#I’m am probably gonna get skinned alive for this post rip

[booksandpaperss]

listen I know a lot of ppl are super upset abt 261 but honestly… that was such a juicy twist oh my god the THEMES literally make u wanna puke like it may not be what we all wanted but goddamn that is good story telling. might be one of my fave writing choices gege has made in awhileeee (esp cuz his writings decisions have been questionable lately)

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 1: cowboy take me away

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, healing, dealing with some post trauma, fairly tame tbh

* Word count: 4,198ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: Hey everyone! We’re back at it again at the Krispy Kreme ✌🏻😝 (💀 I cannot believe I just did that along with a vine reference lmao.) (Please don't run in the other direction lol.)

Welcome to the continuation of Steady Heart! Thank you for coming along and continuing the journey with me! Here we are at the beginning of season 3! I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for our favorite, as Rip calls them, “merry band of misfits”. I hope everyone enjoys our soft start into the season, and the adventure ahead!

The door to the foreman’s lodge opened. It pulled Stella’s attention from the book she was reading, her heart dropped and her hand fell to her gun. She'd been jumpy ever since the night she got attacked. She glanced up and saw it was Kayce who greeted her from the doorway. Her shoulders relaxed and she smiled softly to avoid pulling the gash on her face and folded her book closed, placing it on the coffee table.

“Hey, you.” She welcomed and started to stiffly rise from the couch to be gentle on her ribs, but Kayce met her at the couch stopping her motion.

He bent down and gave her a quick kiss. “Hey back.”

She closed her eyes and hummed. “I still gotta get used to that.”

Kayce chuckled and sat next to her. “Me too. How’re you feelin’ today?” He gave a quick glance at her pistol.

Stella leaned back into the couch slow and steady and crossed him with a look of her own to stop any argument about being skittish. “I think I’m alright.”

“You think?” He placed his arm behind her on the back of the couch.

“Well I mean my ribs are probably gonna hurt for a while no matter how healed they are. My bruises don’t hurt anymore though.”

“What about,” he motioned to his eyebrow.

She grabbed the side of her bottom lip between her teeth and contemplated the change to her face. “I just gotta be careful to not stretch the skin too much, which is ass.” She laughed. “I never realized how much I actually used my eyebrows.”

“I coulda told you that, sugar.”

She flattened her face and gave him a side-eye. “Ha ha, you’re hilarious,” she quipped sarcastically. “Anyway, how’s Tate?”

Kayce blew out a heavy breath. “He’s okay, sleeping a little better, but still waking up scared.”

“Is there anything I can do to help? I understand being scared at the moment.”

Kayce stared down at her in the crook of his arm and shook his head. Of course she was worried about everyone but herself. “No, Monica is still with him. When she isn’t, I am.”

“Yeah, it probably wouldn’t be good for him to see me still so busted up right now. It would do more harm than good. How’s Monica?”

“Very happy that our son is alive. Grateful to you for trying to stop them.”

“I wish he would have kept running to the big house.” Stella placed her head back against Kayce’s arm and closed her eyes. She had to turn her brain off from thinking about everything she should have done versus what she did. It wouldn’t get her anywhere. “I’m still exhausted from all that mess.”

“I don’t doubt you are, but him coming back might have been the only thing that saved you.”

“I still wish he wouldn’t have come back. I would have been fine, eventually, and he wouldn’t have gotten kidnapped.”

“We’ll make it through, Stell. I’m just glad you both are still here.” Kayce draped his hand on her shoulder.

For a few moments, Stella pretended like everything was okay, that she and Kayce just got back from a long day. It was peaceful in his presence. She was grateful that he and Ryan found her when they did. She shuddered at the thought of what could have happened if she went untreated for longer. She opened her eyes thinking about her brother. “Oh, Ryan told me you guys are building a new barn further out?”

“When we’re out in the farther pastures, it would be nice to have a spot to go to that has extra supplies and things.” He faced her. “Speaking of which, we’re settin' up a spike camp until July.”

“Why?”

“Rip and I wanna be sure the clover isn’t gonna come back. We checked the fields this mornin’, and it didn’t look like there was any growing back, but we can’t be too careful. So we’re gonna babysit the herd. You wanna come with us?” He knew she would love the change of pace. He decided to not mention Tate coming along just yet. He didn’t want her to worry about him seeing her.

“I would be kinda useless for a little while yet. I shouldn’t even technically ride, as much as that fact pisses me off.”

“I’m not bringin’ ya up there to work, Stell. I just want you to have a change of scenery. But if you get to feelin’ right, you’re more than welcome to join the guys.” Kayce cringed. “If your brother doesn’t have a heart attack about it.”

She smiled at him. “C’mere.” He scooted closer for her. She leaned into him and whispered, “thank you,” on his lips as she kissed him.

Kayce carefully leaned his forehead against Stella’s. “I should go back up to the main house to be with Tate, but either myself or your brother will come get you in the mornin’.”

Stella nodded and stiffly stood with him. “What time?”

“Early. Probably 4:30 quarter of five.”

She groaned, “ugh, fuckin’ ranch hours,” and followed him to the door. Reaching out to grab his hand, she pulled him into a hug. “I mean it.” Stella didn’t know how else to say thank you anymore.

He pulled back just enough to gaze affectionately down at her. “You’re welcome, sugar.” He closed the gap and placed a gentle kiss on her lips as she brought her hand to his chest.

There was a groan that sounded behind the couple. “That’s the last thing I needed to see tonight,” Ryan grouched.

Stella faced down at the ground, with her eyes closed. Nervous about being caught so soon. “Hey, Ry.” Her face and neck heated up.

Kayce laced his fingers through hers as he stepped back, avoiding Ryan’s gaze. “I’m gonna go let Monica have a break.”

“See ya later, cowboy.” Their fingers squeezed each other and then slipped apart as he stepped away.

While Kayce walked off, the siblings stared at one another. Both of them had their lips pressed together and arms crossed. Stella’s face felt like it was on the sun with how red it must have been. The pair dissolved into laughter.

Stella cleared her throat. “You wanna come in?”

“It doesn’t smell like sex in there, does it?”

Stella rolled her eyes. “Oh my fuckin’ god, Ryan. No.”

Ryan nodded and stepped up to the door, trailing behind his sister. He watched while she made her way to the refrigerator.

“You want anything to drink?” She grabbed a Sprite from the fridge.

He stepped up to a kitchen chair, pulling it out and taking a seat. “Nah, we’re gonna be drinking later. I just wanted to check on you for the night before we did.” He took notice of her gun on her hip, but made no mention of it. He’d been keeping an eye on her, everyone had, especially with how edgy she’d been.

She cracked open her soda and leaned back against the sink to face Ryan. “I’m doing alright for the most part. Just starting to get bored,” she complained as she took a sip of her soda. “Very bored,” she sighed.

“I understand, but we need you 100%. Don’t need you hurting yourself more.”

“Yeah, I know,” she grumbled. Just because it was true didn’t make it suck any less. “Kayce invited me to come to the spike camp with y’all.”

Her brother's eyebrows shot up. “Oh he did, did he?”

“Yeah. Figured I would like a change of scenery. Which I would. Very much.” Stella stared at him, hoping to make her point. “Also, most likely so both you and himself could still keep an eye on me and keep me out of trouble.” She grinned.

Ryan leaned in the chair and propped his elbow on the backrest. “It’s irritating how smart he is.”

Her grin widened. “You’re just mad he thought of it first. He’s always been that smart.” She sat her soda on the counter and crossed her arms. “Is it okay if I go? I don’t wanna be stuck here by myself.”

“You wouldn’t be by yourself.”

“I know.” She shrugged. “But I wanna be with you and Kayce because y’all don’t treat me like I’m fragile like everyone else has been.”

“As long as you follow through with not working.” He fixed her with a look.

“Okay, okay.” She held up her hands in surrender. “I promise. I’ll sit with John and give everyone shit.” She smiled. “Now you go have fun. I’ll see y’all in the mornin’.”

Stella wandered around the foreman’s lodge aimlessly. She thought about going to hang out with the wranglers while they cut up, but she didn’t have the energy to be around the rambunctious bunch. She loved them, but she needed quiet. Reaching to grab her soda, she made her way to the little front porch area of the lodge. As she strode across the room, she made sure her gun was still on her hip.

She dropped into the single chair and fixed her glasses. Her feet swung up to cross at the ankles on the small table in front of her. The fizzy carbonation of her soda tickled her nose as she took a swig and swallowed. Stella surveyed the landscape carefully.

She could see the round pen, the cow pen, the barn, and the bunkhouse from where she sat. The lights were on in the house, so that gave her some comfort that her brother was close by if she needed him.

A breath pushed past Stella’s lips as she forced herself to calm down. The guys who were responsible for kidnapping Tate and beating the shit out of her were taken care of. She had to convince herself no one was going to sneak up on her.

“Everything is okay. We’re okay. We’re alive. Just breathe. You’re safe.” Stella encouraged herself, taking a few deep breaths in between her affirmations.

She’d been telling herself that a lot lately. That’s why her gun was glued to her hip. She had made the grave mistake of being caught without it, and it almost cost her her life. Stella vowed to never get found without it again.

The sounds of the ranch made her startle every once and a while, but eventually she settled and allowed herself to relax back in the chair. The thought of Rip probably wandering around somewhere nearby like a prowling bear made her fully sit back. Yes Kayce and her brother were nearby, but Rip was closer. She knew he wouldn’t be done with making sure everything was closed up for the night yet.

The longer she sat there, the calmer she became and the sounds of the ranch finally convinced her eyes to shut. Stella could still hear the horses in the pasture nearby, and the settling of the farm equipment, so she wasn’t fully asleep. It was a catnap state. She hadn’t been getting the fittest sleep since she came home from the hospital, so whatever rest her body would allow, she’d take it.

The crunch of the gravel that led up to the foreman’s lodge in between the stepping stones, startled Stella awake. “Stella-belle?” A gravelly voice intoned softly from her side. A warm calloused hand draped around her forearm and her eyes shot open. Without thought, she whipped her arm out to the side and hit the offender away from her. She scrambled to stand and back away from the intruder. Her hand dropped to her holster.

Rip stood back quickly and held his hands out like he would to a frightened horse. “Woah woah! Stella it’s me!”

Her eyes focused and her brain finally came out of its sleepy haze. “Oh my fucking god,” she wheezed out. From her quick movements her ribs smarted at her angrily. She moved her hand to her right side and hissed at the pain.

Rip wanted to help her, but knew she didn’t like being touched when she was in pain. He felt helpless as he watched her pant, trying to get her breath back. She paced back and forth, regulating her way through the discomfort. Slowly, it backed down to a throbbing versus a stabbing sting.

“Damn, Wheelie.”

“I’m sorry. I should have made more noise.”

Stella pursed her lips. She knew he didn’t mean to do it, and her anger was misplaced because of the pain of her own doing. She shouldn’t take it out on him. “It’s alright. What’s up?”

“I just got done laying into the wranglers because their asses are still awake and we got shit to do this morning. I saw you out here and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I guess I actually fell asleep after a while.” She yawned and scratched her head. “What time is it?”

“3:45. You should head to an actual bed, Stella-belle.”

“I should probably just stay up and get packed.”

Rip frowned. “Packed?” He pushed open the lodge door and motioned her inside. “For what?”

Stella grabbed her empty soda bottle and followed his direction, stepping into the house. She tossed the bottle into the little recycling bin next to the fridge. “I’m going to the spike camp with ya.” She smirked over her shoulder while she went to grab one of Kayce’s duffelbags.

“You’re what?”

“You heard me. And my brother and Kayce agreed. So I’m coming with y’all.” Stella opened Kayce’s closet and made a small “ha,” when she found the medium-sized bag on the floor. Heavy boots hit the ground behind her and she spun around to face the angry bear of a man she’d become so fond of.

She grinned up at him. “I already promised that I would sit with John and give everyone shit while y’all worked.”

The corners of Rip’s mouth turned further downward in a frown. “Stella…,” he let her name hang in the air.

“Riiip,” she dragged out his small name. Stella gently weaved around him to the dresser Kayce was letting her use for her clothes. Rip sighed behind her and she ignored him. She went about pulling out her clothes for at least a week, more than sure she’d have to come back down and get more. She decided she would cross that bridge when she got there.

“You love running us ragged, don’t you?”

Stella placed the pile of clothes she had in her hand in the bag and turned to look at him. His shoulders sagged, he looked exhausted. Not only did he have everything else going on, but he had become her unofficial babysitter. Kayce and Ryan were smart for that because they knew if she didn’t listen to them, she would listen to Rip. Her lips pulled together in an affectionate smile. She adjusted the frames on her nose, opened her arms and waved him over. “C’mere.”

When he didn’t step toward her fast enough, she met him halfway and engulfed him in a hug. “I’m sorry, Rip.” He placed his arms around her shoulders to keep away from her ribs. Stella took as deep a breath as she could and settled into the curve of his arm. “I know you worry and don’t tell anyone. Think of it this way,” she leaned back and Rip slowly let her go. “You’ll have me within eyesight, uninterrupted, unless my brother or Kayce steal me away.”

Stella backed up and brushed her shirt off nervously. “Plus, I need to do something about being this edgy. I think nature will help me reset that.” She shrugged. “Help me trust myself again.”

Rip gave a quick look down at her holster, thankful that she hadn’t pulled it on him outside. He knew she was having a hard time adjusting to being back on the ranch, the same place that the awful event occurred. He’d observed her jump at sounds and people she’d known for years over the last few weeks. It definitely wasn’t like her to spook that easy. He reached out and ruffled her hair quickly. “Alright, you heathen. I suppose that’s a good deal.”

“Hey!” Stella backed away from his hand giggling. “That’s hurtful.”

“Where’s the lie? Can’t be a lie if it’s the truth, now can it?” Rip crossed his arms and leaned back against the door jamb and smirked.

“I am not a heathen, I’m a lady.”

“Bullshit, you and this merry band of misfits are all heathens. You and your brother are at the top of that list.”

Stella clutched at her nonexistent pearls. “Rip Wheeler! I thought you knew me better than that.”

He chuckled deeply. The warmth from seeing her smile spreading throughout his chest, even if it was just for a minute. He stole a glance at the alarm clock he had set up on the bedside table and read that it was pushing on 4:00 am. “Alright, Stella-belle. I’ll leave you be to finish getting ready. Is anyone coming to get you?”

Stella smiled at him, not as wide as she would have liked, but wider than a few weeks ago. “Yeah, my brother or Kayce. Which from the sounds of it, it’ll be me getting him instead.” She huffed out a laugh through her nose. “So I’ll finish up here and see you soon, Wheelie. You go wrangle those boys into shape.” They shared a smirk, as Rip nodded and quietly made his way out of the lodge to agitate the guys.

Stella waited about 20 minutes before she started getting antsy. She knew that Kayce had other things to worry about, he shouldn’t have to worry about being responsible for her too. She hurried into the bedroom, gripped up the duffel bag, and rushed to the door. She slipped on her boots and threw her hair up in a messy bun that looked slept in. Making her way out the door, she made sure her hand gun was on her hip still and her knife on the other and made sure to close the door behind her.

She looked out by the barn and saw everyone mostly ready. Lloyd had been dubbed the driver of the wagon. Tate climbed up into the cart next to the older man and settled himself in. The little boy looked as if he was vibrating with excitement for this new adventure. Stella’s stomach dropped at the thought of him seeing what had happened to her. She didn’t want him to blame himself. Rip was off to the side holding John’s horse, Red, and Tate’s horse, Lucky. She watched as everyone milled about. Ryan worked on setting up Blue Jeans, exhausted, and quite honestly still looked drunk to Stella. Kayce was on top of Tank, making sure everything was ready to go for their ride. Abigail was tacked up next to him. He must have felt her staring at him because when he looked up they locked eyes.

He noticed she had one of his duffelbags slung on her shoulder, and one of his larger flannels overtop of her t-shirt. His eyes twinkled with affection at her display, and he dismounted from Tank, cutting a path directly to her.

Stella met Kayce and welcomed the soft hug he offered. He carefully transferred the bag to his hand from her shoulder and gave it to Jake to put in the wagon. He looked around to make sure no one was gawking, and scanned his gaze back down to Stella, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead to the left of the healing gash. “I was gonna come get you in a few minutes, I was hoping to give you more time to sleep.”

“Well, luckily for you, I’ve been awake since like quarter of four.” She laughed inwardly.

Kayce made a disapproving face. “Did you sleep at all?”

Stella withdrew from the comfort of his hug and sighed. “Yes, Kayce. I did. On the porch ironically enough. Rip already yelled at me,” she smirked over at Rip who’d been listening in this whole time. “Didn’t you?” He dipped his head in confirmation. She turned back to face Kayce. “And I slept pretty well for the first time in a while. I’m ready to rock and roll. Thank you for getting Abs ready for me.”

Her gaze landed on the mare that she’d only been able to walk around, lunge, and pet due to her restrictions recently. She moved over to her and brushed her hand along the roan’s nose softly. “Hey baby. You ready for an adventure?” Abigail blew a sigh into Stella’s hand.

A throat cleared from behind Stella. John came up beside her. “You sure you’re good to go on the trek?”

Stella bobbed her head. “Yessir. I should be right as rain in no time. I’ll be your buddy for giving everyone else hell.” She giggled quietly. “Besides, I gotta get away from here for a while.” They shared a look because John knew exactly what she meant. She almost died not too far from where they were standing. A little vacation would do her well. John nodded to her and stepped back to let her mount up. He didn’t go too far just in case she fell. Kayce took a few steps closer, joining his father if Stella needed a hand.

Stella stepped forward and placed her left foot in her stirrup. She reached for the horn and tried her best to step up into her saddle without showing the mild discomfort it caused. A quiet groan escaped her barely parted lips. She bent forward to pat Abigail’s neck. “See, girl?” Stella huffed, trying to catch her breath. “Wasn’t so bad, was it?” The large mare grunted back at her as if to say, ‘not for me, but it was awful for you.’

John spotted Jamie as he trotted up to the group. John instantly moved to give him directions. He had other plans for his son in mind. “Stick that horse back in the barn.” He pointed in the building’s general direction. “Move your gear outta the bunkhouse.”

Jamie halted his horse, and his stomach twisted into knots. “Move it where?”

“The lodge.” John explained simply.

Jamie dismounted, ready for an argument. “Why?”

Stella piped up from on top of Abigail. “Uh, sir? That’s where I’m staying.”

John eyeballed his son for questioning him instead of just going with his plan. “Cause I can’t have the Livestock Commissioner living in the bunkhouse.” Jamie took off his hat and shot his dad a questioning glance. “I’ll make the appointment official tomorrow.” John panned his gaze to Stella and continued. “And I’m moving you up to the big house with Kayce.”

Stella’s jaw dropped so fast it almost came unhinged. The tightness in her chest bubbled as she gave a panicked look to Kayce, who looked just as stunned as her, if not more. “Uh, are you sure that’s a good idea, sir?”

“Damn it, how many times do I have to tell you to call me John?” He scolded her. “And god damnit why doesn’t anybody just follow my directions?”

“John, you’d kill over if any of us followed your direction blindly.” Stella’s face flattened as she pointed to Rip. “Even Rip questions you from time to time. You’re pissed about something you taught all of us to do.”

“No, it’s what Kayce has taught you to do.” John grumbled.

“Now c’mon, dad.” Kayce tried to interject, but his dad was having none of it this morning.

He pinned Stella to her spot with a look that dared her to defy him any further. “I’m moving you up to the house with Kayce. Gator will move your things before Jamie gets settled in.” John strode over to Jamie and leaned in close. “And if you betray me again? You’re dead to me son, you understand?”

Jamie nodded. “Yes, sir. Thank you.” John pivoted to go get his horse, but Jamie reached out and stopped him. “Dad. I won’t betray you. You have my word.”

“Well,” John cleared his throat. “We’re about to find out what that’s worth.” The air hung heavy between the father and son as John turned back around. Stella shifted in her saddle at the unspoken threat.

The patriarch started doling out orders. “Kayce!” The aforementioned son was stepping up into his saddle. “You and Rip take the wranglers, start pushin’ the herd. We’ll be right behind. Stella, you stay with me and Lloyd.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Rip directed the wranglers.

“Keep an eye on him.” Kayce instructed his dad.

John climbed up onto Red. “You know I will.”

Kayce glanced down at his saddle and tapped the horn. “I’m uh, I’m sorry about the Commission. It’s just not me.”

John rearranged in his saddle. “You’re my son. I know exactly who you are and don’t you ever be sorry for it.” Kayce looked around and walked Tank on. Lloyd and Tate watched as the prodigal son marched away. The little boy stared at Stella with big, sad eyes.

“Are you okay, Aunt Stell?”

Stella took a breath, as deep as she could, and smiled at the youngin’. “Yeah, buddy. I’m okay.” It looked as though Tate’s shoulders dropped in relief. “You should see the other guys.” She winked at him and he smiled at her. He was comforted by the fact that she seemed like her normal self.

Lloyd peeped over Tate’s head to spot John. “We’re ready here, boss.” They observed John taking in the herd and the surrounding nature. “Nothin’ prettier on this earth.”

“It’s as free as a man can be.”

“Makes you wonder,” Lloyd moved the reins around in his hands to have a better grip. “Who’s gonna feed this world when there’s none of us left.”

John laughed. “Nobody, Lloyd. This world’s just gonna go hungry.” He spurred Red into motion. Stella would have galloped off with him but decided against it. She followed beside the cart with Abigail at a fast walk.

[lesbiansanemi]

3, 6, 17, & 29 for the AO3 wrapped ask?

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Hmmm... Idk, I have a lot of fics I'm really proud of, but I think I'm gonna have to go with your mother's son, which is Sanemi's backstory from the complete role-swap AU. I really love working on that AU in general, but I feel like I did a really good job with Sanemi's backstory in particular, both with just how dark it is, but also mirroring it close enough with canon so that it's really similar, but just resulted in him becoming a demon rather than a slayer

6. Favorite title you used

flower in a vase of venom! Which is Shinobu and Kanae's backstory in the role-swap AU. Most of my titles are generally pretty mediocre I feel like, but this one is actually kind of fun and one I picked out before I got the entire fic ready to post and was just staring at the title box lol

17. Your favorite character to write this year?

I am sensing a theme developing.... but probably Sanemi or Shinobu lol. There's just so many fun things to explore with both of them, and the way I tend to characterize them and interpret them isn't a way I tend to see in other fics, so I always just have a lot of fun with them. Getting to work with all of Sanemi's little subtle nuances, and Shinobu's layers of faux personality is honestly just so fucking fun

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

At risk of appearing mildly horny on main, I think I'm gonna have to go with this little bit from fun blood and biting kink fic, freely given lmfao, it was just really fun to work on

Kyojuro went limp beneath him, and while one of them getting the other pinned generally signified the end of their spars, it wasn’t quite like him to submit so easily. 

    “But do you want it?” Kyojuro asked. He tilted his head with a soft hum, better exposing his neck, but not once did he look away from Akaza. “You can have it.” 

    Akaza had half a mind to pull back, to let go of Kyojuro’s pinned wrists, and stop straddling his waist, but his body wouldn’t move. 

    Did Kyojuro actually realize what he was saying? What he was doing? Fuck, yeah, of course Akaza wanted his blood. He’d wanted a proper taste of it ever since they’d met. It’d been so hot splashing against his skin, smelled so very sweet. He wanted to taste it, sink his fangs in deeper, deeper, tear pieces of Kyojuro away all for himself. 

    “Come on.” Kyojuro tilted his head further. 

    “I’m not…” Akaza swallowed down a mouthful of saliva. “I’m not drinking your blood.” 

    “But I’m telling you you can.” Slowly, Kyojuro worked one of his wrists out of Akaza’s grasp, and reached up to hold the back of his head. “I want to share it with you.” He guided Akaza’s head down, slow, gentle, giving him plenty of opportunity to pull back if he wanted to. 

    He didn’t. He let Kyojuro pull him closer, until his face rested in the crook of his neck. Akaza could feel his steady pulse against his lips, and it would be easy. So easy to dig his fangs in, for that blood to burst over his tongue and sate the ever growing hunger in his stomach. “This isn’t a good idea, Kyojuro…” 

    Akaza didn’t think he would pull away at this point, but if Kyojuro pushed him back, that was all it would take. He would never do anything the other man didn’t want. 

    “Why not?” Kyojuro’s voice was low, rumbling in Akaza’s ear, but the question was genuine. “Why isn’t it a good idea?” 

    “What if I hurt you?” With every word out of his mouth, Akaza felt the urge to bite down. Prey, his instincts whispered. There was prey beneath him, offering himself willingly, so why wasn’t he ripping his throat out? 

    Well, because Akaza didn’t want to. As good as Kyojuro’s blood would taste, he was so much better when he was warm and moving and alive.  

    But Akaza did not trust his instincts to remember that if his fangs broke the skin. 

Thanks for the ask :D

[thealexchen]

One Year On: Life is Strange 2 Critique

December 3rd, 2020 marks a year since Life is Strange 2 ended. I was inspired by @smitethepatriarchy‘s text posts (here, but there are several other answered asks worth reading) and @suhaplays’s text post (here) criticizing Life is Strange 2 to write a critique about how Life is Strange 2 handled certain themes and social issues.

(tw: gun violence, police brutality, animal death, incarceration, racism. In this essay, I use the word “queer” in a reclaimed sense, as a queer person myself. Of course, spoiler warning for all five episodes of Life is Strange 1 and 2).

A year on, my feelings about this game have soured... a lot. When the game was first announced, I was overjoyed that our new protagonists would be two Latino boys. Finally, we would have a culturally meaningful, groundbreaking video game with people of color and their experiences at the forefront! 

Then the game was met with immediate backlash and I utterly exhausted myself defending it for weeks on Reddit and Tumblr. Throughout 2019, as the episodes came out I became increasingly disillusioned, frustrated, and disappointed with where the story was going. I couldn’t figure out why I felt so damn miserable while playing this game.

Then in the summer of 2020, when Tell Me Why began rolling out pre-release material, I noticed that they posted a Q&A about transphobia, gave content warnings, and discussed at length about their collaboration with GLAAD, Checkpoint, and the Huna Heritage Foundation to make the game with sensitivity and proper research. I cannot speak for trans and gender non-conforming people on whether Dontnod succeeded at doing so with Tell Me Why. But Life is Strange 2 did… none of that.

Essentially, I realized that the reason why I was so frustrated with LiS2 is because it focuses way too heavily on a trauma narrative. This comes off as insensitive to players of color without any content warnings or extensive research.

Sean didn’t have to get kidnapped, kicked in the face, and called a racial slur by a gas station owner. Daniel did not need to watch his puppy get mauled by a mountain lion for the sake of a “difficult choice.” Sean didn’t have to lose his eye for the sake of heightened drama. Sean didn’t need to get called a racial slur and humiliated by his native language/beaten in the desert for refusing to sing. Daniel didn’t need to get shot— twice. Hell, all of “Faith” probably could’ve been cut— how is a church cult that brainwashes Daniel and beats Sean half to death relevant at all to the story?

Even if not all of the game’s violence was racially motivated, the consistent trauma that Sean and Daniel endure does not make for positive representation— or even good characterization. There is a difference between sympathetic characters and well-written characters, and trauma does not make Sean and Daniel any more complex or likable-- just more fucking traumatized.

LiS2 is more grounded in reality, but that also makes plot holes that much harder to excuse (Daniel’s powers being spotted, most of the Parting Ways ending, Sean’s prison sentence). But most of all, it grounds all of Sean and Daniel’s pain and trauma in reality. 

There is no magicking away a town-destroying storm with time travel. Sean can’t keep his dad alive by ripping up a Polaroid. After Max unlocked her powers, she was still a Blackwell student, reconnecting with Chloe, taking photos, saving lives, and uncovering a murder mystery. After Daniel unlocked his powers, the Diaz brothers lost everything. 

The game never lets you forget that Sean and Daniel are homeless, wanted, constantly in danger, and that they are never getting their old lives back. It permeates the entire game, and for players of color, just reinforces a sad, miserable, grim reality about living in the United States. It is, as @smitethepatriarchy said, potentially triggering for players of color, and it is certainly not something I needed to be reminded of.

And the representation of POC? It feels shallow and ill-researched. It would only take a Google search to find out that Dia de Muertos (a holiday to honor the dead, no less) was from October 31 to November 2 in 2016, the year the game takes place, but Daniel only talks about Halloween in episode 1. Sean and Daniel never discuss any Mexican customs, foods, or holidays. Sean doesn’t speak Spanish with his immigrant father, only during a scene when he’s traumatized (again!) by two racists, and again when talking to Mexican immigrants— in jail. Daniel doesn’t speak Spanish at all. Most of their allies throughout the game are white, including Finn and Cassidy, who appropriate Black culture with their dreadlocks.

So what’s left? Sean and Daniel’s existence as people of color is, at worst, just a narrative prop to justify everything that happens to them. They are people of color on the surface only. In a meta-sense, the game only considers the color of their skin and their last names as what is narratively important… yikes.

I don’t have anything against people who genuinely loved the game and were moved by its messages and story. But I can’t help but feel bitter that white players have the luxury of only thinking of this game as a work of fiction and not feeling any personal reliability to Sean and Daniel’s racialized trauma.

I don’t regret playing LiS2, but I do regret all the time and energy I spent defending it in the beginning. I understand now that I shouldn’t let people’s opinions get to me, nor should I feel obligated to like or defend a game for its attempts at representation. But now, I think I understand how queer fans must have felt in late 2015 when Polarized released. After following the game for 10 months, to see that Chloe’s ultimate destiny was to die and Pricefield is another ship plagued by the Bury Your Gays trope (in the ending that the devs clearly put more work into) must have been just as disillusioning and infuriating. I understand why some fans were so quick to unfollow LiS or develop mixed feelings about the series, because that’s how I feel too after following LiS2’s development from September 2018 to December 2019.

Before I end, I will admit that Life is Strange 2 arrived at a time when I needed it. I still stand by my belief that DN did a great job characterizing Sean, Daniel, and Chris without toxic masculinity, which is the best thing they could’ve done for a male-focused follow-up to a game about queer women. I love that Sean is still a canonically bisexual man of color in a major video game and that DN didn’t forget their queer audience. I love the world and characters that DN built, but I still prefer AU fanfictions of their normal lives, without all that trauma. 

So, I will continue to treasure Lyla and her 10 minutes of screentime (aka the only shred of Asian American representation I can get from this series). I still reblog LiS2 fanart to support the artists. I still support Dontnod, because as Tell Me Why has shown, they are capable of researching and writing stories with more sensitivity. And let’s be honest-- I’m still gonna be hella excited if Life is Strange 3 is announced.

But so many aspects of Life is Strange 2 were bungled that it came off as a remarkably average and forgettable experience. A year on, I don’t hate Life is Strange 2, but I am writing this to move on from it.

Thank you for reading.

[xiaoderys]

❝ Saturated Sunrise ❞ (l.dh, n.jm) I

DISCONTINUED

pairing: haechan x reader, jaemin x reader

genre: crack, fluff, angst, possible smut soulmate!au, college!au, social media!au mixed WITH narrative

warnings: swearing, slightly suggestive with possible smut in future chapters

word count: 2.5K

parts: prologue , character-profile, I

synopsis: you gradually lose your ability to see colors as you fall out of love with donghyuck

you were red and you liked me because I was blue. but you touched me and suddenly was a lilac sky. then you decided purple just wasn't for you.

You’ve always loved the rain, unlike your boyfriend who would squirm whenever a single drop touches his golden skin, but then again, who could blame him? he was like the sun; a ball of roaring fire that could never learn to love its polar opposite. But you on the other hand, could never hate it even if you tried, there was just something about it, maybe it’s the tranquility of it, the smell, the aesthetic or the fact that it brings you back to the very night you met Hyuck.

It’s quite funny really, you’d think these only happened in movies and tv shows yet there you were, soaking wet and walking side by side with a boy you barely knew under an umbrella that barely covered you both.

You sighed deeply while looking through the glass windows of the convenience store and up at the dark sky, the rain was pouring and you figured it won’t be stopping any time soon.

You didn’t have your umbrella with you but it was already past 10pm so after a few minutes of internally arguing with yourself, you got out of your seat, walked out and pulled your bag above your head to somehow shield yourself from the rain.

new instagram post from Donghyuck, 1 new text from mom, 6 new notifications from bible study

open? Yes / No

As you took your first few steps outside, you heard the bell ring from behind you, signaling that there was someone going in/out of the store.

You didn’t mind it at first but you heard someone yell “Hey, wait up!” no one else was around so you assumed the person was calling out for you and stopped in your tracks.

You turned around to look and just as you do, a car sped right in front of you which caused the rain water from the ground to be splashed all over you.

“Well, fuck” you exhale.

You lowered the bag covering your head as you were already soaking wet from head to toe and wiped your dripping face swearing to yourself that the universe hated you.

As soon as the car passed, the person on the other side of the road, jogged towards you and adjusted his umbrella over your head “What the hell were you thinking?”

You were quite confused as to why this person was suddenly scolding you so you just furrowed your brows at him.

“Walking home without an umbrella in this weather? Are you stupid?”

“Well what do you want me to do? spend the night at 7-eleven?” you didn’t mean to respond with sarcasm but you just got soaked with rain water and this guy who was nagging you while talking just called you stupid which did not help you and your anger issues.

“Better than ending up looking like a wet dog that just played in the mud but I think it’s a little too late for that” he said as he looked you up and down.

“Hey, it’s not my fault! that guy was driving like he’s in grand theft auto!”

“Well if you just stayed back in the store and waited for the storm to at least calm down a little bit then you wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place and I wouldn’t have had to leave my delicious cup of ramen in there all alone” he raised his brow acting as if he made a point.

“No one asked you to do that”

“No one asked me to be so unbelievably hot either but here I am”, you scoffed at his sudden cockiness but you’d rather eat your own arm than feed a man’s ego so you looked at him with a distasteful expression “Just go back to your ramen, I can handle myself”

“Lies. You’ll freeze to death before you could even get half-way home. Here, take this” he took off his jacket and handed it to you.

The cold wind mixed with rain and your wet clothes hit you like a truck bigger than your ego but your stubbornness still got the better of you “I-I don’t need it”

“you’re literally shivering like a little puppy”, he was right but are you going to admit to that? No.

“I bite into my ice cream without feeling a thing and sleep right in front of the air conditioner, I think I’ll be fine”

He poked his tongue in his cheek, showing his annoyance “Why do you have to be so difficult? you’d rather walk home freezing than put your pride aside for a second?” the angrier he got while scolding you, the more he talked in a pout so instead of scaring you into listening, you actually found it a little cute—

“Hey, are you listening?!” thunder struck all of a sudden which made you flinch and Donghyuck swore right then and there that you were the most adorable thing in existence.

After seeing you jump from the thunder, his expression softened and suddenly the rain was pouring heavier than before and you were shivering like crazy. He sighed, and put his jacket over your shoulders himself.

You were gonna take it off and give it back to him but he stopped you “if you take that off, I’ll kiss you” normally, you would love to challenge a bluff but you couldn’t take it anymore, it was so cold and you had no other choice, so you mumbled a quick “fine” and although it didn’t help much, you did feel a lot warmer.

He smiled at you, satisfied with your decision “Great, so where are we headed?”

“We?” you looked up at him confused

“mhmm, were you just expecting me to give you my umbrella and let you go home with my adidas track top?” he said with a ridiculing expression

“pretty much, yeah”

“This is my only umbrella and that jacket costs over a $60, I’m not letting you walk away with it just like that and besides, there are loads of creeps out here”

“$60 for a jacket this thin?” you held up the sides of the jacket wondering how a jacket so thin could cost more than your weeks worth of allowance.

“Yeah, it’s a bit off a rip-off, but that’s not the point, dummy. I’m your only option of getting home safe wether you like it or not”

“You don’t even know me, why do you care so much if something happens?“

“My gentleman nature is truly my biggest flaw-“ you rolled your eyes and turned around, ready to walk away but he held your shoulders back “ah ah, hold on! My mom would never forgive me if she found out I left a girl all alone to walk home in the rain”

You sighed “Fine but no talking, I’ve already used up all my social juice for the day” he nodded cutely and snuggled beside you.

You didn’t get the chance to think about it but he looked around your age and appeared to be a student as well, considering the fact that he wore a tracksuit and was carrying a backpack.

You tried to catch a glimpse of his face every now and then and you weren’t gonna lie, he definitely wasn’t bad looking.

Being a little shorter than him, it gave you the opportunity to study his side-profile; his jaw was quite defined and his features were really soft and he had these insanely fluffy cheeks oh- and you also noticed his plump lips that made it look like he was always pouting.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer” he said with a straight face, not even bothering to look in your direction.

“What?” you widened your eyes, blood rushing to your cheeks due to embarrassment.

“What? you think I haven’t noticed you staring at me for the past five minutes? you’re practically undressing me with your eyes” he playfully rolled his eyes.

You slapped his arm “No, I wasn’t! what’s wrong with you!”

He let out a chuckle, finding your annoyance and the way you turn red when embarrassed very amusing but you on the other hand just stayed with a pout and furrowed brows.

Donghyuck soon realized that you haven’t caught each other’s name yet “so what’s your name?”

“I thought I said no talking”

“Come on, small talk won’t hurt you”

I guess it’s better than walking in awkward silence “I’m y/n”

“Cute. I’m Donghyuck“ he smiled.

Since you were making small talk, you decided to ask about him more “if you don’t mind me asking, are you still a student?”

“A high school junior, yes, you?”

“Oh my god! same!” Donghyuck noticed how you got a little too excited over something so little but little did he know, that your childlike nature was just a sample of your many unforgettable qualities.

“Really? your height is making me think otherwise”

“Hey! My height is average!” you stopped and started to get defensive.

“And it’s not like you could talk, you’re not even that much taller!” that was a lie, he stood a good 7 inches taller than you making him the perfect height to give you forehead kisses.

“Okay mike wazowski, let’s keep it moving”

“Are you really trying to get me mad?!”

You looked so cute with your brows knit together and mouth forming a thin line that Donghyuck just couldn’t help but laugh “No offense but I literally feel like I’m being threatened by a cupcake”

“Do you want to fight?!” and just like that, Donghyuck found his new favorite hobby: annoying the living hell out of you.

“Pftt, what are you gonna do? eat my kneecaps?” he rolled his eyes.

“You know what, take your umbrella, I’m going home on my own!” You were ready to leave and he chuckled “Come onnnnn, I’m just kidding, it’s already-“ he checked his phone for the time “10:57 and I have to be home by midnight”

“Who are you? Cinderella?”

“Yeah but I’m much prettier and charming plus I have a mom who will eat me alive if I stay out too late so let’s get going”

“okay but you have to promise to stop teasing me”

“Alright. I’ll try” and with that you huffed continued with your walk home

You didn’t want to admit it but you really enjoyed Donghyuck’s company, there was just a natural sense of familiarity with him which made you feel at ease.

He would talk about the most random things but no matter what they were, he always found a way to put a smile on your face.

He even talked about his little puppy at home who probably misses him which made you feel bad because the puppy must be so sad right now and here you are, taking up too much of Donghyuck’s time.

You were both so into these conspiracy theories that you didn’t even notice that thirty minutes have passed and you were right in front of you house.

“Well, uhm, this is me” you smiled softly.

“Oh then I guess I’ll get going now” he responded, getting ready to go home.

“Wait uh- thanks for you know, walking me home and stuff.. I’m really sorry for being rude earlier” you looked at the ground, feeling ashamed of how you acted earlier when he was only trying to help.

He chuckled, ruffling your hair “It’s fine, I won’t exactly be very happy either if I got ground water splashed all over me while it’s 10 degrees outside, but you do owe me a cup of ramen”

“Oh come on, that probably only costed like a dollar or something” you whined

“3$ actually and it was a really delicious cup of ramen so I’m gonna have to get your number because I’m not letting this one slide” if Donghyuck was being honest, he couldn’t give two fucks about the ramen; normally, he’d be really mad about it but the fact that he can use it as an excuse to get your number, made up for it.

“fine” and that was how it all started.

Now, you could’ve called a cab that night or asked someone to come pick you up but you didn’t. Call it fate or your brain just wasn’t working at the time but you sure as hell know it happened for a reason because that’s what brought Hyuck to you.

There are forces in the universe that we don’t understand, measurable forces that can’t be explained but also can’t be denied and nobody gets it but maybe that’s what it was because right here, right now you’re with a distressed Donghyuck because you both forgot your umbrellas and have to take shade under an oak tree.

He hated the rain, he would squirm every time it hit his skin yet he still gave up his jacket to cover you. He continued to scold you because quite frankly, you stopping to pet every single stray animal you saw was the reason why you got caught in the middle of the rain anyway.

“You know, one of these days, one of those strays will bite or scratch you and you’re gonna get rabies” there he was again with his lips in a pout, annoyed by the continuous droplets of rain meeting his golden skin.

“Hmm maybe, but until then, I’m gonna stop to pet every single one I see because all of them deserve love and attention. You know, if it were up to me-“ he cut you off “You’re gonna adopt all the stray animals in the world and take care of them, I know. You literally never fail to mention that” you smiled at how he always seems to never listen to you yet he remembers the little things. But then you noticed that he was shivering “are you cold? do you want your jacket back?”

“no, I’m fine” he exhales.

You furrowed your brows and looked at him with worry and of course he noticed.

“Baby, I’m fine, I swear, all this sexual tension between us from being so close together is enough to keep me warm”

You playfully hit his arm and he chuckled “No, seriously, keep it, you need it more than me” oh, he hated it, he hated it so so much. He wanted to be anywhere with you but there but he wasn’t gonna admit to that and he didn’t want you to worry.

Youu started to talk in a pout, a habit you unconsciously picked up from your boyfriend whenever you were worried “but you’re shivering, can we at least share it?”

Donghyuck knows the jacket would never fit the both of you but he also knows that you’re not one to give up easily, it’s one of his most favorite things about you, except when you’re arguing or playing games because you’re both egotistical assholes yet you’re the only one who can put him in his place and the only one he sets his pride aside for.

You looked at him snuggled right beside you, trying his best to not let the rain touch you and despite the situation being unfavorable, right at this exact moment, everything just felt right and you know you were supposed to be here.

[luescris]

Warning: Long Post. Spoilers ahead.

So uh. Finished Wizards. And since I can't seem to figure out how to make posts properly on a laptop, I can't put a "read more" tag so this will not be spoiler free. You have been warned.

Now. With that out of the way...

what

The

F u d g e r k n i c k l e

Number one:

JIM IS BACK!!!!!!!!!! JIM IS BACK JIM IS BACK JIM MY SON THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE HE'S BACK!!!!!!😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Now don't get me wrong I love Troll!Jim!!! He was so soft and his hair looked so fluffy and everything and augh.

BUT TO HAVE JIM BACK TO NORMAL IS A GOD SEND!!!!!

BARBRA IS GONNA BE SO HAPPY TO SEE HIM!! EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE HAPPY TO SEE HIM BACK AND ALIVE AND SAFE AND HE CAN STEP OUT OF THE SHADOWS AND FEEL THE SUN AGAIN AND AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Though I can guarantee that Jim now needs a whole bunch of therapy and probably feels absolutely awful for what he did while being turned into............ That. But I have no doubts that with a few weeks and lots of support and love, he'll be okay. :')

Number 1.5:

Does anybody else understand how hard I was crying when Jim turned to stone and how Claire was crying her eyes out. My heart felt like it was ripped out if my chest I'm so angry that they pulled that on us not literally but still

Number Two:

Jim??? Having??????? Excalibur????????????

IF THAT IS NOT THE ABSOLUTE COOLEST THING IN THE WORLD I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS!!!!! I mean sure he wasn't able to take the sword out of the stone in that moment but I am MORE than certain that he will have that sword, and it will be awesome sauce.

Also little side note the fact that Jim now has that little space of skin on his eyebrow is absolutely amazing and I love that detail so much

Some of you may think I only watched Wizards for Jim at this point and you would only be half correct gwjausggshs I love my son Jim okay

Number Three:

So. What happens to the Trollhunters now. Was Jim the last one??? Cuz the Amulet was destroyed and I'm not sure if anyone's going to attempt to make another one. Douxie--love him by the way--is probably too busy keeping Numie (is that her name-) safe to even try to make one so...... Is that it for the Trollhunters then?? If so then that is just... Sad. Wonder what the rest of the Trolls will think when he tells them what happened. Rip the Amulet, it was cool while it lasted. 😔

Number Four:

Speaking of Rip, Merlin and Morgana. I don't think I'll forgive them for what they've done, but they were still true to the end. Merlin meant a lot to Douxie, and though I only knew him for a short amount of time I felt so sad for him. Losing the only person he knew as a father... Was so obviously hard for him. I was seriously hoping he didn't walk through those doors and thank g o s h he didn't like aaaaaa ;;;3;;;

Final Thoughts (I think-):

This series was... Very dark, very short and quick to the point. Unlike the other two that came before it. But you know what?? That's perfectly fine with me. They only had ten episodes to cram everything in, and though I'm still unsure about some things, I still loved every bit of it. The possibilities for the movie that's coming out (WHICH I'M SUPER STOKED ABOUT, BY THE W A Y) is endless, and I'm sure it'll close everything off smooth and well. I wish that it would be going into theaters instead of just Netflix, so that everyone can see the art that is Del Torro's Tales of Arcadia. I also wish that I didn't have to wait so long to watch that movie I'm so impatient hhhhhh

Also screw Arthur. Steve was kind of annoying. I respect Claire and I Love Her so Much. And uhhhhhhh yeah. That's it. 1000/10 show, can't wait to see the true finale.

[jhoudiey]

Next chapter of Yoru’s story is here! She’s done hiding out at Idias and has to deal with Crowley, Floyd also tries to threaten her but it goes very poorly for him.

Anyways, story below the cut, 1400 words, blood mention, but I think that should be obvious by now :P

Yoru woke up and rubbed her eyes, it was past noon already. She looked around Idias room, he was passed out beside her, the glow of his computer lighting the room faintly as normal sunlight wasn’t able to make it through his blinds. She groaned and got up, it had been 3 days since she left home and she knew Crowley was back but she hadn’t had the patience to deal with him yet. She felt the bones jutting out of her back, they were getting pretty sizable and growing much more quickly than she’d expected they would. At this rate she should be able to fly again in a month or so. She wished she could fly now so she wouldn’t have to try and walk through campus without being spotted by any of the students... she considered waiting until the weekend when less people were out of their dorms, but she didn’t want to intrude on Idia any longer. He said she could stay as long as she wanted but she knew how nice it was to have space for yourself and was determined to deal with Crowley one way or another. 

“Hey Idia, thanks for letting me stay, I really owe you one” He groaned in response and spread out further into his bed now that he no longer had to share. 

Yoru poked her head out the door hoping all the rest of the students were still in class. When she saw no one around, she slinked through the dorm and made her way back to the mirror to bring her back to campus. There was no one in the mirror chamber, luckily, but she was seen by a few students walking through the halls on her way home. Whispers of “who’s that?” followed her through the halls; she refused to make eye contact and hurried her pace. 

Her room had been tidied and her bathroom was immaculate… Crowley must have had a lot of time on his hands waiting for her to return. She figured it wouldn’t be long before he caught word she’d been seen on campus so she steeled herself for his interrogation. It hadn’t even been 5 minutes when Crowley flew in through her open door, arms held wide

“Nugget! You’ve returned home! I am so happy to see you alive and well! I fixed your bathroom!” He beamed at her, she glared back at him

“I made a deal with Azul for you, he didn’t try to get you to sign anything did he?” she said flatly

“Of course not! I went to see him and he told me you stepped in to save your dear old dad! You’re so kind Yoru, just like your papa” He sniffled, wiping away a fake tear

“Good. now that that’s settled, you can get the fuck out of my room. I don’t want to speak to you ever again”

“What? Nugget! That’s too cruel! Why would you say such things!?” He panicked, trying to put a hand on her shoulder to fully guilt her into talking to him. She stared at him, unblinking, and pointed towards her door. Crowley puffed up, indignant 

“Now just you listen Yoru! You live under my roof so you can’t ignore me!” He started, trying to be a mature father figure, but stumbled on his words “...You gotta! It’s too sad if you won’t talk to meeeee” He looked at her and pouted. Yoru continued to stare at him and point at the door, she would not waver from her post. Crowley deflated and walked towards the door, muttering to himself

“All I was doing was trying to save my sweet baby Nugget and keep her safe and she hates me now oh what am I to do?” He looked back at her to see if his guilt trip had worked even a little, and frowned when it did not. She watched him leave, and sighed when he was finally gone. This was probably going to go on forever, she realized, he had a way of being overbearing in the worst ways. She sat on her bed and rubbed her eyes, wondering how the hell she was going to deal with this for the foreseeable future when she heard Crowley's voice carry up the stairs from the front door

“Ahh! Floyd Leech-Kun! Have you come to check on Yoru again? She’s in her room! Please cheer her up so that she’ll talk to me again!” She heard him boast and groaned. Another pain in the ass she didn’t want to deal with right now...She was suddenly glad for the new bathroom and quickly ran to the shower, hoping that if she spent long enough in there Floyd would get bored and leave. She heard him enter her room just as she turned the water on. 

“Eeehhhh Fugu-chan? Come out come out wherever you are” 

She had to admit, the new bathroom was an improvement, her shower was much more spacious than it had been before, Crowley had put a lot of effort into making it nice. She took her time with everything, and took extra time just to stand in the stream. After what had to have been an hour she finally turned off the shower and listened intently at the bathroom door to see if she could still hear Floyd. She was met with silence and determined it was safe to leave the bathroom, glad she’d avoided him. She was almost fully dressed when she heard him enter her room again, she rolled her eyes and muttered “oh here we go”. She turned to face him, her expression flat

“What?” she demanded. He looked at her and popped a hard candy into his mouth

“You were taking foreeeeeeeeever. I got bored and got candy”

“Floyd. What. Do. You. Want?” She asked again, already annoyed that her tactic to get rid of him didn’t work.

“Ehhhh Azul sent me to make sure you weren’t skipping out on your contract with him. You know what’ll happen if you do” He shrugged, continuing to bite down on the hard candies, relishing the feeling of them crushing between his teeth.

“Yea yea, I’m not skipping out, I just need a few more days before I can look the octopus bastard in the eyes” she tried to wave him away but he didn’t move. She looked at him and shook her head “you can leave now” and waved again at the door.

“Hey Fugu-chan… you know what happens to people who try and run away from us don’t you?” He said stepping towards her, placing a hand around her throat. She laughed and grabbed his wrist, digging her nails deep into his skin. She pried his hand away from her, holding tight to his bleeding arm

“I do… but I wonder if you’d be able to strangle me before I could rip your hands off?” She smiled at him, he scowled in return “You can’t threaten me Floyd, at least not like this. You don’t scare me”. She grinned even wider “now piss off. I’ll be by the lounge in a few days” She dropped his hand and nodded towards the door. He glared at her but knew a fight would just get him yelled at later, he sulked out of the room, dripping blood all over her floor. 

+++

“Floyd, were you able to convince Yoru that she should join us soother rather than later if she’d like to keep her contract intact?” Azul said when Floyd returned to Octavinelle dorm

“Yea, she said she’d be by in a few days...but you’re going to have to fix my arm. She’s real mad at us” He held up his bleeding arm, deep gouges in his wrist and forearm.

“Oh, she’s angrier than I expected, hold on a moment I’ll get you something for your arm” Azul shuffled off to grab the potion that would heal the wounds.

“Oh my that does look dreadful, doesn’t it?” Jade said, examining Floyd’s wrist

“Eeehhhh I told you her nails were sharp” He shrugged “We’re gonna have to try and find something else to keep her in line though, she’s not scared of me”

“Fufufufu, I suppose she wouldn’t be, especially not now she’s back to her Harpy form” Jade said approvingly.  

“I don’t like when my threats have no effect. This is stupid” Floyd pouted.

[ninjakitty15]

Chapter 22: Deader is Better (Loki x OFC Pairing)

It was exactly one day before the greatest holiday of all time, and not just because I was the most powerful I'd ever be that year. The streets were packed with people, every parking lot was booked solid, every parking space even, residents were even renting out some of their spaces for pocket money. Loki and I helped out Zari with her little store in exchange for letting us crash at her place, Loki was both surprised and delighted by how accepting people were of him even after asking if he was who he was. I explained to him that while the country as a whole has a longass way before it can be completely progressive and welcoming, Salem, being one of the first historical places here that destroyed itself in fear and intolerance, was probably the first to turn that around. It went from burning, hanging, crushing, and torturing people that were considered different and therefore dangerous to welcoming the different and weird as one of their own. No one even cared he took over New York, what they saw was an alien army attacking the city and a god that brought a bunch of heroes together to stop them.

"If Asgard were still around, I wish it had a city like this, celebrating magic and welcoming the weird as you'd say," mused Loki.

"Isn't there a realm entirely like that? Where the Light Elves live?"

"Look at you, trying to learn my culture," he teased. "It was where my mother learned magic and passed it onto me, yes. But we didn't go there often enough for me to call it another home. Most of the time, if we went anywhere it was to beat the natives into submission thanks entirely to Thor."

"For all the advancements your people had on us, the technology, the magic, the fuckton more years in a lifespan, you're not that far off in some idealogies from us. Rarely does peaceful methods end a dispute between peoples. Oh sure, there's been tons of times we tried that, it rarely works in our favor though. Peaceful rallies or marches are usually ended with police brutality they claim is the right way even when they're throwing tear gas grenades at unarmed civilians, tazing random protesters they later claim as dangerous, or just blasting them with high pressured firemen hoses. It always ends badly, with injuries, false claims, and injustice. I'd seriously love to meet Odin just to tell him he ain't special."

Loki smiled at this and kissing the top of my head. "I shouldn't be proud of you despising him like I did, but I am anyway. I am glad you met my mother in some form though, I had a feeling she'd like you."

"She told me to trust you and that in doing so, you'd stay with me as no one else besides Thor if even that, has trusted you since you came here indefinitely. A lonely existence that is, everyone keeping you at arms length. I can understand that, outside of Salem, skin color alone is an excuse not to trust someone, people see someone that looks like they're past their expiration date like me and they go running. Hell, even hair color or skin ink can keep you from getting jobs here, we're still an extremely regressive country. Not worth saving anytime soon."

"Then why bother?"

"Because unfortunately I'm one of the idiots inhabiting it with no way to some place better."

"I asked Thor why he fought so hard to protect this speck of a planet once, don't recall him giving me a good answer but yours shall suffice, if nothing else, because you're part of it."

"Whoa, hold your eight legged horses, you really don't need to do that...at all. Just find a way out of here if we can't at least save this city, the Avengers can handle this planet and if they can't...well at least they tried right? We don't need to get involved when neither of us signed any kind of hero contract like they did."

"You sure?"

"I'm not just sure...I'm HIV positive."

"You'd have to be alive to contract that disease and I'm not quite sure it would transmit to something already dead."

I opened my mouth to retaliate but something else stayed my tongue for a moment, something felt wrong, unnatural even. "Listen...do you smell that?" I asked curiously. Loki didn't get a chance to answer as a great surge of necro-power struck me full force and I was sent flying back several feet away, breaking several trees of the park we were enjoying till then along the way before my back slammed against a particularly thick one and I stopped flying. A dull pain exploded from my chest mere inches from where the stone was protecting my important bits and cool black blood lightly dripped from my lips. I looked down at where the pain came from and blinked in surprise.

"Oh look I've been impaled," I mused before breaking off the branch sticking out of my body and stepped away from the tree behind me. I looked for the source of the power surge and glared as I spotted the culprit walking toward us.

"Are you hurt?" asked Loki warily.

"Just a flesh wound," I assured him, gathering power from behind into my arms and fists. "You might wanna sit this one out though."

"No no, let him try," the attacker taunted as he got closer to us.

"I knew I smelled something rotten in the wind," I muttered. "What is it this time? First the heart, now the brain rotting away, would make sense if it was you that sold us all out."

The man before us glowered at me then flashed rotting, blackened teeth, while for the most part he looked alive, he was essentially rotting from the inside out. "You aren't the only one with a stone organ, my head will remain just as much as your heart does till I rip that out of you."

I arched an eyebrow. "Lemme guess, one of your Hydra buddies was a brain surgeon or so he claims. They all think themselves doctors of something that organization, not one medical degree posted when I was with them though, kinda makes you wonder."

"They don't need doctors for corpses," he snapped.

"You sure you're not braindead? Cuz I'm sure coroners and morticians both require a medical degree to be licensed with the job."

"Have a few run-ins with those folks have you?" he sneered. "You know the best part about you was at the very least being a warm body at the end of the day, now you don't even have that."

I snorted at his attempt to insult me. "Oh hun, the best part of you ran down your mother's legs. You gonna bark all day, you little bitch, or are you gonna bite?"

He held his hands to his head and another ball of smoke and lightning came hurtling at us but this time it was aiming for Loki at breathtaking speed, he was essentially pulling an Azula on me thinking I'd either let Loki get hit or take it myself but I saw his Azula and raised him a Dumbledore, telling my guiding spirits to yank him away from the path of the ball as I wouldn't be fast enough to help myself. I waved my hand toward Loki and he was suddenly swept aside and away from the direct battle ahead. Loki scrambled to his feet, a dagger in each hand and returning to his battle armor swiftly, glancing at me in shock. I mouthed a sorry to him before focusing all my attention to the rotten necromancer in front of me.

"Targeting what's mine isn't your best move when you really don't need to give me more motives to decapitate you than you already have," I warned.

"I know he's your weakness though. I want to see just how weak he really makes you," he sneered. "If what doesn't kill you makes you strong, what about when you're already dead."

"You're well on your way to finding that out yourself, hun. I can help answer that for you though." I thrust out a hand and black lightning flew from my fingertips. My rival managed to shield some of it with his own magic but as he wasn't a demi god the impact of that much power still sent him flying back. I didn't wait for him to get up though as I charged at him with a ball of power around each fist.

He rolled away right before I could punch in his head and destroy the stone inside it and got to his feet as I stood up, charging at me as I straightened up so we were suddenly toe to toe trying to kill each other. For a solid few minutes it was just dodging and exchanging blows and balls of energy before he decided to get sneaky and tried to slash me with his ceremonial dagger hidden in his boot. I dodged it just enough to not actually cut me but it did do some damage to my hoodie which had me glaring at him as I loved my hoodies. From there, it was throwing either each other, balls of power, or punches at each other with him occasionally trying to throw power at Loki who quickly learned to keep an eye on his attacks as much as I was without interfering, this wasn't his fight anymore. The ground around us was starting to look barren and dead from the effects of our powers used against one another, the grass brittle and brown. We both paused for a moment, both battered and frustrated neither of us were getting the upper hand with what we were doing.

"Why won't you stay down?!" he demanded.

I scoffed. "What is dead can never die. What's your dilemma here? What did Hydra even offer you to make you switch sides?"

"A chance to be something greater than this, the other necromancer, to be a demigod."

"And how's that working out for you?" I asked in bemusement. "They aren't higher powers, they're hired powers, there's a difference. There's no cutting corners on that one, ask nicely or die trying. How did you know where to find me? On the plane?"

"I had a spook tail you, not all the spirits are on your side you know."

"The good ones are, the rest are usually locked or exorcised so kudos on finding one of the select few willing to help a brother out."

He narrowed his eyes at me, collecting powers as he did. "If I'm not given what I want, then I'll have to take it myself just like I did with the other necromancers that went against me."

"And that's why no matter where that stone is surgically implanted in you, you will never be one of us, going against your own kind for something you'll never get." I lowered one hand to the ground and reached into the earth with just death magic alone, calling for something very specific as I waited for him to make the first move this time. "Especially not from me."

"And what makes you so special?" he demanded.

"Come here and find out." He lunged forward, taking the bait and I dropped to one knee at the last second, dodging his power-fist at the same time a rotted hand burst from the ground with my own dagger I snatched up and sliced into my enemy's rotted guts. He stumbled back, his free hand going to his stomach as he was weakened but not done for, the stone keeping him barely alive inside him. "Almost seems pointless since you're already decaying inside."

He looked at the wound I gave him from my dagger and glared at me as it was already speeding up the process. "You little cunt."

"Let me guess, you're gonna kill me, right? Join the line of people with empty threats they never finish."

Black lightning danced around his head and down to his body, staving off the spreading death from reaching his neck but not healing the blade wound either. "Should I rip out your soul first or your stone?"

"You say that like you've actually gotten the upper hand in this fight but who here has the unhealed wound and who here has survived worse?" I retorted.

He sneered at me with his rotten teeth and lunged forward once more but being the slimy little bastard he was, pulled his dagger apart so there were actually two identical ones and threw one at my leg while making a bee line around me with the other dagger at Loki. I gritted my teeth as the dagger hit its mark in my thigh and not wasting time even to take it out of me, threw a power ball at him from behind so he couldn't dodge it and sent him off his course to my lover. I then took out the dagger in my leg and limped over to the bastard despite the agony burning through the entire limb. I didn't wait for him to get up and kicked him hard in the head right where I guessed the stone was before aiming for the wound I gave him with my blade. "Silly asshat, kicks are for ribs." His snapped under my leather boots. He tried to throw the other knife he still had at Loki but I caught it this time and dissolved the twin dagger like I did the one in my leg. I grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up, and slamming into another park tree while holding him in place.

"You really wanna know why you can't kill me after all this time?" I challenged.

"You don't scare me, Nell," he choked out.

I recalled what the Wiccan seer had told me and let go of everything holding me back. "I can fix that. You can't kill a Horsemen." A different kind of power rippled throughout my body, not necromancy, but something stronger, eternal and deadly and incomparable. The entire arm and hand holding him up was skeletal as was half my face and that's when fear started to leak into his. He fought and wiggled in my grasp, trying to pry my bones off his neck but my finger bones just dug in deeper while he kicked at me. I raised my free hand, also all bones, and went for his head, aiming for the stone still managing to keep him alive when his throat was slowly being punctured and torn. And then the world seemed to pause, everything went silent and still, everything was frozen even including most of me as I couldn't seem to reach the stone in his head but was poised to grab it out of his forehead. And then something else happened, something that only happened to me when something very specific was coming. I got what Peter Parker would call the "the Peter tingle" and chills ran up and down my body despite the whole lack of nerves and feelings thing I had being a skeleton.

[spiderman-homecomeme]

day six - off the record

ENEMIES TO LOVERS

A/N: DAY SIX!! AHHHH I can’t believe we’re here already and that tomorrow’s the last day. It’s been so fun seeing what everyone’s been posting, and I am so excited for tomorrow and sunday when I can finally be free to read ALL OF THEM AH

This fic is going to be a short little multi-chap journalist au! It was originally going to be just one long one shot, but then I changed my mind lol

Thanks again @spideychelleweek​!!

Read here or on AO3

-

The anger Michelle feels right in this moment is no stranger to her.

It’s boiling hot, bubbling just under the surface of her skin, and she hides it under a thinning veil of nonchalance. She walks with purpose down the hall, far away from Mr. Jameson’s office, her footsteps echoing sharply.

The day had started out like any other, boring, uneventful, still a chance for it not to turn into a shitstorm. After writing her most successful article to date for the Daily Bugle’s website—one concerning a certain masked vigilante-slash-menace and his fight with a one Aleksei Systevich and the million dollars of damage that was brought onto Rockefeller Center as a result of said fight—Michelle had assumed that the hundreds of thousands of hits and the out pour of response from the readers, that she would be able to move on. 

That she wouldn’t be stuck in this Groundhog Day time-loop of writing article after article about the dumb webhead.

Normally, hearing that the website was doing so well might make her happy. She might celebrate that every front page piece of writing is hers, her name under every article right at the top. Then again, the only reason they’re doing so well, and the only reason she’s consistently getting the top spot, is by slandering some idiot’s image. 

Or rather, in this case, libeling some idiot’s image. 

This job was supposed to be a stepping stone for something else, something better. Something that would launch her into the higher world of journalism. There’s this underlying feeling, one that tells her that this is only temporary. That this can lead to bigger and better things. 

Though, part of her doesn’t think spending precious time writing sensationalized, gotcha-pieces is what’s going to help her.

But Jameson had said otherwise. He said that this was exactly what the people wanted, not the boring political think-pieces that she wanted to write about. The people want drama, he’d said. They want to be angry, he’d said IN ALL CAPS, his seemingly permanent speaking voice. He had turned her down when she’d asked if she could write something else, almost immediately, and instead, emailed her yet another folder of Spider-Man pictures that Peter Parker had sent him earlier. 

God. Peter Parker. 

Just thinking the name makes the burning anger within her flare; makes her stomach twist into stinging knots. Her jaw clenches as she thinks about how this is all technically his fault. Sure, she could very well be forced into writing the articles without the pictures, but apparently, it’s the pictures and her punny, scathing titles that grab the reader’s attention. It all really took off when they got that first up-close-and-personal shot. 

And then, come to think of it—though she’s not sure how or why Parker knows Spider-Man, and frankly she doesn’t care to know—why on earth would one of “Earth’s Mightiest (ha) Heroes” keep letting this guy take his pictures if he’s just giving them to the news site that’s going to keep roasting him alive? It didn’t make a lick of sense. And if it’s just a matter of ignorance, how could he possibly not realize that was going on?

Something’s not adding up.

But then again, she doesn’t have time to follow that suspicion. Apparently, she’s got another article to write. Due by the Monday of next week, eight o’ clock in the morning on the dot in Jameson’s inbox. 

She has the rest of this Friday evening and a whole weekend. 

Closing her eyes, setting her jaw, she comes to the elevator, her hand just missing the button in her haste. The faint, slightly-off-pitch ding from the door opening forces her eyes open again, and truly, she’d rather just close them again and wait for the next one than get in. 

Right in front of her, eyes widening a fraction in surprise before narrowing ever so slightly, is who she considers might the actual devil himself.

Peter Parker stares at her a moment before quickly ripping his gaze away. “Evening, Ms. Jones.” He says, mostly out of what she assumes is an attempt at being polite, as he stares down at his shoes.

She decides it’s not worth waiting, wanting to just go home and get this damn article over with so she can go on to write the next. And the next. And the next. 

“Evening,” she replies with a curt nod, responding not because she wants the last word—it’s nothing like that at all—but simply out of the desire not to be perceived as rude. 

He stands there, shifting on his feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see his thumb tapping rhythmically against the strap of his messenger bag as he glances up at the ceiling. It’s something so quiet, yet as far as she’s concerned, it brings the same effect as nails on a chalkboard to her ears. 

“Heading home?” He asks after a crushing beat, starting to reach for the buttons along the wall to close the door.

“Yep,” Is her one word reply, and she leaves it at that, emphasizing the p with a final pop. 

Michelle doesn’t hear any response, and sees him give a single nod when she passes a fleeting side-eyed glance. They both stare straight ahead as the doors close in front of them. The elevator kicks to life, beginning the long downward descent to the ground floor. Peter clears his throat, once again a noise that grates on her ears. 

The air in the small box is thick. Heavy. Though she can’t see his face, and though he may try and hide it behind a forced smile, she knows the same disdain is there. And how could it not be? He’s clearly friends with the man she’s been writing about, being his photographer and what not, and it would explain the withering glares he throws at her after each new article is released when he thinks she’s not looking. 

It’s not as if she’s watching him, though. It’s nothing like that. She’s merely being observant. 

And besides, she couldn’t care less how he actually feels about her behind the heated stares and the dramatic clenches of his jaw. It’s not her problem. It’s not something she needs to concern herself with. 

Peter Parker is the least of her worries. 

In her peripheral vision, she sees him rock back on his heels, looking down at his watch. He blows out a harsh puff of air, shaking his head. 

God, he’s thinking so loud, she wishes she could tell him to shut the hell up. 

“Got a long weekend?” He asks out of the blue, shattering the brick wall of silence between them. There’s a slight pointedness to his question, and she swears there’s a hint of humor in his tone as if he knows all about this assignment she’s just been given. He knows damn well that he’s the reason she’s so miserable. 

For a moment, she doesn’t answer. Perhaps she can pretend she hasn’t heard him. “Nope.” Again, she gives the single-word answer, nothing more. His attempt at conversation just to seem polite is laughable. 

Whether or not he’s satisfied with her answer, she doesn’t bother finding out, and she doesn’t care. The door opens with another ding, and she’s out before he can make any other sad attempt. 

--

“Okay, Grumpy,” Ned says as he passes a beer to his best friend across the table. 

Peter looks up at him, his lips pulled into a frown. “Grumpy? What are you talking about?”

“We’re really gonna do this right now?” 

“Do what?” Peter’s brow pinches together as his head jerks back in surprise. “I’m fine.”

Ned gives him a pointed look. 

A beat passes before Peter finally relents, sinking back against the booth in the crowded bar. “It’s Michelle. From work.”

“I’m aware of who Michelle is, yes,” Ned gives a slow nod. 

Peter shakes his head, leaning forward, bracing his elbows on the table. “It’s just—I know she’s writing another article about me—about Spider-Man. And I guess I get that it’s her job and all, but… You’d think she’d turn it down after the first dozen, you know? Like, yeah, we get it. New York gets it. Spidey’s a menace. All the help he does actually causes a lot of damage. Sure, I could probably stop giving Jameson the pictures, but... I need this job. And... And I don’t think that’d actually help.” 

Ned nods slowly, listening to his friend rant. 

“And—and, yeah, maybe she’s writing all this shit to please Jameson, and maybe she doesn’t actually believe anything she writes but… why keep doing it?”

“Maybe he won’t let her?” Ned suggests. 

“Nah.” Peter waves that idea off. “Jameson worships the ground she walks on. She can do no wrong in his eyes apparently. Meanwhile, I give him amazing shots of Spider-Man that he can just have her completely shit on, and I do it all without complaining.”

Again, Ned gives him a pointed, questioning look.

“This is different!”

“Uh-huh.” Ned’s lips press together into a thin line as he stares at his beer in contemplation. Finally, after a moment, he speaks. “Did you ever think about… asking her to stop writing them?”

Peter frowns, brow furrowing. “Asking her? Absolutely not. She’d say no. No—she wouldn’t even let me ask. She seems to hate me for some reason? Like—” He pauses, taking a breath. “Today. In the elevator. I was trying to be nice to her. Trying to be polite. I tried to make conversation with her and she just blew me off.” He scoffs, taking a swig of his beer. “And besides, if I ask her to stop writing those articles about Spider-Man, she’s gonna find out I’m Spider-Man.”

Ned purses his lips, nodding solemnly. “I mean,” he takes a drink of his beer. “Maybe if she didn’t hate you, you could ask.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know why she hates me. That’s the problem.”

“Dude, I doubt you’ll ever find out why if you don’t talk to her.”

“Did you not hear me?” Peter asks, exasperated. “I tried talking to her.”

“Well, maybe don’t start with talking,” Ned continues. “If she hates your guts like you say she does, you can’t just walk up to her all ‘oh, hi Ms. Jones! How’s your day?’” Ned shrugs. “I guess what I’m saying is… just be… friendly? Be yourself. Don’t… try so hard. To her, it’s probably coming across as fake.”

Peter sits back again, mouth set in deep thought. 

“You’re a great guy, Peter,” Ned says genuinely. “And my best friend. She’ll see that if you just… don’t be a dick.”

At that, Peter laughs for the first time that night. “Thanks, Ned.” In spite of his sour mood, the small grin that forms on his face stays. 

“No problem, man,” Ned shrugs. “So, movies this weekend…”

As Ned continues, Peter picks at his thumb, twiddling his fingers, contemplating. As much as he hates to admit it, his best friend is right. He’s not going to get anywhere with Michelle if she keeps hating him, and even if he might not understand why, he needs to at least make an effort to not fuel that fire with whatever the hell he does that bothers her. 

No, if he wants those articles of Spider-Man to stop one) he should stop supplying pictures for Jameson and maybe try something else, and two) become friends with her and just ask. He knows it’s not going to be easy, but at this point, he’s willing to try anything. 

And as his friend is talking, he can see the memory from earlier today, the one of her steely glare that she thought he couldn’t see as she stormed out of the elevator. The way her eyes had made his stomach turn and flip, his face growing unbearably hot. 

God, this is gonna be hard. 

--

Michelle can barely hear Betty’s voice from the kitchen asking whether or not she wanted the chardonnay or the riesling over the sound of her furious typing. It’s been only three hours since she got home, and she’s already flying through this article. 

Truly, it’s not difficult writing, the scathing libel. It takes skill, sure, but this has never felt like something she put one-hundred percent into. Though, now, as she’s begun to run out of different insults and turns of phrase to throw at this hero, she’s beginning to reconsider her original judgement. 

“Here.”

Betty’s voice suddenly close by—accompanied by the sound of a wine glass clacking onto the coffee table—startles her out of her writing trance. 

“Got you the riesling.” Betty throws a soft smile before sitting herself on the other side of the couch. 

Michelle returns the expression, though it takes some effort, before reaching for her drink. “Thanks,” she mutters before taking a sip.

“Anytime,” Betty grins again. “Jameson got you writing another one?”

Michelle glances down at her laptop before running a stressed hand through her hair. “Yeah. Yeah he is.” 

“Did you—”

“—Yes. I asked him. Again. Today.” Michelle answers before Betty can even finish the question. “And, as usual. He said no. Apparently, the internet doesn’t care about things that are actually important.”

Betty cringes, pulling her legs up under her. “Sorry.”

Michelle lets out a half-hearted laugh. “It’s fine. I mean, it’s not. But what’s one more, right?” She shrugs. “At this point, I’d have to find something bigger than Spider-Man to get the masses all up in arms.”

Betty weighs that statement, squinting one eye. “What’s bigger than Spider-Man?”

“The Avengers, probably,” Michelle answers easily. “I don’t know. Jameson really hates Spider-Man. Like really hates him. Probably more than he hates his wife, I’m guessing. If I wanna stop writing about Spider-Man, I have to write the most sensational, stupid, dramatic article ever written.”

At that, Betty gives a half-smile, before her eyes go wide, a light bulb appearing above her head. 

“What?” Michelle asks warily. 

“What if you found out who he really is?”

“Who? Spider-Man?”

“Spider-Man.”

It’s Michelle’s turn to be skeptical. “You really think I can figure that out?”

Betty gives her a deadpan stare. “Please, you know you can.”

Michelle looks down at her hands. “I mean, yeah. I probably could. Eventually. But—” She tilts her head from side to side. She opens her mouth to continue before clamping her mouth shut, sitting straight up. “Peter Parker knows Spider-Man.”

“Yeah, he’s the guy who gets all the pictures, right?”

“Right.” Michelle puts her laptop on the couch, standing up slowly. “If I can get him to introduce me, and then interview Spidey, I could definitely figure it out.”

“But you guys hate each other,” Betty points out.

“Well… Yeah, but—” Michelle starts pacing. “Maybe if I were friends with him, or like… just vaguely rude acquaintances that are on relatively good terms, then maybe—maybe it could work?”

Betty’s lips twist thoughtfully as she watches her friend. “I mean, maybe. But MJ—” she cuts herself off. “If you’re gonna try and be friends with him…” She pauses. “You’re gonna have to be nice to him.” 

Michelle stares, deadpan, at her friend, unimpressed with the light teasing. “Yeah. I know. But—” She sighs. “It’s not permanent. As soon as I get that interview, we can go back to hating each other. It’s perfect.”

If all it took was being nice and polite, genuinely, then Michelle could certainly do it. No problem. She’ll kick this off right. She’ll show up at his office on Monday with coffee after she turns in this next article, they’ll talk things out, it’ll be great. Fast friends. 

Or, as she’d much prefer, vaguely rude acquaintances that are on relatively good terms. 

No, this wasn’t as hard as Betty was making it out to be. Michelle could be mature. She could make and enemy into a friend. Plus, she’s seen Peter when he’s not interacting with her. He smiles a lot, and when he laughs, the corners of his eyes wrinkle warmly. He’s always happy to joke with other coworkers. Always helping out with other projects.

Just a few things she’s observed about him. 

Other than him being an absolute dick. 

“You really think it’ll be that easy?” Betty asks, eyebrows raised skeptically. 

Michelle smirks, taking her wine glass in hand and taking a slow sip. 

“I really do.”

[lankylevi]

Rating: E Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Eren Jaeger Tags: Kinktober 2019, Smut, Top Levi, Bottom Eren Yeager, Halloween Costumes, Werewolves.

Summary: Chapter 1: Overstimulation with Werewolf Levi: Top Levi & Bottom Eren.

Note: It’s officially the 15th here which means this is finally getting posted! Overstimulation is this month’s poll winner and this is also written for @ererismutprompts costume party prompt! (If you want early access to all my works and wanna vote on what I should write next, consider becoming my patreon for only $1! (Link in bio))

Read on AO3 or below

“I can’t believe I’m wearing this.”

“Your own idea backfired at you,” Jean snorted as Eren walked out of his room in a full sexy bunny costume. He didn’t even try to keep in his enjoyment and fell into a whole laughing fit while Eren tried to find a coat long enough so people wouldn’t think he was some type of hooker when they’d walk to the costume party.

Eren grumbled, “Since when are you even decent at Overwatch?” They had placed a bet, five games, the loser had to embarrass himself by wearing one of those slutty, pin up bunny costumes with huge ears to Hanji’s costume party on Friday. Meanwhile the other could just go as Batman.

“Since Armin taught me,” Jean said and Eren had to roll his eyes.

Armin, their mutual friend and the one who introduced them to Hanji, had been obviously flirting with Jean. And Jean cockily flirted back, but neither of them had the actual guts to make a move. “Just fucking date already.”

“Wha- me and Armin? You’re joking,” Jean feigned offense and Eren slapped him on his bicep.

“You better make a fucking move tonight or I’m telling.”

“So I take the attention away from your ass cheeks hanging out? Haha- Auw!”

Eren’s palm connected to the back of his roommate’s head as he glared at him. “Let’s just go and get this over with.”

At a quarter past eleven, they arrived at the party and Hanji eagerly opened the door to their apartment. Hanji was a chipper brunet, always acting like they were high on crack and tonight was no different.

“Welcome boys,” they slurred. The roommates already felt the vibrations of the music inside their chests and a wave of alcohol and weed hit them as Hanji leaned against the doorframe. “you’re smoking hot tonight.”

“Eren!” Armin wriggled his way through the dancing crowd, waving his hand enthusiastically, “Oh, and hi, Jean.” Of course, Armin would be dressed as Robin. As if they could be any more obvious.

Jean nodded and Eren waved back in response, shaking his head.

“Hanji, I think Levi needs your help.” Armin nudged their side with his elbow, “He’s about to make two girls cry.”

“Ugh, Leviiii.”

With that, Hanji disappeared back into the crowd and Armin showed them where they could hang their coats.

“Looks like Jean won, huh?” Armin said, trying to keep his snorts and giggles under control as Eren fumbled with the hem of his coat.

“‘S your fault. Look where your stupid crush got me.” Glaring, Eren finally got rid of the article of clothing after taking a long breath. No one would even bat an eye at him right now, he definitely wasn’t the only slutty something at this party. Fishnets also weren’t as comfortable as they looked and he was pretty sure half of the back of his costume had disappeared between his ass cheeks.

Armin chuckled, “Well, you look good. Maybe you’ll also... you know.”

“You can say “get laid” Ar,” Eren huffed, smirking when his best friend’s face got as red as a tomato. “What? You’re saying you’re not going on that horse cock tonight? Hahaha!”

“I swear to God, Eren,” Armin shushed him, “stop calling it a horse cock, I’m not a freak.”

Eren pressed his lips firmly together, trying to keep himself from bursting out laughing. “Right.” Armin wasn’t exactly the most vanilla person, he was in fact the reason why Eren had discovered some of his own kinks. Not together, no, no, they’d never. But Ar’s browsing history had revealed some of his own weird fetishes and that was how Eren actually found out there was this thing called ‘knotting’. Very sci-fi but hey, Armin couldn’t kinkshame him when he was into even weirder shit than he was.

All flustered, Armin dragged him through the dancing crowd till they found their usual group of friends. Mikasa was wearing a Marceline of Adventure Time costume while her girlfriend, Annie,  a Princess Bubblegum one; not looking entirely happy about it. It was cute though, cuter than the Batman and Robin Jean and Armin were trying to pull off while still convincing everyone there was nothing going on between them. Did they really think they were all blind?

Mikasa nodded at where Jean and Armin stood and Eren turned his head to see Horseface filling up Ar’s cup. Idiots, he thought before Annie couldn’t suppress the urge to comment on his outfit any longer. “Isn’t it a little too early for Easter?”

“That pink really evens out your bitterness, Annie.”

“Oeh-oh! What a burn.”

“Okay, easy you two,” Mikasa interrupted them for the millionth time. “Eren, go socialize with my cousin, he also lost a bet.”

Eren followed her stare and his eyes landed on a shirtless raven, angrily sipping on his cup. “Don’t mind if I do.” Did he seriously say that out loud?

“Gross,” Annie scrunched up her nose and Mikasa shook her head.

“Please don’t get it on with my cousin, Eren.”

“Why? Is he gay?” Eren looked at her expectantly with a wicked grin. Not caring to wait for her answer, he straightened his back and made sure to sway his hips a little as he strolled towards the shirtless man. Luckily his heels weren’t too high or he would’ve probably made a fool out of himself already. Please be gay, please be gay, please be gay.

“Oh, yes, he’s definitely not straight,” he mumbled to himself as he saw the raven’s eyes raking over his body while smirking with a raised brow. This meant he could go for his usual strategy; teasing, teasing and some more teasing.

Instead of walking straight at him, he went for a detour and grabbed himself some punch, making sure to stick out his butt as he filled his red cup with the green, witchy liquid. He looked over his shoulder, sending the raven a flirty grin before he turned on his heels and leaned against the nearest wall. He took small gulps of his drink, which actually wasn’t bad at all, kudos to Hanji taking extra bartending classes.

The raven still hadn’t moved from his spot, so Eren went to phase two. He side-eyed Mikasa’s cousin and while their eyes locked he seductively bit his lip as he ran a hand through his chocolate brown locks. Fucking finally. The raven walked towards him and while Eren was surprised by his short stature, he sure didn’t mind the perfect set of abs and scowl on his face. Emotional unavailability, count him in.

“So, what are you supposed to be?” Eren said while lowering his cup, not hiding the fact that he was eyeing him up and down like a piece of meat.

Rolling his eyes, the raven pointed at Hanji who was currently doing the limbo. “A werewolf, Hanji’s fault.”

“Where are your tail and ears then…?”

“Levi,” and he shook his head, “I left them at home. Plus, I’m supposed to be Jacob from that Twilight bullshit.”

“Ah, quality literature,” Eren nodded, chuckling under his breath before he took another sip of his drink. “All he did was walk around shirtless anyway and you’re certainly pulling it off.”

Levi scoffed and raised one of his brows, “I would almost think you’re hitting on me…?”

“Eren,” he smiled, “and so what if I am?”

“I’m not complaining,” Levi said and he took the brunet’s drink out of his hand, the brief skin to skin contact making the tips of Eren’s ears burn, and downed it in one go. “So, Eren.”

Clearing his throat, Eren tried to keep his composure as Levi sent him a toothy grin, he was gonna eat him alive wasn’t he? “Hmm?”

“I happen to like bunnies, so how about we go to my place?” The raven said and stretched an arm to touch Eren’s waist, gently digging his fingers into the soft skin. “Only to see my tail and ears of course.”

Gulping, Eren’s mouth went dry and he enthusiastically nodded his head as he felt the heat spread through his body and straight to his crotch. Embarrassing.

Within a matter of minutes, he found himself in the passenger seat of Levi’s car and the raven fastened his seat belt for him, whispering in his ear to behave if he wanted him to be nice. In all honesty, the thought of Levi fucking him roughly stirred him up more, making his cock strain against the confinements of his costume.

“Now be a good little bunny and sit still,” Levi smirked as he hovered over him before dipping down and hungrily clashing their lips together. Pants and moans spilled from the boy’s lips and he rutted his hips against Levi’s hand palming his cock. Eren whined in protest when the raven quickly pulled away before he slid in the driver’s seat. “Better not distract me while driving if you want to come tonight.”

Eren was almost certain he heard Levi purr when he wrung his hands together to keep them occupied and a shot of arousal slid up his spine. He really was gonna have him for dinner and nothing excited the brunet more.

With his legs wrapped around Levi’s waist, Eren didn’t pay any attention to where he actually was when he was slammed against the nearest wall. Levi’s tongue swiped roughly over Eren’s bottom lip and the raven ravished his mouth as he clawed at his clothes.

A surprised gasp spilled past the boy’s lips when Levi ripped his clothes with his nails and left a trail of shreds behind them as he was being carried down the hall to what he presumed was Levi’s bedroom. He was thrown on the bed and within seconds Levi hovered over him and pinned his hands above his head. “Little rabbit fell into my trap.”

Eren never thought he’d be into dirty talk, let alone roleplay, but with the pure animalistic lust Levi was treating him, he couldn’t help but get even more turned on. “Aren’t you going to be nice to me?” Eren bit his lip and Levi’s eyes went from soft grey to vibrant silver at his words.

“Not in the slightest,” Levi sent Eren another toothy grin and a wave of arousal coursed through Eren’s body at the sight. “You have a thing for my teeth?”

Pressing his lips firmly together and keeping himself from making embarrassing noises as he saw Levi swiping his tongue over the sharp edge of his canine, Eren nodded his head and shuddered under his hold.

“You won’t be able to keep quiet once I start having my fun with you, little rabbit,” Levi purred in his ear, rutting his hips so the fabric of his jeans slid roughly over Eren’s pink cock. Leaning down, he bit and sucked on one of Eren’s pierced nipples, rolling the bud between his teeth until the brunet was gasping and thrusting his hips up. “Sensitive? How cute.”

With every action and word Levi gave him, Eren felt his mouth go dryer and dryer and his cock grow impossibly harder. Pearly fluid leaked freely on his stomach, leaving a slick mess all over his chest as Levi hooked his hands under the back of Eren’s knees and pushed forward.

High pitched whimpers and moans spilled past Eren’s lips every time Levi darted out his tongue to lap over his sensitive hole. “L-Levi…” His voice came out shaking and broken as the raven wriggled his tongue past the tight ring of muscle and started thrusting it ever so slowly. Eren wasn’t going to last long.

As Levi bit into the round globe of Eren’s ass, the boy yelped and quickly succumbed under his touch as Levi slid one finger in slowly. He hummed at the tight heat with a smirk before planting another bitemark on the tanned skin. He added his tongue to the mess, alternating between pushing it deep into his ass as he hooked two fingers to spread his hole, and biting down onto his cheeks, close to breaking the skin.

With an angled thrust of Levi’s fingers, Eren tensed and cried out as thick ropes of come streaked over his red collarbones. His chest heaved, cock twitching as Levi milked his prostate dry and kept going until it left the boy completely shaking and blabbering, “L-Levi, I- I already came.”

“I know,” Levi said flatly, lapping over his hole again and angling his fingers, abusing the sensitive bundle of nerves inside Eren’s body until he started begging for him to stop. “Stop? I’m not even nearly done with you.”

Eren’s eyes blew wide at the words, cock growing hard again under the rough treatment of Levi’s tongue swiping over the seam of his balls and dipping into the slit. “I… can’t.”

“You’re a brave little human, you can take it,” Levi smirked as he shoved his nose into the neatly trimmed hairs at the base of Eren’s dick, taking in a deep breath. The action left Eren lost for words as the raven continued and unbuttoned his jeans to let his cock spring free.

It was nothing like Eren had ever seen in real life; Levi’s cock was slightly ribbed, thicker at the base and his cockhead had a pinkishly red sheen to it, just like the dildos he had seen on pornhub and both excitement and fear took over his body. He swallowed thickly, not knowing exactly what to say or do as the raven crawled closer and leaned down to leave a sloppy kiss just below his ear, “Never seen a real werewolf? Adorable.”

Eren’s world flipped upside down as he was pushed down onto his stomach, ass sticking up in the air. He immediately moaned at being so deliciously manhandled, previous worries left forgotten as Levi spread his cheeks and poured a decent amount of lube onto the crevice of his ass. He didn’t care at this point, he wanted to get fucked by Levi and his werewolf dick. Would he also have a knot?

With a slap on his ass, Eren yelped and looked back over his shoulder, blush turning crimson as Levi spanked him again. He was really hitting all of his kinks tonight and he didn’t even realize it.

“Stop thinking, brat,” Levi said as his palm connected to Eren’s ass cheek again, leaving a stinging burn in its wake before he slid three lubed up fingers inside the brunet. “I can smell you’re distracted, come back to me. All of you.”

Eren moaned loudly into the pillow as Levi grabbed his hips and buried his entire length inside of him in one smooth motion. The brunet felt every ridge and bump stroking across his walls with bruising force, clamping down on the thick cock. He got a well deserved minute to get used to his length and girth before the werewolf increased his pace slowly.

He felt everything, the claws digging into his hips, Levi’s cock moving in and out of his willing hole, his hot breath against his spine and his own cock roughly rubbing over the covers. Everything was too much and yet he wanted, craved more of Levi. An insatiable hunger he had never experienced before overrode all logical thought and he rocked his hips backward against Levi’s.

The sound of skin slapping on skin filled the room as Levi started moving with bruising force, letting the animal inside of him take over as the little human beneath him moved and moaned so willingly. “Uncover your mouth, let me hear your pretty noises, my brave rabbit.”

Eren titled his head slightly to the side, letting the werewolf’s ears pick up on the soft pants and moans he made as he buried himself deep inside his ass.

“Prepare yourself, boy.” Levi snarled, angling his hips to slam precisely against his prostate, turning Eren into a drooling, blabbering mess as the werewolf fucked him roughly.

Eren whined in overstimulation as his prostate was abused to the point his entire body trembled and tears rolled down his cheeks, feeling too good for words. He gasped at the sensation of Levi’s cock growing bigger, stretching his hole wider with each thrust.

With a deep rumble inside his chest, Levi launched forward and bit down on Eren’s nape, drawing blood, as he slammed his cock deep inside Eren. Knot growing to its full size, stretching the human impossibly wide, he came in the boy’s ass, painting his insides with thick ropes of his come.

He felt beyond full, cum and knot filling him up to the brim and when Levi’s teeth sank into his flesh, his second release crashed over him. He came untouched, cock twitching and spurting his come on his stomach and the covers. A sleepy smile spread across his face when Levi held his hips up as his body lost its final strength.

Completely satisfied, Levi planted a kiss on the back of Eren’s neck, whispering sweet praises in his ear as sleep washed over the little human. “My sweet Eren.”

It was dawn when Eren awoke, the sun peeking through the curtains. He was tucked in bed, clean, and with a pair of pajama pants on. The smell of tea and something sweet filling up his nostrils.

It took him a moment to recollect his thoughts, the vivid images of last night flashing before his eyes. As he stood, the heavy pain in his hips along with the purple bruises and red marks all over his body served as another reminder that all of it had been indeed, very real.

With a droopy grin, he got up from the bed and shuffled towards the source of the sweet, hearty smell, finding Levi sitting on one of the chairs in nothing but sweatpants and two sets of pancakes in front of him. Had he cooked breakfast?

Levi’s eyes shot up once Eren peaked his head past the doorframe and he instantly jumped up and wrapped his arms around the brunet’s waist. He held him gently, a purr rumbling in his chest as he nuzzled his nose in his human’s neck. “Morning.”

Overwhelmed by the sudden affection, Eren stammered, “Morning.” Levi was so gentle with him, a complete 180 compared to last night, but it honestly felt right? As if their bodies remembered each other from before and were finally reunited. Eren laughed under his breath, how silly of him.

[t4tozier]

i’m gonna uhh post some snippets of fics i’ll never continue to write okay let’s go

“Eddie ran away for the first time when he was ten years old. He’d just been to the pharmacy and found out that all the medication he’d been taking--for years--was fake. He didn’t want to believe it. Greta Keene, the girl who’d told him, was a notorious liar. Any other time, he wouldn’t have believed her. And yet, somehow, he knew she was telling the truth. He could feel it in his gut. So he ran. He didn’t bother going home, just ran straight from the pharmacy into the woods.

His mother always told him not to play in the woods. They were dangerous, she told him. All sorts of hidden monsters. But Eddie went all the way to the middle of the woods and all he saw was a well. It was old and dirty, something his mother would never approve of him even getting near. But something about the well drew him in, so he slowly approached it. Eddie gripped the edge of the well, tilting up on his tiptoes to look inside.

In the stories his dad read to him when he was little, these wells were magic. They often didn’t even have water in them, much as this one didn’t, but it didn’t matter. The stories said that if you looked inside and spoke your heart’s desire, it would come true. That’s why they were called wishing wells.

Eddie took a deep breath and thought hard about what he wanted to say. It didn’t take long before it came to him and he closed his eyes before speaking. “I wish I could get far away from this place,” he whispered, then fell silent, waiting for...something. But nothing happened. No sudden gust of wind, no chiming of bells. He wasn’t sure why he thought it would. Eddie sighed. He guessed he’d have to go back to his house now, since his wish clearly didn’t work. He turned around and was immediately faced with a boy.

Eddie yelped and jumped back, hitting the well hard and falling backwards. For a moment, he was terrified he was going to die. But then the boy grabbed his hand and pulled him back up, tugging him into his chest. Eddie’s heart flew up out of his throat as his hands connected with the boy’s chest. “H-hi,” he breathed, blinking up at him.

“Hi!” the taller boy chirped back. “My name’s Richie. What’s yours?” Eddie was pretty sure he’d never seen this boy before in all the years he’d lived here. He had big blue eyes and curly black hair. His face was covered in freckles, and as he smiled down at Eddie, his teeth were bonded by neon green braces. He was tall too, wow. Eddie hadn’t hit his growth spurt yet. His ma said it was ‘cause he was fragile. He wasn’t sure how true that was, but looking into the bright eyes of the boy in front of him, all other thoughts of his ma were erased from his mind.

“D-do you live here?” Eddie got out, completely ignoring the other’s question. The boy—Richie—laughed, displaying those neon braces again.

“Yeah, I do. I’m homeschooled, though, so I don’t go to the school with the rest of the kids.” He looked a little sad about it, but the expression vanished as he continued. “I got this thing called dyslexia, so I can’t really read or write too good. Mags says the teachers were mean when I was in regular school, so she’s teachin’ me herself. I still don’t really got it, though. I dunno if I’m ever gonna.”

Eddie cocked his head, lips parted as he looked up at this boy. He didn’t know what dyslexia was, and he didn’t know Richie at all. But he blurted out, “I could teach you.” A voice in his head warned him to take it back, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to know more about this strange boy with the freckles and the neon braces.”

-Danny, Dakota, and the Wishing Well songfic

——————————————————————————

“We have an assignment for you.”

Edward scoffed. “I’ve told you a thousand times, I’m not taking any more—”

“He’s a nephilim.”

That piqued Edward’s interest. He slowly sat up. “A nephilim? And you trust me to watch him?” The Council nodded. Edward considered it. After so many years...would he even be a good enough guardian? Especially for a nephilim—he’d never been charged to guard one before. But maybe...just maybe...this would be what he needed. The last one, to prove to them that he was better off in retirement. “What…what’s the kid’s name?”

“Richard Tozier.”

-the end of my Eddie/Adrian guardian angel au

——————————————————————————

“Richie didn’t know what he expected when he died. He’d always been told that his soul would be alive forever, living on even after his body had passed. He didn’t know if he believed that, though. The concept of everyone living forever? It was almost too much to think about. He figured once he died, he wouldn’t wake up. It would just be blackness for eternity.

Richie was not expecting this.

The first thing he was aware of was music. There was music dancing through the air, lively music with lots of brass. It sounded like something he’d hear at home in Santa Cecilia. Richie thought he was back home, and quickly cracked open an eye.

From what he could see, his side was pressed into a pile of marigold petals. When he opened his mouth, he spat out more petals, wrinkling his nose in disgust. That felt weird.

———

“Señor Tozier...lo siento, pero...usted mueró. Sé no es fácil entender, pero—”

“¡No!” Richie stood up, running skeletal fingers through straw-like hair. “No, it can’t be! I can’t be dead, I need to tell Eddie I love him, I need to see Coco, I can’t have died!” He was pacing, aching with tears that couldn’t be shed. “It’s too early, I’m supposed to be at home! I can’t—” He cut himself off with a dry sob.

The woman stood up from her chair, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Señor, por favor, usted necesita respirar, ¿sí?”

Richie shook her hand off. “¿Respira? ¿Respira? ¡No tengo livianos, no puedo respirar!” He sounded frantic.”

-chap. 2 of beat of my heart, my coco reddie au

——————————————————————————

These could possibly be triggering to people with dermatillomania or who self-harm so take care of yourself! I’ll put it under a cut once I’m off mobile

He had a ring of white scars around his face, oddly shaped.

“Aren’t you hot?”

“No,” the boy said simply. His left hand twitched, almost imperceptibly.

——————

Stan quietly took a seat across from him. His hands kept moving—drumming his fingers on the table, pressing down on his leg, nails digging into his palm. At one point, he started to roll up his sleeve impatiently, but Bev placed a hand on his shoulder and he pushed it back down, sighing. She seemed pleased, and intertwined her fingers with his before continuing to chat with Richie and Bill. The whole interaction left Eddie even more confused. He hadn’t seen any sort of sign that they were in a relationship, and yet here they were, holding hands in public! It all seemed rather odd.

——————

“He just needs more support than most people, that’s all,” Richie said easily. Sensing that this wasn’t the answer that Eddie wanted, he added, “Look, I’d tell you, but it’s not my place to say. Ol’ Stanny Boy will spill when he’s ready.” Eddie still wasn’t satisfied, but he let it go. Besides, the sinking feeling in Eddie’s gut told him he already knew the answer.

——————

Stan sighed. “I have this...thing. It’s...well, it’s a form of OCD. I’ve had it for years now, since probably the summer of my sophomore year. I don’t know what brought it on, to be honest. I’ve wracked my brain and I can’t think of any valid reason why I’m...like this.” He took a deep breath. “It’s called dermatillomania. Basically, I pick my skin. A lot. I can’t help it; it’s like a compulsion. I guess that’s why it’s part of OCD. It’s mostly just my arms and my face. That’s what all these scars are,” he added, pointing at the ring of white splotches circling his face. “That was before I realized how bad it was. I did it without noticing the effects. By now it’s too late to get rid of them. They’re scars now, nothing I can do about it. It’s really bad, Mike. I can’t take a shower or be in front of the mirror for too long, I can’t wear t-shirts or tank tops or go shirtless in the summer. Long sleeves are just about the only thing that stops me, and even then, I have plenty of things on my forearms that I could pick too. If someone isn’t there with me to physically stop me, I could just stay there for an hour, at least, just finding any raised bump on my skin that I can dig at until it bleeds.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

Mike shook his head. “Don’t apologize, Stan. I want you to talk about it; it’s good for you. As long as you’re okay with telling me, I want to hear it.”

Stan gave him a small smile. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

“Of course,” Mike responded, returning the shy smile.“Do you want to talk about it more?”

“I mean, if you’re sure I’m not grossing you out,” Stan said, rubbing his arm self-consciously.

“Stan, you could never gross me out, I swear.”

The reassurance seemed to give Stan a second wind. “Honestly? I don’t know what I’d do without Rich and Bev. I’d be so much worse off. I have no self control when it comes to picking. I have to have Richie in the bathroom with me when I shower, or brush my teeth, or wash my face, because if I’m exposed to my own skin I won’t be able to stop myself. Richie is my rock. As much as he gets on my nerves sometimes—he’s my rock. He’s always there to ground me and tell me to snap out of it, and it’s one of the only things I’ve never heard him joke about.” Stan paused for a second, staring into the fire as he weighed his next words. He sighed. “I just...sometimes I hate myself for it, you know? Like, how weak must I be if I can’t wear a t-shirt without wanting to rip open my skin? How pathetic am I if I need to have someone with me at all times in case—god forbid—I take my jacket off? I feel so helpless. I can’t control it. As much as I want to, I can’t. There are times when nobody’s around, and I’ll sit on a disgusting hotel bed and pick at my skin until my arms are bleeding and scabbing over and it looks like I’m diseased because all my skin is pink and raised, and I’ll hate myself for doing it because I’m telling myself to stop even as I keep picking and I can’t stop myself until one of them comes in and starts crying because oh shit, Stan fucked up again and I hate it I hate it I hate it—”

“Stan, Stan, listen to me.” Mike grabbed his face in his hands. “Look at me, okay? No matter what you think, you are not pathetic.”

-stan’s derma scenes, as we fall softly

[cdelphiki]

Hello! Could you do "I'm not leaving you here!" with Tim and Damian? Can't wait to see what all you do!

There was no time.  

Normally, Tim could form half a dozen plans, and then five more for every outcome of the first six whenever anything happened to them.  But this time—there wasn’t time.  

They had really gotten themselves into quite a pickle.

Well…

Damian had gotten them into said pickle.  

He was too brash sometimes.

Maybe if he stoped to think more often, Tim would have more time to think now.  

But instead, he found himself collapsed on the floor, trying his best to hold all his insides in where they belonged, while Damian subtly panicked by his side, similarly applying pressure to the massive gash in Tim’s abdomen.  

It’d been a lucky hit, honestly.  Tim had been distracted by trying to disarm the moron with the gun and wrongfully assumed Damian was handling the idiot with the knife.  He hadn’t been.  And that guy managed to slash out at Tim and get him, right in the side.  

At least Damian took him out immediately after.  What he’d been doing before Tim nearly lost more of his organs, he isn’t sure.  But at least he pulled through in the end…

Now, though.  Now they were royally screwed.  

They were in a room, deep inside the compound they’d infiltrated, essentially trapped.  There were two unconscious guys handcuffed to the radiator pipes, and about three hundred more outside.  

Looking for them.  

Tim could hear gunfire down the hall.  The periodic bang bang of a trained gunman, walking through rooms, and shooting at whatever he saw.  It was setting Tim on edge, because he knew they were looking for them. 

And Tim couldn’t walk.

He could do nothing to defend Robin.  To defend himself.  He’d just be a passive observer to Robin’s death.

“Robin,” he wheezed, causing Damian to look up from his wound, the whites of his lenses not revealing anything the boy was feeling, “Go.”  

There was nothing Tim could do.  He wouldn’t be able to follow Damian.  Wouldn’t be able to even make it out of this room, much less follow the complicated path they’d taken to get in this far.  And Damian most certainly couldn’t carry him.  Sure, he was strong, but Tim weighed more than him, and at this point he’d be pretty much dead weight.

“What?” he demanded, “and what, you’ll just cartwheel your way out behind me?  Don’t be ridiculous.”  

After pushing himself into a sitting position, Tim tried to shove Damian away from him, but all he succeeded in doing was groaning as his side protested at the movement.

“Drake,” Damian snapped, “do not be stupid.  You are in danger of bleeding out if we don’t staunch the blood.”  

“You,” Tim said, his breathing labored as he tried to get his body to obey him, tried to keep his strength in check, “need to leave.” 

Instead of respond, Damian pushed Tim back down into a laying position and started rifling through his pockets.  He pulled out an emergency suture kit, and Tim just reached out and grabbed his hand.  

The gunshots were getting closer, and each double tap filled Tim with more dread.  Because if they entered this room, there was absolutely nothing he could do.  He’d be helpless, just laying here.  As he calculated, he only had a few more minutes of consciousness before the blood loss got him, and then not much longer beyond of actual…. Aliveness.  And Damian would likely get himself shot trying to defend Tim, and he did not want his last minutes on this earth to be crying over the death of Robin.  

No thank you.

He’d much rather Robin leave and get away.  Go find help, maybe. It didn’t really matter what he did, as long as he had a chance.  

“No.  There isn’t time.  You have to get out of here.”  

Damian scowled and pushed Tim’s hand away from the wound, after he’d threaded the needle and stuck a flashlight in his own mouth, to point directly at the wound.  

Tim grimaced as the needle went into his skin, then clenched his teeth so hard he thought he might crack the crown in there when Damian pulled it through.  

“Damian,” he plead, between stitches, “Please.  You have to go.”

“No,” Damian snapped, pausing just long enough to hold the flashlight so he could talk, “I am not leaving you.  So shut up.” 

The gunfire paused for a moment, and Damian took it as an opportunity to get three more stitches in, each one making Tim suppress a groan.  Because, damn, Damian was not being gentle. 

“Sorry,” Damian mumbled, around the flashlight, “we’ll have to redo…”

“If you don’t get leave,” Tim whispered, just as the gunfire started up again, now more constant than before, “they’re gonna catch us.  The sutures won’t matter.”  

Scowling harder, Damian picked up the speed and put four more stitches in before finally cutting the thread.  He spat the flashlight off onto the ground and snapped, “Do you want to die?”

“I want you to not die,” Tim replied, echoing Damian’s tone.  

“Right,” he said, aggressively ripping open a clean pack of gauze before he placed it over the fresh stitches and started wrapping Tim’s entire abdomen, “Great.  I live, you die.  Just how everyone would want it, right?  Is that what you think?”

The next gunshot happened not even 30 feet away, outside the locked door they were hiding behind.  It made Damian jump, just slightly, before his scowl deepened. 

Tim closed his eyes and put a hand to his forehead. “You bought us time,” he mumbled, trying to think through the haze that had started to set in, “You can get away and go get help. Then come back for me.”  

“I’m not leaving you,” he whispered harshly.

“We don’t have much of a choice,” he shot back, succeeded this time at sitting himself up, Damian now done wrapping the wound.  It was still bleeding, ever so slightly, but it wasn’t a danger of bleeding out anytime soon.  

Kill him with infection? Sure. But that required he lived long enough for it to get infected. Either he’d be shot in about 64 seconds, or they’d escape and Alfred would fix it.  

He was kind of counting on the getting shot option.  

Damian looked around frantically and locked eyes on a pipe, laying on the ground among a pile of random repair pieces.  He grabbed it, then tip toed to the door, positioning himself just beside it, waiting for their hunter to bust in the door. 

“Damian,” Tim pleaded, whispering as loudly as he dared with someone just outside. 

“Shut up, Tim,” Damian whispered back.  

Just a second later, the door knob jiggled, and Tim sucked in a breath.  Damian gripped the pipe tighter and lifted it high, ready to bring it down on the head of whoever broke in.  

A gunshot went off, blasting the lock into a dozen tiny pieces, and then the door was kicked open, faster than a strike of lightning.  

Tim was unable to suppress the pained cry he made when he jumped, possibly tearing one of the already shitty stitches.  

At the same time, Damian swung the pipe and connected solidly with the helmet of their hunter, causing a crack to form right at the crown of it.  

“The fuck,” Jason cursed, snatching the pipe from a stunned Damian and throwing it across the room, away from both Tim and the unconscious thugs, “Watch where you’re swinging shit, brat.  You’re lucky I wear a helmet, unlike you dumbasses.”

“Hood,” Damian sighed, the relief in his voice so palpable, it made even Jason freeze.  

“Yeah, kid,” he said, awkwardly patting Damian on the head, “I’m here.”

“Was that you shooting?” Tim asked, pausing in the middle to take a breath.  His side was hurting about fifty times more, now.  With the definitely popped stitch.  

“Uh huh.”  Jason crossed the room in three long strides and knelt beside Tim.  Damian retrieved his pipe and took up position by the door, but considering how relaxed Jason was acting, Tim doubted there were anymore men outside to post threats to them.

He just hoped Jason hadn’t killed everyone in the building…

“Heard you two were infiltrating this place tonight.  You should have talked to me first, I’ve been watching this operation for months.  You were woefully unprepared.”

“Yeah,” Tim laughed, moving his hands so Jason could look at the quickly bleeding through bandages, “Figured that out.”  

“Seriously, you brats taking on an entire gang’s main operation?  By yourself?  Idiots.”  

“Tt,” Damian huffed, “We were fine until Red got himself stabbed.”

“It was your guy,” Tim protested, “Your guy stabbed me.”  

“And then he wanted me to abandon him to die,” Damian continued, completely ignoring Tim. 

Jason added another layer of gauze to the wrap, then pat Tim on the shoulder.  “I know teaming up with the demon is difficult,” he said, slipping one arm behind Tim’s back and the other under his knees, “but really, there are much better ways to be rid of him than dying. Trust me.  Been there.  Done that.  0/10 would not do again.”  

“Shut up,” Tim whined, trying his best not to cry a little as Jason jostled him.  He wrapped one arm around Jason’s neck and closed his eyes tight.  “I didn’t know you were the idiot shooting everyone.”  

“Yes,” Damian drawled, falling in step just before Jason as they began making their way out of the compound, “I was not aware you were in Gotham tonight.”  

“This idiot just saved your hide, you ungrateful little brats.  And I lied about going on a mission.  I wanted a break.  But nooooooo, you morons had to go on a suicide mission instead.”  

“Tt.  It was not-”

“Red is actively dying,” Jason interrupted, “So zip it.”  

Surprisingly, Damian did zip it.  And he kept it zipped, at least as long as Tim could remember.  Because he did eventually fall asleep, lulled there by the gentle swaying motion caused by Jason’s gait.  If Jay tried to wake him, it didn’t work, and in retrospect, Tim was glad for that.

Because the next thing he knew, he was waking up in the Batcave, his torso properly cleaned and sewn up, an IV in his hand, delivering what Tim was sure to be heavy antibiotics to stave off whatever infection the crappy field suturing probably caused.  

When he looked around, he was mildly surprised to find no Bruce sitting at his side.  Usually Bruce was all over these sorts of things.  His guilt complex awesome at making him be comforting after nearly dying.  

Honestly, there was nothing like a ‘I’m glad you didn’t die, Tim,’ hug from Bruce.  

But Bruce wasn’t there. Instead, Damian was sitting in the chair, his legs thrown up over the side as he watched something on his tablet, completely oblivious to the world.  

“Where’s Bruce?” Tim croaked, then paused to clear his throat, because wow.  He hadn’t used his voice in a while, had he?  “How long was I out?”

Damian looked at his watch and said, almost uninterested, “About 17 hours.  Pennyworth made Father go to bed a couple hours ago.”

Tim wanted to ask Damian why he was there, then, but he had the feeling doing so would just make Damian leave. And Tim didn’t really want to be alone.  He always hated being alone, trapped in the medbay in the cave.  It was dark and spooky down there, honestly.  When alone and unable to work on anything.  The screeching of the bats was just creepy.  Sometimes.  

So instead, he asked, “What are you watching?” as he sat his bed up some.  

“A documentary series I found on youtube.  It’s about royal families in Europe and how they’re all related.”  

“Uh,” Tim said, scrunching his eyebrows, “That’s interesting.”  

“Hardly,” Damian dismissed, waving a hand at Tim, as if asking him to stop talking.  

And maybe being alone down here wouldn’t be so bad, after all.  “What are you doing down here?” 

Annoyance flickered on Damian’s face before he clicked the tablet off and stood.  “If you ever,” he said darkly, taking the few steps to Tim’s bedside to point a finger at him, “ever ask me to leave you to die again, I’ll…” 

Damian paused, and narrowed his eyes.  Tim couldn’t help it, he had to ask, “You’ll what?  Kill me?”

“Tt,” Damian huffed, scowling now, “Obviously not.  That would be counterproductive.”

“Then what?”

“I’ll tell on you,” Damian decided, nodding to himself.  

“You’ll tell on me? What are we, five?” 

“Yes. I’ll tell Father and Grayson about your recklessness and—”

“I wasn’t being reckless,” Tim said, “Your guy stabbed me. Not! Reckless!”  

“Whatever,” Damian said, rolling his eyes, “Just don’t do it again.” 

Tim wanted to keep arguing. He wanted to tell Damian there was nothing he could threaten Tim with to make him value his own life above that of a literal child’s, especially when that child was kind of technically his little brother. But instead he could see the underlying anxiety forcing this entire encounter, so he couldn’t help himself saying, “Aww, you were worried about me.”  

And instead of snap back and deny it, as Tim was expecting, Damian just scowled harder and said, “Of course I was. You were trying make me let you die.”  

“Damian,” he sighed, rubbing at his face with his free hand. He was honestly so exhausted.  Which was weird, sleeping 17 hours and all. “I was just trying to save you.”  

“We’re family,” Damian said slowly, looking away from Tim as he did and crossing his arms, “I can’t….”

“Damian,” Tim interrupted, reaching out and latching onto Damian’s sleeve.

“Tim.  Don’t ask me to do that again.”  

All Tim could do was nod.  Because he was afraid if he tried to say anything, he might just cry.  Or say something stupid and ruin the entire moment.  

But Damian spoke up, holding his tablet up for Tim to see. “I have movies on this.”  

With a smile, Tim scooted over the best he could and let Damian climb up next to him. About an hour into The Incredibles, when Damian’s eyes keep drooping more and more with ever blink, and Tim was just about as close to falling back asleep, Tim whispered, “Sorry.”  

And when Damian just nodded and leaned his head against Tim’s shoulder to fully fall asleep, he took it as forgiveness.  

[poor-sickies]

Hey there friend! I feel really dead, can you maybe do some whump for Keith? :)

Oh no, I hope you feel less… dead. Get some rest and have some cookies!

And yes, of course! 

Also, I know I’m getting to your asks really slow, but I’ve been busy with finals, and I am writing, just very little at a time. Nevertheless, feel free to keep sending prompts! Also, check out my recent commission post, I’m a little short on money and every commission you ask for helps a little!

Alright, on with the story! Hope you like this one, anon :D

snow

It looks like snow, the kind he saw on Earth a couple of times. Cold, white, somewhat wet.

It’s all around him when he finally stops tumbling down, burying the lower half of his body a couple centimeters.

Keith is pretty sure his right leg broke when he was falling, probably as he crashed against a rock he wasn’t able to see.

That means, he’s all alone, with no way of getting back.

His jaw clenches as he shivers against the cold, his body trembling while he takes count of the shattered armor pieces around him.

The right leg piece is shattered in pieces in somewhere behind him, leaving the limb uncovered with only the black undersuit where it wasn’t ripped. Keith isn’t looking, but he can feel the cold wind hitting his skin, and the warm blood trickling down his heel. The one on the other side is cracked.

The chest piece is almost intact, but it had slid upwards, leaving his side and middle uncovered. Nothing feels broken, but the suit is torn there as well, and Keith can see a red rash on his right side.

His helmet lies a few feet away, and with some painful maneuvering, he manages to get to it. His hands are shaking when he rotates it in his hands.

The visor is cracked, and the ear piece seems twisted.

“G-Guys…? Can you hear me…?”

There’s only static on the other side.

*

Keith has never really been one to panic - he either has things under control, or punches something, and most of the time, he does have things under control.

But this time there’s only snow around him, and he can neither control it or punch it.

Well, he could, but it probably wouldn’t make a difference.

His leg hurts more with every minute that passes, as adrenaline starts slipping out of his system, which, is in fact very inconvenient, since he’s not really safe yet, and he could use the high. He has attempted to move - get up, even - and walk, but it’s just impossible.

In a brave surge, he dares taking a peek at his broken leg.

It doesn’t look as bad as it feels - yes, he can se bone, but there isn’t that much blood, at least. His foot is going numb, though, and he doesn’t want to think about what it could mean for him if the others don’t find him soon.

They will, won’t they?

They have to notice Keith’s missing, at some point. And then they’ll come look for him.

But where are they?

It’s been at least half an hour now. Keith looks around - he’s on the bottom of a steep fall, and both in front and behind him there’s a forest.

He could be here for days.

Keith wraps his arms around his body and tries to warm up.

*

In the end, it doesn’t take days.

Just three hours, and when Lance gets there, Keith is on the beginning stages of hypothermia, and his leg has a stange bluish tint, all around the swelling and the wound.

Thankfully, they still have that pod they took from the Castle, but without the castle’s energy, Keith is only able to spend ten minutes in stasis and he’s only slightly better.

Which really isn’t much at all. Keith still looks pale and sluggish when he exits the pod, face immediately twisting in pain when he moves his leg.

“Careful, careful,” Shiro catches him in time, steadying him with a hand on his chest. “come on, let’s get you to your bed.”

Krolia steps closer too, and grabs one of Keith’s arms to help him to his bed, motioning at Shiro to get a blanket. She guides him as he limps across the room, and slowly lowers him into the mattress.

Krolia and Shiro place Keith’s leg on top of two pillows. Keith still shivers, even after Krolia tucks him in and covers his shoulders with the warm sheet.

“H-How bad…?” Keith rasps out, fighting against the shivers. The welcome heat, around his arms and chest, was also what was making his leg hurt more intensely. He grits his teeth to fight against the sensation.

Shiro sits on the edge of his mattress, looking worried, but with a tired smile on his lips. “You gave us quite a scare… Your leg is broken, and we managed to set it before you went in the pod, so at least the fracture is aligned, but until we find a reliable energy source for the pod, you’re gonna have to wait and let it heal naturally.”

“And good thing we got to you when we did,” Krolia adds, in a low voice, “you could have lost a few fingers if we got there any later… or worse…”

She’s kneeling beside his bed, stroking his hair away from his forehead, and keeping a close eye on him - she can feel a hint of a fever coming from his skin, which is to expect after this whole ordeal, but definitely won’t be fun to deal with.

At least her son is alive, and this time, she’s right here to make sure.

*

Accepting these or any other prompts for small drabbles like this for VLD and BNHA!

[santos-emilia]

TW: drug use, alcohol, blood, public whipping

She was alone… again. Tony had left a couple weeks before, just after the victory tour had come through town. Left her alone for more than a night or two the first time in eight years and she wasn’t sure how to handle that.

The house was a mess, clothes and empty liquor bottles littered around in her disregard. The sound of a corrido from some vinyl of a long lost band playing on the record player in the living room, both heirlooms from her father, things she’d found stashed when he died. She was off her face, it was only half past noon and already a half a fifth of tequila was gone and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept decently - probably not since Antonio was home last.

Emilia danced through the house, not a care in the world. She paused in front of her dresser, fingers dancing over the surface as her eyes looked at herself in the mirror that sat above the dresser. She looked tired, she probably was. Her gaze dropped to the glass plate that sat in between her hands and the white powder that dusted the surface. Her finger tapped against the polished mahogany for a moment. She licked her finger, wiped it through what remained of her current drug of choice and rubbed it against her gums. The euphoria was quick, as always and she was back to moving down the hallway and to the bathroom, fingers tapping against her bare legs as she started the faucet of the bath.

She rubbed her nose, jumping when she heard the bang of a loud knock at the front door, thrice in succession. “Fuck.” She muttered, turning the faucet off and hurrying back to her room. She tugged on a pair of jeans she found on her floor as she ran down the stairs, another succession of knocks sounding through the house. She threw a glance around the living room as she lifted the arm of the record player and moved to the door.

Her fingers brushed through her hair quickly and threw one last glance around, opening the door. The sigh of relief that left her lips was audible when she recognized the man on her door step. “Shit, Ares… here to give me a heart attack?” She muttered, stepping back to allow the off duty peace keeper into her house. “My order shouldn’t be here yet, what are y…” Her words that were coming entirely too fast as her heart raced still, the rhythm sounding behind her ears, were cut off when he raised his hand.

“Em… you need to come with me.”

“Wha- No, Ares.” She shook her head, moving away from him and picking up a crystal glass with the remnants of tequila from the previous day - or a few days - and swallowing it back. “I haven’t slept in days…” Which they both knew meant she’d been on a binder for days, a constant cycle of booze and coke.

“No… Mrs. Santos.” His voice commanded her attention and she paused to look over at him, sitting the crystal glass aside. “They brought Tony back. I don’t know, Emilia, something about being a traitor… Alice. Do you know anything about that?”

And just like that the high was gone, the fogginess of the booze evaporated. Her blood turned icy and worst case scenarios rushed through her mind. Snow was willing to kill Tony just for wanting to stay home with her while she was pregnant. Now he’d been caught in the rebellion. “Shit.” It was audible as she turned to hurry back up the stairs, muttering the expletive several times over. “You know where he is? I need you to take me to him.” She shouted down the staircase as she grabbed a shirt to pull over her camisole.

“That is what I am trying to do, if you would stop flitting about.”

She could hear the irritation in his voice even from the second floor, but she paid it no mind. Her finger was once again wetted, wiped through the dusting of powder, making sure to secure all that remained and then rubbed onto gums. She stumbled down the stairs, gathering a pair of shoes from their resting spot at the base of the stairs.

“You’re high.” It was simple and her eyes met his.

“No shit.” She snapped, pulling on the second shoe. “That’s a surprise to you? Gonna arrest me now?” Her heart was racing again, her finger tapping against her leg as she sniffed again. “Let’s go.” She finally motioned to the door after several seconds of staring at the man she’d come to think of as a friend, even if he was her dealer.

————

Ares had lead the way to the district square. Emilia’s heart still pounded behind her ears, fingers tapping anxiously against her leg. She could hear the sound of people, a lot of them, moments before she saw the crowd. Her feet slowed, her fingers stilling against her leg. This was a public show.

“Cmon.” It was Ares hand at her back, but not quite touching (respecting that boundary he knew well) that urged her on as her feet stilled, terrified of what she might find on the other side of the crowd.

Her feet had almost slowed to a stop, only a couple of feet behind the crowd now. The pounding of her heart nearly drowned out the words coming from the head peace keeper int he center of it all. Traitor. Blasphemy. Not even the victors. She picked those words out just seconds before the sound of a scream. And suddenly it was if her feet were moving of their own accord, pushing through the crowd, loosing Ares even if only for a moment. She knew that voice, the strangled cry and it made her blood turn to ice all over again.

Ares grabbed her arm just before she could break completely through the crowd. “Stop Emilia. You run out there and you join him.” He warned despite her yanking her arm in an attempt to free herself. “Even possibly end up dead - you’re high.” He reminded through clenched teeth, his voice entirely too close to her ear for her comfort.

“I don’t give a shit. Let me go.” She demanded, twisting her arm to twist his backwards. She was out of his hold the moment his fingers loosened.

“Stop! Let him go.” This time she was stopped by a peacekeeper in uniform as he stepped in front of her, her voice drowned out by the crowd around her.

But she would have stopped anyway as her eyes finally fell on her husband. He was chained to a whipping post and obviously had been for a while. She should have known he had been by his scream. The back of his shirt was ripped open. His back was bloody and raw and her chin quivered as she tried to hold back a sob.

“Get the fuck out of my way. Now.” Instead of letting the sob out, she shouted at the faceless peacekeeper. She didn’t know any of them aside from Ares, she didn’t care even if she did. This was her husband, her love, her corozan and his pain radiated through her with each crack of the whip.

A hand fell around her waist, boundaries or not, and she was tugged away from the white mask of the peacekeeper. She knew it was Ares and she threw her elbow back into his side earning her a grunt, but he didn’t let go, instead pulling her away from the other peacekeepers and the crowd.

“Emilia you have to stop. They will kill you.” He warned as she struggled, his other arm struggling to capture both of her arms in his hold.

“Let me go, Ares, god damn it.” She stilled for only a moment, waiting and testing. She wanted out of his hold for more than just one reason now. She didn’t like being touched, not by anyone but Tony. “I will turn you in,” It was a threat, despite the fact her skin was crawling, and they both knew as to what.

“And loose your supply?”

“I’ll let Diana die.” Her breathing was now coming in sharper pants, her chest felt tight. She needed out of his hold right now now, but he wasn’t letting her go.

His grip still didn’t loosen but he did lean down to whisper into her hair, “I know better than that, Emilia.” She never did anything but her best for her tributes. 

Acting on instinct, she took advantage in his change in position and threw her head back, hearing the crunch of cartilage. She felt his grip loosen once more as his hand flew to his now bleeding nose and she was gone again and Ares let her go seeing the head peacekeeper distancing herself from the captive man and deciding Emilia was no longer in so much of a danger, at least now.

Emilia fell to her knees at Antonio’s side, hands fluttering around his broken body afraid to touch, but wanting to hold him close all the same. Her chest still felt tight, but now for a totally different reason. The lashes covered his back and licked up his arms, wrapped around his torso in places. Blood seeped from his body as if it belonged on the outside and not the inside. 

“Tony… mi corozan.” It was whispered as her fingers fell to his leg. His head hung low, his eyes closed. The only sign he was still alive was the minute rise and fall of his chest. “Mi amor, por favor.” She just wanted his eyes to open. “I’m right here. It’ll be okay.” But she found herself questioning that statement. Would he really be okay? Could he survive this?

[rose-demica]

Short Prompt Collection

Fandom: Doctor Who, New Doctor Who,

Series: Something of a Bother,

Pairings: The Doctor (Ten) / The Lady, The Master (Simms)/ The Keeper

Summary: Short collection of prompts that are too small to post alone: Co-written.

"In case of Dalek, use stairs"

"This way Ponds, Ladies!" The Doctor called turning the corner and running towards the elevators. 

"Doctor?" The Lady asked making the mad-man hesitate. He looked back at her questioningly.

"Stairs." Was all she said as the Keeper opened the door. She hussled the Ponds through the door grabbed holds of The Lady and The Doctor and yanked them into the stairwell just as the Daleks rounded the corner.

"Bloody brilliant!"

"Love you too." The Ladies said in unison.

  "Promises to show companion distant planets and galaxies...spends majority of time in London."

"Doctor?" Amy asked while the Tardis floated through the time space continum.

"Yes Amy?"

"I've been talking with the Keeper, and she's pointed out a very interesting point."

"Oh and what's that?" The Doctor returned to his lounging, hands behind his head feet up on the consol.

"You promised me we'd travel to faraway planets and Galaxies."

"Yes."

"But, we spend most of our time in London. Why is that?" The Doctor looked at her startled. He opened his mouth to reply then closed it again, glaring slightly at Amy.

"You're not allowed to talk to the Keeper anymore." He announced before returning to his lounging position.

"I like my men how I like my tea, hot and British."

"Lady, what are you doing?" The Doctor asked as he stepped into the grand dining room.

"Taste testing tea." She replied before taking a sip. She grimaced at the taste and promptly set the teacup on the table before picking up another.

"Why?"

"Because I can, Doctor, why else?" The Lady gave him a devilish smirk before taking another sip.

"Hmm." Her lips pressed together in concentration.

"I think I've come to a decision."

"About the tea?"

"Oui."

"So?"

"It appears that I like my tea exactly the same way I like my men." The Lady stood and sauntered over to him draping her arms around his neck casually.

"Oh?" The Doctor said smirking as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"Hot and British."

  "If there's one thing I learned from the Doctor, it's to push all the buttons."

"Is this safe?" Rory yelled as red alien letters rapidly flashed across the screen.

"Probably not." The Lady admitted as she scanned the screens trying to read the words that were flashing much too quickly.

"Rory, I need you to do something very important." Rory looked at the Lady surprised by the seriousness in her voice. Her face was virtually stone-like only her pursed lips giving away the gravity of the situation.

"What can I do Lady?" Rory asked trying not to panic.

"Push that button."

"Which one?"

"All of them."

"Lady, that can't be wise!"

"Rory, listen, I'm 900 years old and if I've only learned one thing I learned it from the Doctor. PUSH ALL THE BUTTONS." The Lady slammed her hands down on her side of the control panel hitting as many of the buttons as she could.

"Aye aye ma'am." Rory mimicked and he too began pushing every knob and button within his reach.

The room gave a great shudder and then everything was still.

"Crisis averted, darling!" Rory looked at the Lady in amazement; could Timelords be bipolar?

"Getting to the part of the book where the title actually makes sense."

"No, no it couldn't be." The Doctor muttered while he paced.

"But it has to be!" He exclaimed angirly turning around and pacing back towards his four companions. The Lady was watching him pace, Amy was examining her nails, Rory was leaning against a nearby pole, and The Keeper had her nose buried in the book she had been reading the entire day.

"But something isn't adding up!" The Doctor let out an aggravated yell.

"I get it now!" The Keeper yelled in triumph gaining the attention of the other four.

"They're Vampires who aren't vampires but a totally new subspecies that is actually older than the tale of vampires. The Humans just lobbed them all together because of their appearance." The Doctor regarded the Keeper for a second before pulling her into a bone crushing hug.

"You brilliant Time Lady! Their Saturnynian!" The Doctor released the Keeper who gave him a funny look.

"What?" She asked.

"That's what Signora Calvierri and her son and those girls have become!" The Doctor exclaimed oblivious to the Keeper's confusion. The Keeper turned to the other three with a questioning look.

"Makes sense." The Lady supplied, while Amy and Rory returned the confused Time Lady's blank stare.

"I was talking about my book." The Keeper said looking back to the Doctor like he had finally lost the last of his marbles.

"Your...book?" He asked finally noting the confusion claiming the room.

"From my cotton tail to my Bunny ears to the tips of my blood soaked fangs." The Doctor read as the Keeper held her book up.

"The Tardis recommended it to me."

  "Vampires, at least they don't sparkle."

"What are they?" Amy whispered as the pale girls started to surround the two women.

"Vampires. At least I think." The Lady quipped trying to lighten the quickly darkening mood. One girl hissed at them, baring vicious fangs.

"I thought vampires were.. .well..."

"At least they don't sparkle Amy. For that I am grateful."

  Anagram.

"How long have you know The Doctor, Captain?" The Keeper asked lifting her head from her book.

"A few years, why?"

"And he's topping your most wanted list." It wasn't a question and Jack suddenly wondered where this was going.

"I'm not going to turn him in, if that's what you’re getting at." Jack said trying to defend himself.

"Don't get your feathers in a ruffle, I merely wanted to know why Queen Victoria would anagram the name of her new organisation after the name of the number one most wanted criminal on said organisation's list?" Jack looked at the Keeper before grabbing a piece of paper and a pen.

"I'll be damned." Turning back to the Keeper who had been patiently waiting for her answer he just shrugged. She shrugged back and returned to her book.

Jenny?

“Jenny?” The Doctor pulled the Lady to a stop, and forcing everyone to a stop behind them, the Master and The Keeper very nearly skidding into the backs of Amy and Rory.

“Hey Dad!”

“DAD?” The Lady Shrieks, turning on the doctor.

“It’s not like that!” He said quickly,

“Not like what Dad?” Jenny demanded, and the Doctor’s eyes flicked between the two.

“Doctor, what’s going on?” Amy asked,

“Guys, this is my daughter, Jenny.” The Doctor held the Lady’s hands by her side.

“My Lady, she was created in a war, using a Progenation Machine, the one that takes your DNA and makes a fully fledged human, but because it was my DNA she, must be,”

“A time Lady, well kind of, I don’t regenerate, I heal, and it seems I age. but otherwise, I’m the closest it’s ever gonna get.” Jenny said, and instantly the Lady turned on her.

“The closest it’s ever get?! You’re standing in the presence of two REAL Time Ladies.” The Doctor rested a hand on The Ladies shoulder,

“Oh really?” Jenny challenged,

“Mi’Lady.” The Keeper warned,

“I saw you die.” The Doctor stated,

“They shot you, and you died  in my arms , how are you alive?” He added,

“Apparantly you didn’t wait around long enough, and this was the only way I could think of to get your attention.”

“Nearly blowing up a whole planet!?”

“Doc, you said she was ‘born’ during a war oui?” The Master interrupted,

“Yes, on the planet Messaline.”

“So all she knows is war, she was ‘born’ with that knowledge as to how, and the beliefs that was alright, so she wouldn’t know any better than to blow up a planet to get your attention, in fact, It’d never even think it as wrong, it’s the way she was made.”

“Who are you!?” Jenny demanded,

“Me? I’m the Master, I must be the cool uncle.”

“You’re related,” Jenny pointed to both the Master and the Doctor,

“Nope, childhood friends, we all are.” The Keeper said, before either of the boys could reply.

“Anyway, back to blowing up the planet.” The Doctor turned to Jenny.

“It’s not like it mattered, I mean, have you seen their race?” Jenny motioned to one of the aliens that was standing outside the reinforced glass door.

She had a gargola shaped face, with the long extended mouth that opened to reveal pointed razor sharp teeth. Her eyes were wide and beady, black swirls of darkness seen within, her nose almost looked human, but had long, wide nostrils that resembled a horses in design. She had pointed wolf-like ears that sat on both sides of her face, where on a humanoid would have their ears. 

She had wildebeest horns upon the top of her head, amongst stringy black hair that also was used to cover up her disfigured face. Her torso was very humanoid like, but instead of muscle and fat, there was only skin and bone, like she was wasting away to nothing, she wore a black corset that left her bony, ruin covered arms bare, at the end of those humaniod arms were hands that resembled an eagle’s talons, her fingers were long and slender, with shary pointed nails at the end that looked like they were made to rip and tear things to shreds. 

A tattered skirt covered her thin hips, and went down to where her knees should have been, but instead of knees she had two serpent tails that wrapped together, solidifying the joint so she could stand like a human, at the end of those tails were spikes that were infused with a deadly poison that would kill anyone in a heartbeat. 

From her back were 18 bones that curved forward around her body, there was 9 on each side, and they easily resembled spiders legs, and one could easily imagine that they would trap prey close into the huntresses body.

The Shifter Of Darkness hunts on moonless nights, transforming into a beautiful human woman, or a helpless child, luring the victim closer until they strike. They only have one weakness, they are slow, so if you can get away, run! They can be killed, but only with a carefully aimed shot through the heart.

“That doesn’t mean they deserve to die!” The Doctor snarled,

“Look at them, they’re coping the best they can, that was the way they were made! And you can’t punish people for being themselves.”

“I have a question.” Amy said, and all eyes flicked to her.

“All you lot have titles, right? The whole first name holds immense power thing, but you, you have a name, why?” She continued,

“Well...” The Doctor ran his hand through his hair nervously, deliberately not looking at the Lady.

“One of my previous companions named her.”

“But why Jenny?” Amy demanded

“I called her a generated anomaly. Donna repeated generated till she got Jenny.”

“Oh, so this mysterious companion has a name now!” The Lady snapped,

“Actually, I liked her, where’d she and that Martha chick go?”

“Martha got engaged, to Mickey, remember me telling you bout him, he was Rose’s boyfriend for a while, anyway Martha then joined U.N.I.T became a Doctor, then switched to Torchwood, Donna, she had to loose all her memories, shes with a nice man now.”

“Wasn’t Rose-” The Doctor motioned to her to stop but Jenny missed it,

“The human companion you were in love with? Had to go to a parallel universe, and all of that.”

“Thanks.” The Doctor said sarcastically to Jenny, before facing the Lady,

“Can we please do this later?”

“I’m all for it happening now!” The Master stated, somehow managing to get a large thing of popcorn.

“Master!?” The Keeper asked,

“Oh, Sorry Darling, would you like some popcorn?” He offered it to her,

“I swear there weren’t seats here before.” Rory remarked, as he glanced behind him, and sat down. Amy joining him, while the Master and the Keeper sat in another chair.

“Ready and Action!” The Master laughed, looking at the Doctor, the Lady, and Jenny.

“What, you think we’re gonna fight for your amusement?” Jenny demanded,

“Oh, lets fill you in, The Lady loves the Doctor, the Doctor loves the Lady, both have been friends since childhood, so they don’t want to leave that friendship faze, but they’re right on the verge of a relationship, and they flirt, and The Lady’s new regeneration gets really jealous.”

“Can we go back to the, she almost blew up a planet thing!?” The Doctor asked, turning to Jenny.

“Alright I get it, I was wrong I won’t do it again. Can you take me back to my ship, and I’ll be out of your hair.” Jenny said,

“Yea, Lets get out of here.” The Lady turned on her heels and left the room, and the aliens left her alone.

“Because you saved our planet, we will let you live, today.” Their empress spoke.

“Well, Lets go.” Everyone stood, and the Master stopped to speak to one of them.

“Thanks very much for the popcorn.”

“No trouble.” She replied,

“You can keep it if you wish?” The Master chuckled,

“Oh no I couldn’t my girlfriend would be very unhappy, but thank you so much for the offer.” The Master handed her back the popcorn, and put his arm around her waist and held her tight.

“Those two?” Jenny asked Amy and Rory, who she was walking with.

“Yea, I have no idea how long, but they’ve been like this since we found the master.”

“And the four of them?”

“Childhood friends on Gallifrey from what we can tell, The Doctor ran off with the Tardis, The two girls got sent away in the Lady’s tardis, and The Master ran away with the Keepers tardis, which he hid somewhere, and he can’t remember where.”

[gii-heylittleangel]

SPN Coda 15x08 - “Our Father, Who Aren’t In Heaven”

Hey peeps, how are you? Excited for the holidays? I know this took a while to be posted but I really had no time or energy to do it. But, hopefully, I’ll be back to writing and posting some more during my vacation. I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think of it. :D

Read it on AO3 or keep reading it here!

Dean watched as Adam walked away, his footsteps echoing throughout the hallway and his words in Dean’s head; Since when do we get what we deserve? If Dean didn’t know any better, he would say that Adam knew there was something between Dean and Cas if the look he gave the two of them was anything to go by. It was Cas’s footsteps that took Dean away from his thoughts, causing him to turn and see Cas walking towards the rift.

He hesitated as Cas got closer to the rift, not sure what to do; he knew he should follow Cas as both of them needed to go but he didn’t want to. Going back to Purgatory wasn’t something he wanted either, especially at that moment; the memories were too difficult to bear and he was afraid Cas would leave him once again when they get there—it wasn’t Dean’s place to think that as if let Cas walk away just mere weeks ago but he couldn’t help himself. Also, what if Eileen and Sam came back and they weren’t there? Maybe someone should stay back, just in case.

“Dean?” Cas turned to him with a brow raised in question. “Is everything okay?”

His mouth opened and closed but no sound came from it. He was being childish, he knew that, they only needed to go and get the flower, it wasn't going to be more than twelve hours, but it was still hard for Dean. He sighed as Cas frowned at him, a curious look in his eyes.

"Maybe… Shouldn't one of us stay here? Just, just in case Sam and Eileen come back before the twelve hours?"

"Dean, it'll be faster if we're both there. And going alone is practically suicide. Surviving alone there is…"

Dean's expression made Cas trail off, the words dying on his lips, and Dean knew he was probably thinking the same thing: of how Cas left Dean to survive alone there eight years before.

Grabbing his phone, Dean texted Sam a brief explanation about where he and Cas were going. "Fine, let's go then. Sam will know what's up when he reads the text."

Cas nodded slightly, eyes avoiding Dean's. Dean checked himself for his angel blade, putting it under his waistband, and walked until he was by Cas's side. He raised his hand and waited until Cas raised his, and they both touched the rift at the same time.

It was just like when they went to the Apocalypse World; it seemed like all of his cells were being ripped off of his body and then being glued together somewhere else. It wasn't painful but it was uncomfortable and Dean would be more than happy if he never had to do it again.

When he opens his eyes, it looks just like he remembered: everything was darker, a smell of death and blood was in the air, and nothing seemed alive. It made Dean shiver with old memories in his mind and his first instinct was to reach for Cas's hand. He stopped himself halfway but knew that Cas noticed it.

"You're not gonna disappear, right?" He tried to keep his voice angry but it came out desperate; just as he felt.

Cas stepped a little closer to him, close enough for Dean to feel the warmth radiating from him, and shook his head. "I won't."

Dean let out a quiet sigh of relief and went for his angel blade as Cas went for his. They walked slowly, head snapping back and forth to check all the angles. Everything seemed quiet, almost too quiet for Dean's taste, and all that Dean could hear was his and Cas's breathing.

They didn't make for ten steps before everything changed; four monsters jumped on them out of nowhere and Dean didn't even have time to turn and stab at one of them with his angel blade while he tried to hold the other away from him. Cas only seemed annoyed at the ones on him, stabbing one with one hand while he used his grace to kill the other.

Show off, Dean thought as he tried to roll away. The monster—a werewolf from the way it growled—followed him, trying to pin Dean's hand on the ground. Dean squirmed under the weight until he managed to bump his elbow on its arm and throw its balance off. Dean turned them and pressed the angel blade on top of his heart.

"What do you know about a Leviathan blossom?"

The werewolf growled and stopped squirming when Dean forced the blade down until it broke the skin.

"I won't ask again," Dean said through his teeth.

Cas walked to them, staring down with bored eyes and crossed arms. The werewolf looked at both of them, still trying to take his hand from Dean's grip, until a chuckle grabbed their attention.

Dena turned to see Benny with a machete resting on his shoulder, a brow raised, and a smirk on his lips.

"Looks like you can't stay away for too long, huh, chief?”

                                                          ***

“Alright, the rift’s there.” Dean jumped over the body on his feet, turning his head to make sure they weren’t being followed. “We just need to cross it and then we’ll be home.”

Benny was ahead of them, Cas right behind him and Dean behind Cas, a few feet between them. Dean looked around them with his angel blade raised up, ears and eyes open for any sound or movement. It seemed like they had finally managed to foil the Leviathans that were behind them; who would’ve known that a flower could be so freaking guarded?

As they got closer to the rift, Dean started to think they would finally be able to get out of there, that they would finally be back home and one step closer to getting rid of Chuck, but everything went wrong in a matter of minutes; Benny was practically at the rift, the Leviathan blossom was secure in Cas’s hand, and there weren’t any monsters around them. Benny turned to Cas and Dean with his permanent smile on his lips.

“I’ll see you on the other side.”

Dean managed to smile at him before Benny crossed the rift and disappeared. Cas walked to it as Dean kept his back to him, looking around to make sure no one would try and take on Cas. It was at that moment that everything went wrong; six Leviathans circled them, separating Cas and Dean. Tightening his hold on the angel blade, Dean spun on the place, trying to look at all six at the same time.

“C’mon, fellas, it’s just a flower. I’m sure you can just find another one.”

Neither of the six said anything, just growled at Dean, one of them opening its mouth and showing its horrible pointy teeth as it snarled. Dean shuddered with the thought of being eaten by it; it certainly wasn’t going to be pretty and it would be painful as hell. He saw Cas hesitating at the rift, right hand white as he held the angel blade tightly and the left one closed around the flower.

The Leviathans didn’t seem to notice Cas until he stepped forward to kill one of them. When they noticed the flower in Cas’s hand, they completely forgot about Dean; the six of them went straight to Cas, mouths open and snarling. Dean’s watch beeped and he knew they didn’t have enough time; Cas had to go and he had to go now.

Dean ran to the Leviathan that was closest to Cas, angel blade pointed to its neck. Dean knew it wouldn't do much but at least he would give time for Cas to run away; time enough for him to cross the rift and get to the safety of the bunker. 

He managed to throw the Leviathan to the side as he pulled the blade, turning to the other on his right. Cas was frozen in place, staring at Dean as the rift started to close behind him.

"Cas! Go! The rift's closing." 

Cas seemed to get startled by Dean's scream, turning to look at the rift. "You need to come with me, Dean."

Dean shook his head as he tried to keep the Leviathan's teeth away from his face. "Go! You have the flower, you can beat Chuck. I'll be fine."

Cas opened and closed his mouth, head snapping back and forth, and Dean could see the suffering and hesitancy in Cas's eyes. Managing to push the Leviathan away from him, Dean rushed to Cas and pushed him to the rift.

"Go! We can't lose this one, Cas, I'll be fine."

Cas stumbled backwards until he got close to the rift, his right hand letting go of the blade as he tried to hold Dean's hand. A Leviathan pulled Dean just as their fingers brushed and Cas finally got sucked by the rift, Dean's name dying on his lips as the rift closed, leaving Dean in the hands of the Leviathans.

There were three more now and Dean did not see a way out where he would still be alive after the fight; the only thing he thought was that he was finally going to find out how it felt to die being chewed by those ugly teeth.

Cas, if you can hear me, Dean thought as he stabbed the Leviathan holding him,  just kill Chuck. I've found my way out once, I'll do it again. Another Leviathan threw itself on top of Dean and he blindly tried to find the blade that Cas had dropped. But if I don't, I'm so sorry, Cas, I really am.

Two more Leviathans joined the one on top of him and he saw as another one kicked the blade away.  Okay, Dean thought as he tried to keep the teeth from his face, maybe I won't find my way out this time.