#Need that clenching fist meme

[backpackingspace]

Clenching fists muttering to myself epic and the odyssey are different stories you cannot be this upset about 600 strikes. And it's okay to be sad that epic went from a somewhat decent adaptation to a completely different story. It's fine it's fine ita not even real

[where-the-water-flows]

I’d love to hear more about the donghai loop for the WIP meme!!

(for the wip title ask meme) haha ok so a thing you should know about me, and one that will likely become obvious the longer I am in this fandom, is that I fucking love timeloops. I love them. I think they're just so good, they are such a fun conceit, if there are no time loop fans in this world I am no longer in this world, etc. basically they make my brain go brrr.

donghai loop is a timeloop fic that resets just prior to... the donghai battle. (obviously, this one has a very on the tin kinda file name). I was watching literally just that battle, looping through it over and over while looking for a specific clip to gif for a meta post I've got half drafted (which, sidebar, I need to finish that post already), and that plus the way that di feisheng is like-- almost shocked, when he wins? like he fully seems to be both exhilarated and triumphant but also like wait what???!?? about it, basically got me thinking, ok, but what if--

anyway, it is a real monkey's paw wish of a timeloop for di feisheng. on the one hand, congratulations, you are going to have a bunch of fights with your rival! more than you could ever wish for!

on the other hand, you are going to have a bunch of fights with your rival, more than you would ever wish for.

[unqompleted]

someone please befriend my son :”

[gifti3]

One day ill learn to stop drawing asmo in his demon form 😀

[zindoesart]

I made this meme redraw for my streamer friend mahou_vt because she let me request 30+ bad christmas bonbon jokes with my channel points last night (over the course of a 4-hour stream)

bonus: my new favourite reaction image, featuring the adorable chibizin (I love them so much)

[zacala]

saw someone praise someone else for correctly using ; and I got angry because I use that a lot in writing but not in casual conversation. that should've been me I'm so mad

[klavlock]

cumplane poly au where they love their husbands. they love their husbands so much. luo binghe is shen qingqui's whole world and shang qinghua literally built his own ideal man.

but fuck, isn’t that the problem? sometimes, mobei jun isn’t REAL. he’s literally a figment of shang qinghua's imagination. this whole place is. and he’s been trapped in his own imagination so long he’s forgotten the world he came from. he can’t even remember his own birth name. but he remembers cucumber-bro. he remembers those abrasive comments, he remembers how those full takedowns of every thing he wrote made him feel. he remembers it better than he remembers his original parents faces.

it’s not— it’s not inherently romantic. for either of them. it’s a NEED. for shen qingqiu, there is exactly one person in the whole world who truly understands that longing for a world he doesn’t even want to go back to, not really. for shang quinghua, there’s only one person who gets him. the him from before. this beautiful, poised man with his fan language and obedient doting husband is also the only person who gets his love of memes and horrible porn and preservative-laden food.

they don’t do anything about it, because how could they? they’re loyal to their husbands, they love their husbands. but the thing is… proud immortal demon way was a harem novel once. and shang qinghua had written luo binghe and mobei jun with more emotional intelligence than was common for this world (mainly for his own sanity.) so… they don’t have to say anything. their husbands come to them.

and luo binghe is crying, and mobei jun is stone-still with clenched fists and a clenched jaw. but binghe BEGS his shizun to do what will make him happy. that seeing his shizun upset and hurting and longing is way worse than any jealousy could be. and mobei jun says nothing but when shang quinghua looks at him, he just nods in agreement.

so it’s not often. they don’t need it often. but now and then, when shen qingqiu is disassociating like a motherfucker luo binghe calls on his airplane bro to bring him back down to earth. or when shang qinghua is on his third day of no sleep, plagued by fears that none of this is even real, mobei jun teleports him directly to his cucumber-bro's bed for cuddles and kisses and horrible millennial memes whispered into his ear until hes laughing away his anxiety and - eventually - falling asleep.

mobei jun and lou binghe don’t understand it. but they are happy their husbands are happy. and that’s what matters.

[xiao-come-home]

read your pre period boothill hcs and why did it immediately remind me of that leon period meme...boothill will say something like "just found out about periods, how could aeons do this to our women" while clenching his fist and tears dropping from one eye

HELPPP I LAUGHED TOO MUCH AT THIS 😭

Need someone artistically talented to make this real bc this is GOLD

What if some memories were accidentally erased when they were turning him into a cyborg, he comes back to you and "finds out" about periods.. but it's this meme because he's in his himbo boothill era 🥺🖐️

Headcanons here hehe <3

[vienssunshine]

what if ：reader tries provoking nanami so that he fails no nut november?? 👀 (u can choose what rlly happens!) if u do this, thank u! if not, it’s fine! have a good day! <3

Failing No Nut November with Nanami Part Two

pairing: Nanami x fem reader nsfw word count: 2.2k author's note: A choice was made, dear anon. Hope you enjoy! Read part one here

No Nut November is a silly internet meme. It's a trend that somehow manages to blow up every year, its premise being trying not to cum for the month of November. It's stupid, right? Yet, you still participated and failed.

That's why your breath is uneven and shaky; you're still coming down from the orgasm attained by riding Nanami's thigh, the orgasm that made you lose.

Though your body is quivering, it feels like you're finally re-centered, free from the cloudiness your sexual frustration hindered you with. The fog has lifted, and anger remains.

You're angry with yourself for giving in to Nanami. That a few circles of his fingers had you writhing underneath his touch, moments away from begging for him. To add to your rage is the fact that he pretends to be so composed when you know he wants it just as bad as you do. He even had the audacity to deprive you of an orgasm you needed from him, instead working you up so much that you had no other choice but to satisfy yourself with his thigh.

It was an undignified way to lose, and you want revenge.

You use the wall to help yourself up and head out of the hallway to the living room. Nanami is sitting on the couch, legs spread open with a book in his lap. He's staring at the pages, not reading the words.

You slink around the side of the couch and step in between Nanami's legs, standing in front of the businessman. He doesn't react, so you unzip your pants slowly. Nothing. You tuck your thumbs into the waistband of your pants and drag them down your legs.

"Darling, we've been over this," Nanami says, refusing to allow his gaze to slip from the pages in front of him. He knows one glance at you will make it infinitely harder for his hands to remain on his book. Watching you cum all over his thigh almost broke him; he doesn't know how much more he can take.

You step out of the fabric pooling at your ankles and push the book in his lap away, an action that reveals he's still painfully hard. Poor Nanami.

"Kento, you have great self-control, right?" you ask, sliding down into his lap, your heated center pressing into his throbbing bulge, "So it shouldn't be a problem if I have a little bit of fun."

Nanami's jaw clenches; he regrets teasing you earlier. Your warm body on his is reminding him of how cold he's been without you. Many times throughout the month he's had to talk himself out of giving in and fucking you. He misses your touch so much.

"Dear-" he starts, but cuts himself off with a hiss when you begin to rock your hips in his lap, your wet underwear dampening the fabric of his pants. You shiver at the contact, even if separated by cloth, your clit is still sensitive after orgasming earlier.

He leans back, spreading his arms over the back of the couch. He's trying to appear relaxed, like you grinding on him while looking like an angel doesn't faze him, but his hands are clenched in fists. You place your palms on his shoulders, keeping your lidded eyes locked on his as you begin to softly moan at the contact of his hard dick on your clothed pussy.

He tries to avert his gaze from your lips as you breathe out his name, but you hold his face still with your hand, fingers pressing into the outlines of his sharp cheekbones.

"What, is something wrong? You're not feeling jealous, are you?" You make an effort to press your warmth into him as you speak; all he needs to do is say yes and give in.

"I'm fine, dear."

You fight back a scowl. He's lying to you. It's clear he's restraining himself, the knuckles of his fisted hands are turning white like he's fighting a strong magnetic force willing them to your body. It appears that your hips aren't enough to soften his steel resolve, at least on their own. You need to overwhelm him.

You release Nanami's face from your grip but give him a warning glare to not look away. He concedes, his stern, amber eyes holding your gaze. You unbutton your shirt, slowly and sensually—Nanami always prefers a slow tease to a quickie—so the fabric opens and reveals just a glimpse of your flushed body underneath. At this point, you're being cruel, torturing him even. You look ethereal to him, glowing with desire as you continue to grind against his trapped cock.

He can't help his eyes from wandering to your exposed chest, following the line of separated buttons to realize you're conveniently free from a bra. You pull one of his hands from the back of the couch and guide it underneath the fabric of your shirt to your breasts. You try to hold back a victorious grin when his other hand follows suit, but fail when they begin to roam, stroking and squeezing at the flesh of your torso. Nanami's gaze remains harsh, like he's being betrayed by his own hands which are moving with a will of their own.

You peel your shirt off, bothered by the slight inconvenience of it, so you can feel more of his harsh palms against your skin. Nanami's breathing sharpens as his eyes drink in your bare chest. You hold his big hand to one of your breasts, encouraging him to squeeze it. He does, and you press your eyes shut, a sickeningly sweet twist of warmth curling around your stomach. It's hard for you to think straight when he leans forward and encircles your nipple with his hot mouth, sucking and flicking his tongue against it. The only thing you do know is that you have Nanami exactly where you want him.

You're proven correct when you feel him groan against your skin.

If there's one thing you know about Nanami, it's that pleasuring you gets him off the most. You know that once he starts touching you, making you moan his name and shudder beneath him, he won't be able to stop himself from fucking you. It's why he forced you to make yourself cum earlier, he couldn't bear it otherwise. Using this knowledge against him is playing dirty, but he brought it to that level when he made you lose on his thigh.

He ruts his hips into yours, searching for more pressure on his swollen cock. His hands now move with intention, cupping your breasts and sliding down the curve of your waist. It's clear he's paying attention to the places he knows you love feeling him the most. You've finally pushed him past his breaking point.

You lift yourself up so you can unzip his slacks to which there is no protest from Nanami. His dick is pressing against the fabric of his dark briefs, impatiently waiting to be freed. Precum darkens a patch of his underwear, his body once again traitorous to his resolve.

You pull his briefs down so his cock springs out, leaking and angry. The extent of his arousal looks, and probably is, painful at this point. You'd regret your cruelness, but you're only giving him a taste of his own medicine. He's had you aching this entire month.

He must have been missing you too because when you wrap your hand around him, he quivers in response.

"Fuck, darling," Nanami groans, his voice dark and husky. His hands travel from your waist to your ass, gripping it with a rugged force that sends electricity up your spine.

You spit on your palm and begin to stroke him, running your soft hand up and down his length. He stifles a groan, pressing his lips together and tilting his head up instead. He wants to deny the pleasure your touch brings him, to win the challenge he promised to, but it might not be possible anymore.

"Feel good, love?" you mock, leaning forward to press a wet kiss to the exposed column of his neck.

His fingers dig into the flesh of your ass, making you yelp. "Don't be a brat."

Grinning, you swirl the wetness leaking from his tip around with your thumb, "Hm? You're not enjoying this? Don't tell me you want to see this month through."

"I want to," Nanami hisses, watching as you push your underwear aside and align his length with your aching hole, "but I don't know if I can anymore."

You rub his tip through your folds, taking a second to appreciate his presence on your wet ridges, a feeling you've been longing for this eternal month. Nanami's hips kick up, desperate. He wants to be able to refuse you, to maintain his strict self-discipline, and yet, the next words breathed from his lips are:

"Love, I need you."

You smirk, satisfied. Granting his wish, you sink down on his cock, and immediately a broken whine escapes your lips. It's been too long, and having him filling you up again feels like an addict finally getting the hit they've been craving.

Nanami's head falls against the back of the couch, eyes pressing shut at the bliss being inside of you brings him. The feeling of your fingers stroking him was unbearably pleasurable, but the sensation of having your warm, wet pussy wrapped around his cock is something else entirely. It's making Nanami have trouble keeping his composure; he's feeling it slip away the longer you keep making him feel so fucking good.

His large hands begin to bounce you up and down his length, hungry to feel further inside of you. His pace is uncharacteristically rough; you have to clutch to his broad shoulders to stay stabilized, but you'd be lying if you said his thrusts weren't setting your stomach alight in a blaze of ecstasy. Nanami groans as he watches your face melt in pleasure, something that only makes him want to fuck you harder.

The sensation is overwhelming; he has you moaning out stilted calls of his name, unable to keep your voice steady with his vicious pounding. His pace is picking up; he's pissed at how much you turn him on, which is to the point he can't tell himself no anymore.

"Ken-to, too-ah-fast." You're grasping onto him, having trouble keeping up even though every time he slams you down into his lap your nerves buzz with dark pleasure.

"This is exactly what you wanted, isn't it? So take it, darling."

Even if his words are gruffer than his usual sweet praise, your body is still singing in response. You can handle a little teasing, so, you adjust to his pace, allowing his big hands to move you as they please.

Even as he's fucking you like an animal, you manage to capture him in an open-mouthed kiss. It's sloppy and passionate, with Nanami kissing you back hard, his sharp jaw moving up and down as he presses his lips into yours.

You wrap your arms around his neck to deepen the kiss, pushing your bare chest to his. His skin is hot against yours, waves of warmth radiating off of his broad chest through his shirt.

The coil in your stomach is tightening to a dangerous extent, and as you lean further into him, his dick becomes angled just right so another orgasm overtakes you like a tsunami. You tighten your arms around his neck and rest your head against his shoulder, clenching your teeth as pleasure rolls over you. Ruthlessly, he grabs your chin and pulls you into another messy kiss as you ride out your orgasm. Your walls clamp down on him as he continues to pump in and out of your poor, shaking body, pulling a groan out of him that you feel reverberate in his chest.

You're gasping for breath as your lips crash into each other haphazardly, but Nanami manages to pant out: "Look what you've done to me, darling."

Watching you fall apart on his cock must've been too much because his fingers dig into your ass, hard. Even if exhausted, you can't stop yourself from smiling against his lips. It's time for him to lose.

His rapid pace falters, and he presses you down into his lap, letting out a guttural groan. You clutch at his button-up, the blue fabric bunching in your grip as he fills you up. His dick twitches and kicks inside you, emptying out the cum that's long overdue for release.

You fall forward onto his broad chest, spent. He wraps a heavy arm around you as you listen to his breath become even again. His fingers draw slow, comforting circles on your back, coaxing you further into the hazy pleasure of after-sex cuddling.

You both lost, but it still feels like a win for you. It's a remarkable feat that you lasted so long, and you wonder: how long has it been since you started the challenge? It feels like forever ago.

You turn your head up to face Nanami, "Kento?"

He looks down at you, his cheeks flushed and his perfectly-combed hair mussed, "Yes, dear?"

"What day is it?"

Nanami's eyes dull and his ever-present frown returns, "It's November 30th."

[rebo-chan]

I've been thinking about KHR's bonds. (When am I not?) And I've thought about the way that Amano likes to write bonds. You'd be pressed in this fandom to find people who don't care about at least one area of it whether that's the Vongola kids, Varia, the Arcobaleno, Kokuyo, etc. After a conversation with my best friend, I realized it's kinda interesting how Amano has somehow successfully created so many realistic bonds for such a diverse cast. Like we see so little of them, but you'd be pressed to convince the KHR fans that the funeral wreaths don't adore Byakuran.

So there's the thing right? Katekyo hitman reborn is the shonen that is 100% about the power of friendship. Like yes other shounens use it and its a meme for a reason, but they also have other stuff going on. Other motivations. Other theming. Meanwhile Tsuna growing up and becoming a better person for his friends /is/ the theme of Reborn. That is the entire motivation for the series. There's no grandiose scheme where Tsuna will save the Mafia world and be the chosen one, though the series tries to put Tsuna in this position to his chagrin.

As evidenced by the scene in Future arc, where Tsuna is unable to light his ring because he is so stressed about sending everyone back to the future and fighting this unknown powerful enemy. And so Reborn walks up and tells him "You're not a hero. Stop trying to be. It's not like you. What were you thinking about when you first lit your flame?" And he responded with "I just..wanted to protect Kyoko." Reborn satisfied with that answer then asks, "And who do you want to protect now?" And Tsuna answers with "Everyone." And then his ring lit up. That's the core to the series!! Right there!! All it ever was 403 chapters worth of these characters just wanting to protect each other.

So, in talking to my best friend, he pointed out that outside of daily life arc, these characters don't really have moments of vulnerability towards each other. Frankly, it seems the cast of KHR is allergic to being vulnerable. There aren't that many scenes of "you guys are important to me. I love you guys." Y'know stuff that tells the audience yeah these guys are close. And when Tsuna TRIES to have these moments, like with Reborn, Reborn pretends like he's asleep and doesn't hear Tsuna say that he's going to save him. Yet somehow, we all understand that these characters love each other so deeply.

And that made me realize it's all in the dialogue and actions, rather than inherent bonding moments. It's Reborn clenching his fist when Tsuna is getting gravely injured by Daemon. It's Yamamoto and Gokudera having a fight about Gokudera not being worthy of being Tsunas right hand man as Gokudera doesn't care for the other members of their family. And Gokudera never addressing this again, there's no verbal indication that Gokudera even heard Yamamotos criticism. Yet later during Merone invasion, Gokudera reaches a hand out to catch Yamamoto when they're getting separated. And later, he protects Ryoheis unconscious body as he is fighting Gamma to the death. It's Byakuran saving the funeral wreaths from their miserable lives and them protecting him even when he begins to strike them down. It's the way Mukuro runs to assist Chrome when she is in danger, or swears up and down that he is not allied with Tsuna but also feeds the Vongola information about Byakuran. It's the way Squalo refuses to cut his hair for his vow to Xanxus, or Mammon's gratitude towards Xanxus's willingness to fight for them. It's Ken ensuring that Chrome is always fed by giving her the snacks and candy they bought. These characters don't need bonding moments, their love for each other shines through their every breath and finger twitch.

And I think that's a fascinating way to write a connection on Amanos behalf. And it was done so well we can't even argue that these characters all love each other.

The way I summarized it is most characters love each other because they spend time together and improve together. KHR characters spend time together and get better together because they love each other

Anyway that's it for this one. Please let me know any dialogue/actions that drive you guys mad about these characters 👀 I know this series is full of them.

[qin-qin16]

My computer is possessed?! Oh, wait, it's just my out-coded skeleton boyfriend!

Summary: When some of your work in progress goes missing, you decide to start investigating whether your computer has a virus. That is until you realize that the few remaining works are of one character: Error Sans. cw: kinitoPET and creepypasta vibes, writer Reader, Ink is mentioned, Error is jealousy, again, comedy, Reader finally notices that something wrong is happening! (Part one) (Part two)

“I should really get a new chair..." You say slowly, tilting your head back and feeling your neck stretch — a habit that you keep indulging in, no matter how sore it makes your nape afterward. "Then again, I also need to buy some new pants... and a new mouse as well..." Your head rolls over your shoulders, and before you know it, you’re staring at the computer screen again.

Your fingers lightly tap against the table; pinky, ring, middle, and index. One after the other in a rhythmic sequence — until you mess up and clench your hand into a loose fist.

"Ink definitely wouldn’t say that; he’s just so clueless." And there you are, deleting an entire paragraph for the third time, unhappy with how your story is turning out. "Why did I have to write about this jerk again?"

Because he’s a complex character with many layers that can add depth to your plot. You can almost imagine yourself explaining it, wearing glasses with a raised finger — just like that nerd emoji meme.

Even though your explanation was spot on, you can’t help but huff in frustration, rubbing your eyes with your thumbs before looking back at the blank Word document.

“... Why is this so bright?” If you were standing in front of a mirror, you’d definitely see your pupils constricting; a slight burning sensation spreading across your eyes as your finger keeps clicking on the computer keys, the brightness rapidly dimming.

Before you can blink, you let out a slow hiss. The burning in your eyes, sharp against your sensitive irises, returns suddenly; and in front of you, seemingly amused by the situation, your computer screen is set to full brightness.

"What the hell?" you curse, quickly covering your eyes with your hands as you pull away from the screen. For a moment, all you see is complete darkness, with a few bright spots flickering in your vision.

Maybe it’s time to start using eye drops; your eyes probably wouldn’t hurt so much after hours in front of the computer.

"I must have pressed the wrong key..." That’s a possibility, if it weren’t for a little voice in the back of your mind whispering the steps you took moments ago; you definitely pressed the right keys and released them at the right moment to actually dim the screen. "Or did I think I clicked but really didn’t?"

Your head droops onto your shoulders — and a low grunt escapes your lips as you feel the muscles in your neck stretch, pulling your shoulder blades along with them.

You rest your face in your hands, then rub your eyes and look at the computer again between your fingers. “You know what? It doesn’t matter.” Your feet shuffle toward the table, the rolling chair getting stuck at some point. “I just need to finish at least this dialogue before I can finally shut this thing down with a clear conscience.”

In theory, it should be a simple task; in practice, not so much. Especially when the paragraphs you’ve already written keep getting erased-

"What the hell is going on?!" You couldn’t believe — or understand — what was happening right before your eyes: sentence by sentence, your fanfic was being quickly erased, line by line.

You quickly moved the mouse away from the document, clicking anywhere else in the browser to stop your writing from being deleted — which didn’t do much good. The cursor soon started moving on its own, spinning around the screen until it selected an entire paragraph and deleted it.

"What’s going on?!" you shout as you repeat the same action, clicking outside the browser to keep the cursor from going back to the document, sliding it left, right — anywhere to keep whatever was controlling your mouse away from your precious fanfic. "Is this what a hacker attack feels like?"

It’s the only explanation; unless the existence of ghosts is not just real, but they also have the ability to manipulate electronics and understand how the internet works.

Before you could think any more about it, the cursor had returned to the center of the screen — but this time, before it could delete any more of your text, you quickly took control of the mouse, dragging it to the red box in the corner of the window and closing it for good.

You didn’t even curse or shout afterward; your mouth stays slightly open, slowly widening enough to express your disbelief at what had just happened. Your eyes remained fixed on the computer, even as your vision grew increasingly blurry, much like the whirlwind of thoughts swirling in your mind.

"What the hell was that? Was it some kind of virus? Or a hacker's prank? I didn’t share this document with anyone, so it must have been some damn hacker with no job doing something so messed up! But wait, what if it’s like those little computer avatars that are actually viruses messing with your documents and folders? Did I download something strange without even noticing?”

Your focus snaps back to the screen as a notepad file opens in the upper corner of your desktop.

HEHEHEHEHEHEH GOT YOU!

“Son of a bitch,” you growl, grinding your teeth together as your eyes scan the message in all caps again and again.

This was solid proof (at least for your stress-fried brain) that this was the work of a sadistic hacker, taking pleasure in your suffering. It was decided: you would take your computer to a specialist as soon as possible — hacker or not, you would get your precious computer back at any cost.

Banging your head against the desk — and grunting as the pain spreads across your forehead — you don’t even notice that the light on your webcam is on.

Tagging area, if you want to be tagged, just ask :D

@snastheskeleton64 @moon-and-fries @unamzi @something-random1-1-blog @lostsoulofdragon @notagamerlol @staryycheze

[solivagant242]

losing you pt. 10

remus lupin x f!reader

warnings: strong angst, swearing, hospital, car accident

pt. 1 pt. 2 pt. 3 pt. 4 pt. 5 pt. 6 pt. 7 pt. 8 pt. 9

amberly is used as the MC here since i used to write a lot of fanfics with her, but feel free to self-insert or use whatever name you’d like <3

________________________________________

“Moony, have you eaten yet?” Her dark head pokes around the corner, framed by the untidy soft curls that he’d always longed to push back from her face. “It’s nearly three.”

He rests his burning eyes on his hands, groaning. “It is?”

She perches on the edge of his desk and leans forward to press a soft kiss on his cheek. “Yes, it is. Did you have lunch?”

Remus grimaces. “Forgot.”

Amberly sighs. “You need to eat, love.”

Her hands find their familiar spot in his hair and he pulls her into him by the waist, savoring the smell of lavender that’s imbued in her clothes and skin. “Thanks for checking on me.”

She nuzzles into his shoulder. “Of course.”

She was so warm. She’d always been warm, everything from those chocolate-colored eyes to her pale, gentle hands that had always been able to soothe his scars and wounds and fears. Her smile melted him like spring sunlight on stubborn snow.

Amberly stroked the back of his head. “It’s okay, Moony.”

He chucked a piece of crumpled paper across the room, fists clenched. “I should have gotten better than that”-

“You did the best you could, right? It’s not like you didn’t try.” Her big brown eyes are wide with concern.

“It wasn’t enough,” he spits, chest heaving. “I wasn’t enough.”

Amberly touches his shoulder and he collapses next to her on the bed, burying his face in the pillow. “You’re always enough, Remus. No matter what.”

A sob shakes his shoulders and he clings to her, tears soaking her jumper, as her fingers card through his hair. 

Icy tears are soaking Remus’ ears and pillow.

He’s been staring at the same blue-washed ceiling for hours now, unable to move or sleep or think anything other than the same four words that have been repeating mindlessly in his brain all day.

It’s all my fault.

It’s all my fault.

It’s all my fault.

If Amberly were here right now, she’d use her thumb to wipe his tears away and kiss the spots where they had been. She’d snuggle right up next to him and rest her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck. He’d wake during the night to find her in the exact same position, clinging to him with her soft curls draped over her face. 

Once, Sirius had joked that sleeping with Amberly when she stayed the night must be like sleeping with a very large and very affectionate Venus flytrap. Remus had laughed as warmth flooded his bones and Amberly blushed next to him.

Now he doesn’t think she’ll ever look at him, much less hug him, again.

If she’s even here at all-

The thought hits him like a punch in the gut and he doubles up as a raw sob rends his chest in half. 

No more holding hands on the way to the bakery in the mornings. No more sleepy cuddles on the battered living room couch. No more back and neck rubs by the light of the fireplace in the evening. No more random animal and math facts exchanged over lunch, or cheesy cat memes sent over text at all hours of the day. 

All of that would be gone.

The added thought of and it’s all my fault wraps iron fingers of guilt around Remus’ ribs and squeezes. He buries his face in his hands as tears pour down his face, more tears than he believed possible after all the crying he’s been doing.

You did this to her. You pushed her away. Over and over again, after all she tried to do was help. You were a complete and utter prick to the one person who loved you more than she loved herself. 

Merlin, she’d do anything for me. Did do anything for me. Countless visions of keeping her waiting, of her making him his favorite food even when she was tired, of those brown eyes being exhausted and drained because of him rose to his thoughts. But always, always so warm and full of love and that he felt like he was coming home every time he saw her face.

Until now. 

Remus chokes back another sob.

The hospital gave him a room on the first floor, down the hall from Amberly. Apparently it was the “least they could do” after the state he’d been in when he saw her. He’d collapsed to his knees on the floor as the sheer force of what he’d done hit him. Sirius- who’d still been very close to punching his face in- had had to drag him out as the doctor watched impassively. 

Down the hall.

She’s just down the hall. 

His feet are on the ground before he knows it and he’s padding noiselessly down the white, blue-lit corridor. An eerie silence permeates everything. The narrow windows in front of the doors are dark and silent. No one is awake at two forty-three a.m.

Her room.

Her door.

Her bed.

Her-

Remus feels fresh tears pour down his face and he sinks onto the chair at the side of the bed. 

She’s still, so still. Her face is paler than ever against the sterile white of the hospital sheets. Her eyes are deeply shadowed, and she’s breathing so faintly that the blue quilt is hardly moving. Her hair is spread across the pillow like it’s melting into the night, barely discernible in the dimness of the room.

He takes her hand. He can’t remember the last time they held hands, not the way they’d used to. Fingers interlocked, warm and sure, the one single guarantee out of everything in this life that he’d loved and loved and loved.

Amberly stirs. 

His lips part as he turns towards her, shocked; her eyes flutter open and fix on him.

He can’t tell what she’s thinking. He can’t read her expression at all, and as he opens his mouth to croak out a I’msosorryIloveyoupleasedon’tleavemepleasepleaseplease-

“You’re not Remus.”

Her voice is soft, almost disappointed. There’s an odd note of resignation in it that strikes Remus to the core. 

He clears his throat and tries to keep the tears out of his eyes. “It’s me.”

“No,” she murmurs, shifting slightly in the bed. Her cast rustles against the covers. “He wouldn’t have come.” Her eyes close again.

Remus’ throat closes up at the note of assurance in her voice. “Wh- what do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” Amberly mumbles. “Busy. He’s too busy.”

“Busy with what?”

“Stuff,” she breathes. “I think I should leave him alone. He doesn’t like when I help.” A tiny bit more alertness returns to her eyes and she gazes at him in the dark. “It’s my fault.”

“No,” Remus manages to choke out. “It’s not.”

Her eyes are luminous in the dark. “It is. It’s why I have to stop.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop”- Her voice is getting breathy and quiet as she sinks back down into sleep. “Stop caring.”

Then she’s asleep again and tears pour down Remus’ face as her hands goes limp and slowly, slowly slides away from his. 

[shygirl4991]

FIRST PRIZE WINNER

Your not the bad guy

First prize reward for @retardedpsyche Art done by @b-r-i-n-g-x the other places prizes

Tags: Angst, Comfort, fluff, nightmares

It was late into the night, the crew were all in their beds resting and having sweet dreams. Everyone except one meme guardian, SMG4 tosses and turns as the voice of Mr. Puzzle echoes through his head “And SMG4! Who knew you could play an antagonist so well, high marks from me!” He turns away from the voice to see the castle again, seeing the eldritch horrors cover the place he once knew as home made him feel sick.  He walks through the halls to hear those voices again “You will never be good enough,” he covers his ears as he keeps walking the hall.

“Nobody likes your videos!” “You are a failure!” “YOU'RE NOT ENOUGH!” SMG4 could hear each voice slip through the cracks as he ran faster through the castle; he needed the voices to stop to leave him alone. He charges into a room and slams the door shut, it was quiet, he was able to think again. That's when he heard frantic typing, a chill went down his spine as his eyes adjusted to the dark room. There he saw himself, the strange pink stains all over him, the light gone from his eyes. Nothing but a machine, working nonstop to be perfect.  He heard screams making him turn, his eyes going wide seeing a pool of black liquid start taking his friends. 

He runs to them attempting to pull them out, one by one his friends vanish into the strange pool “No…NO I CAN SAVE YOU GUYS!”  he grabs Three and pulls. SMG3 lets out a dark chuckle “So this is it huh…i really thought we were friends now,” Four’s eyes water as he keeps pulling only to see his partner sink into the pool. “Please…no..” he falls to the floor as SMG3 vanishes, he looks at his hand shaking, his thoughts running a mile per minute. He then hears clapping, breathing heavily, he looks up to see Mr. Puzzles.  “My my SMG4, no matter what you do you still are the villain. Do you really think your friends trust you after this, you and I should really get into television together!” SMG4 felt his anxiety slowly being replaced with anger, clenching his fist he gets up ready to fight the television. Only to pause seeing the man holding SMG3, the screen shows a smug expression “Give it up Four, look back at your show and it's clear as day you're the bad guy!” he then tosses three on the floor “And SMG3 was your victim for years.” Four shakes his head taking a step back, he couldn't be the villain.  The room goes dark, only the light of the TV shining through as it shows moments of SMG4 acting cold and uncaring towards his friends. Four closes his eyes “STOP!” he jumps out of bed stretching out to air, he shakes looking around his familiar room. 

He wipes the sweat from his forehead, takes a deep breath before he starts to walk. The nightmare brought back all the guilt he had shoved away, he hated how he hurt his friends. He couldn't look at himself for weeks after the whole thing, everyone but one person gave him space after the events. Sure, Mario did his best to keep the guardians spirit up with memes and silly adventures. But no one understood him better than his other half, his old rival of many years. SMG4 slowly walked to the front of the castle, with a deep breath he stepped outside. After fighting Mr Puzzle the two agree they needed ways to reach each other in case of emergencies, together with SMG1 and two created meme doors. The doors were hidden in different locations and could only be activated with meme energy, Four never thought he would be so thankful to have those doors. Since he didn't have a spare key to Three’s cafe he went to the back of the building to connect with the secret door.

With shaky hands he uses his meme powers to unlock a hidden door, he looks around as he walks in to make sure no one else tries to sneak in.  Making sure everything was sealed he walked around the cafe, his dark thoughts were starting to slip in. What if the man didn't want to help him? He looks back at the hidden door contemplating if he should leave, only to pause mid step hearing the sounds of an elevator. He turns and there with messy hair and in pajamas was the man he was looking for, Four gave a shy wave as he fixed up his own pajamas. Normally the man would give an annoyed look and start insulting him , much to Four's surprise the other guardian expressions soften. He walks over to the coffee machine “You look like shit,”  Four rolls his eyes walking closer to his partner “Gee thanks, make mine strong if you could.” 

Three lets out a hum as he lets the machine do its magic, they stand there listening to the hum of the machine as it pours out their drinks. Once done Three adds the final touches before handing Four his cup, with a small nod they both walk over to one of the tables. Four looks down at his cup slowly tracing the rim of it before picking it up, Three frowns as he watches Four drink his coffee “Not like you to come over at three am.” Four sips his drink hoping the warm drink would help, holding the cup he looks at Three “Ah well never hurts to get some late night coffee!” Three gave him an unamused look as he pushed his cup aside “You didn't come here cause you thought i would fall for a stupid line like that did you?” Four sighs again as he stares at his drink “Three…do you think i'm evil?” Three’s blinks surprised at the question “No, you're a pain in my ass for many reasons but you're not evil.” Three frowns and gently reaches out to the man “What brought this up?” Four bits on his lip remembering his dream,  he is selfish and tends to go overboard with his content. He looks at the hand reaching out to him, a flash of his dream hits him. How the man in front of him was swallowed up by the black pool, how he couldn't pull him back to safety. Anxiety hit him as he pulled his arms away from three, he then crossed his arms looking out the window.  “Our battle with Mr. Puzzle just brought some memories back is all,” he sighs getting up ready to leave. 

Seeing Four ready to leave, SMG3 gets up and grabs his arm “Four, what happened at peach's castle isn't your fault,” Four pulls his arm to free himself. Three watches concern as the man in front of him shakes “Not my fault? I wanted to make the perfect video. I clicked his ad for the keyboard. I ALMOST KILLED YOU ALL!” Four felt himself shake more as he hugs himself, holding back his tears he whispers “I’m…a villain just like he said.” 

Without saying anything Three gently touches Four, the comforting touch was enough for the meme guardian to collapse into Three’s arms crying “I’M A VILLAIN!” Three holds Four close, letting the man finish before speaking. He pets Four’s head “Four i have known you for years, trust me when i say your not a villain. We all have our moments of weakness and that's okay, but hear me when I say you're the kindest man I know.”  Four cries hard into Three’s shoulder, they stay in this position for a while. Three wasn't sure how much time passed since the man broke down crying, all he did know was at this moment Four needed all the comfort possible. “Hey four, want to stay overnight?” 

Four sniffs pulling away looking at Three’s face surprised “I…really?” Three nods giving the man a soft smile as he wipes his tears away. Four hugs Three letting out a breathy laugh, with a small pat of the back the pair get up and head down the elevator. Once in Three’s room the pair walk towards the bed, Four lets out another giggle “To think in the past just sharing body heat was the end of the world for you, are you gay for me or something three?” SMG3 rolled his eyes and gently smacked his ex rival “Haha I see you want to go back to your castle.” SMG4 pouts at the comment as he watches Three get in the bed, with a pat Four climbs next the man. It was strange being such good friends with someone that attempted to kill you in the past, even stranger when you cuddled up to him for comfort. Three hums to help Four relax, as he starts to drift to sleep he makes sure to whisper “Thank you for saving me Three.” 

[kaiju-krew]

Hey there! Firstly, big big fan of your art and headcanons, ty for your cool and awesome big brain ❤️ Now that you’ve seen the movie, I’m wondering what your thoughts are on Shimo??? I’ve just seen impressions of her so scattered. (I saw your post on how she will NOT be treated as a pet, and I so appreciate that.)

I will say, for me the ‘old gal’ vibes are so strong and I’m here for it. Like when Goji blasts his atomic breath into the sky at the end and she’s looking at it with such awe and her cute super gummy smile, it reminds me of when a grandma gets shown some common piece of technology that the rest of us are used to, but she just can’t heckin believe it because she lives in a damn cave??? I loved that.

hi hi! omg u think i have a big brain...... compliment of the century.... i must have ppl fooled bcuz i am viscerally dumb most of the time

anywAYS. gxk spoilers below (and a lot of ranting)

shimo my beloved💙 i appreciate most interpretations of her, besides people who are just straight up caling her a dog. and like, not in the way i’d compare goji to a cat? for me it's more mannerisms based, so for goji my main expression/mannerism inspirations are cats, wolves, and komodo dragons (obviously), and for mosu it's owls and cats, with a crumb of horses because of their 'ear' communication so i use that with her antennae.

sorry for tangent but anyways. i dont need someone barking at me that i call goji a cat/draw him acting like a cat so calling shimo ‘kong’s pet dog’ is fine. i think its the difference between goji having the personality i characterize him with + mannerisms inspired by other animals, vs. him having no personality besides Being A Cat. like, he’s a dumbfuck but he’s clearly an intelligent creature capable of communication and understanding. i make a lot of shitposts but truly in my personal hc i’d never reduce him to ‘pet level intelligence’

i think i’m extra touchy about people calling her ‘kong’s pet’ because like. dawg. did you watch the movie? she was JUST freed from being skar’s slave/beast of burden/abused pet whatever you wanna call it. why would you want her to become another creature’s pet again?(obviously minus the abuse) idk mannn it just feels…. reductive somehow. she clearly shows intelligence and understanding when she realizes what’s happening during the fight and helps to kill skar. i just refuse to reduce her entire character to kong’s pet status bcuz that makes me uncomfortable asf.

as a disclaimer, you’re welcome to have whatever hc you enjoy. me expressing my personal thoughts on the matter isn’t an attack on anyone who characterizes her that way, i’m just not interested in engaging with it in the slightest.

DOUBLE ANYWAYS i just needed to get that outta my system. TIME FOR CUTE FUN IDEAS YAHOOO

i’m seeing mixed info about her age so idk where she actually sits there?? i remember seeing something like she’s the First Titan but i also think the novelization of the movie said she’s only 3 million years old?? when im p sure they’ve said goji is 250+ million years old so…. i have no clue there lol. personally she feels less jaded and grumpy than goji does to me so my brain automatically sees her as similar or younger bcuz of my Grumpy Old Man bias.

i’m still workin out my ideas for her but based on how the movie ends i like to think she helps kong with relocating the apes to a better home, and they mostly live in HE. her n kong venture up for surface dates bcuz she gets what she fucking deserves 💙

goji nearly has an aneurysm the first time they come up, since mosu literally takes them for a lil tour of monster island. bro standing there clenching his fist like the arthur meme, he begrudgingly knows she’s right and eventually he gets used to it

i got more ideas cookin for her but this post is already too damn long cuz of my ranting time to stfu

SHIMO BEST GIRL 10/10

[shewrotesomething]

Saeyoung - The Day He Realized He Wanted to Marry You

There were 3 moments for him. The first 2 were times when he, out of nowhere, just quoted a meme reference and without missing a beat you responded. 

But there was a moment he vividly remembered. 

It was at a party. They had decided to increase the capacity of the guest list, and though you never expressed it, there was a bit of pressure on your part as the planner. He tried his best to help but he was occupied with work and his brother settling in. 

You took it like a champ, but the nerves really set in on the morning of the party. 

He watched you that day clean, moisturize, and exfoliate every inch of your skin. Saeyoung didn’t dare bother you during the ritual. 

Finally, the party came. Normally, Saeyoung would drive you to the venue, but since his brother wouldn’t be attending, he wanted to make sure everything was in order before he left him. And so, you headed to the venue earlier.

When he arrived, the party was already well underway. 

His eyes searched the crowd for your familiar stature with a half-jesting apology already forming on his lips. 

He spotted you by one of the tables speaking to the owner of a small jewelry business. The woman seemed to enjoy your company. She was inviting you to the new store they opened in the mall. It was their first expansion and you looked just as elated as she did.

A younger woman was beside her. Immediately, your demeanor shifted. You were a bit cheerier, a bit less formal. She was talking to you about a dating sim you both played. You laughed at something she said. Something about tragic backstories and how writers knew how to hurt their readers.

And he found himself pausing at the sight… at the normalcy of the scene.

His midnight thoughts crept up in his moment of hesitation.

Perhaps this is what you really needed. Normalcy. Idle chatter about going to the mall. Playing video games to pass the time. It should be this and not…

Not waiting for hours on end to make sure he comes back home in one piece

Not dealing with sleepless nights because you got woken up by the screaming

And certainly not putting up with… him.

With his skillset, it would be a simple thing to disappear. To retreat into the crowd and wipe the entirety of his existence from your life. 

You got pulled into this life because of him and now that you’re with him…you’re even deeper.

No, you don’t deserve this. You deserve a normal life. A peaceful one. 

His mouth suddenly dried and the half-jesting apology dissipated on his tongue. 

He took one step back. And before he knew it, he was walking away from the scene… from you.

His heart hammered in his chest. Taking hold of his breaths. Thoughts ravaged in his mind.

He’s doing it again. He’s pushing you away. 

No, this is the right thing to do.

Wait, just… he has to calm down. This isn’t the answer.

But it is. The only thing he’s going to give you is trouble.

No, that’s not true. You love him. You’ll always love him.

But he doesn’t deserve that. And you… you don’t deserve all the shit he’s got with him.

No, it’s going to be okay. Just calm down.

No. Disappear. He has to leave right now. Before you fall in deeper.

No. Stay. Just stay.

No. Leave—

Arms snaked around his waist. His fight or flight instinct flared up. He fists clenched but before he could do anything else, a voice halted the torrent of his thoughts.

“Caught you!” you yelled with a giggle. 

He turned his head as you rested your chin on his shoulder. “H-h…hey,” he answered in a low voice. You smiled at him. His heart slowed at the sight of your face. “You look beautiful.”

Your eyes narrowed in a jesting glare. “If you think flattering me will get you out of trouble you’ve got another thing coming, mister. Don’t think I didn’t see you running away while I dealt with Mr. Dokgo. That was seriously cruel.”

His hands reached up to touch the arms holding him in place. “Sorry. I didn’t think you needed me.”

“And where did you get that idea? I’ll always need you and because of that,” your glare became sharper and your voice dropped an octave, “I will always find you.”

Something in those words and the jokingly ominous manner you phrased it unlatched something in his chest. And with it, a warmth washed over his stature and he felt his mouth spread to a grin. Then, catching onto your jest, he faked a sob. “There will be no escape for me. This is my life now. Trapped and helpless.”

“I’m glad you understand your unfortunate circumstances. As punishment, you are sentenced to feeding me honey buddha chips while we watch the best or arguably worst bollywood film I can find.”

He chuckled. “Okay.”

“And… and you have to buy me and Saeran our favorite ice cream flavors.”

“Roger that.”

“We each get one pint.”

“Hm. You’re really milking this aren’t you?”

“Oh! And you’re taking me to a cat cafe as soon as you’re available.”

He nodded with equal parts of sincerity and resignation. “Yes, ma’am.”

The two of you paused when you heard a sigh. In front of you, Zen stood with a bored expression. “I mean, I know you guys are in love but really? In front of the guests?”

A blush coated your cheeks. A real one. Not the kind that your makeup gave you. You released him immediately and the urge to distance himself has all but dissipated.

“It’s time for your speech,” Zen informed.

You gave Zen a mock salute before walking off. “Hey, I’ll catch you later, okay?”

He smiled. Softly. Knowingly. This was his life. It's you and him against everything. And he wants it for the rest of time. So he yields to his fate and answered, “I’ll be waiting.”

[totallyjustabunchofhocuspocus]

Fic: Something to Sink Your Teeth Into 8/?

Pairing: Buck/Tommy

Vampire/Witch!AU

Read on AO3

Evan went tense under his hand and he forced himself to let go, to hold still when the witch took several steps back from him. “I, uh, I don’t know, know who that is,” he said, clearly struggling to keep his voice steady. He went to curl his arms around his middle but seemed to think the better of it, instead clenching his fists by his side. Tommy could hear his pulse rabbiting against his chest, the sour tang of fear still prevalent in his scent.

“Athena Grant,” Tommy said patiently—or as patiently as he could. “She’s a cop, and the coven master of one of the most prominent witch covens in LA. Most of them are first responders out of a firehouse, the 118. Really, none of that rings any bells? They’re practically the LA welcome wagon for witches.”

At that, Evan’s face did something…complicated. His expression contorted into something that was pain, longing, and regret all rolled into one. His blue eyes dimmed, his shoulders slumping as he seemed to shrink right before Tommy’s eyes. “I’m—I’m banished, Kinard,” Evan said softly. “I keep to myself.”

There was a wealth of emotion in the words, but Tommy didn’t know the witch well enough to parse it out. It didn’t take a genius, though, to realize he’d just stepped on a very loaded topic. He didn’t press. Instead, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked the screen, opening the text chain he had going with Howie. They didn’t speak often or anything, but there was the occasional check-in…and Howie sometimes spammed him with vampire-related memes when he had Halloween off and got drunk enough.

Hey, it’s Tommy. I need you to not ask questions, but you still have a guy named Jonah Greenway in your coven, right? he texted quickly.

Evan was watching him with wide eyes, his heartbeat still pounding like a drum to Tommy’s heightened senses, the sourness of fear and anxiety becoming sharper and sharper in his scent. Tommy was vaguely surprised to realize he didn’t like it—didn’t like the smell of fear on the witch, or the shadow of it swirling in those beautiful eyes. He made an effort to relax his own posture, trying not to let any of his own alarm show on his face (he didn’t want to jump to conclusions, not until he knew for sure Evan was talking about the same guy, but a witch sending another witch into Gerrard’s clutches…that was bad) as he waited for Howie to respond.

“All right, look…I meant what I said. I’m going to let you go, okay Evan? I’m not going to hurt you. No one’s going to hurt you. But if the person who sent you to that party is who I think it is, there are people who need to know.”

Evan swallowed, his throat working convulsively, but gave a hesitant nod. The fear in his eyes did not abate, but there was really nothing Tommy could do about it right now. Evan had apparently spent whatever energy he’d managed to regain on the haphazard spell he’d thrown at Tommy upstairs—he hadn’t been able to even summon a weak burst of magic against Tommy just now. To be completely defenseless in a vampire’s home must be even more terrifying for him.

His phone chimed, and he looked down to find Howie had responded…and immediately sighed.

Uh, absolutely asking questions before I tell you anything about my coven. Why do you need to know about Jonah?

So he is in your coven. I need a picture.

What? I didn’t say he was in the coven! Also NO you can’t have a picture of people in my coven!

What? I didn’t say he was in the coven! Also NO you can’t have a picture of people in my coven!

If he’d still been human, his eye would start twitching. Howie. I’m serious. Defcon 1, code red serious. I need a picture of him.

????!!

A second later, the phone started ringing. Tommy gritted his teeth, looking between the screen and Evan. He really didn’t want to have this conversation where Evan could hear, but the situation was too dire to delay. Reluctantly, he accepted the call.

“Kinard, what the hell?” Howie demanded as soon as the line connected. Apparently, it was his night to be yelled at over the phone.

“Howie, look, I just really need to confirm something, and if I’m right I’d really like to explain in person.”

“Dude, you cannot just call me up demanding pictures of my coven and not explain! Do you know much Athena already doesn’t like me talking to you?”

Evan was silent, barely even blinking as he watched Tommy’s face. Hell, he barely seemed to be breathing. Tommy raked a hand back through his hair. “Gerrard had one of his parties last night. He brought in humans.”

On the other end of the line, Chimney hissed softly. “Jesus. How many bodies?”

“Howie, listen to me. One of them was a witch.”

There was silence for a beat. Then, “WHAT?!” Something clattered loudly in the background of Howie’s call, followed by a sharp cry of surprise. It sounded like Howie’s friend Hen. “Kinard, you better be lying. Fuck, Tommy, tell me you’re joking!”

“I wish I was.”

“Gerrard—Vincent fucking Gerrard—got access to witch blood? Shit!” Howie’s voice faded slightly as he held the phone away from his face. “Bobby! Call Athena! Fuck, Tommy—did you get a name? Whose coven are they with? God, did he kill them?”

“Howie…Howie…Howie!” he repeated, growing in volume until he cut the witch off with a shout. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Evan flinch and tried to shoot him a reassuring look.

Evan did not look reassured.

“Howie,” he said again. “Gerrard didn’t get him. None of his coven drank witch blood, your coven master doesn’t have to try and mount a rescue.”

“What? How?”

And here was where things got tricky. “Because he’s here. With me,” he said, and prayed to every god he’d ever heard of (none of which he believed in anymore, but just in case) that Howie would just let it go.

“Willingly?” Howie asked, his voice full of suspicion, because of course the universe had never been all that kind to Tommy Kinard; why should it start now?

“Not…exactly?”

“Goddamn it, Tommy, you kidnapped a witch? The SoCal high coven’s already gunning for you! Are you insane?”

“And what was I supposed to do? Just let Gerrard have him? Howard. You know, you know my history with that asshole. Better than anyone else outside my own coven. So when I say anything I did is a fucking day at the spa compared to what Gerrard would have done, I know you know I’m being serious.”

He heard Evan take a sharp breath, but didn’t dare look at the witch, not wanting to see whatever expression was on his face. On the other end of the line, he heard Howie groan to himself. “All right. All right, we’ll have to deal with that later. You didn’t answer my question—who’s the witch? I’m guessing Alonzo doesn’t wanna touch this with a ten-foot pole. We can arrange for their coven to come pick them up at the station. I might be able to get Athena to run interference with them; hopefully stop them from lodging a complaint with the high coven…”

Okay, maybe this would be the tricky part. “He doesn’t have a coven, Howie. He’s banished.”

This time, the silence lasted long enough that Tommy was afraid the call had been dropped. Then he heard Howie let out a breath that seemed to come all the way from his toes. “You have a banished witch in your coven house, who you kidnapped—”

“I’d prefer the term rescued, honestly.”

“Is he free to leave?”

“Ummm…”

“Kidnapped from one of Vincent Gerrard’s bloodbaths, is that about right?”

“Is Greenway on duty with you right now?”

“Huh? No, Jonah’s off tonight, why?”

“Because the kid’s saying a witch named Jonah Greenway sent him to Gerrard’s party in the first place.”

This time, he heard Hen’s voice loud and clear as she gasped out loud, Howie clearly having put him on speaker or something. She hissed Howie’s name and then the line went dead. Less than thirty seconds later, a text popped up with an image attached. It appeared to be a picture taken at some kind of party or backyard barbecue. Howie’s coven was seated at a couple of long picnic tables, sun-drenched and laughing or smiling at whoever was taking the picture.

Tommy beckoned Evan over, holding up the screen so the witch could see. “You see the guy who sent you to the mansion in this picture?” he asked, keeping his voice as gently neutral as he could. Evan still approached him like a skittish animal, his eyes darting between Tommy’s face and the phone as if he expected one (or both) of them to bite him. Finally, though, he focused on the picture. It took him only a moment to point to a clean-cut, blond man sitting on the back end of the picnic table, a slightly fixed smile on his angular face.

Tommy had never actually met the man. Hen was the only other member of Howie’s coven that he’d had any sort of interaction with…but anyone who paid attention to coven politics in LA knew Athena Grant’s name. People like Tommy made it a point to know at least the names and faces of the inner circle of her coven. He nodded to himself and quickly used the editing feature on his phone to draw a somewhat wonky circle around Greenway’s face and send the picture back to Howie.

That’s the guy he says sent him to Gerrard’s party. He thought he worked for a temp agency? And Gerrard doesn’t use random humans to supply his parties…if Greenway was sending people to that estate, he knew exactly what was going to happen to them.

The reply took less than thirty seconds to come back.

The text was simply an address, one of the carefully curated neutral locations he’d met Howie at in the past. Bring him here. It’ll just be me and Athena, scout’s honor. I’m vouching for you.

Despite the increasingly dire situation, Tommy couldn’t prevent a small smile from twisting his lips. Understood, he texted back. Howie always had been good people, even if Tommy wouldn’t admit it to his face under torture.

He slid the phone back in his pocket and met Evan’s eyes. “All right. I need you to come meet a friend of mine and tell them what you told me. Athena Grant. She’s one of the major players in the witch covens in LA, but you can trust her. I know you’re not gonna want to get in a car with me, but I give you my word I will leave you with them. They’ll help you get out of the city.”

He expected Evan to be wary still, but he’d hoped the idea of going to meet other witches would have helped the kid trust that he was being truthful when he said he was letting Evan go. Instead, the witch hunched in on himself even further, that same strangely pained expression from earlier flitting across his face.

“So…so, so you were telling the truth?” he asked, his voice so leaden that it gave Tommy pause. “Jonah—Jonah sent me there on purpose?” He was staring at the space just over Tommy’s shoulder, something dark creeping into his eyes.

“Yeah kid,” Tommy said, as gently as he could. “I’ve got no reason to lie to you. Gerrard—the coven master there—we’ve got history. I know how he operates. Greenway knew exactly what kind of party that was.”

Evan nodded to himself, his expression going flat. Dead. His eyes looked dull, something like resignation filling them now. “He works with your friend? At, uh, at the fire station?”

“I think he’s a paramedic.”

“He never said,” Evan said quietly. “Like, I knew he was just volunteering at the temp agency. Said it was some deal with the city to make sure there was a witch on staff for people that came through. He didn’t…I thought…God, no, never mind. Stupid of me. Fucking stupid.”

“Hey, you didn’t have any reason to doubt him,” Tommy said, unsure of why he felt the need to speak up…but hating the expression on Evan’s face. The misery in every line of his body.

“Sure,” Evan said bitterly. He rubbed the back of his neck before biting his lip. “Look. If, if, if you’re serious, I’ll, uh, I’ll tell your friends—” Evan’s face twisted like he didn’t believe Tommy had a friend who was a witch…which, fair. “I’ll tell your friends whatever they want to know. Just—can we take my Jeep there? I’ll leave! As soon as I’m done talking to them, I’ll leave!” A note of desperation crept into his voice. “But I need my car.”

Tommy got the distinct impression there was more to just needing a mode of transportation, but he knew Evan wouldn’t give him any details. “All right. But seriously, Athena and Howie will help you—you don’t have to just hightail it out of the city.”

At that Evan laughed. It was just a short bark of sound, but it was rough and bitter in a way that just felt wrong coming from the young man. Evan shook his head, and for a moment, there was such raw pain in his face that Tommy had to hold himself back from reaching out to try and touch him. “They can’t help me.”

“I mean, I know picking up stakes and leaving town isn’t going to be easy, but it’s for your own safety. They can put you up for a few days while you figure out where you’re heading next, get some money together—”

“Kinard. They can’t help me. They’re not allowed.”

“Uh…what?”

Evan gestured to himself with a bitter, ghastly smile. “I’m banished. Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t do anything for me.”

“What? I thought banishment just meant you were kicked out of your coven and eventually lost your magic,” Tommy said, frowning in confusion. “Why can’t Athena and Howie help you get out of LA?”

Evan laughed again, and that raw, ugly sound didn’t belong in his mouth. He closed his eyes, shaking his head. “None shall know me, none shall aid me, none shall give me comfort or shelter. No coven can help me. It’s forbidden. Jonah…Jonah’s the only witch I’ve ever met who, who was willing…but I guess that was just a lie, huh?”

The words were familiar, and Tommy remembered the moment he’d seen when he drank from the witch—the high coven handing their sentence down on a seventeen-year-old boy who’d risked his own life to protect his sister. The words had the formal, oddly lyrical cadence of a spell or a ritual, and Tommy wondered if it was an actual curse of some kind, or merely an expected norm.

“That’s…deeply fucked up,” he said without thinking. The laugh that startled out of Evan sounded different—but no less disturbing. There was a slightly hysterical edge to it.

“What, are you going to tell me vampires are more into restorative justice for their criminals? Community service?”

“Okay, fair point,” Tommy conceded…although vampire ideals of “criminal” probably didn’t fit any definition Evan had in his head. “Fine. We can drive your Jeep to meet Howie and Athena, and then as soon as you’ve told them everything you know, as long as you get the hell out of LA, you’re free to go. You have my word.”

Evan stared at him silently for several heartbeats, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Evidently coming to the very correct conclusion that even if Tommy was lying to him, there was nothing he could currently do about it, he gave a jerky, hesitant nod.

Tommy did not want to examine just why the witch’s continued (and completely justified) mistrust of him bothered him so much. It was very low on a very long list of things he needed to figure the fuck out right the fuck now. At the moment, though, he needed to take Evan to meet Howie and his coven master…if Jonah Greenway really was in bed with Gerrard, then the political situation in LA had just gotten staggeringly more complicated.

At that moment, he heard the soft ding of the elevator chime out in the hallway. The elevator in the building that was completely empty except for himself and Evan. He stiffened, turning towards his front door, instinctively taking a few steps to the right so that he was between it and Evan.

It took him only seconds to identify footsteps making their way slowly down the hallway towards his door, their cadence and weight as familiar as his own.

Damn it. He should have left with Evan as soon as he decided to ignore his coven master’s orders and let the witch go.

And now it was too late.