#Lab Rats: Twisted AU

[recreationalfanfics]

Twisted Wonderland x Lab Rats Crossover HCs

The world's first bionic superhumans.

They're stronger than us. Faster. Smarter.

The next generation of the human race is-

STUCK IN TWISTED WONDERLAND?!

Because I'm hyperfixtaited and love making crossovers, I've decided to make a crossover where YOU can choose which Davenport sibling you want to be and what dorm you'd be sorted in and what your life would be like as a bionic human in Twisted Wonderland. The reader will be using gender neutral pronouns but if I overlooked some please let me know!

Feel free to send in asks or questions about this AU!

Before We Get Started:

- Ace and Deuce are still your very first besties and are the ones who meet you first.

- Grim is your precious kitty and still calls you his bionic henchuman and definetly uses you to get out of situations he got himself stuck in.

- I'm sorry but Crowley is so Donald Davenport coded so you're not as surprised or annoyed by his narcissistic tendencies.

- You've been here at NRC for a while, as a result, Ignihyde managed to build you a bionic recharge chamber in Ramshackle.

- I haven't finished book 7 yet so pls keep that in mind.

- I'm rewatching the show currently but I'm not following any specific timeline.

Adam Davenport! Reader:

- The thembo of your siblings and now, of NRC.

- Okay, but imagine that you see your little brother, Leo, in Ace and Deuce. Ace obviously reminding you of Leo's more mischievous and clever side and Deuce reminding you of his more well-natured and clumsy side. As for Grim, HE'S LIKE THE PET YOU NEVER GOT TO HAVE.

- The fact that you're living at a school is your worst nightmare though. Trien and Crewel have you absolutely stressed😭 During studying sessions, Ace and Deuce get somewhat annoyed with you but they do know it doesn't come easy so they help you study by explaining it to you the same way they would to a five year old.

- But, thanks to your awesome durability that you keep hidden from teachers, if you guys ever feel unprepared for a test then you just casually fall down the stairs and Ace and Deuce act all worried for your safety and BRAVELY volunteer to skip class. However, you kept using it as an excuse a bit too often much to Ace and Deuce's dismay so they eventually caught on.

- You are the BANE of Riddle's existence, you have no regard for the rules AND you aren't able to be collared. Much like how it is with Floyd, Riddle openly despises you but unlike Floyd, YOU DON'T CATCH ON THAT HE DISLIKES YOU. Which makes him feel guilty and puts him at an impasse.

- Since Riddle's collars only work on people with magic, imagine that you can just rip it off with your bionic strength. When Riddle first used his unique magic on you, Ace and Deuce were in ramshackle when you walked in with one of the collars on.

Ace: "OH NO, RIDDLE PUT A COLLAR ON Y/N!"

You: "Haha, guys, check out this dope friendship necklace Riddle gave me! I'm gonna take it off and put it somewhere safe! AW, MAN, I BROKE IT....I'm gonna ask me to make another one!" and then they have to stop you.

- LOWKEY, SAVANNACLAW IS THE PERFECT PLACE FOR YOU. The other guys love having you there but also, they will be nicer to other students because you are still a hero after all. When you see them messing with other people, you lift them up and put them in air jail.

- You're like Leona's little court jester ngl. While you're not a complete idiot, you're pretty foolish and it can get entertaining for a while but when you get a bit too destructive, he will have Ruggie escort you out. He likes to take naps on you, though, especially because if someone disturbs him then you shoot a warning shot with your laser vision and are all: "SHHH! The kitty is sleeping!" But if Grim chooses to kick Leona out of your lap, you 100% obey your favorite kitty.

- Jack is your one-sided rival. He wants to be just as strong as you and demands to train with you. He even tries to copy your work out regimen and kinda stalks you to try and learn how you're so strong but then he sees you casually lifting up the sports shack for Vargas.

- BRO, AZUL WOULD 100% TRY TO PUT YOU IN A CONTRACT. A strong bionic superhuman with laser vision AND the ability to breathe underwater whose incredibly stupid and naive? It's like you were sent to him by the Seven themselves. So Ace, Deuce, and Grim and your other friends have to steer you away from him.

- Azul: "Y/N?~ Would you be interested in a deal!"

- You: "Yeah, sure! Just let me finish my applesauce."

- Ace: "Y/N, NO! You're not allowed to make deals with Azul, he's a shady businessman, remember?"

- You: "Ooooh, okay. Sorry then, but I can't."

- Floyd: "Silly Tiger Shrimp, it's opposite day!~"

- You: "Okay! Sorry guys, I have to make a deal with Azul- Wait, I mean NOT make a deal with Azul! Hehe~"

- KALIM IS IN AWE OF YOUR STRENGTH, Jamil thinks that you're a clumsy and reckless fool and he doesn't trust you around Kalim. Like, Kalim was talking about how Jamil is so awesome at basketball and in awe of how high he jumps so you're all: "Haha, wanna see what it's like?" and Jamil walked in on you THROWING THE HEIR OF THE AL-ASIM FAMILY AT A HOOP.

- Jamil: "KALIM, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?"

- Kalim, on the ground: "THAT WAS AWESOME!"

- You're not allowed in Scarabia without supervision, nevermind that you have to be a certain distance away from Kalim because JAMIL REFUSES TO LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN.

- YOU ARE EPEL'S HERO, HE TOTALLY LOVES HEARING YOUR STORIES ABOUT SAVING YOUR WORLD AND THINKS YOU'RE AMAZING. Like, Vil is forcing you to sit down for a makeover and you're all: "Oh, this is like the time I had to sit still to get ready for my interview after stopping an asteroid from hitting the planet." and Epel is all: "AWESOME!" and Rook is next to you and is all: "Tell us more about this enchanting tale, mon cœur brave!~" and Vil is trying to stop you from eating make up.

- I'm sorry but Epel would so try to convince you to throw Plasma Grenades at Vil when he's overblotted😭 and he's all: "What!? I'm sure it won't hurt him that bad!"

- During book 6, YOU ACTUALLY DON'T THINK IDIA'S FAMILY HQ IS THAT CREEPY and you feel so nostalgic. Like, they go through the sanitation station and you're all: "Aw, this reminds me of my capsule back at my dad's lab in his basement...I miss my dad...and Bree and Leo and Tasha...and beating up Chase...AND CHASE!"

- But when you're fighting the other overblot monsters, that's when you show how much of a competent hero you are. You're protecting everyone and keeping them safe, as well as doing your best to keep the monsters away as your fellow classmates try to recharge the thunder spears.

- Idia would totally want to uncover your bionic biology to see if he could improve upon Ortho and you're just there like: "WOAH. At least take a bionic person out to dinner first before you ask to dissect them, man-" and Idia just being all flustered.

- YOU AND ORTHO being technogically advanced buddies, obviously there's huge differences between you guys but YOU AND HIM JUST HAVING SLEEPOVERS AND IT'S JUST YOUR CHARGING PODS BEING IN THE SAME ROOM. Anyways, he totally brings out the older sibling instincts with you and Idia kinda tolerates you and your thembo ways.

- MALLEUS THINKS YOU'RE SO FUNNY and he just laughs when you say something foolish but Sebek is all: "STAY AWAY FROM LORD MALLEUS, your ignorance is an insult to his majesty!" and you just kinda wanna bully him a little bit because he reminds you of Chase but in a bad way. When Silver falls asleep, you just carrying him around and stuff because he's your friend! Lillia also finds you amusing as well ngl, you're such a spirit young individual.

Chase Davenport! Reader:

- OKAY, BUT YOU LOWKEY PANICKED AT THE REALIZATION OF NOT BEING IN YOUR WORLD. Not only because you're in a strange and totally unfamiliar world but BECAUSE YOU'RE NO LONGER THE SMARTEST PERSON.

- Ace and Deuce during the detention thing were just staring at you weirdly as you read and try to get as much information on the world of Twisted Wonderland as much as possible. Grim literally having to sit on all of your books or swat them out of your hands.

- Even though you respect and like rules, you think that the ones in Heartslabyul are kind of excessive but YOU STUDY THEM REGARDLESS because you will not be caught lacking. So when Ace and Deuce come to you and they're collared, you're all: "Ha, let me guess, you forgot to take your shoes and wear them around your neck today, huh? Amateurs." and they just glare at you or roll your eyes.

- Despite that, as an experienced team leader, you can somewhat influence the Adeuce doubt and Grim to listen to you and they do respect you to some degree when you're not being a know it all. GRIM WILL BRAG ABOUT HOW SMART YOU ARE and try to convince you to let him copy your work and you're all: "Grim, when you cheat, you're only cheating yourself." and he just hisses at you and you roll your eyes.

- Tbh, I love the idea that when Riddle went through his Overblot, you were using your bionic supervision to analyze the threat but then Ace punched Riddle and you're all: "Oh, okay, that works too, I guess."

- While Adam! (Y/n) would fight the Overblots, your concern would lie in protecting your fellow students so you tell Adeuce and Grim and any other students to come close to you and you activate your force field to protect you and them.

- During the whole Savannaclaw thing, you were the first to figure out about Leona's whole plan but you were quickly humbled when he Overblotted. When he's done, you and him bond about being younger brothers with older brothers. TO BE FAIR, Leona admits that you have it worse because Falena doesn't constantly throw him around.

- Also, if you have a sensory overload because of your enhanced senses; I can totally see Savannaclaw kind of having a room to calm down because, like, they're Beatmen. You don't necessarily like Savannaclaw but they do think your martial arts skills are cool.

- DURING THE EVENTS OF BOOK 3 IS WHEN YOU ACTIVATE YOUR COMMANDO MODE and everyone meets your alter ego, Spike. Like, Floyd is threatening you and your commando app takes over and you and him duke it out. When you finally take control, Floyd is all: "WE HAVE TO DO THAT AGAIN, DWARF SHRIMPY! THAT WAS SO FUN!" and you're confused while Jade is all: "Huh, who knew Bionic Humans can be so interesting and complex!"

- But yeah, while Azul took you as a fool, you do a very good job at finding loopholes and mistakes in his contracts to help people out of them. Which he would find respectable but sadly, that's bad for business. So much like he does with Jamil, HE WOULD SO WANT YOU TO JOIN OCTAVINELLE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE. IMAGINE THE PROFITS.

- During Schemer of the Scalding Sands, you totally agree with Jamil and sympathize with the fact that he never got to have a normal childhood. HOWEVER, he is still doing bad things and as a hero, you can't excuse that behavior. I can see you guys being good friends and bonding with each other.

- ALSO, Chase was always awkward girls so imagine that you're awkward around pretty people in general. Like, you meet Vil and your brain short circuits and you're all: "H-Hi!" or you'll be explaining things and Vil is all: "Davenport, I need you to help me with something!" and you just turn around to face him and you're all: "...Y-Yeah, sure! Okay! Wow, your eyes are so pretty-" You also totally agree with his perfectionism and not just because he's the most jaw dropping person you've ever seen but also because you're a perfectionist yourself.

- YOU'D BE IN THE SCIENCE CLUB WITH ROOK AND TREY. Mostly to learn about the amazing science of this new world but also, you show off a bit of science of your own. Trey is super impressed by your knowledge of chemistry and Rook is their like: "Oh, how does one become as smart and charming as you?" and then you just giggle and blush and you're all: "Haha. You don't mean that~...Do you?"

- LIKE THE REGULAR CHASE, YOU'RE ALSO A HUGE CUTIE. You would totally love to watch cartoons and play pranks on people except they're completely harmless pranks. Jade will do something to annoy you and you'll be all:

Y/n: "Jade might think he got the best of me but little does he know, I'll get the last laugh!"

Ace: "I've never seen this side of you before, Y/n. What'd you do?"

Y/n: "I switched his No. 2 pencil with a number 1 pencil. LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE SMUDGED NOTES, LEECH. CAN I GET A HIGH FIVE!?"

- And all of the first years just look at you and leave you hanging and you frown and you're all: "See, its perfect because No.1 pencils are higher in graphite and much softer, so they're more prone to smudging-" and they're all: "No, (Y/n), we get it. It's still stupid."

- I can see you hanging out in the Ignihyde dorm, mostly because they have all the resources needed to try and figure out how to get back home but also, I can imagine that after a few months of coaxing and bonding with Idia, you guys would become friends due to your love for your siblings and your awkward ways.

- I CAN TOTALLY IMAGINE YOU AND HIM GAMING WITH LILIA, aka, Muscle Red. I can also see that Ortho would adore seeing you and his brother getting along, until you both sneak out of gym together to go and play your video games.

- I love the idea that you would love to listen to Malleus talk about gargoyles and you'd look up things with your supercomputer brain. You also would love your guys' walks because he can talk to you and inform you more about the magic in your world and you can talk to him about the science in yours. Your mind is still getting used to the idea of magic but Malleus would totally love to see your views on everything.

- SEBEK THINKS YOU'RE AN INSOLENT HUMAN, how dare you think your stupid human brain can match to that of the Great Malleus!? But he does admire your dedication to knowledge. SILVER SOMETIMES DOZES OFF WHEN YOU TALK but you're used to it and sigh but Silver tries to assure you it wasn't because he was bored.

Bree Davenport! Reader:

- Much like the ICON that is Bree Davenport, you will 100% sass back Crowley. He has to ask advice from Mozus on how to approach you since he's handled sassy teenagers before but that knowledge is sadly limited when it comes to BIONIC sassy teenagers.

- Not to mention that you're very maliciously compliant with him. When he asks you to run an errand and tries to imply he'll turn off Ramshackle's electricity if you don't, you just roll your eyes and go do it. But NOT BEFORE YOU TRASH HIS OFFICE WITH YOUR SPEED.

- When it comes to Grim, you totally decorate him with cute little bows and pamper him but you guys also exchange witty comebacks and retorts once in a while.

- ACE WOULD LOVE TO PIGGY BACK RIDE YOU SO HE'S NOT LATE TO CLASSES. At first, you did it out of the kindness of your heart but when he kept trying to trick you or guilt trip you, you ended up just dropping him off on the opposite side of campus from his classes. He was made but Deuce defended you.

- You're a little bit of a romantic as well, sometimes bordering on delulu but to be fair; you were raised in a basement and occasionally allowed to watch high school musical dramas. And being sent to a magical all-boys college is a dream come true!

- Until you have to deal with overblots and the very real possibility of innocent people dying, then you're just reminded that this world isn't SUPER different from your other world but being a hero is a never-ending job.

- You don't really get along with Riddle but you and Cater would be such good friends, you carry him to take him to places he said would be so "magicamable" and you turn invisible and listen in on all of the juicy gossip so you can report back to him and you two can giggle about it.

- You would 100% be able to tame the rowdy Savnnaclaw students because size doesn't scare you. You would be a little bit of a simp for Leona because he fits your type and he gets kind of annoyed by it but when you go back to your usual sassy and fiery self, he does kind of think twice.

- As for Jack, he admires your speed and likes joining you on runs. You happily let him know whether he's getting faster than you or not, even if he knows it's not achievable to be as fast as you, you do a good job of helping him monitor his progress. He reminds you of a smarter more competent version of Adam!

- You and Ruggie would team up to sometimes do small jobs, only if he handles the gross stuff just because you personally can't, but delivery jobs are up your alley because of your speed and you guys split the profits.

- Speaking of profits, AZUL WOULD LOVE TO TRAP YOU IN A CONTRACT TO WORK AT THE MONSTRO LOUNGE. When you briefly took Ace and Deuce's place to work, you were a one person serving machine. Getting impatient when dishes weren't done fast enough, you ran in the kitchen and took care of everything yourself.

- However, he now tries to make it not so obvious because the last time he did, you created an tornado with your super speed and shot him and his creepy twins from it. Floyd thought it was the coolest thing ever and begs you to do it again, while Jade pretended to sniffle as he mourned about how, "rude bionic humans are to poor eels like them."

- As for Scarabia, after Jamil sends you guys into the dessert and they have to make an oasis, you're just there like, "So...I'm going to just speed my way back to the dorm. Meet you guys there!" and then you're off.

- I DO THINK YOU'D BE IN THE POP MUSIC CLUB WITH KALIM, CATER, AND LILLIA. So after the events of book 4, you do kinda make sure Kalim doesn't put so much on Jamil. Such as throwing a party and you help him with the decorations instead so Jamil can have a break or, at the very least, you handle the clean up yourself.

- Also, you're not as surprised as everyone else is when Kalim decides to forgive him, purely because your uncle/father was forgiven from killing you and your family multiple times.

- OKAY BUT YOU WOULD SO BE IN POMEFIORE, after all, you've longed to be an ideal sophisticated and classy version of yourself. However, it simply isn't possibly when you're around your brothers who love to mess with you and tease you. So Vil is your go-to when it comes to makeovers and bonding. I'M SORRY BUT BOTH OF YOU BONDING OVER BEING NEPO BABIES *but well deserving nepo-babies* and it's nice to finally have make up without someone EATING IT OR DOING SOME WEIRD SCIENCE THING WITH IT.

- Rook, per usual, will be a freak as always and try to hunt and stalk you like he does with Leona and the other non humans. According to him, you are "the most elegant of prey. With the eyes of a soulful bird and the speed of a gazelle." and you'll use your speed to run away from him but he would totally have a list of places that you would run too and meet you there.

- Like Bree, you always wanted to have a friend that was a girl so you totally mistook Epel as one and that did not bode well for the both of you. Still, you make it up to him and tell him about how being strong and manly isn't really all it's cracked up to be.

- When it comes to Idia, he gets so nervous and flustered around you because you're so...peppy. Whenever you speed into his lab, he gets all nervous and flustered. Sometimes you tease him about being a nerd but you mean it in a loving way. YOU ADORE ORTHO THOUGH. He's such a cute little guy♡

- When fighting overblots, I can imagine you use your super speed to evacuate everyone and use your invisibility to jump out and surprise them at the last second.

[loving-barnes]

LOGAN HOWLETT - NEED

A/N: CHAPTER TEN is here! I'm sorry it took me so long. I just had a lot on my plate. Enjoy!

Pairing: Logan Howlett x mutant female reader

Warning: I have decided to not give any warnings. Please remember this story is 18+.

Summary: Things move forward between Logan and Y/N.

Please, do not read if you are under 18. This story is suitable for mature audience. MINORS DNI!

Words: 4300+

Important note: Again, Logan is a tall MF, because they fucked up in the movies. Also, Hugh Jackman!Wolverine. This is set in AU.

A TOUCH OF HOPE MASTERLIST | Chapter Nine

LOGAN HOWLETT - NEED

Jean stood next to a hospital bed, looking down at unconscious Y/N. She had a chart in her hands, checking the data she collected the past three days. Three days - that’s how long Y/N was out of the present. 

Logan didn’t want to leave her side once they removed the collar from his neck. The wounds immediately healed, and he became a new person. Jean managed to send Logan away. He insisted on staying by Y/N’s side until she’d open her eyes. Luckily, Jean persuaded him quickly. Even Storm wanted to remain by her side all the time. The friendship between her and Y/N blossomed fast. 

When Storm arrived with the rest of the team, she was horrified when she found Logan wounded and weak next to an unconscious body. There was a slight fear Logan wouldn’t be able to heal from the wounds. When Hank and Jean freed Logan from the collar, the healing happened quickly. No one would tell he was fighting for his life hours ago. 

Jean enjoyed the silence in the medical room. The only thing she heard was the beeping sound of a heart monitor. 

The door to the room opened. Charles wheeled in, followed by Hank, Logan and Storm. Before anyone could ask anything, Jean gave them an answer. “No change. She’s stable, well, but still out.” 

Charles was the first to approach the bed. His hands caressed Y/N’s exposed forearm, where he kept staring at the lightly radiating skin. It was fascinating. Charles didn’t have an exact answer for that. All they knew was that it had to do something with her mutation. 

“You said it happened before?” The question was for Logan. 

“Yes. It was the day we saved the boy and came back here. I noticed her eyes glowing.” 

Charles thought about it. “Mutations can evolve. It is one thing you get to master your powers and manipulate them. In some cases, more abilities can be developed. I think this could be the case. Y/N’s mutation is evolving. I believe ner powers will rise to the surface very soon.” 

“So, what? You will test her like a lab rat,” Logan scoffed, not fond of the idea. “Hadn’t she had enough of that?” 

“I’m not saying we will test on her. That will only happen if she’d want to,” Charles said. “We have to wait until she awakes. It can be minutes, hours, or even days. Her mind is locked. I can’t get inside, no matter how much I try.”

“You said she created a force field around the whole school,” Storm looked at Logan. “Her energy got drained to the last bit. No wonder she’s been out for three days now. She’s never done anything like that before. She could have died.” 

Jean approached the woman on the bed. She grabbed her hand, scanning the skin. “Why has this been happening for three days?” 

“I forgot to mention one thing,” Logan cleared his throat. He crossed his arms over his chest. It got everyone’s attention. “The leader of the Trask unit that came to school was Y/N’s mother.” 

“What?” they all said in unison. All eyes were on him.

Logan nodded. “After the accident with Y/N’s sister, her mother joined Trask Industries. She wanted revenge for her lost child. Turns out, she became a respected, high-ranked person there.” 

There was silence. The information about Y/N’s mother was shocking. “That is a plot twist,” Storm commented. 

“Y/N didn’t know about it, just to clarify,” Logan added strictly. 

“She had her eyes on me since I escaped the lab in Salem,” said Y/N’s voice from the bed. 

They all turned to the voice. Logan was the first by her side, staring at her face. Her eyes were open a crack. She was getting used to the light. Y/N blinked a few times before her eyes moved to look at Logan. He saw that her irises were glowing like the colours of the force field - silvery and blue. When she blinked again a few times, they turned back to normal. 

“JJ was a trap,” she continued. “It gave away my location.  Because of me, the children were in danger. Everything that happened was my fault.” 

“No,” Storm walked to her from the other side. She grabbed Y/N’s hand. “You couldn’t know that would happen. All you wanted was to save the boy. And you did it. How could you know it was a trap? Also, you protected the whole school. The building is standing still because of you.” 

A yawn escaped Y/N’s lips. “Is everyone okay?” 

“Yes,” Jean nodded. She had a gentle smile on her face. “They are all back in school. Colossus took them away just in time. The building is standing, and it is all thanks to you.” 

“Good,” Y/N closed her eyes. “I’m glad no one got hurt.” 

Charles opened his mouth, ready to ask a question. Quickly, he shut it, dismissing what he wanted to ask. “We’ll talk later. Rest,” he suggested. 

As they walked away, Y/N opened her eyes and found Logan staring at her. His face was filled with worry. She winked at him. It was a sign to stay. Everyone left while he remained by her bed. The door closed. They were officially alone. 

Slowly, she pushed her body up until she was sitting. She stretched her arms. Logan got closer to the bed. Her eyes traced over his body. She realised he wore a simple black T-shirt that perfectly showed his muscles. Her mouth opened, almost dropping down on her lap. Damn. There was an urge to touch his stomach, to feel the abs underneath her touch. She clenched the bedsheet tightly.

“How are you feeling?” Logan’s voice brought her back to reality. 

Y/N gulped. “Tired,” she replied. “It might be because I’ve been out for… how long?” 

“Three days.” 

“That long? Shit,” she shook her head in disbelief. Y/N moved her body. She sat at the edge of the bed, legs hanging in the air. “How are you? What did I miss?” 

“A stamp of approval from Scott,” Logan laughed when he said that. “And I’m fine.”

Y/N’s mouth dropped. “Wow, I was expecting everything but that. Wait ‘til he hears about my mother being a part of Trask Industries. He will hate my guts once again. If not more.” 

Logan’s eyes took in every detail of Y/N’s face. She had an amused smile on her face. Her eyes were shining with her natural colour. Her hair was all messy and tangled. And yet, she was the perfect thing he ever saw. Logan couldn’t believe he was able to kiss her that night. That dammed night when they were attacked. 

He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Y/N noticed it. She took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for what was about to come. She could feel it in the air. It got thicker and heavier with lust and something beautiful. She didn’t have the time to whisper his name. Logan’s lips found hers in a feverish kiss. One hand grabbed her by the neck to pull her body as close to his as possible. He had to lean down to reach for her lips. 

Y/N’s left hand was feeling the hard abs on his abdomen. The other hand pressed against his cheek. She could feel the beard scratching the skin of her palm. How come he was so hot with that mutton chops beard? He could pull it off.

Logan broke the kiss. He sighed, annoyed. Y/N raised a brow. It was a silent question. She wanted to know why he stopped. “You’ll have a visitor in a few seconds.” 

“Ah,” she chuckled. Y/N found it amusing. Logan was visibly unhappy someone had to interrupt them again. On the other hand, she admired his advanced hearing. No one needed to know something was happening between them. It was too soon to show. The first thing they needed to do was to talk about it and define what this thing was between them.

As he stepped back, the door opened. Kitty walked in with Jerome by her side. Y/N’s eyes lit up when she saw him. “Hi, JJ!” A smile spread across her face. 

“He wanted to see you,” Kitty said when they approached the bed. “He heard us when we talked in the hallway. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course it is,” Y/N nodded quickly. Her eyes trailed to Logan. He had his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at the child. Y/N wanted to laugh at him. It was funny he was jealous of a kid. When JJ sat on the bed next to her, she patted his head.

“Are you feeling okay?” JJ asked her. “I’ve heard what happened. Everyone knows what happened. You saved the school!” 

Y/N blinked a few times. She didn’t know what to say to that. “Yeah, she did,” Logan stepped in. “She got to warn us before the attackers came.”

“That’s badass,” Jerome said excitedly. “How did you know about it? Do you have a new mutation? My friends asked about you,” he kept talking fast. “You are like a celebrity among the students. You are a hero,” he explained. 

“Oh,” Y/N was not pleased with that information. She didn’t want to be a hero. “There are better heroes out there. Look at Professor Xavier or Storm, Kitty… they are the real heroes here. I just did what was necessary.”

“I wish I could see it,” JJ sighed, upset that he wasn’t there. Colossus took him and the children to a safe place before the soldiers marched in. 

“I’m glad you managed to get to a safe place with Colossus,” Y/N dishevelled his hair. 

“How are you feeling, Y/N?” Kitty used the silence to ask her. 

“Tired,” she gave her the same answer as she had said to Logan. “Thanks for bringing JJ here. At least I know he’s well,” and she pressed a gentle kiss on top of the boy’s head. He slowly became the little brother she never had.

When Kitty took Jerome away, Logan was relieved to be alone with Y/N again. This time, he sat next to her on the bed. His hand found the back of her neck. He started to massage it. Y/N’s eyes closed. She almost purred. A moan escaped her mouth. Logan’s eyes widened at that sound, and he grinned. “That was a pretty sound. You should make more.” 

She glared at him. “Dirty mind.” 

When he stopped, he leaned closer. “Let me take you back to your room,” he whispered. He kept breathing in Y/N’s scent.

“Again, dirty mind,” she chuckled. 

Logan pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. “You are the one with a dirty mind. I didn’t mean it like that, princess.” 

Y/N watched as he got closer, wanting to kiss her again. She pressed an index finger to his lips, stopping him. “I need to do one more thing before we leave,” she said, staring into his eyes. She reached for one of his hands and brushed her fingers against his knuckles. “Scratch me with your claws.” 

Logan raised his brows, pushing away a little. “What?” 

“Please, do it,” she begged. “I need you to scratch me with them. You’ll see why.” 

“No,” he shook his head and pulled away from her. His eyes focused on the floor, frowning. “I’m not going to hurt you.” 

Y/N rolled her eyes. “You will not hurt me, I promise you. I need to see something. Either you will scratch me with a claw, or I will find a knife and do it myself.” 

He growled like a wolf. When Logan clenched a fist, one of the claws slowly came out under his skin. He then turned his body to her. Y/N prepared her forearm. Before he could change his mind, Logan cut into her skin, making her bleed. A second later, the wound lit up like the colours of her forcefield and started closing in front of their eyes. 

“Shit,” she mumbled. “I didn’t know I could do that. That’s new.” 

“Damn,” Logan sighed. “That explains why we didn’t find any bullet wounds on your body. There was blood but no gashes. You can heal.” 

“I can heal,” she nodded. Y/N buried her face into her hands, sighing loudly. “Holy shit, I can heal. That might explain why I could remain alive all these years in the labs. I know it happened when they attacked us. I remember being shot. I remember the pain. When I looked a few seconds later, the wound wasn’t there. I just needed to be sure that it wasn’t a hallucination.” 

Logan grabbed one of her hands and pressed a soft kiss on top of it. It was a sweet, loving gesture. “Come on, princess. I’ll take you to your room.” 

“Aw, such a gentleman,” she patted his beard-covered cheek playfully. “I should get wounded more. You’ll treat me like a princess every second of my life,” she teased. 

“Very funny.”

They left the lowest level underground. Logan kept her close to him but didn’t touch her. They kept some distance between them in case someone decided to appear out of nowhere. He kept an eye on her in case she would show any sign of weakness. 

The atmosphere changed when they arrived at the main level. The students were walking around the hallways, chatting. None of them were holding books. It meant only one thing - it was already afternoon. 

One by one, they turned their attention to Logan and Y/N. When they found their teachers walking down the hallway, they stopped talking. The attention was now on them. Fingers were being pointed at them, as well as whispers spreading around. 

“That’s her,” someone said. 

“She saved the school.” 

“They protected us.” 

“She teaches English.” 

“I want to be as cool as them.” 

“Miss Y/L/N can make forcefields.”

All Y/N could hear in her mind was freak, weirdo, murderer. You killed her! You killed my baby!

Y/N closed her eyes and stopped walking. The attention was unpleasant. Logan noticed her face. His hand found Y/N’s lower back. It was a gentle gesture. He pressed his fingers lightly against her. Logan kept watching her face. He could see how her breath quickened. “You okay?” he asked. 

Y/N gave him one gentle nod. When she opened her eyes, they started to travel around the place. They captured every single child that was staring at her. Their looks were different. The thoughts that were screaming inside her mind eased. They were barely whispers. Before, she’d feel like the biggest weirdo on the entire planet. Now, the feeling was different. She didn’t want to run away from it. Y/N was aware that she and Logan protected the whole school. 

Y/N continued to walk through the crowd of students. She headed to the stairs with Logan close behind. No one asked a thing. No one wanted to talk to her. Y/N appreciated it all. 

“The kids look up to ya,” Logan said when they climbed all the stairs to the third floor. They stopped in front of Y/N’s room. “They always do when someone becomes a hero,” he made a face. 

“I’m no hero,” she shrugged. It made her feel uncomfortable. “I only did what was necessary.” 

Logan sighed. “You sure you’ll be fine?” 

She leaned against the closed door and smiled. “Yes, I will. Thank you, my knight in shining armour. I shall give you flowers for your bravery,” she bowed to him a little, laughing. 

“Text me if you need me, and I’ll come to you, princess,” he winked at her.

Y/N walked into her room. She closed the door, sighing. Logan left without a kiss. Why was she so upset about it? Rolling her eyes, Y/N walked to the bathroom. She needed to shower the last three unconscious days and a fight where she came face to face with her mother.

. . .

It was ten in the evening. The whole school was silent. The students were in their rooms, already asleep. During school days, they all had to be in their dorms before nine. 

Y/N was inside her room the whole time. After a long hot shower, she changed into fresh clothes. She then fell asleep on her bed for a few hours. Her body was tired. It called for a nap. Now, she was sitting on the bed, finishing a French braid. Y/N could smell the coconut shampoo on her body. Her mind kept wandering to Logan, her mother and back. 

How is it that when something nice was happening, a shit from the past had to appear at the exact moment? Shaking her head, she tied the end of the braid with a rubber band. 

There was a knock on the door. Before Y/N could open her mouth, the door slowly opened. Logan walked in, frowning. When he noticed her sitting on the bed, his face softened.

“What’s with the face?” she asked, grinning. 

He closed the door behind him and approached the bed. “I was worried, okay?” 

Y/N kneeled on the bed, laughing. “Aw, that is so sweet. The big bad Wolverine was worried about me.” Her eyes watched as he took a seat next to her. “I’m sorry for giving you wrinkles. I fell asleep after the shower.” 

Logan huffed, nodding. And then, in a mere second, Logan grabbed her into his arms. One held her by the waist while the other was behind her neck. Their lips connected in a sloppy, passionate kiss. At this point, Y/N wasn’t even surprised by his sudden action. All she could do was think about him - his lips, his touch. Their tongues pressed together, mouths sliding hungrily. They got lost in their passion. 

“I was worried about you,” said Logan when their lips disconnected. “I was going crazy watching you unconscious on that damn bed,” he admitted. “I’d be really pissed if something happened to you.”

Her finger gently stroked the bridge of his nose. “When I saw you with that collar, powerless, I knew I had to do anything to protect you. You became a simple mortal human being. It wasn’t nice to see you all wounded and defeated. I was worried that…”

Logan’s brows raised. “What?” he asked softly. 

“We wouldn’t be able to start whatever it is between us,” she looked away. 

Logan sat on the bed and brought her onto his lap. His hands held her by the hips, gripping them tightly. Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts to his chest. “Oh, princess,” he sighed, staring into her eyes. They travelled to her lips. “Good thing we survived. We can now continue where we left off.”

Y/N felt the thrill rushing through her body. However, her face heated up. Suddenly, she was shy. Logan saw it all. One of his hands rested on her cheeks. “Don’t go shy on me now, sweetheart,” he chuckled. 

Y/N playfully rolled her eyes. “Well, the last time I had something with a guy was over five years ago,” she made a face. 

“We don’t have to…”

“But I want to,” she stopped him by pressing a finger to his lips. “I want to, Logan. I-” Her eyes scanned his green ones. There was something on her lips she wanted to say. It was too soon to confess. Y/N knew what she felt for him, but she didn’t allow herself to say it out loud. After she swallowed the truthful words, she said, “I want you.” 

The air changed in the room. With a gentle touch, Logan traced the curves of her body, feeling the tremble of excitement beneath his fingertips. As their lips met in a tender kiss, they both felt the rush of passion surge through them, melting away any lingering doubts or inhibitions. 

The first pieces of clothing were gone in mere seconds. Logan took off Y/N’s T-shirt, showing her exposed chest to his eyes. He licked his lips as his eyes observed her beautiful breasts. When Y/N took off Logan’s white tank top, her nails lightly scratched his chest, enjoying the feeling of him under her fingertips. Slowly, they undressed each other, savouring the unveiling of skin, each moment building the intensity of their connection.

Y/N expected that, at some point, Logan would become rougher and impatient. She was surprised when he took his time and didn’t rush things. His touches were gentle and loving as if she were a fragile doll that would break under his touch. 

“You smell so good, princess,” he growled. His mouth wrapped around her hardened nipple and sucked on it. He was rewarded with a moan. He sucked on it, circled it with a tongue. When he let it with a pop, Logan looked at her, grinning. “Next time, I will fuck ya like the naughty girl I know you are.” 

“Logan,” she whispered his name. 

He continued to lavish attention on her breasts. His mouth moved from one nipple to the other, alternating between bites and licks that sent shivers down her spine. He loved how she responded to his attention – it only fueled his passion further. 

The moans kept escaping Y/N’s lips after every touch, every stroke and lick. The sound of her moans and gasps filled the air, making Logan’s dick throb painfully.

He grabbed her by the waist and laid her down on the bed. He positioned himself between her legs. “What a beautiful view,” he commented, eyeing her naked upper body. 

Her hands reached for the big belt he wore. Y/N unfastened it, unbuttoned the jeans and pulled down the zipper. She realised he wasn’t wearing any underwear. Y/N’s brows raised up, and she grinned at him. She was met with his semi-hard length begging to be taken out of the jeans.“You like going commando?” 

“I was in a hurry,” he said, grinning. 

Y/N took him out, stroking him slowly from tip to base. She felt him twitch under her touch. He had a nice dick - perfect length, veiny, and he trimmed his pubic hair around his penis and balls.  She heard him moan and curse under his nose. 

“Fuck, baby girl,” his eyes rolled into the back of his head when she squeezed him harder. He stopped her movements.  Logan took her hand off his throbbing member. He brought the hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “I want to be inside of you.” 

Logan took off his jeans while his eyes remained on Y/N’s movements. He followed her hands - how they reached for the hem of her shorts. She took off the fabric with panties, and she exposed her pussy for his eyes to see. “Fuck,” he growled. 

Once they were both naked, Logan positioned himself at the entrance of her wet pussy, looking down at her face with a mix of determination and desire burning in his eyes. He ran his thumb along her clit, making her squirm. 

One last kiss before he positioned himself at her entrance and slowly pushed in. He watched Y/N’s reaction carefully, seeing the way her face contorted into a mixture of pleasure and anticipation. “Shit,” he cursed. “So tight.” 

He started to move slowly, allowing their bodies to become one. Logan didn’t want to hurt her. His eyes were locked with hers with every move he made. He wanted to take his time, to savour every moment of being inside her, feeling her surround him completely.

“Fuck,” she gasped. “Faster, Logan. Please.” 

Hearing her pleas, Logan's feral instincts kicked in, and he responded by increasing the pace of his thrusts, driving into her tight pussy with forceful strokes. He watched her breasts bounce with every snap of his hips. “You are so fucking pretty like this,” he praised her. 

Another loud moan escaped Y/N’s lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pressed him closer to her body, pressing her lips against his in a feverish kiss. It was sloppy and dirty, all tongue and teeth. One of his hands sneaked between their bodies. His thumb found her clit, and he started to toy with it. 

Her walls clenched around his length. “Ah, fuck!” she gasped. “I’m so close.” 

“Good, baby girl,” he said hoarsely. “Don’t hold up and come for me, pretty girl.” 

He heard her cry out and felt her body tense as she approached climax. Logan increased the tempo of his movements even further, driving himself into her. He watched as Y/N reached her peak. Her eyes closed, walled gripped his cock tightly as waves of pleasure ran through her body. 

Logan’s release followed a few seconds later. At the last moment, he pulled out and spilt his seed over her lower belly, grunting. “Ah, fuck, fuck,” he cursed. 

Logan’s chest heaved with each laboured breath. The scent of sex and sweat filled the air around them as they lay there, spent and satisfied. Y/N turned her head to look at him. She watched as he breathed heavily. A smile appeared on her lips. 

“Damn,” she whispered. 

He turned his head, catching her eyes. Logan grinned at her. “That’s it?” he teased. 

“I am speechless. Isn’t that enough?” Y/N winked at him. She rolled to her side, snuggling her naked body to his. Her fingers absentmindedly started to stroke his chest, brushing through some of the hairs. 

Logan managed to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. “How are you feeling?” 

Her eyes locked with his. “Happy,” she replied simply. 

“How about one more round?” he suggested.

Y/N smacked his chest playfully. “Insatiable man.” 

He grabbed her hand and led it down his body to his hard length. Y/N wrapped her fingers around his cock. “What can I say. I can’t get enough of you.” 

She giggled. “Cheezy. Fine, one more round.” 

“This time, you will ride me, pretty girl.” 

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

Steddie Upside-Down AU Part 96

Part 1 Part 95

Mom makes him go home when he starts dosing on Steve’s hospital bed. But it’s okay because she kisses Steve’s cheek before she leaves, and Eddie and Wayne stay parked by his side. 

The connection’s easier now. It’s like all that time straining for Steve has snapped something into place. He can feel them all the time, a warm buzzing in his chest. He wonders if he runs hot now. If the warmth will diffuse through his whole being, make coats obsolete even in the dead of winter. 

Hopper is waiting for them in the waiting room, El burrowed into his side. She looks wan, and tired, drooping into her extravagant coat, eyeliner running down her cheeks like she’s been crying. Something inside him twists when he looks at her.

Before he can untangle that knot of emotion, Hopper stands up, both hands slapping against his knees first the same way Mike’s dad does before he gets up from his recliner. “You ready to go?” he asks, not looking away from Mom. 

When Will glances up, Mom’s smiling up at Hopper in a way he doesn’t want to think about. The adults talk quietly in front, leaving El to stumble tiredly along beside Will. She’s staring at the side of his face. Will can’t bring himself to look back. 

“Steve,” she says, sounding the word out and making it longer like it still tastes foreign on her tongue. “He is okay?”

When Will gets up the courage to look over, her eyes are big and worried. He smiles at her helplessly. It’s almost funny how innocent she looks; like she’s a bunny dressed up in punk clothes. “He’ll be okay.”

She smiles, small and close lipped, but it still beams out of her like the sun. Will tilts his head to the side and tries to see what Mike sees in her. He wants to hide her in Castle Byers, build a fortress around her, and keep her away from all the lab people for the rest of her life. 

Is that howMike felt, hiding her in his basement, giving her frozen eggos and keeping his mouth shut? 

But then her lips thin and she looks forward again. The feelings vanishes. It’s just El, hia friend, despite how much of Mike’s attention she’d snapped up just by being herself. 

“I’m glad,” she says, looking at Hopper’s broad back as she takes two steps for each one of his. 

It’s quiet after that, the way it always is after; all of them too brittle and bruised and bone-deep tired for conversation.

Hopper’s truck rat-a tat-tats itself to life in the hospital parking lot. The radio croons out something quiet and thrumming until Hopper reaches over to shut it off.

El’s heads smushed into the window, vibrating against the pot-holed roads of Hawkins.

Will’s so tired he’s wide awake. 

He watches the familiar buildings of Hawkins flicker by. It's been a long time since knowing his surroundings brought any comfort. 

Monsters could live behind every door, every tree, every smiling face.

He’s not sure any of them will ever feel safe again. 

Will closes his eyes, locking the scenery out so he can focus on the bundle of warmth in his chest. They’re still huddled together, two sparks merging in his chest. 

The past couple days have been a necessary violation of Eddie’s private feelings. He’d bared them all with love confessions and grasping hands, trying to pull Steve back from the edge of immolation. 

He’s not even sure Steve knows, hopes he does. Steve deserves to hold that love delicately between his palms and choose what to do with it. 

He won’t crush it, even if it’s unreturned. He’ll hold it gently like he always does.

Will doesn’t realize he fell asleep, or that they’d arrived home until he’s in free-fall. It feels like one of those falling dreams where you wake up solidly in the middle of your bed, but this time he really is tumbling, only Jonathan’s arms keeping him from hitting the gravel. 

“Are you okay?” he asks shakily as he pulls Will into his chest, holding him tight enough to hurt. “I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Mom murmurs, wrapping them both up in her arms, chin landing solidly on Jonathan’s shoulder, sandwiching Will between their bodies. “Everyone’s fine, right Will?”

Will murmurs his affirmation, feeling groggy and confused in the light of day. 

“I was with Nancy,” Jonathan whispers. “I was just with Nancy, and you were–I almost–”

“Shh,” Mom cuts him off, reaching up to cradle his face and smile up at him. Will barely catches the edge of his watering eyes from his restricted vantage point between them. “Everyone’s fine.”

“I should have been he–”

“Jonathan,” Mom interrupts again, sharper this time. “Everyone is fine. You deserve a normal life.”

“But Will–”

“I’m fine!” Will cuts in this time. 

Jonathan pulls back, looking down at him with worried, droopy eyes. “And Steve? Mike said he was possessed.”

Will feels that bundle of warmth in his heart, lets it shine through his smile as he looks up at his brother. “He’ll be okay.” As Jonathan droops with relief, Will feels his smile turn cheeky. “Eddie will never let you forget that you were on a date while we were fighting monsters, though.”

Jonathan closes his eyes, pained while Mom laughs. 

It’s not until they’re walking toward the front door that Will notices the lack of demo-dog bodies. There’s still puddles of black oil-slick blood, but everything else looks normal. Who covered their tracks? The lab? Hopper?

He settles down for the debrief, pillowing his head on Jonathan’s shoulder as Hopper’s even tones flit through his brain. 

Maybe familiar places no longer hold any comfort, but Jonathan’s bony frame is enough to lull him into a peaceful sleep.

Part 97

Taglist: @deany-baby @estrellami-1 @altocumulustranslucidus @evillittleguy @carlprocastinator1000 @hallucinatedjosten @goodolefashionedloverboi @newtstabber @lunabyrd @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @manda-panda-monium @disrespectedgoatman @finntheehumaneater @ive-been-bamboozled @harringrieve @grimmfitzz @is-emily-real @dontstealmycake @angeldreamsoffanfic @a-couchpotato @5ammi90 @mac-attack19 @genderless-spoon @kas-eddie-munson @louismeds @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @pansexuality-activated @ellietheasexylibrarian @nebulainajar @mightbeasleep @neonfruitbowl @beth--b @silenzioperso @best-selling-show @v3lv3tf0x @bookworm0690 @paintsplatteredandimperfect @wonderland-girl143-blog @nerdsconquerall @sharingisntkaren @canmargesimpson @bananahoneycomb @rainwaterapothecary @practicallybegging

[ghostinthelibrarywrites]

The stranger the better

A belated fill for Day 6 of @painlandweek. I wanted to write a meet cute for the free day, so I decided to write something set in the same AU as When the bones are good, set about three years before that fic. You can either read the first chapter below or here on AO3.

Prompt: Free Day

Word count: 3K

Rating: M

Warnings: none

Summary: After transferring to the London office of the Ministry of Supernatural Investigations, Charles meets his new partner, the famously brilliant—and infamously difficult—Agent Edwin Payne. Edwin is less excited to find himself with a new partner, especially one who’s so distractingly smiley.

***

“Difficult. Impetuous. Cheerfully disobedient.” Director Asa Nurse of the Ministry of Supernatural Investigations’ London office gazes at Charles from across her desk, reminding him more than a little of the terrifying babysitter his parents used to leave him with when he was a kid. “Director Buchanan over at the Birmingham office had quite a bit to say about you, Agent Rowland.”

“At least I’m cheerful?” Charles flashes what he knows for a fact is a winning smile.

She’s unaffected, as he expected she would be. You don’t get to be in Director Nurse’s position by being easily won over by smiles. “Six months in the MSI and you’ve already wracked up four official reprimands. That’s quite a feat.”

“At least one of those was bull… nonsense.”

“Oh? The Maggie Ramirez case, I assume?” Director Nurse has a way of speaking so every word lands like a slap. He wonders what it would be like to get an official reprimand from her and decides that he doesn’t want to know.

“Wasn’t going to kill a ten year old girl, was I? Not even if she was possessed by a demon. And now she’s alive and home with her parents, the demon’s back in Hell where it belongs, and everyone except Director Buchanan is happy. I’d say I made the right call.”

“Two of your fellow agents were injured in the fight.”

“They survived. She wouldn’t have if I’d followed orders. To me, a dead little kid is a worse result than a few broken bones. Most of my fellow agents would agree.”

He thinks that the lines around her mouth soften a bit. She’s as inscrutable as she was two years ago when she walked into the Tesco where he was working and asked him if he believed in the supernatural. He’s pretty sure she’s even wearing the same brown pantsuit, her red hair in the same twists that almost look like devil’s horns. He’s hoping that the fact that she recruited him herself will endear him to her. Otherwise, there’s a good chance that she’ll show him the door and it’s not like he can go back to Birmingham.

“However.” Director Nurse glances at her computer screen. “Your former partner, Douglas O’Connor, says that you’re bright, quick on your feet, compassionate, and one of the most promising young agents he’s ever worked with. He thinks you have the potential to be a real asset to the MSI.”

“Dougie was a good partner.” And the reason Charles held out at the Birmingham office as long as he did, to be honest. He only applied for the transfer after O’Connor told him he was retiring to go be closer to his daughter and grandkids in Cornwall. Otherwise, he would have at least stuck it out for a year. He's not a quitter.

Director Nurse sits back in her chair, regarding Charles like he’s an interesting lab rat. “Director Buchanan and I worked together for many years until he transferred to Birmingham. We didn’t always see eye to eye.”

Charles bites back a reply. To say he and Buchanan don’t “see eye to eye” would be a wild understatement. His former director is a burly man with a mustache who likes to yell and slam doors. The first time he lost his temper and slammed his fist into Charles’s desk, only inches from his hand, Charles knew Birmingham wasn’t going to work for him. But it’s not like he can tell Nurse that he hates Buchanan because he reminds him too much of his cunt of a father, not without sounding like a petulant teenager.

“Would you say you’re good with people, Agent Rowland?”

Charles blinks, surprised by the change of topic. “Yeah, I’m aces with people. Just not Buchanan.”

She hums, gaze still focused on him. It’s starting to become eerie; he’s not sure if she’s even blinked since he walked into this office. “Agent O’Connor mentioned in his letter of reference that you have a way of putting witnesses, victims, and even suspects at ease.”

Charles nods in agreement.

“He also said that you saved his life twice, once by taking a potentially fatal curse meant for him.”

“Wouldn’t have killed me,” Charles says with more confidence than he feels. If there hadn’t been a witch on hand to immediately administer the countercurse, he’s been told his heart probably would have stopped within a minute. But there hadn’t been time to calculate his own chance of survival versus Dougie’s; he had just acted.

Nurse hums in a way he can’t quite parse. “According to your instructors, you proved to be adequate at spellwork during training. You don’t have the focus required to have true talent. Disappointing, but not everyone has the gift.”

Charles coughs to hide his wince. He honestly can’t tell how this meeting is going.

“Yet, you proved yourself exceptional at hand-to-hand combat.”

“It’s all the cricket,” Charles says, because he can’t think of a single other bloody thing to say. Director Nurse was intimidating when he was a directionless, scared kid barely making ends meet and desperate to find a purpose in life besides scanning groceries. Now, she’s somehow even more so. “Good at… swinging things.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Her eyebrow inches higher, as if to ask “really?” “Based on your work history, however brief, and your letter of recommendation from Agent O’Connor, I do think you’ll have a place here in London. So long as you learn how to adjust your attitude and follow orders .”

He knows that the only words out of his mouth should be, “Yes, thank you, ma’am,” but he’s never been good at biting his tongue. “As long as you don’t order me to kill a little kid, I’ll do my best.”

Her lips purse. “You don’t make things easy for yourself, do you, Agent Rowland?”

Charles tries for another smile. “Have I mentioned how happy I am to be here?”

She blows out a breath. “You know, I think I might have the perfect partner in mind for you.”

***

“In shocking news, the cause of death seems to be the giant fucking crater in his skull,” Dr. Jenny Green says.

Edwin gazes down at the corpse spread out on the autopsy table. Miles Foster, age thirty-two, approximately five foot ten, with chin-length blond hair, a snub nose, and a neatly trimmed beard to hide the faint acne scars on his cheek. He appears to be a specimen of excellent physical health, save for an ingrown toenail on his left foot and the aforementioned crater.

“Do you have any idea what caused it?” he asks.

“Well, it sure wasn’t natural causes,” Dr. Green says. “Too big to be a gunshot. No burns, so not a bomb. No claw marks or broken bones, so probably not a demon tearing its way out of him. Could have been blunt force trauma, but that usually results in the skull caving in, not exploding out.”

Edwin hums, leaning closer to examine the wound that ended Miles Foster’s life, a gaping hole where his forehead used to be. A messy way to die, but at least it was surely quick. Though having had his own skull cracked open on multiple occasions, Edwin cannot recommend it.

“What of his clothes?”

“They weren’t your style.”

Edwin sighs and pointedly stays silent. He finds Dr. Green to be more bearable company than many of his colleagues at the MSI, but he is in no mood for banter today, especially not now that he’s been reminded of what it’s like to look down at his hands and find his own brain matter there. He suppresses the urge to cover his head with his arms, as if that ever did him any good.

She rolls her eyes, but continues. “I’ve sent them to the lab, but mostly they were covered in exactly what you’d expect from clothes worn by someone whose brain exploded out of his face. It was a nice surprise before lunch.”

Before Edwin can point out that she’s been the MSI’s medical examiner for long enough that she should no longer be put off her food by viscera, the doors open and someone calls, “Hello?”

As one, Edwin and Dr. Green turn to stare at the young man standing in the doorway. He’s a few years younger than Edwin, probably in his early twenties, about six feet tall, with curly dark hair, golden brown skin, elfin features, and dark eyes. He must be an MSI agent if he’s strolled into the morgue—unless he’s a walking corpse, Edwin supposes—but nothing about him strikes Edwin as agent-like. Unlike the navy, gray, and black suits most of the ministry favors, his is a vibrant red. He even has an earring dangling from his left ear and a gold chain around his neck, which cannot be regulation. Most bizarrely, he has colorful badges pinned to the lapels of his suit jacket.

“Hi.” He gives a little wave. “Director Nurse sent me down here.”

“Did she,” Dr. Green says flatly. “I hope your skull’s not about to explode too? If it is, stand farther away from my coffee.”

“I don’t think so.” The newcomer smiles, eyes crinkling with mirth. “But I guess that’s not the kind of thing anyone sees coming, yeah?”

“And you are?” Edwin asks.

“Oh, sorry, mate.” The man closes the distance between them, holding out his hand to Dr. Green, only withdrawing it when he sees she’s wearing latex gloves covered in gore. Instead, he waves. “Charles Rowland. I just transferred from Birmingham.”

“Dr. Jenny Green.” She doesn’t return his wave. “You’re new, aren’t you?”

He looks a bit taken aback. “Just got here today.”

“And how long were you in Birmingham?”

“Six months,” he says with a small, barely there grimace.

“New.” She says it like an accusation. “Try not to get your rookie optimism all over my fucking lab.”

Far from being offended, Agent Rowland lets out a delighted peal of laughter. Dr. Green and Edwin exchange sidelong looks. Rookie optimism, indeed.

As Agent Rowland turns away from Dr. Green, Edwin reluctantly takes his hand to shake. He doesn’t care for touching strangers, but it can’t be helped. The man has slim, almost delicate fingers, not when Edwin would expect from a MSI agent. “Agent Edwin Payne. A pleasure.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of you, mate.” Agent Rowland pumps his hand with far too much enthusiasm.

Ah, of course. Edwin tries not to flinch. He knows that his case has a certain amount of notoriety in the MSI. A sixteen year old boy who went missing in 1916 and reappeared in the basement of his old school nearly a century later, unaged and unchanged, except for his story of being subject to decades of torture, is the kind of case that not even the MSI gets often. The fact that no leads were ever found about where he went or what kind of entity took him makes it one of the MSI’s most interesting unsolved cases. Edwin believes they discuss it during training.

“You’re the one who closed the Ripper case, right?”

Edwin blinks. That wasn’t what he was expecting. The case of a vampire with an unfortunate fascination with London’s most notorious serial killer had gone unsolved for decades, with dozens of dead women to show for it. Edwin tracked down the killer after only a few months at the ministry. In retrospect, he wonders if that’s why so many of his fellow agents have disliked him from the start.

“I remember hearing about it in training,” Charles says. “Bloody brilliant, mate.”

Edwin searches his face for any sign of contempt or mockery, but his smile seems genuine, his brown eyes warm. “I got lucky, truly. He was arrogant and it made him careless.”

“Thirty years and no one else got lucky, did they?”

“I suppose not.”

Someone clears their throat pointedly and Edwin jumps. Under Agent Rowland’s warm brown eyes, he quite forgot about Dr. Green’s presence.

“Would you two like to keep chit-chatting?” Dr. Green asks acidly. “I can put the autopsy on hold, if you’d like. Give you two time to make friendship bracelets.”

Edwin feels his face flush with embarrassment. “No, please continue, Dr. Green.”

“Sorry, mate, didn’t mean to interrupt.” Agent Rowland turns his attention to the autopsy table.  “So, what happened to this poor bloke?”

Edwin would like to know what interest Agent Rowland, fresh from Birmingham, has in his case, but he is trying not to alienate his colleagues quite so much. Plus, he would rather make small talk about a dead man instead of polite chit-chat about the weather and how Agent Rowland is finding London so far.

“Miles Foster,” he says. “He was a yoga instructor and online influencer. This morning, he was filming a… live stream when his head exploded on camera, right in front of the tens of thousands of people watching.”

“And who says yoga is calming?” Agent Rowland flashes that beaming smile again and Edwin quite loses his train of thought for an instant.

Edwin clears his throat and tugs on his bow tie. “He was filming from his home, with only his girlfriend at home with him. When she heard him screaming, she went to see what the matter was and found him already dead. She claims no one else was in the house and there are no signs of a break in, nor a struggle.”

Agent Rowland is quiet for a moment, contemplating the corpse. “Once saw a demon rip a bloke’s head off from the inside and crawl out.”

“There are no obvious signs of demonic possession,” Edwin says. “Plus, he was on camera. I imagine one of his viewers would have noticed a demon crawling out of his skull.” He glances at Dr. Green. “It does make me think of the dandelion sprites we encountered two years ago.”

“Dandelion sprites?” Agent Rowland asks.

“Tiny gods that feed on adoration and attention. When they get their fill, they explode out of their victim and find a new host. One of our analysts had a run in with a pair of them. She now keeps them in a jar on her desk.”

Agent Rowland’s eyes go wide. “Alive?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Last time I saw a corpse that was killed by dandelion sprites, the inside of his skull was covered in that colorful goo,” Dr. Green says. “All that’s in this poor sucker’s skull is the scrambled remains of his gray matter.”

“Perhaps something related, then?” Edwin will have to rewatch the tape to see if he can see any small figures leaping out of Miles Foster’s skull at the moment of the explosion.

Agent Rowland must be thinking along similar lines. “Should take another look at those tapes, shouldn’t we? See if we see something besides brains come out of his head.”

“Yes, I will certainly do so,” Edwin says, annoyed. He’s been with the MSI in some capacity or another for a decade; he does not need this bright-eyed rookie telling him how to conduct his case. Even if the bright-eyed rookie does have one of the most magnetic smiles Edwin has ever seen, the kind of smile that makes him want to earn another one. “But I’m sure you have your own case to see to, Agent Rowland. I won’t keep you.”

“You’re not keeping me from anything. This is our case, isn’t it?” At Edwin’s uncomprehending look, Agent Rowland’s smile turns sheepish. “Sorry, mate, I thought Director Nurse would have told you already. I’ve been assigned to be your new partner.”

***

“There has been some sort of mistake.”

“She told me you’d say that.” Charles has to break into a light jog to keep up with Edwin Payne’s long, purposeful strides. They’re about the same height, but his new partner seems to be all legs.

“Director Nurse is a very busy woman. She may have gotten me mixed up with someone else.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” Even if Director Nurse did seem like the absentminded sort, he can’t imagine anyone ever mistaking Edwin for someone else. There’s something a little strange about him, something that Charles can’t quite put his finger on. It intrigues him.

Edwin stops so abruptly that Charles nearly runs into him, turning to face him. “This isn’t personal, Agent Rowland—”

“Call me Charles, mate.”

“—But I simply do not work well with a partner,” Edwin continues, ignoring him entirely. “This is not the first time that Director Nurse has attempted to pair me up with someone, and it always goes poorly, I’m afraid.”

Charles shrugs. He can work well with just about anyone, so he can’t really relate, but he knew some partners who weren’t a good match for each other in Birmingham. It wasn’t a fun situation for anyone. “Sounds like you just haven’t found the right match, then.”

“There is no right match for me. I’m not good with people. I never was, not even before—” He breaks off with a wince. “Suffice to say, it’s best that we get this sorted out as soon as possible. There are plenty of perfectly capable agents in this office who I’m sure will be delighted to be partnered with you. I am not one of them.”

Before Charles can retort, Edwin is barreling ahead again, rounding the corner. “Director Nurse!”

Charles follows him around the corner and finds Edwin hurrying towards Director Nurse, who is coming towards him, flanked by her two assistants. When she sees Edwin, she rolls her eyes at the ceiling.

“For goodness’s sake,” she says. “Not this again, Agent Payne. I am on my way to a meeting and I do not have the time.”

“This will only take a moment, Director.” Edwin stops in front of her, fists pressed tightly together. He’s replaced the latex gloves he wore in the morgue with brown leather ones, like Charles’s grandfather used to wear whenever he went for a drive. Between the gloves and his slightly askew bow tie, he has the peculiar air of someone who stepped out of time. “I believe there has been a mix up.”

“There are no mix ups here,” Director Nurse says severely. “As you well know. Agent Rowland is your new partner.”

“I do not need a partner.”

“That isn’t for you to decide.”

“I am not the only agent without a partner here.” Something like a whine creeps into Edwin’s voice. “Agents Palace and King—”

“Are both more than capable of defending themselves, plus Agent Palace has her psychic abilities and Agent King has his shapeshifting.”

“He turns into a bloody tabby cat!”

She raises one unimpressed eyebrow. “Are you going to start carrying a weapon? Or finally agree to take remedial combat training?”

To Charles’s surprise, Edwin’s cheeks flush. “I don’t need combat training or a weapon. Any deficiency I may have with combat, I make up for with my spellwork.”

“Ah, so Agents Palace, King, Kahn, and Black didn’t have to retrieve you from a Fae court only last month? Saving you from being executed, I might add?”

“That was an isolated incident.”

“One of dozens of isolated incidents, ” she says. “I have sent enough agents to rescue you from towers and train tracks, Agent Payne. No, we are quite finished with that. If you want to continue working in the field, it needs to either be with the basic knowledge of how to defend yourself or a partner who is skilled enough in combat for the both of you.”

 Edwin turns to look at Charles with a raised eyebrow. “And he is?”

“Oi.” Charles is trying not to take any of this personally, because it seems that Edwin would object to any partner, not just him, but it’s hard not to take that personally. “Top of my class, actually. You don’t need to be built like a brick shithouse to know how to throw a punch.”

Edwin’s eyes flick over Charles, so quickly he thinks he might imagine it, before he turns back to Director Nurse. “I do not work well with people.”

“Then it’s about time you learn, isn’t it?” She smiles sweetly, though her eyes are ice cold. “Or I’ll have to reconsider if you even belong in the field.”

Edwin’s already impeccable posture somehow becomes even straighter and stiffer.  “I would be wasted behind a desk.”

“And you’ll be wasted if you end up dead in a ditch because you’re too stubborn to learn to defend yourself!”

“How about this?” Charles steps forward to stand next to Edwin, hoping to diffuse things before Edwin says something that gets him an official reprimand. “One case. We work the Miles Foster case together and if it’s a bloody mess, we go our separate ways. But if it’s aces, and it’s going to be aces, we stick together, yeah? Then no one’s wasted behind a desk or ends up dead in a ditch.”

“I am not going to end up dead in a ditch,” Edwin grumbles.

Director Nurse ignores him, looking between Edwin and Charles thoughtfully. “One case,” she agrees. “But, Agent Payne, know that if this case is a bloody mess, as Agent Rowland puts it, we will have to discuss your future at the MSI. As things stand now, you are a liability in the field, and I do not tolerate liabilities at my ministry. And now, I have a meeting that I’m now quite late to.”

With that, she stalks by them, her assistants on her heels. One of them shoots Charles a sympathetic grimace, which he returns with a smile.

“Well, then,” Charles says once they’ve disappeared from sight. “Looks like we have a case to solve, doesn’t it?”

Edwin is still staring straight ahead, gloved fists pressed tightly together and posture so stiff it looks like he may snap. “This will most likely be a bloody mess, just so you’re aware.”

“Nah, mate.” Charles claps him on the shoulder, withdrawing his hand quickly when Edwin grows even more tense under his hand. Doesn’t like touch, got it. “This is going to be aces.”

*** 

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed, please consider leaving comments or kudos on AO3. The next two chapters will be posted over there.

[sehtoast]

Soothe Me (Homelander x Reader Powerswap!au)

18+ | gender neutral reader, light descriptions of gore, showering, he takes care of you | Fic Directory

He’d never admit it, but there’s a part of him that really likes when you come home like this.  Something sick and twisted in his core, something rotten that quivers with excitement every time you walk through the door covered in viscera.

Maybe it’s because of the way his life is.  He’s just some average, ordinary guy shackled by the restraints of a regular human life.  Wake up, take Ryan to school, go to work, pick his son up, eat dinner, sleep, and then repeat until he’s dead.  It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate his simple life or that beloved son of his who he was so fucking proud of,  but the mundane…

He’d be a liar if he said he never wished he was special.

You make him feel that way though. When you show up at his apartment drenched in gore, he feels so very special.  He feels like the keeper of an especially violent creature that would maim anyone and anything but him.  Something that, despite its sharp fangs and jagged claws, would only ever touch him with tenderness– with softness.

Even at times when your hand has gone around his throat, he’s always known you would never.

So when you show up like that again, is it any wonder that John practically bounces out of bed to greet you?  Hands at your cheeks to thumb away chunks of whatever moron pressed their luck, fingers combing through your blood-slicked hair, a kiss pressed to a dried patch because he is only human and doesn’t quite want some stranger’s bodily fluids in his mouth.

He’s started wearing darker shirts because of you.  It’s hard to explain to a child why there’s a red handprint that won’t wash out of his clothes, but it’s much less obvious this way.  Your leather clad hands fall to his waist immediately and your grip flexes the tiniest bit to steady yourself.

You can feel his warmth.  You can smell him more than the reek of iron and intestinal gunk splattered all over your body.  He smells of… cooked chicken. Some kind of cheap cheese.  A bitter salad dressing.  The lingerings of milk on his breath.  He must have just finished having dinner with his son.

You shut your eyes and focus.  You can hear the boy in his room. Legos clattering, narrations of dialog.  He still doesn’t know about you.  John doesn’t know how to tell him in a way that’s not overwhelming.

You breathe a deep sigh as he frets over you.  It’s the same every time. He’s scared you’re hurt, inspecting you as he brings you to the bathroom.  You’re only half aware of what’s going on.  The running of the shower, the hands tugging at your suit, his clothes hitting the floor. 

You’ve had a terrible day and it’s all you can think of…

Somehow, though, he draws you away from all of that.  Walks you into the shower and under the stream.  He adjusts the temperature the moment he sees you flinch at the heat.

You still haven’t told him about all of… that.  Your life before being Homelander.  When you were a mere lab rat, a product in development, poked and prodded and tortured to see what made you tick– what could make you sell .  He knows a little, but… you don’t quite have it in you to see him look at you with pity.

The hands that touch you in that cramped shower take you away from everything.  You’re here, not there. You’re not fist deep in that stupid fucking assistant who found you arguing with your other half in the mirror.  What’s left of that fool swirls down the drain.  You’re not getting berated by Edgar or dragged into some stupid fucking publicity stunt. Ashley isn’t up your ass about your itinerary.  You’re here.

He’s here.

Lips press to yours, gentle and sweet, and he whispers to you.

“S’okay.  You’re home now.”

Home.   It was such an odd concept.  You’ve had many homes.  Each of the cells in the lab, the penthouse, your cabin.

None of those have ever felt like home.  Here, though..?  You imagine it must be as close as you’ll ever truly have to a home.

You press him to the wall, his wrists trapped in your hands as you nuzzle into his neck.  His pulse rings in your ears. It pulsates louder than the stream of the shower and his breaths that grow with anticipation and a touch of excitement.

You know he enjoys it.  You meant to turn this into some kind of a hug, but… all you can do is just stay like that.  Hidden against him, lost in the symphony of all that keeps him alive.

“Long day, sweetheart?” His breath gusts over the tip of your ear.  

You release his wrists and wrap your arms around him, drifting away.  You answer him in a nod and he hugs you closer.  He has to be the one to do the squeezing.  If you did it, you’d shatter him.

“Let me take care of you?”  He asks for permission first.  He knows you love his doting, the way he spoils you rotten, but sometimes…  

Sometimes you’re not able to accept it.  Like a stray dog, wounded and afraid, your mistrust and fear comes out on him.  He has a small understanding of why you bite.  Of how many hands have hurt you, how many times you’ve had this very thing promised to you only for it to be a carrot on a stick with which you’d be beaten for ever stepping out of line.

He knows you’ve been made to beg for that which others have by right of simply existing.

Love.

He won’t ever make you beg.

He tells you this as he lathers you with soap.

“I love you.”

He tells you again as he thumbs a cleanser onto your cheeks.  Looks you right in the eye and declares it with a soft smile, twinkling eyes, and a kiss.  Watches you become like butter in his hands, softening, melting.  The coldness in your eyes dissipates into something sorrowful and pained– something yearning.

He knows that’s how you say it back.  He hopes one day he’ll hear you say the words, but this is okay for now.

He washes you meticulously, carefully, until not even a whisper of pink tint remains in the suds.  He dries you before himself.  Stands there dripping and cold as he puts you back together, caring for himself only once you demand it.

He wouldn’t stop shivering.  You practically had to say something.

How is it that he’d sacrifice his own comfort to take care of you?  He’d give and give until you had to fucking force him to take.  He confuses you.  You’ve never met anyone like him.  

He makes you feel insane.

“Give me that,” you grumble, taking the blow dryer from him to fan it over his hair.  He’d already taken care of yours.  You feel practically out of your mind at how badly you’ve wanted to do this.  You run your fingers through his pretty blonde locks, ruffle them into place, fluff the front just right.  He practically purrs at your touch.

He’s just as bad as you in that regard.  There’s something about the way he preens in the mirror as he watches you, perks up and grins, adjusts his hair just slightly from where you’d styled it that makes you chuckle.

John can’t even begin to explain how happy he is to finally see you smile.

He brings you to bed.  Normally you’d be initiating shenanigans, teasing and touching him every step of the way, but you’re tired in a way that not even sleep will fix.  He’s told you before that it’s a mental fatigue– that you’re overloaded and need to make time for yourself.  That even The Homelander needs to take a break sometimes.

He’s adamant about it tonight. 

“You can stay here.  Use some of your sick days.” He schemes.  “You’ve gotta have some of those after all these years, right?”

When you don’t answer, his brows knit in confusion.  He knows that means no, which makes no sense to him– but he doesn’t press you to explain.

“I want you to stay here.”  He says firmly.  He squeezes your hands between his as he stares into your eyes, engulfing you in that oceanic gaze that has a special way of getting you to do damn near anything.

You find yourself nodding.  What did you care if you pissed off everyone at Vought?  It’s not like it’d be the end of the world, and you’d much rather be with him anyway.  You huff a laugh against his neck as you nuzzle close to him.

How many people have ever been able to sucker you into something the way he can?  Well, there was one person, but… what’s done is done.  

But, John?

He had a way about wearing you down with just a simple smile, honeyed words, pretty blue eyes, and a declaration of love.  You really like the way his grin grows wider when you agree.  You like the way he hugs you tight and kisses the top of your head in excitement.

There’s no one in the world like him.  Nobody at all.

Your Johnny is so very special.

[liesmyth]

Anon with the friend who's reading tlt on the reverse order: Yes, he knows he's being a lab rat, he doesn't keep motes on the books because he's very much a casual reader (and thus perfect for the experiment) and so far we have only done Nona The Ninth and The Unwanted Guest, plus some chapters of HTN & Doctor Sex. There's the slight chance of osmosis corruption because I occasionally reblog modern au memes on my main blog, which I think is how he got Palamedes' whole deal.

There's not much he guessed, and even less he guessed correctly. He did call the fact Crown and Ianthe are related a pleasant plot twist, and he initially thought John was Varun.

The most interesting guess he had, which he arrived through flawed means, was Paul's existence, and the fact Pyrrha had some sort of connection to Gideon The Ninth — mostly because he guessed the average Lyctorhood to be Camilla and Palamedes', and with the reference of Gideon and G1deon as 1) permanently dead, in a setting where he's aware necromancy exists and he thought zombies to be actual resurrected people 2) connected to Pyrrha, and 3) the fact Pyrrha had "some weird vibes" (he refused to elaborate) led him to thinking Pyrrha was half Gideon, half someone else, and the reason Kiriona was vaguely off-putting to people was because she didn't have a full soul. Anyways he did think the same would happen to Palamedes and Camilla, which it did, and that Kiriona was pissed at Pyrrha because of an ambiguous degree of relationship

We have paused rn, as the labrat experiment is in return for me reading a webcomic per book

Oh yeah also im doing this because i either dreamt a post proposing it up or actually saw it, and honestly i wanted to see how much biases and previous narrative impacted the relationship of the reader with tlt characters, their relationships, and worldbuilding, as i absorbed tlt by osmosis as an agender aroace. so yeah giving a gay guy tlt without previous context in the reverse order to complete the trifecta (lesbian woman reading it in the correct order, aroace agender getting to know it by osmosis and figuring out the plot best I could before reading it, gay guy reading it in reverse)

ANON THANK YOU FOR COMING BACK! @mayasaura and everyone who wanted a follow-up to the first part.

"Thought John was Varun at first" is soooo big brained actually! I'm always thinking about John's more RB-like traits. I'm also very amused that he cast Pyrrha as the zombie puppeteer, I bet he's going to love tiny Harrow walking around her dead parent's bodies for a decade.

I also feel like the worldbuilding in NtN is veeery different from the general #vibe of the first two books — it feels like an "anime filler arc" kind of sidequest plot — and I'm very curious if going from NtN to HtN is going to make the settings vibe changes feel stronger or weaker than reading it normally would.

Anyway, I love that you decided to do this, and please let us know what he thinks about HtN! I hope you enjoy the webcomic :D

[five-rivers]

Cracked Clay Cup Chapter 13

@greatbigolhampuckjustforme

.

“Okay,” said Danny rubbing his hands together.  “I’m going to do the big group next.”

“Group number four?”

“Yeah, them.  Why’re there three of them, anyway?”

“You’ll have to ask them that,” said Clockwork.  “Au jus?”

“Yes, please,” said Danny, reaching for the small bowl of sauce.  “Your sandwiches are always really good.”

“Thank you,” said Clockwork.  “Will you be leaving after lunch, then?”

“Yeah, I think that’ll be best.”  Danny sighed.  “No offense, but I’m kind of going a little bit stir-crazy, being inside all the time.  I didn’t really realize until Pandora said something, but she was right.”

“That’s quite reasonable,” said Clockwork.  “The trial has lasted for nearly a month and a half.”

“Really?  I think I’ve only been with each person for about a week, and there’ve only been four people.  Five, if you count the Observants.”

“Yes, but you’ve spent a good amount of time here as well.  Those in-between days add up.”

“Huh.  I guess so.”  Danny took a bite of his sandwich.  “I guess it sort of snuck up on me.  A month and a half…  So two weeks here.”

“Yes, but please chew with your mouth closed.”

“Oops,” said Danny, covering his mouth.  “Sorry.”

Clockwork nodded and patted Danny absently on the head before making a small sandwich for himself.  They ate together quietly.  

“Three of them, though,” said Danny.  “Are they all together, or something?”

“You will–”

“Have to meet them and find out.  I know, I know.  Should I brush my teeth first?”

Clockwork raised an eyebrow.  

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Danny.  “That’s probably too much effort.  But I should put in some effort, shouldn’t I?”  He nodded.  “Yeah.  Toothbrushing.  Toothbrush.  One minute.”

.

Danny had been in a lot of places over the last month and a half.  A cute little house, two mansions possessed by people with questionable understandings of humanity, a warren of ice caves, an ancient Greek palace, and, of course, Clockwork’s purple place.  He’d imagined a lot of others.  Like open skies, broad fields, mountains, islands… horrible mad science labs…

However, he hadn’t imagined a place like this.

“Um,” he said, looking around the… stage?  Rats' nests of cables were strewn about in every direction, and next to the curtains hunting trophies were hung.  Heads, horns, antlers… hair?  A tail?  Whatever, this was weird, and there didn’t seem to be anyone around.  “Hi?”  He stepped forward over a tangle of cables.  “Hello?  Anyone–”

“BEHOLD!  I, TECHNUS, MASTER OF ALL TECHNOLOGY–”

Danny leaped backwards, to hover over the seating area, startled by the ghost rising out of the cables.  The stage lights came on, spotlights centering on the ghost.  He had long white hair, green skin, sunglasses built into his face, and a tattered lab coat.  

Music blasted out of speakers, rock and roll, screaming guitars, thundering drums and cymbals.  A young, gray-skinned woman with fiery blue hair rose up from under the stage.  She held a guitar painted with blue and pink flames.  

“HEYA, BABYPOP!” she shouted into a microphone that appeared in a burst of fire.  “WELCOME HOME TO MAMA EMBER, YEAH!”

“Hey!” whined the first ghost.  “You said I could do the introductions!”

“I never said that.  You said that.  I was always going to do the intros.  You think I’m going to leave it to you, when you just drone on and on and on and on and–”

“As if you’re any better!”

“I come with a sound track, audio jack,” said Ember.  

“My god, you two are so loud, and you didn’t even bother to introduce me,” said a deep, slightly hollow voice.  Danny startled again, twisting to see a ghost completely covered with silvery armor.  

“I thought you didn’t care about introductions,” said Ember.  She played a quick few chords on her guitars, then continued to use her music to punctuate her words.  “Because big, bad, baddie, bad, hunky, hottie, hunter Skulker doesn’t need an introduction.”  She leaned forward over the guitar.  “His name speaks for him!”  She started laughing so hard she floated up off the stage.  Music continued to blare from the speakers.  

“I, TECHNUS, MASTER OF ALL TECHNOLOGY, CAN TAKE YOUR SO-CALLED MUSIC OFF THE AIR!”

“We’re not even on the air!”

“I can’t believe I’m associated with these two idiots,” said Skulker.  

“I’d like to know how you’re associated with me,” said Danny, trying to smooth down his fur.  

“Isn’t it obvious, babypop?” asked Ember.  “We’re you’re parents!  Yeah!”  

“Uh,” said Danny, looking at the very strange trio.  “I don’t know about the other two, but aren’t you a little… young for that?”  She couldn’t be all that much older than Jazz.  

“I’m dead, kiddo.  Son.  Boy.  Little man.  I was a teen mom and all that.  Totally radical rockstar living.”

“With, um,” said Danny.  His eyes slid back and forth between Ember and Skulker.

“Skulker, duh,” said Ember.  “Techy here is Skulker’s boyfriend or whatever.”

“It’s not whatever.  I am his trusted–”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“We’re all dating, except when we’re broken up,” said Skulker, bored.

“Okay,” said Danny.  “So… you’re both…”  He shrugged at them.  

“What does this–” Technus also shrugged, “--mean?”

“I don’t know,” said Danny.  “You tell me.”

“Hm, the amnesia did not do favors for his intelligence!  I liked him much better before!  Do you want to see the lab?”

“The lab?” repeated Danny, backing away from Technus a little more.  

“It really didn’t help your intelligence.  Sad!  Perhaps some electroshock therapy might help?”

“Hey!” said Ember, kicking Technus’s tail.  “What did we say about electrocuting the flesh baby?  What did that narc say?  The tall purple one?”

“I know you know that Clockwork isn’t a narc,” said Skulker.  

The three of them started to bicker.  Danny watched in mixed fascination and horror.  

White hair on Technus.  Green eyes on Skulker and Ember.  Human-like appearances.  A mad science lab.  Jazz’s belief that Danny would buy the absurdly youthful mother story.  Frostbite’s conviction that his parents were abusive.  Heck, Danny could even see them meeting Vlad in college, if he fudged the ages a little.  He didn’t have any idea how old Vlad was, after all.  

Were these his actual parents?  Like, his actual, biological parents?

“Anyway, babypop,” said Ember, throwing a hand around Danny’s shoulder, “we heard about your predicament through the grapevine–”

“Through the grapevine?  Weren’t you just saying you were my mother?”

“Yeah, but I was on tour, Skulker was hunting, and Technus was… Being Technus.  We were, like, estranged.  Separated.  Because of the whole alive thing.  Fell out of touch.”  She waved a lazy hand.  “Anyway, we heard about the Observants putting you through hell, and we were like, that’s not cool.  So, we put our names in the hat, all that stuff, babypop, ‘cause we love you, y’know?  And we’re going to have so much fun.  I’ll turn you into a proper rocker yet.  You’ve got a great set of pipes, kid, and you’ve got to use that.”

“But first!” shouted Technus, at only a slightly lower volume than before.  “The GRAND TOUR!”

Danny took back that thought about the volume being lower.  

“TO THE LAB!”

Danny cringed away from Technus.  This was going to be a pain.  

.

“Okay,” said Danny, floating a few feet over the floor to avoid the wires.  “We’ve seen the stage, the sound room, the… conservatory?”

“Never say that I don’t have taste, babypop.  You’ve got to have a good piano in a house.”

“Yeah, then workshop, and the server room, and the lab.”  Which had, frankly, been horrifying.  Just a massive mess of electronics.  The sense of electricity in the room made his hair all stand on end.  “And the weapon room.  Then the… hunting.  Place.  And.  Um.  Zoo.”  Which was also horrifying, but for different reasons.

“Yes,” said Skulker, “our space may be limited, but you will soon know the joy of the hunt.”

“... right,” said Danny.  “But, like, is there a… kitchen?”

“Kitchen?” asked Ember, blankly.  

“We don’t,” said Skulker.  

“We mostly order out, when the great hunter here can’t catch anything!”

“Can anyone… get in to order out?”

Ember, Skulker, and Technus stared at each other.  

“Crap,” said Ember, finally.  “Crap.”

“What?” said Technus.  “It’s not like we have to eat.”

“I kind of do.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I do.  Everyone else has been feeding me.”

“Yeah, no, we’re ghosts, even you,” said Technus.  “We don’t need to eat.”

“I can kill off some of the game I’ve already caught,” said Skulker, “if we really need to.  I’d like you to hunt for them, though.  A little extra incentive!”

“Right.  Sure.  Whatever.  Bedroom?” asked Danny.

“We don’t need to sleep, either,” said Technus.  

Fine.  Danny wasn’t touching that.  “Bathroom?” he tried.

“Gross,” said Ember.  “Who’s spending their afterlife peeing?”

“Uh.  Me?”

“Ew.  You’ve got to quit that.”

Danny didn’t think that was a thing he could actually quit.  He made a face.  “You’re not actually my parents, are you?”

“Of course we are,” said Skulker, mechanically.  

“Okay, well, that right there, that’s a lie,” said Danny.  “That’s definitely a lie.”

“It’s not,” said Technus, stridently. 

“Look, maybe some fighting would knock him out of his funk,” said Skulker.  “Knock him right out.”

“Yeah, some of that misplaced aggression kind of thing he’s always on about,” said Ember.  

Danny had no idea what he was talking about.  “You guys do know that if I can’t have a place to go to the bathroom, I’m going to leave, right?”

“Maybe even a good hunt,” said Skulker.  “For old times’ sake.  Give him a good chase, get rid of some of that anxiety.”

Danny really hoped he wasn’t related to these three.  He grabbed the pocketwatch.  

“Wait, ghost child!” 

“Okay, yeah, that’s not something you call your kids,” said Danny, pointing at Technus.  

“Oh, yeah, yeah, you caught us,” said Technus.  “Real sharp of you, ghost child!  Real sharp and groovy.”

“Oh my god, you don’t know what any of those words mean,” said Ember.  “Stop using them.”

“BUT!” shrieked Technus.  “What you don’t know is that we’re your RIVALS!”

Danny grimaced.  “What?”

“We fought you, like, a bunch of times,” said Ember. 

“And… now you want to adopt me?”

“Better us than some of the nutjobs that want you.  We’d just let you do your own thing, hang out, fight a bit when you get touchy about your stupid city, or too wound up about school, all that stuff.”

“But we’d NEVER make you go to SCHOOL!” said Technus.  “I could teach you in the lab!”

“Wow, that’s, uh.  Touching,” said Danny.  “But the bathroom thing is, in this case, a dealbreaker.”

“Aw, come on,” said Ember.  “At least have a good fight with us, first.  Skulker’s been practically moping since you’ve been out of commission.”

“My latest hunts have been… flavorless,” said Skulker.  Danny sighed.  “Fine.  But I’m going right after.”

[sp0o0kylights]

number 6 is straight up gamer bait and I am 100 percent taking said bait!

6! Steve Harrington was raised on games.

This is a not-quite The Inheritance Games AU, but I wanted a similar premise with Steve's entire family being very cloak and dagger, old money game-focused rich dicks--with the slowly unveiling twist that they've been involved with the Hawkins Lab the whole time.

Snippet:

"You know better than to interrupt game night--" Steve started, attention on the game he'd abandoned rather than the door.

"Steve." Dustin pleaded, hair drenched from the rain and looking all too like a drowned rat, a vice like grip on Eddie's arm as the other shook behind him. "I need you."

That got his attention.

Steve's eyes swept form him to Munson, taking in the others vacant, shocked stare.

Knew immediately that the Upside Down was at it again.

"Get in here." He commanded, backing away from the door as Dustin huddled Eddie inside. "and start talking."

He closed the door behind him, before beelining for the kitchen table, where he'd been bent over his cousins ridiculous puzzle.

"We have a code red." Dustin said, right as Steve's eye caught the addition his grandfather had added.

It spelled out Owens full name.

'Dammit.' He thought, but moved to get towels anyway.

A code red took precedent over whatever meddling his family was doing--even if it was looking more and more related to the Hawkins lab.

[anyon-else]

Of Humble Origins and Born of the Cursed Sex (The Red Room pt.12) | After seven months, Kakashi and Naruto finally find you in an abandoned HYDRA outpost. However, you're not the same person that they remember. (Marvel AU) – spotify playlist | read on ao3

Pairings | Kakashi Hatake x Black Widow!Reader + Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Ino Yamanaka, Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi

Warnings | female!reader, ANGST, brainwashing, torture, electrification, violence, weapons

Word count | 6.7k

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"I am someone who did not die when I should have died."

Anne Carson, Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides

Six months ago

My girls will change the world.

You're useless to me now.

Be proud to call yourself a Black Widow.

You're even useless as a lab rat.

You will build me an empire.

Killing you now would be too merciful.

I'll teach you how to kill. I'll teach you everything I know.

I'll teach you how to be human.

I will take care of you until you're no longer of use to me.

I can protect you both.

Don't fail me.

Don't do this.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi," you whispered, reaching out into a sea of memories and grasping at nothing but water that spilled between your fingers. Each of your memories felt impossibly far, and all you could do was watch helplessly as they fell away into a vast emptiness that was quickly consuming your mind. You saw flashes of pink and yellow and grey. You pictured smiles that appeared on ghosts and heard familiar laughter that echoed within your thoughts. You felt taunted by it.

But you were tired. Far too tired to do anything but watch as each of your most precious memories fell into oblivion. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I failed. I'm sorry."

Your mouth was moving without your permission, repeating words that you hoped would bring an end to the pain. Words that would make a difference if they were the ones he wanted to hear.

But he didn’t want apologies. He wanted submission.

He leaned over you, silver hair reflecting the light shining down on you. His eyes were harder than steel and his mouth was twisted into a grimace that you could clearly see through the thin black cloth of his mask. The expression looked wrong on him, and for a moment you remembered that this wasn't the true face of the man standing above you. It was a trick. Orochimaru...this was Orochimaru. He was tricking you—trying to confuse you. Kakashi wasn't here. He wasn't hurting you—he wouldn’t hurt you

But the thought slipped away as quickly as it had come, and after another shock of electricity made your limbs seize and your back arch against the unforgiving steel below you, it was Kakashi's face that you saw staring down at you.

You knew Kakashi. You held onto his memory like a vice. But as each day passed, you wondered why you were clinging so tightly to the memory of someone who was so cruel towards you.

It was his face you saw each time you felt that aching, raging pain in your head. It was his eyes that watched as the pain spread throughout the rest of your body. It was his smile that you stared at each day as hope drained from your limbs and left you a lifeless husk of a Widow.

Kakashi had betrayed you. And as each day passed with no respite or relief, you felt that betrayal turn into rage. Rage at the world. Rage at HYDRA.

Rage at Kakashi.

"Please..."

I'll teach you how to be human.

"Useless," Kakashi muttered, repeating the word that you'd heard countless times since this began and feeling it like a knife in your chest. The pain wouldn't stop. Not if you kept failing.

But he wouldn't tell you what he wanted. You would do anything he asked if he would only make this pain go away.

I can protect you.

"Again."

Electricity flooded you once more, and the silver hair taking up your field of vision blurred behind a blanket of tears.

You're not a lost cause

Words that you barely remembered now had been your anchor for so long, but you were starting to wonder why you were holding on so tightly. Maybe letting them slip through your fingers would be easier.

As the memories that you once considered the most precious ones you possessed floated into an abyss within your mind, you wondered why you had ever tried to hold onto them in the first place.

Don't do this.

Cold fingers gripped your face, and you looked at Kakashi's cruel eyes staring down at you. His fingers tightened on your cheeks

"Let me go," you mumbled, feeling a cold shock of fear as you looked into the steely face of your tormentor, "don't touch me."

Behind his mask, Kakashi's lips split into a grin, and you pressed yourself against the metal beneath you in an attempt to put distance between his unrelating grip and your face. His nails dug into your exposed skin, and you felt blood bloom through the cuts that formed as he gripped your face tighter and tighter.

Pain erupted in your chest once again. You closed your eyes and reached for an anchor and found nothing but darkness.

You wondered why you felt as if something was missing. You wondered why looking at Kakashi’s face above you each time the pain stopped felt so wrong.

But wondering was becoming exhausting. Instead of pondering on the answers, you let the questions slip far, far away.

Kakashi's circumstances had given him ample experience with suppressing his emotions.

It wasn't a skill he'd gained willingly. After so much loss and death, shutting out emotional responses to crises was almost instinctual. He felt that same instinct creeping towards him as he watched his bullet sliced through the air in near slow motion.

You didn't move. For a moment, he wondered if the world had frozen around him. Maybe it would give him a second chance and allow him to reach Naruto before the boy even found you.

Instead, the bullet continued on its path towards your hand, which moved only slightly, but not quick enough to be out of range. The movement gave Naruto enough time to dive to the ground, but neither he nor you had to worry about where the bullet would end up.

It hit the wrong target, lodging into the shoulder of a new figure that shot out in front of you.

Despite the force of the bullet entering her shoulder, Ino stood in front of you like a steel wall, blocking you from Kakashi's field of vision. Kakashi took in a deep, barely controlled breath and tried not to let his relief show on his face.

You and Ino both watched as Naruto scrambled to his feet and rushed towards Kakashi. The boy moved as fast as he could while running backwards and keeping his eyes locked on Ino and the gun that she was prying from your iron-tight grip.

Ino groaned, clutching her bleeding shoulder but remaining still and sturdy in front of you. Kakashi strained to get a glimpse of your face; any hint as to what you were thinking would satisfy him, but Ino let out a snarl when she realized what he was doing.

"You're so stupid," she growled, "why would you do that?"

Kakashi opened his mouth to respond—to tell her that you were very clearly bracing yourself to pull the trigger and kill Naruto, but the words got lodged in his throat when he heard a pained grunt come from behind the blonde girl's rigid body. Ino froze, attention shifting away from Kakashi immediately as she turned towards the source of the sound. The movement gave Kakashi enough of a glimpse to understand what had happened.

The bullet's trajectory had shifted. What was originally intended to hit your hand had changed its course through Ino's shoulder and ended up lodged in your chest.

"Ino," you muttered, emotionless and robotic. Ino cursed, removing her hands from her shoulder and letting them hover over your bloody shirt. Even from a distance, Kakashi could see that her fingers were beginning to tremble, "sorry, Ino. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, idiot," Ino shook her head, though the words were muttered with little malice. Instead, Kakashi saw deep concern in Ino's furrowed brows and the gentle movement of her hands. She tore away your shirt to reveal your bloody hand covering the wound, both it and your chest already coated with blood.

Deja vu tore into Kakashi like a knife in his stomach, ripping away at him and punishing him for all of the people he had hurt. The seeds of sorrow and guilt that had taken root when he couldn't stop you from leaving began to climb between his ribs and up his throat. The vines and leaves choked him and the thorns slied him open from the inside and he had to fight to keep himself steady.

You looked completely void of any emotion. Like the body he was seeing was simply a vessel, and you were somewhere deep inside of it, protecting yourself from the rest of the world and allowing your limbs to move on autopilot.

"Hey," Ino snapped, glaring your bloody fingers and scowling at the lack of response she got. "Stop it. You're only going to make it worse."

Kakashi could see blood oozing between your fingers in a dark red stream. It took a few moments for him to realize why Ino was chastising you—you had begun digging your fingers into the broken flesh, and blood was gushing from the wound faster than Ino could manage.

She pried your tense fingers away from where they were clutching your bleeding chest, finally giving her a good view of the damage that the bullet had done.

Kakashi hoped that it looked worse than it actually was.

He saw Naruto flinch from the corner of his eye, and he could practically feel the anger radiating off of the boy.

"What is this?" Naruto rumbled, hands curled into fists at his sides as he stared at you and Ino, "what happened?"

Kakashi shook his head, watching helplessly as Ino lifted your shirt over your head and pressed it firmly against your chest. You raised a hand automatically to hold the bloody cloth to your wound, eyes still clouded and distant.

"I can't believe this," Ino was grumbling, shaking her head like a disappointed parent as she stood and wrapped her own shirt around her shoulder to try and stop her bleeding. Within a few moments, she was kneeling at your side again. "I spend all this time trying to convince her that—hey, hey! Stay with me."

Your head was lolling to the side, and Ino's stoic expression finally broke. Fear etched across her features as her frown deepened, eyes widening each time you almost lost consciousness.

"Shit," Ino snapped, tapping your cheek and cursing again when she got no response. Kakashi stepped forward, finally allowing himself to close the gap between you. "You have a hospital, right?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Good. We're going there."

Kakashi swallowed thickly, wide eyes watching you try not to pass out as Ino gently coached you. He could still feel Naruto at his back, silently seething at the state they'd found you in.

It had been so long. So long since he'd seen you. Since he'd even known whether you were alive.

He watched the rise and fall of your chest intently, counting your shallow breaths and holding his own after each of your unsteady exhales, afraid that you would stop moving altogether the second he looked away.

He had done this to you. If you didn't wake up, it wouldn't be because of Orochimaru or HYDRA or any other threats that he desperately wanted you to be free from.

It would be his fault. His hands that ended your life.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said lowly, voice sounding far away in Kakashi's distraction, "we found her."

Kakashi froze, eyes on his student as he radiated silent, tense anger. That was anger for you. Naruto didn't fear you anymore—not like he did the first time you met. Now he knew your heart, and he knew that this was not the same person who had left to protect them all. Something had happened, and it was obvious that they were missing crucial pieces of the past six months.

But through the worry and the questions and the endless guilt that plagued him, one thought brought Kakashi enough relief to get him moving towards the jet.

Finally.

Sasuke could tell that something was off even before he entered the conference room with Sakura.

Kakashi had told them nothing about how he and Naruto's mission had gone. In fact, Sasuke hadn't seen either of them in the hours since they'd returned. All he and Sakura knew was that it hadn't gone as planned, that neither of them were hurt, and that Sasuke and Sakura needed to wait a few hours before they could hear about it.

The waiting gave Sasuke a lot of time to wonder what could have happened on such a routine mission to cause this kind of delay.

"Do you think...maybe they found–"

"Don't," Sakura held a hand up. The two were standing in front of the closed conference room door listening to the muffled voices coming from inside. Sasuke heard Kakashi's voice, low and monotone, and he steeled himself for a worst case scenario.

Missions like this never went wrong. He honestly felt that calling it a mission was too generous. It was more of a training exercise to get Naruto more familiar with field work that didn't involve fighting. Naruto was talented—something that had only recently gotten easier for Sasuke to admit—but stealth wasn't exactly his strongest trait. That was why Kakashi chose an abandoned HYDRA outpost—to give Naruto some low-intensity field training.

Sasuke had looked into location himself. It was used for research in the eighties, but it was abandoned only a decade after it was built because of a data leak and subsequent raid by SHIELD. It was the perfect place to teach Naruto the finer points of stealth missions.

So, taking all of that into account, Sasuke was having a hard time understanding what had gone wrong.

"You two can come in," Kakashi said, voice muffled through the door. He sounded exhausted.

Sakura didn't hesitate to push the door open, but she stopped the second she got a good look at the room.

Sasuke immediately tensed when he saw a stranger sitting casually across from Kakashi and Naruto. She didn't look hostile, but Sasuke knew from experience how deceiving looks could be.

But judging from Sakura's expression, she knew who this woman was.

"Ino?" Sakura croaked, taking a small step forward before thinking better of it and waiting where she had easy access to the doorway, "what....what are you doing here?"

"Sakura," the stranger—Ino—said with a nod and poorly hidden relief.

Sasuke could immediately tell how much Ino was hiding from Sakura.

"It has...I can't believe—I mean, you're here. How...not that I'm not happy to see you, but I–"

Ino stood when Sakura began rambling out questions, and by the time she had begun asking the third, Ino had wrapped her arms around the girl and pulled her into a tight hug. Sasuke tensed, but Kakashi shot him a sharp look that told him not to interfere.

Ino grunted when Sakura lifted her arms to reciprocate the affection, masking her pained expression with a smile. Sakura backed away and narrowed her eyes, giving Ino a long look before her eyes shifted to Ino's shoulder.

"What happened?"

"It's nothing to worry about," Ino shook her head, sitting back down across from Kakashi and rolling her shoulder back, "there are other things that we need to talk about first."

Sakura was spiraling. Sasuke could see how overwhelmed she was without even seeing her face, and he stepped beside her.

"What's this about, Kakashi-sensei?"

"You should both sit down."

"Who is that?"

"Sasuke, now's not the time–"

"We found Y/N!"

Silence fell over the room. Kakashi deflated, running a hand over his face and confirming Naruto's statement with a small nod.

Sasuke swallowed. His throat felt like sandpaper. He fought the urge to turn to Sakura.

It had been seven months. Seven months since they'd gotten any answers. Any hint of what had happened to you.

"Where?" Sakura asked, leaning forward with her hands on the table and her wide eyes trained on Ino. "Where is she?"

"She's in the infirmary, but–"

Sakura was already moving, one hand on the door handle by the time Kakashi and Ino reached her. Kakashi grabbed her arm to halt her movements while Ino kicked a heel in front of the opening door, forcing Sakura to still.

"You can't see her right now."

"Why not?" Sakura asked, deathly calm and steadier than Sasuke felt. However, upon closer inspection, Sasuke saw that she looked moments away from losing her composure. Sasuke chanced a glance at Naruto, but his friend just stared at Sakura, devastation clear in is expression.

"I'll explain why," Ino said pointedly, glancing between Sakura and an empty chair next to Kakashi, "but you need to calm down and listen."

Sakura was practically shaking, hands balled into fists and trembling like she was seconds away from punching through a wall to get past Ino. Sasuke was not unconvinced that she could manage it.

"Sit down, Sakura," Ino ordered, finally getting the girl to back into the chair that Kakashi was pulling out for her.

"I guess there's no point in trying to hide things now, "Ino swallowed. "I've been working for Orochimaru since he left HYDRA."

Sasuke only knew about Ino from Kakashi's explanation of what had happened on your mission. He had no reason to trust her, and he certainly wasn't going to start after hearing this.

Kakashi had likely accounted for that when he placed Sasuke next to Naruto. He had his hands on Sasuke's shoulders before he could even stand to leap for Ino. Sasuke was shoved back into his seat and given a hard pat on the shoulder. He stayed pinned there by Kakashi's glare and Sakura's shockingly unfazed expression.

"I shot Y/N under HYDRA's orders, but if I hadn't been working for him, I would've killed her. HYDRA wanted her dead. It was Orochimaru who told me to keep her alive."

"Why?" Sakura choked, "Ino, what happened?"

"I told her that the bullet I shot her with was poisoned, and that the syringe I gave her contained an antidote, but that was a lie. The 'antidote' was actually a tracker. That's how Orochimaru knew where Kakashi's house was."

Kakashi had apparently not been informed of that fact yet, and this time it was Sakura holding him in place. She was squeezing it far too tightly for it to possibly be comforting, but shockingly, she looked like the calmest one in the room.

Perhaps she understood Ino's actions better than they ever could. Sasuke wondered if she would've done the same if their positions had been reversed.

"Orochimaru's experiments were all too flawed to be applicable to actual field He could speak and act through them because he was connected directly to their minds, but his control slipped easily, and there was always a point where the subjects essentially became robotic. Orochimaru gave them a command and they carried it out, but they were sloppy. Their performance declined, and trying to give them complex orders was very taxing on Orocihimaru.

"And because he wasn't producing results that would be viable in the field, HYDRA decided that they would only continue to fund his projects if he applied the Winter Soldier program's memory suppressing machine to his experiments. It had already yielded results, and while it wasn't exactly what Orochimaru was working towards, they saw it as a fair compromise. Orochimaru did not.

"He continued the experiments without taking HYDRA's input into consideration. Then he kidnapped Sakura. He thought it would give HYDRA an advantage over someone as important as Kakashi, but all it did was put an unnecessary target on HYDRA's back. But HYDRA only found out about her and his unauthorized experimentation when she and Y/N escaped. Those were his three strikes."

"I knew that Orochimaru had the capability to kill Sakura, so I approached him and offered my services in exchange for her safety. I didn't think..."

Ino looked thoroughly uncomfortable now. They were all vaguely aware of why Orochimaru was removed from the Red Room. None of this was exactly surprising.

It was what came next that was still a mystery.

"I want you all to know that this wasn't what I intended when I made the decisions that I did. But after I started working for Orochimaru, there was nothing I could do. He could've gone to HYDRA and told them that I was a traitor whenever he wanted. I...it was selfish, but–"

"It's okay, Ino," Sakura smiled, though it was obviously forced. She knew better than any of them that Orochimaru was not an easy man to defy, and on top of that HYDRA was a far more terrifying beast when one was put in the position of a double agent.

"He wanted Y/N because, aside from Sakura, she was the only Widow that HYDRA didn't control. He could get to her without having to go through them. He thought that if he brought them a Widow who could be controlled using the memory suppression machine, that they'd give him his position back.

"Wishful thinking," Sasuke muttered. Ino huffed.

"Well," Ino said, "you know as well as I do that Orochimaru is nothing if not stubborn. And he was desperate. Y/N was the only option he had left, and he deluded himself into thinking that anything he tried would be enough. He was also under the impression that the Red Room would fail without him."

"Would it?" Sasuke asked quietly

"No," Ino responded at the same time that Sakura scoffed, "it would do just fine."

"So why did he do all of this if he knew that they might not let him back?"

"Because he's delusional," Sakura answered immediately, "and he thinks he's a God."

"And he never imagined that they wouldn't let him back," Ino added, "but the machine didn't work on Y/N. At least, not in the way it does on the Winter Soldiers.

"The reason that the machine was used in the first place was because the recruits for the Winter Soldier program needed to become blank slates, completely susceptible to suggestion. In simple terms, it uses an outdated form of electrotherapy to wipe the memory of the subject. But Widows are very different. We're taught to be able to withstand torture at the age when normal kids would be learning addition. That was part of the reason why Orochimaru didn't want to use that method in the first place."

"So he knew it wouldn't work?" Naruto asked.

"He had a feeling. At the very least, he knew it wouldn't have the same effect as it does on someone without the Red Room's training. But he hoped that it would...well, for lack of a better word, he hoped it would reprogram her. He saw her as broken because she was able to resist the Red Room's conditioning and escape. He thought that the machine could be a way to bring her back to a state where she would be more susceptible to suggestion. That way he could show HYDRA that he was able to recondition an escaped Widow."

"But it didn't work?" Naruto whispered.

"No," Ino swallowed, "it didn't."

Ino glanced at Kakashi, a nervousness in her expression that made Sasuke uncomfortable. He wasn't sure how much more of this he wanted to hear.

This was the same man who held Sakura hostage for four years. This was the monster that haunted both your and her nightmares.

Sasuke felt his hatred like it was another entity inside of him. He greeted it like an old friend.

"For the first two months, he did the same thing every day. He used the machine, then Orochimaru would ask her questions. About her loyalty, about what she remembered. A lot of the questions centered around Kakashi. He acted like...Kakashi had somehow replaced him."

Sakura shook her head, hands clenched into fists on top of the table. Her hands were trembling with barely suppressed rage, and Sasuke knew that she would be in the gym releasing some of that anger on some poor punching bag after this meeting ended.

Maybe it would do him some good to join her.

"It wasn't pretty. But it also wasn't working. I tried to tell her that...that letting go of you both would make it easier. That it would make the pain stop. But it was like some part of her refused to give in. Even as her memories became scrambled, she still knew that you meant something to her.

"Orochimaru decided to change tactics after he saw how little progress he was making. He figured that, if he wanted her to let go of her sentiments and fully submit, he'd have to make her fear the person she refused to let go of. So he disguised himself as Kakashi and let her see his face each time they used the machine."

Sasuke thought back to the first time he'd seen you, long before he became close to you and certainly before he began trusting you. It was one of the first things he'd heard you say, and it was a warning to Sakura about this very circumstance.

"This is a trick. They’re trying to test our loyalty by showing you someone you trust. They’ve used it on me countless times. You may think you know this man, but you don’t."

"But if it didn't work...why doesn't she recognize me?"

Sasuke flinched. This wasn't fair. None of this was fair.

He wished more than anything that he'd killed Orochimaru when he'd had the chance. The man had been right in front of him the day you left, but he'd been too worried about Sakura to pay attention to anything else.

Guilt consumed him. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Sakura

She must hate you, a voice in the back of his mind whispered, you're no better than–

"Just because it didn't do what Orochimaru hoped doesn't mean it didn't have a significant effect. There's a lot missing from her memory, including any real memories she had with all of you after she escaped. The only reason she remembers Kakashi at all is because she thinks he tortured her."

Kakashi winced, eyes falling shut in the first outward display of emotion that Sasuke had seen from the man since Ino had started talking.

"By the time six months had passed, it was clear that the machine had done more harm than good. She became...a shell of herself. She was no good to Orochimaru if she couldn't hold her own in a fight, and after six months, Orochimaru had lost his leverage and knew that you were going to start searching for him. So he abandoned the experiment and left.

"The outpost you found us at was where Orochimaru was doing the experiment. He left her there and told me that he didn't need me anymore, so I stayed with her to make sure she didn't die. The first week...well, I'll spare you the details, but it wasn't pretty. I forced her to eat, but she didn't sleep for five days."

The silence in the room felt thick enough to choke on. Sasuke felt something within him snap at the sight of his teacher with his head in his hands.

"I tried to convince her that you aren't her enemy," Ino said slowly, looking at Kakashi. He slowly lifted his head to look at her, and Sasuke was alarmed to see that his eyes were glazed over, "but that kind of fear doesn't just go away. I thought I was making at least a bit of progress, and then..."

"Then I shot her," Kakashi murmured. Sasuke watched as far too many emotions crossed over Sakura's face in the few seconds before she turned to look at Kakashi. Anger, grief, understanding, devastation...he wasn't sure which she was going to land on when she finally acknowledged the man sitting next to her, but when she finally looked at him, her face was blank.

"What?" she whispered.

"I..." Kakashi repeated, "I'm sorry, Sakura. I thought she was going to kill Naruto, and I—"

Sakura puts a hand on the man's shoulder, silencing him. Her eyes were wide, moving back and forth as if she was trying to put together this endless puzzle that was becoming more complex by the minute.

"It's okay," she choked, "It'll be okay."

Sasuke knew that neither of them fully believed that.

Sleepless nights were nothing new to Kakashi.

It wasn't insomnia. At least, Kakashi wasn't exactly thrilled with that label. It was more of a choice. Recently, he found that he preferred being tired all day to facing the things that awaited him in his nightmares.

But tonight felt far heavier. He couldn't use Icha Icha to distract himself from the fact that the sun had risen before he had even closed his eyes, and he couldn't bring himself to lift his head from his hands for long enough to focus on anything other than the crushing weight of his guilt.

It's not your fault, Sakura's voice whispered in his head, it'll be okay.

Then he remembered your eyes, wide and terrified and directed at him.

It felt like someone had reached into his chest and crushed his heart in their hands.

It was happening again. He had done nothing but hurt the people he wanted to protect. He had failed Obito and Rin. He'd failed Sakura. And now he was failing you.

And you were within reach now. He could walk across the compound and see you in seconds if he wanted to. And he did want to. More than he thought he'd ever wanted anything.

But you were terrified of him. So terrified that the only thing he could picture when he closed his eyes was your expression when you'd looked at him for the first time in a year.

Some cruel, distant part of him wished that Orochimaru had still been with you when he found you. Just so he could've had the chance to tear the snake apart with his own hands.

It was that thought that encouraged him to leave the solitude of his room and seek a different type of loneliness in the common area. At least there, his thoughts wouldn't be echoing off of the walls of his bedroom.

He glanced down the hall to the room where you were still recovering, sedated and restrained until he could decide how to even begin helping you recover. It was dark save for a dim glow lighting the path for people like him who decided to take late night strolls through the compound. He was quick to walk away from the temptation of visiting you, fighting the strong urge to see for himself that you were safe.

But that would likely lead to more harm than good. Ino kept telling him that you were physically fine and to stop worrying so much, but that felt like an unreasonable thing to ask of him.

What finally broke him out of his spiraling thoughts was a small, almost inaudible gasp that came from the direction of the kitchen.

He would've heard it if Naruto, Sasuke, or Sakura had left their rooms earlier in the night, and Ino was staying in the room across from Sakura's.

His head turned far slower than it would have if he hadn't already put the pieces together.

There was only one other person who had stayed at the compound over night.

You were frozen against the far wall of the kitchen like Kakashi had backed you into it, but you looked anything but frightened. Instead of the shocked, terrified expression that he'd seen before, all he saw now was steely determination.

Then you were on top of him, one hand gripping his wrists above his head while the other reached for something in your back pocket. You put a knee on his stomach to keep him pinned, but he was able to throw you off with a twist of his hips.

This barely phased you, and you were ruthless as you jumped at him again. You kicked at his shins to try and knock him off balance, but he jumped over the attack and dodged the kitchen knife that you were hurtling at him when his feet were back on the ground.

"Does this," Kakashi panted when you landed a jab to his throat, halting his words and his breath for a few moments, "feel familiar at all?"

Your answering snarl felt like a resounding no, so Kakashi kept his defenses up while wondering whether this would end with him incapacitated. He could've called for help from his students—should've, in fact—but he found himself staying silent when the thought crossed his mind.

You didn't show him any mercy, and he realized with a slight feeling of discomfort that you'd been holding back against him when you sparred before. And now, even injured, you had the upper hand. You must've trained extensively in fighting through pain like this—it seemed like something Orochimaru would make you do.

He was beginning to understand why the Widows were so terrifying.

He was also starting to realize you might actually kill him.

Call for help, his mind shouted at him, stop this before she kills you!

But his lips stayed sealed shut.

As far as skill went, you and Kakashi were fairly evenly matched. What gave you the edge over him now was probably pure terror and rage.

Your kicks were something lethal—especially the one you delivered to his stomach, knocking him off balance and landing him on his back.

You didn't waste any time pinning him down again and raising the knife above your head with one hand. The other fell to his throat and squeezed, unrelenting.

"You won't hurt me anymore," you muttered. "I'm going to kill you."

He gasped, choking on air that refused to flow into his lungs. You tightened your hold when you heard the sound, baring your teeth and raising the knife higher.

And higher. And higher.

Then it stopped.

Kakashi felt as if years were passing as he waited for you to kill him. His vision was becoming spotty, and he wondered if he preferred dying before or after he was unconscious.

His students would be well taken care of. He and Guy had given extensive thought to what would happen if either of them could no longer take care of their charges. And, all things considered, Guy was likely a better influence than he was.

He thought of you and hoped that you'd forget him completely. He didn't want you to feel guilty for this.

Each thought crossed his mind, one after another, and still the knife was raised high above your head.

He was so focused on the sharp blade pointed at his neck that it felt like a shock of lightening when a tear landed on his cheek. He thought he'd imagined it until another landed on his lip, and a third on his nose.

Then he looked at you.

Your mouth was set in a hard line, but your face was streaked with fresh tears that continued to fall on him. The knife raised above him was shaking, and your eyes were focused on the hand that you had wrapped around his throat.

Your grip loosened considerably, and he took in a gasping, aching breath.

"Your hand," you whispered, voice cracked and words practically crumbling from your lips like a falling building.

Your eyes were still on his throat. Your fingers were tense on his neck, and his hand was wrapped tightly around your wrist. He hadn't even realized he'd moved it in his desperation for air, but now he understood that it was his hand that you were staring at.

"It's...warm."

For seven months, your mind had been an echo-chamber.

You had a vague idea of the life you'd lived before you'd been strapped into that machine, but most of it felt like whispers from ghosts.

Familiarity redefined itself after you began losing your memories. It became the sudden, paralyzing feeling of electricity shocking you into painful submission. It became Kakashi Hatake's face hovering above you with hard, unforgiving eyes.

It became cold hands touching you. Kakashi's hands, always just as cold as the room you were trapped in.

Those were the familiarities that were trapped in your head. They were the only things that didn't slip away from you. Memories came and went in flashes of pink and yellow and blue. They came to you in kind words coming from a voice you didn't recognize and gentle touches from someone who's face you couldn't see, then fell between your fingers like sand the second you tried to wrap your arms around the memories and hold on as tight as possible.

Pain, cold, and Kakashi. Those were constants.

You grew to hate them. That hatred kept you sane.

It kept you alive.

Eventually, it was what you were forced to hold onto to keep you from slipping into a far-off world that promised protection and safety. You knew that place too well—you recognized it as a sanctuary that you'd been invited to before. But you rejected it, and some distant part of your mind told you that that was what you were supposed to do.

You'd been trained to reject weakness. And you'd rejected that quiet sanctuary in your mind many times before.

You fought hard to hold onto sanity, and your hatred acted as an anchor each time Kakashi's face appeared above you right before electricity ran rampant in your veins. You hated him. You hated him.

But as your tears landed on his face and you stared at the warm hand wrapped around your wrist, you felt your resolve falter. And when you looked in his eyes and saw that same warmth, it crumbled.

Kill him!

The words were rattling through your mind, stuck in an endless loop and trapped within the walls where only your rage existed. Nothing could get in and nothing could get out.

"Look at me."

The command was quiet, but there was force behind it. You found your eyes shifting up to meet his involuntarily, grip loosening on the knife in your hand.

He kept his hand on your wrist and lifted the other to your bicep. You stiffened, but waited until he had wrapped his hand around your arm and pressed his thumb against a scar that you'd forgotten was there.

"I stitched this," he said, shifting his thumb so that he could feel the ridges of the scar, "I was hoping it wouldn't scar as badly as it did. I didn't like seeing you hurt."

"Shut up," you snapped. Your head was aching. His hands were so warm. His eyes were kind.

The familiarity that you'd relied on to survive was gone. Pain had been replaced by gentle hands. Cold fingers were replaced by warm ones.

The only thing that remained was Kakashi, but...the man in front of you wasn't the same one you'd grown to hate. There was something different. His eyes, his hands, his voice...it was all different.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, choking on the words and letting his eyes fall shut. "I'm so sorry I let you go."

Your body was paralyzed. It wouldn't let you move your arm down to sink the knife into his chest. It kept you from ripping his hands off of you. It just kept you...frozen. Vulnerable. Weak

You hated it.

Your head was still pounding like a drumbeat, over and over until you wanted to curl into yourself and let your mind drift away.

"I never will again."

Kakashi's hand shifted away from your arm. It moved up, brushing your shoulder and grazing your jaw until it finally rested on your cheek. With a gentler touch than you'd thought was possible, he brushed a tear off of your skin. Your eyes were wide as he cupped your face in one hand. When he opened his eyes, they were soft and kind and clouded with tears.

They were warm.

Then, like a bullet shattering a sheet of glass, the echo-chamber within your mind shattered with one devastating feeling of familiarity.

You remembered this touch. You remembered this warmth.

The knife slipped from your hand and clattered to the floor.

(previous chapter) | (next chapter) | (series masterlist)

Author's note | FINALLY got this chapter out. thank you guys for waiting longer than usual, i started a study abroad program so the past few months have been very busy. because of that, i can't promise that i will keep to a regular updating schedule but i promise that i am still very invested in this fic and am still planning a sequel series!

this one gave me a run for my money, and it went through about four rewrites before i landed on how i wanted to write some of the scenes. overall though, i'm very happy with how it came out. i hope y'all like the changing perspectives, i literally don't know how to write any other way lmao

let me know what you guys think and please leave me some love if you enjoyed!

title is from "Brutus" by The Buttress

[joyswonderland1108]

Seriously Army?

So she's back home and she's ready to rant and give answers and let you rant with me cause what on earth?

Okay So Jimin had a schedule in Budapest, he left on the 16th which got fuckers panties in a twist because why oh why would Jimin go to the same country JK went to? Didn't you know Budapest is exclusive to JK and JK only? But fear not, a few hours later they were celebrating again because "Jimin will be away for GOLDEN Live on stage" Uhm okay.

Comes the 18th and Jimin is going back home, guess what?

Right.. Because how fucking dare Jimin goes back to his HOME COUNTRY WHERE HIS PLACE IS, HOW DARE HE? THAT VIXEN!! But yeah gotta love the dedication in manifesting Jimin's presence in JK's GOLDEN Live in stage performance. Anygays..

Damn if you do, damn if you don't. So they're unhappy that Jimin went to Budapest but they're also unhappy that he's going back home.. Exactly how do you make these people happy? We don't know, actually we do they absolutely despise Jimin's existence and the ideal for them is him staying 7 countries away from JK..

MOVING ON, comes d-day of the performance, Joon is there, absolutely adorable, in his whole hotness and cuteness, then someone mentions that apparently according to K-army Jimin was there, well.. False alarm that of course got deleted later (rightfully so) when they got the correct information. But that was enough to rile up that cult which led to this

(Stole this from jikookreports)

All that from a false alarm too, they didn't even wait for it to be confirmed or anything just the mention of Jimin there was enough to have them foaming at the mouth. Which then was followed by this

(Stole this from Keira on Twt)

Which ended up being complete bullshit but of course Army hyped it up took it as a fact despite it being unverified news and despite the fact that k-media has been bullshitting on many things before but before i continue.. Notice how none of Joon or Tae's presence in JK's event seem to bother people? Like yes, them being there means they love their maknae, their baby star candy and want to support him but Jimin being there means he's a leech and can't stay home for once. Lovely.

Moving on and this is the cherry on top, this dumb ass, this wet sock, this lab rat, posted this

Now if the previous post wasn't enough of a lie this uncultured twat decided to make up a whole ass au out of that previous lie and of fucking course 12.4K (now probably more) of "smart" Army ate that shit up.

Mind you this post is still up and OP thought it was funny to keep it up and add this

So not only homeboy Tae was busy today, as seen here

Joon also mentioned that other members, which logically would be Vmin, have a shoot today, which means both weren't there. But this motherfucker was proud about spreading misinformation DURING THE LIVE not even after but decided it was a good idea to post some bullshit before even the live ended so basically disrupting people's attention and creating some whack ass drama instead of focusing on the performance that JK worked hard for.

Now if you did watch the live you know that JK pointed to Joon and asked to give him the mic to give a lil speechy speech, so are you now insinuating that JK is a dick for not acknowledging Tae's presence and only acknowledging Joon? Literally nothing about that post is a cute joke, not the timing of it, not the obvious lie when my boy Tae wasn't even there, just.. How very inconsiderate do you have to be? If YOU don't care about the live then it's on YOU, keep your childishness to yourself and if you still wanna make sick jokes, out of respect, wait for that live to fucking end.

Some people are on the TL while watching the live to hopefully catch some live translations as those offered with the live can be a bit off for now, so having to scroll through your tl and then you come across this shit? I don't know why it is so normalized to hate on Jimin and to disrespect JK, exactly what did this fandom become? Is it that hard to appreciate these boys without creating so much drama, so much hate, so much chaos?

I'm seriously very disappointed, as always, in ARMY cause if that was coming from the cult only then it's nothing new but then again at this point, at this rate, is it even something new that ARMY are engaging in loads of fuckery? No.. Not at all really.

Grow the fuck up.

[recreationalfanfics]

Lab Rats x Twisted Wonderland Incorrect Quotes (these are all from the Lab Rats show)

Adam Davenport! Reader:

Crowley, after the overblots started happening: The reason I built Night Raven College was to teach you to control your magic. And I couldn't even do that...I feel like I failed you.

Adam! Y/n: Well, I'm glad someone said it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Azul, after Adam! Y/n came back from the underwater museum without the potion: How did you survive so long without oxygen?

Adam! Y/n: By breathing underwater!😃

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ace, when Malleus and Sebek walk by: Look out guys. The weather just got partly creepy with a 100% chance of annoying.

Adam! Y/n: Am I gunna need my umbrella for that?!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Overblot Character: and how would you like your lives TO END?!

Adam! Y/n: Livin' on Mars. Then I accidentally take off my helmet.

Chase Davenport! Reader:

Chase! Y/n, dealing with their first overblot: Everyone just stay calm. We can't afford to panic.

Deuce: We are calm.

Chase! Y/n: WELL YOU SHOULDN'T BE, WE'RE IN CRISIS!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chase!Y/n: We should just tell Professor Crewel.

Ace: Yeah, we tell Crewel and get it over with!

Chase! Y/n: ARE YOU CRAZY, WE CAN'T TELL CREWEL.

Deuce: IT WAS YOUR IDEA!

Chase! Y/n: WHAT, SO NOW YOU LISTEN TO ME!?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chase! Y/n: What if Epel isn't able to make it!? What if he gets caught in a traffic jam!?

Jack: On a broomstick?

Chase! Y/n: There could be birds!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chase! Y/n, after going into Commando Mode and beating up Floyd: Commando App disengaged!? Guys, why was I in Commando mode!?

Ace: Where you in Commando mode?

Deuce: I didn't see a commando mode!

Grim: OOH, that's good! Everyone, keep lying!

Bree Davenport! Reader:

Bree! Y/n, after they catch a basketball: What do I do with this!?

Ace: Throw it!

Bree! Y/n: *throws it at Jamil who didn't notice and knocks him out*

Ace: TO SOMEONE WHOSE LOOKING.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crowley: And what do you have to say for yourself, Davenport?

Bree! Y/n: That boys are easily manipulated when their masculinity is threatened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bree! Y/n, after Ace tries to get them to prank Riddle: Sorry, its not in my nature to be stupid and immature.

Ace: Good thing it's mine!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trey: I'm baking these tarts for Riddle's mom. If we do everything right, we might just be able to get on her good side!

Bree! Y/n: The woman has many sides. None of them are good.

[fungalittleweirdo]

Villain Rise Mikey Thoughts: Part Two

a continuation of my first villain mikey post ! this is where it gets more m-rated (using archive ratings) so i'm thinking people 17+ can proceed reading, if you're sixteen about to turn seventeen that's fine too but anyone below that, please do not read !!

cw: graphic depictions of violence, drugs, addiction

i left off on fifteen year old mikey discovering a love for baking edibles

it started off small but eventually he started growing his own green and selling in the hidden city

he made connections and they started helping him out– he was a small business owner, keeping his head down, until he crosses paths with a yokai who knows certain recipes for a higher selection of products (if you know my ccc au ocs, prion, a manticore yokai, and carmine, the daughter of boss bruce from the masters of barbarianism, are part of mikey's hidden city inner circle)

mikey agrees to learning the recipes because the money is coming in quickly and he doesn't even have to steal anymore

draxum catches on to what mikey's doing and he's skeptical about it– how will this help with destroying the humans ?

mikey may dislike humans, but he doesn't necessarily want to destroy them.

subduing them sounds more like his style.

draxum's like "oh ! carry on then son !" (he's such a proud dad)

big mama catches on to mikey's operation and how it's taking away from her own criminal empire's revenue, so he's seen as a competitor.

he had picked up on newer recipes, better than with mere mystic weed, he cooks with mystic mushrooms (his mushroom tarts are BOMB) and makes synthetic substances (i.e. acid, mdma, amphetamine) separately.

after big mama tries to sic the hidden city police on mikey, he moves back up to the surface after conferring with his inner circle that they could take care of things without big mama getting in the way

he moves back to brooklyn and does what he always did, tagging buildings, stealing, killing– but that brought media attention.

as much as villain mikey loves to have fun, he goes on to start business topside, stopping his usual criminal activity.

after using his mystic powers sparingly for a while so that he could heal post krang, he makes portals for deliveries from the hidden city, then he starts baking.

he finally kidnaps a few humans to keep as pets, using them to test doses rather than dote on them like they're pets (they're essentially "lab rats", but he doesn't like the fact that donnie would dub them that, so pets it is).

his edibles are considerably smaller for humans, but costly for good reason.

he opens a mutant friendly bakery/cafe establishment as a front, hiring meat sweats as the head chef because he's been a pain in his brother's asses for years.

mikey hires other mutants and a human to work the cafe.

he doesn't really like the thought of them in charge of selling his goods, even if it's just regular food and drink (the mutants and a human employee are also ccc au ocs of mine, ziva, oscar, and miwa kutsuki)

after mikey is done testing all the products on his pets, he goes back to the hidden city with them, giving them to draxum for him to mutate.

he watches the process for the first time, watching how their bones snap and twist, the blood they cough out as they claw and grip at each other in the vat of empyrean they're thrown in.

that's when mikey realises... draxum put his brothers through that. put him through that.

he was a mere hatchling.

he realised his father isn't as good as he thought he was, therefore going mystic on him for a good reason.

draxum can't talk mikey down from it this time, it's only when he accidentally opens a portal in front of raph that the "red angel of preventing harm" busts in with his ninpo and hugs mikey tightly, whispering in his ear that he's safe and he doesn't have to hurt anyone.

mikey suddenly remembers what he did to raph when they were little and stops, the chains burning and choking draxum loosening and fading as he collapses back on the ground of his lab.

"i... i don't want to hurt my family."

after that ordeal, twenty year old mikey leaves the country, making a portal all the way to south america where he finds another hidden city to hide away in.

he loses his boredom motive to wreak havoc, deciding to start honest work there for a while until some yokai approaches him with a plant he's never seen before in new york's hidden city.

he starts growing it with him and they start a business together.

mikey learns how to make flour out of this plant and bakes edibles with hallucinogenic effects, just like his mushroom tarts.

after a while, mikey brings this plant back to the states and starts selling, revenue growing exponentially on the east coast.

he finds out meat sweats completely took over his bakery/cafe, renaming it and stealing millions from him.

meat sweats also fired everyone, since ziva stole food from her job because she couldn't eat and afford her apartment, oscar wasn't focused on his tasks, and miwa turned out to be an undercover agent from japan.

luckily, rupert swaggart only knew the weed recipe, otherwise mikey would have been cooked.

he had been meaning to cut off his weed supply anyway, especially since he found the flower down in south america.

mikey moves out of brooklyn to have an apartment in tribeca, manhattan, closer to where his new business could be.

he opens a new bakery/cafe in the financial district, it attracts all the upper class businessmen with fixed lifestyles.

and for whoever knows the business is a front, it also attracts the substance addicts looking for something better.

mikey gets rich quickly, but he keeps his studio apartment in tribeca, buying out the whole building instead of renting.

he installs his own greenhouse at the top after the city grants him permission, which alerts his brothers of his location.

he dismantles it and decides to rent all around manhattan, an apartment in each district.

mikey housed homeless mutants in his extra apartments, but his hospitality ran very thin.

the only rules were not to trash the place and to cover for him if anyone comes up to the door and asks for him.

villain mikey grows extra paranoid in his twenties, he feels as though everyone is out to get him, even his regular clients.

he bakes as a stress reliever, manages his bakery/café under an alias.

sometimes he works at the till with a cloaking brooch after long periods of isolation, just to interact with people.

after all the years he's been ingesting mystic weed, he hadn't tried anything else, knowing it could affect him as a business owner.

then after a depressive episode, twenty three year old mikey tries his trademarked mdma.

he joins the rave scene and makes connections there, as well as getting a few new willing pets to try his south american mystic baked goods so his demographic expands.

carmine comes up topside, telling mikey she needs him back in the hidden city.

so mikey returns and finds that prion, his right hand yokai, died from an overdose of mystic opioids, which he thought was bullshit because prion swore he would never touch the crap.

he knew that big mama was behind prion's death and decided to set fire to her auction houses, her third biggest revenue source.

he dipped into mania, selling full sized mystic pastries to whoever asked.

it's been years since mikey talked to his dad.

draxum was converted to his brothers' side and no longer resided in the hidden city.

he used to take pride in who his father was, now looking at him made him ill.

it was time boss bruce made his successor the donna of the masters of barbarianism, proving her worth by managing mikey's drug operation well in the hidden city for a decade.

carmine was allowed a few months before her induction, so mikey decided to bring her up topside.

being a tall dragon lady, she's bound to turn heads, so she wore a cloaking brooch whenever she went out with mikey.

mikey started coming down from mania and carmine was there for all of it, helping him get clean and caring for him when he was crashing.

he always really liked carmine, but everything had to be kept professional, right ? right ?

carmine had to return from her surface vacation to follow in her father's footsteps, and mikey was left alone again to manage everything.

he's sober for the most part, mystic weed still keeps him calm so he doesn't get aggressive.

by the time he reaches his late twenties, villain mikey gets bored again.

what – or rather who – will satisfy him ?

[destiny-in-the-universe]

I’m bored out of my mind so now you get a mini list of my current au’s for my interests! I’ll do a bigger version later but again, right now, I’m trying to finish Whumptober and adulting is also a very fun thing happening in my life!

Isn’t that swell? /s

This is very informal, but I’m more than willing to talk about any once Whumptober is finished! As mentioned before, this is a multi-fandom blog so… you’ll be surprised at what you can find here! I’m also ADHD and just like to infodump!

So.

Here’s a silly list of au’s and crossovers! Read below the cut for them!

Cars (Pixar)

Infection AU

The Roads We Take: post-apocalyptic/virus inspired universe where an outbreak occurs and Doc Hudson makes it across several state lines in search of Lightning, hoping to bring home. Back to Radiator Springs, but of course, it won’t be easy.

The Radiation Verse: Bad End Infection AU. In an apocalyptic setting, luck is scarcely on Lightning’s side and well, after witnessing a distressing event - he only has Cal to rely on and trying to reach Radiator Springs won’t be easy.

Merlin (BBC)

Court Magician AU: In which Arthur legalizes magic and Merlin becomes a Court Warlock- I mean, Magician. Unfortunately, this comes with a little bit of resistance.

[REDACTED]: Post-Canon Continuation. Merlin has long resigned himself to the thought of Arthur not returning and now runs a little shop, but it seems destiny’s about to give him and so many others a second chance.

Godling Merlin AU: Merlin is more than just a warlock. He’s the patron deity of magic and now that Uther’s declared war on his people, well, there’s no telling what might happen.

BNHA

Guard Dog Dabi AU: Tread with caution when it comes to this AU. It’s not for the faint of heart. Touya Todoroki meets a different path and Endeavor’s willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the future and legacy of the Todoroki family - even if it means handing his eldest son to the Hero Commission. And things won’t be the same. In which Touya is subjected to borderline pet whump and has become property of the Commission.

(There is another AU, but I’ll talk about it later!)

Wordgirl

The (Mis)adventures of Technofire and Lexidoe: A Role Reversal AU with a twist. Where Tobey is a superhero and Becky is a supervillain, shenanigans are about to ensue.

Lab Rat AU: Ongoing Whumptober Prompt/DD:DNE. Wordgirl is captured by the government but of course, it’s met with retaliation. Heavy Content will be present in this.

Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja

Tales of the Nine: Randy’s chosen to bring back the Norisu Nine but the journey to their success is perilous but maybe, just maybe, they’ll be able to finish what the original clan started.

(There’s honestly too many for me to lift if I’m being honest- and because this fixation lasted for many months, I’ll just write all of them in a separate post. This fandom holds a special place in my heart!)

Multi-Fandom AU’s

Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons: Crossover between Rise of the Guardians, Brave, Tangled, and How to Train Your Dragon. This is my own spin on it. A separate post will be dedicated to it!

Secret Quartet: Expanded Version of the Secret Trio. American Dragon: Jake Long, Danny Phantom, Randy Cunningham, and Miraculous Ladybug all rolled into one!

Superwholock + Merlin: Developing Crossover between Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Sherlock! As well as Merlin. The crossover was not begun by me, but this version is mine.

Mystery Kids: My Own Spin on the Mystery Kids AU, but since I haven’t seen Psychonauts - it’s replaced with Danny Phantom. Because I can

[proudfreakmetarusonikku]

Primetober Day 7: Alone in the Universe, with all extra prompts (Autophobia, Isolation, and Weaponised Abandonment Issues)

Sci-Fi AU. Mad scientist Dream, training his beloved creation Tommy, finds out that he’s terrified of being alone, and realises he can use that to his advantage. Warnings for severe dehumanisation (Dream literally sees Tommy as an animal), some body horror from non consensual body modification, human experimentation, abuse, isolation, imprisonment, drugging, conditioning, codependency, and references to forcing people into dangerous situations.

ao3 link

—— When Dream entered the lab, Tommy was crying.

Curled up in the corner of his cage, he was hunched over, trying to make himself as small as possible despite his hulking size. His stinger-like tail was wrapped around himself protectively, the venom-filled stinger at the end only stopped from breaking his skin by the thick, dark fur covering patches of his skin erratically. His eight eyes were scrunched shut, yet even that wasn’t enough to hide their glow.

Interesting. Very, very interesting.

“Hi, Toms.” Dream spoke softly and calmly, like he was speaking to a child. Tommy usually hated it- same with the stupid nickname- but his ears pricked up the second he heard Dream’s voice, eyes snapping open and painting the lab in bright blue as he smiled, or as close as was possible with his disfigured maw.

Unable to stand up on two legs, both due to his twisted form and the smallness of the cage, he raced forwards on clawed hands and cloven hooves, immediately racing towards Dream’s side, scrambling so fast he collided face first with the hard light bars. Dream chuckled, reaching a hand into the container and scratching behind his ears like he was a puppy. Not even trying to hide his instincts, Tommy thumped his tail against the floor violently, flapping his hands and purring.

“I didn’t think you’d come back,” he said, voice distorted and blurry through his new vocal chords. Dream had made sure that he’d be able to speak with them, of course. While a weapon didn’t need to speak, he quite liked his test subject, enough to grant him a name, which he’d reluctantly accepted over Subject 193. Still, it was a surprise- ever since he’d gotten his new mouth, perfect for crushing tanks and drones, he’d refused to talk, just sitting there staring.

Dream laughed. “What’s gotten into you?” Tommy was always a fighter- that was what made him perfect for the process. Earlier subjects, the timid and weak, faltered. Tommy’s defiance and spark, more than being entertaining and making him an enjoyable conversation partner, meant he was able to not only survive but thrive throughout the experiments. Seeing him like a lost puppy was bizarre, to say the least.

Tommy blinked. “I didn’t think you’d come back,” he repeated like it explained everything.

It had been a few days, Dream supposed, but he’d left Tommy with plenty of food. Even if he hadn’t, the alterations to his internal biology could let him go weeks at a time without a drop of water or a bite of food as long as he didn’t do anything strenuous. It just didn’t make sense- Dream would kill for a few days alone in his lab, without Punz constantly coming in to bug him about the next shipment of weapons or dropping off new subjects, and he liked Punz. Tommy always insisted that he hated Dream, so why wasn’t he happy about that?

Wait. Wait, wait, wait.

“Are you scared of being alone?” Dream asked, his mouth quirked into an amused grin. The idea that Tommy, angry and violent and insistent he didn’t fear any pain, could be so easily reduced to an obedient attack dog just by a few days alone, was both hysterical and deeply useful. After all, Tommy wasn’t just Dream’s personal lab rat; he had a purpose to serve, and while his strong will was important, so was directing that towards the correct purposes.

Unlike the other living subjects, Tommy wasn’t going to be a bonus attack dog for Punz or a gift to anyone else who’d give Dream rare genetic samples to study, of course. Tommy wasn’t the first of the successes, but he was absolutely Dream’s magnum opus, handling the most mutations far more gracefully than many subjects that only had about one or two major changes. More importantly than that, he was the closest thing Dream really had to a friend- at least in the long months Punz was away on mercenary jobs- and therefore, he’d kept him as a pet and his own personal bodyguard.

After all, it’s not like he was a person anymore. That was the kindest arrangement possible for a beast built to kill.

Reluctantly, Tommy nodded his head, eyes glancing to the floor in embarrassment as his slit pupils dilated. Dream couldn’t help but grin at how expressive Tommy always was. He was aware that most people probably found him terrifying, a beast in a vaguely human shape, but as far as he was concerned, he was as adorable as the kittens he used to have as a child, if not more so.

Petting Tommy’s head again, Dream fished for the remote in his pocket for Tommy’s collar. A shock collar, of course, would have been cruel. Not to mention stupid- wild animals bite back if cornered, after all. No, this was more sophisticated, a design of his own. As he pressed the button, a concoction of chemicals was injected through the heavy skin of Tommy’s neck, sending an immediate batch of endorphins and serotonin into his system. It was a way to cause an instant feeling of satisfaction and happiness and served as a far more effective way to get Tommy to behave.

The carrot certainly held more use than the stick, after all.

Tommy chirped happily, his eyes squeezing shut in the closest approximation to a smile he could make. Dream continued to scratch behind his ears, before moving his hands to scratch at the base of his first set of horns. “Good, good. Very good, Tommy.”

“I’m not-“ Tommy said in protest, struggling to make sounds outside of the involuntary chirps and purrs out his mouth. “I’m not a fuckin’ dog, man. You don’t have to treat me like one.”

“Well, you’re not human, are you?” Dream said, the argument pre-prepared in his head. Subjects always got so insistent about it, so he needed to have a quick refutation. Extreme stress made the process much more dangerous. “Your mind and your body are different now. Tommy, if you’re not going to let me take care of you, who will? Everyone who looks at you would think of you a monster. Isn’t it better for me to treat you kindly?”

Tommy blanched, the dull grey of his skin turning white. “They- they already abandoned me, before I was…”

“Shh, shh. You know we don’t talk about ‘before’. This is who you are now. You’re Tommy, you’re my creation, you’re mine. Don’t worry about ‘before’, Tommy. This is your life now. Is that so bad?”

“Yes! No. I dunno.” Tommy whined, pulling away with a start like a kicked puppy. “I hate you.”

“Do you want me to leave-“

“No! No, no, no, please. Don’t go, Dream. Please.” Tommy hit him with the puppy-dog eyes, far more effective than any puppies could ever be, considering he had eight of them. “I’ll be your weapon, or whatever the fuck, if you just stay.”

Dream chuckled. “Chill out, Toms. It was just a joke. This is my lab, idiot. I got a new order from Punz, anyway, I’m gonna be spending all day here. Since you’re talking now, we could chat, even.”

“Oh.” Tommy made a whining noise again, a frustrated one, as he tried to hide behind his matted blond hair- one of the few things remaining from the original human boy that had become Tommy, along with the electric blue of his eyes. “Yeah, I knew that.”

“Sure you did.” Dream shrugged, before pressing a button to dissipate the cage into nothing. Tommy blinked, unused to being allowed free, as Dream sat at his desk, fiddling over the next weapon design.

“Heel.” Dream said absently, and Tommy stayed still for a second before, reluctantly, slinking over to sit beside Dream, allowing him to run his fingers through his fur, something to keep his hands busy as he drafted new ideas in his head at a million miles per hour. He sent another dosage of reward chemicals through Tommy’s system at the obedience, smiling. “See, you know your place now, don’t you?”

“Shut up,” Tommy growled. “I just-“

“Don’t want to be alone?” Dream laughed. “Then be a good test subject, and you’ll never have to leave my side. I might even let you meet Punz. I mean, he’s very interested in how strong you are. You should be grateful I keep you here, instead of sending you off to die alone on the battlefield.”

Tommy was quiet, looking to the ground with a conflicted look. Still, he stayed still, like a trained attack dog. He truly was Dream’s most perfect specimen.

Today was going to be a productive day.

[putyourreddresson]

'unwinding of the fall (BLACK SWAN AU BABY)' 'the ripple of tenderness (a corrupted tide)'

— i would like to know intimately about both of these things please and please 🌺💛🌹

oh i love you and i am SO sorry for what i am about to unleash on you

unwinding of the fall

(lovingly shortened to just black swan by a friend of mine) is my magnum opus that i have been slaving over for more than 7 months now. it's my first too-ambitious writing project that now spans upwards of 60K words, 14 chapters, a lot of mental breakdowns and is unfortunately nowhere close to being finished.

the premise is pretty simple – the 2022 formula 1 season reimagined through the lens of the obsessed artist; the fatality of devotion and the intricacies of how ambition can deteriorate into fanaticism. i borrow a few plot points, themes and dialogue from the movie black swan but it all takes place in the f1 cinematic universe.

in terms of plot, i am keeping all the results the same until summer break (it's like ferrari did all that clownery specifically for my sadistic streak) and then afterwards i am taking some hefty artistic liberties in order to self-serve my agenda and accompany charles' even bigger spiral into insanity (he's my final girl and my fav literary lab rat). all of this is accompanied by a lot of surrealistic elements, manipulation, hallucinations, disordered behaviour and a bunch of other things i will probably have to tw.

in terms of characters, i envision charles as the white swan and max as the black swan. however, i don't want them to have the same kind of jagged rivalry as nina and lily in the beginning – it doesn't make sense with their personalities now and i think it's going to be even more devastating if max is genuinely trying to get close to charles and charles is a bit hesitant but he starts to lean towards the freely given affections until Something (if you've watched the movie, i think you know what im referring to) happens and he gets a rude awakening, gets stuck in his head and start to twist things. this is where their rivalry starts to lean towards something more tense, an amalgamation of internal strife and becoming a victim to the turbulent flow of events and expectations that start to control you.

(of course, it doesn't help that he hallucinates a more volatile and cunning version of max, which pushes him in the wrong direction. that's neither here nor there.)

this is already too long i am SO SORRY, i will try to keep this brief

silverstone

"Perfection is not just about precision, it’s not always about predetermination,” starts Max, his eyes boring into him with the intensity of nuclear fission. His thumb brushes gently over Charles’ jaw, back and forth for a moment until it settles underneath the bone. The calming movement coaxes Charles to exhale some leftover dregs, softly so as to not obscure Max’s face. The calm before the storm.

Max takes Charles in, kneeling before him and teetering on the edge of something. Max’s gaze maps him out, trying to find the stray thread and pull. “You cannot save yourself from this if you stifle your driver instincts in the process,” he continues. “You’re not here because you can do calculations in your head. You’re here because you can feel the car better than most, because you can find that golden balance between sending it and staying in control, between holding on and letting go.”

His thumb digs further, hand almost painfully grasping his chin and bringing Charles’ face even closer. “You’re so afraid of not having a contingency plan that you con yourself into believing you can account for all of it. And when something goes astray, like it always does—” Max’s voice catches on the exit, barely louder than a whisper at this point, aimed directly at his lips “—you shatter to pieces because you still cannot bear the fact that some things are bound to be out of your control."

france

He looks up, lets his head fall back listlessly and pull on the pain in his neck, and closes his eyes. He doesn’t seek guidance or explanation or a sign because he knows this is all on him. He doesn’t deserve any consolation and it’s not like he will get any. The gods above have forsaken him, the ivory of their statues crumbled into remnants he can brush off of his shoulders like lint. There are only the gods on earth who he is accountable to, who will weigh his guilt on the unbalanced scale of justice and demand their pound of flesh. He feels the hairline fractures on his skull proliferate. He feels the anger, thick and heavy, seeping from his ears and staining the car at his feet. He feels pure unadulterated rage, something disfigured and depraved squeezing the nerves from his limbs like wet rags.

He opens his eyes and sees only the sun and the blue sky. He wants to swallow them up like Chronos.

zandvoort

“Let go, Charles,” barely a breath but it resonates like a church bell, a clandestine command. His lips the belladonna petals, his tongue the dagger at his jugular.

Charles listens to his – their – skin whisper and he lets himself go.

Charles drags Max back to him and plunges into this, into Max’s mouth and his iron-clad embrace with an iron-willed determination, metal scraping against metal a siren call that clogs his ears and brain with cotton. He doesn’t grow pliant – he meets Max blow for blow, bruise for bruise. He doesn’t extinguish the fight but leans into it, sinks into the embrace of violence and rejoices.

He feels Max’s teeth in his neck, in his heart and Charles hopes the bite hurts, hopes that Max’s teeth reach bone and everything shatters

the ripple of tenderness (a corrupted tide)

i cannot for the life of me write normal people romance and this silly little story exists solely bc of a friend of mine who incites all kinds of gooey feelings in me. in the beginning i thought it's going to be a nice break from the seriousness of my longer wip but now it's sitting there at 15K and still unfinished.

it's a very standard magical realism trope aka charles falls under a love spell that makes him fall in love with the first person he sees, which surprise surprise, is max, who has been in love with him for ages! wow, who would've thought.

however, i wanted to subvert this take a little bit by making charles not completely lose his mind. i want him to be freely affectionate but with enough rational thoughts online that he feels very disconcerted about not being in control, about potentially making max uncomfortable, about showing so much vulnerability against his own volition. and max, who is such a sweetheart, tries to reassure charles at the cost of his sanity and slowly fraying heart since all of charles' affections are obviously fabricated. i think the slight angst with the inescapable tenderness of their interactions will make for a good combination! but what do i know

snippy snip

Just when he starts to focus a bit too much on all of this, he feels Charles envelop the hand resting on his cheek with his own and push further into it in a complete act of heatstroke-induced insanity. He turns his face back around where Max’s palm doesn’t obfuscate it and finally, painstakingly, opens his eyes.

Max stops breathing for a second.

In Max’s opinion, he hasn’t spent nearly enough time looking into Charles’ eyes. Eye contact has always been a painstaking affair, trying to find an optimal balance between looking into Charles’ eyes and away during their talks in such a way that it would not allude to anything more. Charles’ eyes can look vastly different under different lights – striking green in direct sunlight, molten hazel on rainy days, overtaken by specs of yellow under fireworks. But there is always a simmering warmth there, which can either reach the fiery heights of ambition or the honeyed flames of attentiveness.

Max looks into Charles’ eyes now and feels like Charles is looking through Max’s eyes and into him as a whole. It feels innocently invasive, like a caress that catches on a hangnail. His eyes sparkle with something unnatural and the blush across his cheeks unfurls and fans out until it reaches his neck. The rosy colour of it looks almost sickly. Max unclasps the tunnel visions from his eyesight and realises that Charles’ features as a whole are glossed over with a sheen of misplaced sentiment, spelling something resembling foreboding.

“Max,” Charles whispers, spilling the breaths incasing his name almost into Max’s mouth. His voice is soft like gossamer, his gaze a gentle brushstroke on the contours of Max’s face and Max knows something is undeniably wrong.

Fuck.

so yeah! (lame ass concluding sentence again) thank you so much for asking ! and i will send you your bereavement damages check for dealing with all of this in the mail in 3-5 business days!

[grelleswife]

Can't stop thinking either Bard and Lau in a kuro buddy daddy au or an older Ciel and Finny in it cause they fit those personalities 🤔

BARDLAU BUDDY DADDIES AU FOR THE WIN!

Bardroy is a gruff, hot-tempered mercenary saddled with lingering guilt over the violent deaths of his wife and son at the hands of an enemy seeking revenge for one of Bard’s hits. Lau is a popular (and highly chaotic) YouTube gamer, known for his mad stats, pink neko headphones, and dreamy, rambling monologues that have nothing to do with the game he’s actually playing (a fierce argument still rages among his fanbase over whether he’s high as a kite during all of his streams, or just faking it for the views). Of course, his followers are unaware of Lau’s secret prowess as an assassin; the Blue Dragon’s ruthlessness and aptitude for wielding knives strike terror into the hearts of his prey and fellow killers alike. He’s equally feared on the dark web, where his skills as a hacker are rivaled only by the technical expertise of his childhood friend Ran Mao (the two of them regularly scam cryptobros as a side-hustle, but that’s another story). There’s also the matter of Lau’s mysterious past…a fraught youth he’s never disclosed to Bardroy, but which has left him physically and emotionally scarred and unable to trust.

Despite the friction that inevitably arises when their distinct personalities clash, Lau and Bard make an unbeatable duo, and are regularly sought after by underworld bigwigs in need of their services. Bard’s been crashing at Lau’s apartment ever since the loss of his family. If we’re splitting hairs, it’s really Ran Mao’s place (her name’s the one on the lease), but she tends to disappear for long periods of time before randomly showing at 3 AM to play on Lau’s gaming system.

This unconventional status quo is disrupted forever when Bard and Lau are assigned to take out a shady scientist rumored to conduct unethical experiments on behalf of a rival country’s government—only to find his toddler, Finnian, ambling through one of the labs. As the pair discovers the hard way when a giggling Finny twists Bard’s flamethrower into a pretzel, the boy’s father subjected him to experiments with a test drug that endowed him with super-strength. Yet, regardless of the obvious hazards that caring for this child would entail, his innocent smile tugs at Bard’s heartstrings, reminding him of another little boy who used to smile that way.

“We can’t turn this kid in to the authorities! They’ll jus’ keep on treatin’ him like a lab rat!” Bardroy protests.

Lau is more skeptical, but he quickly sees that his partner won’t budge, and he has to concede that the mighty tyke’s gifts could prove useful.

Mayhem promptly ensues as the assassins tackle their biggest challenge yet—parenthood. With occasional help from Auntie Ran Mao to keep them from going too far off the rails. 😉 Buckle up for a heartwarming (and only slightly bloodstained) journey, in which their new role as Finny’s dads sets Lau and Bardroy on the path to healing from their trauma.

And, the closer they become through their shared purpose, the more difficult it is for the partners in crime to deny their budding attraction to one another… 😉