#LEAVE MY ROSE BADDIES ALONE

[flcralis]

[heavyhitterheaux]

Soulmates

Rose That Grew From Concrete Instagram AU

Liked by urbanwyatt, sza, zendaya, mariahthescientist, jackharlow, glorillapimp, and 1,963,041 others

yourinstagramname: 2022 was a dream come true 💖

sza: sold out tour in multiple countries! she finally called urbanwyatt back and got her man, bought multiple houses, released her album, my baby had her foot on yall neck ALL YEAR, go best friend, that's my best friend

yourinstagramname: sza I love you BAD 😭

yournamesource: not sza adding in the part about urban lmaoooo

sza: yournamesource it's only right lol man was over there in SHAMBLES

jackharlow: sza no lies told lol

buttercupharlow: yall better leave urbanwyatt alone lol

urbanwyatt: buttercupharlow is the only one that ever comes to my defense about anything smh AHEM yourinstagramname

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt don't start because yes I do

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname since when?

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt since now

buttercupharlow: yourinstagramname lmaooooo damn double homicide

jackharlow: buttercupharlow REE! CUT IT OUT

buttercupharlow: jackharlow what I do? 👀

yourinstagramname: jackharlow she's innocent just like I am

urbanwyatt: I can't even with the two of you

buttercupharlow: urbanwyatt take it back before I stop defending you and start telling on you to yourinstagramname

jackharlow: oh

urbanwyatt: buttercupharlow I DON'T EVEN DO ANYTHING jackharlow get your wife!

jackharlow: urbanwyatt it's outta my hands lol

buttercupharlow: urbanwyatt that's what they all say. see what I did there?

jackharlow: buttercupharlow babe, you are so fucking corny lol

yourinstagramname: jackharlow leave her alone and oh buttercupharlow DO TELL

buttercupharlow: yourinstagramname check your phone in like five minutes

jackharlow: yourinstagramname now urbanwyatt is chasing buttercupharlow to see her phone so it might be a while lol

Liked by yourinstagramname, jackharlow, sza, buttercupharlow, saweetie, theestallion, druski2funny, and 2,903,721 others

urbanwyatt: my entire heart outside of my chest 😍

buttercupharlow: jackharlow and I'm the corny one? look at your best friend

yourinstagramname: babeeeeee stoppppppp

sza: SIMP!

jackharlow: buttercupharlow can you just admit that I'm the funny one in this marriage?

buttercupharlow: jackharlow oh so I'm the most attractive one in this marriage, right?

yourinstagramname: you two stay being a hot mess lmao

buttercupharlow: yourinstagramname he started it! but you look so gorgeous mamas! can't wait for our shopping trip date once we hit Italy

jackharlow: buttercupharlow you talk a lot of shit for someone who can't back it up

buttercupharlow: jackharlow TRY ME

urbanwyatt: your WHAT?!

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt how do you expect us to go to Italy and not go shopping and most importantly eat the food?

jackharlow: the two of you are always ditching us for each other

buttercupharlow: jackharlow and? your point?

druski2funny: yourinstagramname I wasn't invited?

lilnasx: druski2funny invited for what? if they don't even want jackharlow and urbanwyatt to go with them what makes you think they want you to go?

buttercupharlow: damn, double homicide

jackharlow: REE!

yourinstagramname: lmaoooo outta pocket! but jackharlow should have never introduced me to buttercupharlow. that's my soulmate.

buttercupharlow: suck it, bitches

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname then what the hell am I?!?!

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt umm, lemme get back to you on that

2forwoyne: never fails. people meet jackharlow and they're like he's great until they meet buttercupharlow and then he's forgotten about lmaooooo all attention goes to her

yourinstagramname: 2forwoyne well she does give off baddie energy

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname since I'm not your soulmate your gifts are going back to the store

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt I WAS JUST PLAYING

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname SAVE IT!

Liked by urbanwyatt, buttercupharlow, sza, saweetie, theestallion, zendaya, and 1,704,195 others

yourinstagramname: those off guard pics of my man be the best 😍

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname oh? I'm your man today?

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt when are you not? because that's news to me

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname you said buttercupharlow was your soulmate

buttercupharlow: urbanwyatt leave me outta this

sza: you can have soulmates in multiple forms!

yourinstagramname: sza exactly! Ree is just my shopping soulmate!

jackharlow: yourinstagramname to spend up all my damn money clearly

urbanwyatt: jackharlow take it back before she sees it

jackharlow: urbanwyatt nope

zendaya: jackharlow violence loading in 3..2..1...

buttercupharlow: jackharlow I'M NOT BUYING YOU SHIT NEXT TIME. GO GET IT YOURSELF.

sza: damn, double homicide lmaooo

jackharlow: buttercupharlow I'm hiding your bank card anyway

buttercupharlow: jackharlow that's okay. I'm calling Mama Maggie. have fun getting yelled at

jackharlow: buttercupharlow you wouldn't dare

buttercupharlow: jackharlow it's dialing

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname you must have taken this when you finally peeled yourself out of my armpit

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt not my fault that it's my comfort spot. deal with it.

liked by yourinstagramname, jackharlow, 2forwoyne, claybornharlow, zendaya, sza, and 1,850,920 others

urbanwyatt: all black everything

yourinstagramname: THE BLUE EYES ARE BLUING ON THIS FINE EVENING. MY MAN IS GORGEOUS.

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname 🥰🥰🥰

sza: urbanwyatt we cannot get her to shut up about you. I love that you're both happy but damn I need a break.

yourinstagramname: sza you are supposed to be the best friend so you have to deal with it

jackharlow: sza what is this break you speak of because got damn urbanwyatt is just as bad as she is!

2forwoyne: my boy is in love

shloob_: he's down bad

urbanwyatt: not yall calling me out and jackharlow I know you aren't talking with how much you talk about your wife on a DAILY BASIS

jackharlow: urbanwyatt we're not talking about me right now!

neelamthadhani: jackharlow urbanwyatt both of you are terrible actually.

quiiso: I second this

jackharlow: NOW WHY AM I IN IT? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT URB!

yourinstagramname: jackharlow the way you talk about her is adorable though. ultimate husband energy. where is she by the way? we have a date later

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname A WHAT? YOU ONLY HAVE A DATE WITH ME

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt I thought that was tomorrow?

jackharlow: and buttercupharlow show yourself. we have a date later too so now you're going out with yourinstagramname?

buttercupharlow: jackharlow and that's why I love tomorrow. anyway yourinstagramname ready when you are.

urbanwyatt: well got damn can we at least come? we're hungry too!

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt jackharlow yall can come HOWEVER yall better not say shit when me and buttercupharlow order one of everything, we've been wanting to go here for months!

jackharlow: ONE OF EVERYTHING?

urbanwyatt: jackharlow there probably won't even be enough space for us at the table smh

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt stop being dramatic smh

buttercupharlow: if that's the case, I can eat my meal off my husband's lap 👀

yourinstagramname: buttercupharlow I like the way you think lol

jackharlow: buttercupharlow once again talking all that shit and can't back it up

yourinstagramname: jackharlow idk from our group chat she can back a lot of things up. like taking over for the 99 and the 2000s style 👀

jackharlow: buttercupharlow can't take your ass nowhere and pause. if it's the story I'm thinking of...... AND YOU TOLD HER THAT?

buttercupharlow: jackharlow idk what you're talking about baby

urbanwyatt: can't take yourinstagramname anywhere either

yourinstagramname: you know what? we're leaving and yall can stay yall asses here

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[wetcatspellcaster]

The first thing I'll say after reading the chapter is - CAT!!!!

Also, my cat came up to me while I was reading, and fell asleep on me, so double cats!

Poor Rosalie, still being haunted, but now actively trying to ghosthunt, when the ghost suddenly does not want to be seen anymore 😔 hug for both of them!

Shadowheart's words made me hurt, because damn. She is so right, they all still did choose to do bad things, because they thought they were right, but also - hug for her too, she deserves it for acknowledging her faults and trying to be better. Love Shadowheart and how wise she is here ❤️

And knowing that Astarion wanted to Ascend in order to be able to protect Rose too, in some way, breaks my heart for him, because he probably understands how stupid it was, and how much pain he brought Rose with that decision, but also how he was hurt in the process too... Oh, it is such a deep can of worms to unearth, I love it 💔

Also, Astarion in a jumper! WITH THE CAT! So far away from scary Ascended, it melts my heart. And him being embarrassed over bargaining in on Rose taking a bath, so worried and willing to face her in case she got hurt again... Aww, is the only thing I can say.

Not me waiting for the epilogue chapter to be Rose and Astarion on a double date with the Dekarios family. And I'm never letting my cat be alone in proximity to Gale. Nope. Also, I'm trying to imagine Astarion's shock when the whole clan of Gale's children starts climbing all over him. That will be hilarious.

Poor Rosalie with her email. I know the struggle. She is still better than me at handling it 😔

This chapter was so sweet, even if it brought something to think over, and that forever quest for acceptance of your past mistakes in order to move on, that fear of facing it, because it will be hard and painful... Yes. I can imagine the road to happiness will be long and thorny for both of them.

And now, I leave you, dear author, with the best of wishes for good luck in your work, many scritches for your cats, and big thank you for this delight of a chapter.

Now I'll go look for the banana muffins recipe, since Gale and Timothy refused to share that, and make me some. Thank you ❤️

hey anon, thank you so much for such a lovely message and comprehensive chapter review. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I had a lot of visions for what this aftercare portion of the fic looks like, to be honest, but mostly it's just Astarion trying to rebuild his personality from the ground up and then trying to do it as quickly as possible so he can land himself a baddie lmfao. I don't know how well I'll pull it off, bc there's a lot of big things to unpack there that also, I don't think, make for a particularly interesting reading experience, so a lot of it happens off-screen. But for right now, I'm just grappling with an Astarion who feels bit weird about flirting, meanwhile Rosalie is like "he's not flirting with me? :( maybe he doesn't... like me :("

*screams internally in author*

so I added cats misbehaving to give myself some more familiar ground to tread!

I also just feel like Shadowheart's story is the neatest by the end of the game (her just T-posing in the background of the post Netherbrain trauma congaline on the docks, lmfao) but that there are things about her story, at least in my playthrough, that would actually equip her for understanding Astarion more than Rose does. I wanted to give a little space for the acknowledgement that most of the companions have experienced more emotional and moral nuance than my Tav has in her entire life :')))

Thank you for your lovely words! x

[sparkbugs]

Been thinking bout jrwi all day it’s finally time to watch ep 104. liveblog under the cut!!

So I actually watched the intro (well Bizly’s song of the intro) at 5 am and it’s been stuck in my head ever since! Good song, really wish it was on other platforms to listen to :(

(I can’t believe I’ve “caught up” so fast) ((I’ve been binge watching episodes instead of sleeping so oops!))

Ooo Grizz got white/silver hair :o it looks so nice!!

Haha! Corruption! That sounds so good haha!! Land is going to be worse I feel but ok guys

FUCK THE FUCKING COMPASS. Chip please get rid of it please mannnnn

CORRUPTION SCORE?!? Fuck. Haha that’s a great mechanic! Terrified to see how it works out. Haha how the fuck do you get rid of your corruption points. Grizzly what the fuck /pos this is terrifying and for good reason

(I love getting ads for one piece during this campaign (I haven’t watched one piece))

God they’re all gonna die man I’m so worried godddddd

Ayo Chip calm down man jeez- QUEEN LMAOOOOO

Jay don’t fucking DRINK THE BLACK SEA.

Broken heart island :o OOOO THE TREE :o save the treeeeeee. This is the tree May Ferin draws her power from no?? Save it guys you got this- Oh shit this island is HUGE huge. Ok then

Oh I feel like burning (the tree branches in the way) will go so poorly oh god oh no. Oh… never mind then??

Alphonse ship :) hope they make him a new body that’s not a ship so he can do the things he wants too-

Yeah I think it’s an illusion maybe?? Oh it’s. Not wtf is it the hell. “We should pull up?- we should pull up” yea gillion pull up

LMAO CONTESTED DEX ROLLS AND GILLION WON??? Rip chip

Aw village :( god it would suck if they go by Gryffon (Gryffin? Gryffen??)’s home town :(

“Chip! while the tree is distracted!!” Gillion never change <3

God damn it. “Our specialty: subtle” please. You’re not being subtle and you knew that but god y’all gonna die.

Fyck here they come- “hostile mobs inbound” they’re not gonna be friendly. There’s no way there’s anyone in sane mind around here man. LMAO THEY THREW A ROCK AT HIM AHDJDHSK

Minor illusion to make sounds behind them as they go by that would be kinda smart methinks maybe but! They’re also. Out of magic almost so maybe not hm-

Yeah it’s not safer on land at fucking all man Jesus- Gillion don’t fucking go on land alone I swear to god

They need to rest so fucking badly man shitttt this is so fuckeddddd this is not gonna go welllll aaaaaaaaaa

Nightmare nightmare nightmare nightmare /ref

Man I wonder what this place looked like before the Black Sea :( it must’ve been so pretty

Ichor webs! Haha!! Not dangerous or foreboding at all

(In the tone of “the claw from Toy Story”) The Treeeee…

Aw Gryffon :( mannnn i love weeping willows I love pink cherry trees this is such a good tree I agree gillion go save it

The thumbnail is sick btw I don’t think I mentioned that, amazing colors.. I wanna eat the art /pos

God please do Not Split Up for the love of god… STOP FIGHTING YOURE GONNA ATTRACT THE BADDIES OH MH GODDD..:. Aaaaaaaaa DONT SPLIT UPPPP FUCKKK EVERYONE GO TOGETHERRRR the old men on the ship are gonna die :(

“Leave no tres” that’s amazinf holy shit “leave no cinco” is also good

“Do you guys think the tree has chicken??” ????? Chip??????

YEA JAYS THINKING ABOUT THE NOISE THING YEAAAAA the noise attracts them?? I hope. I fuckin hope. Zombie game in the pirate campaign

Hahaaa uh ohhhh… uhh ohhhhh (the uh ohs from tattletail when they get low battery) uhhh. Oooohhhhh…

CONSTRUCT??? A GOOD LIVING THING?? SOMETHING GOOD. OMG IRON GOLEM LIKE MINECRAF.

Just realizing this episode is filmed after Genloss cause of the painting in the back of Charlie’s room. Damn- IS THAG A PRETZEL PLUSHIE IN CONDIS ROOM??

MINECRAF GOLEM YEAAAA HEHEHE… oh chip wtf man :( he didn’t ask for his home to be corrupted :( thisbis a friend I’ve decided I want to keep him

Oh. A rose :D he’s such minecraf moment he’s asking to be friends- aw :( rose died. MARBLE!!! THATS A FRIEND I LOVE THEMMMM

I’ve decided I would die for Marble <3

Oh shit. The black rose!! AAAA GUYS STOP OVER THE FUCKIN TREE. Oh. Black rose pirates. Black Sea. Uhmmmm. Uhmmmmmmmmmmm there’s a connection here I’m missing besides the tragedy of The Hole in the Sea but. Somethings wrongggg mannnn

Mhm totally different gillion totally not the same.

Chip :( aw nooooo :( the memory aaggagshhaaaaa OHHHH HE WAS THERE AS A KID IM SO NORMALLL

Midroll baybeeeee honey time lesgo (Bizly stop ripping your pants)

ISNT IT THE SAME TREE? Was I wrong. WHAT. Ohh it’s in all port isn’t it . Shit

STOPPP RUNNING THROUGH THE PLACE PLEASE

marble :D

STOP RUNNINGGG… bean shape… creechur

KENKU SAVE THEMMMM OHHHG THATS A FRIEND. I too got the impression they were ignoring the party but if it does notice them. I’ll cry

Kenku friend :( save themmmm YEAAA SAVE BIRD

NOOOO WTF A TURTLE FRIEND NEEDS TO SAVE FHEM NOW TOO FUCKKK

Uh oh. Beetle guy uh oh. OH IT HAS A CUTE VOICE. Oh nos

“That’s mine.” “… Nuh uh-“ *gets flattened by hammer*

NOT A DEX SAVE FUCK- oh thank god good job gillion

Man them yawning makes me yawn wtf.

GILLIONNNNNN DONT SAY THATTTT SHHHH

Hollow knight boss lookin ass mf /pos

Kenku friend :D also grizz lookin majestic while beating the shit outta the team

Oh. My god. “You win! Im sorry” im. This is going bad

“Im on team you can just walk out, you can leave” I love jay so much

“Queen, play despacido” i hate it here- Bruno mars canon in mana??

Tortle friend and Kenku friend :D

… oh fuck. OH FUCK WHY DOES IT MOVE SO FAST

80 POINTS ?!?!!! Oh thank god. Fuck man that would’ve been insane

JAY NOO DONT CAGE THE BIRD >:( GET HER OUT THE NET

Jay is so me “I don’t wanna be dealing with this guy right now” yea me too man

Of course he gets two natural 1s in a row rip Charlie slimecicle

“EYE POWER ACTIVATE” CONDI LMAOOOOO AHSHDIDHS

THE FUCKING MIRROR HELPPPPPPPPPP HAHAHAAAA JAY NOOO

Put the big bug guy in the mirror :) catch like a Pokémon NOOOO JAYYYY . Well. Chip please get her she’s in the mirror helpp

Gillion is the Lorax moment.

GILLION NOOOOO FUCKK AWHWHDISBA FISH BOY. A FAIL ON A DEATBSAVE TOO FAURKSHAAHA this is so fine. This is soooo fine haha. This is so fineeee. Grizz realizing how bad this is,, is me right now it’s so fine thoughhhh

GILLON. Fuck that tree mannnn. CHIP GRAB THE FUCKING MIRROR. CHIP. YOU FUCKINGGNGGHDJDHSIHA HOWWWW THIS IS SO FUCKED UPOPP AAAAA IM SO SCAREDDD

GRYFFON GOOOOOOOOOO GET THEY ASS COME ONNNNNNNNN GET THEMM.

In. Frared? Infrawered?? GRIZZLY you good?

Gryffon beat they ass mannn aahdjdhdoaua

CHIP. Thank god. “YOU ALL SMELL LIKE GOOD VESSELS” ?!?!??!? HELLOOOOOO

Gillionnnnnaaaaa my boy :( my fish mannnn also GET JAY PLEASE? Didn’t chip grab the fucking mirror why hasn’t he freed her

…. Treeeeeeeeeeeeeee ….

CHIP YOURE FONNA LEAVE YOUR CREW??? . Gillion. God. Damn it gillion. Aw Kenku :( Kenku friend trying to help Gill :( that’s a friend

Gillion. Pleaseeeeeeeeee fucking hell man. He’s dead AGAINNNNNNN

AWWWW BIRD BIRD TRYINF TO PROTECT GILLION NOOOOOOO BIRD BIRD :( THATS A FRIENDDDD PROTECT HER

“Do we really wanna risk our lives over this random bird?!?” “YES!!!” YEA GILLIONNNNN GET HER >:( JAYGET HER OR ILL FUCKIFN YELL >:(

NIOOOOO BIRD BIRDDDFD LET HER GO YOU BASTARD

PLEASEEEEEEE BIRD BIRD :( I’m so sad

GILLIONNNN AAAGSJDHDSHDJSHS IM SO SCAREDDDD IM SO FUCKIFNHFDISHSKA

Let her out >:( Charlie is so distraught over bird bird me too mannnn

GILLION. Grow big and make bird bird big :D BREAK BIRD BIRD OUR THE CAGE LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOO that’s a friend :D

Uh. Ohhggg… uh ohhhhh (tattletail uh ohs again)

Uh oh he’s not sleepy anymore. Uh oh. Im so fucking scared

Bird bird better not fuckinf die I love her so much

Corruption. Point. Uh oh.

noc? Knock? Kenku friend :D

NOOOOOOOOOOO BIRD BIRD IM GONNA CRY LET HER BE OKAY

Size coin… come on it better go well. LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOO

This is some power ranger like mecha battle shit power up thing idk how to explain it. (Gillion growing giant and fighting this bitch)

(It’s almost 1 am I’ve been awake too long but I need to finish this episode)

Murder bug guy :D riptide pirates the crew that gets into everyone else’s shit

Uh oh. Gillion goes down again I’m gonna. Lose my mind. Oh my god they’re gonna attract so much trouble with the noise when they fall fucking hell

I totally missed jay leaving the mirror btw she’s 60 ft away but like where??? How???

YEAAA JAY AND GRYFFON SHOOT TO KILL. MURDERRRRR

INFAWRARD LAZER BEAM CANON!!!!!!

You. Tortle. MURDERRR HDJXHSJS HAHAHA GOOD JOB CHIP. NOOOO I KNEW ITTTT THEY WERE ATTRACTING ATTENTION FUCK

“Im gonna start drinking” me fucking too gillion damn.

Good episode, fishman is still down im worried, he went down three times Jesus fuck, also! I knew they were gonna attract attention from zombie ichor guys… debating on watching ep 105 as well before sleeping but we’ll see :)

[sobeautifullyobsessed]

Hurt/Comfort Dialogue Prompts 2 and 9 with Stephen Strange x Beauty, please? It might be sweet seeing him comfort her after she had a really cold and exhausting day.

2. "Drink some of this tea, it will warm you up."

9. "Go to sleep, I will not leave you alone."

Hurt/Comfort Stephen Strange x Beauty Lincoln (OFC)

Hey, Stephen - I'm so so sorry, but I'm gonna have to cancel on our plans tonight. I've had an incredibly rotten day at work and stuff, so I just want to curl up on my sofa & watch something mind numbing & lick my wounds a bit.🥺Even though I miss you like crazy, I just wouldn't be good company at all. We'll have to try again, hopefully soon. Love you. Always.💋💋 

Stephen gnawed on his lower lip as he read Beauty's text a third time. His schedule lately had been jampacked as supernatural activity across the globe has kicked into overdrive in the month leading up to Halloween. The rise in incursions from eldritch realms was to be expected at this time of year, but it was often complicated by amateur ghost hunters and wannabe practitioners of magic or voodoo either trying to fight the baddies on their own, or summon malevolent spirits to do their bidding. Meaning he and his fellow sorcerers had twice the work to do—protecting humanity from both mystical dangers and from the foolish antics of those who believed they had a calling to do the same.

He glanced over at the vase holding a dozen and a half long stem American Beauty roses in several shades of pink, which he'd meant to accompany his apologies for missing their last three date nights. Thinking that his girl must be in a very bad way to make tonight their fourth miss. Crap. Stephen decided at once he wasn't going to let that happen. As quickly as his scarred fingers would allow, he texted back. 'Understood. Missing you too, sweetheart. We can reschedule. You rest up & take it easy tonight. And please just let me know when you get home safely...so I don't need to worry so much.'

Beauty's reply came right away. 'Will do. Thanks for understanding, magic man. And for worrying about me.💗' Stephen had to smile fondly; a sweet sort of warmth always filled his chest when she called him that. And man, had he been missing that warmth! If he hadn't already decided to surprise her, that simple little phrase would've been enough to set his plan in motion. 

Beauty stood before her door, damp-haired (having forgotten her umbrella in her desk drawer) and with the lower half of her sweater-coat and her suede boots drenched from being splashed by a taxi that had pulled up to the curb as she been waiting to cross the street. At least the first time Stephen sees me in weeks won't be with me looking this bedraggled, she consoled herself. Although I'd rather warm up in his arms than in that old afghan thrown across my sofa top.

It's better this way anyway, she sighed forlornly, zipping off the text he'd asked her to send so that he'd know she'd gotten home in one piece. Stepping through her door, Beauty noted the room was candlelit and redolent with one of her favorite scents in the world. Gingerbread. This just had to be Stephen's work! Already her heart—weighed down by all the bad news she'd received at work this day—began to feel a bit lighter.

She dumped her attache and pocketbook on the floor and shrugged off her wet sweater, hanging it on one of the hooks beside her door. Inhaling deeply (he must've found her stash of gingerbread scented candles) Beauty called out his name.

Stephen came around the corner from the kitchen, wearing his dear, lop-sided grin and one of her frilly aprons over jeans—surely a sight he intended to amuse her. He had the sleeves of the dark blue silk shirt she'd recently given him (just because she'd known he'd look damn fine in it) rolled up, further indication he had something brewing in the kitchen. "Oh, Stephen...you didn't have to go to this trouble. I would've been fine just crashing on the couch."

"Nonsense," he insisted as he came to stand in front of her, smoothing one hand over her wet hair. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't do what I could to take care of you?" 

Speechless for the moment, Beauty lowered her gaze shyly—and to hide the fact that tears stood in her eyes. Stephen's voice, low and deep and rich with honest concern, continued, "I've lost track of all the times you've taken care of me at the end of a rough day. It's long past time I returned the favor." He pulled her into his ready arms.

Beauty nodded and laid her head upon his shoulder, and then the tears did come as he rocked her gently. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, baby. Just let me be here for you—and let me remind you of how much I love you..."

She had cried for a good ten minutes, clinging tightly to him, only aware that her hair and clothes and boots had dried completely in the interim (a subtle charm Stephen had worked for her comfort) until shegathered her wits and backed out of his arms. "Go get changed," he instructed her gently, "I laid your jammies and robe out on your bed, and then you can meet me back her for something to warm you on the insides, okay?"

Beauty nodded silently, kissing his cheek before following her good doctor's orders. When she returned to the living room, she discovered that Stephen had set a small tray on the coffee table, along with a vase of gorgeous roses. He motioned for her to take a seat.  "Drink some of this tea, it will warm you up."

Meekly, gratefully, she accepted the cup, sipping gingerly until she could tell it was the perfect temperature. "Now," Stephen told her, picking up the remote control, "I've got The Princess Bride cued up for your viewing pleasure, unless you prefer Practical Magic to begin with instead..."

"You remembered..."

"That we were watching that the first time I finally had the sense enough to kiss you?" Stephen cupped her cheek and leaned closer, "How could I not, sweetheart? That was the best first kiss of my life..."

"Don't tease me," she whispered.

"Simple truth, Beauty. And my life has been better and better every day since." Stephen took her free hand, brushing his lips across her knuckles, "I should probably tell you these things more often. I'm gonna try my damndest going forward, to do just that. And to take care of you as you deserve." He stood up, "And now supper. Your favorite comfort foods on the menu. Pizza Hut pepperoni pan pizza—and a mac'n'white cheddar cheese that I made from a box mix myself."

"Will there be dessert," she asked, gifting him her sweetest smile—the first of the evening.

"Ben & Jerry's reverse chocolate chunk--"

"But they don't make that anymore!"

"I know," he winked, "But don't ask a sorcerer to reveal all his secrets, honey. There needs to be at least a little mystery to keep the spice in a relationship."

Sated on pizza, mac'n'cheese, and her all-time favorite ice cream, Beauty was feeling a whole world better than before she had stepped through the door of her flat. As they watched the magical romance, she shared with Stephen the things that had made her day so awful. Budget cuts at the Library meant she's have to lay off at least one staff member and truncate the Library Page program she'd started two years earlier. She'd found out that one of her students in the 5-8yr old reading group was battling leukemia and had been sent to St. Jude's Hospital in the hopes of getting lifesaving treatment. And shortly before she had initially texted Stephen, her brother had called with the sad news that his wife had miscarried four months into her pregnancy. In Stephen's arms, she found the exact comfort she had been needing, but hadn't wanted to impose upon his valuable time to ask for. 

The heavy emotions of the day, coupled with the carb heavy meal Beauty had consumed, finally asserted themselves as bone deep exhaustion. Though she was doing her best to stay awake, Stephen could feel her drifting off. He nuzzled the top of her head and tightened his arm around her. "You wanna go to bed, honey? We can pick up the movie where we left off, on another night."

"Uh-huh," she yawned, snuggling even closer, "I'd rather stay here with you, Stephen. It's been ages since I've felt this warm and cozy. I...I don't want it to end."

Stephen hummed agreeably. "I know the feeling, baby. I've been missing this more than I even realized. I'm not gonna let us go this long apart again. We both deserve better. So for now," he sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head atop hers, "Go to sleep, I will not leave you alone."

Secure in the care of the man she adored, Beauty slept more soundly than she had in months. In the morning, she awoke in her bed beside him, and it proved to be the beginning of a very beautiful day.

Feedback/Reblogs are incredibly meaningful. Please support content creators by doing us the honor. Thank you!

buy me a coffee?☕

@stewardofningishzida ~ thank you again for giving me a chance to write Beauty & her Stephen! It's been so damn long, and I've been missing them together.

[barrysjumpsuit]

a man after midnight - rafe cameron x barry

i’ve been on a big Abba kick so of course I had to write rafebarry based on gimme, gimme, gimme 

w/c: 950

warnings: mention of canon rafe and barry issues

check out my masterlist!

(rafe pov in italics)

----

Rafe came over after midnight.

Rafe went over after midnight.

At that hour, Barry would often still be up, unable to sleep. The thick, warm, humid air often choked him at night. He spent almost every night alone, thumbing through the few channels he got on his TV. Flipping through magazines and books.

It was lonely. Barry often found himself looking outside into the darkness, sometimes able to see the moon’s reflection in the water. Choppy from the waves as if it was dancing.

Rafe’s mind tormented him.

It got worse at night, when the world was quiet. His family asleep around him, oblivious to the war being waged in his head. It wasn’t fair. It taunted him, just like Rose and Ward, and Sarah and John B.

Rafe would pace across his floor to the point where he had worn a trail into the carpet. He would step outside, looking into the darkness, seeing the moon on the water. The air was cool on his sweaty body.

His feet drew him outside.

Barry stepped outside.

The dry grass was coarse under his bare feet. He walked to the fire pit, the coals still glowing slightly red. Sitting, he stared into the darkness in front of him, before turning his gaze to the stars.  

The only sound was the crunch of Rafe’s shoes on the gravel shoulder of the road.

Everyone around him slept. At this hour, in September, the island was quiet.

He walked past Topper’s house, then Kelce’s. Topper’s Jeep was at the latter, and Rafe clenched his jaw.

His nights had been lonely lately.

A warm breeze was being pushed off the water. Barry’s loose hair was tossed around, sticking to his sweaty forehead. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket, shaking one out along with a lighter. The flame was bright in the darkness, casting his hand into deep shadows. He lit the cigarette, inhaling deeply and letting the buzz wash over his body.

He listened to the sound of the water, of the leaves rustling in the trees, of the crickets chirping. A sense of loneliness washed over Barry, a deep longing for something other than this. Something other than late nights spent alone with his mind and his vices. Something other than hollow relationships.

Barry longed for someone.

Rafe longed for someone.

Someone to listen to him, to love him, to let him know that he was worthy of love.

His feet carried him south.

Soon, he stepped from pavement to gravel, eventually to dirt and grass. The cacophony of nighttime insects roared in his ears as the woods and swamps surrounded him as the road narrowed.

Suddenly, it opened up into a grassy clearing. Rafe could make out shapes in the moonlight. He followed a worn path that wrapped around the left side of the clearing.

A warm glow came from a stone firepit, outlining someone sitting on the other side. They were hunched over, head dipped.

Barry’s head jerked up at movement.

It was hard for him to recognize Rafe Cameron. His hair was falling in his face. Dark circles were under his eyes, his knuckles bruised and scabbed. As Rafe ran his hands through his hair, Barry noticed that they were shaking.

He spoke. I need you to help chase these shadows away, he said.

Barry stood, stepping around the fire to stand in front of Rafe. He had to look up to the younger man, his hand reaching up to grab his shoulder, his thumb pressing against Rafe’s jaw.

Barry’s eyes were soft.

Rafe couldn’t recall any time he had seen anything about Barry look soft. Though his grasp was firm, his hand yielded to pressure when Rafe leaned into it. Rafe sighed, closing his eyes. “Can I stay with you until the morning?”

When Rafe opened his eyes, Barry felt like he was drowning.

Even in the dim light, Barry could see into the depths of his blue eyes. They welled with tears – he moved his thumb up to move it slowly beneath one of Rafe’s eye, wiping away a tear as it fell.

Barry gently pushed Rafe’s head down. He saw his eyes flick to his own lips, and Barry’s eyes went right to Rafe’s. They were parted slightly, chapped, tempting him.

Rafe melted into Barry’s touch. It was uncharacteristically tender, warm, loving, even. Rafe’s mind flashed back to recent events – Barry’s unyielding support, despite the consequences. Rafe knew that they were more similar than one may think, that they needed each other.

He moved one of his hands to Barry’s chin, running his finger from Barry’s lower lip down to his jaw, tilting up his head. Rafe felt Barry’s other hand grab his waist, his touch radiating warmth throughout his body.

They kissed, and the warmth overtook him. Every sense was flooded. Rafe’s hand pressed against Barry’s cheek, his other hand on the small of his back. Barry’s body pushed against his own, and his hand moved to press against the nape of Rafe’s neck.

Then, a heavy weight as he pulled away. It wasn’t a suffocating weight, but a comforting weight. The pair stood in silence, and Rafe let his forehead fall to rest on Barry’s.

Barry sighed at the weight of Rafe’s head on his. It was already so familiar, so welcomed.

It had always been Rafe. He kept coming back, seeking out Barry when he was at his lowest. What Rafe didn’t know was what Barry saw in him – someone Barry could love. Barry saw what he had been longing for, but only just now realized it.

But that night, after midnight, it was as if his prayers were answered.

tagging barry baddies @hartigays @msgorillagripcoochie @starkey-babie @bigdrewenergy @seap1geon (i know i forgot ppl i’m sorry i suck)

[joonphoriaaa]

bts.

a list of my fav bangtan and member fics updated jan 16th 2022

member.

joon.

jin.

yoongi.

hobi.

jimin.

tae.

jk.

bts.

before i leave you.

the one where they’re abo and they all have secrets. yoongi is from a mafia family. | omegaverse!au status: ongoing (14)

bily tidbits (spoilers included)

bleeding butterflies.

the one where they’re vampires and the m/c is this ‘blood fruit’ that everyone in the supernatural world wants bc her blood is powerful. the boys get powers when they drink from it and they become bonded mates. | vampire!au status: ongoing (11)

jiminiesfavouritecolourisblue - their masterlist bc they have some pretty good fics 

the return of an empress.

the one where the m/c is transported into a book | historical!au status: ongoing (23)

how to sell sunshine.

m/c's recruiting a crew a baddies. separate entries per member | mafiia!au status: ongoing (11)

roses & thorns

summary: a lone rose, a little broken, until Jungkook came along and the two of you saved each other. and in doing so, Jungkook showed you a world where he shared with his six other mates | dragon!bts au status: ongoing (10)

the pact.

You learned a few days ago that the boys have pact that doesn’t allow them to make a move on you. What happens when they find out that you know? | this is the cutest, but also heartbreaking thing ever bc m/c does end up with someone specific

- Halloween Special

dancing to this.

blind m/c with a bunch of hybrids. hollyhomburg goodness | hybrid!au status: ongoing (7)

reasons wretched and divine.

cute farm | hybrid!au status: ongoing (9)

cursed.

where seven immortal men meet their mortal soulmate and soon realise that the gift of eternity could easily become a curse. | divine gods!bantan au status: hasn't begun :)

your eyes tell.

One soul, seven men, and a tragedy destined to occur for eternity. After seven eras of pain and sorrow, can they stop the reoccurring event from happening a eighth time? | demon!bangtan status: ongoing (prologue)

between the bloodshed.

the one where the m/c is a doctor who is employed to heal them after mafia things :) | mafia!au status: finished

everything between us.

sequel to between the bloodshed | mafia!au status: finished

mafia!bts.

list of fics going up the hierarchy - this one links to jin (the boss)

- the boss - the consigliere - the carrier

ethereal.

After leaving your home in need of a fresh start, you open a bookstore with the hopes that the words you read could bring you solace. You never realized that the books you loved would bring you home instead. | mafia/dragon!au (idek how that works but im excited)

you never walk alone.

a pack of wolves seek shelter in your little cabin in the woods | werewolf!bangtan | mate!au status: finished

lifeline.

the one where they’re vampire idol who were cursed by this witch to share a soulmate bc tae wouldn’t sign her stuff at a fanmeet. | idol/vampire!au status: ongoing (6)

buyers beware.

what you write on your skin will appear on your soulmates too | idol!au status: ongoing (6-)

handshakes of a lifetime.

physical contact causes memories from lifetimes ago to resurface. | soulmate!au, idol!au status: ongoing (9)

sandman.

crime/thriller au with the hyung line status: ongoing (11)

asterios.

a collection of masterlists occuring in the same universe status: ongoing (joon - 4)

into the woods.

“Don’t go into the woods,” Everyone has always told her. “There are beasts. Monsters. Who are unafraid to take you away and devour you for dinner!”

fantasy!au status: ongoing (1)

warm this winter.

masterlist of fics that i bookmarked but not sure if they're all published

oneshot

when morning comes.

cute little fic where they wake up to go to work and get ready together. so friggin cute. | mafia!au (sorta not really)

caramel macchiato.

cute barista sweetens the hearts of 7 mafiosas

sugary sweet

Namjoon has a perfect life once he moves out of the city to a cabin alongside his two rescue hybrids, Yoongi and Taehyung. But then one night in the middle of the rainstorm they find you, a bunny hybrid, hiding in their chicken coop. | hybrid!au

with him (hyungs)

in which m/c remembers all the one's before him | au

journey.

A Cinderella story but it's a dick pic :)

bangtan au with taetaesbaebaepsae

bangtan oneshots in different au's

scream.

for a muse to hear another scream and run to them | mafia!au

reactions

their s/o is in danger

reaction fic | mafia!au

intruders.

Mafia Bangtan’s reaction to Y/n being shot for or because of them

your kid interrupts them during a meeting.

mafia!au

you spot your name tattooed on them (maknae)

mafia!au

his coworker disrespects you.

mafia!au

complications during childbirth.

mafia!au

you dont pull his photocard.

just fluff. pouty fluff hahhahaha

the boys mistake you for the cleaner.

you meet the rival gang's boss.

you find out they're mafia.

self explanatory

a txt member has a crush on you.

he wasn't your bias.

you're sick and another member notices.

baby tries to breastfeed from them.

interrupted in the middle of sex.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Hello! So, I mean, this might be out of the blue, ambiguous and crazy to answer (but it's something I think about a lot, and you touched upon it in a previous ask and would love your further perspective on!) but let's say, at the end of The Return of The King, Grima lived! What do you personally think his journey and path would look like from there?

Grima asks are never out of the blue - I always want them <3 Thank you so much for asking!!

--

man ok - well Grima at the end of ROTK is in a really dark place. Frodo, Gandalf et al first run into Grima and Saruman on the road near the misty mountains as the make their slow return journey from Gondor. 

As they (Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf) came out again into the open country at sundown they overtook an old man leaning on a staff, and he was clothed in rags of grey or dirty white, and at his heels went another beggar, slouching and whining. 

[...]

‘Get up you idiot!’ he (Saruman) shouted to the other beggar, who had sat down on the ground; and he struck him with his staff. ‘Turn about! If these fine folk are going our way, then we will take another. Get on, or I’ll give you no crust for your supper!’ 

The beggar turned and slouched past whimpering: ‘Poor old Grima! Poor old Grima! Always beaten and cursed. How I hate him! I wish I could leave him!’ 

‘Then leave him!’ said Gandalf. 

a man who has never been in an abusive situation in his life, clearly. 

‘One thief deserves another,’ said Saruman (to Merry), and turned his back on Merry, and kicked Wormtongue, and went away towards the wood. 

Great guy, Saruman. 

And the famous scouring of the Shire bit that everyone on here misremembers when it comes to Grima’s whole situation: 

But Frodo said: (...) But I will not have him (Saruman) slain. It is useless to meet revenge with revenge: it will heal nothing. Go Saruman, by the speediest way!’ 

‘Worm! Worm!’ Saruman called; and out of a nearby hut came Wormtongue, crawling, almost like a dog. ‘To the road again, Worm!’ Said Saruman. ‘These fine fellows and lordlings are turning us adrift again. Come along!’ 

[Saruman tries to stab Frodo as he leaves and Sam gets ready to shank a bitch. Frodo stops him saying: ‘...He is fallen, and his cure is beyond us; but I would still spare him, in the hope that he may find it.’ ...]

He (Saruman) walked away, and the hobbits made a lane for him to pass; but their knuckles whitened as they gripped on their weapons. Wormtongue hesitated, and then followed his master. 

‘Wormtongue!’ called Frodo. ‘You need not follow him. I know of no evil you have done to me. You can rest and food here a while, until you are stronger and can go your own ways.’ 

Wormtongue halted and looked back at him, half prepared to stay. Saruman turned. ‘No evil?’ he cackled. ‘Oh no! Even when he sneaks out at night it is only to look at the stars. But did I hear someone ask where poor Lotho is hiding? You know, don’t you Worm? Will you tell them?’ 

Wormtongue cowered down and whimpered: ‘No, no!’

‘Then I will,’ said Saruman. ‘Worm killed your chief, poor little fellow, your nice little Boss. Didn’t you, Worm? Stabbed him in his sleep, I believe. Buried him, I hope; though Worm has been very hungry lately. No, Worm is not really nice. You had better leave him to me.’ 

A look of wild hate came into Wormtongue’s red eyes. ‘You told me to; you made me do it,’ he hissed. 

Saruman laughed. ‘You do what Sharkey says, always, don’t you, Worm? Well, now he says: follow!’ He kicked Wormtongue in the face as he grovelled, and turned and made off. But at that something snapped: suddenly Wormtongue rose up, drawing a hidden knife, and then with a snarl like a dog he sprang on Saruman’s back, jerked his head back, cut his throat, and with a yell ran off down the lane. Before Frodo could recover or speak a word, three hobbit-bows twanged and Wormtongue fell dead. 

A sad end to a very sad life. 

-

So that’s the canon ending, obviously. A very neat, pat ending where all the baddies are dead, everyone who is broken will disappear into an asylum and/or die take a boat to the grey havens and life will move on. 

How nice. 

-

Alright, now for the speculation! My favourite thing. 

Assuming Grima lived, god knows what his journey afterwards would look like. He’s mentally (and physically) in a bad way after having been physically (and emotionally) abused and starved by Saruman for the last year/two years. Saruman may have lost his powers, but he’s still terrifying force to be reckoned with. I don’t know how much Grima would be capable of on his own in terms of survival. 

That said, Grima’s made it this far. He’s clearly got something in him that’s keeping him alive. Something in him wants to live. It might not know how to go about doing that, but it’s there, and that’s important. 

So he’s stabbed Saruman, A+ work. The hobbits don’t shoot him. The question is then: does he take up Frodo’s offer or does his fuck off into the wilderness. 

I can see him going either direction, honestly. But I suspect, given that he’s starving and in a bad way physically, I suspect he’d stay for a time. Now, considering what’s happened to him in the general vicinity of Bagend, I’m not sure how long Grima will stay, but I do think he’d rest there for a short while. Get a proper meal or two in him. Take a bath. That sort of thing. 

From there he could go to somewhere like Bree or Dale, take up a new name/new life and try and move on, as much as a person can in a world that has absolutely no support networks for people who have gone through bad shit. 

If he stayed for a longer period with Frodo? I could see Sam putting him to work. 

‘I need someone to help me garden.’ 

‘...I know about horses?’

‘Plants are easier, trust me.’ 

‘....Are they though?’ 

Considering the fact that Grima has been dehumanized (Worm; like a dog; cur) and treated as worthless/unworthy by one of the more powerful beings in Middle Earth - and one who was once Great! Who was once wise and wonderful! I suspect he’s going to have a difficult time accepting kindness? 

Frodo, of course, would be generous and understanding, because it’s Frodo and that’s the measure of man he is. Truly one of the nicest and most forgiving and tender people in the series. 

Aragorn said of Grima that if he walked out of Orthanc alive it would be too good for him. 

(Everyone is a lot meaner in the books. Funnier, yes, but also meaner. Then there’s the weird Faramir moment where he’s all up on that “Numenorian Blood Quantum Is Important” nonsense (tell that to your brother who has no blood of the Westernese in him...) There’s a lot of Oooof moments). 

Frodo, though, Frodo is one of the genuinely kind and loving people who would never think such cruel things about anyone. 

But back to Grima, I think the line Gillian Flynn wrote about how when you’re weaned on poison, it makes kindness seem like a cruelty is very relevant here. The first step to healing is allowing yourself to admit that you deserve to be healed, that you deserve love. That’s a very hard thing to allow, to acknowledge is something you are worthy of having. 

And so it would be difficult, for him, to accept kindness and gentleness from Frodo, or anyone else. But if he was doing something to “earn” it, that might make it more palatable. 

Which is a shame, since if there is anyone who understands the power and allure of the dark lord/Saruman etc. and how that can mess you up and contort you into someone you don’t recognize anymore, it’s Frodo.

-

Would Grima go back to Rohan? I don’t think so. Unless there were some wild, unexpected circumstances that brought him there, I truly don’t see him returning home. He’s torched that bridge pretty successfully - at least, I’m sure that’s how he sees it. 

Now if he did. If something Bat Shit happened - and he went back. It would be wild and very emotional.  

A Rider of Rohan, lost in the shire: I’m looking for a Mr Baggins? I understand he might know where Gandalf is? We sort of need some magic help in Rohan. 

Hobbit: Turn left at the end of the lane, go past Grubby Harold’s llama farm, stop at the intersection with the red sign, take the third exit of the roundabout, turn right, turn left, turn left again, take the second switch back up the hill, at the crest of the hill, take the path that turns left at the big tree that someone carved Fuck Lobelia into and that should get you close. 

Rider: 

Rider: Right. 

Rider eventually shows up, Grima’s out front updating Sam on some shit that Pansy Fielding said to Fardulf Braceblower, an ongoing war that has existed since the Dawn of Time. Sam is like “Please never stop telling me all the gossip, I live for this shit.”

Frodo: How did you hear about this? 

Grima: I might have set up an informant’s network but it’s solely to trawl for entertaining gossip.  

Rider approaches: Oh dear gods. 

Grima: 

Grima: Go get fucked, Gundahar. 

Sam: Friend? 

Grima & Gundahar: No. 

Anyway. The rider tells Frodo that he’s after Gandalf because XYZ is happening in Rohan and Eomer-king is annoyed and “wants it dealt with, preferably yesterday”. Grima knows what’s up because you know, resident Spook Master also he was spending a lot of time around a lore-filled Wizard. Might as well get something for the years of mistreatment. 

Gundahar: He’s not coming back to Rohan. 

Frodo: We’re going on a road trip, Sam. Let’s get packed. 

Sam: I’m so ready for this. 

Grima: But I’m not going back to Rohan. 

Gundahar: He’s not coming back to Rohan. 

Frodo: Too late, he’s coming with us. Neither of us can be left alone for too long or we go weird in the head. 

Merry: Oh we’re going to Rohan? Well, as a member of the royal court I’m coming. 

Gundahar: .... How is this happening? 

Grima: Hobbits, they move in herds. 

Pippin: WAIT FOR ME! 

Gandalf is UPSET that he has to travel with Grima. Grima says it’s mutual. He doesn’t like wizards. Especially wizards in white. He gets weird about hoarding food when Gandalf is around. 

Grima then has to visit Theoden’s grave and have a lot of emotions about everything and it’s a Lot.

I don’t think he’d stay, though. Either he’d go back with Frodo or he might go on to Gondor or out east or something. Travel for a while. 

- 

I’ve gone off on some tangents here. Ahem. 

But in general, I see his journey going in one of two directions: one where he fucks off after murdering Saruman and takes up a life somewhere else like Bree, or wherever, probably drinks too much and is miserable until he dies. 

The other is where he accepts Frodo’s offer and either just chills in the Shire being the resident gossip-monger and mischief maker (Frodo: NO MISCHIEF. Grima: we can make a little mischief .., as a treat?) or he accepts the offer, stays for a while to get back on his feet and shake off some of the darkness, then goes off to travel around. Maybe he settles somewhere, maybe he doesn’t. Regardless if he stays or goes, it is a better ending to his life than he probably hoped for or expected. 

And it shows the power and importance of kindness and love. Healing only happens if there is love and gentleness. And it’s terrifying - of course it is - but it’s so necessary. 

-

Ok I am so sorry for my dissertation on Grima. I love talking about him so much.  

Thank you!! <3 <3 

[intotherumiverse]

HEYYYYYY CONGRATS ON UR MILESTONE B!!

yvonne + denki + salt and my word is...

rose {🥀 }

idk just something to make me in the feels 🥲

A/n: I looked at this and said "Yvonne finna die"

He didn't mean to hurt you. Denki was always the carefree one, the one with the jokes, the laughs. He didn’t mean to hurt you. He just wanted to prove he was the best. He didn’t know. Everything was such a blur and next thing he knew the emergency services were being called.

"Mr. Kamanari?."

Denki looked up with blurry eyes. Any second now they'll tell you that you're fine. You HAD to be fine.

" I'm sorry. We tried to do everything we could but we couldn't save Ms. Yvonne"

Falling. Spiraling. That's all he felt. Everything was out of his control. It was his fault. He did this to you. His light was gone. The world had no more color in it without you. Life was meaningless without you.

Pulling out a single rose from the boquet he got you, Denki gives a shaky smile.

"May I see her?'"

"Of course. Right this way"

Denki felt drained. Walking down the long hallways was too much for him. His other half was missing. Scattered like leaves in the wind. He'll never see you again.

"This is her room sir. I'll leave you alone for some privacy"

Hands shaking, he walks into the room.

You were so pretty lying there. Even though you were dead, he hale-expected for you to wake up. Placing the rose into your hands and giving you one last kiss he said

"I love you. And I'm sorry"

Taggin: @mypimpademia @solar3lunar​ @rosetheshapeshifter​ @bubblime​ @angiebug101​ @melanin-baddie​ @noir-ethereal​ @notfiveweenieskids​ @myhoodacademia​ @1-800-s1mping​ @vangooh-works​ @wherearewegoinglesbians​ @kunikida-kun​ @dragonsdreamoffire​ @her-majesty-kiara

[sunnieskies02]

Slow Down

2.1k Words  Poly!Izuku x Read x Amajiki  TW: N/A

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

The ringing of your alarm woke you out of your slumber as you turned on your side. You reached past Tamaki to reach your phone to turn off the alarm and start your day, and wanting to be as silent as possible you shimmy from underneath their arms. You slide onto the cold wood floor of the room and peak over the edge of the bed and watch both of their bodies rise and fall. Rising up slowly you tip toe out of the room and down the hall to the bed room.

You finish brushing your teeth and handling your morning routine you walk into the kitchen working on your breakfast. You reach into the fridge and grab some eggs, and as you pull away from the fridge you open the cabinet and reach for a bowl but another arm has already grabbed it for you. You jump in surprise and turn to see who it is, but it's only your green haired lovely Izuku.

“Goodness Izu~ you scared the lights out of me, when have you gotten that quiet before.” He chuckled softly with a blush tinting his freckled cheeks and said “Well….I had to puppy just so I can catch you leaving for work.” He laid a kiss on your temple and handed you the bowl. You smile at his morning affection and roll your eyes “I’m sorry Izu bunny~ I got to get this work in okay I wish to make it to the top ten.”

Izuku’s sigh is audible as well as the pitter patter of the second pair feet, “Baby, is being number one in my heart not enough?” His large, toned arms wrap around your waist as you whisk the eggs together in the bowl and move to season them. “Well…..kinda but not really… I kinda feel insecure between the two of you. Both you and Amajiki are in the top ten and you Izuku in the top five…..I just…” You look down at the mix of eggs and spice and sigh being with the two of them at home was never a problem but when it always came to work you just felt...inferior to them.

“B-bunny...um...d-don’t think that a-at all… y-your perfect in our eyes.” Your bleary eyes look over at a freshly awakened Amajiki who also strode into the kitchen and listened in on the conversation. You smile at him and work to get the pan and start to cook the eggs. “W-well that's good to know you guys but…..I-I don't know…. I just hate feeling like I’m not enough for the two of you.” You felt Izuku’s index finger and thumb place themselves under your chin making you face him.

“Do you need me to make you feel like enough, beautiful?” As heat rose to your cheek and made your face hot…..so did the eggs. Smoke started to rise from the burning pan and eggs as Izuku tried to be suave with you and your breakfast was burning. “IZUKU!!” He backed off quickly and watched the eggs burn over the stove and watched you turn the stove off and quickly move the eggs onto a nearby plate. As the adrenaline rush finally boiled down and Amajiki’s efforts of trying to help were silenced, you shot Izuku a pained glance. “Well thank you suave Izuku~ I had no idea that was one of your quirks more or less the second one making my breakfast burn.”

He chuckled weakly and smiled “S-sorry y/n…..I just hate seeing you so down on yourself because of our places in our job as hero’s. Your fine where you are a-and” “ W-working yourself t-to the bone i-isn’t the best thing to do….even u-use bunny. W-we both take breaks w-when we need it and we think you sould to bunny.”

Hearing Amajiki’s pleas almost made you stay at home, but you didn’t, in the part of your mind that told you weren’t good enough pestered you. Scooping the eggs into the bread, grabbed your duffle bag and kissed atop of his forehead and smiled “Sorry sweetpea, I...gotta go.” You send the two of them a weak smile and she their deflated looks on their face knowing that they weren't able to keep you at home. You walk out of the door and turn to them, “I’ll be fine you two, I’ll be home before you know it.”

oOo

“Amajiki they still haven't picked up yet...right?” Amajiki shaking and on the brink of tears he shook his head frantically. Izuku sighed and called the number again hoping that Y/N would pick up. It’s been a whole week since they saw them and they both felt horrible that they left the house on a bad note.

Izuku started to prattle on about the whereabouts of y/n and couldn’t think of anything at all. And Amajiki’s doubts weren’t making any better, “W-what if they got h-hurt Izuku….w-what if they were kidnapped. Ah~ I-I wouldn’t be able to l-live with myself if t-they did get hurt more or less i-if they….if they--”

“D-don’t say what your about to say Amajiki…..let’s have a little bit of hope but…..they would have told us if something did happen to them like that...right?” Two top heroes were alone in their home shaking and scared without Y/N, they both tried to think of the best worst case scenario but it always landed at the worst thing possible.

For hours on end, Izuku and Amajiki were pacing around their home wondering and waiting for a call. Something, anything just to let them know that they won’t be alone. That their laugh won’t be heard in the bedroom, that they won’t come home to a smiling lover, that they won’t be able to snuggle with them in bed. Wake up to their smile when they go off to work.

Amajiki and Izuku were broken before the news even came to their attention. Finally a knock came to their door and Izuku slowly opened the door and he was welcomed to Bakugou and Mirio’s face.

And their expressions were not anything comforting.

“C’mon loser, we’re going somewhere and stop crying.” Izuku’s eyes were puffy and red and he frantically nodded his head. He grabbed his coat and started to walk with Kacchan.

“Hey Amajiki, lets go buddy, we just need to take you to someone. I know your nervous and scared but I promise...everything is fine.” Amajiki looked up slowly at Mirio and threw himself into his chest and nuzzled him. Snot rolled down his face as he held Mirio and walked alongside him next to Izuku and Katsuki.

The four pros walked out of their home and to an SUV and got in, and as soon as the four of them were in the car Bakugou got at the wheel. He started the car and pulled out of the driveway, he look through the rear view mirror and saw a sniffling bumbling Izuku. “What the hell is wrong with you, just calm down and shut up.”

“Why did you p-pick us up Kacchan?” He glared at Izuku through the rear mirror and scoffed “Me and mock TinTin are taking you to see Y/N. “ And Izuku was going to start to badering him with questions but Bakugou quickly held his hand up. Izuku hushed himself in his wake and looked out of the window, his tears started to dry on his face but worry was still on his face.

Amajiki was shuddering and whimpering still, all he wanted to see was his little bunny and seeing Mirio and Bakugou look so down it didn’t help him at all. He just wanted to know that their lover was fine and that they weren’t six feet under ground. “Hey buddy. Everything is going to be alright okay! I promise, don’t worry about it, your best friend is at your side.” Amajiki whimpered but nodded his head, he had never been positive in situations like these but hearing mirio mad him relax only for the slightest.

The SUV rolled to a stop at the front of the hospital and Bakugou got out and opened Izuku’s door. “Get out. Now.” Izuku jumped out of the car and Mirio was holding Amajiki close as they walked into the hospital. The receptionist had her eyes glued to the illuminated screen and looked up at them as they got closer.

“I’m guessing they are here for Y/N L/N?” Bakugou nodded his head and the nurse moved from behind the reception desk and started to walk them down the hall.

The double doors to the ICU unit opened and icy air bellowed through the four of them. As the nurse walked and talked to them Izuku caught wind of her saying “Your lucky that they were able to stabilize themselves and power through the surgery. They were on the brink of not waking up again.” Izuku’s heart dropped into his back, ‘O-on the brink of not waking up…..’ The tears started to prickle his eyes again but he swiftly wiped them when they finally made it to room 324.

“Here you go you four, they’re doing just fine.

They nodded their heads and started to walk into the room, Izuku and Amajiki were already on edge but when they saw Y/N bandaged up with a breathing mask they completely broke down.

__________________________________________________________________

The beep of the heart monitor stayed at a constant level, when you were first admitted into the hospital you knew that Izuku and Amajiki would have been furious that you had gotten seriously injured. But that was the main thing you thought about when you were fully admitted to the hospital and were put under surgery.

With the villain attack, you suffered from a ruptured stomach, several broken limbs, even some broken ribs in your lungs. You were a complete wreck. A bandaged baddie stuck on a hospital bed who was in a coma for four days. But, that wasn’t what made you sad, when you finally woke up you were greeted by two of your crying lovelies Izuku and Amajiki.

They were sobbing at the foot of your bed and you painfully lifted your arm up and placed it on Amajiki’s head, who knew a pro hero could cry like this...well...we are talking about Tamaki Amajiki. “Puppy, w-why didn’t you s-say anything t-to us?” “W-we were worried s-s-sick about you bunny.” You chuckle a bit, “Well...I knew you would have gotten mad at me so cough so I just didn’t want to worry you. B-but it seems that I did just that.” A loose chuckle fell from your lips as you caressed Amajiki cheek as you felt his hot tears run down his face. The two of your lovers looked at you and smiled, the silence was filled with relief and relaxation. You would be able to see them another day and they would be able to see you too.

They two of them stood up and planted a kiss on your forehead and smiled nack at you. They were about to speak but you cut them off.

“Oh and if your wondering if I’ll be home more often I will….my boss said and agreed with the two of you that I work to hard and more than I have to so I have been given a mandatory vacation for a month, and if I dared to step foot into the agency I would be reprimanded on the spot.” The worry in their face dissipated once they heard that you would finally be taking a break and relaxing for once.

“That's good to know puppy and me and Amajiki were so worried that we wouldn’t be able to see you again. Especially since you left us last week in a messed up attitude and we were worried that those words would have been the last thing you heard of us so… I-I hope you weren’t upset with us.”

A pained but heart felt laugh came from your lips, “You two are silly, I know that your words were meant to protect me and I know know that more than ever but…..I love you two too much to hate you. Okay?”

Amajiki nodded his head and kissed you on the forehead one last time. “I-I I love you b-bunny……” You smile at Amajiki and said “ I love you too okay, I’m here now and you don’t have to worry about me alright. They said I’d be here for a while so you can visit me whenever you can okay?” The two of them nodded their heads and started to walk outside of the room, the same nurse greeted them again and walked them out.

Izuku and Amajiki could finally rest and vist Y/N as much as they wanted to and spend hellish amounts of time with them when they came home.

[dibs4ever]

Just Friends

Young Dick and Barbara get and awkward sit down ”talk” with Bruce and Alfred

16 year olds Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon sat beside each other on the couch in the manors main living room. A small gap of space between them. Neither of them looking at each other.

Alfred stood in front of them a straight expression on his face as they all 3 waited for Bruce to come in.

The dark knight entered room. Dick and Barbara pressed themselves back further into the couch

“Care to explain?” Bruce began

Dick opened his mouth but was quickly cut off by Alfred

“Master Dick, if you were going to say ‘It wasn’t what it looked like’ I advise you not to”

Dick closed his mouth and slouched down

Barbara though straightened “But it wasn’t” she persisted

Bruce rose his eyebrows “So I didn’t walk in on you straddling my sons lap with your shirt off and his tongue down your throat?”

Barbara bit her lip “Okay so it was exactly what it looked like.”

Dick shook his head “Her shirt wasn’t off. Mine was but not hers”

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose “Okay her Gotham Academy blouse was halfway unbuttoned. Either way there was nudity....that isn’t acceptable. You both are way too young to be doing such activities.”

Both Dick and Barbara were silent, giving each other quick glances

Bruce cleared his throat “How long?”

“How long what?” Barbara asked

Bruce lips dropped “How long have you two been” he made a motion with his hand

Dick furrowed his eyebrows “Kissing?” He looked at Barbara “I mean the first time was when we were 14.”

Bruce’s eyes widened “FOURTEEN! You’ve been doing it for 2 years without my knowledge!”

Dick’s phone vibrated-a text from Barbara

Something tells me he’s not talking about kissing.-it read

“I mean it’s not like anything could happen.” Dick responded testing her theory.

Bruce groaned

“Master Bruce, they aren’t much younger than you and Miss.Kyle were when I first walked in on you two-“ Alfred began before Bruce held a hand up stopping him

“Look are you two at least using protection?” He asked

Dick furrowed his eyebrows “Protection? Against what?”

Alfred nodded “If you need me to Ms.Gordon I will get you a doctors appointment. And Master Bruce, you can take Master Dick to buy his form of protection. “

The two teens were at loss of words, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Little did they know Alfred’s next comment would top the last.

Bruce nodded “Yes and you will be using both, at all times. Extra caution never hurt. “

Alfred nodded “Not that you should take that away from Miss.Barbara’s pleasuring, make sure your nails are always clean and trim, Master Dick.”

Barbara put her head into her hands. “Kill me now”

Dick gulped wanting to save this conversation, feeling increasingly uncomfortable“What are you two getting at?”

Alfred stepped forward “What master Bruce is asking is how long have the two of you been having sexual intercourse?”

Both Dick and Barbara’s eyes widened

“You think we- No! I still haven’t with anyone!” Dick spoke

Barbara nodded “We would never.” She assured

“We wouldn’t?” Dick asked, his head whipping towards her

Barbara narrowed her eyes “Not now” she gritted her teeth, pushing his face back towards Bruce

“Are you two dating?” Bruce asked

Alfred looked at them both anticipating the answer

Both of them shook their heads.

Alfred tilted his head ”Then if you don't mind me asking Master Dick, why were you as they say ’Making out’ with Ms.Gordon”

Dick grinned ”Well umm we just-like to kiss sometimes?” he looked toward Barbra for comfermation

Bruce and Alfred looked at her as well, anticipating her answer

Barbara sighed “Dick and I use each other as practice subject.”

Dick nodded, a wide grin on his face “Exactly. We practice kissing, touching....feeling. On each other that way when we date someone we already have experience and know what we like. Saving us the embarrassment of having to figure it out with the person we are dating.”

Bruce sighed “Dick that is the stupidest excuse I’ve ever heard. Just admit you’re....what is it the kids are calling it? Friends with Benefits “

Barbara shook her head “We aren’t that though Bruce! Dick and I are both virgins.”she assured

Bruce nodded “For now. Things looked like they were getting pretty heavy when I walked in.”

Dick shrugged “Nah we’ve been further before. Trust me Bruce. Babs and I have complete control over our hormones.”

Alfred looked at him oddly “Is that why you often take 45 minute showers after patrol Master Dick?”

Dick’s eyes widened, Barbara making a grossed out face as she looked at him

“Fighting baddies gets me a little.....aroused sometimes.” He excused

Bruce cleared his throat “I’m sure that’s what it is....I still want you both to be prepared though. I’m not encouraging it. I’m just saying if it were to happen I don’t need a little mini Robin or Batgirl or teen parents. So appointment for you this week, you can decide what you want to do and your father doesn’t need to know. But while you’re there I want you to think about Dick’s head....it’s large. Now imagine a baby with a big head like his coming out of your body!” he pointed at Barbara. She grimaced at the detailed thought

Bruce then turned his attention to Dick “And tonight we are going to the drugstore for your form of protection. Imagine being responsible for a child with Barbara’s brains at your age.” His eyes widened , the child would be smarter than him before it could walk.

Without another word Bruce turned, Alfred following behind. Leaving the two teens alone on the living room.

“So umm” Dick began

Barbara held up a hand. “We aren’t speaking of what just happened”

Dick nodded

Silence overtook for a few minutes till Dick thought of something “Did you catch what Alfred said about Selena?”

Barbara nodded “Yeah I alway forget they knew each other as teens.”

Dick nodded, another wave of silence

“Dick?” Barbara spoke

He looked toward her “Yeah?”

“We can still make out....as friends, right?” She asked biting her lip

Dick chuckled, sliding a hand behind her neck and pulling her face closer to him. He made sure Alfred and Bruce weren’t close to re-entering then gave her a quick peck on the lips “Definitely “

She smiled “Good, I like practicing with you”

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, negativenorth!

For @negativenorth <3 

Read On AO3

*****

This is Our Last (First) Christmas

The Hale Pack survived junior year. Miraculously. The troubles that surrounded them sophomore year brought on by their sacrifices to find their parents were increased by the cleansing ritual in the spring Stiles and Deaton did. It cleansed the Hale Territory-including Beacon Hills and the Preserve-The Pack, the air, the ground, even the humans of all the remaining darkness; reawakening the hibernating Ley Lines and brightening the light of Beacon Hills.

The summer was strangely terror-less. Deaton explained the cleansing happened like and earthquake, the energy radiating out and it would take some time until the epicenter was found but once things found it, everyone would tune into it. The Hale Territory was highly desired by many supernaturals for many reasons. Derek (under the advisement of Stiles) began a training regiment for the pack, humans included. Derek focused more on the wolves-Scott, Jackson, Danny, Isaac, Erica, Boyd, and Ethan and Aiden-who deflection helped defeat the Alpha pack and Derek welcomed in with open arms. The humans trained too, but with Melissa on first aid and field trauma medicine and Chris and John with hand to hand and gun and knife combat training. Stiles had added training with Deaton on magic. Eventually, The wolves joined the humans.

"Why do we need medical training?" Isaac asked, diligently paying attention to proper stitching technique.

"If something happens, yeah you may heal but that doesn't solve blood loss. Or if a human is out. Or you needed to be inconspicuous about lycanthropy. Technically you don't exist." Stiles said. "Or a broken bone that heals wrong."

"He's not wrong. I agree." Derek chimed in.

"You're only agreeing because-"Erica was cut off by a hard nudge to the ribs from Allison and a heated glare from Scott. Stiles was confused but let it go, only to silently agree with the Mate-Marks on their right arm-a vine of bright red thorny roses.

"Well, if Mom says and Dad agrees then I guess we have no choice." Jackson sneered. Stiles sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me for wanting you to stay alive, dipshit. These aren't bad skills to have in general even. My first aid saved your fucking ass more than once." Stiles practically snarled. This pack was made up of his friends but that didn't mean they were easy to get along with. Jackson opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by Lydia's hand on his arm. Stiles always smiled softly when he got a glimpse of their Mate-Mark behind their ears, the chemical formula C43H66N12O12S2 also known as oxytocin.

A week during the fall of junior year, Stiles felt a chill go down his spine. One of the wards he spent several long days putting up with Deaton's teaching had been triggered. He had put up a dozen or so of varying intent, getting stronger and closer together the closer to Derek's loft they got. Stiles had a list in his journal of placements to recharge them if needed but Deaton had told him with his Spark and use of Ley lines, they will stay charged and operational until removal. Stiles texted to Derek to warn him of the visitor and he with Boyd checked it out.

That was the first of almost weekly trespassers of the creatures-that-go-bump-in-the-night variety. The pack had their training, their strength, their determination to survive but they didn't have their teamwork, their trust, their knowledge to win. Stiles and Lydia and occasionally Allison worked to compile as much information as possible from Deaton and Chris and Derek and independent research as possible. The Pack grew smart but they still couldn't click, they used too much brawn not enough brain.

"You would think, with werewolves needing packs, they would innately understand teamwork." Stiles said. He was at the Argent's house looking at few of Chris's books. He had become more helpful since Allison and Scott finally told him the truth about their Mate-Marks. He didn't like it but he know helped as much as he could knowing that was the only way to get his daughter safe.

"You have to remember Stiles, they may be werewolves now but they are teenagers first. High schoolers. Derek isn't that much older than you all. You somehow see the bigger picture but they can't." Chris said.

"I have always had to see the big picture. No one else was looking at it at the beginning. I was trying to keep everyone alive, not just-"Stiles cut himself off. "You are so right. You always have the best ideas." Stiles sagged a little with relief. He was glad he'd been able to convince Chris to help them, join them. "I have to go." Stiles left the kitchen, uncharacteristically leaving the books scattered on the table. He hopped into his jeep and headed straight to Derek's loft.

"Derek, are you home?" Stiles opened the door to the loft with the only spare key Derek ever made.

"Hey, Stiles. Surprise seeing you here, everything okay?" Derek popped out from the kitchen. "I am making dinner, care to join me?"

"Oh, that would be nice. Everything is okay, I just have something to talk to you about." Stiles sat at the island rubbing a thumb against the glass Derek handed him and the other rubbed the spot behind his ear.

"Okay. If you are this serious then it probably has some merit." Derek said. Stiles felt proud of the growth Derek had gone through. He had become a better man and Alpha since the pack had grown and settled and he was able to grieve properly. Stiles, however was confused at his statement. Derek looked up to see Stiles looking back with his head tilted and eyes narrowed. "You have tells just like the rest of us. You may know all of ours but you don't know your own. You have gotten good at lying to us weres but you forget that some of us? We know you. Like me, you rub behind your ear when you are thinking about something and it may upset the balance of things." Derek explained. Stiles didn't know how to answer, wasn't sure what to say, Derek studied him? It made sense in Stiles' head, at the beginning Derek needed to know everyone's angle even his.

"I didn't know that." Stiles said. He decided to ignore the other parts Derek said until later. "I know as a pack we have strengths and weaknesses. We need to work on those weaknesses, our biggest one? Teamwork. This pack is holding the strongest territory in the Northwest right now, and it is made up of young werewolves and several humans and a Banshee who all happen to be teenagers in high school. We had a social hierarchy and it worked until you bit several of them. Now they have to relearn that, everything is discombobulated causing tensions, and second-guessing and we may have survived until now but eventually that won't be enough. We may be a pack but we won't be a family until that happens." Stiles paused realizing how that sounds. "Not that I want to replace yours. I just want-I don't mean to-I get it. I don't want you to be alone anymore." Stiles finally spit out.

"I know what you mean. I would never think that you of all people are trying to somehow push away my family. You have too much resect for others to even think that." Derek said. His face was relaxed and open, the skin around his eyes wasn't even tight. You probably love hearing this from me, even though I say it a lot. You are right. We don't know each other well enough to know what we'd risk for each other. So what is your idea?" Derek turned back to the stove.

"What makes you think I have an idea?" Stiles asked. Derek just threw a look over his shoulder at the young man.

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't have an idea." Derek said.

"I was thinking of having the pack rebuild your house. It would give them a safe common goal and outlet. It would reestablish your territory ad strength pack bonds and the bond with the land. it would give us a den. I know I just said I don't want to replace your family. And that is true. I don't want to because I know I can't. I can however make the pain less, the burden lighter and you happier. We can do this together Derek. Me and you. like always.

"I. I will think about it." Derek said very slowly. Stiles nodded. Derek said nothing else, instead finished up dinner and Stiles took it as a sign to get place settings ready and switch to lighter topics.

The winter of junior year was made up of blood, sweat, tears, anger, resentment, claws, teeth, bullets, arrows. The pack was surviving, but barely. Stiles could see the fault lines forming, the glares more frequent. He never pushed Derek, only waited and hoped. He knew that the Hale Pack had the potential to be amazing once again, but only if they worked for it.

The spring of junior year bloomed with hope, filled with finals college preparation and a wendigo or two. March came and went but April came in like a lion. Derek had made his decision, rebuilding the Hale Manor is needed and would do them some good. The pack had too many issues amongst themselves to work through, if they didn't settle as a whole and members of that whole, then more people would die and the pack would fall apart. Derek's decision came instinctively, The young betas had been arguing over who was to land the first hit, the baddy of the week threw Erica into a tree skewering her on a branch. Derek saw it happen in slow motion, anger thrumming in his veins. That second she impacted the tree Derek knew. He would make a pack out of these teenagers or die trying. They needed the pack as much as he did.

Derek stood over his pack watching them cuddle each other from a distance. They were on the floor of the loft spread out, but unable to ignore the need to touch. Lydia had a leg curled with Allison, tucked under Jackson arm. Isaac bridged the space between Erica and Boyd and Scott and Allison. Stiles was sitting at the island still working. Always working. Derek had actively tried to not look at Stiles, the few glances he allowed had the same results, heart pounding breath catching results. Stiles had showered and was wearing a pair of sweats he'd left here some day and a shirt of Derek's, who's scent of pine and leather mixed deliciously with Stiles' own scent of lemon and honeysuckle. Derek was glad the rest of the pack was sleeping, unable to witness him softening. Stiles was the only one to bring it out. He sat down next to Stiles, pulling his feet into his lap, rubbing lightly.

"I've been thinking...about what you said a while back." Derek couldn't look at Stiles. He instead focused on his feet. "About rebuilding."

"Oh? Did you come to a decision then?" Stiles kept his face turned to the books in front of him, side-eyeing Derek. He knew that staring would only cause Derek to shut down harder. Stiles could feel his heart pounding, knew Derek could hear it but tried to project calmness.

"Yeah. I did. I want to do it. I need to do it. The last step of grieving and the first step of acceptance. This pack needs a fresh start. You are right, like always. I only want to do this if you help me every step of the way. I can't do this by myself. I don't trust anyone else to help." Derek admitted. Stiles beamed. The absolute joy and pride on his face made Derek almost forget that he had just agreed to tear down the last standing reminder of his family.

As if Stiles could read his mind, "They'd want you to be happy. I would be honor to help you.

The decision to rebuild the house triggered something in Stiles. He began working with Deaton, honing his sputtering spark into a full-fledged flame. Deaton was impressed with his strength, commenting the flame was more like an inferno. Stiles did his school work on top of learning magic and keeping a pack of rag-tag teenagers alive. Deaton explained that Sparks were common but without proper training burned out, with proper training Sparks became witches or varied magic users, they often became emissaries to those in need or ran shops. The idea of being a pack emissary resonated with Stiles and that became his goal. He learned moon phases, herbs, spells, enchantments, crystals, sigils, runes, ancient languages. As he learned, he wasn't the only one to grow emotionally. The pack began to pull down the old Hale Manor. Piece by piece, they pulled it down. The beginning was hard-insult were thrown without care for where they landed, more than one fight broke out usually but they worked together and talked and learned about each other. The insults lost their thorns, the glares lost their heat and the smiles lost their fangs.

During the days between the too-hot spring days and the too-cold summer days, the last dumpster full of the remains of the Hale Manor vanished down the road. Derek watched feeling numb. Stiles stood by in quiet solidarity. All that was left was the scorched earth and a smattering of rubble, the grass was stained gray from ash and fire, the foundation crumbling into itself. There would be a specialist coming to demolish and redo the foundation, that was something Derek requested. The two men looked at the now empty clearing, Stiles pretended not to notice the trembling of Derek's fingers. Stiles simply took his hand in his and pulled him down to sit, letting Derek lean against him and grieve.

"No one likes it when strangers speak for those who you have lost. I know I hated it. I also know what it is like to an extent." Stiles paused. "They would be proud of you. You were in a down really low, and you brought yourself back. You did it." Stiles pressed himself into Derek's bulk.

Thanks. It has meaning coming from you. I know you understand. You know loss, not like Scott. You don't pretend to be unaffected like Jackson." Derek sat for a bit, letting the Stiles' strength soak into his bones. He wasn't alone anymore. He could do this. He wasn't 16 again pushing away Laura in a fit of survivor's guilt. He had Stiles. He had his pack. "Now what?" Derek turned to face Stiles, looking like as lost as a child after a nightmare.

"Now we build your house. Together." Stiles said. "And watch YouTube. Lots of it."

The summer between junior and senior year was the best Stiles had in a long time. He and his mother always had adventures and busy days. Then one year it was just him and Scott. It was only the two of them for years, neither popular enough for summer plans. The others in the pack in similar circumstances. Allison didn't stay around long enough to make plans and Lydia and Jackson's families made plans without consent. Stiles and Derek read and watched and googled for hours before getting the materials. The did it step by step from framing to electric to plumbing to hanging drywall to building stairs to putting in windows. Derek bought the supplies, secretly pleased that the insurance, investment, assess money was getting some use, not just growing interest, coming into several millions of dollars was daunting without a purpose especially when part of the blame fell on his shoulders. With every step of the way, Stiles and Derek worked together to make the idea into a house into a home. Stiles layered charms and spells and enchantments and runes and straight ingredients into everything. Protection from water, fire, illness, bad luck, ill-intent, accidents, death, and anything Stiles could think of was woven into every step, from the frame to the paint. The house was built by Stiles and Derek for the pack, for the future, for each other.

"Derek, we need a bigger kitchen. And I think a mudroom will be a good investment with a lever handle door. We have a nice entrance way, where people came come in and hang up their jackets and put away shoes but the back entrance doesn't have anything." Stiles was looking over the blueprints with Derek. He was making notes for when they finalized some decisions.

"Why?" Derek asked.

"You will be housing a pack of teenage/twentysomething werewolves. You need a big enough kitchen and matching pantry to feed a small country." Stiles said, still scribbling notes.

"No." Derek growled. He was running out of patience. He wanted to make this house with Stiles but everyone seemed to have an opinion on something. Which would be fine it he had asked, or if there was some logic but the majority was just annoying.

"You don't want a big kitchen? I mean it is your house." Stiles looked confused but his voice seemed blank, undermined by his pounding heart and cold brittle scent of sadness.

Derek wanted to growl but held back. Derek didn't want to push him away. Derek liked how close they had been getting, his wolf was pleased as well. His wolf had been unusually attached to the young man since the beginning and was originally satisfied but as time went on both Derek and his wolf wanted more and more, not sure what they were asking for. The concern for Stiles' wellbeing, high sensitivity to Stiles' emotion and heartbeat, The willingness to entertain Stiles' commentary and personality and enjoy it, his gaze lingering on Stile' fingers and throat, reveling in the challenges he offered all resonated with Derek as signs pointing to Stiles being his mate but if that was true they would have Mate-Marks.

"It is our house." Derek said. It was all he could give right now, a house where Stiles could be relaxed and happy, Derek would have to accept what he had for right now.

"So, yes big kitchen?" Stiles looked up, Derek just stared back waiting. "Oh! The lever handle is so you can open it with paws."

That is humiliating. And smart. Make it so."

"You did not just make a Star Trek: The Next Generation reference. Are you a closeted nerd?" Stiles poked Derek in the ribs, peering at him suspiciously. Derek stayed silent, glad Stiles couldn't hear his pounding heart. Stiles laughed, head tilted back, cheeks crinkled and mouth open. Derek could only stare and memorize the moment, proud he got Stiles to laugh that easily. Derek could hear the thoughts in his soul: mine, claim, mate. The possessiveness and softness was happening more and more but only around Stiles, further adding to the mate checklist. Derek just enjoyed the moment.

Come on. Let's finish this. I do eventually want to move in, ya know?" Derek tapped the paper with a single claw, trying to remind Stiles-ineffectually-he could rip his throat out with his teeth.

The weekend before senior year found the pack piled in the living room of the recently finished Hale Manor. The pack was well-protected and well-stablished now with Stiles' magic and the 'den' and the bonds that were solidified over the summer. Deaton said the terrors of the years past will not go away but would drastically slow down. The Hale Territory was claimed and the others would understand innately. The plan worked, the band of high school students thrown together by happenstance became a pack, a family. And it showed, in moment like this. They were tightly woven together on a bed of pillows and blankets with a Disney movie playing softly on TV. Stiles looked on and felt his chest warm and his heart flutter. He pulled out his phone and making sure the shutter and flash were off took a few pictures, trying to shove away the sadness and nostalgia. He had been slightly obsessed with taking photos lately, needing proof that the pack had come together, they now had a home not only physically but in one another too. He had done it, he had somehow kept them alive through all the bullshit. They only had one year left together and he didn't want to look back and regret not capturing the memories or being unable to remember the normal days. One day, a year from now he would look up and realize everyone had scattered like seeds on the wind, he wanted to remember. Stiles got up from the chair he was curled up in, he was feeling melancholy didn't want to ruin the mood. Even Derek was on the edge of the puppy pile. He decided to use his favorite goodbye tactic he borrowed from the Irish.

"I can hear you thinking too hard from over here. Come join us. Get comfy. And we can talk, I know something is on your mind." Derek ungracefully shoved the others to make room. It isn't pack night if one person leaves."

Fine." Stiles was a sucker for the pack card. He knew he was pack but not being a wolf meant he couldn't feel the bonds as strongly as the others so he needed reminded sometimes. Stiles slipped in between Derek and the pack, thoughts like: safe, pack, mate, mine. After a few seconds Derek pinched him lightly. "I just don't know hat I am to do next. I did what I was supposed to do. I kept Scott alive, I helped you, I healed the land, solidified the pack. My job is done. This time next year, the pack might be tossed across the country and then what? We come back for weekend and holidays? For how long? Then we just fall apart and I never have this again? I made this family just like each of them did. I can't lose another one." Stiles felt his stomach drop at the cold, bitter, sharp feeling his own words gave him.

"That isn't how this works. A pack this established only gets stronger. No one gets out. There may be distance but not much and not for long. We are too new of a pack for that. You certainly don't get to leave, you are my emissary. You are connected to me and the pack and the land. Don't force ties to break when you don't know the future. There is time, there are options. Enjoy now, before fretting about the future. Talk to them, You'd be surprised to hear you aren't as alone as you think." Derek pulled Stiles closer, tucking him tightly into his embrace. "That is why you get sad after taking photos. You think old memories are all you will have left."

"I would rather leave then be left. I have grow weary of being left." Stiles tried to shrug.

"Don't look too far ahead, you'll miss the now. Make memories to enjoy the moment not resign yourself to only having memories." Derek said. Stiles nodded and snuggled closer, Derek's body heat and voice rumbling in his chest soothing his anxiety. "Go to sleep, Stiles. I'll be right here."

Fall of senior year was calm, content. Stiles and Lydia and Danny were in a heated competition for valedictorian, a contest that was a secret to everyone in school but no one in the pack. Some filled out college applications like Danny, Jackson, Lydia. Some decided to go the technical route like Erica, Boyd. Isaac and Scott were looking at community college. Stiles adopted a forget about it and it doesn't exist attitude. He often pulled out pamphlets or packets only to sort them into piles and then put them away again. He changed the subject when asked about anything dealing with after senior year. The closest he got to talking about it was with Derek one day, by themselves hanging out on a Friday night. He told Derek, he liked magic and the supernatural and being a witch, he might open a shop, take over for Deaton who wanted to be a vet and only a vet. That was the last time he seriously spoke about it. The pack spent full moons together, running and eating dinner and then a sleepover. Slowly each pack member added their own things to the house, a blanket here, a favorite mug there, A sweatshirt draped over a chair, a forgotten pair of shoes left by the front door. Stiles took pictures and cleaned and tutored. He talked a lot without saying much. Derek knew something was on his mind.

"I want you to come over tonight. I told everyone to stay away. We have some things to talk about." Derek texted him one day in October.

Stiles went over, slouched over like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. Derek felt sympathy for the kid.

"Stiles, I know you have been struggling a bit. Understandably so. A lot has happened these past few years. I want you to sit here with me, all night if we have to, and talk over your options. I want you to do what you want to do. I know your dad wants you to go to college and I know you want to open a shop. I think you can do both, and with the way the world works, I think you could make it work. I would gladly help, we can build you a small shop here or something." Derek said. Stiles sagged, eyes lit with relief.

"You don't think it is a dumb idea? Magic isn't well known, and I won't be successful." Stiles said.

"You are right, But people from all over will come if you are good. You will gain a following. I believe you would be a great successor to Alan, if you so choose. I will gladly help you get to that point." Derek said.

"What? I don't even know what I am doing." Stiles rubbed his face. "I can't let you...support me while I decide what I want to do."

"You are running out of time. You didn't hold me up in a pool for two hours for me for me to not learn what kind of person you are. You already made up your mind. You have helped me over and over and over again. Let me help you!" Derek demanded. Stiles threw up his hands, groaning loudly.

"What do you want me to say? That I want to learn all that I can to help you be the best alpha you can be? of the best pack we can be? And if I help other people with things around town or even farther, that would be perfection? That I have no idea what I want to do, but I can't see myself going to university and getting a typical 9-5 job and having 2.5 kids? That you coming in all dark and broody ruined me for all normalcy." Stiles ranted. He was gesturing wildly, pacing in short burst.

"Yeah. That is all I want. Feel better?" Derek, pulled Stiles close, rubbing his nose into his hair. Stiles leaned against him, this time borrowing strength.

"A little. I am glad I finally got to say it aloud. now I have to convince my dad." Stiles said. Derek squeezed him in a side hug.

"We have to convince your dad. You aren't alone, I'm not going anywhere, ever, We're a team." Stiles smiled softly and nodded, relaxing into Derek's grip.

The days and nights grew colder, the wolves handing full moon runs when the humans got the food, hot chocolate and movies ready for their return. Or rather Stiles did, the others just laid about, studying or figuring out how to move into Derek's house without their families noticing. November was quickly finishing and Stiles' favorite time of year was approaching. He had already pulled out the containers of decorations for his own house, trying to figure out how to bring it up to Derek. He wanted to have a pack Christmas, wanted to go out and pick out a tree together, and hang the garlands and argue over where the lights go on the tree, hang up ornaments and behind everyone's back rearrange them. He wanted to get presents for everyone, wrapping them with paper and ribbons and bows.

"Stiles, is something burning?" Scott said coming into the kitchen, kissing Allison on the temple. The other Mates sharing in similar displays of affection. Jackson and Lydia cuddling on a large chair, Erica and Boyd sharing a chaste kiss. Derek walked up to Stiles simultaneously pulling the pan of bacon off the stove and trailing a hand down his jaw to latch into his hair.

"Shit! The bacon. I was distracted. Sorry. It should be fine, I am mixing it to make perogies for you tomorrow. Its Sunday after all." Stiles said softly. He still looked a million miles away, Derek pulled him around ducking slightly to make eye contact.

"Stiles, is something the matter? Are you okay?" Derek asked. After they talked about Stiles' future Stiles had been coming to Derek more and more for support. Derek was more vocal with his thoughts, trying to verbalize emotions. The pack was close, a family but only because the two of them were a solid unit. They knew each other in and out.

Stiles looked nervous, like he didn't know how to ask. Derek just raised an eyebrow. "I want to decorate for Christmas. Here. I want to go and pick out directions and a tree and argue over lights and rearrange the ornaments when no one is looking. I want to agonize for days over the prefect presents. I want to do that, if you are okay with that." Stiles said, in a round of word vomit.

"Okay. I want that too, I was going to ask soon, you just beat me to the punch. How about we pick a day after Thanksgiving to pick out a tree and maybe you can come with me a few days to pick out Christmas decorations, without the children." Derek huffed a laugh into Stiles' temple. "This is your house too, You'll be here just as much as I will be. I want you to do what makes you happy."

"Okay. I'd like that. We can talk about it more later. Let's eat and then tomorrow we can look at some ideas, I want you to be the end all, end all on decisions." Stiles beamed at Derek. He went back to making dinner, leaving the slightly burnt bacon cool off to the side.

Thanksgiving was spent with their families, Derek did join the Stilinksi and McCalll's and Isaac for the big meal, finalizing plans with Stiles on decorations and tree-hunting. They decided on a red, green, gold scheme and more traditional type decorations, simple and minimalistic. Stiles used his internet skills to get some deals on older decorations on craigslist and facebook. They had a few pick-ups scheduled and the time for tree-hunting at a local christmas tree farm. Derek's only request was it had to be a big tree.

The pack three days later met up and began discussing trees. They were all in agreement, for a tall bushy tree but they couldn't pick a species until an employee showed them the examples and explained the difference. Three hours later and they finally agreed on the perfect tree and were on the way to the house. Stiles made them help him put it up right away so it warms up and the branches drop. The pack then scatters and Stiles and Derek head out and got decorations.

Derek watched Stiles spend the next few days putting the inside decorations in places. Derek helping with a comment here or there, but staying quiet, enjoying having someone to share the holiday with. "Thank you Stiles. I am glad, even though we've been through some shit together, that I have met you. I found myself because of you. I am glad that you are happy here with me." Derek told him.

"Me too. I feel safe here with you. Like I belong here, with you." Stiles said. "I know that wolves have mates obviously when they get introduced to each other, but sometimes when I am with you...you look at me and see me and I feel you..." Stiles shook his head.

"I do too. I am more attuned to you and your scent and heart than anyone in the pack. I can only chalk it up to you doing what would be my mate's job if I had one. I am not sure Stiles but I am not mad about it. Maybe after the holidays we can figure it out." Derek said.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan." Stiles agreed.

The almost confessions triggered something, Derek became more tactile and protective than ever towards Stiles, Stiles made sure the betas were fed and the house was clean and tutored when needed and gave advice. They had been a unit before but now, Stiles and Derek were barely apart, only for school hours. Stiles' dad at one point asked if he was moving in and Stiles took that as permission and did just that (practically) moved in and also used the opportunity to tell John about his post-school plans. John was hesitant and needed some time to think it over before he could agree and support his son. Stiles did as promised and agonized for days what to get each of his friends. He meticulously wrapped each and every one of them. The one that took the longest to put together was the most important.

Stiles had learned many things over the last two and half years, about the world, himself, his hometown, his local vet. One of those things was his most important secret-he had been in love with Derek Hale for two of those years. It wasn't anything grand or extreme, one day Stiles saw him smile at a joke and decided he needed to do that all the time. Stiles knew that Derek needed somebody in his corner and chose to be that person. He didn't know spending all that time with his dry humor and caring nature and supportive personality would result with him falling in love with the older man but he wouldn't change anything that happened for anything in the world. 'except getting his real family back.'Stiles thought. 'That is it! A photo album. The Hales are a very old and well known family, there should be some photographs floating around.'

Stiles got to work. He went to the library and school paper archives, pulling out back issues of newspapers and yearbooks. He called into several nearby packs, opening the Hale pack up to negotiations in the future and even searched through Beacon Hills residents photos to find any and all of the Hale family memories. He also searched the star registry for a bright one towards the north and named it Talia Hale, so Derek would be able to find a guiding light for the rest of his life.

Stiles spent days putting the album together, finding near 75 photos and newspaper clippings for it. He also framed the star certificate and got a observatory to take very good photos of the star. and framed those as well. He was so focused Stiles forgot that his dad told him family was coming over. He obsessed over ever little detail for his present.

Derek did not fare much better. He had decided on a two part present for Stiles as well. One was a greenhouse/workshop Derek was having built for Stiles and a small business front to turn into a shop. Derek bought the shop and added Sties name to the deed so it was legally his. The greenhouse was going to be built in the spring so it could be used over the summer. Derek knew it might be too much for a friend but Stiles saved his life. Without Stiles, Derek would be alone and devastated and family-less. He fell in love with the whiskey eyes and contagious laughter and selflessness and love and compassion. They may not be Mates but Derek wanted no one else with him in the future, not only as a pack member or an emissary but even more than that. Derek kept his feelings a secret not wanting to push Stiles away.

The 23rd of December was the pack Christmas day. They had a wonderful breakfast and were in their PJ's getting settled and waiting for everyone. Everyone go a seat and the presents were sorted. They went in a circle.

"Derek, can you open my last? I...um..." Stiles said. Derek nodded not commenting on the obvious nerves.

"Only if you open mine last too." Derek said. Stiles nodded smiling gratefully. They went around and opened presents; clothes and make up and a few books for the girls, the boys got video games and comics and clothes. Honestly it was a good first Christmas as friends.

all that was left was Derek's present from Stiles and vice versa. The pack watched in silence. Neither moved.

"Please go first." Stiles pleaded. Derek looked between the presents left on his lap and Stiles. Derek picked up what Stiles knew to be the album. Derek gently pulled the paper off pausing in confusion. He looked up at Stiles again who waved at him to continue. He opened the book, the front page being a family picture of the Hales for the work Talia did to create the preserve.

"Stiles, is this..."Derek couldn't finish.

"Yeah It is. A Hale Pack photo album. Took me a while to make it. Think it was an idea even before I knew it." Stiles explained. Derek thought of the all the photos Stiles had taken recently and flipped to the back pages, glossy photos of his current family lined the pages. The last phot was a picture of him and Stiles cuddling on a pack night, the note below was in Allison hand, You both deserve love and happiness no matter who it comes from..

"Thank you Stiles. Thank you." Derek knew somehow in his soul, that was Stiles showing his love for him, without saying. Words took courage, and that wasn't easily found in front of others. "Open yours. The bottom one. Please."

Stiles did as he asked, opening the bottom one, a square shaped box. He opened it to see a copy of a building deed sitting in tissue paper. "Der-Derek. You didn't...Not the-" Stiles' voice broke. He scent blooming with tears and pleasure.

"That place on Pine you've been dreaming about for two months? Why, yes it is." Derek tried to play it off as funny.

"This isn't funny. I told you I didn't want you help." Stiles tried to sound stern. Derek only shook his head.

"I told you to let me help. I did. Also it is technically half mine. But you have a place now. You can actually do it." Derek said. The pack made noises of confusion.

"I am not going to university. I am doing online classes but I am opening a magic shop and taking over for Deaton and becoming Hale Pack Emissary. Derek just bought my dream location." Stiles announced to cheers from the pack. Stiles knew in that moment that is how it felt knowing someone loved you enough to give you want you needed not just what you wanted. He knew how it felt to know someone loved him enough to stand with him not out of obligation but actual love and desire to do so.

They opened the other presents with similar reactions.

"A greenhouse? Seriously? and a workshop?" Stiles was dumbfounded.

"You named a literal star after my mother. A. Star." Derek was flabbergasted.

The rest of the pack sensed it was time to leave, the two men had a lot to discuss-least of all their emotions. The pack began piling out trying not to overhear the conversation.

"Derek, I can't accept this. I really can't. It may be all I ever wanted but I can't let you give it to me. We talked about this, I am filling in. If I was meant to be this important, we'd be mates." Stiles said.

"You aren't a fill in. Do you think I would give you up for someone I don't know? I would never. No relationship will ever be more important than our to me. You say this is all you ever wanted? You can have it!" Derek said.

"This isn't something I can take, you may change your mind, or find someone better. This is something to dream and hope for. Let me dream and hope, so I don't get hurt." Stiles sounded sad and broken. Derek made a soft wounded noise.

"You are it for me. I built you a goddamn house Stiles. I tore down my last memory of my family for you. We have almost died for each other too many times to count for you to back out now." Derek said. Stile growled and shuffled trying to think of an argument. He was saved by his dad coming down the road in a hurry. The pack was spilled on the porch trying to look like they hadn't been listening.

"Scott, where is Stiles?" John called. Stiles and Derek came out at the sound of his voice. "Mieczyslaw Stilinski! You were supposed to by home an hour ago! We have family coming in today remember!" John yelled, standing against his open car door.

"I'll be right there!" Stiles blanched. "I can't believe I forgot." He turned to Derek. "We aren't done here, mister."

"Your first name is really Mieczyslaw?" Derek asked. He didn't want Stiles leaving while angry, it made it anxious.

"Yep! Mieczyslaw Stilinski. Please to meet you Derek Hale!" Stiles understood what Derek was going for without him saying like most times.

"Please to meet you too." Derek chuckled before a sharp pain brought him and Stiles to their knees.

Several painful minutes later, Stiles was laughing hard enough he had tears streaming down his face. He left hand was clamped over his shirt collar, knuckles white. Derek stared openmouthed. John and the rest of the pack stood confused and worried.

"Did what I think happen just actually happen?" Scott asked.

"We'd never been formally introduced. Definitely not with my first name. Mate-Marks only form when properly introduced." Stiles moved his hand to show the large wolf print marking his upper chest and collarbone.

Derek laughed. and laughed and laughed before swooping down and pressing a slightly desperate kiss onto Stiles' lips. "Guess we won't have to discuss the shopfront or greenhouse later, mate." Derek grinned goofily at Stiles who could help but smile back just as dopey.

"Guess not" Stiles said. "I guess not."

Both of them could feel the calmness and happiness in their souls for finding their mates. Derek's wolf stopped shifting anxiously as it had been for months, finally calming down for Derek to relax. Both of them filled to the brim: safe, mate, mine, forever.

[i-write-sometimes-blog]

Detention (Dark Rey x Reader High School AU)

Summary: A new girl arrives to make Reader's time in Highschool way more difficult.

Words: 2,693 (think this is the longest so far)

A/N: Alright some notes, this is based on my High School AU with Rey and things are pretty much the same except for Rey, we have a rather bad woman instead but Reader it's still a Solo. I wanted to write this for a while and well I finally finished it. Hope you like it, let me know what you think!

You were late for class. Again. Didn't hear the irritating beeping alarm and its constant try to tear your from your sleep. And your older brother wasn't kind enough to wake you up.

Running through the maze of halls you hoped to make it on time to the class before the teacher, you knew she wouldn't be happy to see you arriving late to her class once again.

Just when you reached the last turn to the classroom you collided with a body you weren't expecting that almost sent you directly to the floor.

"Shit, sorry." you said.

"Look where you're going, idiot!" a very angry voice said and you observed hypnotized the girl yelling at you.

Dark wavy hair falling over her delicate skin and hazel eyes gazing threatening at you while she kept telling you not to cross her way again. A mischievous grin curving her lips and the leather jacket only made her seem way more mysterious. You felt terribly attracted to this mean girl and yet you hated how rude she was over this little accident.

And as fast as you encountered her she was gone letting you alone in the desert hall.

Who was that girl?

The bell ringing reminded you how late for the morning lesson you were so you rushed the final steps to the classroom.

"Late again, Solo" were the teacher's first words when she saw you silently reaching your place, trying your best not to be noticed.

"Sorry, Miss Holdo" you said. Your friends, Poe and Finn laughed in silence and you glared at them for a moment.

“If you keep arriving this late I’m afraid I’d have to send you to detention” She said.

“Won’t happen again.” you assured her. With a smile she went back to her lesson, she knew you since you were a kid, she was a family friend and you assumed that was why she hadn’t send you to detention already.

“Where’s Rose?” you murmured looking at the empty spot next to you.

“Paige said she’s sick” Finn mumbled. 

“Finn, quiet” Miss Holdo said making your friend flinch for a moment. You smiled before really paying attention to today’s lesson.

Lost taking notes and scribbling stars in the little notebook you almost didn’t hear the knock in the door, ignored the sudden murmur between your classmates but you heard her.

"I was told this is was history class." you knew that voice and recognized her jaw, her slim figure.

Not you, you thought

"It is.” the teacher told her with a sympathetic smile “Principal mentioned a new student, what's your name?"

"Rey" she said. Oh, she even had a nice name, great.

"Welcome, Rey. Please, take a seat.”

She eyed the class carefully as if she was examining her new empire about to rise, then her golden eyes found yours and that malicious grin she had when you met her on the hall was back on her face.

Rey walked across the room with everybody watching her every move but she kept staring at you.

“Is this seat taken?” she said pointing at the chair where Rose usually sat, now only occupied by your bag.

“Well... yes“ you barely said when she pushed your things out of the chair.

“Not anymore” she said without giving an actual damn about the angry way you stared at her.

First the hallway, now this, oh this girl was really rude and you felt like you were really starting to hate her. Huffing you picked up your fallen bag, you were grateful most of the things stayed inside but there was a few things that landed very away from you to reach, nor Finn or Poe could, only her.

While the class kept its regular course you watched at the little notebook on the floor hoping to get it back as soon as the class was over but you weren’t the only one watching it, Rey followed your constant gazes and soon the little journal was on her power.

“What do we have here?” she said playing with it in her hands. “Seems like the little nerd has a journal.”

“Give it to me.” you murmured.

She gave you a short daring glance before she opened it and proceeded to pass some of the pages.

"Stop. Give it back!" You told her.

"Whatever" she said tossing it at you "nothing interesting anyways."

Just in that moment the bell rumbled through the air marking the end of the class.

"See you later, nerd" she said already on her way out of the place leaving you all pissed and unable to say a word.

"What was all that with the evil witch?" Poe asked in the hall, the small group walking to the next lesson.

"I don't know" you said still a bit confused "but I have a really bad feeling about her."

And you were right. Not only she proclaimed herself as the new baddie of the school that nobody would dare to even look at her the wrong way, she was even feared by you own brother who used to be the big bad guy always intimidating people. But she dedicated her time to make your life impossible, making jokes about you, pushing you in the corridor.

Often you found yourself cornered by her in the main hallways when nobody else was there to help you giving her whatever she would want, sometimes it was money and some days she had taken your homework to deliver (? It as hers. And as much as you wanted you couldn't do anything but stare at her, which only made the wicked smirk on her lips grow wider.

And the constant question in your head was why? What did you do to this girl to treat you this bad? But the months passed and the question was still unanswered.

Certain day you were just picking a few things from your locker while happily chatting with Rose, it was one of that lucky days the girl who was always pushing you around like if you were kindergartens was nowhere to be seen, you felt somehow relax when she was not near. But oh no, there she was, dressed in dark clothes as always, ready to make someone’s life miserable.

You caught her figure walking confident through the place and you prayed she would not noticed you and at first you thought so when she passed by your side as if you were no there.

Then Rose hitted the floor.

All the students in the corridor saw how Rey pushed your good friend making her stumble backwards, but nobody said a thing, nobody even dared to look at the scene for too long they all were used to that, all of them were afraid of Rey.

The evil lady kept walking as if nothing had happened but looking over her shoulder to dedicate you a satisfied grin.

“Rose, are you okay?” you offered a helping hand to your friend who took it glad you were there.

“Yeah, I’m fine” she murmured when she was back on her feet.

It had to stop. Rey made your days in school miserable but you never said nothing about it. She could insult you as much as she wanted, after all this time there were no more words she could use to make you feel bad, she could push you all she wanted but you wouldn’t allowed her to touch your friends.

“Hey!” you yelled and surprisingly she stopped, as well as all the people in the hall, curious to hear what you had to said to the one and only evil queen. “You owe her an apology.” you stared at her.

“Oh, I don’t think so, darling.” Rey said “The one that should be apologizing is her, for getting in my way.”

“Bullshit, Rey!” you scoffed “We all saw what happened.”

“Oh, somebody’s cranky.” she mocked as she walked in your direction, her steps echoing as she got closer, arms crossed.

“Somebody needs to shut up.” you raged which actually made her flinch for a matter of second and you saw the students around you trying hide the smiles forming on their faces.

“Y/N, forget it” Rose said grabbing your arm “It’s not worthy your time”

“It is, Rose” you assured her. Leaving her side you approached Rey more than you would usually do, you wanted to make sure she hear what you had to say. “I’ve had enough of your stupidity walking around the school as if you own it” you hissed “You can do whatever you want to me but I’m warning you, do not mess with my friends.” There was a strange mix of emotions on her face, not the confident smile on her lips, she looked rather confused, surprised.  “Now, Rey. Apologize”

“No.” she said. “Why you even defend her, Y/N. Is she your little girlfriend?”

“No, but what if she was?” you told her now getting closer to her. “What if, huh? would you have a problem with that too?” she gave no answer “Well at least I’d have a fantastic girl but you? No, you are going to end alone, because nobody wants an asshole like you and I assure you I wouldn’t date you even if you were the last person in the world. You don't deserve to be loved, Rey"

Rey's fist collided with the side of your face making you dizzy for a moment. There was a collective gasps.

"You really shouldn't have done that" you murmured before sending a punch to her face and it didn't take long for her to respond with a new punch.

Both blinded by the fury and lost in the fight didn't hear the people cheering around you.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The crowd screamed but you ignored them, the only thing you care about was dodge Rey's merciless hits. 

A pair of arms wrapped around you and pulled you from Rey's grasp, you heard Ben’s voice telling you to stop, only then you realized not only that at least half of the school was there watching the scene but you found Miss Holdo's disappointed face.

*****

"This behavior is absolutely unacceptable" Miss Holdo said way angrier than you had ever seen her. "Be thankful you're just getting a few days of detention. Do you realized you could have been expelled?"

Holdo's gaze travel from Rey to you and stayed gazing at you for a few seconds. 

"I have to talk with your parents. I want you two to think of your actions while I'm gone" the teacher said "Try not to kill each other while I'm not around." She added and before taking a last look at you she left you alone with Rey.

The first minutes you stayed in an awkward silence, watching at the clock hanging on the wall as it marked the slow pass of the time at the rhythm of the tick tock. It was going to be a really long detention.

The girl sitting a few feet away from you didn't make it any easier, the constant tapping of her pencil against the wood surface of the table was really stressing you out.

"Can you stop?" You finally broke the silence.

"Am I bothering the little princess?" She mocked.

"You're stressing the hell out of me" you told her.

"And what are you going to do? Punch me? Look where that took us." she said.

"You started it, Rey" giving her a cold stare you told her. Then both went silent again but the tapping didn't stop.

Unable to ignore the way she was drumming with the small pencil you stood up your seat.

"I said stop" you said taking away the pencil from her hand. Next moment Rey was also in her feet dangerously close to you as she used to do to intimidate you, but that power was not hers anymore.

"Careful, Solo" she murmured "You may have found some guts to speak up in front of people but right now it's just you and me alone and you don't know what I'm capable of" she glanced at you with fury on her hazel eyes. "So don't dare me."

She backed away and turned to her seat. She was right, there were just she and you in the detention room, no one else. It was time to get answers.

"Rey, why you treat me like this?" You asked.

"Because I hate you" she said carefree.

"But why? Since the first day we met you've been nothing but mean to me" you said "You didn't even know me and still you decided you hate me?"

"I hate losers and your the biggest one around here" Rey added.

"That doesn't makes sense" you took a step closer to her "I'm tired of just bear you pushing me and treating me like garbage"

"You are garbage, Y/N"

"See? this is what I mean" you said "You attack me again and again but why? Why me? What did I do to you to deserve being treated like this?"

"You wanna know? Fine" she said "but don't go crying with your brother after this."

"Go ahead" you murmured serious.

"You’re scum, Y/N.” she started “I know who you are, playing dumb all the time, being ‘dad and mommy’s perfect daughter’ but I think you’re quite the opposite, surrounded by a bunch of losers.”

“So you’re problem is that I have good friends? a family that cares for me?” you chuckled “I guess you don’t have that yourself and you’re just jealous that I have people who care for me.”

She stared at you with a killer gaze, that certainly made her angry and sure it was why she preferred to attack you when you were alone, so you would feel as alone and helpless as hers. But there was something else that she was still holding.

“What else, Rey?” you added “There’s something you’re not telling me, I know you just enough to know that.” 

You saw the big bad empress of the school doubting for a moment, almost fearing the words that were about to come out of her mouth.

"I hate the way you look at the other girls because I know you will never look at me the same way, the only times I get to be close to you you look at me with so much hate" Rey said a little too fast and too angry, frustration lying over her face while she was slowly getting closer to you "And I hate it that you're right, I don't deserve to be loved, but I hate it more that I fell for you anyways perfectly knowing I didn't have a chance to be with you"

There was a moment when the only thing you did was stare at each other, both of your not exactly knowing what to say, what to do.

Rey rushed in your direction “She’s gonna kick me again” you thought, bu she did something very different that you expected.

Carefully, Rey pulled you closer, crushing her lips against yours to lead a rough, desperate kiss. Her lips were surprisingly softer than you had expected, unexpectedly sweeter compared with the bittersweet words that often came from her mouth. You found yourself not pulling away immediately but rather intrigued by the way she kissed you, even enjoying it for a brief moment, forgetting whose lips were softly caressing yours. Until she pulled away.

Breathless, flushed and inches away from your face Rey examined your astonished features, her eyes scanning so desperately your face, wanting for a reaction maybe, waiting for a new fight maybe, but she only found you in conflict. 

“Fuck, I hate you!” she hissed. Rey rushed to grab her things and let the room as fast as she could, the slight pink adorning her face and you could swear you noticed a crystal tear running down her face though she was already far gone.

You sighed taking your place back on the seat, processing just how much of a crazy day it had been.

This was going to be one hell of a month.

Tagging: @1-800-depressedlesbian , @xgaygremlinx

(In case you want to be tagged for specific things or everything I write, just let me know)

[cagestark]

Masterlist

A (probably incomplete) list of my current works. While Peter is 18+ in all of these fics, other warnings vary. Please check the tags of a fic before proceeding. I also have a ko-fi where you can help a young stay at home mom (that’s me) feed her precious angel baby (that’s my daughter) by donating spare change. 

Starker Works: 

Indecent: (M) Tony gives Peter his first ride on a motorcycle. 

Poor Excuses for Gods: (E)  Hades!Tony is dying. Dionysus!Peter is a nice distraction.

Settling: (E) Peter wants to be taller than Tony. High heels help. 

Together: (G) Peter spoils Tony. 

In the Morning: (M)  Tony gets sad and jealous over how much time Peter is spending with Bruce. 

Powerful: (E) Tony seeks vengeance against Peter’s abusive ex.

Boiling Point: (E) Alpha!Peter is trying to seduce Omega!Tony but the man doesn’t even know it. 

In Pursuit of Fool’s Gold: (T) Prince!Tony falls in love with Servant!Peter. 

Breaking Character: (E) Tony and Peter are spies trying to take down a human trafficking ring. 

Tamed: (E) Tony Stark is a bad boy, the opposite of everything Peter is. And exactly what he wants. 

- Play: (G) From the Tamed-verse. Tony first sets his sights on Peter who is performing in the school play. 

Lifesavers: (T) Paparazzo Quentin Beck has pictures of Tony cheating on Peter.

Bringing Balance: (E) Tony is going into heat for the first time since Peter moved into the tower. Good thing the boy is a beta (only he’s not). 

Waiting Game: (E) Tony and Peter married out of high school and quickly divorced. They’re brought back together at their 20 year high school reunion.

Boredom: (E) Peter gives Tony a handjob during an Avengers meeting. 

The Third Idea: (E) Tony and Peter experiment with edging and orgasm denial.

Rose-Tints My World: (T) Peter fakes an orgasm on stage at a Rocky Horror Picture Show live screening. 

Permission: (E) Peter feels better when he cums with permission. Tony offers to be the one to give it. 

Playing Pretend: (M) Tony sees through Peter’s ‘good boy’ act. 

Defender: (E) Tony picks up a stray who sees the good in him. 

Proxy: (E) Peter asks if Tony knows anybody who will take his virginity. Tony knows...at least one person. 

Better Late Than Never: (E) Tony is a famous writer and Peter wins a meet and greet with him. 

Stopover: (E) Ex-hitman Tony meets barista!Peter at a cafe in a small town. 

Rebreak: (M) Tony falls prey to his addiction again. 

Playing for Keeps: (E) Homeless Peter saves Mafia Boss Tony’s life. Now repayment needs discussed. 

Better Late Than Never: (E) Peter wins a meet and greet with his favorite famous author, Tony Stark. But Tony is a mess. 

Such is Youth: (E) Peter gets high and blows Tony while the older man is driving.

Drabbles--Multiship:

Hands: (E) Peter can’t keep Tony’s hands off of him. 

Princess: (T) Mafia Boss!Tony left his Princess!Peter home alone all day. 

Fire: (G) Firefighter!Tony has to rescue teacher!Peter when the elementary school is on fire. 

Tip: (E) Silver fox!Tony runs a mechanic shop. He does some work for biker!bucky and Peter. 

Bath: (G) After Peter is hurt on a mission, Tony cares for him. 

Costume: (M) Peter and Tony meet at a comic con, and they flirt in-character.

Devotee: (E) Peter (with “help” from “friends”) tries to summon sex-god Tony.

Worth: (G) Post-endgame, established Starker reminds Bucky that he is worth sticking around for. 

Winter: (G) Tony and Peter’s first date is spent getting hot chocolate in the winter time.

Three: (G) Tony and Bucky find their second soulmate in barista Peter Parker. 

Gala: (G) The first time Tony takes his much younger boyfriend to a gala. 

Elevator: (E) Bucky and Peter try sex in an elevator and are interrupted by Tony.

Untouched: (E) Bucky and Tony conspire to make their lover Peter cum untouched. 

Arm: (E) The first time Bucky lets Tony touch his arm. 

Soulmate: (G) Tony and Peter find out that Bucky is their soulmate. 

Labwork: (T) An insecure Bucky spends time in the lab with flirtatious Tony and Peter. 

Care: (G) Peter and Bucky take care of Tony after he spends too much time in the lab.

Fae: (G) Tony unwittingly walks into a fairy’s ring and meets fae!Peter.

Tattoo: (M) Masochist Peter gets his first tattoo. 

Planner: (G) Wedding Planner!Peter and groom!Tony fall in love.

Burn: (M) Peter and Tony discover just how little Bucky cares about himself.

Poison: (T) Servant!Peter needs to testing King!Tony’s food for poison. 

Puppy: (M) Peter and Tony experiment with puppy!play.

Prom: (G) Popular!Peter asks Nerd!Tony to the prom. 

Assistance: (M) When Peter is the only one Bucky will allow to touch the arm, maintenance gets tricky (and arousing). 

Delivery: (E) Deliver guy!Bucky walks in on an intimate moment between Peter and Tony. 

Monitor: (G) Peter panics the first time his adopted daughter (with Tony) sleeps peacefully. 

Problem: (M) Tony has a sex problem with Peter. One only Bucky can solve. 

Strip: (M) While at a strip club after busting some Mafia baddies, Tony sees Peter’s moves. 

Deepthroat: (E) Tony teaching Peter how to deepthroat cock. 

Check Yes: (G) Morgan brings home a Valentine for Tony from a classmate’s father. 

Self Care: (E) Peter and Bucky try to convince Tony to leave his work and partake in self care. 

Tattoo: (M) Bucky notices that Tony has a tattoo. 

Collaborate: (T) Bucky and Peter put aside their differences and decide to collaborate on wooing Tony. 

Velvet Box: (G) Tony proposes to Peter, but Peter says no. 

Mistaken: (G) Tony asks Peter to make things official. Peter thought they already were. 

Convince: (E) Bucky tries to convince Tony that them having sex would be worth it. 

Fair: (E) Tony walks in on Bucky and Peter, and then joins them. 

Tattoo II: (M) Tony spots Peter’s new tattoo. 

Hex Party: (M) Bucky tries to make new Wiccan friends on campus. Peter and Tony make a mistake. 

Repay: (M) Peter patrols with a plug in. Tony has the remote. 

Countdown: (T) Peter begs Mr. Stark to be his New Year’s Kiss. 

Warm: (E) Tony comes home to find Peter keeping Bucky’s cock warm. 

Practice: (M) Peter convinces Tony to help him practice kissing before he has to do it onstage. 

Leaked: (M) Tony,  Peter, and Bucky’s sex tape is leaked to the public. 

Compete: (E) Tony and Bucky have a friendly competition for Peter’s pleasure.

Home: (G) Flash is convinced Peter is lying about living with Tony Stark. 

Reveal: (G) Tony and Peter reveal their relationship to Aunt May. 

Disorder: (G) Tony finds out that Peter has an eating disorder and vows to help him any way he can. 

Time: (G) After Peter lives a long and happy life, he’s reunited with Tony in a place where they have all the time in the world. 

WinterIronSpider Works: 

Caught in a Spider’s Web: (E) Prison!Inmates Bucky and Tony seduce the new young guard. 

Helping Hands: (E) Bucky finds a poor college student and brings him home.

Don’t You (Forget About Me): (M) MIT college student Tony agrees to let his roommate’s boyfriend pick their Halloween costumes. 

A Hole in the Head: (E) Bucky is the assassin hired by mob boss Tony to protect bratty Peter.

Tony Stark/Original Characters Works:

Gratitude: (E) Tony helps rescue a tiger and is thanked by a zookeeper. 

Original Works: 

Bottled Up: You sell drugs. I mean, emotions. 

Escape: Your deadbeat dad wants help with one last thing--escaping death.

[itsclydebitches]

Hello, everyone! I come bearing a new recap series to fill the void until Volume 8. This came about because a bunch of friends went, “Hey, this book is really bad” and I responded with, “Really? I should check it out!” Now here we are. 

Thrilling tale, I know. 

The rules for this project are simple: 

Each recap will cover a single chapter

Each chapter will be read as time and energy permit 

Each chapter will contain typos because such is life

Recaps are a general response to anything and everything I notice about the text. This includes positives, negatives, and the wishy-washy stuff in between. Despite the summarized conversation above, I’m not going into this with the intention of ripping BtD to shreds, nor am I looking to absolve it simply because it’s ~RWBY~. I’m attempting to be as objective as one human individual can be

However, given that there will be criticisms (a lot of them so far)... any rude messages taking issue with that will unceremoniously be deleted :) 

Onward! 

We open with Sun’s point of view as he wanders the streets of Vacuo in the very late night/early morning. We learn that he’s been back for a month, but it’s “only now that he felt like he was truly home.” Why that is isn’t made clear. There are two actions connected to this thought: getting into a dangerous battle and helping out a stranger. It’s up to the reader to decide which (or both) is what makes Vacuo feel like home to Sun, but either is going to say a lot about his characterization. Is he a Yang, only feeling like things are normal when there’s something exciting going on? Or a Ruby, attaching feelings of self-worth and belonging to his ability to help others? As said, it’s arguably both. 

To clarify this situation: Sun is following a group of three who in turn are following a woman. He says that they were “three goons who were up to no good. At least he’d assumed they were up to no good when he spotted them stalking a woman out of some new nightclub downtown.” Which begs the question, which is it? Do you actually know the three are “stalking” her or is this another “assumption”? Are they up to no good or not? Retroactively, their fight with Sun and the narrative connections to the rest of the plot seem to prove that they are indeed baddies... but Sun didn’t know this at the time. By his own admission he’s drawing very firm conclusions (they’re “goons”) based on circumstantial evidence. I’m torn between praising him for taking action - that woman is presumably safe now thanks to him - and acknowledging that this is a problem with our whole cast. All our heroes jump to conclusions like this and have very confident ideas about who is “good” and who is “bad” based on little to no evidence. Really, I take far less issue with this particular situation and its context (Huntsmen in training sees a woman potentially in danger and takes non-disruptive action to try and prevent a tragedy. That’s good) than I do this trend of characters “assuming” things about others across the series. 

But enough on that. Sun’s plan to keep an eye on the situation fails as they “somehow noticed him” despite taking extra precautions to keep out of sight. From this he deduces that at least one member, Brown, is a faunus because the faunus are much more attuned to their environment. Both due to biology and growing up trying to keep safe from humans. I find the bigotry part of that explanation to be odd. I’ll admit that I might be reading way too much into this. So far there’s a lot in this novel that’s not obviously bad but did make me pause and go, “Ehhh...” Just because this moment draws a line between the racism allegory and (literal) animal traits. Take a second to swap out the fantasy term of “faunus”: Character, as a black man, is more attuned to his environment because he’s learned to protect himself from white people.” There is something to be said for minority groups being more cautious in specific situations, or being wary of how they present themselves to new people, etc. But in this case faunus are supposed to just be more attuned to things 24/7 because of fantasy-racism, which sounds a lot like an evolutionary, animalistic trait that they... already have? Saying that the character with animal eyes and ears can more easily pick up on someone tracking him is one thing. Saying that the discriminated against character can more easily pick up on someone tracking him because he’s just hyper-aware at all times very much like an animal...that’s “Ehhh.” It’s one of those things I doubt I’d be paying any attention to if RWBY had given us better representation overall. It’s reached a point where the way the faunus are handled is so messy that any statement like this invites at least a dollop of suspicion. But I’ll leave that to others to cry “Yea” or “Nay.” 

So Sun is forced to confront these three. They wear masks and “matching silver armbands around their right biceps.” Sun thinks that they’re “just average gas masks” and thus way less scary than the grimm masks the White Fang prefers. All I could think was: 

Gas masks are plenty scary, Sun, you’re just watching the wrong TV shows.

These four start the obligatory pre-fight chit-chat which includes Pink calling Sun “kid.” Every time this happens I feel a tiny bit of my soul wither and die. The protagonists’ ages and the implications attached to them have been a thorn in my side since Volume 5. I mean, heaven forbid we acknowledge that these are teenagers often making immature decisions when the text itself keeps reminding us of how young they are. 

But I digress. 

As the fight begins Sun concentrates to activate his semblance and we’re given a rather strange flashback. Sun, along with his older cousin Starr Sanzang, are moving with their clan after their “previous settlement had become too attractive to Grimm.” Which is its own, massive can of worms labeled with the question “What suddenly makes a home ‘too attractive’?” But we have nothing else to work with there so I’m leaving it alone. The primary takeaway is Sun’s reaction to the move itself. He wants to know why they don’t fight and despite being told that a) not everyone in the clan is as strong as him and b) he has a tendency to be hotheaded (even though that’s presented as familial teasing), he’s not happy with those answers. It’s amazing how much of this characterization makes it feel like Meyers barely read the RWBY wiki, yet he’s simultaneously managing to hit on a lot of the series’ major themes - including the idea that heroes must never, ever retreat. We could easily take Sun’s thoughts and chuck them into any of Team RWBY’s heads during Volume 7 and you’d be good to go. Not standing and fighting when that would likely mean your death? The horror! 

This perspective also (for me) says a lot about his semblance itself. This is the moment where he starts working towards it, so given what we know about semblances, souls, and the circumstances in which they’re developed, I’d say his emotional state is pretty important. Sun wants to stay and fight. He’s told that not everyone is powerful like him. He’d need more people in order to defend his home. Then he literally creates more of himself to help him in battle. Problem solved. 

The strange part is what kick-starts this development. Sun sees a magical (???) tree that appears to him and him alone. It’s “a desert willow, green and flourishing with white, rose, and violet flowers” and it’s what he focuses on whenever he needs to draw on his semblance. It’s unclear what, if anything, this tree is meant to represent. There’s obvious symbolism regarding a “flourishing” plant in an otherwise desolate wasteland, but we are not (as of yet) privy to whether this tree is a real thing with a real, tangible connection to Sun. It would be easy to conclude that Sun just imagined it despite his own insistence otherwise, but in a story where semblances, magic, and gods do exist? Who knows. I hope this is going somewhere because it’s frustrating to drop something ~symbolic~ into a universe that’s supposed to be governed by concrete, magical rules and leave the reader floundering over how to categorize that.  

We come back to the fight where Sun decides that Brown was “both the leader of the group and the most dangerous. Why? Because he was hiding the most.”

Hold up. 

How do you know he’s “hiding the most” when they’re all wearing identical masks and doing the same, shady stuff? 

Why in the world is the concept of hiding things connected to leadership? 

Not going to lie, it feels like a dig at Ozpin. “Oh yes, the most secretive one must be the leader because we all know leaders do nothing but hide things. The two are so intimately linked that I can look at three people who are all acting suspicious, single out the guy who I’m assuming is a faunus based on no evidence, and thus further conclude - since he’s totally hiding that part of his identity - that he’s the leader here. Simple deduction.” 

Sherlock Holmes would be ashamed. 

More importantly, you know who’s also a dangerous leader who hides things? 

Oh, also this guy. 

But instead of acknowledging this we’re offered the simplistic explanation that this is the leader of the bad guys because only bad guys hide stuff. Right. 

I’m already getting the sense that Sun’s characterization - like Ruby’s - is going to suffer in this book. They should absolutely be written better given who they were when we first met them, but both end up being mouth pieces for the weird themes the story keeps insisting on including. To be clear, I’ve got a lot of issues with Sun in this story so far, but they’re issues that I don’t think should exist. It’s not “I dislike this character” but much more “I dislike this character but that’s only because you’re making them do and say really OOC things. Give me back the version of this character we had before.” There are characters I don’t vibe with and then there are characters who should be on my wavelength but the creators went and changed course somewhere. That’s always disappointing. 

(Aside #1: Can we just take a moment to acknowledge how awkward posing and answering your own question is when we’re supposed to be the PoV? That “Why? Because...” is incredibly jarring. I’m focusing on content over prose here, but the prose needs a whole lot of work in places.)

So Brown is apparently a faunus, and the leader, and hiding extra stuff because Sun says so. The two begin fighting in earnest (with Sun’s clones taking on the other two), but don’t worry, Sun has enough confidence to spare: 

“Brown had some kind of martial arts training similar to Sun’s – but he wasn’t nearly as good.” 

Brown proceeds to knock Sun down and disarm him. Easily. 

The fact that Sun can’t land a hit on this guy then causes him legitimate shock.  “‘Oh crap’, Sun thought. ‘I’m losing. How am I actually losing?’” I don’t know, maybe because you’re a second year student going up against an adversary of unknown age, origin, and skill? The confidence of all our characters is astounding to me. Doesn’t anyone ever question whether they can win a fight? Or acknowledge that losing one is expected? Both Sun and RWBYJNR seem to have come out of the Battle of Beacon thinking, “We have survived one (1) battle and therefore we are the best ever. Losing? Never heard of her.” There’s a difference between writing a confident character and writing a deluded one. Sun should not be blindsided by the fact that someone else in the world is more powerful than him. 

(For the record, the eternal exception to this is Toph Beifong. They really let a tiny blind girl say, “I’m the goddamn best” and made it fact. I am, and will always, be here for that.) 

Amidst this shock Sun thinks about Beacon and immediately shies away from those memories. I quite liked that. I wish the web-series did more to acknowledge how traumatizing that battle was (akin to what we got with Yang’s PTSD and Ruby’s nightmares before both were dropped), so I’m pleased to see nods to it here. 

Sun is just acknowledging how he probably should have brought some friends along when a copy of Tri-Hard lands nearby. Huzzah! Velvet is here! Sun should be pleased right, especially since he was just thinking about how much he needs help? 

“Great. Team CFVY (coffee) was here.” 

Ugh. Well this is frustrating to read. What precisely is going on here? Sun is the guy defined by “You should always get friends involved!” Then he ditches said friends to chase after Blake. While working through this decision he finds himself in a situation where he’s alone again largely because his team is mad at him. So he’s coming to terms with how much he misses and needs those friends... only to think a sarcastic “great” when someone actually show up to help him? 

He’s written as an asshole here. Velvet and Yatsuhashi save him - the three baddies use a smoke semblance to run off - but “Sun bristled at the implication that Velvet and Yatsuhashi had rescued him.” Can’t we have one character with a bit of humility? The writing attributes Sun’s attitude to a competitive school where prestige is everything. Team CFVY’s unexpected arrival and their subsequent fame seems to rankle... but we’re really going to ignore that they’re here because, you know, their school was destroyed and their headmaster murdered? I know that people think stupid, selfish things all the time (god knows I do), but it’s a bit much to have Sun be so over confident that he gets himself into serious trouble, get annoyed when he’s offered help, and then insist that he never needed that help in the first place. That kind of behavior rankles and for good reason. It’s fine as a flaw for one or two characters, but we’re seeing this across most of the main cast. Is no one able to look at someone outside their team and just go, “Thanks for the assist”? 

The one redeeming part of this scene is Velvet practicing her quips. I support her attempts to sound like a cheesy action hero. 

(Aside #2: There had to be a better way to deal with the team names other than writing “CFVY (coffee)”...)

As the three chat we learn that the rogue huntsmen Carmine and Bertilak may be involved with these shady characters, the missing people with powerful semblances, and I, who has not read the first book, learns about Gus, someone capable of amplifying negative emotions. There’s... a lot attached to that reveal, but I’ll leave it alone for now. It’s not fair to drag it when I’ve only gotten a passing mention. 

Alongside discussing Very Important Plot Points, the group dives into Sun’s difficulties with his team: 

“Besides, the guys are still a little annoyed with me for ditching them.”

“To chase a girl,” Yatsuhashi added.

“It wasn’t like that.” Not entirely. “Blake needed a friend.”

“And your team needed you,” Velvet said firmly. “After everything we saw at Beacon, with everything going on in Mistral—”

“They were fine.”

“But you’re their leader,” Yatsuhashi said.

“They’ll come around.”

“Maybe you would be able to regain their trust if you didn’t keep running off without them,” Yatsuhashi added, sheathing his great sword.

Sun narrowed his eyes. “I liked you better when you didn’t say much.”

Sun is, again, written as an asshole! It might be understandable that he wants to ignore all his mistakes, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating for those around him - or the reader. Like admitting that he needs help and then getting annoyed when he gets it, here Sun refuses to engage with the actual problems in his behavior. He won’t admit those mistakes. You ditched your team to chase after a girl. No, no, it wasn’t just about chasing her... Your team needed you. No they didn’t! You’re their leader. Pff what does that have to do with anything? It’s deny, deny, deny. On top of a mean quip at Yatsuhashi. I’m just reading this train-wreck like

I want to re-emphasize here (because I keep getting asks with the accusation) that yes, I do understand that stories need conflict and yes, I do want characters to have flaws. It’s just that lately RWBY feels like all flaws all the time, most of which are never even acknowledged as flaws. Which mean the characters aren’t improving. There are very few moments lately where I feel like our heroes are legitimately kind, or wise, or intelligent, or compassionate, and that’s making it hard to connect with them. Knowing what I do of the fountain scene with Yatsuhashi, Fox, and Neptune makes things even worse. Would it be so horrible for Sun to be happy that his friends came to help? Or not sneer at Team CFVY so much? Or admit that he messed up? It’s the amount we’re getting across the whole cast that’s a problem, alongside rejecting other conflicts that would be much more logical for the story and much more emotionally fulfilling (such as Team RWBYJNR disagreeing about anything). I find it exhausting to watch. And now read. 

I did, however, like Sun calling Yatsuhashi out on his own insults: 

“Besides, people have attempted [invading] before,” Sun said. 

“Back when Vacuo had something valuable, like Dust,” Yatsuhashi said. 

Sun whistled low. “Spoken like a true outsider. If you don’t want to turn Vacuans against you, you’ll stop making comments like that.” 

Yatsuhashi looked away. 

It’s a legit thing to call out. Please don’t imply that our city has no value now that we’re not producing this specific commodity. Sun expressed those feelings in a way that didn’t crucify Yatsuhashi, but let him know he’d spoken out of turn and helped him understand why he, as an individual, should care about changing his perspective (“If you don’t want to turn Vacuans against you...”). I’d say this is one of the better exchanges in the prologue, showing us unexpected sides to each character (Sun isn’t just a laughing goof, Yatsuhashi isn’t the wise Asian stereotype) without them feeling OOC. 

We then end the prologue with Sun promising to help CFVY with these investigations. Offering on behalf of his team without asking, that is. I’m sure that will go over splendidly. 

As a final note before I sign off, I apologize if these recaps are... bad? Lol. Yeah, we’ll be blunt and straightforward in that description. While working through this I found myself reiterating so much of what I say in the regular recaps + asks, just because these problems seem to be creeping their way into RWBY’s supplemental material too. Doesn’t mean it makes for engaging reading though. In addition, I found myself struggling to articulate thoughts on this prologue simply because I didn’t know what to make of these writing choices. What’s up with that tree? Why are Sun’s thoughts going around in a contradictory circle? What am I supposed to do with all these lines that grind the story to a halt because my brain goes, “Wait what?” The easy answer to all this is, “It’s not a well written book, Clyde” and yeah. From what I’ve read for myself and heard from others, fair enough. But I feel like there’s just enough here - that potential RWBY is known for - that I want to try and clearly lay out as much as I can... even if it still comes out a bit muddled. 

It’s summer. I just finished another massive project. There’s a pandemic on. My brain is as fried as my eggs this morning. If you’re okay with the outcome of all that, stick around :D

[ladyanput]

Seeing Red Ch.1

So, here's the long mentioned Seeing Red. The story takes place parallel to Seeing Green, just all of the junk with Eva you've missed. And it's rated explicit. Enjoy.

---

Evangeline sat on her hotel bed, her head in his hands as she felt her head throb hard. Today had been far too eventful for her liking, and she had nearly lost Marinette to that stupid Two Face villian. Eva had never been more terrified than seeing that gun pressed to Marinette's head, the trigger just inches from being pulled. It was only their second day in Gotham and they were already running into trouble.

"-And so I'm heading down."

Eva blinked and looked up, staring at Caline Bustier, who stood before her in a lovely little black dress and kitty heels. 

"What?" Eva croaked out, her eyes feeling heavy in her skull. She just wanted to sleep, to forget about today. 

"I said that the students invited me down for dinner, so I'm heading down." Caline repeated patiently, smiling at the TA as she grabbed her purse. "I'll be back up in a few hours." 

They had invited Caline, but not Evangeline. They never did, she was pretty sure the kids hated her, ever since she supported Marinette on her first day at that school. Well, except Adrien, he was a sweet boy, though a bit clueless on how the real world should work. But Eva did find herself pitying the boy… 

"Have fun." She spoke, watching her mentor leave, before standing. Perhaps she should go check on Marinette, lord only knows that Caline hadn't checked on the girl after her near death experience, thinking that she was 'strong and independent, fully capable of handling herself'. 

When she had first said that to Eva, she had wanted to spit on the French woman. But, of course, she had withheld, not wanting another lecture of keeping her temper in check while in Paris.

Once Caline was gone, Eva heard a soft tapping noise. Her brows drew together as she glanced around the room, trying to locate the noise, before drawing close to the window. Just behind that curtain, that was where the tapping noise was coming from.

Could it be a tree branch? No, she was on one of the higher floors. And it couldn't be a bird, it had a rhythm to it. Her body tensing up, prepared to bolt if she had to, she pulled open the curtains.

Only to see a man suspended in midair just outside her window. It took everything in Eva not to scream as she scrambled back from the window. It took her a few minutes to realize it was Red Hood that was dangling outside. Giving him a withering glare, Eva stormed up to the window and shoved it open.

"Are you trying to be a fucking stalker and give me a heart attack?" She snapped as Red Hood took the moment to slid into the room.

"No, I thought I'd drop by and see if you were okay. You did a gutsy move today." Red Hood crossed his arms, glancing around the room. "Small space."

"Yeah, well, the school couldn't exactly afford high-end suites." Eva responded dryly as she watched the vigilante carefully. "Not to be rude, but this could be considered creepy on so many levels; find a woman's hotel room and sneaking in through her window."

"Well I assure you, I'm not trying to be creepy." Red Hood shrugged, then crossed his arms. Eva couldn't help but notice the muscles in those arms, then found herself blushing when she remembered how it had felt being pinned under him at the mall earlier.

God, she really needed to get laid.

"Well you're doing a terrible job at it. Listen, is there something you need, Mr. Hood?" Eva eyed him once again, then promptly turned back to the vanity, taking her hair out of its bun carefully. "Because I've had a very long day and I'd like some sleep."

"I wanted to take you out for an evening stroll." He shrugged, then reached out and took her hand, giving a dramatic now. "A reward for your balls of steel today."

Eva's brows rose, as she weighed her options. On one hand, he could maybe kidnap her or plan to sell her into some sort of smuggling ring, but on the other hand Marinette told everyone she wanted to be left alone tonight, so Eva's only company would be Caline when she gets back. Yeah, the kidnapping was a preferable thing to choose.

"What would be on the agenda?" Eva crossed her arms, mimicking his stance as she felt herself smirk. "Gonna make me watch you beat up a bunch of baddies, hoping I'll get wet simply from the testosterone radiating off of you?"

The choking sound he made was beyond satisfying, a chuckle escaping her before she could stop it. Red Hood straightened and went to the window, pushing it open once again.

"Listen, I just thought you'd like a bit of fun before you head back to boring ol Paris, okay? So you wanna come or not?" He held out a hand to her. After a moment's hesitation, Eva reached out and took his hand.

---

Jason had to admit, he wasn't entirely sure why he went after his woman. Maybe it was that 'no bullshit' attitude she seemed to have when he confronted her back at the mall. Maybe he was simply being a hot blooded male and her ass had been on his mind a lot today. Or that he wondered if she had a pretty smile. Ah, the mysteries of life.

Red Hood wrapped an arm around Eva’s waist, her wrapping her arms around his neck in return. He quickly landed near the more questionable parts of Gotham, where he usually dwelled. He set her down on a ledge of one of those multiple stories with the weird gargoyles on them. He motioned for her to wait, before he jumped down into the alley. 

Eva frowned and brushed some snow off of the roof and took a seat next to one of the gargoyles closest to the building, pulling her knees to her chest. She had to be insane to come here, but the sight of the lit up Gotham was a pretty one. She was so caught up in the sight, she barely noticed when Red Hood landed back on the roof and handed her one of the bottles of beer he was holding. 

“Thanks stud.” Eva shot him a dry smile before cracking open the beer and taking a swig. She watched as he sat on the other side of the gargoyle, hiding most of his body, then listened as he cracked open his beer and took a swig. “It’s been a while since I’ve done anything like this.”

“What? Have a beer?” Jason’s brows shot up, but a smirk played at his lips. He stared down at the brown bottle in his hand and chuckled to himself. “You never just sit and have a beer?”

“Not really. I try not to drink often, I don’t wanna fall into the habits my father did.” She muttered, glaring down at the bottle, but took another swig and leaned back against the cold, damp stone of the building. “But what I meant was I don’t really get to relax like this. I always have to be this high strung bitch because the supposed teacher of my class is shit at her job.”

“You wanna talk about it? I mean, you ran in after one of those students today and nearly got shot, you looked like you could have used some relaxing or ranting. Shit, maybe I should have taken you somewhere to beat the shit out of someone, that always makes me feel better when I’m pissed off.”

There was a heavy silence in the air before he heard her let out a defeated sigh.

“You know the French class that won that big contest Bruce Wayne hosted a few months ago? I’m the TA for that class, but I wish to God that I could be their teacher because the one they have doesn’t do jack shit. She actually has the nerve to tell everyone to get along, she doesn’t reprimand bullies, and she knows this bitch of a brat Lila is lying, but she is convinced that it’s some disease that causes her to lie. It’s a disease alright, it’s called being a fucking psychopath! She’s accused me of being a pedophile before!”  Eva threw her hands up in the air, feeling her anger rise. Every part of her was suddenly telling her to shove it down, to stomp on it before those flames could blaze, but she let herself get angry, truly angry. She wasn’t in Paris, Hawkmoth couldn't reach her here. “She causes so many fucking akumas, but no one wants her to get akumatized, but there will always be akumas, there’s never not a fucking akuma in Paris! But hey, you think they'd put that in the brochure or something so that a young Canadian teacher who wishes to strengthen her French by going to France, the girl would not choose Paris, but noooo, that’d be bad for tourism, not the literal fucking supervillian that has made it so that Parisians can’t cope with their anger anymore because they’ve been groomed to never be angry ever!”

Jason closed his eyes and listened to this woman rant about stuff that had probably been on her chest for a long time. He smiled when he heard her chug her beer, then sighed. He began to take a swig of his own beer.

“I think maybe I just need a good, rough fuck. Maybe then I’d feel better.”

Her words nearly made him spit out his beer, but he forced himself to swallow. 

“Why would you want that?” He asked after coughing for a minute, setting down his beer. He felt his cheeks heat up as his mind wandered to less than savoury places.

“Because then maybe I’d unwind a bit. I’m always so worried or stressed lately, especially with Marinette almost getting akumatized last month thanks to that class of hers…”

He watched as she walked towards the edge of the ledge, setting a hand on a snow covered gargoyle. She could have looked back, could have seen his face, but she didn’t. Jason smiled at that and put his helmet back on. Slowly,  he made his way up beside her, setting a hand on her shoulder.

“Why did you run after that girl today? You know that was pretty reckless.” He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“Because I care about her. Not too many are caring about her right now and every part of my body is telling me to be there for this girl, to be… To be a part of her team. Her entire class excludes her, she’s this social outcast, save for the rest of the school who aren’t sharing one fucking braincell.” Eva sighed and turned, allowing Jason to stare deep into those vibrant purple eyes of hers. “I’m sorry, I went over all of my issues, but I didn’t let you talk once. That wasn’t fair.”

“I have brothers I can vent to, don’t worry about it. Besides, hearing you talk is kinda nice.” He shrugged, then blinked when there was a faint darkening to her eyes. 

“Tell me, Mr. Red Hood…” Eva smiled and wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. She could feel the warmth radiating off of his body and it made her shiver in delight. “Why would you bring lil ol me to a roof and get me some alcohol? Hoping to get lucky with a foreign girl?” 

Her smile widened as she listened to him sputter, taking a step back, but grabbing the lapels of his jacket and tugging him along with her.

“I have a proposition for you. I want a week of fun, no strings, kinky as we want sex. I know you don’t know me, and I sure as hell don’t know you… But, what do you say?” At his silence, she let out a chuckle and leaned closer. “Unless you don’t think you can handle it.”

He was silent for the longest time. So long that Eva’s alcohol buzzed brain began to panic. Wait, what if he was ace or gay? Or was already in a relationship? He didn’t know her, why the fuck would he-

“You really sure you want this?” Red Hood leaned close, grabbing her wrists and giving them a light squeeze. “I’m not some gentle giant.”

“Oh, I certainly hope you aren’t.” Eva let out a lustful purr before she could stop herself. 

“... Tomorrow night, I’ll be there around six thirty, got it? I’m taking you somewhere and we can work all of these pent up emotions out of you.” He hissed at her softly, making her tremble. “No excuses.”

“No excuses.” She agreed and grinned.

He took her back to the hotel, giving her a playful bow before he went back out into Gotham, disappearing into the night. Eva smiled as she kept the window open, watching him go.

“Evangeline! What are you doing with the window open, it’s freezing!” Calina snapped as soon as she stepped into the room, scowling at the TA. Eva didn’t respond as she shut the window, the dopey smile still on her face.

Taglist: @chocolate1721 @the-navistar-carol