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[flooffydergen]

AHHHHHH I FINALLY FINISHED THE ENITIYTALE BAD AND STAR SANS!!!

ENITIYTALE!Star sans

And ENITIYTALE! Bad sans

Yes I used fuckin gacha. I'm lazy ok! 😭

I have more tags but there's a limit

[hezuart]

LN Channel Change AU Sequel: “Seven” {1} {2} {3} {here/final}

And they lived happily ever after. Or did they? We've established our main characters Mono (TV/space-time) and Six (Soul Sucking) have strange supernatural powers. I wanted Seven to have one too. (Hydrokinesis aka water bending)

Notes for how I came up with Seven's powers and the deeper meaning behind his interaction with Mono:

1. Each child has nightmare prophecies (something to do with Mono's time loop?)  at the beginning of their stories. Six's is the Lady, Mono's is the door that leads to the Thin Man, and Seven's is being pulled underwater. Six and Mono's nightmare visions are fulfilled at the end of their stories; revealing that the thing they dreamed about, they essentially become or usurp.  Seven's differs. His dream resolves in act 1 and he kills the Granny, the creature assumed to be the one pulling him underwater in his nightmare. But what if Seven's dream prophecy was still valid... even post-Granny? Being dragged underwater... for a different fate?

2. Seven is the only main cast character shown with the ability to swim. 3. "Seven Seas" anyone? Water is a symbol of purification & life, hence, Seven gains his new powers after he survived and Mono broke the timeline loop to start fresh. "Washing it away" so to say. 4. Water is a liquid; passive in nature, but powerful in circumstance. Seven is kind and sneaky but kills the Granny when continuously attacked and threatened by her. He does the same to the Octopus monster.

5. Water molecules have adhesion and cohesion, meaning water likes to stick to itself, and stick to other things. Seven has an attachment to Nomes. He is always drawn to other people and other creatures, wanting to help them. His belief is that survival chances are higher amidst a group. Water is also known for containing life, no matter how strange or deep, such as ocean fish that often travel in schools/packs often to confuse or fight off predators, thus, another reference to Seven's new life, and his teamwork with Nomes and Mono.

6. Seven is often in fandom depicted by a circle. A water droplet. 7. Seven collects flotsam; typically boat debris, but in this case, bottled messages that come from the sea. Yet another connection to water.

All this indicates heavy implication and well-fitting power to bestow hydrokinesis onto Seven. I was inspired by the INSIDE game's drowning chapter and Stanley and Stanford's secret boat hide-out on the beach from Gravity Falls. Which is why I have selected Mono, Seven, and all their future friends to a lovely and sunny (future) beach house, far away from everything they've suffered. And living near the largest body of water on the planet with a kid with hydrokinesis? ...Certainly has its perks!

But Seven gaining powers is important to not only their survival but also him. He was still nervous about Mono. He knew Mono was very powerful and mysterious. In more ways than one. Mono is stronger than him and can also use telekinesis on objects on the beach. He's a better food hunter and seems more like a leader. Seven also likes to lead, but he felt outshined by Mono. (I don't portray that well in my comic) Seven is weaker and defenseless. His only shining quality in comparison is his ability to swim, but even that can only get him so far. He risks his life for his Nome friends and loses his life doing so. Or so he thought. By a miracle, his powers over water awaken. He drains the monster of its water, beaching it. He walks to Mono in a new light. It's a new him. He holds up his hands as if to say "See? I'm like you now." He's leveled the playing field. (It also helps that he now has jurisdiction over power Mono cannot interact with) Now they are truly equal. Two kings; one of land, one of sea, both ruling the island in equal standing. Seven will never again feel like a burden left behind. (Seven's powers activating also has something to do with the fact he bit the Octopus creature to save the Nome. Mono and Six both consume their powerful prophesized enemies to gain some of their power, if they didn't already have some before. Seven biting into the Octopus's flesh and unknowingly consuming some of it may have jumpstarted his power deep within him, on top of him encountering Mono; supernatural kid extraordinaire that brought him through a tower wormhole to escape the city)

~~~

A threequel is planned, and maybe the last addition to this series, but the next one is not fully fleshed out yet so it may be another year until I can really touch upon it yet. Otherwise, hope you guys enjoyed!

[hwanghyunjinenthusiast]

What a bore

AN: Beginning the birthday festivities with ChanCheol. I had a more ambitious birthday fic in mind but, figuring out the logistics of sex with six men was a nightmare lol so, I settled on the top two for this year. Maybe I'll tackle the whole line next year.

Synopsis: Your coworkers are mostly palatable people, really, they are. Except for Yoon Jeonghan, who has quickly become the bane of your existence in the months since you've transferred. He thinks you don't do anything beyond work and stay in your apartment, and he has no problem telling you that. You're more than happy to prove him wrong with the help of your willing coworkers: Seungcheol and Chan.

General tags and warnings: Choi Seungcheol x Fem! Reader x Lee Chan, Non-Idol AU, coworkers to coworkers who fuck, they all work within a company with a pretty prominent drinking culture so, alcohol and alcohol consumption and Jeonghan is an asshole in this (there are elements of peer pressure and he's pretty passive-aggressive but, he does get somewhat better).

Smut tags: petnames, not exactly sex in an elevator, but there are moments of Chan and Reader getting hot and heavy in an elevator, they all have sex after drinking (no one is drunk, and everything is consensual), dirty talk, possessiveness if you squint, praise, nipple play (f. receiving), strength kink if you squint, oral sex (f. and m. receiving), fingering (f. receiving), overstimulation (f. receiving), Seungcheol licks Chan's fingers, piv sex without a condom, hair pulling, mild degradation, objectification if you squint, creampies, manhandling and aftercare.

Word count: 12.3K (*clown noises*)

I will block you if you are a minor and/or have no easily visible indication of your age on your blog if you interact with me in any way.

Thursdays, typically, are days you don't care for. They're a stepping stone to the true hero of the week: Fridays. However, at Martinz, you've come to learn over the course of your past two months here, Thursdays were the best day of the week. It's in the way everyone glances at the clock, waiting for 17:00 to roll around. Almost everyone in the office practically jumping out of their poorly supported chairs as soon as the clock strikes. Hurriedly tugging on their jackets and making their way Jun's for drinks on the company's dime. 

You've opted out since you've started here. Not really seeing the appeal in getting drunk with your coworkers when you still need to report for work the next morning. Especially knowing you don't exactly have the same tolerance you did when you were much, much younger. You're more than content to spend your Thursday nights bundled under your favourite blanket and catching up on your shows for the week. 

Seungcheol, Chan and Jeonghan always extend an invitation without fail. Two sets of pleading eyes begging you to join them for the night while one is knowing but, he extends an invitation along with your other two coworkers nonetheless. You always decline. Appreciating their desire to include you but, you've never really been the type to interact with the people you work with more than necessary. It's how you operated at all of your previous jobs so, you don't see why anything would be any different here. 

Seungcheol and Chan are understanding. To the point where guilt does twist up your insides a little but, their megawatt smiles help assuage any of it. Jeonghan, however, is not one to let things go easily as you've come to learn. 

"Oh, going straight home again?" He asks while the four of you pack away your items for the night, his eyebrow raised as he observes you over the wooden dividers between your desks. Frankly, they should be higher in your opinion. You enjoyed the sight of the stunning man when you first started but, now his smug face and permanently raised eyebrow grate your nerves in a way that would be impressive if he wasn't so aggravating. 

"Jeonghan," Seungcheol interjects, shooting you an apologetic look on the other man's behalf. Sometimes, you don't understand how someone as kind as Seungcheol can put up with him but, the two men are practically two peas in a pod. From your peripheral, you can see Chan shuffle uncomfortably in his seat. Not that you blame him. This is why you try to not interact with Jeonghan more than strictly necessary. The tension grows to uncomfortable levels even for you sometimes but, you have always been stubborn, as your best friend, Seungkwan, is fond of reminding you. 

"What?" Jeonghan asks Seungcheol in a way that masquerades as innocent, "I'm merely making polite conversation with our colleague. That's all," he finishes, shooting you a look as though he's seriously waiting for you to answer his question when all four of you can likely recite your answer by heart by now. 

"Yes, Jeonghan. I'm going home," you grit out, your fingernails digging into the faux leather material of your bag. Your jaw only clenching further when a grin speards across his face. It's all venom and, all three of you seem to brace yourselves for the words that leave his mouth next, 

"Oh, of course. I suppose I should expect that from you. You are the more reserved type, after all."

You'll never admit it but, those words echo throughout your head all the way to your apartment. They remain in your mind and play on repeat while you change into your pajamas, order dinner for yourself and settle onto your couch. They continue to haunt you even during your attempt to distract yourself with trash reality television. You know yourself. You have no issues with the person you are. You're not going to let some asshole who hasn't even known you for three months rattle your self-image. You know how to have fun and enjoy yourself. That part of yourself just isn't any of your coworkers' business. Separating work and fun is a philosophy that has saved you from many headaches and much drama over the years. Jeonghan doesn't know shit. 

Even with those assertions, it's difficult to forget his words for longer than you care to admit. 

Thursday rolls around once more. You can already feel the migraine building behind your eyes when Jeonghan looks at you. Seungcheol and Chan, for their parts, choose to focus on their computers. You know they aren't actually working on any sales. They both have the subtlety of an elephant hiding behind a telephone pole. You do understand their lack of willingness to involve themselves unless Jeonghan pushes too far. Which you don't think will take him all that long. 

"So, will you be joining us tonight?" He asks with that knowing smirk you want to wipe off of his face. His face resting in his hand while he waits for you to answer. 

"Jeongha-"

"Don't you have work to do, Jeonghan? Is all you think about going out for drinks?" You ask with a faux curious tilt of your head, the saccharine tone of your voice does not go unnoticed by the three men. Seungcheol looks surprised that you not only cut him off from pulling the other man back in line but, that you responded to him at all. You suppose you've finally had enough. Being the bigger person gets exhausting very, very quickly. 

Jeonghan looks intrigued by your response. Opting to bite, he says, "I finished my work over an hour ago. Plus, it's almost time to close up for the day anyways. I simply know how to balance work and enjoying myself. Perhaps you should take some notes out of my book," he finishes with a glint in his eyes. 

What a fucking dick. 

"You know what? Yes, I will be joining everyone for drinks tonight. I think I've earned it after how grating this week has been," you respond and maybe you feel too smug for your own good that surprise colours his face for a moment. However, Jeonghan being Jeonghan, it disappears nearly as quickly as it morphed onto his face. 

"Hey, you know you don't have to come. Jeonghan's just being a dick," Chan chimes in, shooting you a reassuring look. Jeonghan pouts dramatically at being referred to as a dick but, he doesn't refute Chan's assertion. Given how he's treated you, he seems to have the self-awareness to know better. 

"Yeah, we know not it's not for everyone. Hell, Jihoon maybe comes out like three times a year and, one of those is for his birthday," Seungcheol adds, big, warm, brown eyes looking at you softly. His full lips spreading in a smile that's meant to soothe the tension in the air. You appreciate the two of them. Honestly, they've been far kinder than you than you probably deserve but, this isn't about them right now. 

"No, I want to. Don't worry. I'm curious to see what the excitement is about since Jeonghan can never quite stop talking about it," you respond with a miniscule upturn of your own lips. It's not much but, you hope it's enough to ease any concerns the two men have. They exchange a glance with each other while Jeonghan smiles with far too many teeth and his head resting in his hand, 

"This'll be interesting."

Anxiety simmers in your bloodstream as you join your hoard of coworkers at Jun's. It's not a massive bar by any means but, you think you understand why it's become the go-to spot rather than anywhere else around your offices as soon as you step through the door. The atmosphere instantly feels welcoming, a stunning, giant of a man who you learn is named Mingyu greeting you all as you flow through the entrance. The booths and tables are quickly filled by the people from your office and, you scan the area looking for a place to sit that isn't outside or close to the bathrooms. 

"Come on," Seungcheol says with a gentle nudge to your shoulder, the smile he gives you under the lowlighting of the bar heats your system in a way you think would be unwise to dissect right now, "We usually sit in booth number 8. We kind of have unofficial dibs on it," he says with a chuckle and you see Chan nod in agreement. Jeonghan doesn't say much, much to your surprise, as the four of you settle yourself into your seats.

Chan sits beside you while Seungcheol and Jeonghan opt to sit next to each other and across from the two of you. Shrugging off your coat, you briefly wonder if it would've caused you less of a headache to sit next to Jeonghan instead of looking at him for the entire night but, Chan's presence next to you is more than welcome. Plus, you can just look at Seungcheol instead, which isn't a terrible alternative. Not in the slightest. 

"So, what would you guys recommend?" You ask in an attempt to crawl out of the shell you've crafted for yourself. You may have come out tonight mostly to spite your dick of a coworker but, you aren't opposed to having a decent time with your other coworkers. Plus, free alcohol and food are offers you know better than to say no to. Your parents would be disappointed in you otherwise. 

"The soju here is really good," Seungcheol pipes up, glancing up at you over his menu. "The beer's great too," Chan says with a smile that disarms you a little seeing it so up close. Heat rushes to your face and you hide your face in your own menu, pretending to scan the items while you use the time to calm yourself down a little. Really? Getting flustered just because you're with your, admittedly, good-looking coworkers outside of work? Good lord. Get a grip. 

"I'm going to be honest, I think beer is kinda gross," you say sheepishly and you nearly laugh at the affronted looks on both Seungcheol and Chan's faces. Hell, even Jeonghan cracks a smile that you'd consider a smidge genuine. 

"Beer isn't gross," the older man protests with a pout that you're not used to seeing on his handsome face. It suits him. You wonder if you'd see it more if you came out with them. Maybe it makes itself known more outside of the confines of the office. 

"Yeah, you've probably just had shitty beer," Chan argues with a nod so assertive you're a little worried he might hit his head hard on the back of the seat in your booth. You giggle at the two men nonetheless. Clearly your coworkers are avid beer drinkers and defenders. 

"Or, consider, that beer just sucks," you argue with a smile and you have to bite back a laugh at the sincerely affronted looks the two men send your way, "Soju is okay. It's a little too bitter for my liking but, I don't mind it. But hey, why are you guys drinking soju on a Thursday?" 

"Maybe because we're not killjoys and we can handle our alcohol," Jeonghan finally pipes up. You knew it was too good to be true. You knew you couldn't just have a decent night out with this man in your presence. The somewhat pleasant atmosphere that the three of you have managed to create is completely evaporated by Jeonghan's commentary and, you wonder if he's just like this or only like this because you're out with them tonight. 

"Anyways," you continue on, choosing not to rise to his bait this time and scanning the various alcoholic beverages that span the menu, "I think I'm going to order a glass of red wine. I'm a bit of a lightweight too so, that should be a safe option," you say with a small smile to directed to the two other men in the booth, "I'll probably also get some fries because drinking alcohol on an empty stomach is no-no I learned the hard way." 

"Wait, how'd you learn that lesson?" Chan asks, an amused smirk spreading across his handsome face while he glances at you. Seungcheol looks curious about that particularly story too. You're not sure if they're desperate to avoid you and Jeonghan spitting venom at one another or sincerely curious but, you indulge them nonetheless. 

That's how you tell them about one night in your second year of university where you and Seungkwan were short on cash but, wanted a night out. The semester had been kicking your asses and you two thought you'd earned a night of flirting with cute boys and taking shots of tequila. So, pooling the little money you two had, you spent it all on and drinks and nothing else. Being too young and dumb and desperate for a good time to think about having dinner before hitting the clubs. Suffice it to say, you two paid handsomely for your choices. 

Seungcheol and Chan remain invested throughout your story. Hiding their laughter in their mugs of beer that were set on your table along with your wine while you regaled them with the tales of your time in university. At times, electing to laugh out loud freely. Both of their laughs triggering giggles of your own. Embers of fondness flickering inside of you watching their faces contort with joy and, drinking in the way Seungcheol's dimples soften his face and the spread of Chan's smile adds to his already magnetic draw. Jeonghan only sneaks in a few jabs. Perhaps the alcohol is mellowing him out a little, his remarks not enough to distract you from the, surprisingly, good time you're having with your other two coworkers. 

"Wait, he paid you to chug your beer in under three minutes? And you actually agreed?" You ask with a loud laugh, taking a generous sip of your second glass of wine. 

"It was the principle of matter!" Seungcheol argues, his beer sloshing in his mug as he juts his hand out to emphasise his conviction, "A little cash didn't hurt too," he finishes off with a laugh, taking a swing from his glass. 

"He did it though, and Soonyoung had to pay up. A lot. It was on him. What kind of idiot bets so much money on someone being able to chug beer?" Chan adds with a snort of his own. 

"Soonyoung apparently," Seungcheol responds with a chuckle. 

"Hey, a win is a win and, it sounds like you got quite the bit of cash out of it," you say with a small smile, warmth blossoming in your cheeks at the boyish, prideful grin Seungcheol shoots your way, "I don't think I have any uni stories about chugging drinks and making bets, unfortunately." 

"Yeah, you don't seem at all like the adventurous type," a voice you'd be thrilled to never hear again chimes in before he smirks that insufferable smirk of his and sips from his own mug of beer. And you've just had it. It's been easy, for the most part, to ignore Jeonghan and focus on your more pleasant and handsome coworkers. However, maybe it's just that you've reached your breaking point or the alcohol flowing through your veins but, your aggravation reaches a fever pitch. 

"What is your problem?" You finally turn to the source of your foul turn in mood, "What have I done to offend you so personally that you've been a pain in my ass since I started working with you? Or does my mere presence just bother you that fucking much?" 

The entire table goes quiet at your outburst. You do feel a little bad about Chan and Seungcheol having to sit through this. For the nth time. However, the man across from Chan is just so insufferable and seems to enjoy needling a reaction out of you. Well, you hope he's satisfied with the one he ripped from you now. 

Jeonghan appears taken aback by your response. His eyes wide and blinking at you while his mouth opens and closes repeatedly. He looks stupid. Good. 

"I was just teasing. It was just some light hazing," he finally manages to spit out but, his answer just adds a generous heap of gasoline to those sparks of irritation in the pit of your gut. 

"Some light hazing? Really? That's all you have to say for yourself? Being a dick to me for months is just some ha ha funny teasing? We all know you're too old to hide behind such a shitty excuse, Jeonghan," you retort with a smirk that likely looks like the ones he's fond of sending your way. More teeth and venom than anything else. His eyes flash then and perhaps you touched a nerve. Whoops. 

"At least I'm not a bore that barely has any social skills," he spits in reply. Really, it's a horribly weak response and you could've easily been the adult here and let it go. Continue pretending he's not here and listening to more of Seungcheol and Chan's stories. You could have done all of that but, you're so tired. 

"You think I'm boring huh?" You ask him with a smile that's far too saccharine, it even hurts your own face with the effort it takes from you. Turning to face Chan, you decide to make a choice. Is it incredibly impulsive? Absolutely. Is it incredibly stupid and reckless? Absolutely. Will it be worth it? Potentially. 

"Chan, do you think I'm boring?" You ask the man with a bat of your eyelashes and a pout on your lips. Chan doesn't even hesitate before he's tumbling over his words to respond to you, "No-no, not at all!" His earnestness is cute, "Don't listen to Jeonghan. He's just being an asshole. His words don't mean jack shit."

"Thank you, Chan. I appreciate it. Really, I do," you respond with a more genuine uptick of your lips before continuing, "If I asked you to kiss me, would you?" 

That causes his eyes to nearly bulge out of their sockets. You don't miss Seungcheol and Jeonghan's noises of surprise either but, you're focused on the younger of the three men at the moment. Typically your nerves would be more on edge but, interestingly, you're calm. Patiently waiting for the blonde to respond to your question while you take another swing from your glass. 

"Are you- are you drunk?" Are the words he's finally able to stutter out, fingers tugging on his tie a little in what you can only assume to be nervousness. 

"Chan, I know I said I was a lightweight but, two glasses of wine aren't enough to completely knock me out of my senses," you reply with a giggle. You likely wouldn't act this way without the liquid in your veins but it acts as a nudge at best. You'll show Jeonghan who's boring. "You don't have to say yes, of course," you assure him, "but, I think you're cute." 

The blush that colours his face only adds to his attractiveness and, to your shock, he nods. You didn't expect him to truly agree to your, frankly, insane suggestion but, he well and truly nodded just now. You shift closer to him and ease your hands onto his handsome face. It's difficult to tell who closes the gap first but, in the grand scheme of things, you don't think it matters all that much. Chan is a good kisser. He might even be great. He presses his lips firmly to your own but, not to the point of being stiff. Any earlier hesitation he had has vanished without a trace. His mouth meeting your own eagerly and with skill that makes you the tiniest bit lightheaded. 

You pull away first. You're not sure how far this would've gone and, you don't want to push your luck here. Cracking your eyes open (when did you close them?), you're greeted with a sight that sends your insides into a tizzy and prompts your thighs to rub together. Chan watches you through lidded eyes, his gaze zeroing in on your freshly kissed lips while he chases every bit of you he can on his lips with his tongue. Easing your hands off of his face, you turn to face the two speechless men. Jeonghan looks like you just shattered his entire world view. Seungcheol, however, looks stunned for an entirely different reason. Perhaps you're projecting but, you're certain you see traces of the look the younger man gave you moments ago reflected in Seungcheol's gaze. Your suspicions are confirmed when his eyes drift to your mouth not so subtly. 

You can't help the smile that's threatening to split your face in half. Men. Predictable. 

"Seungcheol," you drawl in a voice a little foreign to your own ears but, based on the visible shudder you see run over the built man, he doesn't mind the change all that much, "Would you like to kiss me too? Or are you worried I'm just as boring as your colleague over there asserts?" You ask with a faux innocent tilt of your head while you gesture leisurely towards the man beside him who still hasn't said a word. 

Much like Chan, Seungcheol looks like he can't quite believe what you're offering. He exchanges a glance with the other blonde at the table and whatever discussion the two of them have helps him come to an answer. The knots in your insides that were beginning to twist themselves just from kissing Chan grow significantly more complex just from the weight of Seungcheol's gaze and the nod he directs your way. This time, more maneuvering is required on your part but, Seungcheol is more than happy to meet you halfway. This time, his hand reaches across to cup your jaw and you find yourself growing the slightest bit stupid just from the way his thumb drags itself along your skin. 

"For the record, I've never thought you were boring," he mutters before encompassing you in bliss. Seungcheol's lips, you discover very quickly, are just as soft as they look. It doesn't take him long to take the lead in this liplock. Guiding your head just slightest bit so, it's angled exactly how he wants while every brush of his mouth makes you seriously contempt whether you require oxygen at all. You think you could just live off of him instead.

Much to your dismay, he pulls away first and you painfully understand the disappointment Chan felt earlier when you parted from him. You could kiss the two of them for hours, you think. It's your turn to stare at him in a daze and the self-satisfied smirk he shoots at you does horrible, terrible things to your heart and panties. The two of you part after that without much fanfare. The table is deathly silent for a moment while you stare down Jeonghan who still appears to be coming to grips with what just transpired before his very eyes. 

"I suppose you still think I'm a bore who never does anything outside of my comfort zone," you say to him, leaning on your palm and delighting in his inability to respond, maybe a little too much. Seungkwan has always chided you for your affinity for spite. "I hope you don't take offense to my not being interested in kissing you, though."

"Okay, fuck," he finally breaks, dragging an elegant hand over his face in a way that is a far cry from the smug man you've come to know, "I'm sorry. I was being a dick. You didn't deserve any of that. I guess I just felt threatened by you and I was lashing out." 

That bewilders you. A lot. Out of all the reasons for you to earn the ire of Jeonghan, you don't expect that to be his explanation. "Threatened by me? Why?" You finally manage to ask, staring at him like you can't quite believe this is all even real. What the fuck is your life right now? 

"You're the first person in a very long time who's been real competition for me at work," he chooses to ignore Seungcheol and Chan's interjections and huffs of protest, "I didn't think I was a competitive guy until someone who was actually a challenge came around and, I felt threatened. I'm sorry. I know that probably won't cut it for all the jabs and remarks but, I think I owe you that much at the bare minimum."

"You're not the first insecure man I've had to deal with in this line of work and, you won't be the last," you snort, reacquainting yourself with your glass, "Yeah, you'll have to forgive me if it takes me some time to warm up to you but, I do appreciate this being a start. Who knew kissing our coworkers would be the way to get you to be honest?" You muse behind said glass, smiling at the way all three men blush. You can deal with the ethics of all of this tomorrow. 

"I misjudged you," Jeonghan responds with a disbelieving laugh, "I would've never thought you'd do something like this."

"You know what they say about assuming," you retort but, there isn't as much venom in your voice. You suppose you can't be in too foul of a mood after kissing the two men who think they're being subtle with the glances they sneak your way. 

After that, much to everyone's relief, the tension between you and Jeonghan dissipates significantly.

Without being on edge awaiting Jeonghan's next jab, you're more relaxed than you have been since you started working with the men. Laughing freely at his own stories of horrible night outs and last minute submissions from university. Smiling behind your glass when he shares especially embarrassing tales featuring Seungcheol and Chan, much to their dismay. The atmosphere is calming. Sneaking your own glances of the two men under the low light and appreciating the way it creates a halo effect on both of them. Not that they needed much aid with their looks as it is.

You don't fail to notice how Chan's thighs brush against yours or the way Seungcheol's foot accidentally bumps yours underneath the table. Seungkwan's voice chooses now to echo through your skull. His nagging about how you don't think things through before acting on your pettiness being a particular hit with every silent touch, nudge and look between the three of you. The ghosts of their lips haunting you and it's only been a few hours. Maybe you're more fucked than you realised, you think when Seungcheol sends you another brief weighted gaze before drinking from his mug and, Chan chooses then to rest his hand precariously close to your leg. 

"I think I'm going to call it a night," Jeonghan says after a brief but, not unpleasant lull in conversation, "It's getting late and I have a shit tonne to do tomorrow," he finishes with a sigh for dramatics before sliding out of the booth and grabbing his jacket. You don't know him well enough and it might be a trick of the light but, you swear you see his eyes practically twinkling with an emotion very, very close to amusement as he takes his leave. 

"Goodnight, get home safe," you offer in the tentative peace the two of you have built over the evening. He shoots you a smile that almost looks misplaced on his face. This one is much softer than any he's given you before and you think maybe you and Yoon Jeonghan may be begrudging, civil coworkers yet. Seungcheol and Chan provide their own farewells to the man but, otherwise don't make any moves to slip out of the booth along with him. You're not sure what to expect. Part of you assumed they tended to call it a night together but, based on the way they sink into their seats while the other man walks off to hail a cab, your assumptions are misplaced. 

The silence in the booth is deafening and the air feels decidedly tense. Not tense in the way that had become a staple of your interactions with Jeonghan. No, this isn't nearly as awkward and uncomfortable. You'd think the same bravado that had prompted you to kiss the two men who you now remain in the booth with would continue to carry you for the night but, without Jeonghan here, you find your face growing warm with the gazes you know are being leveled at you. Electing, instead, to keep your eyes locked onto your empty glass and ignoring Chan's body heat radiating mere centimetres away from you. 

"So," Seungcheol is the first one to break the silence. Of course, it would be him. Against your better judgement, you glance up at him out of curiosity and you almost instantly regret that decision. His eyes look glazed with what you suspect to be desire but, perhaps that's projection and the wine on your part. However, it's difficult to shake that suspicion when he just keeps looking at you like that. Full lips parted while his eyes scan over your face, lingering on your lips long enough to leave you squirming in your seat and reminding you of the state of your panties, before settling somewhere beneath your neckline. You have eyes. You know Seungcheol is attractive. And knowing, that on some level based on the way he kissed you and the way he is essentially undressing you with his eyes, he thinks you're attractive too is a lot. 

"It's been quite the night," Chan pipes up and you honestly don't know if you have the resolve to look at him right now. You can already feel yourself coming apart at the seams being the focal point of Seungcheol's attention, you don't think you can handle adding Chan into the mix. He's already too close and his cologne has steadily drifted into your space enough to further muddle your brain and turn your throat remarkably dry. "I'm glad you and Jeonghan sorted everything out. Well, sort of," he laughs and that does make you feel lighter. You've always thought Chan had the most endearing laugh, "Plus, we got to see a different side of you tonight too." 

All of the less carnal thoughts you had briefly are quickly extinguished by the way his mouth curves around the word 'different' and Seungcheol's answering laugh. It's much deeper and drawn out than the cute giggles you've grown accustomed to from him and, your insides burn. 

"I didn't think I'd end up with a kiss from my gorgeous coworker but, I can't say I'm complaining," Seungcheol adds and your heart stutters in your chest when 'gorgeous' registers in your foggy brain. Your hands clenching against your thighs, fingernails biting into your skin through your thin stockings. 

"Same here," Chan replies and you can hear the grin in his voice clear as day. God. What is this night turning into? 

"What's wrong? You haven't said anything since Hannie left. Cat got your tongue?" Seungcheol asks with a tilt of his head and it hits you in this moment why he and the other man got along so well. A glint you've only seen in Jeonghan's eyes shining clear as day in his while one corner of his mouth lifts up, his dimple making an appearance. You're so fucked. 

"I'm not- I don't," you huff in frustration when the words you're looking for don't quite find you, "I'm fine. Just a little hot but, I'm good," you finally manage to spit out. Only feeling mildly embarrassed at the effort it took but, all things considered, you're proud of yourself. 

"Hot huh?" Chan asks in a way that causes the pit of your stomach to drop. Considerably. That drop continues when he shifts closer to you and leisurely slings are a muscular arm over your shoulder. You hope against hope neither man hears the soft gasp that leaves your mouth at the contact. Your grip on your thighs growing harsher when you comprehend his broad body pressed into your side. It takes all of your strength not to rub your thighs together when his scent hits you more viciously this time. 

"Would you like our help cooling off?" 

That forces you to look at Chan. Mouth parting while all you can think to do is stare at him before turning towards Seungcheol who doesn't contest Chan's usage of 'our.' His eyes darker than they were minutes ago while he waits for your response. From the way Chan's fingers absentmindedly trace patterns you can't discern onto your shoulders, he's waiting for a response too. Surely they can't be suggesting what you think they're suggesting. Definitely not. There's no way. This is just a wine, touch starved induced daydream. That's all. 

"Well?" Seungcheol prompts you with a raise of his stupidly attractive eyebrow. Is everything about this man just hot? 

"Well what?" You attempt to spit back but, any stability in your voice is severely undercut by how breathless you sound. Fuck. 

"Do you want our help cooling off?" Chan asks once again and there's no mistaking what he means by the way he's pressed against you and the dip in his voice. His words drifting into your ears like something akin to music. You can't believe you're getting flustered by the same guy who accidentally stapled his tie to his paperwork. Twice. In the same day. 

But really, what do you have to lose? Ethics pretty much took a nosedive off of a steep cliff when you asked to kiss the two of them and they agreed. It's clear they want you as much as you want them. So much for promising yourself to never, ever sleep with a coworker. Here you are contemplating letting two of them fuck you. Your younger self would be aghast. However, you're here now. And you can already feel how sticky and uncomfortable your panties are with every second that ticks by. What's the worst that could happen? 

You nod. Biting your lip in the process and trying your best not to dissolve into a puddle in Chan's arms while you wait for them to respond or react or just do anything. 

"You'll have to use your words, sweetheart," Seungcheol drawls and the tinge of command in his voice makes your stomach perform an entire gymnastics routine. "Yeah, we can't know what you want unless you tell us, baby," all of these petnames are going to make you lose your mind. Especially coming from both of them. 

"I-I want you both to help me," you finally say. You're sure Chan can feel the heat radiating off of your face in waves but, you just hope that that confession is enough for them. 

"Well, we shouldn't keep you waiting then," Seungcheol says with a grin that borders on wolfish. Yeah, you can definitely understand why he and Jeonghan are such close friends. It all makes sense now. 

"There are a few hotels we can choose from down the street," Chan comments, the brush of his blonde hair against your skin sends a shudder down your spine. It really has far too long since you've been touched properly if his hair brushing against your skin is enough to cause you to react so strongly. 

"I'm down if the two of you are," you muster, using every last bit of your nerve to glance at both of them to emphasise your seriousness. They both look like the way to eat you alive and, yeah, having both Choi Seungcheol and Lee Chan's gazes on you at the same time is incredibly overwhelming to put it mildly. 

"Fuck, let's get out of here," Seungcheol practically groans, grabbing his jacket before shimming out of the booth at break neck speed. Your body moves before your brain can catch up. Sliding out onto very unsteady feet, coming into contact with Seungcheol's incredibly solid frame while he steadies you. You choose to ignore the knowing grin that spreads across his face while Chan grabs both of your respective possessions and joins the two of you. 

"Shall we?" The younger man asks as if the three of you are getting ready to grab coffee with each other and not book a night in one of those inconspicuous hotels.

"We shall," Seungcheol responds and you truly cannot believe how cheesy they are. You're not sure what it says about you that these are the two men who caused you to make a mess in your panties and wobble on your feet. Thankfully, they choose not to drag things out after that exchange. The few coworkers who haven't taken Jeonghan's lead and headed home too wave you all off when you pass their tables. Oh. If only they knew. 

It all feels real now. It's one thing to impulsively kiss your coworkers and flirt over drinks. It's a whole other matter to walk out of the bar and walk down the street to a hotel that blends in seamlessly to all of the other businesses. You're too busy being sandwiched between the two muscular men to catch the name. Not that it matters all that much in the grand scheme of things. 

"Hello, could we please book a room for the night? We're not particular on what kind," Seungcheol asks the receptionist. Your face warms when they scan the three of you and raise their eyebrow marginally before typing away at their computer. Chan rubs your side and gives you another one of his blinding smiles while Seungcheol handles the details of whatever room the three of you are going to tumble into. Fortunately, they don't take long to wish the three of you a good night and hand over a room key. You all chorus your thanks in return before making a b-line for the elevator. 

Chan is on you as soon as the doors shut. A surprised gasp from you echoes loudly in the tiny box when he nudges you against the cool wall. His lips pressing featherlight kisses along your jaw while his hands grasp your hips. Groping and fondling every part of you he can while Seungcheol watches the two of you in a mixture of amusement and desire. Your walls clench when your eyes meet over Chan's shoulder and he sends you a lopsided smile that shoots straight to your clit. 

Much to your disappointment, the doors open in what feels like seconds later and Chan separates from you with such ease that it gives you whiplash. You're sure you already look like a wreck and here he is walking out as though he wasn't peppering your throat with kisses while his erection rested against your thigh. Seungcheol has the audacity to laugh at the pout on your lips but, he pulls you out of the elevator with ease. It doesn't take much scanning before the three of you stumble into room 259. It's a pretty luxurious suite. You're a little worried about just how much Seungcheol swiped away nonchalantly when paying for this room but, the two men are on you as soon as the door shuts behind them and before you can think about the cost of tonight further. 

This time, it's Seungcheol's lips that descend upon you. Unlike the younger man, he opts to take his time. Kissing you as though he has all of the time in the world. His large hands reaching up to cup your face and drag his thumbs along your cheeks. Chan does not share the older man's affinity for patience. You throb harshly when you feel his cock pressing against your ass. Gasping into Seungcheol's mouth with every grind and kiss he sears into your neck. His hold on your hips is unrelenting. Keeping you in place while he finds relief in your body and the two men push you towards insanity. It doesn't help that you can feel the beginnings of Seungcheol's hardening cock prod your stomach too. 

Before you're aware of what's happening, both men push you towards the monstrous large bed. Seungcheol laughs when a whine is ripped from your throat when you separate from the two of them, "We're going to take care of you, baby," he soothes while he kicks off his shoes and makes himself comfortable on the bed, "Don't worry." 

"Yeah," Chan chimes in after some time, the throaty quality of his voice turns the storm of butterflies in your stomach into a hurricane, "Just need to get you in place first. Want to taste you," he mutters while he watches Seungcheol tug you towards him with heavy eyes. Situating you between his thick thighs while his lips occupy Chan's previous position and his hands drag along your body. Between every brush of his large hands and the outline of his cock resting against your lower back, it's all so much. However, then your brain is finally hit by Chan's words. 

"Taste me?" You whisper, watching the younger man when he opts to position himself between your thighs. Your heart rising to your throat and close to bursting while his hands leisurely stroke your legs. Even through your stockings, his touch only adds to the sticky mess at the apex of your thighs. "Mhm," Chan hums in affirmation, carefully taking off your work heels and kissing along your left leg while his hand shoves up your skirt, "Been thinking about this for weeks," he mutters, meeting your eyes as his kisses reach higher and higher. 

"When you wear these tight skirts that cling to your ass and shirts that hug your tits, how could we not?" Seungcheol mummers in agreement with Chan directly into your neck and a shiver runs from the top of your spine straight to your pulsing, neglected clit. His fingers shift to unbutton your blouse, more and more of your cleavage spilling out with every steady movement. Your brain is reeling from their confessions and every touch they imprint onto your body. Whimpers all you can think to respond with when Chan reaches your inner thighs and Seungcheol impatiently tugs your shirt off of your shoulders. 

"Tempting us for months now," Seungcheol continues with a teasing edge to his voice into your shoulder while his hands knead your breasts over your bra. Chan hums in agreement against your thigh. Tugging your skirt further up your waist and, you throb when his lidded gaze finds yours between your thighs. "And that little show you put on for Jeonghan," Seungcheol chuckles while his fingers drift from your breasts to fiddle with your clasps. Between your breasts finally being free and Seungcheol wasting no time in cupping them in his large hands and, Chan pressing his face directly onto your covered slit and groaning, you can already feel yourself growing overwhelmed. 

"Well, maybe it wasn't just a show," Seungcheol says between kisses to your neck that prompts goosebumps to rise with every brush of his lips, his thumbs dragging slow circles against your hardened nipples that force mewls from your throat. You'd shut your thighs if Chan wasn't firmly slotted between them, honestly. 

You're brought out of your haze when a ripping sound hits your ears and cool air hits your drenched panties. A startled gasp leaved your lips when you look down to see that Chan ripped your fucking stockings. You're not sure if you're more annoyed or aroused right now. 

"Chan," you hiss, though you doubt you sound angry enough since Seungcheol's fingers are still toying with your nipples and his strong hands eagerly knead as much of your breasts as he can fit in his palms. He even has the nerve to laugh against your shoulder. The fucking audacity. 

"I'm sorry," he certainly doesn't sound all that sorry, "I just got impatient. I'll buy you a new pair. Hell, I'll buy you as many pairs as you want," Chan says, his eyes solely focused on your now exposed, wet panties. Before you can think of a retort, he moves them out of the way and wastes no time in lapping at your soaked slit. 

If Seungcheol didn't have you firmly pressed to his broad chest, you think you may have crumpled on the spot. 

Chan is a passionate man. It bleeds into his work and, he's one the hardest working people you've ever met. Apparently, those characteristics are not only part of his work persona. He doesn't give you a chance to catch your breath. Moaning into your pussy while his hand presses against your thigh to make sure you remain spread for him. Keens ripping from your body when he attaches his lips to your swollen clit, alternating between licks and sucks. Experimenting to see what prompts the best reactions from you. Watching you under his lashes when he licks particularly hard and your hips jolt into his mouth. 

"Is Chan making you feel good, baby?" Seungcheol whispers into your ear, a whimper leaving you when he bites down on your lobe and his fingers tug a little harder on your nipples.

"Ye-Yes," you moan, one of your hands weaving into Chan's blonde locks, not sure if you want to shove him closer or push him away. Fortunately, his hold and mouth make the choice for you. His tongue dragging patterns your hazy mind couldn't hope to discern while one of his hands joins him. A quiver running over your entire body when two of his fingers tease your entrance. 

"Both of y-you. Both of you are making me feel so goo-good," you manage to hiccup. 

"Fuck," Seungcheol grunts, one of his hands reaching up to cup your jaw. Thick fingers pressing into your cheeks fiercely while he angled your face towards him, slamming his mouth against yours and greedily drinking in every sound of pleasure you let out. The kiss is messy and poorly coordinated. It's more tongue and spit and desperation than anything else and you love it. 

Chan chooses then to stop toying with you. Gingerly pushing two of his fingers into you, you're more than wet enough to take it but, you still shift marginally to adjust to the stretch they provide. Your tugs on his hair grow more incessant and you barely have the presence of mind to kiss Seungcheol back. You feel no better than a baser creature right now. The obscene sounds of just how wet you are for both of them bouncing off the walls with every careful movement of Chan's fingers. A far cry from the way his mouth is determined to devour you whole. 

"You taste so good," Chan groans against you briefly before diving back in, curling his fingers faster than before and allowing them to push further into your tight heat. A wanton, broken moan leaves your bruised lips when you and Seungcheol finally separate for air when Chan finds the most sensitive part of your walls. You would roll your eyes at the smirk he presses against you if you could. Really, you would. However, you can already feel your thighs starting to shake and more of your wetness gushing down his palm with every brutal curl of his fingers and lick of your clit. 

"Are you getting close, sweetheart?" Seungcheol's question forces your eyes open (when had you even shut them?) and the heat in his eyes makes your walls clamp down on Chan's fingers. 

"Uh huh," you whimper, using all of your strength to keep your eyes open to look at the older man while he rubs soothing circles into your cheek and his other hand gropes one of your breasts. "'M so close, Cheol. Wanna cum so bad. Channie's mouth and fingers feel so good. Please," you doubt you're making much sense at this point but, it can't be helped when you feel that familiar knot in the pit of your gut growing tighter and tighter. Your words motivate the younger man further. His fingers happily exploit the weakness he found along your walls and he sucks on your clit vigorously. 

"Well, then cum for us, baby. Want you to make a mess for us. On Channie's face and fingers." 

Well, that does you in. 

You're once again thankful that Seungcheol is bracing you against him because you would have dissolved into a puddle the moment your orgasm barreled into you. He kisses you through it. It's not as fierce as his earlier kisses but, you appreciate it nonetheless while you moan and whimper into him. Chan keeps going through it all. Licking along your slit to lap up as much of you as he can while his fingers continue to work inside of your spasming walls. Not giving you the slightest chance to shut your thighs and making you take every, single sensation while you try your best to ride out one of the most intense orgasms of your fucking life. 

"Ch-Channie," you whimper, pulling away from Seungcheol and tugging on the younger man's hair in an attempt to separate him from your poor, throbbing pussy, "Too much," you heave, shaking in Seungcheol's arms. Your eyes roll into the back of your skull when he gives you a few more kisses before unlatching himself from you. He eases his fingers out of you slowly and it feels like a fucking lifetime before you're painfully empty once again. 

You're panting and heavily slumped against Seungcheol who happily lets you rest against him. Chan rests against the backs of his legs once he comes up for air too, his chest heaving just as heavily as yours. His face is flushed and the bottom half of it is drenched in spit and your juices. His tongue peaking out to chase as much of your wetness as it can reach, his eyes glazed with desire. God, you don't think you'll ever forget the sight of him like this. 

"You should taste her," are the first words he speaks, the scratchiness in his voice shooting straight to your near overstimulated clit, "She tastes fucking heavenly. Honestly could've kept my mouth on her all night," he borderline moans to the older man over your shoulder. 

"Based on the way you were humping the mattress and nearly came in your pants, I bet she does," Seungcheol laughs from the depths of his chest, his body vibrates with it. Chan scowls at the older man, "I didn't nearly cum in my pants. It's not my fault she tastes good and I got fucking hard," he pouts and, god, him pouting while his mouth is still covered with you should not be so hot. 

"Here, taste for yourself," Chan retorts, lifting the hand that is still covered in you towards the older man. That catches you off-guard. If Seungcheol wasn't behind you, you'd be staring at the man unblinkingly to see how he responds. How he reacts. However, you can't see him or what expression he's making at Chan's offer. 

"Fine," and like that you hear the sound of him lapping at the younger man's fingers with the same enthusiasm Chan had when he was between your thighs. 

These two want you to fucking die. 

"See?" Chan asks with a smug smirk spreading across his face, pulling his fingers back. The knowledge that they're now wet with Seungcheol's spit significantly worsens the ache between your thighs. 

"You're right," Seungcheol grumbles from behind you, strong hands moving to run along your sides, "I need to get a taste for myself later," he muses, grasping at your hips and squeezing them hard. 

The thought of his mouth on you causes you to whimper. And, unfortunately for you, both men hear you based on the heavy looks you can feel on you right now. 

"Greedy," Seungcheol laughs behind you and you ignore the heated rush that courses through your veins, "Wonder how long you've imagined having both of us like this," Chan muses, watching you through his bangs and god, you don't understand how he manages to look so fucking hot. Maybe Seungcheol is right. Maybe you are just insatiable for both of them. Your lust is a bottomless pit. 

"Since the first week I started working with the two of you," you breathe and your noise of surprise is muffled by Chan. Your eyes widen and your brain takes a second too long to kiss him back but, you eventually do nonetheless. Melting into him when the taste of your cum hits your tastebuds. Desperate hands clutching at his previously pristine work shirt while he licks into your mouth. 

"You should've told us. We could've had you like this for weeks," Seungcheol whispers into your ear, shallowly rutting himself against your ass while Chan continues to messily make out with you. 

"Fuck," you moan into the younger man's mouth at Seungcheol's words, the throbbing starting to teeter on painful once again, "Please. Fuck me, please. I want both of you. I'm so empty, it hurts," you whimper, touching and attempting to grasp at both of them simultaneously. Anything to relieve the endless desperation you're drowning in. 

"Poor baby," Chan coos once he's pulled away from you, his eyes watching the way his thumb drags along your bottom lip before looking at Seungcheol once again. Whatever exchange they have this time doesn't take long before Chan's eyes are on you once again, "Be a good girl and bend over, sweetheart. We'll take care of you." 

It's all a scramble of limbs and hurried movements from there. You miss the warmth and safety of being caged by Seungcheol but, the promise of being filled motivates you more. The sounds of clothes rustling catches your attention and your breath stops in your lungs as you watch Chan hurriedly shrug his shirt off to reveal years worth of hard earned muscle. Saliva pooling in your mouth when he unbuckles his belt and kicks off his boxers and dress pants, his cock slapping against his stomach and making you clamp down hard. 

"Like what you see?" He asks and this time you do roll your eyes at him, "Shut up," you respond and Seungcheol laughs from his position against the headboard. 

"Quite the mouth you've got there, sweetheart," Chan says as he comes up behind you, his hands grasping your stockings and hurriedly pulling them and your ruined panties off of you. Leaving you completely nude and exposed to both men. "Let's see if you'll still be mouthing off to me in a bit," he says, kneading your ass. His blunt fingernails biting into your skin and sending lightning from the top of your spine to the very base. 

A strangled gasp bounces off the walls when he rubs himself against your ass, groaning at the friction and watching you grow wetter and wetter with each grind of his cock against you.  

"Chan, please," you whine, pressing back into him in search of any kind of relief. 

You expect him to give you a tougher time. Tease you. Toy with you until frustrated tears brim your eyes but, fortunately, he seems just as pent up as you are. 

"I've got you, baby," he practically moans, nudging your entrance with the head of his cock. Ensuring he's sufficiently coated in your wetness before he carefully starts to push into you. Your combined sounds of pleasure quickly fill the entire room, your eyes fluttering shut with every centimetre he sinks into you. You're so wet. Wet enough that it's smeared your thighs but, the stretch is still overwhelming. Your fingers clawing at the sheets and your mouth hanging open as your walls try to accommodate Chan's girthy cock. 

"You're doing so well, pretty girl," Seungcheol soothes you, reaching for you and cupping your heated face. You'd honestly forgotten about him for a moment. However, his touch and words are more than welcome. They help you relax as much as you can until Chan bottoms out. Cracking your eyes open, you moan at the sight of the older man watching you with a mixture of softness and desire. Your eyes dropping to map as much of his skin with them as you can. You don't know when he removed his shirt but, you weren't complaining in the slightest. 

Your walls clench and unclench around Chan's cock sporadically, trying to grow accustomed to the thick intrusion while Chan's hands continue to knead your ass and Seungcheol helps you relax as much as you can. 

"Ch-Chan. You can m-move," you finally whimper out when the discomfort subsides substantially. He hums in affirmation before slowly pulling out of you halfway and thrusting back in just as slowly. It's still a fucking lot and, you can already feel the strength to hold yourself up leaving you. A broken moan leaving your bruised lips and Seungcheol chooses then to kiss you. One of his hands drifting to your hair and tugging on it lightly while Chan continues to shallowly work you open. His cock deliciously dragging along your slick walls while he moans softly behind you. 

"Is Chan's cock making you feel good?" Seungcheol asks teasingly, his eyes glinting when you shut your eyes as Chan gives you an especially deep stroke, his hands spreading your ass so he can watch the way you cling to him and coat his cock. Your brain is quickly turning to liquid in your skull as his pace picks up a bit. Not too much but, enough for the sounds of his balls hitting you to become more audible. 

"I asked you something, baby," Seungcheol says, the darker edge to his voice unconsciously making you tighten around Chan who groans louder than he previously had, his hips snapping into you hard enough to push you towards Seungcheol. 

"Ye-Yes, Cheol. Ch-Channie's dick is making me feel s-so go-good," you finally stutter out. You have an inkling the other man knows what he's doing because it doesn't take much after that for Chan to fuck into you with very little hesitance. Thick fingers moving to hold onto your hips and keeping you firmly in place so you couldn't squirm away from him. That finally evaporates any strength you had left. Seungcheol happily lets you rest against his thigh and his cock, straining against his boxers, joins your line of sight. 

"Che-Cheol," you whimper, trying to collect all of your brain cells that aren't currently mush right now. Reaching for his cock and needily palming him over his boxers, prompting a grunt from the man from the very back of his throat. 

"God, you're so fucking cock hungry," he grits out, his hips pressing into your hand to help alleviate some of the pressure. "Chan's already fucking you and here you are trying to get my dick out," he groans, looking down at you through his damp hair. 

"I think she likes when you talk to her like that," Chan laughs breathlessly behind you, leaning down to press a kiss against your back while he continues to fuck into your warm, wet walls, "Our little cockslut." 

The word makes you whine into Seungcheol's thigh. Much like Chan, he seems to be a little too fond of being a bit mean to you too based on the way he chuckles. "Don't be shy," he coos, reaching down to cup your face and make you look at him. You're sure you look like a fucking wreck right now. "If you want to suck me off, you could've just asked, baby," he says, his fingers brushing along your bottom lip and following the movements religiously. A quiet curse that falls from his plump lips as he watches you. That's more than enough motivation for him to pull his hands away from you and tug off his boxers. Tossing them to join the mess you've all made on the hotel room floor. 

Seungcheol is big. No, big is putting it mildly. Seungcheol is fucking massive. The sound his cock makes when it hits his thigh is enough to intimidate you further. Not that it required much since the sheer size of him was enough to prompt your eyes to widen, mouth to salivate and pussy clench viciously around Chan. 

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," he says once you've ogled him sufficiently, his eyes shining with concern and his hand toying with your hair. 

"No, I want to. I want you in my mouth, Cheol." 

His cock jumps at your words and you think his reaction is going to supply you with enough confidence to last at least a lifetime. "Fuck, okay. I'll go slow," he groans, wrapping his hand around his cock and you didn't think it could look any more appealing until now. True to his word, Seungcheol does very, very slowly push into your mouth. He tastes a little salty but not unpleasant. It does take awhile for you to adjust to his size and you can already feel the ache developing in your jaw. However, it's worth it. It's so worth it the way Seungcheol groans when he's halfway in your mouth. It's worth it when his fingers weave themselves in your hair and tugging on it gently while he shallowly fucks your mouth. 

Between the way Chan molds you around his cock and the way you drool around Seungcheol's, you aren't really capable of much else than letting the two of them find pleasure in your body and taking the pleasure they give you. Your body jolts when the fat head of Seungcheol's cock hits the back of your throat. 

"Shit, 'm sorry, baby. Are you okay?" He asks, his warm, brown eyes looking down at you with concern. You try your best to nod with him still in your mouth. Conveying to him that it's okay and he once again thrusts into your mouth. This time around you're better prepared to handle the brush of his cock on the back of your throat. "Fuck, you're so fucking tight. You love being our little toy to use huh?" Chan moans, his hand snaking between your slick thighs to rub heavy-handed circles into your clit. Your pitchy moans are muffled by Seungcheol's cock, spit dribbling down your chin while your body shudders as Chan drags you onto his cock and pushes you closer and closer to another orgasm. 

"You're taking my cock so well, sweetheart," Seungcheol praises, his pace picking up slightly until the sounds of you choking on him join the litany of noises that fill your hotel room. You can already tell that your throat will be raw tomorrow but, you don't care. You can't when he looks so stunning fucking your mouth and copious amounts of his pre-cum join the mess slipping past your lips. 

"Fuck," Chan grits behind you, his thrusts quickly shifting from precise and brutal to sloppy and bordering on uncoordinated. Based on the way his cock twitches inside of you, you wager that he's close. You're proven right not long after that when he chokes out your name before pressing his hips flush against your ass, his cock throbbing as rope after rope of his cum floods your eager and awaiting walls. Between the warmth that floods your pussy and his continued rubbing your clit, you tumble over the proverbial edge soon after him. All your whimpers and mewls turn to vibrations around Seungcheol's cock, overstimulated tears streaking down your face as your body spasms along with Chan's. 

"Fuck, pretty girl, you should see yourself," Seungcheol grits out, easing his cock out of your mouth while you try to gather your bearings as Chan holds onto you to steady himself. Your walls still spasm around his softening cocl through the aftershocks and that just prompts him to dig his fingers into you and, moan quietly. 

"Are you two okay?" Seungcheol asks with equal parts concern and amusement, eyeing your respective fucked out states. 

"Yeah, just needed a moment," Chan responds first, gently pulling out of you. You can't help but, cringe at the feeling and the sudden emptiness. Your body finally collapsing onto the sheets since Chan isn't holding you up any longer. Your thighs feel little better than jelly at the moment and your breathing is still laboured. 

"Yeah, I'm okay," you reply once you start to come back to yourself, blinking up at Seungcheol who shoots you a gentle smile and strokes your hair. You notice that he's very much still hard and part of you wonders why he didn't just cum in your mouth. You'd be more than happy to let him. 

"You haven't cum yet," you say, glancing at his wet, very hard cock before looking at his face. 

He laughs and Chan snorts behind you, "I didn't want it to be too much for you. Don't worry. If you're tired, I can just take care of myself and we can call it a night." 

You can't help but pout and reach for him, wrapping a hand around him and delighting in the hiss that leaves his lips, "I'm not tired and I want you to cum too, Cheol. Do you want to use my mouth or cum inside too?" 

You probably shouldn't find the way his jaw clenches so attractive yet here you are. 

"Told you she was a cockslut," Chan pipes in and you shoot him an annoyed look over your shoulder briefly. You doubt you look all that mad at him since you take a moment to appreciate the way his blonde locks stick to his damp forehead and a thin sheen of sweat makes him look even more mouthwatering, "Shut up, Chan," you retort before turning back to the other man and waiting for his answer. 

"You're trying to kill me," Seungcheol jokes, sounding short of breath, "Can you roll onto your back for me, baby?" 

You comply so fast that you're surprised you don't give yourself whiplash. Chan grins at you before moving out of the way without much fanfare. Taking Seungcheol's previous position against the headboard and being content to spectate this time around. 

It's one thing to see Seungcheol while Chan was rearranging your spine but, the vision he makes between your thighs will be the stuff of your fantasies for years to come after tonight. He's longer than Chan. You can tell as much just from looking at him and feeling the younger man inside you. It's going to be an adjustment but, you're more than ready to take him. 

"Are you ready?" He asks, glancing at you through his bangs while he grinds against your wet slit. Sneaking a few peaks to watch the way you cover him in your wetness. You would giggle at his complete lack of subtlety if you weren't itching to feel him. 

"Seungcheol, yes," you whine, grinding back against him so he knows you're more than certain about this. 

"Never hurts to make sure," he tuts but, grabs himself in his hand nonetheless. Guiding himself to your wet entrance and very gradually sinking into you. Your mouth hangs open as a gasp leaves your lips at the sensation. Fortunately, the stretch isn't too overwhelming. Chan certainly made sure of that. However, Seungcheol is still big and it takes you a while to grow accustomed to the way he pushes into you. 

"Chan was right," he groans, watching your face and body for any signs of this all being too much, "You're so fucking tight and wet, baby."

All you can do is moan in response. Pitchy whimpers being punched from your chest when he's finally fully sheathed inside of you. Your eyes drift from drinking in the way his face contorts beautifully to glancing down to watch him split you open and tightening around him at the sight. 

"Taking me so well," he mutters, leaning down to press a frenzied kiss to your lips before he starts moving. Your hands find themselves on his broad back, your fingernails digging into it with every deep stroke he gives you. He eagerly swallows your gasping moans when he shoves your legs back, using his strength to keep them pressed to your chest and cursing against your bruised lips when he sinks impossibly deeper into you. 

"I'm going to be honest," he pants against your mouth as he fucks into you, his cock dragging against your walls, a combination of your wetness and Chan's cum beginning to leak out of you and dribble down your ass with every jolting thrust he gives you. "I don't think I'm going to last that long," he pants, nuzzling your neck and lavishing your throat with licks, nips and kisses. 

"'Is okay," you squeak when he brushes against the sensitive patch against your walls, your eyes nearly rolling into the back of your skull. "Want you to cum. Want you to cum inside, Cheol," you whimper, clutching him as close to you as humanly possible. Not caring in the slightest at the sweat you can feel dripping onto your skin. 

"Fuck, baby. Don't say that," he moans against your skin between kisses, his hands gripping your thighs for dear life while he continues to chase his release. God, he's so fucking deep you're certain you can feel him in the pit of your stomach where that all too familiar knot begins to tighten once more. The obscene squelching of your pussy combined with his breathy curses seared into your skin only fueling the simmer building in your gut. You're not sure if you can cum again right now but, based on the way his cock bullies your pussy, you're not sure how much of a say you have in the matter. 

Seungcheol, unlike Chan, catches you off-guard when he falls apart. His strangled warning of 'cumming' is the only signal you receive before he gives you one brutal thrust and completely remains inside of you to cum as deeply as he possibly can. You wouldn't be surprised if you found bruises on your thighs tomorrow from the way his thick fingers clutch at them while he rides out his climax, his cock pulsing nonstop inside of you. It's like he cums endlessly and you kiss the side of his head as he shudders on top of you, his breaths fanning over your heated skin. 

Seungcheol barely has enough strength left but he uses it to pull out of you (you don't think the feeling will ever stop being unpleasant) and rolls onto his back to catch his breath. You don't blame him. You're about five seconds from passing out and you can already feel the mess of combined cum smearing your thighs.  You are genuinely a little worried about how you're going to get your legs to cooperate with you. 

"Nope, no passing out," Chan says, leaning over you. He's so handsome. Even when he's annoying you and you want nothing more than to shove him aside and crawl under the covers. "We have to get you all cleaned up first," he tuts, booping you on the nose. It's difficult for you to reconcile this man with the one that made you almost cry from pleasure not too long ago. 

"I'm tired," you whine, flicking him lightly on the forehead and smiling at the splutter you receive in response, "Plus, my legs feel like jello. I don't know if I could get up if I wanted to." 

"We'll help you. It's our responsibility after all," Seungcheol mutters, looking as tired as you feel but sending you a reassuring smile all the same. 

You're barely awake as the two men help you to the bathroom. Helping you clean up while doing the same for themselves until the three of you are no longer a sweaty, gross mess. You don't remember much before you find yourself wrapped up in the soft hotel covers, snuggling into one of them. You're not sure who and, you honestly don't care beyond whoever it is incredibly warm and solid beneath your touch. Sleep finds you within minutes after that. 

Your groan when the (unfortunately) familiar sound of your alarm violently drags you out of the land of the unconscious. You blindly reach for it but, come into contact with something muscular and hot instead. That wakes you up. Blinking your eyes open, you're met with someone's back instead and that's when the events of last night come slamming into you. 

Oh god. So that really happened. You really had sex with your two coworkers. That wasn't just some surreal dream. 

"Whoever's alarm that is, shut it off," a tired, scratchy voice grumbles behind you. Using the arm he'd slung around your waist to tug you closer to his broad chest. Seungcheol. 

"I need you to let go of me first," you respond sheepishly, the rough quality of your voice surprising you but, then you remember the way the man behind you used your mouth last night and you suppose this is to be expected. 

He only grumbles minimally before eventually letting you go. You're sore. Unsurprisingly. However, you do try your best to crawl to the foot of the bed until you find your purse, thankfully, within reach. You hit the dismiss button quickly before crawling back to your spot. You have no clue how Chan can sleep through that. The man must be a fucking rock. 

"We need to get ready for work," you whisper to Seungcheol with a frown, resting your arm across your forehead and sighing. 

"Or," you nearly jump out of your skin when the younger man turns to face the two of you with a grin on his face, "We could just call in sick," he offers with a shrug. Typically you'd protest the idea more but, you're so exhausted and you highly doubt you'd be able to get up on your legs right now even if you gave it your all. 

"I second that," you respond, glancing at the older blonde to see his reaction. He looks pensive for a moment before replying, 

"Well, it's settled then."

Reblogs are greatly appreciated.

Do not repost, edit, copy and/or translate my work. I do not give you my permission to do so, nor will you ever receive it.

[derangedanomaly]

OVER-COPY

[UNDERTALE AU MASTERLIST]

-An AU in which Nightmare has a clone. A clone that impersonates him and overall ruins his reputation on purpose... A silly joke, or something much more serious?-

Started: 4/18/2024

Updated: 5/3/2024

CHAPTER 1

The start (PART 1)

Brother..? (PART 2)

Flirting with the crush¿? (BONUS)

Dream (PART 3)

The creation (PART 4)

Loyal...? (PART 5)

Suspicious.. (PART 6)

The creation - aftermath (PART 7)

The purpose (PART 8)

A change of mind? (PART 9)

A different form? (PART 10)

CHAPTER 2

MTT.. (PART 11)

The confrontation

The realization

The incident

FUN ASKS

Better than him?

Passive form

Discord and Chaos friendship

Chaos doodles

Jealous Nightmare

Deal pt1

Deal pt2

Deal pt3

Chaos taking a selfie with Nightmare standing behind him, set on fire, that's totally not Chaos' doing.

A copy of shattered

SQUEEZE

Kisses for Chaos

Head pats for Chaos

Cuddles for Chaos

A hug for Chaos

Smooches for the bad sanses

Purring..?

The ultimate group

Salty Nightmare

Loving him

Kissing Nightmare on the cheek

Hugs and kisses for Nightmare!

Smooching Nightmare

Cookies

MLP?!

Nightmare's "wrath"

Hand holding with Nightmare

Hugging Chaos (again lmao)

Caged

Frog

Nightmare thinking about someone? 🤔

Not alone..

A spray bottle

Lmao

Little meowmeow

Stuffed animal

Stuffed animal 2

Fist-bumb with Nightmare

Nightmares favorite flower

Bbg's

Stressed Nightmare

THE RIZZLER

Flustered Chaos

Dream and Chaos hanging out

Words

Nightmares coat

Music preference

FUN ASKS 2

Forehead kisses for Nightmare

Nightmare acting like a jerk

Shocked and appalled

More plushies

More plushies 2

Handshake

Devious thoughts

Childhood photo

EVERYONE GETS A HUG!!

Chaos And Nightmare meeting Strawberry Nightmare

This is so them lmao

Cross

The two Aces

Crazy

Stuffed animal for Chaos

Squishing Nightmares cheeks (gone wrong)

Why 'Ace'?

Playing UNO with Chaos and Nightmare

"Ew water"

What Is Chaos really?

Nervous Ace

ART

Chaos vs. Nightmare

The BOTH of them?

Cuddling?

The chart

Updated art style!!

Seduction

FACTS (Talk)

FACTS 1#

Sassy Chaos

Not having a soul

Funny Comparison

A FANFIC?!

Chaos dadmare?

Chaos being unaware

Chaos' duty

DUST SANS FACTS

KILLER SANS FACTS

IMPORTANT

Fanart

[colourstreakgryffin]

Hii how's everything been?? since i love universe-destroying drama can I get aaaaa... platonicyan!Genya vs yan!Senjuro for Shinazugawabrotherslittlesister!reader who's super sweet n cute n cheerful but super silly, naive n clumsy In a modern/highschool AU?? (I kinda think that even tho a yan!Senjuro wouldnt be as near as horrifying as Yan!Kyojuro but still scary in his own way since he'll probably lean on the more guiltripping/manipulative/clingy type)

Slay, Serve, Survive,

- ✨

(P.S I love love love ur works I read them like bedtime stories)

My everything has been wonderful, thank you! Oooh! That’s interesting! I’ll try it! Senjuro is new for the KNY Yandere! These two are above 20+ btw!

Yandere! KNY Hashira Scenarios: Platonic! Shinazugawa Genya Vs Romantic! Rengoku Senjuro

You met Rengoku Senjuro, thanks to having a temporary training with Rengoku Kyojuro. To you and everybody around you, Senjuro is being a polite sweetheart by offering you drinks and refreshments whilst to Senjuro, he felt a intense wave of love strike him as he watched you laugh with his older brother

After that spectacular day, Senjuro just couldn’t stop thinking about you. He wanted to find you again and stir up a connection with you. Some sleuthing later and he finds it about your connection to the two known Shinazugawas

You’re a Shinazugawa yourself! The younger sister of Sanemi and Genya. After Sanemi disappeared from your life, Genya grew emotionally attached to you to a extreme. He nearly lost you to his own mother and he can’t lose you again, you’re one of his ties keeping him okay

Genya, at first, was completely fine with Senjuro wanting to befriend you but upon noticing those strange glares and belonging stealing behind your back, he quickly becomes against the Rengoku

Genya’s obsession with you is VERY different from Senjuro’s obsession with you. Genya needs you to be safe and his possessive nature is entirely centred around protecting you, keeping you away from the threats. Whilst Senjuro’s mind-cracking passion around you is all for romance, all for the powerful love he has developed

They both love your silly, sweet and cheerful demeanour so much. You make this rather dark world brighter and they are willing to latch to your sunshine to divert it to be given to them. Genya needs his little sister in his life and Senjuro needs you to be his future bride

Senjuro cannot attack or kill his rivals, he can barely swing a katana. Genya has a upper hand to him for his fighting skills, but he has more emotional means to convince you to ignore your older brother. Manipulation, raw emotional manipulation and guilt-tripping

Genya’s own love may not be romantic but it’s just as strong as Senjuro’s. He loves you so much and the thought of losing you to Senjuro has his heart cracking, so he must throw hands to prevent this horrible nightmare to ever come to lord. Genya won’t actually kill Senjuro himself but he gives him lots of dirty-eyes

Both Genya and Senjuro are equally clingy and possessive over you. Everybody around you can be a threat and they are beyond protective, one is more effective then the other but they are truly your 24/7 bodyguards, that it gets so badly overwhelming

Genya is hot-tempered enough to start a verbal argument with Senjuro. Who does he think he is, just showing up and trying to take away his little sister for his stupid sick fantasies?! Senjuro may not be able to use a breathing technique but he won’t take his shit. He is a composed passive-aggressive push-back, that can be scary with the way he glared

Genya does his best to try hide you away from Senjuro by going out at very specific times and keeping you with him constantly during missions. Your older brother will inform you that the boy you see as a friend is dangerous and you should always avoid him. It’s all means of trickery to get around losing you

The fights of these two get so unbelievably bad that the Hashira associated with them just intervene and seperate them for hours straight. They both beg you to come with them but you’ll end up going with Shinobu, making the two boys flip their shit

Senjuro is a worshipper, alongside his vivid fantasies over you. He takes the smaller of your belongings when you’re at his mansion to obsess over after placing on a shrine he made for you. He prays to it every night for god to make you love him back

Thanks to all the years you’ve spent with Genya, he knows every tiny detail about you and he can easily predict what you’re thinking, so even if you try to sneak out at night. He is four steps ahead of you and dragging you back to your bedroom, he can’t process the reason of your crying properly

They both fight and push each other anytime you get slightly hurt, due to your clumsiness. It’s a disaster with Genya and Senjuro shoving and yelling at each other to get away from you. Everything is such a dramatic screenplay, the way they mix between concern for you and fighting with each other

“Baby sister! Come here! Don’t go with Rengoku, stay with me! I know you better and I have lots of fun stuff to do! Do you remember your favourite board game? I got a new copy of it!”

“Dokusha-chan. Please don’t leave, I’ve cooked so much great foods for you and it’d just break my heart if you had to leave. I got you a new fun game to play! Why don’t you stay?”

Sorry! I just realised I forgot to add the Highschool AU thingy! Hope it’s okay!

[dadmareau]

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Is there a fic I can read about this?

A: Sure is! This fic runs at a different pace than the askblog, but follows the same timeline.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45011398

Q: Does Komorebi take place over one year, or longer?

A: One year canonically, although for shenanigans there is an alternative timeline where they stay for longer.

Q: Are there any refs of the characters?

A: Yep, but as of 05/30/2023, they’re WIP. Check #design references and #design blueprints.

Q: Can I do my own designs for Dadmare & Sunbeam?

A: Sounds fun, go ahead.

Q: How old are Nightmare and Dream?

A: Dream is 7, which is about how old he was before the apple incident. Nightmare is a few centuries old, I’d say about 400-or the immortal equivalent of his late 40s.

Q: How tall are Nightmare and Dream?

A: Adult NM and Dream are around the 5’5” range. By winter, Dadmare becomes more like 5’8” and his body changes/grows. Sunbeam is more like 3’5” and becomes 3’7” (and a half) by winter, which is very important to him.

Metric stuff:

Nightmare - begins at 165cm and grows to 175cm.

Dream - begins at 107cm and grows to 113cm.

Q: Is Passive Nightmare/Kid Nightmare going to show up later?

A: Don’t be expecting him any time soon.

Q: Why isn’t [any Dreamtale canonical element] here?

A: The Dreamtale here is canon-divergent, and I am going off the rails!

Q: Is speculative fanart/writing okay?

A: Sure! I love reading your theories and seeing your work. Just make sure to tag me so I can see it! Same goes for any of your own continuations of dropped side stories or likewise. I know I progress pretty slow.

Q: Will Nightmare’s old life/timeline ever be brought up, or will the story solely focus on the main two bros?

A: It will be brought up!

Q: Will you ever finish [side story]?

A: I have a pretty limited attention span, so presume not.

Q: Will anyone die?

A: Not the main characters. Nightmare already got his dose of death once.

Q: Can I use the same premise and do my own AU/rendition?

A: Dude, yeah. Go crazy. As long as your work is different enough from mine, no worries. Don’t copy and paste my stuff just to slightly change one or two things, though.

Q: Can my headcanon be real?

A: In your heart, anything can be real.

Q: Can I ship Dadmare with [anyone]?

A: Go crazy.

Q: I can ship Dadmare with even myself?

A: If you’re into that, go for it.

Q: Can I put my characters in this story / put these characters into my story?

A: Sure. Just credit me where necessary.

Q: Can you draw [blank]?

A: Nah, I just do whatever I want.

Q: Can I sell commercially produced merch/RedBubble stuff/etc. of Dadmare AU?

A: Nah. Handmade or artisan items, commissioned artwork/writing, and the like are fine though. If you’re unsure, please ask through my inbox, I’ll message you back.

Q: Can I repost this work/Komorebi on other sites?

A: Nah. I already have accounts for them. I don’t appreciate the reproduction of my work. Translations are fine, though, but please ask first so I am aware, and tag me afterwards.

Q: If I have questions not answered here, can I send an ask?

A: Sure thing. I may not respond immediately. Things get lost in the inbox.

[grayskiesandink]

Gonna do obscure n random hcs-

Dream has a soft spot for twins. He sees twins an gets nostalgic n sad/ most people portray ink as evil-soulless guy thats lying but i think he'd mostly be happy and having fun with life/I personally cannot see ink or classic as anything BUT aroace. I physically cannot. / when people touch error they lose their lineart and it feels soo weird. Kinda like when a hand falls asleep. / most afterdeath kids dont have the death touch, but a few like greape, anubis, or ancolie do/ nightmare isnt the nightmare dream grew up with. Hes literally a different person- a sorta parasite that took over passives body through the apples/ to go along with that last one nm and fresh resent each other. Fresh has fun with it, but nightmare hates his entire being and sees him a threat./ error is soo silly. Literally just having fun with himself until someone comes along n messes it up by having opinions or existing.

first I will say I love these headcanons/opinions these are great !!!! spinning these around in my brain. now for if they match up with my own B) all interpretations are valid interpretations Dream and twins: I've actually been thinking about something similar lately!! In my mind, its almost a trigger for him? If he sees two identical twins it Will make him think about his past, if not just make him feel..... sad. feel as if he's missing something. Ink isn't evil?: I 100% AGREE. you. you understand him. he's just a silly guy living his life. i personally like putting him in situations that reveal his morality (which, to others in the multiverse, appears grey. in short, he's a character who has the morality of a creator. there's more to it. but, hes interesting! he's interesting). I like exploring all angles of him and his views and morality and character and bwghkrgbirhwbg but really hes just a guy. just a guy having a good time yknow. or trying. AroAce Ink & Sans Classic: I pretty much fully agree with this, just with the change that I can't see them as being anything but on the aroace spectrum. I see Sans as biromantic asexual, bi aroace, or aroace. Ink is the one who I often just see as aroace, and really more often just see him as just that. Error's touch causing loss of lineart: I haven't ever thought of this before but I LOVE IT SM. will be thinking of this.... I also like the idea of physical touch not just hurting Error but affecting whoever touched them.

AfterDeath kids and Death's Touch: I actually don't know a lot about AfterDeath ship kids! So, I haven't really thought much about them. I do think that any kids of reaper and geno would have something weird around death though, maybe not death touch but something similar. Nightmare isn't Nightmare?: I actually really don't like Nightmare and passive not being the same person. Personally, I feel like there is a way you could rewrite Dreamtale to make it work better, but it would have to be a significant rewrite (which people do and I love it when they do). It just feels like... something often gets lost with Nightmare's story when he isn't the same person, at least in some way. I personally like the idea that Nightmare himself doesn't see himself as passive. He sees himself as having killed that part of him, or something like that. Or, I can see Nightmare having dissociated away from that part of himself. Or, I can see Nightmare being like "yeah I'm nightmare I'm the nightmare you knew, Dream. this is what you've done, this is what you've made". In any case, they are the same person in at least some way to me. Nightmare and Fresh resent each other: This is really cool with the idea of both Nightmare and Fresh being parasites. It's not a headcanon I have, since I don't see Nightmare that way. I think Nightmare is just kinda mildly annoyed by Fresh- Fresh thinks Nightmare is fun to mess with. Nm rarely ever destorys aus (because he needs aus to feed on) so Fresh doesn't see him as a threat. Error is silly: YES. well. ok. sometimes. Error takes his job seriously..... sometimes..... like cq has said Error is contradictory he doesn't make sense he's not supposed to make sense. I think sometimes Error's silly with it sometimes he's not. overall he is just a silly guy though !!

[adastrafanfic]

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Ad Astra News - 7/2 - 7/8

State of the Archive

Okay, so listen up. This is important.A lot of people coming to Ad Astra have never been a part of the Ad Astra community back when we were still running on eFiction. They're new authors from AO3, especially, who are used to a certain kind of culture and looking for alternatives to AO3; that culture is often far more passive in its consumption and less interactive in general. While AO3 is an incredible resource, it's not really a fan community. That's not meant as a disparagement; AO3 serves its intended purpose (maybe even too well) of being a place where everyone can safely archive stories. It is not, though, a social platform, nor was it meant to be.

Ad Astra is, by contrast, a community. When you're over here archiving your stories frantically, distressed by what's happening with OTW, you're stepping foot into a place with a very long history that has been kept alive by a relatively small number of people who love it. Who have paid for its survival for years, even when we were broke and literally scraping change together from the core community to keep afloat. Even when we were quiet. Even when we lost two of our own to death by illness. And even when it felt hopeless. We have been, for almost fifteen years, a circle of people -- sometimes larger, sometimes smaller, sometimes just a few die-hards -- telling each other stories and celebrating each others stories around a campfire. This is what you're coming into. So I need you, the new people, to understand that you aren't owed this space. We invite you (general you) into it, and we will gladly -- joyfully -- fold you into our community, but you aren't entitled to this. If you want it to survive, if you want the efforts of those of us who have poured incredible hours of time and money and effort into this just so we could offer it to you for free to continue, then do your part to keep it alive. Celebrate your fellow authors. Write comments. Write recs. Talk on the forums, join a rewatch, host a rewatch. Join the weekly challenge. Get involved. (And, you know, follow my tagging rules and stop trying to sneak around them. LOL! I see you. If it's not useful for universal search filtering, it doesn't belong on the archive and I will cull it with glee. XD) Any fan community starts and ends with its people, not with its platform. I know you like the platform. Now come and celebrate the people, and let us celebrate you, too. Thanks.

Weekly Challenge #10

For this challenge, you get to take a look at a 'turn right' AU. Or left. Or backwards. Pick a canon moment or a moment in the lives of a character, one of your OCs or even just in the universe and explore, in 100 to 700 words, what might have happened if it played out differently. If a different person stepped in front of the disruptor fire. Or if someone had a nightmare and backed out of that assignment. The sky's the limit; interpret however liberally or strictly as you like!

If you post it to the archive, add it to the Weekly Challenges collection with the tag Weekly Challenge: One Reality Over and post a link here in this thread so we can go see!

Challenge ends at 11:59PM Eastern on Friday, July 14th!

Also, a special shout-out to Beatrice_Otter, who was a total MVP this week by compiling about 90% of our Stories Archived section for me while I kept settling in to my new job. For real, she was amazing and thank you so, so much for the help, Beatrice.

Stories Archived

Star Trek: Discovery

by lah_mrh A Light in the Darkness - T - Michael Burnham, Saru, Philippa Georgiou Know You Better Now - T - Ash Tyler/Christopher Pike Yours If You Want It - T - Ash Tyler | Voq/Christopher Pike

by nonelvis It's All We Know Now to Never Go Back - Explicit - Gabriel Lorca/River Song The Winter Festival - G - Gabriel Lorca/Katrina Cornwell War Games - T - Gabriel Lorca/Ash Tyler A Quiet Empire - T - Gabriel Lorca/Michael Burnham

by Pixie Fear of Falling - M - Gabriel Lorca/Katrina Cornwell Soldier or Musician - G - Hugh Culber/Paul Stamets, Sylvia Tilly I can feel the flames on my skin - T - Gabriel Lorca/Katrina Cornwell Dracarys - G - Katrina Cornwell/Phillipa Georgiou

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

by lah_mrh Waiting It Out - G - Christopher Pike & Una Chin-Riley | Number One by StarryEyes2000 Extra Scenes, Codas, and Other Stuff (SNW Season 2) - T - Ensemble Cast Captain Honorary Dad - T - Christopher Pike, Ensemble Cast

Star Trek: The Original Series

by IDICdreads What If We Could - G - Spock/Christine Chapel There is no pain. - T - Spock, James T. Kirk, Leonard "Bones" McCoy Oh, the places you'll boldly go! - G - Ensemble Cast

by jamaharon Please - Explicit - Spock/James T. Kirk Mating Season (So to Speak) - T - Spock/James T. Kirk Hot Springs - T - Spock/James T. Kirk Care - G - Spock/James T. Kirk Leaving the Table - G - James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy

by lah_mrh Tea and Sympathy - G - James T. Kirk & Spock

by SLWalker Cinderella in a Party Dress - Teen - Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Montgomery "Scotty" Scott Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace - M - Montgomery Scott (Mirror)

Star Trek: Alternate Original Series

by daraoakwise If Only In My Dreams - T - Leonard "Bones" McCoy (AOS)/Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (AOS)

by StarryEyes2000 Dating Advice - T - Leonard "Bones" McCoy (AOS), James T. Kirk (AOS), Spock (AOS)

Star Trek: The Next Generation

by baktag To Boldly Go - T - Data & Guinan

by intothisshadow [Graphics] Star Trek TNG Wallpapers - G - Beverly Crusher, Deanna Troi

by jamaharon Earl Grey, Hot - G - Jean-Luc Picard/William Riker Death Letter Blues - G - Jean-Luc Picard/William Riker Wild, Wild Young Men - T - Worf/William Riker Odysseus to Telemachus - M - Thomas Riker & Kyle Riker Cat Puberty - G - Data, Geordi La Forge, William Riker Mood Indigo - G - Deanna Troi/William Riker Conjoined - T - Deanna Troi/William Riker, Thomas Riker/Worf Parallels - G - Guinan, Ro Laren Live - M - Deanna Troi/William Riker Phantom Pain - T - Deanna Troi/William Riker A Bridge of Brass - T - Thomas Riker & William Riker Haptics - G - Data/Geordi La Forge Changes - M - William Riker/Data Starlines - E - Jean-Luc Picard/William Riker Noli Me Tangere // Touch Me Not - M - Deanna Troi/William Riker The Enterprise Gets a Sex Change - T - Ensemble Worf's Warlike Battle of the Arms - T - William Riker/Worf Five Times Riker Staked His Claim + One Time Worf Staked His Instead - Unrated - Deanna Troi/William Riker/Worf Five Times Riker Didn't Want to Have Sex + One Time He Didn't Have To - E - Deanna Troi/William Riker Absent in the Spring - T - Jean-Luc Picard/William Riker

by kimaracretak the tidings from our fading sun made me wiser - T - Deanna Troi/Ro Laren

by Pixie Lefler's Law 17 - T - Robin Lefler/Sito Jaxa

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

by jamaharon Just Doing His Job - G - Elim Garak/Julian Bashir

by kimaracretak the sky stirred - T - Winn Adami

by LordRobertBruceScott Star Beagle Adventures Episode 1: The Eye of the Beholder - Teen - Pel, original characters

by Pixie Meet Cute - G - Elim Garak/Morn

By sixbeforelunch Soldiers Were Children Once - T - Quark

Star Trek: Voyager

by nostalgia Where No One Can Hear You Scream - Mature - Kathryn Janeway/Chakotay

by Pixie Morale - G - Tuvok, Tom Paris Kindred - G - Kathryn Janeway & Tuvok, Kathryn Janeway/Tuvok,

Star Trek: Picard

by jamaharon The Drowned Girl - G - Deanna Troi/William Riker Head Like a Haunted House - T - Jack Crusher/Borg Queen Safe and Sound - G - Geordi La Forge, William Riker Nothing Heavier - T - Jean-Luc Picard/William Riker/Deanna Troi Boys Don't Cry - G - Deanna Troi/William Riker

Star Trek: Prodigy

by Pixie Limitless - G - Kathryn Janeway, Tuvok, Gwyndala, Jack Crusher

Expanded Universes

by DavidFalkayn Bellerophon: Into the Unknown - Mature - Ensemble Cast Opening Moves - Mature - Multiple Relationships The Big Dance - M - Ensemble Cast

by Gibraltar The Plebe - NR - Liana Ramirez

[malarki]

Harry Potter FanFiction I greatly enjoy (it’s just tomarry and sevitus)

Fair warning, I’m not good at describing stuff, and most of these are not complete (yet) but if you have similar tastes as I do then you’ll definitely like these stories.

Meddling of a Mischief Maker - by Athy

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5380535/chapters/12427268

I enjoy this fic because it shows a more human Voldemort with him still being an asshole as per usual. They do a good job of having Voldemort believably change into a not crazy murderous bastard haha. It also has Sirius interacting with Voldemort and for some reason I find those scenes hilarious in any fic I read.

“Harry's being a horcrux is a bit reworked here in this AU Story set during the summer after 5th year. A Mischief Maker intervenes in the Ministry during Voldemort and Dumbledore's duel, changing the course history. MorallyGrey!Dumbledore, Sirius, Restored Souls, HP/TR”

Draw Me After You (Let Us Run) - by ToAStranger @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22327684/chapters/53334382

This story is a delight, it’s tone is very good and they do a great job of writing in the characters ‘voices’ for their pov’s. I especially like the posh way Voldemort talks and acts. This story is also hilarious on top of just being a very good slowburn, AND it has Sirius, which as you might have guessed, I love dearly. They also don’t bash any of the characters, and instead make them well rounded but flawed individuals, which I really appreciate.

“Harry Potter,” comes the soft, sibilant hiss of a voice he has heard in his dreams, in his nightmares, in his waking hours for years.

Slowly, carefully, Harry twists over and pushes up onto his hands and knees. He stays there, short breath fogging in front of his face, and his pursuer lets him. Harry has no doubt of that; he’s being allowed this respite. This small moment to catch his bearings, heart pounding in his ears, blood singing.

“It seems I have finally caught you.”

Consuming Shadows - by Child_OTKW @childotkw

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7040089/chapters/16011331

I’ve read two of childOTKW’s fics and both of them are fantastically written and attention grabbing stories. This one was the first one I read, and it has a very interesting take on lily Potter (one which I really enjoy) and the plot can leave you on the edge of your seat at times. The characterization is great, and the process of Harry and Tom getting to know each other is done very well.

“His attention skipped passed the students and moved to the politicians’ pavilion. His gaze locked with crimson, and he nearly faltered under the sheer hunger in those eyes.

It unnerved him how fixated the man was on his dirtied, exhausted figure.

But what troubled him more was the slight smirk he could make out on the man’s lips. It was almost pleased.

On the night of the attack, Lily managed to escape with her infant son, but at the cost of her husband’s life. Distraught and distrusting of her friends, she fled to France with Harry, to raise him away from the corruption in Britain and the rising influence of the Dark Lord. She trains him to the best of her abilities, shaping him into a dangerous, intelligent and powerful wizard.

But when Britain re-establishes the Triwizard Tournament, and Harry is forced to return to his once-home, he finds himself questioning whether he really wants to kill the Dark Lord. Voldemort finds an unexpected challenge in the child, and as his intrigue and amusement grows, so too does the desire to possess the spark in those defiant green eyes.”

A story that is kind of similar but not really: The Train to Nowhere

You Belong To Me (I Belong To You) - by child_OTKW

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11270490/chapters/25203408

This is a story inspired by the manwha ‘At The End Of The Road’ by Haribo. A comic I read before reading this, which is very good I recommend it. They do not take the exact plot from the comic though, obviously changing significant details for it to work properly as a Tomarry Fic, but one main thing stays the same, which is that this is a body swap. Honestly I really enjoy childOTKW’s works, and this is no exception. The characterization is wonderful as always, and Harry is Fantastic. Plus I’ve always been a fan of time travel fics. (Fair warning this is another slow burn and Harry centric)

“What I find absolutely fascinating,” Riddle said, stalking closer, “is you.” He marched forward, backing Harry up until he was pinned to the cool wall of the common room. “Do you know why?”

“No. And I’ll be honest here, Riddle, I don’t particularly care.”

The taller boy grinned at him, small yet infinitely pleased. “That. Right there.” One hand rose and brushed some of Harry’s fringe from his face. “Nathan Ciro was a spineless little boy too afraid of his own shadow to dare even glance in my direction. But you…”

He leaned closer, “You look at me like you want to stab me.”

“After an accident, Auror Harry Potter wakes up in the body of fourteen year old Nathan Ciro, a tormented Slytherin who recently tried to end his own life. Seeking answers to his strange predicament, Harry returns to Hogwarts, and causes quite the stir through staff and students - especially when they come to realise he is not the same boy as before.

He tries to avoid suspicion, but as his quest for the truth draws more and more attention to him, Harry begins to think that he might not like what he will discover.”

Some Bonus AU tomarry

A Thousand Paths Among The Stars - by Haplessshippo @haplesshippo

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12015060/chapters/27191238

This is a star trek au and it’s honestly my favorite tomarry au fic. Granted, I am a huge sci-fi fan. There’s also a bit of a twist at the end, or at least it surprised me, due to the way we usually expect tomarry plots to go.

“Harry Potter, newly appointed Captain of the Marauder and son of the famous Captain James Potter, was falling apart at the seams. His crew didn’t respect him, he was lost in the empty expanse of space, nightmares plagued his sleep, and his Commander deserved the Captain position more than he did. Good thing multiple attempts on his life and a vicious warlord after his head was all it took to turn it all around.

Alternatively, that space fic in which Harry Potter almost dies too many times, Tom Riddle slowly becomes the most smitten fool on the ship, and the rest of the crew are all just a bunch of assholes with popcorn watching the show. And exploding ships, don't forget the exploding ships.”

The Matchmaker - by TanninTele

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16507676/chapters/38664089

I am ALSO a huge true crime fan, and this story has a criminal that kinda reminds me of one that might appear in Hannibal (but with less murder). I enjoy the characterization, though tom is pretty tame in this compared to more cannon fics, considering he’s not the criminal and instead an investigator. Harry is also different from how people usually portray him, but I still like it.

“'The Matchmaker' is a serial abductor whose modus operandi consists of pairing two same-sex individuals together in a coffin, six feet underground - buried alive. He isn't a killer. He's a kidnapper with morals, and Detective Chief Inspector Tom Riddle finds himself obsessed with solving the case.

Unfortunately for Tom, the Matchmaker is just as intent on knowing him.”

And on to the Sevitus Stories

Far Beyond A Promise Kept - by oliversnape

https://archiveofourown.org/works/547431/chapters/974693

A classic, Harry stays with snape and unintentionally proves all his assumptions wrong and makes snape care about him. Both the stories have this aspect, but this one has snape a bit nicer from the get go. Probably because it takes place during the third book, so they’ve only known each other two years. It’s quite wholesome though, and I rather enjoy the progression of their relationship.

“Snape never wanted anyone to know of his promise to Dumbledore, but has realised that he can protect Potter much better by taking a less passive role in the boy's training. Actually liking Harry Potter has never been part of his plan. mentor/guardian.”

Crime And Punishment - by melolcatsi

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24102232/chapters/58018174

Snape and Harry have way more of a rocky start in this one, and Snape having to pick Harry up from the police station Really Doesn’t Help Snape’s opinion of him. This story very realistically shows the progression of their relationship, going from enemies to family, and near the ‘end’ (it’s not finished) it becomes very wholesome with Snape trying to help Harry with his mental and physical health after years of abuse/ neglect.

“Harry is accused of burglary. The Dursleys leave him to rot. Dumbledore sends Snape to remedy the situation. Harry finds himself in the care of an irate Snape. Not slash, gen-fic w/ focus on Sevitus relationship. Angst galore. Warnings: coarse and suggestive language, mentions of abuse/neglect. Un-betaed and un-Britpicked.”

[silverechosandblankmasks]

Platonic Polyam Bench Trio Marriage AU

You guys asked, so here I am to deliver! Platonic Polyam Bench Trio marriage au where Tommy marries into Tubbo’s and Ranboo’s platonic marriage. (focus on Tommy lol)

NOTE; These are about the c!characters and not the irl people, and I'm writing this like a poly queerplatonic relationship okay? None of this is intended to be romantic or anything else and anything that is in this list is PLATONIC INTENTIONS ONLY

Edit; Now called the Bench Husbands Au

-It kinda all kicks off when about a week or so after Tommy gets out of Prison. (Note, nothing after the first stream after Tommy gets out is canon in this au, as well as some things before)

-Tubbo and Tommy finally have a small fight and argument, before talking, like really talking and Tubbo invite Tommy to come live with them in the mansion in snowchester once its done.

-Tommy doesn't really want to... but he’s tired and lonely and still scared to death and Tubbo promises he’s safe with them, plus if they lived together they could plan on how to kill Dream easier as well.

-Ranboo doesn't mind but after that he tries to go talk to tommy more, but Tommy isnt... the most receptive? Tommy is suffering still and is feeling very replaced and lonely, but doesn't excuse his kinda snippy behavior with Ranboo

-This finally comes to ahead when Ranboo snaps and calls him out, leading to another small fight, before Tommy apologizes and they also talk. This one is more in depth though and Tommy talks about what happened in exile, in the prison, and just general shitty stuff that's being going on. 

-Ranboo, in turn, talks to him about the voices and Dream’s voice and the sleepwalking and Tommy is very much more concerned about them then anyone else he told was, and validates the fear about it, and resolves to help Ranboo get rid of it somehow.

-After this, and both trying to convince the other they should tell Tubbo, that they both probably need to tell Tubbo. They want to keep him safe and not worry him, but... they both need help in different ways and they both love him enough to not do that to him.

-The night ends with lots of tears, Tubbo admitting his own traumas and tears and what he’s been not saying, and a promise to help each other.

-Its not a while after that actually Ranboo brings up the idea of adding Tommy to their marriage. He can tell the blond is struggling with feeling replaced and low-self esteem, and it would help him feel more equal and loved maybe? Tubbo thinks its a great idea and they go to ask Tommy.

-Tommy’s pretty uppity at first, he believes its just them pitying him and treating him like glass again, which he hates more then anything, but after they calm him down and explain they just want him to feel equal and that they both actually cared for him and wanted him to join in on their thing, he’s more contemplative. Ranboo nervously throws in a few other points, like how for legal reasons it could benefit him like it was for them, their allies had to leave him alone, plus Tubbo only started making his own hotel becuase he wanted Tommy to start interacting with him again, and-

-At this point Tommy just, interrupts and says yes, surprising them. They didn't exactly think he’d say no, but they thought it would be harder then that. He laughs at their expressions and says why not? Plus it stood to reason they’d want Tommy, everyone wanted Tommy.

-Ranboo and Tubbo exchange a look before bullying their now platonic fiancée. They agree to get married as soon as the Mansion is done, and till then Tommy can finish packing his stuff and a few other things he wanted to do.

-Also Tommy is totally not avoiding Michael because every pet he ever got close to has died and he doesn't want to get attached and risk Tubbo and Ranboo losing something they cared about because of him, no siree, why wouldn't you think that?

-Speaking of Michael!

-Its not all that strange to keep undead mobs like Zombie piglins as pets, in fact Zombie Piglins are the probably better undead mob to keep around due to their mostly passiveness if you want a pet and the fact they don't need much to eat and wont really be harmed if out leave them alone for long periods of time

-Though Tommy kinda thinks Tubbo and Ranboo’s insist on treating him like their child is weird, but he’s willing to let them have it, clearly it made them happy to play around

-Isn't until he finally moves in that he realizes that Michael is different then other zombie piglins and finds himself being pulled into the parent dynamic as well

-Though now that he thinks about it, something about Michael seems off… welp it's probably nothing :)

-When the mansion is done, he tears down the dirt shack and makes it a community garden and it becomes one of the only things that stays free of the red vines (who knew watering it with water from the holy land would make it untouchable? It's thanks to this garden later others figure out how to defeat the egg)

-They elect to not have a ceremony, not now at least but Tommy actually thinks a small wedding party would be fun at a later date. Ranboo doesn't mind much if they have one or not but Tubbo is actually very excited about planning it.

-Tommy wears his ring on a necklace most of the time, but occasionally wears it on his fingers, usually when he needs something to fiddle with.

-Ranboo wears his on his tail (the area right before to fluffy part) normally but also wears it on his finger sometimes when he feels like it. (If your version has horns, he also does that too) it just really depends on what he’s feeling and if he’s forgotten where he put it. He also like, never takes it off unless to move it around because he’s afraid to lose it.

-Tubbo wears his as an actual ring on his finger (though if he has horns, sometimes he puts it on one of em if he needs the ring to be off his hand.) Tubbo learned the hard way when building nukes or other machinery (since, if you can believe it, his husbands aren’t that comfortable with the nukes as he is) you can't wield or do high heat stuff while wearing metal and nearly lost his finger. He’s very lucky and he has a small scar from it.

-Each of them have their own rooms so they can have their own space and somewhere to go if they want time to themselves/store their stuff in, but there is a 4th room (directly across from Michaels) where they share and tend to curl up to sleep together. About 5 out of 7 days of the week, some combo of them are cuddling together at night, more if they're having a bad day or nightmares.

-There's multiple bathrooms in the mansion but there's one they all like the best and will fight over it/race to get into it first before the others and the other two will stalk off salty to use a different one

-They're all pretty tactile people but out of them, Tommy is the most tactile (once the fear of being hurt recess he practically attaches himself to the others) and Ranboo is the least (he won't seek out comfort and touch as much as the others unless he needs it, but is the best at telling when the other two need touch or need to be left alone) and Tubbo is in the middle of that.

-Tommy is the one that cooks most of the time, Ranboo is banned from it after The Incident and while Tubbo is okay at cooking, Tommy just knows more recipes and how to make things taste really good.

-Tommy picked up sewing from when he was a kid, even before he was found by Wilbur and adopted by Phil, it was useful to be able to patch the rags he called clothes, and just ended up continuing because his brothers and dad sucked at sewing. It then morphed into full tailoring because he found it relaxing and liked being able to make his own clothes. He can and will be insulted if anyone wears anything he deems ‘ugly’, especially his new husbands. He makes them clothes all the time, specially Michael.

-In fact he also cleans the most, he just gets bored and while he makes a mess, if the house gets to a certain point he gets really uncomfortable and overstimulated, so he cleans.

-DomesticInnit? In my au? More likely then you think!

-Gradually the whole ‘watching the prison’ and ‘planning to kill Dream’ starts to fade as he gets back into the groove of living again and therapy. He’s just… tired of Dream having a hold on everything Tommy does, he’s sick of it. So… he just tries to live these days one step at a time. (Healing arc baby! Dream can die mad UwU)

-Tommy dragged them both to Therapy with him after a while.

-Because of this he finds himself home a lot with Michael, especially if the other two are busy. They’ve pretty much decided that someone has to be home with Michael at all times, which is now 100% more doable with the 3 of them, and Puffy or Foolish babysit if there’s ever time they can't.

-Tommy is a lot less of a hovering helicopter parent then the others and was the one to finally convince them Michael cant live trapped in a room. Yes, they were all worried for his safety but… you can't raise a kid in a cell, even if it's a nice one. Tommy takes Michael out more

-Tommy started to sleep walking again once they moved in and he still gravitates towards water for some reason. Nothing more startling then waking up because you plunged into frigid below 0 temp water while sleepwalking. Ranboo also enderwalks/sleepwalks more as well and there've been some nights where Tubbo has had to track them both sleepily walking around and make sure they don't hurt themselves or drown or something. At least Ranboo is semi-aware when enderwalking and normally just does weird ender things, Tommy likes to apparently walk into oceans or climb the mansion and nearly fall off and wander hundreds of blocks away. Tubbo’s not salty at all, really.

-Sapnap, Quackity, and Karl are 100% salty the benchtrio got platonically married before they got married

-They fight about last names all the time despite none of them actally taking eachothers last name, and if they happen to pick and choose on which one they’re feeling based on mood, well they can do what they want!

-However its agreed Michael’s last name is hyphenated so he’s now ‘Michael Beloved-Underscore-Innit’

These are all I have for now, feel free to ask about it or use my ideas! <3

[vash-the-trans-catboy]

Forgetting the Good Times

Written for @spooky-scary-virgil

Thanks for 700 followers!

Prompt: Virgil angst including amnesia

Summary: Virgil wakes up one day and he is 7 again. He forgets everything about the light sides since he still lived with the dark sides as a kid. Virgil is 20 in the beginning and the others sides are 33 the entire time. Featuring dukeceit and the light sides as partners) Virgil is basically everyone’s kid

Taglist: @moons-the-nightmare @heirm @lost-in-thought-20 @sanderdarksides (ask if you want to be added)

Notes: So this was supposed to be only like 800ish words originally but I ended loving this story. This is longest thing I’ve written and possibly my favorite. I am originally thinking of other stories within this au, some prequels and sequels

Word count: 3772

Ao3

TWs: Panicking, cognitive distortions, separation anxiety, non of the sides are unsympathetic but they are a bit of assholes at times

It’s been a rough week for all the light sides, especially Virgil. They have been blaming him for every small thing that went wrong. Virgil is still on edge from the fight from last night.

Virgil sat on the top of the steps eavesdropping on his fellow sides. He angered them and couldn’t face them yet. “Fuck Virgil. We know you are there,” Oh no. He’s annoyed again. “Come down here and talk to us like an actual human. Listening in on our conversations is very rude.”

“Now Roman, be nice. It isn’t Virgil’s fault he is a very anxious person.” Virgil made eye contact with Patton but quickly looked away as he crept down the stairs. “Come on, kiddo, we don’t bite.”

Virgil silently made his way down to the table, “I guess I’ll help set up for dinner.” He hoped his offer would help ease the tensions. Virgil took 4 plates out of the cabinet. He began carrying the plates to the table but tripped over the kitchen mat before getting the plates safely to the table. Virgil doesn’t remember exactly what happened next but there was a huge bang, then shouting. He ran back to his room hysterically crying before the others could confront him.

Well, that’s how Virgil remembered last night but his anxiety let him believe things happened differently than they actually did.

“I think we were a little too harsh with our kiddo.” Patton sighed, “I need to apologize.”

Virgil quietly sat on the top of the steps, trying to see if the other sides are still mad. Roman made eye contact with Virgil right before exclaiming, “Oh, fuck Virgil! You startled me. I didn’t expect you to be sitting there.” Roman lightly laughs, “Come on and join us. You know listening in from another room isn’t very nice.” Virgil tensions from what Roman said.

“Don’t worry, kiddo. Roman’s only kidding around with you. We know jokes like that can sometimes make you a bit anxious.” Patton beckoned Virgil closer, “Come on kiddo, we don’t bite.”

Virgil came down the rest of the steps and meekly said, “I guess I’ll help set up for dinner.” He grabbed four plates from the cabinet but tripped and dropped all the plates. The porcelain crashed onto the floor and shattered. The next few moments were very loud. The three other sides were making sure Virgil was okay, but their concerned tone came out very loud. Before anyone of them could calm Virgil down, he bolted to his room and slammed the door shut.

It’s been 24 hours. Hopefully, that was enough time for the other sides to forget about how badly Virgil fucked up last night. He already skipped two meals today, so he figures he has to come down for dinner.

“Oh! You actually came. We weren’t sure if you would.” Logan pushes up his glasses and looks up at Virgil. That was a bit passive-aggressive.

Virgil sulks his way to the cup cabinet. He needs to make up for breaking the plates and not cleaning them up yesterday. He stacks four glass cups, even though he knows holding that many cups at once is probably not the best idea. Don’t drop anything. Don’t drop anything. Don’t drop anything. He repeats over and over in his head. But luck isn’t in Virgil’s favor today. Tying your shoelaces is a good idea before carrying breakables. Before he realizes what happened, Virgil is on the floor surrounded by broken glass.

No. No. No. No. No. No!

Broken glass is much worst than broken porcelain.

Not again! Virgil’s mind runs at a hundred miles per hour, his feet can barely keep up. Virgil’s breath staggers as he gets to his room and fast as he possibly can.

“This stress cannot be good for Virgil.” Logan glances up the stairs but the youngest side is nowhere to be seen anymore. “We need to help him learn techniques to better deal with his anxiety.”

“I agree with nerdy. Here Patton let me help you with the glass.” Roman snaps his figures and the cups are put back together in an instant.

“Thank you, Roman. Should we go check on him?”

“I believe it would be best if we left Virgil alone for tonight. He needs time to decompress. Let’s go to bed. This day has been stressful for all of us.” Logan offers his partners a hug, knowing they all desperately need one.

…………..

Virgil had a weird night. He is usually a horrible insomniac yet he has never slept better. Everything feels bigger from his blanket to his clothes to the room as a whole. His head is a bit fuzzy but that’s a problem for the morning. Virgil ignores the feeling of something being off and enjoys his sleep for at least one night.

…………..

“Hey, Virgil. I’m here to check on you. I know yesterday was rough but we are a family and family’s always help each other.” No answer. Roman sighs. Virgil is probably just sleeping. A part of Roman didn’t feel right leaving Virgil without talking to him. “I’m coming in. If you tell me to stop I will.” Still no answer.

Roman rushes into the room and frantically looks around, “Come on Virgil. Answer me. Are you alright?” Is that sobbing? “Virgil, why are you crying?” Roman makes his way to Virgil’s bed. Does Virgil seem smaller?

“Who who are you? Why are you in in my room?” Virgil ducks further under his covers, “Did you kidnap me? Where is Janjan?”

“HOLY SHIT!” Roman runs out of Virgil’s room in shock, “PATTON! LOGAN! WE GOT A PROBLEM.”

“Can’t you use your indoor voice?” Logan grumbles into his mug of coffee.

“No time for that!” Roman looks freaked out, pale, like he’s seen a ghost.

“Roman. Take a deep breath.” Patton places both of his hands on Roman’s shoulders to ground him, “Is everything ok?”

“No! It’s Virgil! He is a child. Like only 7 or 8 years old.” Roman desperately points up the stairs.

“Logan, can you please help Roman calm down?” Logan nods and goes over to Roman to comfort him, “I am going to check on Virgil and find out what is going on.”

…………..

“Breathe in and out.” Logan calmly instructs Roman to get his breathing back to normal, “Now that your brain is thinking rationally again. What happened when you went to check on Virgil.”

“I knocked on his door a few times but he didn’t answer. I was about to leave him alone just in case he was sleeping but then I heard sobbing. Luckily the door wasn’t locked or I would have broken it down to see if Virgil was alright. I get into the room and Virgil seems so tiny underneath his blanket. I know Virgil’s short but he just seemed so much smaller than usual.” Logan squeezes Roman’s hand to keep him relaxed, “Then he just completely freaked out and started asking where Janus is. Out of all people why Janus? Did Janus do something? Is that why Virgil is now a child again and asking for that snake hell-spawn.”

“Before we jump to conclusions, let’s see if we can deduce any other possible answers.” Roman leans into Logan and closes his eyes.

“I love how you are always so rational and can think through any stressful situation with a clear mind.” From upstairs, Roman and Logan could hear distant panicked crying, “Oh poor Virgie. He seems so freaked out.”

…………..

“Hey, kiddo.” Patton peeks his head into Virgil’s room but doesn’t see him anywhere, “Are you in here?” No answer but soft sobs give away Virgil’s hiding place under the bed, “Don’t cry Virgil, it’s just me!”

“Please let me go home!” Virgil pulls his hoodie over his face and curls into a ball, “Why why is everyone claiming I know them? What did I do? Is this a cruel joke?” His sobs got louder and more distressed.

“Hey, kiddo. Everything is ok, you are home remember?” Patton crawls under the bed next to Virgil trying to comfort him. Virgil nervously backs away to the corner of his room. Patton sighs and climbs out from under the bed, keeping his distance.

“I was told not to talk to strangers. Go away!” Virgil starts to shake from fear of the much larger person trying to talk to him.

“It’s me, your peppy pappy Patton. Come on Virgil remember me.” Patton says sadly, not knowing what to do.

“JAN. JANJAN. JANUS. DADDY! HELP! JANUS!” At the top of his little lungs, Virgil screams for the snake-like side.

Patton runs back down to the other light sides, clearly distressed from his interaction with Virgil.

…………..

“He has no clue who I am.” Patton’s eyes welled up with tears. Logan pulls him onto the couch whispering comforting words.

“Based on what you two have told me about Virgil I have a hypothesize or two on what exactly is going on.” Roman and Patton listen intently, “First of all I believe that Virgil becoming a child again is due to stress not anyone’s conscious intention. Second I believe not only is Virgil back to the size of a child his mind and therefore his memories are those of a child. If my theory is correct, Virgil does not recognize us since he only met us when he was 14.”

“Oh! What a lovely living room. Too bad I am never invited over here. What a pity.” A chilling voice fills their living room.

Roman summons his sword, “Begone you fiend!”

“Now, Roman. We wouldn’t want to hurt your invited guest with a sword, now would we?” Janus pushes down the sword. Roman is still ready to attack if Janus takes another step closer to his partners.

“Why are you here? We didn’t invite you, snake boy.” Anger drips from Roman’s face.

“Why I was summoned of course.” A false sense of sweetness laces Janus’ voice, “That was honestly quite the surprise. You three don’t seem that fond of me. Now care to explain why you called me?”

“No. One. Here. Called. You.” Roman growls at Janus, “Just. Go. Away!”

“No. I distinctly heard someone here calling for my name. But if it wasn’t anyone of you that must mean it was…”

“Virgil.” Patton interrupts Janus quietly before he can finish his thought.

“Oh? What suddenly changed now?” Janus’ tough facade drops, “He hasn’t bothered to say a mere hello in 5 years. Something must be wrong.” His fatherly instincts kick in and he rushes up to Virgil’s room. The other sides quickly follow to make sure he doesn’t send Virgil into a deeper panic than he already is in.

Janus runs right into Virgil’s room but stops short when he sees a seven-year-old.

“Janny!” A cheer of excitement and relief leaves Virgil’s mouth.

Janus is stunned for a second but quickly pushes that feeling aside to comfort Virgil. “Hi, baby. It’s alright. Daddy is here.” Janus scoops Virgil into a tight embrace, overwhelmed with the emotions of having his kid back in his arms. Virgil clings onto Janus, wetting his shoulder with tears.

“I woke up and and you weren’t there neither was Rere. I I thought I was kidnapped and I would never see you again. These random people kept saying I know them.” Janus runs his fingers through Virgil’s long and messy hair, “P-please take me home.”

“Of course, baby!” A few sounds of protest come from the light sides. Janus turns to them, telling them in a stern but quiet voice, “Here is what is going to happen. I am taking Virgil back to the dark side. No arguments. He is clearly distressed being here with people he does not know. Remus will look after him while we have a much overdue conversation about what the actual heck is going on.” The light sides nod and don’t bother to argue with Janus except for Roman.

“What the hell? You think we will just be ok with you taking a defenseless child. And leaving him with Remus out of all people? Absolutely not!” Roman huffs and reaches to take Virgil out of Janus’ arms.

Virgil tries to hide further in Janus’ caplet, “First of all don’t use that type of language in front of my child! Second, a stranger reaching for him certainly isn’t helping. Third, don’t you dare insult my boyfriend and Virgil’s other dad!” Janus took a breath to keep his composure, “I will return after I drop Virgil off with Remus.”

…………..

“You’re finally back! I was so bored. If you didn’t come home within a few minutes I would have decapitated something or someone.” Remus hangs outside down from the couch, counting and recounting all the ceiling tiles to pass the time.

“Tone your Remusness down to a 3, honey. We have company.” Janus speaks softly, trying his best to not upset Virgil.

Remus’ eyes light up, “Company! We haven’t had company in so long.” He looks up and sheds a tear of joy, “Virgil?” He does a back tumble to get off the couch and rushes over to Janus, “Virgil! I’ve missed you.” Janus passes him over to Remus. Virgil looks just as glad to see Remus as Remus is to see him.

“I will explain everything later. Before you ask, I have no clue why Virgil is a kid again but this is the best place for him until everything is figured out. I will be back soon. I need to have a chat with our dear light sides.” Janus kisses Virgil on his forehead, making him giggle, and kisses Remus on the lips before sinking out.

…………..

Remus takes Virgil back to his old bedroom, before he ran away to the lights, and places him on the bed, “I will be right back, little emo.”

The second Remus was out of Virgil’s line of sight, Virgil begins to hysterically cry, again. The lack of noise freaks Virgil out. It makes it seem like he is abandoned and no one is ever coming back for him. Days passed and no one comes back for him. Or maybe it was just five minutes; Virgil’s perception of time is awful.

Remus darts back into Virgil’s bedroom as soon as he hears the cry. “Is there a monster trying to eat you? Or are you trying to eat the monster?” Usually, a joke like that would calm Virgil’s nerves, but this time it makes Virgil tenser, “It’s alright. There aren’t actually any monsters here. I scared them all away. What’s wrong pint-sized emo?”

Virgil shrugs, continuing to blankly stare at his feet.

“Hmmmmm. Let me take a swing at this? It is the separation anxiety?” Judging by Virgil’s shocked reaction, Remus is right on par. “You know when Janny is away for too long, I start to get anxious too. I get afraid that he will like the light sides better than me and never come back. Like how y-. Like how someone did a few years ago.” Virgil’s sniffling distracts him from Remus’ weird comment at the end.

“I know just what will cheer you up!” Remus catapults off Virgil’s bed and heads to the door.

He stops short in his path after hearing a soft, “wait.” Virgil gives the saddest pouty face ever. One that screams ‘please don’t leave me alone again.’

“I need to get something from Janny’s room for you.” Virgil reaches his arms towards Remus and tries to grab for him. Remus takes the hint and picks Virgil up, “Why didn’t you say you wanted to come with me, dark and spooky?”

Virgil holds on for dear life on Remus’ shoulder. Like if he lets go, he will fall to his death. Remus takes a bobby pin out of his hair and picks the lock to Janus’ room. “He doesn’t really like me going in here without permission but he’ll forgive me since I’m stealing something for you.” Sitting right in front of Janus’ pillow is a fluffy green and yellow teddy bear, “This bear is special to both me and Janjan. I summoned it for him a whole lotta years ago when he was having trouble staying warm cause of that cold snake blood. There is a small magical heater inside. When hugged, the bear becomes nice and warm. Jan won’t mind if I give it to you. I think you need it more than he does.”

Remus passes the bear to Virgil then heads back to Virgil’s room. Virgil hugs the bear tightly, nuzzling his face against the fluffiness of the plushie.

“What happened over on the light side of the mind palace?” Remus sits on Virgil’s bed with Virgil in his lap, keeping a comforting grip around him.

“It was really scary. They keep staying I knew them but but I didn’t. And I just wanted to go home. But I didn’t know where I was. One of them said he was my dad.” Virgil wipes his tears on the teddy bear. “I’m never leaving our home again!”

A part of Remus is happy to hear Virgil wants to stay with him and Janus. Remus has resented the light sides ever since Virgil moved in with them. He has never understood why they are so much better than him and his partner that they could steal his child away. Another part of Remus isn’t so happy that Virgil is back. He loves Virgil and wanted him to come back but not like this. Remus hates seeing his baby in pain. He spends the rest of the evening keeping Virgil calm, hoping Janus will be back soon.

…………..

“Great, he’s back.” Roman huffs as Janus reappears in their living room.

“Oh, yes I know. My presence is that horrible.” Janus rolls his eyes, “Let’s get straight to business not time for this dramatic enemy’s shit.”

“Language!” Roman is not looking at Janus but he can almost hear the sarcastic eye roll.

“A situation like this allows a bit of cursing, Patton. Anyone care to explain why the fuck Virgil is seven again?” He sits on the coffee table, making the light sides uncomfortable under his concentrated stare.

“We are not completely sure but there are a few theories.” Logan keeps his calm composure while his partners are visibly shaking for Janus’ stern glance, “I believe it might have been stress-related. Virgil recently has been more anxious than usual. Right before we realized he was no longer 20, there was a bit of a spat at dinner. All his pent-up stress might have caused a physical reaction of reverting back into a child. Although, I cannot completely rule out it was not done intentionally in an attempt to steal Virgil back.”

If ears could produce smoke, Janus would have set off the fire alarms by now. “I understand we haven’t seen eye to eye lately but why would I EVER do something to Virgil that would cause him anxiety intentionally.”

“Calm down, Janus. It was only a suggestion. The possibility that Virgil ran away from your side of the mind palace gives evidence that you and Remus did not provide a good home or upbringing for him. It would not be uncommon for you to be resentful that Virgil chose us over you.” Logan’s cold and calculated voice pierces through Janus.

Janus’ stoic face drops and a tear falls down his cheek, “How dare you assume we would ever hurt Virgil. He is our baby and we love him. Remus and I would sacrifice everything to make Virgil happy.”

“I’m just saying even if it was not intentional, Virgil clearly has a lot of issues he developed from being raised by you and Remus.” Keeping a straight face becomes harder and harder when the side across from you is seconds away from full-on crying.

“WE WERE ONLY THIRTEEN WHEN VIRGIL CAME INTO EXISTENCE.” Janus snaps at Logan, unable to keep his calm facade any longer. He lowers his voice a little bit, but the anger is still clearing seeping in, “We did not ask for Virgil. We were only kids! But we still did the best we could to provide Virgil with a good life. And for having a lot of issues. VIRGIL IS LITERALLY THE EMBODIMENT OF ANXIETY! OF COURSE, HE HAS ANXIETY ISSUES.” Janus takes a deep breath before continuing on his rant, “You think you three would have done such a better raising Virgil? Well, where were you when Remus and I needed help with him? Oh yeah. I remember. Patton repressed us since we were bad for Thomas’ mental health.”

The light sides have no clue how to respond to Janus. They want to kick him out and be annoyed at him for yelling at them in their own living room, but Janus is correct and had every right to be mad.

…………..

Remus’ ear twitches and he gets tense.

Virgil peeks up at him, “You okay, stinky dad?”

“It’s Janus, I can sense his stress.” After being together for so many years, Remus and Janus developed a bond where they could sense if the other side needs help, “I need to get Janus back from the light sides. Are you okay staying here or do you want to come with me?”

Virgil violently shakes his head no. He hates being alone but seeing the light sides again is way worse.

Remus slides Virgil off of his lap and wraps a blanket around him, “Now you are safe from any monster til I get back.” He kisses Virgil on the head before sinking out.

…………..

“Dammit! Another one.” Roman points his sword at Remus.

“Not the fucking time.” Remus’ words come out as a growl as he smacks the sword out of his brother’s hand.

Overwhelmed by the confrontation, Janus shakes in a ball in corner of the living room. The light sides keep their distance, not sure how to handle Janus’ breakdown. Remus slowly approaches his love and places his hand on Janus’ shoulder. He whispers to Janus, “Come let’s go home. Our little emo is waiting for us.” Janus crumbles into Remus’ arms as they sink back into the dark side living room.

Remus carries Janus back to Virgil’s room. “Is snake daddy alright?” A tiny concerned voice asks Remus.

“Don’t worry little emo. He will be just fine. Janus just needs some quality time with his family.” Remus gently sets Janus down next to Virgil before pulling Virgil into his lap and snuggling into Janus. They spend the rest of the night as a happy family once again, not thinking about what will happen tomorrow.

[heauxplesslydevoted]

Then & Now (Ethan x MC)

Summary: A particularly difficult case forces Ethan to confront a blast from his past

A/N: This popped into my head and I had too much fun writing it. I will loosely incorporate some of the themes from book 3 and make them better, but this is mostly an AU.

A/N 2: Yes I’m writing another multipart fic while actively ignoring my others. The muses spoke and I had no choice in the matter. Enjoy!

~v~

“Would you like some more coffee, Dr. Ramsey?”

Whatever line he was reading in his textbook blurs as does his vision. Ethan looks up at the face of the newest member of the team, a young resident, Isabelle. He takes the cup, not missing the way her eyes light up as he does so. What is it with residents and their incessant need to kiss-ass and be people pleasers?

“Thank you, Dr. Proctor.”

“Of course! I figured we’d need all the caffeine we could get our hands on with this case.”

Ethan doesn’t respond with words, only offering the young woman a hum in acknowledgement. Instead his eyes land on his coworker, Harper Emery. “Harper, has your team been able to come up with anything new?”

“Nothing,” Harper replies with a resigned sigh.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“I’ve run as many tests, MRIs and CT scans as I could, and none of them came back with anything conclusive. We’re officially back to square one.”

Ethan hasn’t been this stumped in years. A week ago, a patient came to Edenbrook after waking up without being able to feel anything from the waist down. A young, relatively healthy 25 year old with no extraordinary medical history, no recent reports of any TBI, nothing. He assumed with Harper–one of the nation’s greatest neurosurgeons–on the case, that this would be a simple fix.

As painful as it is to admit, he’s wrong.

They’ve gotten nowhere with the case, they’ve made no progress, and to make matters worse, he has Leland Bloom and the board breathing down his neck because it’s been years since the team has spent more than a week on a case, so a week with no news reflects poorly on them—on him, as the team’s leader specifically.

The last member of the team, Tobias, clears his throat. “Did he ever mention getting into a fight? Maybe he took a hit to the head, and just doesn’t want to admit it?”

“Maybe, but like I said, none of the CT scans or MRIs showed me anything out of the norm,” Harper says. “I can always ask him again.”

“That’d be ideal–”

Ethan’s sentence is cut off as the door to their office is thrown open, and in walks Leland. “Hello, team!”

The most senior members of the team stay silent, but Isabelle gives a slight wave. “Hello, Mr. Bloom.”

“Dr. Proctor,” Leland greets in turn. “Nice to know at least one of you has manners.”

Ethan checks the time on his watch. “What are you doing here, Bloom?”

“Last time I checked, I owned this entire building and I didn’t need to ask your permission to be here.”

“We’re nearing midnight,” Ethan adds. “What are you still doing here, and not at home? I’m sure Mrs. Bloom would enjoy seeing you.”

Leland ignores the mention of his wife Caroline, pretending like she wasn’t mentioned at all. “I just stopped by your patient’s room to see how he was doing. And then I decided to drop by to check in with you guys. Are there any updates on the Miller case?”

“I’m not discussing patient information with you,” Ethan says.

“Well, I am your boss.”

“And until you go to medical school, graduate, become a doctor at this hospital, and join in on this case, I don’t have to tell you anything. You may own this hospital, but I do not have to discuss my patients with you.”

“Okay, so you guys have no new information,” Leland concludes.

Ethan pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance, this conversation giving him a headache even though it just started. “We were actually in the middle of a brainstorming session before we were interrupted, so if we could have some privacy again, that would be much appreciated.”

Ethan’s tone causes Leland to drop the veneer of kindness, the smile dropping from his face only for a second before he catches it. He looks away and sniffs haughtily. “Fine. I’ll check in with the patient tomorrow for a status update, since it’s clear I won’t be getting it from my employees. Thankfully, his father and I go way back.”

“I can’t stop the patient from divulging his own information.”

Leland glances around the room one more time, his gaze lingering on Ethan a bit longer than it does on the other occupants. “Goodnight, doctors.”

Once Leland leaves, Harper turns towards Ethan. “You act like it would literally kill you to be nice to him.”

“Be nice for what? Bloom thinks we owe him undying loyalty and infinite ass kissing because he bought the hospital. He’s pulled a lot of nonsense since moving into this position, but he’s not worth breaking any laws over. My patients deserve their privacy.”

“And I agree, but the extra hostility isn’t needed. The last thing we need is World War 3 with you and Bloom tearing down the hospital. Just be nice.”

“Okay, are we getting back to work or calling it a night?”

The rest of the team glances around each other. Pulling an all-nighter with Ethan while he’s in a foul mood sounds like a nightmare.

“We’re calling it a night.”

~v~

Ethan ends up falling asleep in the office, finally dozing off around 5 o'clock in the morning, surrounded by a mountain of books and the harsh light of his computer screen. The sleep is short lived though as the sound of his pager wakes him up.

He jumps up with a start, and checks the time on his watch before checking his pager. He only managed to get two hours of sleep, but he can’t dwell on that. The page is a 911 alert to his patient’s room.

“Shit!”

He takes off to the 4th floor where his patient is housed, thankful that the early morning hour means the hospital is not yet flooded with people.

Isabelle, Harper, and a nurse are already in the room when Ethan finally makes it. “What’s going on?”

“He had a seizure,” Harper explains.

“How long did it last?”

“Around 50 seconds. We administered lorazepam into his IV.”

“Could this be a new symptom?” Valencia asks. “Or something else entirely?”

Harper shrugs. “I don’t know, but I’m going to take him down to radiology for another CT scan. Hopefully this next one can actually yield some results.”

Ethan nods. “That sounds like a plan. In the meantime, Dr. Proctor, add seizures onto the list of symptoms to broaden our search criteria. Maybe that’ll help.”

“Gotcha.”

“We’ll reconvene when Tobias comes in and once we get the new CT scans back.”

There’s a knock at the door and Ethan bristles when Leland’s loud voice calls out to him. “Dr. Ramsey, can I speak to you out in the hallway?”

“With all due respect, I’d rather not.”

“It wasn’t a request, doctor. Hallway, now.”

Ethan shoots Harper a look, and she gives him a quick sympathy smile before he and Leland step out into the hallway.

They move a few feet away from the patient’s door, out of earshot before Leland lays into Ethan. “How in the hell is the patient actually managing to get worse under your care?”

The question actually takes Ethan aback. “You can’t possibly be saying his condition is my fault?”

“I’m saying he’s been here for a week now, and he’s no better off than where he was. You don’t have any information to give him or his family. Do you know how many phone calls my assistant has had to field because they want to get him transferred to a different facility?”

“We are giving him the best care possible, Leland. Just because you and his father belong to the same country club or whatever, does not mean there’ll be some instant diagnosis or treatment that he can buy...or steal. We need to do our due diligence.”

Leland is smart enough to know when a dig is being lobbed in his direction. His eyes narrow. “What are you trying to say, Ethan?”

“Exactly what I just did. Besides, why do you have such a vested interest in my team and what we do? I’m sure you have other businesses and people to micromanage these days.”

“You guys don’t make me any money yet remain my biggest cost. The least you can do is be efficient and answer my questions when I ask.”

“And like I told you last night, I know you own this place. You never let me forget it. But you buying this hospital does not mean I am here at your beck and call, now does it mean I have to be governed under anything that isn’t set forth by the American Medical Association. Now, me team is the best this hospital and this city have to offer, so back up and let us do our jobs.”

“You guys are the best?” Leland chuckles humorlessly. “Act like it. Or I’ll find someone else who can.”

The threat causes Ethan to pause. “What does that mean?”

“You heard me loud and clear, Dr. Ramsey. Loud and clear.”

~v~

“You idiot! Why on earth would you get into a fight with Bloom in the middle of a hallway?”

Ethan doesn’t try to school his bored expression as Tobias paces the entire length of the office, huffing and puffing as he does so.

“I didn’t get into a fight with him,” Ethan amends. “It was an exchange of words.”

“A loud exchange of words,” Harper adds. “In front of our patient’s room, might I add.”

“I had plans for this day to be productive, but the minute that man opens his mouth, I just–”

“We get it, you don’t like him,” Tobias interjects.

“Disliking Leland is an understatement.”

Isabelle stays silent, unable to find a good place to cut in, despite having questions. Ethan’s dislike of Leland Bloom is the hospital’s worst kept secret, but the contention has always been passive aggressive at best. And as a second year resident, she doesn’t have any background knowledge on why the relationship is the way that it is.

“I don’t like him either, but you don’t see me needling him in front of the nurse’s station!”

“Sure Leland is...obnoxious at times, but I don’t understand any of it,” Isabelle says, finally speaking up. Ethan looks at her as if he’s just now remembering that she’s been in the room the entire time. “What happened that caused this much animosity?”

Leland’s kidney disease wasn’t a major secret. Most medical personnel that worked at Edenbrook and the larger Boston area remember the huge media blitz, and all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding his hospitalization early last year. And the official story is Leland got a kidney from a family member who wished to keep their identity a secret from the public, and everyone ate it up.

Only a handful of people know the truth. That a few well placed phone calls and dollars exchanged got Leland to the top of the donor list within a day, stealing a second chance from the true person at the top of the list: a 14 year old girl.

“So long as there is breath in my body, Leland Bloom and his ilk will never get an ounce of respect from me, and I’ll just leave it at that,” Ethan says cooly. “And that’s all you need to know, Dr. Proctor.”

“Okay.”

“I’m just saying man, Bloom is petty,” Tobias adds. “Men like him, who think the rest of us should bow at their feet, don’t take kindly to getting told off, especially in public. Underneath the billions is a tiny ass, fragile ego. Can you just keep a low profile and be quiet for the next day or two, so Bloom doesn’t dismantle this team?”

“I’ll be as cordial as Bloom is,” is what Ethan settles upon. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

The only thing that can rival Ethan’s intelligence is his stubbornness. Tobias knows it’s the best he’s going to get out of Ethan, so he relents. “Okay.”

“Good. Now can we get back to work and stop talking about Bloom?”

His team nods and Ethan sighs in relief.. They still have a chance to turn things around and actually have a good day.

They fall into a productive routine, tossing around different theories, sharing research and narrowing down ideas. Too bad that only lasts for about half an hour before there’s a knock at the office door. A few seconds later, Naveen pokes his head in.

Ethan smiles because part of him was expecting Leland to show up again. “Naveen, this is a nice surprise! Don’t tell me you’re ready to get back in the saddle.”

Naveen laughs good-naturedly at his mentee. “Not quite.”

“Well what brings you down here?”

“I wanted to talk to you for a second, Ethan,” Naveen says.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes. It’s not about me, it’s work related. Team related news, that I wanted to tell you personally,” Naveen explains, fully entering the office. “Is there any way I could steal you for a few minutes?”

“If it involves the team, I think we can have the conversation here. Is this about my...spirited discussion with Leland?”

“No, it’s about the case you’re working on.”

“Now I know we don’t usually work on cases for this long, and we’re working on it.”

“I know. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Leland has some concerns about how long it’s taking you guys to treat this patient, and he told me that he wants to outsource some extra help to speed things along.”

“No thank you.”

“He’s already made phone calls. I’m just here to give you a heads up about who he picked.”

“A heads up?” Ethan scoffs and rolls his eyes. Who on earth could Leland think of reaching out to that Ethan would need a warning about? “Who is he asking for? Mendoza from MK? Catherine Morgan from Stanford? The Boogeyman?”

“I don’t think I’ve reached Boogeyman levels of infamy. Well, at least not yet.”

The voice makes the hair on the back of Ethan’s neck stand up. It’s a voice he hasn’t heard in close to three years, one that he thought he’d never hear again.

His eyes snap up, locking with the large brown ones staring back at him, and all of the breath leaves his lungs at once. The last time he looked into these eyes, they weren’t full of humor like they are now, but pure fire. His chest constricts, inhaling suddenly the most difficult task in the world.

The entire room goes silent, everyone watching as Ethan and the woman stay locked in their staring contest. Isabelle’s eyes dart back and forth, hoping someone can clue her into what’s going on, but Naveen, Harper and Tobias offer zero assistance.

Isabelle takes the quiet time to appraise the stranger. She’s petite, almost a foot shorter than Ethan even with her sky high Jimmy Choos on. The second thing that catches her attention is the mess of dark curly hair spilling over her shoulders, and the amused smirk on her face, like a cat that got the canary.

The woman breaks eye contact with Ethan to look past his shoulder. “Harper, Tobias, hello. Long time no see.”

When he regains the ability to speak, Ethan grits out, “Naomi, what on earth are you doing here?”

“I got an interesting call from Leland Bloom this morning, saying that the diagnostics team was in dire need of some assistance on a particularly difficult case. Within the hour, his private helicopter was picking me up.”

Ethan takes a sterling’s breath and silently counts to 3 before talking again. “I’m not working with you.”

“You don’t have a choice. Not unless you quit.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

Naomi rolls her eyes. “Drama was never a good look on you, darling, I was always better suited for it.” She turns her attention to the young resident gawking at her, turning on her megawatt smile. “You’re new. I don’t know you.”

“Um, n-no you don't. I’m Dr. Isabelle Proctor.”

“Isabelle,” Naomi repeats slowly, letting it roll off of her tongue. “What a pretty name.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m Dr. Naomi Ramsey.”

The last name catches her attention. Her eyes flicker over to Ethan’s face, catching the way his jaw ticks as female Dr. Ramsey talks.

“I can see the wheels turning in your head as I talk, so I’ll clear things up for you right quick,” Naomi continues. “No, the last name thing isn’t a coincidence. I’m Ethan’s ex-wife." She sticks out a hand for Isabelle to shake. "Nice to meet you.”

~v~

Tags: @openheartfanfics @mvalentine @choicesaddict5 @professorkingslay @maurine07 @aka-calliope @bluebellot @whimsicallywayward15 @blossomanarchy @takemyopenheart @jamespotterthefirst @fanmantrashcan @whatchique @ao719 @x-kyne-x @paulfwesley @the-pale-goddess @writinghereandthere @ramseyandrys @perriewinklenerdie @aworldoffandoms @thatcatlady0716 @drakewalker04 @canknot @hatescapsicum @lapisreviewsstuff @senseofduties @badchoicesposts @ethandaddyramseyx @chasingrobbie @zodiacsign1 @choices-lurker @my-heart-beats-for-ya @adrian-motherfucking-raines @riverrune @edith-eggs1 @cecilecontrera @thatysn @bellcat2010 @blainehellyes @junehiratas @choices-love-affair @openheart12 @desmaranj @nazario-sayeed @aestheticartsx @ruinedbypixels @nooruleman @rookie-ramsey @uneravine @choicest

[binniesthighs]

two tails | reader x minho |

Two 

Pairing: self insert, female reader x lee minho 

Genre: strangers to lovers, neighbors to lovers, fluff 

Tags:  neighbors au, comfort fic, catowner!minho, catowner!reader, author!reader, bestfriend!seungmin, coworker!hyunjin, florist!jisung, punk!jisung (yeah boiiii), agedup!skz, slow burn, plot-driven, gradual romance, lil bit of angst, strained parental relationship, explicit language, mentions of food, passive body shaming 

Word count: 5.5k (y e e t we love self indulgence) 

Tagging: @lauraneuuh​

Chapters 

P | ONE | TWO | THREE

busybody noun 

:an officious or inquisitive person. 

₍⸍⸌̣ʷ̣̫⸍̣⸌₎

There are a couple things that your mother is known for--or rather, a couple things that she has been deemed. 

Mother, wife, friend, matriarch, socialite, unofficial event planner, gossip, show off, professional nagger, and, to certain people, bitch. 

And yet, somehow your mother was intertwined with some of the most prominent circles within the city, and she knew everything about everyone’s business. Frankly, she often didn’t have anything better to to with her time. ” If she had any job at all, it would be calling you every weekend to give her opinions on your rather “less than auspicious” life choices. 

To her, another one of your “less than auspicious” life choices had to do with the way that you had dressed yourself; however little sense this made. 

Your mother sipped at her tea with dainty fingers, barely cracking with age due to her expensive hand creams. 

“Quickly. Go get changed. We don’t have much more time and you’re dallying. It should fit you, just as long as you haven’t put on any more weight.” Her hawk-like gaze inspected your hips and thighs. “Hmm. I think you’ll be fine.” 

Seungmin, where he sat on the couch with perfect posture tapped his feet up and down with discomfort. 

I hate you for doing this to me, he glared at you with despair, hiding it behind the wide smile he performed for your mother. 

“What? Do you not trust me to be alone with your friend here?” 

Your best friend nervously chuckled out in that little puppy-like way that he would. “What? Ahh no, I’ll be fine, go on Y/n, I should be leaving soon anyway, I was just stopping by.” 

Your mother’s eyes followed you up your staircase, watching for the very moment that you closed your bedroom door. The second you did, her snide voice hissed out loud whispers, undoubtedly drilling Seungmin about the usual questions: are you married, where do you live, what’s your profession, what does your family do etc. 

The little metal zipper of the pencil skirt pinched your fingertips as you attacked it up your body. Once again, your mother had underestimated your clothing size. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes looking at the tags for the designer matching skirt and blazer ensemble. There was nothing in your mother’s life that didn’t denote the status that she “worked so hard for.” 

In a way, you hated that you had done this to Seungmin as well. Initially you had thought that having some kind of male presence over when your mother arrived would deter her stabbing remarks about your singledom, but in fact, it has just made it worse. For once in your life, you just wanted to hold something over her. Now, you’d likely traumatized the best friend that you had. 

You nearly slipped on the carpeted stairs in your nylon stockings on the way down, but held fast the the banister, looking a bit like some kind of sad, business-casual, plastic-looking prom queen. 

Seungmin’s eyes widened seeing you in the toning skirt. Likely you knew that he must’ve been keeping his jokes to himself the very best that he could--you wouldn’t hear the end of it later. 

“Wonderful. Let’s get going.” Your mother set down her teacup with a clink. “I’ve got some cosmetics in the car that you can use as well. We’ll be stopping off at the flower shop before we get to the venue. I’ve ordered an arrangement for the bride-to-be.” 

“I feel like a China doll.” You muttered under your breath, catching a little laugh from your friend. Your eyes met as if to ask him if he was okay, which he rolled his eyes as his answer. 

You put on the only pair of kitten heels that you owned: they were brown, banged up and the pleather was cracking a little at the edges. Of course, your mother let out an exasperated sigh upon seeing them. 

“I’ll bring shoes next time.” 

Seungmin politely opened the door for the both of you and the spring morning’s sun washed your face in it’s warmth. The morning was perfect: the exact kind of day that you would spend in your garden writing or reading on the single-person porch swing you had just installed. Dew still held to the Kelly green blades of grass and your cherry blossom tree bowed a little in the breeze. 

“Well, it was nice meeting and speaking with you Seungmin--” 

“--We’ve met before thou--” 

“--You seem to be a strapping and organized young man. I do hope that you consider what we discussed.” 

Seungmin appeared to flush a little, “I-I’ll think about it.” 

You tugged at your friend’s shirt, pulling him in to whisper, “What the hell did she talk to you about?” 

“Don’t worry about it.” His eyes fluttered around nervously. “She just kept going on about how she wanted me to--”  

“--Oh, Y/n!” 

From your mother’s surprised expression on the other side of the car, to the way that Seungmin stopped dead in his sentence, you knew exactly who that voice belonged to. 

Your body turned around in slow-motion, hoping that this must have been some kind of nightmare, and that you hadn’t woken up that morning yet and were cozily still tucked in bed. 

If it would have been socially acceptable, you would have hidden behind that car until he walked away, but it was too late considering he already knew you were there. 

Your mother let out some kind of ungodly squeal before rushing towards Minho and taking his hand in hers to shake. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you! I take it that you know my daughter? And who might you be, such a handsome man as yourself???” 

You really did contemplate hiding behind that car. 

It was unfair how you had to run him into at a time when he looked like that. Your mother was nearly eating him with her eyes while Minho looked to you in his confusion. 

Of course when your mother had to see him, he was fresh off of his morning run: white cotton sleeveless shirt, running joggers, a thick headband with sweat dripping down his body in rivets from his forehead to the curves of his toned arms. 

Life was just too fucking unfair.  

“Minho!” Internally, you crawled so far into yourself it was like you were barely there. You squeaked out the words coupled with a poorly-timed voice crack, “I didn’t plan on seeing YOu here!” 

“Minho?!” Seungmin echoed your phrase, grabbing onto your arm with force. 

“Uh, hello, nice to meet you I’m Lee Minho. And yes, I do know Y/n, I actually live a couple doors down--” 

“--A neighbor! How wonderful! I know she doesn’t leave the house that much, but I’m so glad that the two of you have met. Do you live your family..? Or...your wife...?” 

He smiled warmly, polite as always, “No Ma’am, I’m not married, I live with my mother.” 

“Your mother? Well, that’s very honorable.” 

You and your best friend locked eyes upon hearing the answer to the question that both of you had been silently wondering. 

With a little eyebrow raised, he gave you a smirk, before braiding his hand through his locks strung with sweat. “I also live with my cats too.” 

“Cats?” Your mother tried her best to hide the distaste in her mouth. “That’s...honorable as well. Taking care of animals is...hm, well, Y/n get in the car, time is ticking!!” 

Your mother’s shrill voice was clipped by the sound of the car door closing behind her. You and your best friend choked in silent laughter together. 

“Are you sure I don’t look ridiculous?” You patted down your itchy grey blazer. 

Seungmin nodded, “Do you want me to tell you the truth? Not your colors. But, you’ll just have to live with it.” 

“I think that you look nice.” Minho’s compliment melted into your skin like honey. “But I agree, the colors don’t work the best. Sorry.” 

“Oh. Thank you...” Your cheeks warmed, “Sorry! God, I’m-this is Seungmin, my-my friend Seungmin, sorry I didn’t introduce you both, my head is just--” 

“--Nice to meet you. Finally.” Seungmin’s expression turned a bit more stoic, a stark contrast to his softer features. 

“Nice to meet you as well.” 

“Okayyyy, well, I’ll just...get going then. See you both...later.” 

Seungmin slammed the door behind you, leaving you with your huffing mother in the car. 

“All of these handsome men around you and you can’t lock down one? I can’t believe you...” She threw her makeup bag on your lap. “I’ll play matchmaker if you want me to, I don’t mind, but you know that I have a lot going on already--” 

“--Haven’t you already started? Don’t pretend like you didn’t tell Seungmin something. Seungmin is my friend, mom.” 

“I just don’t get you. Aren’t you ever a bit sad that you don’t get invited to things like this since you have no female friends...?” 

“Honestly? I don’t really care--” 

“--You should. Thank God that you have me.” 

₍⸍⸌̣ʷ̣̫⸍̣⸌₎

The front windows to the floral shop winked in the morning sun and the gold lettering of the signage glistened with a similar glow. On the display, there were several dozens of different types of flowers all arranged into different glass vases, tied with bows or swaddled in burlap. The arrangements of roses, chrysanthemums, peonies, daises, sunflowers and other wildflowers appeared to be freshly cut, and beaded with water droplets. 

“Here. Take my card. If any of them seem to be brown at all, tell them that you won’t pay until they fix it.” 

You took the little plastic card from her red painted nails. “Will do.” 

There was a little bell hung over the shop door, and it tinkled when you entered like fairy chimes. The entire place seemed a little magical: the kind of place that you would find yourself reiterating in your writings. On the marble tiled floors, flecks of dirt seemed to gather in the grout. 

The golden brass counter stretched on for nearly the whole length of the shop, and held a display case which doubled as a cooler holding smaller things like corsages and boutonnières. 

“Can I help you?” 

The man approached you wiping the dirt off of his hands onto his canvas apron which was stained with smudges of green and brown. Your eyes were immediately drawn to the tattoos adorning his arms in beautiful patterns of black with muted colors of yellow, lavender and pink. They were nearly all floral in design and reminded you of the drawings from a botany book. His shaggy dark hair had a bit of a curl to it that tasseled over his eyes. His smile too was devastatingly charming, decorating it was a black hooped lip ring. 

“Here to pick up an order?” 

“Y-yes, for L/n.” 

“I just finished that one up, lucky for you.” He palmed through the little stack of receipts near the register. “I’ll go get it real quick.” 

It was criminal how fast you found your heart beating after hearing how strikingly soothing his voice had sounded. You also found your head spinning over how familiar he seemed, like someone you had met before, but couldn’t place where. 

He had brought the sizeable arrangement over, and upon seeing it, you knew that your mother must’ve asked them to pull out all the works. Not only were flowers like this a bit of an unusual bridal shower gift, but it was just one more way for her to show off. The moment that the two of you would arrive with that, heads would turn, and that was exactly what she wanted. It was so large, you had to crane a little to see the florist behind it. 

“That’ll be 360.” 

Never had you been more thankful to pay for a gift with someone else’s money. 

When you passed him the card, you noted the little scrapes up and down his hands and forearms, looking a bit like cat scratches.

“It’s the roses.” He chuckled. “This job is a lot more dangerous than you would think.” 

“Oh.” A heat in your cheeks rose along with his observation of you. 

“Beautiful day isn’t it?” He tapped at the register, then nodded to the sunlight streamlining in from the windows. There were little rainbows speckling the store from the prisms hung above the displays. 

“I-it really is.” 

Your eyes wandered to his nametag which looked like he had decorated with hand-drawn stars. Jisung. Once again, he caught your eyes, slyly rolling his tongue over that black hoop. 

“It’s the kind of day that makes me wish I wasn’t cooped up in here and doing something else; going somewhere else. You seen the cherry blossoms yet?” 

“I-I have one in my yard.” 

“Oh really? It’s my favorite time of year because of them.” 

His smile was a bit in the shape of a heart, and the way that his eyes smiled along with it was just as charming as the rest of him. 

Blaze. 

He was Blaze. 

Quite literally, never in your life could you have said that you had felt your heart skip a beat, but, you imagined that there’s a first time for everything. 

He scribbled down something down on the receipt, handing you both the card and the slip. 

“Have a good one, ‘kay?” 

Had it been socially acceptable, you would have slapped yourself square in the face, right then and there, to snap yourself out of your awe. 

“Yo-you as well.” 

It was a miracle you didn’t drop that expensive-ass floral arrangement getting out of there as fast as you did. 

“What took you so long? People will start wondering where we are.” 

Your mother said a couple more chastising remarks, but they faded away once you looked at the crinkled piece of paper on your hand: 

I hope to see you again, Blossom. 

₍⸍⸌̣ʷ̣̫⸍̣⸌₎

“Y/n!!! Oh my god, I am so happy to see you. I’ve been decaying, simply drying out in this office all by myself.” 

You swatted your melodramatic friend by the backside of his head, subsequently ruffling up his perfectly primped long, blond hair. 

“Shut up. You’re surviving just fine without me.” 

Hyunjin lowered his voice into a rather loud whisper, “Everyone here is just so boring.” 

“I don’t know what you’re expecting ‘Jin. It’s a publishing company, all we do is read here. You kind of did it to yourself too. Hell, you edit the children’s books!! You don’t have a thing to complain about.” 

“Are you sure that you can’t take an office here? We could eat lunch together, make coffee together from that broken-ass coffee machine, and bitch about Mr. Yoon together. By the way, what are you doing here anyway besides not seeing me?” 

“Picking up a couple manuscripts. I finished the ones from before.” 

“You’re inhuman. I don’t know how you get through 300+ pages over a weekend.” 

You shrugged, “It’s just what I like to do, that’s all. And, no, I will not be taking an office here, not when I have my classes too.” 

“Aren’t you the perfect symbol of adulthood.” Hyunjin pulled up for you the creaky plastic office chair from the empty desk next to his.

“Tell that to my mother, I think she’d have a different oponion.” 

“Screw your mother--and you can tell her that I said that too.” Your coworker fiddled with his white collar, pulling it from his neck. You knew how much he hated those and would have much rather preferred the silky low-cut ones which had become his trademark. 

“If only it were that easy.” 

“How’s Princess Bomi doing?” 

“My cat or the story?” 

“I was talking about the story, but sure, tell me about your cat too.” 

Hyunjin was a sarcastic little shit, but that was why you loved him. Seungmin tended to be the same sometimes--you surmised that perhaps you made the same type of people gravitate towards you. 

“It’s been pretty well received actually, and I think I’m just about done with the first book, there’s probably only a few chapters left. I just passed 8,000 reads.” 

“Wow, that’s actually...really impressive. I mean it.” 

When he wasn’t being a sarcastic little shit, Hyunjin was actually a genuine friend. He had been supportive of your writing ever since he forced the information out of you a few months ago after seeing a your chaotic notes mixed in with your manuscript ones. Of course, he had laughed at the prospect of you naming your main character after your cat, but he understood otherwise. 

“You’ve been getting good feedback?” 

“Mmhm! They really like Bomi as a character, that, and it seems like Blaze has some fans too...” 

Upon saying the same, the boy from the flower shop sneakily crept back into your head along with that stupidly Blaze-like smile of his--or at least, the smile that you had always pictured Blaze to have. 

Hyunjin snapped his fingers in front of your face. “Earth to Y/n? Where did you go?” 

“Huh? Oh sorry, I think I just got...lost in thought.” 

“I said I think that you should really consider brining it to the company. What if they want to publish it? I think that it’s worth a shot. You said yourself that its successful online. What makes you think that people wouldn’t be interested in the print version?”

“I--Hyunjin, Princess Bomi is kind of a personal thing...” 

“--Why do I even bother!” In his mock disgust, Hyunjin crossed his flabbergast arms against his chest. “I’m only trying to give you a helpful suggestion.” 

Above the two of you, the florescent white lights bore down on you with a harsh luminescence. 

“But--” You shyly picked at the hem of your blouse, “I could use your help with something else.” 

“What?” 

“What do you suggest that I wear...to meet someone’s mom?” 

Hyunjin practically leapt out of his chair and three feet into the air. 

“YOU’RE MEETING SOMEONE’S MOTHER?! I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!!” 

“Get your ass back down in your seat.” You whipped your head around to see your coworkers concerned glances. “Yes, I am.” 

“Thank God that you asked me. This is a serious matter.” 

“I can’t exactly ask Seungmin...so...” 

“Don’t you worry! I know exactly what you can do. So,” His voice turned sing-songy, “~What’s he like~ And how come you didn’t tell me about this sooner??” 

“-Because I knew that you would have this exact same reaction.” 

“I promise I’ll calm down, okay, go:” 

“Well, he’s my neighbor, and I’ve only met him a few weeks ago, and he’s got cats, and he’s really sweet and not to mention hot as well but in like kind of a... cozy, librarian kind of way? Anyway, he wears cardigans--and you know that I’m a sucker for a good cardigan--and I’m convinced that the universe is trying to get me to destroy him but, that’s beside the point--” 

“Slow down slow down! Literally all of the words you said just now don’t make sense together.” 

You wheeled your chair closer to the man across from you, “And then he asked me to meet his cats and his mom or maybe just his cats or his mom, he was kinda unclear about that now that I think about it...” 

“So he’s hot and has cats, hmm, sounds right up your alley.” 

“I-I guess.” 

“Are you sure he’s not, you know, trying to be neighborly?” 

You punched Hyunjin’s arm so hard you jiggled your glasses on your face. “Don’t ruin this for me.” 

“Sorry I brought it up! Ok, ok, I think I know what you should do. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help you bag this sexy librarian man?” 

₍⸍⸌̣ʷ̣̫⸍̣⸌₎

“I sure as hell hope that you’re not trying to be neighborly.” 

You smoothed down your freshly ironed blouse: a floral pattern with birds, something “light and springy” just as Hyunjin had recommended. The pleats in your trousers were in shape as well. He had suggested too that you tied your hair up, something about it being professional and “dateable.” 

Bomi sauntered up to you while you inspected your outfit in the full-length mirror. Her gorgeous green eyes were squinted after her day-long nap, and she yawned while she brushed up against your leg. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure Bomi?” You bent down to pat her head, which she promptly shied away from. “You think that this looks good? Mother-worthy?” 

Bomi blinked. 

“Thanks for your input Bo.” 

Another yawn. 

Your nightstand held your little jewelry tree, and from it you took a dainty silver necklace that hung just above the neckline of your blouse, as well as the thin tan wristwatch that you wore once in a blue moon. 

The watch face read 5 o’clock exactly.  

“Shit! Shit shit shit shit!.” 

Bomi scrambled out of your way as you flew around the room trying to find a matching pair of socks. You stopped one more in front of the mirror. Your mother’s words always did find a way of seeping back into your skin like poison. Even if you had looked “nice” a nagging voice deep down echoed: “you’ve only ever been less than auspicious. Why don’t you ever change that?” 

“Screw your mother.” Hyunjin had said. 

If it only was that easy. 

Your footsteps clomped down the stairs, and you threw on the same pair of kitten heels. 

“Shit. The gift.” You slapped your forehead, cursing your horrid memory. 

“And don’t forget to bring his mother something. A gift. Something small but thoughtful. Something that she can use. Mothers eat shit up like that.” 

You frantically searched your entire home for something that resembled a gift. After a few moments of searching, you had resolved to go without it--you’d explain that it was in the mail, or misplaced, or anything but the fact that you didn’t have one. You grabbed your humorous amount of keychains on your keys, eyes catching that little box of complimentary chocolates from the bridal shower.  

“Good enough.” 

₍⸍⸌̣ʷ̣̫⸍̣⸌₎

One more time, you checked your reflection in the glass door leading to Minho’s mother’s townhouse. 

“This is fine, you can do this. Don’t screw this up, you’re fine, you’re fine.” 

Minho opened the door, looking as confusingly adorable and downright gorgeous as you had grown to know him as. This time, he had ditched the cardigan for a sky blue sweater that still pooled at his palms. Seeing how casually he had dressed, you instantly felt overdressed, and made a mental reminder to cuss out Hyunjin when you got the chance later. 

“Come in,” He gently ushered you to the spot where you switched on shoes for slippers.

“You-um, look really nice.” Minho pushed up his glasses up his nose bridge, “Really pretty.” 

“Th-thank you, um, you too.” 

He snickered, “No one has called me pretty before.” 

“Shit, Sorry, that was weird, sorry, I’m just kinda...nervous.” 

“No, not at all, I don’t mind. I appreciate the compliment.” 

You stood at the doorway, awkward silence permeating the air. Suddenly, you remembered the chocolates in your hands. 

“Oh, this is for you and your mother, I thought I might as well bring something over...” 

Minho took it from you, and you prayed that he wouldn’t think too much of the packaging that just looked a little too wedding-y. 

“Thank you for this.” He popped the box open excitedly, “What kind are they?” 

It took a couple seconds, but you watched in horror as his expression turned from thrilled to deeply confused. 

“What is it?” You craned your neck over to see.

“Are they...supposed to look like that?” 

Inside of the little plastic compartments, each of the chocolates had melted into blobs pathetically and swirled together making one huge, brown, melted--and then solidified again--chocolate mess. 

“Oh my god.” Your throat felt as tight as a knot in your embarrassment. “They’ve...” 

Minho hurriedly closed the box. “It’s okay! Don’t worry about it.” He tried the best he could to suppress his laughter. “It’s still about the same.” 

“No it’s not.” You whined out the words. “Don’t let your mother can’t see them, oh shit, oh shit.” 

“What happened to them?” 

Your horrid memory suddenly let you remember the fact that those chocolates had stayed in the car after the bridal shower when you had gone to visit your mother’s home. 

“Nothing good, just-hide them--” 

“Minho? Is that Y/n? Is she here?”

“--Hide it, quick!!!” 

Minho shoved the box behind a large houseplant, still hiding his laughter caught in his throat. 

“Ahhh Y/n! It’s so good to meet you at last! I’ve heard so much about you!” 

You greeted Minho’s mother with a bow, throwing the box of chocolates a disdainful glare. She was a gentle looking woman who appeared to be a little older than your own, or,  perhaps the same age. You wouldn’t be surprised if your mother had paid enough to procure the elixir of life; sounds like something she would have done. 

“I’m so happy to meet you as well. Thank you for inviting me in.” 

“Minho!!” His mother nudged his arm, “You didn’t tell me how pretty she was.” 

Your cheeks flushed with heat when you gave another little bow in thanks. “Your home is really lovely too.” 

“Oh, it was all Minho’s idea, I’m just the one that did the cooking. I’m always happy to cook for a neighbor.” 

“Thank you.” 

“I’ve got a couple more things to prepare, Minho, you go show her the cats, I’m sure that she’d like that--I hear that you have a cat too?” 

You nodded. “Are you sure that you don’t need any help?” 

“No no, you both go on, I’ll handle this.” 

By each passing moment, this all started to feel a bit more like a playdate than an official meeting of one’s mother. Here you were, a grown woman, and you had gone over to someone’s house to play with their cats. Maybe you weren’t as much of a grown woman as you thought you were. 

“Over here.” Minho guided you to the living room: it was a modest one with furniture that looked to be very old, with beautiful traditional pictures of landscapes with assorted baby photos hanging on the walls. Everywhere, there was little pieces of evidence of the residence of cats: cat toys, scratching pads, a couple cat carriers and the cat tree nearest the window. At the top tier of the structure, there was a white and orange cat lazing with a foot slung over the side. 

“Doongie?” You carefully approached the furball to pet it’s tiny paw. 

“That one is Soonie, I have two cats that look a bit similar. Doongie is probably somewhere strange. You never know cats. Mine really like hopping on top of the china cabinet; it scares my mother half to death” 

“I can imagine.” 

Soonie remained unbothered, little cat body peacefully sleeping. 

“Over here is Dori, the youngest one.” 

Dori was a bit striped, with a grey body and a white belly. The smaller cat was rolled up into a perfect cinnamon roll on the loveseat. The cat stirred hearing it’s name, and keened into Minho’s touch when he scratched its head. You copied the touch, and Dori granted you the same permission. 

“You cats are so sweet...wanna trade?” 

“I...think that I’m good with the cat’s I’ve got. But that is a tempting offer.” 

Making a rather loud appearance was Doongie, who ambled into the room with a series of loud yowls and meows, looking up to both you and Minho with striking yellow eyes.  

“Doongie!” You crouched down to give the cat scratches under it’s chin, making it purr slightly. “Did you miss me? I hope that you’ve been staying out of trouble.” 

Minho’s gentle brown eyes observed your interactions with his cats, simply letting you play around with them as you wished. Every once and a while, you could catch his eyes following you with a contented little grin on his face.

There was something so domestic and comforting about the whole scene. Inside the townhouse that felt well loved and with the smell of a homecooked meal in the air, there was something so peaceful about it all that was a little foreign to you. 

“Minho! Please come help me with the bowls!” 

₍⸍⸌̣ʷ̣̫⸍̣⸌₎ 

Crickets chirped along the pathway and into the spring’s chilly nighttime air. Minho had offered to walk you home, even though you were just two houses down. Because of this, it seemed as if the two of you were walking in slow motion, taking one step after the other as slowly and carefully as you could. Absentmindedly, you both wanted just a little more time. 

After spending the night being on your best behavior, you felt as if you could finally breathe. Granted, you had grandly spilled soup all over Minho’s mother, but this seemed to diffuse quickly once she had laughed raucously at the event. She was a sweet woman, with a kind soul, much like Minho. Her lightly wrinkled face shone like the sun and made you feel loved even without knowing her much. 

In many ways, you wondered what it would be like having a mother as such. It was likely however, maybe you just weren’t supposed to know. 

Minho cast his gaze up to the sprinkling of stars spread out over the vast sky: most of them invisible due to the closeness to the city. 

“You know, I’m starting to really like living out here, in the suburbs I mean. Everything in the city was so fast and chaotic, it’s nice to sit back and let things be still for a while.” 

“You don’t miss it?” 

“Not as much as I did. The city...holds a lot of memories for me; some of them I’d rather forget. Being out here feels like a new start.” 

The two of you stopped near the light coming from your porch. In the soft glow of yellow, coupled with the gentle navy blue tint of the night, Minho looked ethereal--perhaps even a little fairy-like. 

You cursed out your writer brain for thinking of your little made up world at a time like this when you had this boy, real, in front of you. 

“I had a nice time with you tonight.” Minho shoved his hands into his pants pockets with a cute little smirk. “I think my cats are a fan of you as well, so, that puts a good word in for you in my book.” 

“Me too. Thank-thank you for inviting me.” 

“Next time, we should do something different, I heard actually that there’s a meteor shower in a couple weeks.” 

“Wait, next time?” 

“Or, we could do something sooner if you’d like.” 

“You want to do something else? With me?” 

“Yes you, who else would I be talking about?” Minho capped his sentence with a little snicker. 

“S-sorry, I just...don’t understand...why would you... I mean, I don’t do too much besides kinda hide in my house with my cat...there isn’t really a lot of things interesting about--” 

Minho squatted down, sweeping something off of the sidewalk. It wasn’t until he had put it in your hair that you had realized he had taken one of the cherry blossoms from your tree to tuck it behind your ear. His head titled slightly as he admired the decoration, fingers lingering by the side of your cheek for a moment. 

“I disagree.” He hushed, barely saying the words louder than a whisper. “Even though you you tent to get yourself into...situations--not that I mind anyway, you are special. Hell, and I haven’t even known you that long. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.” 

Had it been socially acceptable, you would’ve kissed him right then and there. 

If only it were that easy. 

₍⸍⸌̣ʷ̣̫⸍̣⸌₎

Chapter 25 

There Blaze was, standing, simple, cuts on his face and that little scar on his eyebrow twitching. The campfire illuminated his eyes with the flames, creating that brazen fire that he had gotten his name from. 

Bomi knew him well. In fact, she thought she had known him better than most--a fact which she selfishly kept to herself. Blaze was everything she had known for the past year or so, and the time had interwoven their paths in ways that she had never expected. Before her was a person who knew her too, perhaps better than she knew herself. 

Blaze’s callused hand rose to cup her cheek, thumb rubbing over her own battle scars. 

“If you’ll not have me, please know Princess, you are the strongest warrior, bravest leader, and wisest friend that I have had the pleasure of knowing. I’ll stay by your side until I breathe my last breath.” 

With a shaking hand, Bomi took Blaze’s hand resting on her cheek. She memorized the way that his skin felt on hers, making a million silent wishes that she knew would never come true. 

“You and I, we both know that fate would have other plans for us...I’m sorry.” 

Bomi turned from the warmth of the campfire, and the way that his eyes held hers. 

She wished a million wishes, and he was nearly every one one of them. 

[themonotonysyndrome]

Successors to the Future

I like to get lost on Tumblr when work becomes frustrating and I was immediately inspired by the Second Wive AU from @tri3tri! 

If you’re a TW’s fan and enjoy reading yandere content, you just gotta check @tri3tri out. They’re one of the best yandere content creator for the TW fandom!

And since I’ve been playing Blazblue Centralfiction a lot lately and love badass girls, this plot bunny won’t leave me alone and so I want to add a little something to their amazing AU. 

FD/N = First daughter’s name/Renata Draconia (half-human, half dark Fae Princess. Malleus & MC’s eldest child)

SD/N = Second daughter’s name/Sherrie or Cherry Draconia (half-human, half-dark Fae Princess. Malleus & MC’s middle child)

S/S = Son’s name/Lucien Draconia (half-human, half-dark Fae Prince and the heir to the throne. Malleus & MC’s youngest child).

MC/S = MC’s surname

-

“Oh. My. God. What did you do!?”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry! I got it all under control!”

“Under control - the pasta is on fire! How the - ”

“I can fix this! ...I think?” 

“Move. You’re a human disaster, you know that? I told you to wait for me if you’re planning to cook dinner! Now the kitchen looks like an eldritch god just threw up! Mama is gonna be so sad when she gets home.” 

“I tried yelling for you, but you were too busy livestreaming Among Us to hear me! Now help me scrap the pasta off the pot while I clean the counter before Mama gets - .” 

“Sweethearts?” 

Both teenage girls yelp at the sudden voice and instantly turn around. The pot of burned pasta clattered on the dirtied floor. MC looks around her kitchen in exasperation. She was wondering why none of her children didn’t greet her as soon as she got home from work. When she heard bickering from the kitchen, she saw her daughters were frantically cleaning up the mess that was Renata attempt at cooking dinner. 

But instead of being upset over it, MC just shakes her head fondly. 

“Did you use your fire magic to cook the pasta, sweetie?” 

Renata sheepishly scratch her cheek in embarrassment. “I thought it might boil the pasta a lot faster...” 

Her younger sister gape at her admittance. MC just smiles as Sherrie proceed to lecture her older sister about using her magic to cook while Renata slowly inch closer to her so she could hide from her sister’s wrath behind their mother. 

MC will never get tired of seeing her children so comfortable and vivacious in their own home. A stark difference when they were all living at that place back then. She could still remember how Renata barely smile, barely interact with anyone that wasn’t her parents and little sister. Her Sherrie weren’t any better. Back then, she was too young to understand why the castle’s servants would whisper that the King’s daughters were imperfect because of their human halves. Why their lingering and judgemental eyes would upset her so. 

MC could bear being a pet bird living in a gilded cage, could bear Sebek’s condescending remarks, Lilia’s cruel smiles, Silver’s guilty passiveness and even Malleus’ lack of empathy. What she couldn’t bear was how her daughters were treated at the castle. They expected their Princesses to be as aloof and noble as their father, but refused to acknowledge that they were children first and foremost. Refused to accept their human side. 

And when the announcement were made public that Malleus would take a second wife to provide him a male heir at the behest of his council, MC decides that it’s time to leave. 

Especially when she saw how the news broke her eldest child. That night, she was frightened at how intense Renata hatred of her father. While she could care less about Malleus taking in another woman into the castle, MC never thought that his second marriage would be an act of betrayal to her daughter. 

At that moment, MC knew that if they were to stay in that place any longer, she would’ve lost her daughter to her own hatred. They needed to go, they needed to escape. 

And so in the dead of the night while the entire Valley of Thorns were celebrating over their king’s second marriage and superior wife, MC and her children scurried away to the only place she could think of. 

Night Raven College. 

She didn’t know when Lilia or anyone else in the castle would realise her and their princesses’ disappearance, so she begged a stunned Dire Crowley who thought she had died when no one could find her after Malleus graduated to send her home. 

The headmaster finally came through for her and her confused, distraught children. Crowley had quietly explained that he already found a way to send her back to her own world years ago. However, she disappeared before he could tell her. A quick glance at the two little girls alongside her and he couldn’t help but grimace with deep guilt.  

As atonement, Crowley hurried to grab a few books and journal that he can find about the fae court (both dark and light) and their magic. He pressed the materials into MC’s arms and explained that after she and her daughters step into the mirror, he will shatter and destroy any remaining fragments so that Malleus and his men could never find them ever again. However, MC must teach her daughters about their Fae side and how to glamour their otherworldly features from humans. 

MC tackled the headmaster in a hug with tearful eyes, grateful that he could help them. They were then ushered into the mirror and finally, finally, her nightmare was over.

Years have passed since that night. With each passing seasons and being able to explore the world without Malleus’ oppressive court, the castle servants and his retainers, her daughters flourish into amazing young girls. 

Their little brother equally so. 

As Renata try to persuade Sherrie to allow her to use her magic to clean the kitchen up, MC asks, “By the way, where’s your brother? I’ll just order some takeaway for dinner. They should arrive soon.” As she said this, she already whips out her phone to order their food. 

“He was napping in his room.” Sherrie reply her as she wipes the stove clean. Renata grumbled under her breath as she was made to mop the floor manually.  

Mc thanked her and left the kitchen to wake her son up. Her son was the unexpected gift that they were blessed with after they crossed to her world. She didn’t expect to be pregnant, but consider how feverishly Malleus made love to her as his way to console her that the other woman and his second marriage would mean nothing to him and that she would still be the only woman he truly loves, MC really should have known.  

It was so difficult to hide her joy that with the presence of a second wife, it would mean that Malleus would focus more on the other woman. Which meant Lilia would also need to make sure that she would learn all the proper court etiquette and Silver and Sebek would need to arrange the proper security for her as Malleus’ concubine. 

The arrival of her son was unexpected, but dearly welcome by her and his older sisters. Although MC was not able to give her daughters the childhood that they should have, she made sure that her son - Lucien - was raised in an environment that allowed him to be a normal child. 

Well, as normal as a half human and half fae could be. 

Shaking the lump underneath the thick duvet, she receives a tired groan. 

“Wake up, dear. Go freshen up. We’re having dinner in a little while.”  

Worming his way out of the duvet, Lucien poke his head out and smile blearily at her. “Welcome home, Mama...” 

MC pressed a quick peck on his forehead before ruffling his dishevelled hair. Her son looks so much like Malleus except he inherited her eyes and soft heart. While her oldest daughter is a carbon copy of Malleus and her second daughter looks exactly like her but with Malleus’ green eyes. 

She’s so happy that she can provide her children that life that they deserve. 

Dinner that night was as lively as usual. Renata was still riding high from her sweet sixteen birthday party that they just had last two days ago. It was quite a celebration and it ended with the revelation of her Unique Magic. Since it was a warm Summer evening, the small family enjoy their meal at the garden outside. 

“ - we should totally play Among Us together! Including you, Mama! I think you’d love it!” Sherrie gushes after she pushes her glass of water away.

Renata gasped as if affronted. “Are you trying to tear this family apart!? The moment we suspect someone is the imposter, it’s anarchy unleash!” 

Sherrie rolled her eyes at her oldest sister need for the dramatics. “Oh please, you live for the anarchy. You’re the one who started the fire when we played last time.” 

Lucien winced as he recalled their last gameplay. “It was a mess. Everyone couldn’t stop accusing one another. My classmates even swore they wouldn’t dare to play with you ever again.” 

MC smiles to herself as her children chatted with one another. It always warms her heart to see how close the siblings are to one another. From the stoic and hateful little girl, Renata had grown to be a playful and brilliant young woman. Brilliant in terms of magic. Even from a young age, Renata could control her elemental magic well. MC still remembered how wide she would smile whenever Malleus praises her during their training. After coming to this world, she continued to mastered her magic with the helps of the materials that Crowley provided them. By the age of 14 years old, MC realised that her creativity had led her to combine her elemental magic into an arsenals of powerful spells. 

They decide to celebrate her newfound skills out to dinner. 

And with the recent discovery of her Unique Magic - Observer - their family is aware that Renata has been experimenting with it almost every day. 

“Oh yeah, uh, Mama?” Renata suddenly broke MC from her train of thought. Beside her, Sherrie and Lucien are comparing their two favourite games.  

“Yes, dear?” 

“Umm... Last night I Observed myself and something came up.” Renata began to explain and she started to fidget in her seat. 

MC grows concern over her daughter’s hesitant expression. 

“What is it dear? Is something wrong with your Unique Magic?” 

“No, no, everything’s fine! It’s just that, well, so you know my Unique Magic give me the ability to observe my possibilities, right? Well, 99% of my possibilities shows that I’m going to participate in Night Raven College’s entrance ceremony soon.” Renata explains. 

“Say what?” Sherrie suddenly intervene, eyes wide in surprise. Their own conversation paused. 

MC could feel her blood froze at her daughter’s words. Suddenly, she no longer has any appetite for dinner. 

“Night Raven College?” Lucien asked, confused at the sudden tension in the air. “I remember Mama said she studied at a place call Night Raven College.” 

MC wanted to spare her son what she and her daughters had been through in Twisted Wonderland. But at the same time, she didn’t want to hide their past from him. So he told her all about Twisted Wonderland and Night Raven College. Of the good friends she made during her time at the school. About all sorts of shenanigans they got themselves into.  

About a dark fae that she could see herself falling in love with at the beginning of their friendship, but that became a distant dream when Malleus let his fear of her mortality and his selfish, draconic desire to hoard her all to himself overwhelmed him. 

No matter how much she tried to pleaded with him, reasoned with him, Malleus refused to yield. He threatened to harm her friends should she ever think of anyone other than him and gave her all the luxury in a world while locking her up in castle full with creatures who believe they’re superior to humans. 

Lucien was stricken when she told him everything. In the end, all MC could do was smile sadly and told him that while Malleus might have love her and his children, in the end, it doesn’t mean anything when he allow his own council to dictate that Renata was not suitable to become his heiress just because she’s a girl. 

In the dead of the night when Renata couldn’t sleep after they settled down in this world, she went to MC and with tearful eyes yet resolute face, her daughter informed her that she never wanted to be Malleus’ heiress. Having a taste of freedom, everything that this world has to offer to her and the loving support of her family, Renata knew she could be so, so much more than a mere Queen to a backwater country and its people. 

And so the thought of her going back to Twisted Wonderland - where Malleus would no doubt still be searching for them - scares MC. 

“Is there a way to prevent it?” MC quietly asks, though in her heart, she knows the answer to her own question. 

Renata regretfully shake her head. “I can’t make the 1% where I don’t go back to Twisted Wonderland into a reality.” 

“And why not?” Sherrie demanded. 

“Because in that possibility, I’ll die here from Overblotting.” Renata dryly reply. 

That’s the drawback of her daughter’s Unique Magic. While she could observe her every possibilities and acknowledge one and turn it into a reality, Renata can only see hers and not other people’s. Not only that, she cannot changed the many paths that had been laid in front of her. She can only observe and choose. Not altered.  

Both Sherrie and Lucien flinch. MC shove the image of her daughter dying as a monster into the back of her mind. Renata lowered her head slightly. 

“I... I don’t want to go back there.” Renata whispers. “I want to stay here. All my friends are here.” She raises her head when MC hold her hand and squeeze it comfortingly. 

She needs to be strong for her children. Being a single mother wasn’t easy. They used to live with her parents and they were pillars of endless support to MC and her children. They didn’t turned her away when she appeared out of nowhere after months of disappearance with two horned children in tow. Instead, they helped raised and care for her children when she’s out working under long corporate hours. 

The kids adore their grandparents and were heartbroken when they passed away.      

But by that time, MC was financially secure to move her family into a new house and support her little family all on her own. She understood what it meant to be strong for her children and she will continue to be just as strong. 

So with a sigh, MC narrowed her eyes and said, “If we can’t change the outcome, then we will do out best to prepare for everything that will stand in your way, Renata.” All three of her precious children jerk their heads towards her. She press on, “Each one of you posses your own strength; and I don’t mean magical capabilities. Your oldest sister’s greatest strength is her creativity when it comes to magic, Sherrie possess an intelligent mind for planning and strategising and you, my son, I’ve seen how big your heart is. You understands that compassion isn’t a weakness and that’s something the faes from the Valley of Thorns can never understand.” 

Sherrie interrupt her speech with an abashed expression. “Uh, I don’t think me playing Total War: Rome II counts as a mastermind, Mama.” She sheepishly said. 

Her attempt at the joke lessen the heavy mood a little when Lucien giggle and Renata crack a smile. It’s amazing to see how much her children have grown. 

MC playfully roll her eyes. “Be that as it may, what I’m trying to say was that we can help Renata survive in Twisted Wonderland by doing our damn best to prepare her.” 

Renata nodded eagerly while Sherrie and Lucien cheer. 

And so MC clap her hands once and her children sat straight. “Let’s turn this into a family project. Now, sweetheart, do you know when the Ebony Carriage will pick you up?” 

“Hang on, lemme check again...” Renata’s scleras suddenly tinted black and her green eyes glow brightly as she activates her Unique Magic. While she Observe all her possibilities, SD/N left the table to fetch her tablet while MC explains a bit more what being a student of Night Raven College would mean for Renata. After Sherrie sat back down at the table, Renata blink and her eyes return to normal. “I’ll be at the entrance ceremony two weeks from today. The headmaster is going to be so shocked when he sees me.” 

MC hums. “Two weeks... we can work with two weeks. We need to prepare a countermeasure when it comes to your father. Words will surely spread that someone that looks like him is attending Night Raven College.” 

“I can Observe further ahead what he will do once he realised that I’m there.” Renata said and furrowed her eyebrows, contemplating. “I need to test my magic against other people so I can see if I’m able to fight him or not.” 

“Actually, I think I might have an idea on how to handle that.” Sherrie intervene. She’s holding a stylus pen and is scribbling something furiously on her tablet. Lucien crane his neck to see what his sister is writing, only to tilt his head in confusion. 

As the family continue to brainstorm into late in the evening, MC silently swore to herself that she won’t leave her daughter all alone to defend herself in Twisted Wonderland. She doesn’t know how, but she will be there with her and still keep her children safe. 

And then, the fateful day arrives. 

-

“Next student, please come forth!” 

“State thy name.”

“Renata MC/S...” 

She said nothing when she heard Headmaster Crowley gasped beside her. “You - how!?

The Mirror of Darkness ignores him. “You were born with a different name, but live proudly under your mother’s legacy.” 

“Damn right.” Renata smirks. “I’m my mother’s daughter first and foremost. I’ll continue to live as free as her.” 

“Such conviction. You possess a deep desire to protect your loved ones which is both admirable and ambitious with the power that you were gifted with. Becaue of that, the shape of thy soul is a blazing green fire and towers of thorns that serve as your shield. You belong in Diasomnia.” The Mirror of Darkness declare. 

The headmaster mutter something about fate playing a cruel joke on his once poor prefect. 

And when the current Dorm Leader of Diasomia greeted her, he took a step back when he sees her face and horns. His eyes wide with shocked and words failed him. For every Diasomnia member had seen the tapestries of their previous Dorm Leader and especially one as great and terribly powerful as Malleus Draconia. 

“Nice to meet you, senpai. My name is Renata MC/S.” She said as politely as possible. “I’ll do my best not to cause any trouble to this dorm.” 

Renata tilt her head and pretend to look confused when her Dorm Leader continue to gape at the sight of her. Whispers of her true heritage and family began to circulate among the crowd. 

At that moment, she recalled the advice given to her by her family:

“Don’t show off your spells. Ever. Lay low as much as you can. We can’t really control the rumour mill so let it travel on its own. While you’re there, gather all the intel you can about father and the current affairs in the Valley of Thorns. Anything that can be used against them. Also, you need to watch Bungou Stray Dogs with me. You can learn a thing or two from some of the characters in that anime.” Sherrie had said while showing her tablet and a messy flowchat of her plan. She tapped her stylus pen on the ‘Phase 1’ section with great importance.  

“You need to keep your cool, big sis. You like to set the things that irritate you on fire. Like that girl’s handphone after she copied your test paper.” Lucien reminded her. Renata stucked her tongue out while Sherrie laughs. 

“You need to make good friends, sweetie. Friends that can help you from the sideline. I have a list of people that might be able to help you against your father. I think it’s safe to assumed that their kids would also be attending Night Raven College too. Though some of them need to be offered a reward or be persuaded to help you first. Don’t worry, I’ll write down on how you can win them over.” MC assured her. 

With her family supporting her even from another world, confidence in her magical abilities and a plan already in motion, Renata would not let her other so-called family trapped them ever again.   

“It’s showtime...”

-

Did I really based Renata off Nine the Phantom? Hell yeah! I love her fighting style in the game. I HC that Renata is as badass as her. 

I like to continue part 2 to this oneshot next week if my workload isn’t so crazy. I’m having so much fun writing for this wonderful AU! 

[harley-style]

mcyt brain rot for you all

this is both anysis and headcanon and au scenario, all blended together. you're welcome :D

----------

i have this headcanon,,,, cobbled together by some tumblr posts i read,,,, but some of them point out that wilbur is like, good at manipulating people as well to a point, right?

so i was thinking. what if his reach extended far beyond what anyone thought of? *what if wilbur's influence spread to dream?*

i know we've discussed this before (or sparrow analyzed it idk) but like. hear me out. this headcanon has to do with how wilbur wants to create a narrative. pit it against dream and his presumed original desires to create a safe happy place for his friends. wilbur's insistence that dream is the "tyrant". what if wilbur saw how dream was pointedly staying out of conflict, decided, "i dont like that," and began twisting the storyline and pulled dream's strings (pointedly off camera bc headcanons, babyyyy) so that dream would eventually fall into ruin, as the disgraced tyrant?

and dream...he KNOWS what wilbur's doing. to him specifically. and he's struggling so hard at the beginning, judging by his soft, passive demeanor when wilbur asks about the tnt.

i think, that somewhere along the line, dream lost sight of where his boundaries lied, and falls right into wilbur's plot pit and became The Villain. and he's like, fuck. I went and done it, oh no.

and....it worsens.

i had this whole scenario in my head that dream fully embraces the villain role, plays wilbur's game and completes the "narrative"...but is so fed up with wilbur and his stupid fucking ploys that he...bends the rules a little. changes shit up.

something...oh, a little like "lets speedrun my fall into villainy" bc it wouldn't be dream without the speedrun.

fast forward to prison. maybe if dream finally gets to resurrect wilbur. and wilbur is Not Pleased with how dream has decided to handle his narrative.

but its like. dream doesn't give two shits about wilbur's goddamn narrative anymore. he **played wilbur's game**. he's done with his role. he's given them peace, given them a happy end.

sure, he's given the rest plenty of trauma, but hey, it all turned out okay in the end, right? theyve got their happy ending. theyve BEATEN the big bad nightmare. his role is OVER.

but wilbur doesnt like it. doesnt like the lengths dream went to. it wasn't supposed to be like this. dream wasn't supposed to turn out this much of a *monster.*

and dream laughs. "will, wilby, wilbur," he croons madly, in his pretty little cell, preening like a cat. "i dont care," he hisses. "you fucking wanted this. you WANTED me to be this way. right? mr. revolutionary man? come on now, dont tell me you never expected this."

and wilbur tries to protest, but dream cuts him off.

"no. NO. dont' play your stupid littke games on me wilbur. you udnerstand? im DONE. im so sick of your bullshit, your countries your wars and your stupid fucking "story". I WANTED PEACE AND SAFETY. ALL i asked was "hey, don't be jerks, we're all one big community," and you didn't even have the DECENCY to just adhere to those rules, not even a little bit! you -- i let you in here because of TOMMY, you know that? the reason you even got to BE in this world was because tommy "vouched" for you. said you would be a great addition. and tommy-- i loved that kid back then, you know? he was bright and annoying and he made the server FUN. you took that brilliance, took that kid, and turned him against me, against ALL of us -- for what? independence? I HANDED YOU INDEPENDENCE AND YOU SPAT IT IN MY FACE LIKE IT WAS THE MOST VILE THING YOUVE EVER RECEIVED. i didnt even ENFORCE my rules, they were so loose literally EVERYONE broke them at some point.

but you? you had the audacity to call me a tyrant. to call me selfish, greedy, controlling. and then you declared war. the pet wars, the first disc wars weren't even close to the intensity you brewed during the revolution.

you had this little ideal in your head. and ill have to hand it to you, it was certainly impressive. but you didnt need to press it, to pressure it on the people of my server. you did anyway. you created this plot, this scheme to paint me as the villain, as the final boss. and you know what? FINE! if this is what it takes for them to be safe and happy, i'll be the villain.

but don't come in here expecting me to play that role again. i DID my part. i united them. my work is over.

but you, wilbur? heh. you get to deal with ALL the consequences of your war games. you'll be the one dealing with tommy's nightmares, tubbo's anger, everyone's hatred, fuck, you even get to deal with the egg!! isnt that nice? i was willing to deal with the egg, you know, it appeared before the whole election thing. but since you're here, you may as well take over. because you're SO great at directing them, you know? better than i ever could.

point is, wilbur, you don't get to use me as the tyrant, the final boss, the bad guy, and the villain anymore. when i said i would be putting the most powerful person in here, I wasn't fucking lying!"

"but tommy said you were going to put him in there!"

"you know, with the amount of times ive practically lied to that kid, im surprised he still believed me. i was never planning to put him in here. no one else would be put in here. hell, even techno and phil would just have gotten stuck here for about a week. i had guidelines, you know. i put them in a book somehwere, in one of my bases. no one was supposed to get unfair treatment. unfortunately i seemed to have pulled the short end of thr stick. that seems to be all that im doing these days."

"dream—"

"no. don't do that. don't pull me into another one of your plots wilbur. i don't want to hear it. you got your villain. your villain is gone, wilbur.

it's time to be the hero. :)"

basically my points here are like.

-wilbur made a narrative that dream didnt agree with

-this narrative painted dream in a negative villian light so dream basically said "yeah fuck that" and spedran his role

-headcanons galore i really do like the idea of dream creating that prison for himself to be locked in

-once wilbur is back he visits dream and explains his displeasure that dream went and did the things he did bc 1) hurt a lot of people personally and 2) did not adhere to the villain role wilbur specifically assigned to dream

-additional mentions: both wanted peace but in different forms. dream wanted peace for peace's sake but wilbur wanted peace after struggles. dream genuinely loved everyone on the server, but had to shed those attachments because to him, PERSONALLY, it would be a weakness towards his "villainous" role. his threatening of tubbo in front of tommy so tommy can "be the hero like spiderman and batman" shows that he knows exactly how empowering attachments are. lastly, dream only began manipulating people after the pogtopia arc. he mostly stayed the neutral party during it, and was just reacting with plans among plans during the lmanburg revolution.

-additionally, wilbur really wanted to stay dead, but dream said "haha no" and alived him again bc if he has to be the one to inflict trauma onto people then wilbur has to suffer leading the efforts to recovery.

hi @dreamsclock u keep giving me brainrot so im tossing this at u thank u goodbye i hope u dont mind the tag

[twilighthiro]

So I thought up this AU before I knew Dimensional Links or Linked Universe existed and it’s been sitting in my writing app for.... years.

Now I’ve actually started writing it out.

if you want to create stuff for this, I encourage you with every bone in my body. all I ask is don’t ship the Links together.

Long post under the cut.

Links:

Hero of Time AKA Era: stoic and childish. physically seventeen, but still acts like he's ten. tries to be as mature as his physical age seems, but still jumps at new things. nothing fazes him. minor gremlin. the Smart Cookie in terms of The Universe and it’s shenanigans. if destiny was a person he would drown them and then burn the corpse and then erase them from history. mature innocence because he’ll make this ‘adulthood‘ the fun he would’ve had if he’d been a Kokiri. you get a flower crown, and you get a flower crown, and you get a flower crown, and you get a flower crown! EVERYONE GETS A FLOWER CROWN!

Hero of Twilight AKA Raven (subject to change): saw Pint, Sword and Era and adopted them. spends time sewing twili designs onto his cloak. can heighten his senses for a headache. eighteen. the walking roof. passive guardian. looks over at your shenanigans, does quantum math to decide whether or not you deserve being stopped, and then goes back to his book. the local low-commentary cryptid.

Hero of Minish AKA Pint: he's eleven. will fight the gods. sleeps hugging his hat, which has his sword in it. owns a music box containing the MC game over theme. loves finding the minish in the other Hyrules. tiny. carries a star pot. what do you mean he stabbed your ears after you talked bad about Era? Look at this innocent face!

Hero of Four AKA Sword: plays with his necklace and talks to his shadow. sometimes has headaches from thinking too many different responses for any question. fifteen. had two adventures thousands of years apart because the Four Sword didn’t want anyone else to wield her.

Hero of Legend AKA Legacy: he's sixteen. nigh-silent except with loved ones. seagulls are fav birb. plays with his rings and swaps them out often. mutters in different languages and mixes them up sometimes when he speaks. knows too many cultures and mixes them up on occasion.

Teacup: a tiny Hero of Legend sitting in Legacy's shirt pocket. can't sleep, and is the group's alarm clock. small like a minish, but is far more likely to stab you instead of help. angry traumatized ten-year-old with power. a physical manifestation of how broken time and space is.

Hero of Worlds AKA Brush: painty boi. hugs Legacy during the night. understands knowing a mirror of your face and not wanting to kill them. misses the Triforce Heroes hivemind. seamstress.

Hero of Hyrule AKA Warden (may change later): magic boi. snuggles with Brush during sleep. sixteen. bold introvert. uses sign language. Relic's magical medic buddy. short due to undernourishment. hypersensitive. lives in a luxurious cave. currently hunting the forces hunting him.

Hero of Wind AKA Gale: bright and talkative. fifteen. weather magic master. mercilessly uses his short statue to get what he wants. more of a sailor than a pirate but much more of a pirate than the others ever will be. planning on founding New Hyrule with Tetra. the short-term planner. may or may not chuck a tornado at you. abuses childish actions to get at information and sugar.

Hero of War AKA Conflict: spends his time trying out new soaps trying to get bloodstains out of his scarf. emotionally attached to Relic and Royal. Royal's battle buddy. strategist. sleep-deprived Common Sense of the Reunited Timeline Trio. the long-term planner. apathetic at times due to constant nightmares wearing away at his judgement. I don’t trust you. but I want to.

Hero of Steel AKA Spirit: trainman. doesn't know what a horse it. sees spirits. sixteen. has a master's degree in train. can summon the spirit train. has low stamina. who’s Hylia? who’re the Golden Goddesses? what’s the Triforce? I only know the spirits of good and I like trains. the only reason he doesn’t ride the spirit train everywhere is because the others won’t fit and he needs to up his stamina anyway.

Hero of Armies AKA Royal: uses sign, but can speak. registered Relic's existence and turned himself into his guardian. legitimately no sense of self-preservation. Conflict's battle buddy. eats rocks. very in tune with emotions and group moral and will keep it high. loves using spears because fast. speaks easily, but remains silent because the princess during the war needed something to stay the same.

Hero of Wilds AKA Relic: speaks often with the Ancient Hero resting in his arm. one of the more talkative Links. cooks. breaks weapons. surprises the others with how he overcomes obstacles without special items. him and Royal are glued at the hip. Royal's sense of self-preservation. aggressive when attacking physically, uses magic for support. emotionally disconnected from his memories and anything from the 100 Years Ago. (it took the Final Memory for him to realize that SOMEONE WAS SITTING IN THE CASTLE OF DEATH WAITING FOR SOMEONE DEAD and he went in the dead knight’s stead)

Chosen Hero AKA Cloud (may change later): can only relax if he's high off the surface. speaks to inanimate objects. plays harp. very tired all the time because he's always bearing the weight of Demise's curse and sometimes uses anger. the decision and peace maker. will use monsters for stress relief and loves smashing with the Koloktos Sword. may or may not have his hat on.

Ancient Hero: the hero of 10,000 years ago. slowly learning modern Hylian and teaching Relic magic. shy. prefers the night and crowded spaces. speaks often of Zonai culture and what the Zonai ruins were. has an appearace, but true appearance is lost. both tech-knowledgeable and tribal. not a leader type, but does have finely cultivated leader skills that he will use.

Fierce Deity: Termina's Triforce of Power bearer and God of War. lived among mortals for most of his life, and protected them against Majora, trickster Goddess of The Moon. slowly adjusting to life outside his prison. dark but not evil. guards his precious ones fiercely. socially introverted. often offers Era his power during battle, who rarely takes it.

Original Hero: the original Link. currently a spirit living in Cloud’s shield. tends to remain silent. no, he doesn’t know why he’s living in a shield. yes, he will kill anyone who touches his kin. slowly releasing his hatred of hylians. claustrophobic, which really clashes with how comfortable he is in the shield. knows too much about Lanayru (the dragon) because he was in change of protecting the Hylian Shield.

Outfits:

Cloud: canon outfit, golden circlet, purple royal crest sailcloth, hat occasionally disappears.

Legacy: canon outfit, (oracle games variation) canon hairstyle, (salt-and-pepper pink-and-blond) extra long bangs, seagull companion.

Lux: canon outfit, twilight-pattern cloak, (think Post-Timeskip Dimitri cape but clean and dark blue and fit for Lux) Shadow Crystal necklace, sword fitted at hip.

Conflict: canon outfit, bloodstained, white tip of hat, both shoulders have armor.

Pint: canon outfit, tip of hat is yellow and button eyes.

Era: adult Link canon outfit, Hero's Shade boots and gauntlets, FD mask is perched/glued onto hat.

Brush: canon outfit, (a link between worlds variation) hair is stained with splotches of green, red and blue, extra long sideburns.

Sword: green outfit, necklace bearing five wooden Four Swords, hat has red, green, blue, purple and black spiral streaks.

Gale: canon outfit, no hat, blue jacket/vest, Outset Island crest on jacket back, Wind Waker appears in random places.

Spirit: canon outfit, engineer's gloves and hat, everything has coal dust on it.

Royal: royal guard hat, champion's tunic, hylian trousers.

Relic: set of the wild, hylian trousers, Magic Hand, sheikah slate.

Wanderer: canon outfit, brown sleeves that cover hands, brown pants.

Interactions:

Relic is no longer used to open skies and fields; if he mentally crashes Royal will put his shield on his head. or Raven’s cloak.

Pint, Sword and Era all sleep with Raven and use his cloak as an umbrella/blanket/pillow.

Royal usually stays behind Relic, but often pulls him off the beaten trail because he saw something shiny or heard something.

Pint, Gale, Sword, and Brush stick together during battle, as Links of similar size. it doesn’t help that they formed similar battle styles due to fighting beings almost always bigger than them.

Relic, Conflict and Royal are a triad in battle, with Relic being support and Conflict/Royal being frontline.

Raven and Cloud teach the other Links the Fatal Blow.

Cloud sings/plays the Ballad of The Goddess to help with nightmares. at this point Conflict can almost do it better than him because he’s heard it so many times.

Conflict covers other Links with his scarf when blood splatters, which does NOT help his cleanliness.

Royal eats rocks. The younger Links find this hilarious (Era included) while the older Links chase him around trying to stop him from spoiling his appetite.

Older Links like watching Raven sew when they need to settle down, younger Links like watching Cloud doing woodwork when they need to settle down. the two things often happen simultaneously.

If it's that Link's Hyrule, you listen to what he has to say, regardless of his age or maturity. the others will make sure of it.

Gale and Relic go boating together, with Gale teaching Relic How To Boat without Korok leaves.

Conflict is an older brother to Gale and Era, and knows small things about many Hyrules.

When they're bored, they play either Get To Know You or Timeline Placement. They're slowly realizing that the timeline split and was put back together. Conflict realizes this first because he asked Lana.

Fierce Deity and Ancient Hero like talking to each other as old peeps stuck in one place, with Original Hero piping in sometimes. Links sometimes fall asleep to the sound of the Old Men Club talking.

Raven and Legacy bond over birds, with oftentimes the pair listening to Cloud rant about his loftwing.

Downfall Trio and Relic bond over post-apocalyptic Hyrule.

Gale and Cloud bond over not having a Hyrule and (eventually) Inventing Kingdoms.

Cloud and Relic bond over minecarts and cannons, with Pint popping in with minecarts.

If Relic and Rune are separated from the group, they cause chaos, which Conflict can sense and follow to their location.

Raven’s reputation as the walking roof is well earned by the fact that his cloak is everything proof. literally.

Conflict often takes night watch, since he knows he wouldn’t be sleeping anyway. he sleepwalks during the day, and uses himself as a doorstop when Relic and Royal cause chaos. (he falls asleep on top of them, they can’t complain)

sometimes Pint will bring out his music box and turn it on. it spooked the others the first time around because it was at night, but Era has made lyrics for it for when anyone can’t sleep even with the help of the music box.

giant fluffy canine pillow wrapping sad Link in giant fluffy warm thing = dreamless sleep. it works every time.

Legacy doesn’t dream much, but when he does it’s of Kohoint and he does his best to win the crane game. the items he wins appears in his bag, and he does his best to keep the island alive in his mind.

when one person (especially the quieter, more insecure ones) sings, the others join in, therefore creating a concert by accident.

Ancient, Cloud, Relic and Royal can hear Hylia from the Goddess Statues. for Cloud, he basically talking to an older version of his eventual wife.

Raven has a housemate; Illia. she’s staying in his place while she builds her own house. Raven needed to GET OUT of the village for a day or two. unfortunately, this ended up with him finding the first missing piece of his Hyrule.

Conflict has a magic storybook. it’s basically all of the adventures the others have gone on (besides Koholint) with his favorite is the Hero of Twilight’s tale. he’s having fun finding out what’s inaccurately recorded.

Hero of All is both Original’s title and the collective Hero Title.

Relic, Royal and Conflict share the Heroes of All storybook. the thing’s immortal.

Pint 🤝 Sword:

not being quite mature but naturally very calm and sensible unless you make them angry.

Era likes the Minish magic because then when he mentally switches to Child he can, indeed, be small for a day or so. and cleaning the spots in Lux’s cloak that Lux misses is being productive.

Want lyrics or need help extending a song? just ask Era!

all of them hear the Universe Music, and Gale loves finding the secrets in songs. (Temple of Time, Rito Village, In A House, Ballad of The Goddess, etc)

during walking they hum along to the Overworld Music. the only problem is when they’re in Relic’s Hyrule and they just listen to Legacy improvise.

Royal’s Hyrule does not have this problem, but still is much quieter than other Hyrules. Relic likes it.

There really isn’t a solid Leader, but Cloud can and will make the decisions, Conflict has taken over mentoring and battle plans, and Lux will keep the group in one place for an extended period of time. Everyone contributes, like Wanderer with his magic-sense, Gale with short-term plans, Relic with the sheikah slate forecast, Legacy with his experience, and so on. The co-leaders have their own assistants that can take over should the leaders be out of commission. Lux has Era, Conflict has Royal, and Cloud has Brush.

Cloud, Era, Royal and Relic have competitions about their giant swords and their skill at wielding them.

Lux’s pitch dark basement is strange with that weird mirror, but everyone feels safe plonking their stuff in there and Wanderer’s hypersensitivity tones down a lot in there.

As Gale is technically a weather mage, his at-will tornadoes make up for his size when he needs to protect his older brothers.

Cloud has simultaneously the calmest personality and the shortest temper.

Relic 🤝 Brush 🤝 Royal

understanding shopkeeper greed and haggling for the proper prices.

Royal has slightly better hearing than Relic, but Relic can recognize sounds that are out of the ordinary faster.

Legacy is the goldmine for nicknames.

Everyone is chaotic good with big servings of lawful good for the Links who can behave themselves (Conflict, Lux, Royal, Relic, Sword and the spirits) and neutral good for everyone else. Cloud is often too tired to cause chaos but will encourage it if there’s no decisions to be made.

The only one who won’t sass you if they’re annoyed enough is Lux, and only because he’ll use malicious compliance instead. Gale will chuck a tornado at you. If you SOMEHOW get Cloud annoyed at you (which is kinda impossible since barbs tend to just roll off him) then good luck staying alive.

Secrets and details of adventures are given as shows of trust, and eventually everyone has one (or more) other Heroes who know their secrets. It does wonders for those who can’t really hold in their trauma without stress.

Raven 🤝 Warden

the world being too noisy sometimes.