this description is just showing how privileged i am) Anyway he treated me with an athsma medicine for 3-4 years and it indeed worked.

The first thing I smelled was my mom's minty breath after she brushed her teeth. Not having any frame of reference, I called it stinky lol

I've found smell to be a very valuable sense, and I'm eternally grateful to Henkin and his colleagues. When I was maybe 10 I was camping with my father and my sister, and me and my sister were in a tent together with a space heater. Had I not smelled the space heater burning my sister's blanket, we both could have been seriously burned.

About your question, I've never noticed distinctly different smells coming from anyone I know. Sweat smells the same on everybody, farts can smell a little different based on diet, same goes for mouth smell, we all sort of smell the same. The closest I can think of to "people's scents smell different" is people mistaking the idea of cologne or perfume for something like animal musk, which it Is Not.

But then again I do have those anonymized MRIs floating around the clinic's website, so maybe my sense of smell isn't exactly normal lmao

Oh that's cool! Based on all the responses, whether or not you can smell other people (and even whether sugar granulate has a scent) seems to be highly dependent on a ton of factors. Perfume and other hygiene products is one thing, but there's definitely people saying they can recognise certain people under certain circumstances based on their scent.

Most of you weren't around for this, but during my second pregnancy I suddenly started being able to smell (and this was the thing that made me side eye my uterus because I hadn't done a pregnancy test at that point yet). The first whiff of something I caught was the window cleaner I was using at work. It smelled vaguely sweet, and it was such a weird experience. The next morning I visited bestie and we tore open her spices cabinet just shoving anything and everything into my nostrils. I could mostly get the pungent stuff like paprika and dried ginger. Two weeks later we were out for ramen and that's when I recognised my first smell without knowing what it was beforehand (the ginger in the gyoza).

I lost that baby and the smelling went away again, but for my last pregnancy the same thing happened. Unfortunately what also happened is that I ended up with pregnancy rhinitis and hay fever (hubs has hay fever and our kiddo does too, so throughout pregnancy I was suffering thanks to his overly excited immune system copying onto baby), so there wasn't much smelling going on during the pregnancy itself. It did persist for about 6 months post-partum, and I did find out that if I keep my dust allergy under control with antihistamines, I can sort of smell again once my ovulation rolls around.

Interestingly and opposite you, my immediate response to any scent is "oh wow that's nice!", I guess just because I can even smell it lmao. But once I get used to them, there's room for nuance. My favourite scents are ginger, properly aged cheese, and my daughter. I will say I once walked into a group of old humans (choir practice, lmao) and... didn't like it, it was this uncomfortable wall of something undefinable. Dirty diapers are ... oddly minty? I wouldn't classify it as a "stink" but it's a scent that definitely lingers.

The thing with human personal scents and why I operated on the notion that all humans in general would be able to recognise someone based on scent is part having smelled my own kid before and hearing a lot of mums say they love the scents of their children, part knowing that perfume does tend to travel across larger distances, part being told that I have a pretty present personal scent, part being autistic and having overactive other senses and thus thinking "well scent would be the same then wouldn't it", and part just... not having any direct experience with it lmao. As with everything scent-related everyone's replies have all been extremely elucidating, just like the time I ended up hyperfocussing on perfumes.