#Tent of Torment au

[ilikemicrowaves]

TENT OF TORMENT AU

Caine has disappeared and the abstracted have been unleashed upon the ground and is spreading to the members, now they have to work to survive and find a way to stop thus and find Caine

PART ONE

Journal entry 1 - Ragatha, Outpost

Being at the outpost alone now that Jax is searching for Kaufmo most of the time is, sad. There isn't much here, and if we do have an emergency, I have to run down a flight of stars before I can defend our camping spot.

Gangle comes and visits on her breaks from looting. I haven't spoken much to the new kid, poor guy couldn't remember her name, luckily she had her name carved on her knife. But what I've heard from Gangle is she's very calm, just stressed of her situation and if she had anybody out there, or a group still looking for her.

I can tell you one thing, she's very brave and determined. The last time I stopped at the tent she was convinced she could start moving around again without assistance, but unfortunately fell from dehydration. Zooble had to help her back into the bed.

We had a very close call today though. An abnormally large Abstracted was lurking in the distance near the lake. I haven't seen any that close before, usually in the fields.

Journal entry 2 - Ragatha, Outpost.

Gangle came to report to me that Jax has injured himself while fighting off and attracted and broke his only weapon. Possibly why an abstracted was so close to the maze.

He broke his ankle and possibly knee. He's in a cast the prevents him from moving his knee at all. He'll be sore once it's off and we won't here the end of it.

While Gangle was visiting me, Kinger was still in the cornmaze looting for any newly spawned crates, when we heard him fire his shot gun.

By the time we made it to the entrance of the corn maze, he came out dragging behind him a person. A fuzzy yellow and green worm of sort, we're currently heading back to the medical tent since they're still breathing. I feel so bad that they've been shot. Luckily, Gangle is keeping pressure on the wound

———————————

End of part one.

Salutations, I'm having an unreasonably amount of fun with this au and i am completely open to questions! ^^

[moonstruckme]

Thawing Out

collab with @ellecdc

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11 | part 12

cw: modern au, alcohol, brief talk of injuries/chronic pain

poly!wolfstar x fem!reader ♡ 1.4k words

“Oi! What’s this?” 

You sit up from your stretch with a sheepish look on your face, legs spread out on either side of you on Sirius’ rug. 

“You know there’s no practice during lounge time,” he scolds. 

You roll your eyes but come out of your split, standing to take the drink Sirius holds out for you. “I just felt a little tight.” 

“Probably because of how hard you’ve been working at not jumping.” He clinks his glass against yours, taking a hearty sip. 

You copy him, and your face scrunches. “Oh, my god.” You sound like you’re fighting a gag. “What’s in this?” 

“It’s sangria.” Sirius’ voice is a bit wounded. Which feels appropriate, because you’ve just reacted to his sangria like it’s petrol. 

“You mean there’s a whole bowl of it?” 

“That’s how it typically works.” He takes another sip, swishing it around his mouth a bit. It’s really not bad. “I make drinks, babe. Not juice.” 

“I’m going to have to revoke your drink making privileges again after this,” you sigh, folding one leg under you as you sit down on the couch. You take another sip, tentative and with narrowed eyes like you’re suspicious of the liquid in your glass, but this time you swallow without complaint. “Do you really think I’m working hard at not jumping?” 

Sirius grimaces. He should have known better than to think he could breeze by a comment like that. 

“Listen,” he says, “he’s not wrong about everything. I mean, about most things, definitely—” you give a little smile, the reward he was seeking “—but he’s got a point on this one. I can feel you tensing right before the jumps. Before a lot of things, actually. You’re holding yourself back.” 

You rub your lips together, a nervous tic of yours that torments Sirius like nothing else. He fights the urge to lick his own lips in response. 

“Do you remember what Peter said about my jumps?” you ask him. 

Sirius feels his mouth twist with a malice not meant for you. He tries to quell it. But fuck—why are you still thinking about that wanker? 

Peter Pettigrew was a mistake in trust Sirius never should have made. His judgment has always been wonky where James is concerned; Peter was James’ friend, so he was Sirius’ by default, but Sirius still should have known better than to bring him around you. 

Before, there would have been three of you here. Peter used to like to sit on the couch with Sirius, and you were more than happy to lounge around on the rug and stretch, no matter how many times Sirius told you to lay off yourself and relax for once. He was totally prepared to have to shoot you down if you suggested inviting Remus tonight, but despite how comfortable you seem to have become with your new coach over the last couple of weeks, you haven’t seemed inclined to bring your relationship outside the rink. Sirius is grateful. Now that it’s just the two of you, he intends to keep it that way. It had more than stung to learn that Peter sold the both of you out, but it was worse knowing that Sirius could have avoided it had he simply used the acumen he’d always prided himself on to sniff out the rat before it happened. 

Fuck, the sangria is already going to Sirius’ head; he has half a mind to go to the pillock’s apartment and burn it down. If Peter’s half as smart as he thinks he is, he’ll have already moved. 

“No,” Sirius says, already tired with this conversation. He takes another lengthy sip from his glass. “What did he say?”

You curl your feet a little closer to you, and—yep, if Peter’s ever stupid enough to come within Sirius’ sight again, he’s going to knock his fucking teeth out. “He told the other coach that I was one bad jump away from injuring myself into an early retirement.” 

From your weary tone, Sirius can guess that you’ve memorized it verbatim. 

“He didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about,” he tells you firmly. 

Your voice gets smaller. “He usually did.” 

Your defeat hits Sirius right in the center of his chest. It makes his wrath fizzle. He doesn’t like to think about Peter’s better qualities, but you’re not wrong. He wasn’t always a complete idiot when it came to coaching. 

You lean your head on the couch cushion, and Sirius mirrors you unthinkingly. 

“You think you’re going to get hurt.” His voice comes out even softer than he intends. It’s a question, and also not. 

You nod anyway. “I can’t stop thinking about it. I know I’m messing us up, but I don’t want to fall and then not be able to compete.” 

Sirius’ mind flashes to Remus, to his grimace when he stands from the bleachers, the limp he tries to hide. From your expression, you’re thinking about him too. 

“You’re not messing us up, love.” The endearment slips out too easily, Sirius’ throat all buttered up by sympathy and booze. “Only yourself. You’re falling more now than you did before, you do realize that?” 

Your expression creases slightly, which is answer enough. 

“Every time you tense up or hold yourself back,” he says, “you’re more at risk for a bad fall than you would be if you committed. I’ve seen you fall more in the last couple of weeks than I think I ever have. Whatever Pete—Peter—was talking about, you’re only as much at risk of getting hurt as everyone else that’s as good a skater as you are—I mean, you have the skill to protect yourself, you’re just not using it. You trying to play it safe is less safe than when you didn’t worry about it.” 

You sit with this for a minute, rubbing your lips together thoughtfully. Sirius notices that at some point, you’ve nearly drained your glass as well. 

“Oh,” you say simply. 

He can’t help the grin that splits his face. “Oh?” 

“I hadn’t quite thought about it like that.” You take another sip, eyes stuck in the middle distance. 

“You can just say I’m the wisest person you know. It’s all right.” 

Your gaze cuts to him. “Would you like that engraved on a trophy?”

Sirius feels his smile grow. “Sure, I’ll add it to my collection.” 

“Oh, you are insufferable,” you chuckle. “Don’t think it was your original idea, though, was it?” A grin spreads across your face, one Sirius doesn’t like very much. “In fact, I think you’ve just agreed with Remus. Quite heartily.” 

Sirius feels his mouth pucker in distaste. “That was incidental.” 

Your laughter is diabolical. He wonders whether you were quite so wicked before you met him; it’s impossible to say, now. 

“Should I skip practice tomorrow?” you ask gleefully. “That way you two can spend the entire time waxing poetic about how right the other is.” 

He levels you with a dead stare. “Don’t fool yourself, doll. You like me too much to condemn me to such a cruel fate.” 

“You’re so full of it.” You roll your eyes with a smile, swirling your glass. “He is sort of your type, isn’t he?” 

Sirius’ throat nearly hurts from the force of his scoff. “What—dull, stubborn, and pompous? Fuck off.”

You hum, your gaze playful. “But also quite fit, right?” 

Sirius narrows his eyes at you, but that only makes yours twinkle more. He feels it like tiny little firecrackers in his gut. Even though you’re only teasing, he can see where you’d get the idea. When Sirius dates boys, he tends to go for ones taller than him, with Remus’ same lissom frame and enigmatic allure. But with Remus, there is no enigma; he’s a tosser, clear as day. And truly, Sirius hasn’t found anybody as lovely as you in some time. 

“Sounds like you’re the one who fancies him,” he says, keeping his voice light. He makes his expression go impish and teasing. “We can both do better, don’t you think?” 

You roll your eyes, but your expression is inscrutable as you take another sip from your glass. Until you take another sip, that is. Then, your lip curls. “Ugh, we can certainly do better than this. Do you have something I could add to it?” 

“You want me to let you sully my creation,” Sirius deadpans. 

“I want you to let me make your monstrosity potable.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” he says. “I’ll let you, but then no more shop talk for the night.” 

You grin, sitting up. “I promise.” 

“There’s orange juice in the fridge.” 

[utterlyazriel]

—whom the shadows sing for (and the thief’s echoing hymn)

FIC MASTERLIST

A story about one shadowsinger who did his time in the Illyrian Mountains and one warrior waiting out her own— who will do anything to keep her wings… even if it means posing as a Male.

fem!reader, mulan-esque au

1. STRANGERS

Someone in the Illryian Mountains has been making a name for themselves— a bastard like Azriel and his brothers, ruffling the feathers of a war camp's Lord. But they seem to have no loyalty to the fighting legion, or much to anyone for that matter.

2. ALLIES

Azriel trains you and is particularly unforgivable about it. Together, you tackle tonics. Azriel ponders the unmistakable pull he feels and you try your best to keep your secret under wraps.

3. COMPANIONS

Azriel leaves for Velaris. You reflect on old choices and everything that you lead you to where you are now— and realise it's been awhile since you had anyone to miss.

4. FRIENDS

You return to regular training for the first time in a month. Azriel asks a favor from Rhys and finds you in a less than stellar condition when he returns to camp.

5. CONFIDANTS

You test out if your efforts with the tonics are worth anything and Azriel bestows you with a gift. He asks about the Blood Rite and you ponder the strange, golden thread you've been feeling in your chest. Disaster strikes when night falls.

6. BETRAYERS

A secret you vowed to never reveal gets uncovered and Azriel struggles as all he's known is turned on its head. An unfriendly adversary from the past comes knocking.

7. MATES

Azriel mourns a mistake that will haunt him for eternity as he races back to you. You play the leading role in one of your nightmares, but you can't seem to wake up.

8. STRANGERS (AGAIN)

You wake up somewhere entirely new, a long, long way from your home.

9. FRIENDS (IN OTHER PLACES)

Adjusting to life in Velaris means learning to train with new, friendly faces. A tentative friendship forms. Azriel keeps his distance.

10. SHADOWS

Azriel's shadows find a new way to torment their master. The question of forgiveness follows you. Cassian gets you in the ring, testing out newly learnt skills.

to be continued…

chapters 10/?

[blackberreh-art]

Old Man Yaoi AU future rambles

I never posted the full thing here, so I thought why not, since I'm struggling to get anything new down lol. Just copy and pasted from twitter, so forgive any weird formatting or errors!

I started this not knowing where I wanted to go with it, just knowing '10 years after being gone from japan, old man yaoi afomight come back because Toshinori has a bleeding heart and AfO is along for the ride' . And I didn't know what I wanted to show exactly, just the comfort and ease at which the two acted with one another.

AfO's gonna join Toshi at the railing and hold out a hand. Knowing what he wants, Toshi's gonna pull out a pack of cigarettes and let AfO take one.

"I don't know why I still carry these." Toshi says, watching as AfO lights the cigarette with a flicker of a stolen fire quirk. "

Habit." AfO says. "The lingering effects of the leash around my neck. Does it bother you?"

All Might quirks a brow. "What? The fact that I have to carry your shit for you, even now?"

AfO chuckles. That wasn't what he meant, and Toshi knows it. That's answer enough really - the experiments, the chip in his brain (even now long destroyed), the torture that AfO went through at the hands of the HPSC - of course it still bothered Toshi.

Coming back to japan…

It's weighing on Toshi. He's here to help his former students, even though he's retired officially as a hero. Vigilantism is still frowned upon, but no-one has the balls to tell All Might to keep to the sidelines, especially now that he has a few quirks on his side. And AfO. And isn't that funny? AfO has stated many times that he refuses to lend a hand. Toshi's alright with that. He's alright with the company alone. He still marvels at the fact that AfO still kept himself leashed to-

(Guilt, self hatred, Toshi still hasn't let them go. His former enemy could throw him that crooked grin that he'd hated so much in the past and Toshi would just melt these days.)

Toshi let out a heavy breath. Being back here… it was making it so much harder to rationalize his thoughts. His emotions. AfO stood by his side through all the meetings, appearing bored out of his mind and throwing in many a snide remark, and Toshi looked at him and thought 'I should hate this man.'

He didn't, though. The heroes, his former students scurried around the former demon lord like he was going to snap at any minute. Tenko refused to be in the same city as him. Izuku and Katsuki watched AfO with a single minded determination to put him down before he can even think to make a move, and only Toshi knew that AfO really had no intention to shatter the tentative truce in place.

Only Toshi knew AfO had other plans. He always had other plans. Some Toshi knew the details of, some he didn't, and there was a time when that would have terrified him. 15 years to spend together, through danger after danger…

Toshi knew AfO.

The doubts, when they appeared, didn't last.

"Does it bother you?" Toshi tossed the question back, and AfO paused, cigarette to his lips. Hazy white eyes drift to meet Toshi's, and the former hero marvels at just how easy it was to read AfO now.

AfO was disgruntled.

"Yes, and no." AfO said. "I don't care about your little students." A pause, and AfO's eyes gain a focus that has Toshi's hackles raising. "Hm. No, I suppose I do. But not because they all fear me or I feel any guilt for what I did to them."

A long time ago, Toshi would have flinched. He didn't even bat an eye now, even as he thought of Tenko and the sheer torment that All for One put that boy through.

(Guilt, guilt, guilt...)

"No, your one boy... Izuku Midoriya." AfO's gaze dropped focus again, his form relaxing when Toshi didn't bite at him defensively at the sound of his former students name. Toshi stood there, listening. "Or rather, One for All. And my brother."

Toshi hummed. His focus is intent. "Are you going to try taking it back again?"

AfO didn't look at him. Eyes unfocused again, cigarette dangling from between his fingers, burning away without being used. Toshi waited patiently. "... I said I would not." All for One finally said as he came back to himself. There's a tension to his mouth now. He's unhappy about it. "Your trust was hard enough to earn as it was. However..."

AfO is in Toshi's personal space now, a wall of heat pushing back the encroaching chill of the evening. Toshi braced a hand against the railing and shifted to face him, brow quirked. AfO always did like to crowd when he wanted to make a point or had something important to say.

"Do you remember what I said to you that last night we were here?" There's that crooked grin again, charming and threatening and so very well practiced. "When you played at hero when you didn't need to? When you were bleeding out and I had to carry you to safety?"

Toshi swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. "When - yes, what are you getting at?"

AfO finally brings the cigarette to his lips and takes a lazy drag. Smoke curls through the air, and Toshi breaths it in with shiver, remembering a time when he would have doubled over, unable to breathe.

"I can't fault you for being a hero." AfO said. "It's who you are at your core. You're the perfect hero, and I so utterly adore that. You're here to help, because of course you are, you're All Might."

Even when praising him it sounds condescending.

"But I want you to remember what I told you then." AfO flicked the cigarette carelessly to the ground and crushed it under the heel of his shoe. "About what will happen if your heroism gets the best of you, and you end up killing yourself."

At that, Toshi winced. Ah.

(a preview of THAT is this)

(imagine Toshi's head in AfO's lap after being shot by the president of the HPSC lmao...)

AfO's smile is all threat. "If you let your heroism get the best of you, and you end up killing yourself, then know that there is nothing left to prevent me from completing my initial goals and taking One for All for myself."

It wasn't the healthiest of ultimatums.

But it was one Toshi remembered laughing at after hearing it for the first time. Live, because if not then AfO would turn back into the supervillain he was at heart? 'Live, or else I kill everything you hold dear?' He'd thought it was kind of sweet. Hadn't wanted to question why.

Still doesn't want to question why. Even now, he finds it kind of sweet. Knows its... messed up.

He smiles at All for One, feeling warm. "Don't worry about me. I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

"Good boy." All for One croons, and his arms snake around Toshi's waist.

They stand together in silence for a moment, and the evening sky deepens around them. AfO breaks the silence. "I feel you should know it's actually quite difficult to behave. I'm showing remarkable restraint."

Toshi snorts against AfO's neck, muffling his laughter. "Good boy."

[soloroomies]

lifemate (Chapter 11/ Sakusa x f!reader)

summary: you find yourself tormented, questioning every moment of the last six months with him, while desperately trying to drift your thoughts away from him. word count. 2.5k cw. marriage pact au, mature content, angst (emotional turmoil) a/n. we're nearing the end of the story guys! there'll be like two chapters left! thank u for enjoying the story so far<3

Masterlist

You consider leaving the gym quietly without Kiyoomi noticing, but then you remember that you've sent him texts. Fuck. You don't feel like you're in the right headspace to meet him right now. Feeling your emotions are still all over the place. You think you can abandon your feelings, numb them somehow, but not right now. Can you unsend the texts?

You still stand in the back rows of the bleachers, in fight-or-flight mode, considering all the options you have. Suddenly, your phone vibrates. Shit. You pull it out to see that it's Kiyoomi calling you. You excuse yourself from Fumi, hearing her say sorry while you just wave your hand, mumbling "it’s okay" to her, then you answer Kiyoomi.

"Hey, are you in the gym? Just saw your texts," he says.

You bite your lip, trying to control your overwhelming emotions upon hearing his voice. "Yeah, I'm in the gym."

"I didn’t expect you to come here. I was about to have dinner outside."

Is it with that woman? 

Feeling your emotions intensifies with your own thoughts. You know Kiyoomi is unaware of this, but it still stings.

"I'm sorry, I was just bored in the house and made too much food."

You hear Kiyoomi hum. You really want to slap yourself. You shouldn’t have come here. This was such a stupid initiative.

"Want to head home? I’m done practicing, actually. I’ll just eat the food you brought at home."

"Okay."

"Where are you?"

"I'm taking a seat on the bleachers, in the back."

"Oh, okay. Meet me at the carpark? You see the car, right?"

"Yeah."

You walk to the car while trying to control your breath and think straight. When you arrive at the carpark, you see that Kiyoomi is already there, leaning on the car door.

"Hey, let’s go home," he says, unlocking the car. You nod and get in.

On the way home, Kiyoomi asks about the food you brought. You respond, not realizing your answers are too curt and your tone colder than usual. He frowns and takes a double look, "Is there something wrong?" You bite your lip, mentally cursing him for how he's getting better at reading you.

"Nothing," you reply.

"Weren’t you with Fumi earlier?" he asks.

You hum in response.

He looks at you, concern in his eyes, and asks tentatively, "Is she giving you a hard time?"

"No! Of course not."

"Then why?" he asks.

Finally you decide to bring up what you saw earlier. "It’s just that… Fumi saw me seeing you with that woman—"

"What woman?" Kiyoomi interrupts.

"I don’t know her name. The one from the social media team?"

"Hiyori?" he asks, and you really don't want to know or hear her name. How many more could there be? You sigh, frustration boiling over.

"I really don’t know, Omi," you say, feeling your voice start to crack. "She sat next to you on the bench."

His frown deepens. "Are you being jealous?" he asks.

"No! I mean, it’s alright! It’s just that Fumi pointed out about you both," you're just babbling at this point, feeling increasingly defensive. "I’m just worried if other people notice it, too, okay? It’ll just look bad on us."

Both of you fall silent for a moment. Your heart feels heavy as you say the next words, "I’m just glad we’re always doing it safe." That earns you a glare from him. His expression is unreadable. After a brief pause, he sighs and grips the steering wheel tighter.

"Right," he says. "We can see other people, right?"

His words hit you like a punch to the gut. He’s right, but you didn't expect him to throw that fact in your face right now. It feels like a punishment for wanting more of him. You bite your lip, not having the courage to speak. You’re sure if you say a single word, you'll break into tears.

The rest of the ride is quiet, the air tense. As soon as he pulls up, you get out of the car and go straight to your room. You try to calm your breath, but you can’t hold back the tears that start streaming down your face as soon as you close the door. Hundreds of thoughts flood your mind. How could something beautiful turn ugly like this?

If you want to point fingers at who's wrong in this, it's definitely you. You knew better than to feel this way towards him. Now, you're ruining something delicate you had with him just because you decided to have feelings. 

Is it better if you weren’t married to him in the first place?

You might still be good friends with him until at least you’re 40 or something, until he forgot you. But now?

There’s only one solution for you right now: avoid him at all costs. You’re still too emotional. The next step is to numb your feelings. That’s easy, right?

In the morning, you wake up earlier than usual, hoping to avoid bumping into Kiyoomi. Knowing his routine, you're confident you can leave the apartment without seeing him. Thankfully, he did stick to his schedule, allowing you to slip out unnoticed.

You stop by the coffee shop near your office to buy coffee and a pastry for breakfast. Suddenly, you remember that you didn’t make him breakfast this morning. It’s not like you feel you owe him or something, not a guilty feeling either. You’re just dwelling on the fact that he will see that there’s no food for him on the table, which maybe he didn’t expect. Then, he will have to— stop. Why does your mind still drift to him somehow? First step you need to do is to not think about him. 

But throughout the day at the office, your mind keeps pulling you back to the memories of the last few days. Sitting at your desk, you reflect on the past six months of your marriage, replaying every moment.

Wait. Tami is coming into town. Shit. You feel terrible about potentially dumping all your problems on her. The plan was to have fun, but now... well, shit happens, and you created this mess yourself.

When it’s finally time to go home, you pack your things quickly. You had a phone call with Tami and suggested a night out at a club. She was surprised, but you insisted you needed to let loose after a tough day at work. The truth is, you don't want to burden her with your problems right now. In a quieter setting, she would see right through you and probe for details. You know she expected a more relaxed evening to catch up. You'll tell her everything eventually, just not now. Definitely not now. 

The reason why you get home as quickly as possible is that, of course, you want to avoid Kiyoomi. You know he always comes back later than you. That’s why you want to get home to get ready for a night out with Tami and leave before he arrives home.

As soon as you arrive at the hotel where Tami stays, Tami greets you warmly in the lobby and invites you up to her room so she can get ready. The moment you close the door behind you, she exclaims, "It’s been so long!! I miss you!" She runs over and hugs you tightly.

"I miss you so much, too!" you reply, returning the hug with equal enthusiasm.

She pulls back and studies your face. "Damn! You really do look tired! Work’s that bad, huh?"

You gulp, feeling the tension build. She reads you too well. "Ooh!" you blow air from your mouth, trying to lighten the mood. "It’s so bad! I was given a much more complicated task than before." You pull a distasteful face, hoping it sells the story. Thankfully, she seems to believe you.

You quickly switch the topic to her, "Anyway, how's everything with you and your husband? Are you still juggling those insane work hours?"

"Oh, you wouldn’t believe it! He’s been so busy with his projects, and I’ve had back-to-back meetings. Sometimes, we barely see each other!"

You nod, genuinely interested. "That sounds intense. How do you manage to keep up with everything?"

Tami laughs, "Barely! We’ve been trying to carve out time for each other, but it’s a struggle.”

She dives into her stories enthusiastically, and you find yourself getting lost in her words, grateful for the distraction.

Before heading to the club, you decide to call room service for dinner. While waiting, you help Tami get ready, doing her makeup and picking out an outfit. She looks stunning when you're done.

"Are you sure this looks okay?" Tami asks, checking herself in the mirror.

"You look amazing! Trust me, everyone's going to be jealous," you assure her, doing some touch-ups on your own makeup. She scoffs incredulously at you.

Once you're both ready, you get into Tami's car and drive to the club. "It’s been so long since we last went out. Remember our wild nights back in college?" she reminisces.

"How could I forget? Those were some of the best times," you laugh, feeling a sense of nostalgia.

As you arrive at the club, the excitement builds. IIt’s been so long since you went there. Probably last year? Or two years ago? You can’t really remember.

The pulsating beat of the music fills the air as you step into the vibrant club, a popular spot for night owls. The colorful lights dance around the room, casting an electric glow on everything they touch. Everyone is dressed to impress, and you're glad you’ve chosen an outfit that compliments you. 

“Let’s sit there first!” Tami points at a corner of the club, a quieter place than where you stand now. You nod and she grabs your hand to walk there. You order your first round of drinks—something light to start with—and settle into a cozy booth. 

“This place is lit!” Tami exclaims happily.

You agree with her, “Right? Let’s just have fun.” 

Tami nods at you. “Wait! I forgot. Isn’t Kiyoomi’s match tomorrow?”

You're silent for a second. To be honest, you're not planning to not go to his match. But your heart still feels heavy at the thought of seeing him so soon. You can't decide now. “Yeah. I’ll make sure to wake up right on time.” You offer her your best smile.

She frowns a bit at your dismissive answer. “Well… I haven’t heard anything about you both! Is there anything interesting happening?” she wiggles her eyebrows, her tone teasing.

Shit. You laugh at her question, “Well, you know? Just me and my friend living together. Nothing much, really. It’s just like living with your roommate.” You wave your hand dismissively. “We have separate lives, you know?” you say with a nervous laugh.

She smiles, “But, like—” she is interrupted as your drinks arrive. “Thank you,” you say to the waiter. You quickly take your drink and gulp it down.

Tami stares at you. “Whoa whoa. Wait. What was I gonna say?”

You shrug at her question, pointing at her drink. “Your drink looks good. What is it?” you ask, trying to distract her.

She looks at her drink and takes a sip. “It’s just my usual!” she says cheerily.

Phew. She's distracted. “Let’s finish the drinks and we’ll go to the dance floor!” You gulp more of your drink and finish it. At this point, Tami already notices something is off with you, but she knows you don’t want to tell her. Most likely it relates to Kiyoomi. Your answer is way too off.

As you and Tami get up, you order more drinks from the bar. It’s time to just let loose. As more drinks enter your system, the alcohol quickly starts to lift your spirits even higher. You grab Tami and walk to the dance floor.

On the dance floor, the lights flash and bodies move rhythmically to the music. You join in, losing yourselves in the rhythm, your worries melting away with each beat. You keep ordering more drinks, each one bringing you closer to that carefree state you crave. Tami asks you a few times whether you’re okay or if you want to go home. But you dismiss her, just nodding to any of her questions.

As you dance, you notice a few guys across the room. 'We can see other people anyway, right?' Kiyoomi's words ring in your head. It fucking stings. You can just do that too, right? Be with anyone you want. You’re not bound by anything. Nothing.

Wait. No. That’s just too fucking impulsive. Luckily, you still have a bit of your awareness left. You shake off the thought, focusing on the music and the moment. 

After a few more drinks, your movements become less coordinated, and everything seems a bit blurry. You find it harder to stay upright, the room spinning faster with each passing moment. You nearly black out, your vision narrowing and your balance completely gone. Tami quickly notices and guides you to a quieter area to sit down.

“Let’s go home!” Tami says urgently. “Do you want me to drive you to your home?”

You shake your head aggressively, “No! No, please. Let me stay in your room.”

Tami nods understandingly and helps you navigate out of the club to her car. You stagger slightly, leaning on Tami for support as the cool night air hits your face.

As the car starts moving, the combination of motion and the alcohol in your system makes you feel incredibly drowsy. The streetlights blur together as you drive, and you struggle to keep your eyes open. Your head feels heavy, and your thoughts become fragmented. One moment you’re aware of Tami talking next to you, the next moment everything seems to fade into darkness. You try to focus, but it's like grasping at shadows. The hum of the engine and the gentle rocking of the car lull you into a state where reality and dreams start to mix.

By the time you reach the hotel, you're barely conscious. Tami helps you out of the car, assisted by one of the hotel staff. The hotel lobby is a blur of lights and sounds, and the next thing you know, you're being gently laid down on the bed. The soft sheets feel like heaven against your skin, and you sink into them, finally allowing the blackout to take over completely.

Tami sits beside you, stroking your hair gently. "You’re going to be okay," she whispers, though her voice sounds distant. You try to muster a response, but all that comes out is a faint murmur.

The events of the night swirl in your mind like a distant storm. You think about Kiyoomi, the tension between you, and the nagging uncertainty of your relationship. The alcohol magnifies your emotions, making everything feel more intense and overwhelming.

Tami’s voice breaks through the haze. “Hey, get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning, okay?” She pulls a blanket over you, and the warmth is comforting. You nod weakly, feeling the weight of the night pressing down on you.

As you drift off, you can’t help but replay the moments with Kiyoomi in your mind. The way he looked at you, the unspoken words hanging in the air, and the fear that maybe things will never be the same. But for now, you let the exhaustion take over, surrendering to the darkness and hoping that tomorrow will bring some clarity.

Taglist: @wolffmaiden , @fiannee , @nightlydream , @choizzn , @peachyaeger @crxm-dollx , @marisabel14 , @yunskook, @reimiiko

[doumadono]

Warnings: violence, viking!Dabi, viking!Shoto, earl!Endeavor, viking!Hawks, viking!Natsuo, fem!reader, viking themes, viking!Bakugo, viking!Kirishima, viking!Aizawa, viking!All Might, blood and injuries, gore, implied smut (non-con), Shoto is a massive jerk

Summary: impatience simmers within you as Touya's trip lingers. Upon the troops' return, the horrifying news unfolds — the prince has fallen in battle. Grieving, you brace for no further blows, only for Shoto to remind you to always expect the unexpected

Word count: circa 11.3k

A/N: if you'd like to be added to the taglist for this series, please let me know ♥

KVITRAVN - MHA VIKING AU • MY HERO ACADEMIA MASTERLIST

PREVIOUS CHAPTER • NEXT CHAPTER

ACT V - NEW BEGINNINGS

The biting cold pierced through Touya's sleep, and the distant echoes of an unfamiliar sound drew him out of the warmth of his furs. Shifting quietly, he glanced over to see his younger brother, Shoto, still deep in slumber. The tent flaps rustled lightly with the night breeze, and Touya reached for his dagger, his breath visible in the frosty air.

Carefully, he wrapped himself in a thick fur, its warmth a shield against the harsh northern chill. As he stepped outside, the moon cast an ethereal glow on the snow-covered landscape. The world seemed frozen, a silent expanse of white.

The muffled sounds persisted, guiding Touya through the darkness. He noticed the sleeping figures of their fellow warriors, their breath creating small clouds in the frigid night air. Only Hawks sat near the dwindling fire, his attention fixed on the rhythmic motions of polishing his axe.

"Prince Touya," Hawks greeted without looking up, his voice low yet carrying an air of confidence.

"Hawks," Touya acknowledged, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "Did you hear that noise? Something's not right."

Hawks paused, setting the axe aside, and finally looked at Touya. The firelight flickered, casting shadows on his sharp features. "I heard nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps it's just the wind playing tricks on your mind, my lord.”

Touya tightened his grip on the dagger, his instincts telling him otherwise. "No, it was different. Like footsteps or the creaking of snow under pressure."

Hawks raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Your senses are sharp, Touya. But I assure you, all is calm."

As if on cue, the wind howled, carrying with it an eerie stillness. Touya remained unconvinced, his gaze fixated on the vast wilderness surrounding them. "I'll take a quick look around. Better safe than sorry."

Hawks nodded, resuming his task. "Do what you must, my lord. But don't let your imagination run wild. These lands can play tricks on the mind."

Touya acknowledged the advice, leaving Hawks by the fading fire. Each step through the snow amplified the hushed night. The cold bit at his exposed skin, but determination fueled his movement.

In the quiet expanse, Touya's senses heightened. The darkness revealed no secrets, and the mysterious sounds remained elusive. Yet, as he patrolled the perimeter, a lingering unease settled within him. 

Touya's boots crunched softly on the snow-covered ground as he wandered back to the camp. The cold air stung his face, but it was a welcome distraction from the thoughts that had been haunting him. The familiar sight of the camp brought a mix of comfort and yearning.

He found a large rock, partially buried under the pristine snow, and with a heavy sigh, he brushed off enough snow to make a seat. Settling down, he gazed at the camp bathed in moonlight. The tents stood stoically, and the dying embers of the fire flickered in the crisp night air.

Yet, despite the serene surroundings, Touya's mind betrayed him. It drifted away from the snow-covered landscape, back to you. Your laughter echoed in his ears, and the memory of the warmth of your body against his lingered like a sweet torment.

He closed his eyes for a moment, a deep breath escaping him. The image of you, the one he cherished above all else, filled his thoughts. The way your eyes sparkled, the sound of your voice, and the gentle touch of your hand were etched in his mind. In the midst of the harsh Viking world, you were his sanctuary. "I miss you," he whispered to the quiet night, as if the wind might carry his words to you. "These missions, the cold, the battles — they all feel so empty without you by my side, sweet Y/N."

His fingers absentmindedly traced patterns in the snow as he lost himself in the memories. The way you teased him, the shared glances that spoke volumes, and the moments of quiet understanding between you two. The world outside may have been harsh, but in your company, Touya found a refuge — a haven of warmth and love he never knew before.

He longed for the day when he could return to you, to feel the comfort of your embrace and to hear your laughter once more. The countdown to being reunited seemed to stretch on endlessly, each day a reminder of the miles that separated them.

With a heavy heart, Touya opened his eyes, refocusing on the camp before him. 

The moonlit night cast an eerie glow on the snow-covered ground as Touya's eyes narrowed, catching a hint of movement to the right of the camp. Dark, crooked silhouettes emerged from the shadows of nearby bushes, and instinctively, Touya tightened his grip on the dagger, rising from his snowy seat.

Silent as the wind, he moved towards the camp, his senses heightened. As he drew closer, the outlines became clear — a pack of wolves, their eyes gleaming with hunger, led by a massive, black alpha. Time was of the essence, and Touya knew he had to act swiftly. "Wolves!" he shouted, the urgency in his voice cutting through the night.

The camp stirred, warriors scrambling to their feet, roused by Touya's warning. 

Hawks grabbed his axe and joined Touya at the forefront. 

The alpha wolf, towering over its pack, snarled, signaling the onslaught about to unfold.

The first wolf lunged at Touya, its fangs bared, but he sidestepped with a dancer's grace, bringing down his dagger with deadly precision. The clash of steel against fur echoed in the cold night air as the skirmish erupted.

Hawks, his axe a lethal extension of his will, swung with calculated brutality. His strikes were a dance of death, each swing met with the desperate howls of wolves. His movements were fluid, a deadly display of skill honed through countless battles.

Touya, too, fought with a controlled ferocity, his dagger slicing through the air. Wolves leaped, jaws snapping, but he evaded and struck with lethal accuracy. The snow around them stained with crimson as the battle waged on.

Meanwhile, Hawks battled the remaining wolves, his axe a whirlwind of death. The warriors from the camp rallied beside them, forming a united front against the relentless onslaught. The air was filled with the clash of weapons, the snarls of wolves, and the shouts of warriors determined to defend their camp.

The aftermath of the vicious wolf attack left a somber scene, with fallen warriors scattered across the snow-covered ground. The hungry wolves, driven by primal instincts, had bitten through armor and flesh, leaving no room for mercy. 

As Touya fought to defend the camp, the harsh reality of the night unfolded before him.

In the chaos, Touya's keen eyes caught the movement of one particularly aggressive wolf, its maw stained with the blood of fallen warriors. With a sinking feeling, he realized it was making its way towards his tent, where Shoto likely still slept, blissfully unaware of the impending danger.

Touya's conflicted emotions churned within him. The familial bond he shared with Shoto clashed with the tumultuous history of rivalry and strife. Yet, beneath the layers of resentment, a protective instinct emerged.

Ignoring the exhaustion and the wounds that marked his body, Touya lunged towards the black alpha, the very embodiment of the danger. With a swift, determined motion, he plunged his dagger into the left eye of the alpha, a howl of pain reverberating through the night.

The wounded alpha, blinded and enraged, howled in fury. Seizing the opportunity, Touya sprinted towards his tent, his heart pounding with urgency. The shadows danced around him as he raced against time, driven by a brotherly love that transcended the bitterness of their past. Touya's heart pounded in his chest as he sprinted towards the tents, a surge of panic coursing through his veins. The distant cries of victory were abruptly drowned out by the guttural growl emanating from within the camp. His steps quickened, the urgency of the situation etched across his face.

Upon reaching the tent, he was met with a chilling sight. One of the wolves had managed to get into the tent where Shoto lay peacefully asleep. The growl rumbled from deep within its throat, a menacing prelude to the imminent attack. The wolf's predatory gaze locked onto Shoto, who remained blissfully unaware of the impending danger.

The growls of the approaching wolves tore through the tranquility of the night, reaching Shoto's ears finally as he lay within the confines of the tent. The cold air seemed to carry a sinister undertone, and with a start, Shoto's eyes snapped open. His breath caught in his throat as he realized the danger that lurked just next to him.

Turning his head slowly, Shoto's eyes widened as he beheld the massive silhouette of the wolf. Its fur blended with the shadows, and the gleam in its eyes spoke of a hunger that sent a shiver down Shoto's spine. Young prince knew that a single misstep, a solitary muscle twitch, could trigger an attack.

Touya, sensing the imminent threat, moved with a predator's grace. Silently, he approached the wolf from behind, his dagger gleaming in the moonlight. 

Shoto's heart pounded in his chest as he watched his elder brother with the corner of his eye, a mixture of fear and hope swirling within him.

As Touya lunged forward, time seemed to slow. The blade flashed in the cold night air, and with one swift and precise motion, he slit the wolf's throat. The wolf’s growls turned to gurgles, and its once fierce eyes now reflected the glint of death.

Shoto, still frozen in place, watched as Touya's decisive action saved him from the impending danger. The wolf collapsed, its lifeblood staining the furs of the tent beneath it. The camp, now bathed in an uneasy silence, bore witness to the aftermath of the fierce struggle.

Touya, standing over the fallen wolf, cast a quick glance back at Shoto. “You okay?”

“Yeah…” Shoto exhaled, unaware that he had been holding his breath, and nodded in gratitude.

Touya nodded in response to Shoto, a silent acknowledgment of the unspoken bond between them. As Shoto hastily donned his fur and reached for his axe, the brothers emerged from the tent, greeted by the cold reality of the aftermath. The once serene camp now bore the scars of the recent struggle, marked by the fallen bodies of both wolves and warriors.

Surveying the scene, Touya's gaze fell on the fallen warriors, a somber recognition of the price paid in the night's skirmish. The brothers shared a moment of silent mourning for their fallen comrades before turning their attention to the survivors.

Hawks, with his axe still in hand, approached the duo. His eyes, however, were fixed on Shoto, completely disregarding Touya and the fresh wounds that adorned his forearms and shoulders. There was an air of concern in Hawks' voice as he addressed Shoto, "You okay, my lord?"

Shoto, though visibly shaken by the recent events, nodded in response. "I'm fine," he replied tersely, his gaze flickering briefly toward Touya.

Touya, despite the wounds that adorned his frame, remained stoic. The chill of the night seemed to seep through the fabric of his torn furs.

Hawks, seemingly ignoring Touya's injuries, continued to address Shoto. "Good. We need everyone on their feet. The night is unforgiving, and we can't afford to let our guard down."

Touya stated, "We need to find and kill the alpha. It couldn't have gone far. Until we bring it down, we won't be able to rest. The alpha might return with other wolves, and we can't afford to let that happen."

Shoto exchanged a glance with Hawks.

Hawks, always decisive in his actions, nodded in agreement. "Touya's right. We can't let that beast roam free. It's a threat to the camp and to our people. Let's go after it, end this, and secure the safety of our kin."

“Hans,” Touya turned to one of the warriors. "Collect the fallen comrades and do your utmost to attend to the wounded before our return," the leader instructed. 

The elder man acknowledged with a solemn nod, a silent commitment to carry out the directive in the face of adversity.

The trio, bound by a common purpose, set out into the frigid night once more. The snow beneath their boots muffled their footsteps as they followed the trail left by the retreating alpha. The air was thick with tension, the awareness of the lurking danger guiding their every move.

Touya, with his senses sharp and focused, led the way. 

Shoto and Hawks followed, their axes at the ready, prepared for whatever awaited them in the dark expanse of the Viking wilderness.

The trio moved cautiously through the dense thicket, their senses attuned to every rustle and snap of twigs beneath their boots. In the distance, a quiet guttural growl reverberated through the still night air, signaling their proximity to the wounded alpha. The sound set an eerie tone, foreshadowing the impending confrontation.

As they pushed through the bushes, the landscape opened up into a small meadow blanketed with thick snow. Moonlight bathed the clearing, casting an ethereal glow upon the pristine white canvas. In the center, the massive, black alpha wolf limped away, leaving crimson trails in the snow.

The alpha, sensing the pursuit, paused and turned to face the approaching threat. Its fur, once sleek and powerful, now clung to its scarred and mangled frame. The air became charged with tension as the alpha bared its fangs, a silent declaration of defiance.

Touya, undeterred by the formidable presence before him, stepped forward. His dagger gleamed in the moonlight as he closed the distance between them. T

The alpha, fixated on the approaching menace, seemed to recognize the danger that loomed.

"Hawks, head left. Shoto, make your way to the right," Touya commanded, his movements deliberate as he advanced toward the wolf. He didn't allow his gaze to waver, maintaining unbroken eye contact with the creature. Breaking that connection would trigger the wolf's attack, and Touya couldn't afford a single blink in this dangerous dance between predator and prey.

Shoto and Hawks shared another glance before silently adhering to Touya's directive. They moved with utmost stealth, the only sound the hushed crunch of snow under their boots, as they navigated the shadows of the night.

Touya began a deliberate circle around the wounded animal, and in response, the wolf mirrored his movements, growling and revealing its still bloodied, menacing fangs to the scarred man. The tension hung heavy in the air as the primal dance unfolded.

The wolf, fueled by a mix of pain and aggression, was the first to make a move. In the blink of an eye, it lunged at Touya, meeting the assault with swift retaliation. A dagger found its mark in the animal's side, but rather than deter it, the attack seemed to stoke the flames of its fury.

Touya, thrown off balance, toppled to the ground. The wolf, undeterred, closed in, its snarling muzzle snapping dangerously close to the scarred man's face. In the struggle to fend off the relentless predator, Touya's desperate plea cut through the frigid air, "Help!"

For Shoto, the unfolding scene was a twisted opportunity. It seemed as though disposing of Touya could be easier than he had initially thought; all he had to do was wait and watch as his brother faced the relentless assault of the wolf.

Hawks, torn by a lingering human instinct to intervene, hesitated. However, his intention to step in was halted by Shoto's raised hand, a silent command to stay back.

As the wolf persisted in its attack, Touya fought back with determination. The dagger found its mark several more times, warm blood coating his hands as he struggled to free himself from the ferocious jaws. In the midst of the struggle, Touya's voice cut through the tension, a desperate plea for assistance. "What's wrong with you, Shoto?! Hawks, help me kill this thing!"

Shoto's eyes narrowed, a chilling resolve in his gaze. "Don't you dare to move," he warned Hawks, the threat laced with a cold determination that left no room for negotiation.

Touya's brow furrowed for a fleeting moment at the words of his younger brother, but determination fueled him. With a final effort, he managed to free himself from the relentless jaws of the wolf, crawling away to the edge of a high bluff that marked the meadow's eastern boundary. The wolf lay motionless a short distance away. Touya, on trembling limbs, slowly knelt, gasping for air, his body still trembling. He then directed a bewildered gaze at his younger brother. "What the hell!?"

Hawks observed the unfolding dynamics, crossing his arms over his chest, a silent witness to the family drama.

Shoto, undeterred, approached his older brother with a sneer. "Don't misunderstand me, dear brother. I appreciate your help back in the camp, but I'm not about to owe you anything. There's a chasm between us, and nothing will erase it. Life is cruel, always has been. Survival favors the strongest, and, sorry to say, you don't fit that description."

Touya's expression hardened as he slowly rose to his feet. "What the hell, Shoto? I made it clear some time ago — I don't want the power, and I sure as hell don't want that damned earl's crown. It's yours if you want it."

Shoto sighed, idly playing with his axe as he closed the distance between them. "Yeah, yeah. The problem is our illustrious father doesn't see it that way. Rumors are circulating that you've gained favor in his eyes, especially after that last successful raid. I can't let you snatch away what's rightfully mine. I'm sorry."

Touya turned to Hawks, a look of disbelief in his eyes. "Hawks?"

Keigo shrugged, his allegiance clear. "Sorry, my lord, but I've always been loyal to Shoto."

Touya let out a derisive snort. "I can't believe this. I never wanted any of this division between us. It's always been your paranoia about power. I never wanted to harm you, Shoto. I never wanted to take anything from you. All I ever wanted was to live my own life. That's it. You're our father's prized possession, not me."

Shoto tilted his head, a wide smirk playing on his lips. "Indeed. Unfortunately, our father perceives things differently. And now that you've acquired that damn thrall, freeing her and all, I can't wait until the day you get her pregnant. That would seal my fate entirely. You get it, don't you?"

Touya snorted, tightening his grip on a dagger. "I never intended to be at odds with you, Shoto."

Shoto retorted, "Yet it always seems to come down to a fight, doesn't it?"

Before the brothers clashed, Hawks yelled, "Shoto, step aside, the wolf!"

The younger Endeavorson swiftly turned his head for a brief moment, spotting a black wolf poised for an attack. In a swift maneuver, the two-toned haired man dodged, creating an open space between the fatally wounded alpha and his elder brother.

Touya found himself without enough time to evade the impending attack. Bracing for impact, as the wolf leaped toward him, he struggled to maintain balance on the slippery snow. For a fleeting moment, he believed he had regained control, but as he took a step back, the ground beneath his feet disappeared — he stepped into the void of the bluff.

Touya let out a scream, the sound mingling with the wolf's howl as Touya’s dagger once again found its mark on the animal's side. Together, they plummeted into the darkness of the night.

Soon, the night reclaimed its overwhelming silence.

Shoto rose to his feet, accepting the hand offered by Hawks to help him stand. The two exchanged a glance and slowly approached the edge of the bluff, peering down. 

Several meters below, they observed Touya's lifeless form pinned beneath the massive wolf that had descended with him. Touya's left leg twisted at an unnatural angle.

Hawks, witnessing the gruesome scene, fought back a wave of nausea, gasping at the sight.

Shoto, however, maintained a stoic expression. "Seems like my problem has resolved itself. Fate decided to lend me a hand that night. I thought we might have to resort to poison, huh. Move, Hawks. We need to return to camp and share the unfortunate news with our fellow warriors." With those words, Shoto left, a self-satisfied grin playing on his lips.

Hawks watched Shoto in silence, his gaze lingering for a moment. Then, he turned his attention back to the scene below. A quiet tear traced down his cheek, falling onto the snow stained crimson by the alpha's blood.

Meanwhile, you went about your daily tasks in your new, free life, the familiar sense of accomplishment warmed your spirit. The small hut, now a cozy haven, stood as a testament to your new position. 

Helga and Natsuo, friends who had become like family, offered their unwavering support during the two days it took to set up your new home.

One evening, Helga entered the room, "How's everything coming along, dear Y/N? Need any more help with the arrangements?"

You smiled, grateful for her presence, "Thank you, Helga. I think we've covered everything. Your help has been invaluable."

Natsuo, sitting near a tiny fireplace, chimed in, "It's the least we could do. This is a fresh start for you, and we're glad to be a part of it."

As you arranged items on a shelf, Helga leaned against the doorframe, "I must say, this place looks cozy. It's a far cry from the constraints of the past, isn't it?"

You nodded, "Indeed. Freedom was a gift I never knew I needed. And having friends like you made it all the more special."

Natsuo grinned, "Well, now that your new home is all set, what's next on your agenda?"

You paused, looking around, "I think I'll just try to find myself something to do.”

Later in the evening, Natsuo brought pails of water to your hut. He greeted you warmly, "Evening! Thought you might need some water after your day."

You thanked him, taking the pails. As you both sat outside your hut, enjoying the cool breeze, Natsuo couldn't help but notice a hint of sadness in your expression. "Something on your mind?"

You sighed, "It's just... Touya has been gone for so long on their mission. I miss him, you know?"

Natsuo nodded empathetically, "I get it. He'll be back, though. The missions are tough, but he's resilient. And you've got us here to keep you company in the meantime."

You smiled, appreciating his comforting words. 

As the evening unfolded, the sound of shared stories and laughter echoed under the night sky, creating a comforting ambiance. Natsuo, always a good companion, shared anecdotes from the day's activities, lightening the mood.

You couldn't help but be grateful for the supportive community you now found yourself in. The conversations provided a soothing balm to the longing for Touya's return. Natsuo's presence, in particular, brought a sense of camaraderie that eased the ache of missing your partner.

"Touya will be back. The missions are demanding, but he's resilient. In the meantime, you've got us here to keep you company, to share these moments. We're like family now,” Natsuo spoke reassuringly.

As Natsuo prepared to leave, he looked at you with a thoughtful expression. "You know, sometimes these expeditions take longer than expected. It's the nature of the missions we undertake. They can be unpredictable, but it doesn't mean something has gone wrong. Touya is skilled, and they have a strong team with them." He continued, "I understand it's tough waiting, especially when you miss him, but it's part of this life. We've all been through it. Just remember, when they return, it makes the reunions all the more special."

With a warm smile, he bid you goodnight, leaving you with a sense of gratitude for the new beginnings and the supportive companionship that now colored your days and nights.

That night, as the moon cast an eerie glow through the tiny window of your hut, sleep enveloped you in a suffocating darkness. Tossing and turning on your modest cot, you found yourself trapped in the clutches of a haunting nightmare.

The air in the room felt heavy, and the silence of the night was disrupted by your whimpers and soft cries. In the realm of your dreams, shadows morphed into menacing figures, their faces shrouded in darkness as they circled around you. Each step they took echoed like a sinister drumbeat, intensifying the dread that gripped your soul.

As you lay paralyzed in the dream, the figures closed in, whispering malevolent secrets that clawed at the edges of your consciousness. Their voices, a chilling chorus, spoke of death and despair, weaving a tapestry of nightmares that threatened to consume you whole.

“He’s dead… He’s dead…”

"Only despair and sorrow lie ahead for you."

The cold sweat on your brow mirrored the intensity of the nightmare. Your cot felt like a prison, the thin fabric of reality separating you from the abyss of your subconscious fears. The figures, now distorted specters, reached out with ghostly hands, fingers like icy tendrils threatening to grasp your very essence.

In the grip of this macabre dream, the fear of death loomed large. The shadows converged, swirling around you like a vortex of impending doom. The nightmarish scenes played out in vivid detail — the echoes of your own cries, the palpable scent of fear, and the taste of desperation lingering in the air.

As the nightmare reached its crescendo, you jolted awake, gasping for breath. The moonlight spilled into the room, offering a stark contrast to the oppressive darkness of your dream. The reality of the small hut and the sound of your racing heart gradually replaced the nightmarish visions, but the residue of fear lingered, haunting the corners of your mind. The weight of the dream clung to you, a spectral reminder of the fragility of the human psyche in the face of the unknown.

Tears streamed down your face, and stifled sobs resonated in the stillness. Clutching your pillow as if it were a lifeline, you whispered Touya's name over and over, a desperate mantra that echoed the ache in your heart. “Touya, my love… Touya…”

Instinctively, an unsettling feeling gnawed at you, urging you to acknowledge that something was amiss. The weight of the night pressed upon you, and a haunting sense of foreboding hung in the air.

In the hushed hours before dawn, you made a decision. The nagging intuition that something was wrong compelled you to seek solace in Natsuo's understanding. As the first light of morning painted the sky, you resolved to confide in him, hoping that together, you could unravel the mystery that lingered in the shadows of your troubled dreams.

"Hey, Katsuki!? You think he's alive?" The tall, square-built man with red hair asked, casually skinning a massive, black wolf.

The ash-blond man, crouching next to a seemingly lifeless scarred figure, nonchalantly touched the man's shoulder with the haft of his axe. There was no immediate response. "It seems he's damn well dead, no doubt."

The red-haired man packed the wolf's skin into a sizable saddlebag secured to the side of his white mare. "We shouldn't leave him like that. We should bury him."

"Tsk! Oi, Kirishima, don't expect me to touch this rotting piece of shit. If you want that so much, bury him yourself. I can dig a damn hole. What the hell. We came to hunt, not deal with this crap."

"We apparently hunted down a dead man," Kirishima joked lightly, strolling closer. "Hmmm, he must've fallen from that bluff."

"He must've been a complete idiot then to get so close to the edge. Idiots always end up with the crap, don't they?"

Kirishima poked the other man's shoulder. "Quit with the disrespect. Odin's watching!" He snorted and crouched next to the man. "That's one nasty wound on his leg. Maybe it's a blessing he died, otherwise, he'd be crippled…"

"Enough chatter, start doing something!" Bakugo growled as he walked aside, scanning the ground for a spot less frozen to dig a grave.

In that moment, Touya's left hand twitched ever so slightly, and he let out a gasp filled with pain.

The sudden movement startled Kirishima, causing the red-haired man to fall back onto his butt. "Fuck! Bakugo! He's fucking alive!"

Bakugo returned to the two and once again pushed the man's shoulder with the hilt of his axe, eliciting a growl of pain. "Kill... Me..." the scarred man whispered.

Bakugo scoffed. "Oi, dumbass, shut the fuck up! Kirishima, guess we gotta take him with us. Even though I'd rather let him die here, it'd be merciful, given his injuries. He's one ugly fucking bastard. Odin himself would get fucking startled looking at this fucking extra."

"We need to bring him along. I'm certain our earl will be interested in this fellow."

"In a damn cripple? You're out of your damn mind, weird hair!" Bakugo growled, contemplating how to get the injured man onto his horse. "I think we gotta build some makeshift stretchers or something. Damn it! Let's move! I don't want to stay here at night. The wolves might have come back."

As Bakugo and Kirishima returned from their expedition, they made their way through the bustling settlement until they reached the earl's hall. With a determined stride, they entered the great hall where Earl Toshinorison held court.

Earl Toshinorison, known as All Might, commanded both respect and awe with his formidable presence. Standing tall and proud, he bore a robust and well-built frame that spoke of a lifetime of battles and victories. His golden hair, though now touched by strands of gray, retained an air of regality, cascading like a radiant mane around his shoulders.

His face, marked by the lines of wisdom and experience, harbored a strong jawline and a pair of piercing, blueish eyes that sparkled with a blend of authority and kindness. Despite the weight of leadership, there was a warm and approachable demeanor that endeared him to his people.

Earl Toshinorison adorned himself in attire that reflected both his status and prowess. A sturdy cloak, billowing with every movement, bore the symbols of his leadership. Beneath it, he wore armor crafted with care, a testament to the battles he had faced and the victories he had achieved.

In the midst of the settlement, he occupied a grand throne within the great hall, a symbol of his leadership and the heart of the community. His voice, when he spoke, carried the weight of authority tempered with a genuine concern for his people.

Earl Toshinorison was not just a leader; he embodied the spirit of a protector, a warrior whose strength and benevolence guided the community through the challenges of Viking life. The combination of his imposing stature, seasoned wisdom, and compassionate leadership made him a figure revered and admired by all who called the settlement their home.

"All Might, my lord," Bakugo greeted with a deep bow, acknowledging the leader of their community.

The earl, seated in his imposing throne, turned to them with a warm yet authoritative smile. "Bakugo, Kirishima, what news do you bring?"

Kirishima stepped forward, his demeanor respectful yet filled with a sense of urgency. "Earl, we found a man on the outskirts. He seemed injured, left for dead. But, surprisingly, he's alive."

All Might's expression shifted to a thoughtful concern. "Alive, you say? A life saved is a tale worth hearing."

Bakugo and Kirishima nodded and gestured to their companions to bring in the injured man. As they approached, Earl Toshinorison observed with keen eyes. 

Aizawa, their most ruthless warrior among Toshinori’s settlement, accompanied them. His stoic presence added an air of seriousness to the situation.

The injured man, now resting on a makeshift stretcher, was laid before the earl. Yagi leaned forward, assessing the wounds with a discerning gaze. "A warrior left for dead. Curious."

Aizawa, standing at attention, spoke with his usual pragmatism, "He should've met his end. Perhaps fate has other plans."

All Might nodded in agreement, "Indeed, Shota. We shall tend to his wounds and learn his tale. A life spared under these circumstances may hold a purpose yet unknown."

The air in Skjaldvargr crackled with anticipation as the weary troop led by the Endeavorsons made its way back to the settlement. A murmur of excitement swept through the crowd, and the people gathered in the heart of the village began to cheer, their voices rising in a chorus of relief and hope.

As the warriors, dusted with the tales of their recent endeavors, entered the settlement, the cheers intensified. The crowd's eager eyes followed chests and sacks, laden with the spoils of their expedition. It was a moment of shared joy and anticipation as the warriors slowly unpacked their burdens, revealing treasures and goods from distant lands.

However, the elation in the air was tainted by a somber truth. The troop that returned was noticeably smaller than the one that had ventured out. An unspoken sorrow draped over those families who, instead of welcoming back their loved ones, found themselves gripped by the cold hand of grief. The absence of familiar faces, once vibrant with life, echoed louder than the cheers of triumph.

A hushed solemnity settled over those who faced the harsh reality of loss. Families, with eyes now clouded with tears, stood amidst the celebration, their joy eclipsed by the shadows of grief. The cheers of victory collided with the silent mourning of those who had given more than the spoils of war — a sacrifice written in blood.

The contrast between the jubilation and mourning created an unsettling symphony, a discordant melody that played out in the heart of Skjaldvargr. The warriors continued their unpacking, the clinking of treasures against the somber background of grieving families. It was a poignant reminder of the dual nature of their harsh existence, where triumph and sorrow coexisted like inseparable companions.

Unease nestled within you as you sat at the long table in the Great Hall, eyes fixed on Endeavor occupying the imposing throne. The air felt charged with tension, and the weight of the room bore down on you like an unwelcome burden. 

Natsuo poked your side gently as he sat by your side, a playful gesture meant to break the intensity of the moment. "Hey, are you excited to see Touya again? It's been a while."

Your response was a hesitant smile. "Of course, I just... things are different now, aren’t they..."

Natsuo chuckled, "Well, different doesn't always mean bad, right? Touya is still Touya. I bet he's just as eager to see you."

The heavy door to the Great Hall swung open, breaking the tension that hung in the air. 

Shoto, the youngest Endeavorson, stepped in with a measured grace, his gaze flickering across the room until it settled on you for a brief moment. 

Hawks followed closely behind.

Shoto's eyes met yours briefly, a silent acknowledgment that spoke volumes. The room hushed as the two newcomers approached the throne, their arrival signaling a significant shift in the atmosphere. The weight of anticipation settled on the shoulders of those present, each heartbeat echoing in the grand hall.

Natsuo, by your side, leaned in and whispered, "Here they are. Let's see how this unfolds. I’m curious where Touya is."

"My earl," Shoto bowed his head to greet his father,  a gesture mirrored by Hawks.

Endeavor's stern gaze bore down on his son. "It's good to see you back, Shoto. Rumor has it you brought a lot of goods from the trip."

"I did, indeed," the young prince replied. "We also accumulated some losses, my lord."

A subtle tension gripped the air, and an unspoken dread settled upon your heart and soul. 

"What do you mean? Where's your older brother?" the earl asked, his frown deepening.

"He died, my lord," Shoto replied, his expression a stoic mask.

"What!" You exclaimed, jolting up from your place. "Impossible!"

Even Endeavor rose from his throne, descending the two steps to be on his son's level. "What do you mean, Shoto? What happened?" The earl’s voice trembled a little.

Hot tears streamed down your face, and Natsuo wrapped his arm around your shoulders, rubbing them in an attempt to bring you some comfort. The weight of the revelation hung heavy in the air, and the Great Hall seemed to echo with the echoes of disbelief and sorrow.

Shoto's voice cut through the somber air of the Great Hall, recounting the harrowing tale of the wolf attack. He spoke of Touya's courage, how he stood against the onslaught to protect his fellow warriors, including Shoto himself. The youngest Endeavorson described how Touya, driven by the need to eliminate the alpha, faced the final confrontation at the edge of the bluff.

As the story unfolded, you felt an invisible weight pressing down on you. Your hands trembled, and a haunting whine escaped your lips, akin to a wounded animal. The anguish of Shoto's words resonated within you, each detail etching pain into your heart.

"He fought valiantly," Shoto continued, his voice steady. "But in the end, the wolf lunged, and they both fell."

Your knees gave way beneath you, and you sank to the ground, overwhelmed by the reality of Touya's fate. The ache in your chest was unbearable, as if your heart had cracked and broken, the searing pain akin to hot iron being poured over your soul.

Natsuo's eyes flared with a sudden intensity, and he snapped at Shoto, "I'm damn sure it wasn't an accident. He just happened to fall off the bluff?! That’s not what Touya would ever let happen! You little coward! I’m sure you put your hand to that!"

Shoto growled angrily in response, his demeanor darkening as he retorted, "Are you even aware of what you're talking about, Natsuo? Accusing me of…"

"He wouldn't just fall off like that!" Natsuo's voice rose, an undercurrent of anger coursing through his words. "Touya was too skilled for that.”

Shoto's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. "You dare to insinuate…"

"I'm not insinuating anything!" Natsuo interrupted, the tension in the air thickening. "I'm saying it outright. There's more to this, and you damn well know it."

"Tsk," Shoto shook his head, his voice dripping with disdain. "Better shut your mouth, dear brother. You're talking nonsense."

Your entire body trembled, barely registering the words exchanged between the two brothers.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Hawks said with a slight bow to Natsuo and then Endeavor. "Touya was..."

"Don't you dare to talk about my brother!" Natsuo erupted, hurling a cup at the warrior. "Don't you dare to use his name, you filthy, venal bastard."

"Enough!" Endeavor roared, a silent tear tracing a path down his scarred cheek.

"Oh, I couldn't agree more with you, dear father," Shoto sent Endeavor a sly grin, and then bellowed, "Guards!"

Warriors entered the Great Hall, awaiting the young prince's orders.

"Take my father out and put him in that unoccupied hut at the bay. Make sure to tie him up well, even though he's old, the bastard's still strong."

"What!" Natsuo growled.

Endeavor looked down at his son. "What are you trying to do, Shoto? You can't just..."

At that moment, Shoto aimed a hard slap at his father's cheek. "Say one more thing, father, and I'll cut your throat here and now. You're not an earl anymore. You're nothing. You always were nothing. Give me your axe."

Endeavor remained motionless, his gaze shifting briefly between Natsuo and you.

"Your damn axe and crown!" Shoto's voice rose, demanding compliance, his hands reaching toward his father.

Reluctantly, the old earl reached to his belt, extracting the axe from a leather scabbard. He passed the item to Shoto, removing the crown from his head with a heavy sigh.

The young prince took the axe and the crown from his father, wielding the symbol of authority with contempt. With a sudden, violent motion, he smashed the crown against the nearest wall, watching it shatter into irreparable pieces.

"You're making a grave mistake, Shoto," Endeavor warned.

Shoto grinned back at his father, a sinister edge to his smile. "Oh, old man, there's no Touya to stand by your side anymore. Your beloved firstborn, the one you happily discarded and tried to kill when he was an infant, is truly gone now. You have no one to protect you. Your guards are listening to me, they've been for a while already. And Natsuo," Shoto looked at the white-haired man standing near you, "He's nothing, he doesn't even know how to wield a shield."

Hawks chuckled darkly, nodding at his people. A few warriors approached the earl, tying his hands behind his back. One of them delivered a strong blow to the earl's face.

"No!" Natsuo screamed.

You sobbed loudly, watching the horrifying scene unfold. The question lingered in your mind: why didn't Endeavor react at all?

The crisp air carried the call of Hawks and a group of warriors as they traversed through the settlement. The sound of their voices resonated, commanding the attention of all citizens, beckoning them to gather by the bay.

Meanwhile, in the desolate confines of an abandoned hut, Endeavor was bound to a wooden balk, his mind enveloped in bitter reflection. The flickering light filtering through the cracks in the worn walls revealed a man scarred, not only physically but also by the torment delivered upon him by Hawks and his people.

As he strained against his restraints, Endeavor couldn't escape the echoing regrets that reverberated within his thoughts. He cursed himself for the blindness that had shrouded his vision, the inability to see the rot that festered within Shoto. The weight of realization pressed heavily upon him, and he was left to grapple with the consequences of his own choices.

Silently, you sneaked into the dimly lit hut, the chalice of water and a soft rug clutched in your hands. The feeble light revealed the cruel aftermath of the torment inflicted upon Endeavor, and a gasp escaped your lips at the sight of his battered form.

Approaching cautiously, you set the chalice down and carefully unfolded the rug. Kneeling beside him, you dipped a corner of the cloth into the water, your movements gentle as you began to clean the wounds on his face. The atmosphere hung heavy with tension, punctuated only by the distant calls from the bay.

His eyes, filled with a mix of pain and resignation, met yours as you worked. 

"What are we supposed to do now?" you asked with a shaking tone, your voice barely above a whisper.

Endeavor's gaze bore into yours, and for a moment, the weight of uncertainty hung in the air. "Shoto won't stop until he has complete control,” he replied, his voice strained. “I’m afraid there’s nothing that can be done.”

Tears welled up in your eyes as you whispered, "I can't believe Touya..." Your hand trembled, and the pain in your voice echoed through the dimly lit hut.

A solitary tear rolled down Endeavor's scarred cheek as he uttered words heavy with resignation. "You should flee from here before I'm executed, Y/N."

Dread seized your body, and you protested, "Don't say that, my lord. I'm sure Shoto is not that crazy to get you killed… And I have nowhere to go.”

Endeavor's gaze met yours, and in that moment, he decided to reveal the truth about what he had noticed in his youngest son's eyes. "I saw it, in Shoto's eyes. The thirst for power, the willingness to do whatever it takes. He's not the boy I raised. He's become something darker, something I failed to see until it was too late." 

Your heart sank at Endeavor's revelation, the truth piercing through the air like a chilling wind. The realization that Shoto had transformed into something unrecognizable, something darker, gripped you with a sense of helplessness.

"I should have seen it sooner," Endeavor muttered, his voice filled with regret. "But blinded by my own desires for power, I failed to grasp the truth until it was too late. I won’t forgive myself… I should’ve listened to Touya."

The gravity of the situation pressed upon you, and you wiped away the tears that stained your cheeks. "We can't let him continue down this path," you whispered, your voice laced with determination.

Endeavor nodded solemnly. "You must go. Flee from this place before it's too late. I will face the consequences of my actions, but you have a chance for a different fate."

The distant sound of footsteps approached the hut, signaling the arrival of Shoto's guards. 

In that moment, you wrapped your arms around Endeavor's neck, giving him a tight hug, a silent gesture of reassurance and determination. "I promise, my lord, that I'll avenge Touya. I don't believe Shoto didn't have a hand in it anymore," you whispered, the words laden with both sorrow.

"I'm afraid you're right," Endeavor admitted, his own acceptance of the harsh reality permeating the air. “Go now, girl.”

With a heavy heart, you took the chalice and the rug, casting one last glance at Endeavor, who remained bound and alone in the desolate hut. The weight of the situation pressed upon you as you stepped out into the cold air, leaving the confines of the dimly lit space.

The evening air hung heavy with tension as the citizens of the settlement gathered at the bay. 

Hawks, with a certain casual indifference, lazily cleaned his dagger, his guards vigilant in ensuring that no one was left behind.

You and Natsuo stood among the gathered crowd, your eyes nervously flitting between the citizens and Natsuo. 

The atmosphere thickened as two guards brought the bound form of Endeavor to the jetty, his presence eliciting hushed whispers among the onlookers.

And then, like a harbinger of darkness, Shoto emerged. A grotesque crown made of bird skulls adorned his head, and an opulent fur of a snow leopard draped over his shoulders, a trophy from one of Endeavor's raids. The blood and white paint smeared across his face formed viking symbols, marking him as the harbinger of a new era.

A profound silence fell over the assembly as Shoto made his way to the forefront. The people, recognizing the symbolic weight of his appearance, knew that there was no room left for argument or dissent. The young prince had become an embodiment of authority, clad in the spoils of his conquests, and the settlement braced itself for the changes that his rule would bring.

Shoto made his way to the jetty with deliberate steps, his eyes scanning the gathered crowd. They found yours in the sea of faces, and for a brief moment, his gaze lingered on your tear-stained visage. The weight of his stare bore into your soul before he redirected his focus to the bound figure of his father, kneeling on the jetty.

The hushed whispers of the crowd ceased as Shoto raised his hand, a signal for silence. His voice cut through the still air, carrying a mix of authority and cold detachment. "Citizens of Skjaldvargr," he began, his tone echoing over the water, "The time of reckoning has come. For too long, we have been shackled by the failures of our past. The time for a new era, a stronger era, has dawned."

His eyes scanned the faces of the assembly, pausing on his father for a moment before addressing the crowd once more. Shoto moved deliberately towards the jetty, each step echoing with a proclamation of his newfound authority. As his gaze scanned the gathered crowd, it found yours among the sea of faces. His eyes locked onto your tear-stained visage, lingering for a moment longer than necessary, a cold acknowledgment of the impact his actions had on you, before he shifted his focus to his father, who knelt there, bound and vulnerable.

The silence that enveloped the bay was broken by Shoto's commanding voice, carrying the weight of his judgment. "Citizens of Skjaldvargr," he began, his tone unwavering. "The time of reckoning has come. For too long, we have been shackled by the failures of our past. The time for a new era, a stronger era, has dawned."

He gestured towards Endeavor, his father, with an air of finality. "Endeavor, once known as the earl, has failed to lead us into greatness. He allowed weakness and sentiment to cloud his judgment. It is time for a new leader, one who will guide us to prosperity."

Shoto's eyes flickered back to yours for a brief moment, a chilling gaze that hinted at the personal nature of his vendetta. "The former earl will face justice for his shortcomings. The verdict is the death penalty. Let this serve as a reminder that only strength will prevail in the harsh realities of our world."

The pronouncement echoed over the bay, sealing the fate of Endeavor and setting in motion the irreversible changes that Shoto, now adorned with the symbols of his triumph, would bring to the settlement.

The verdict hung in the air, heavy and final, as Shoto turned away, leaving the jetty and the kneeling figure of his father behind to take a seat on a throne that was prepared for him nearby. 

The weight of Shoto's harsh verdict hung in the air like a shroud, and as the crowd absorbed the reality of the situation, hot tears streamed down your face. Instinctively, you grasped Natsuo's palm, seeking solace and support in the face of the unfolding tragedy.

The bay was cloaked in a heavy silence as the guards began the degrading process of undressing Endeavor's upper body. His once proud and scarred form was exposed to the harsh scrutiny of the onlookers, the symbols of his past glories now overshadowed by the weight of his transgressions.

The guards, expressionless and cold, tied Endeavor's hands spread to two sturdy stanchions positioned in the center of the jetty. The former earl knelt there, vulnerable and exposed, his fate hanging in the balance.

As the unsettling tableau unfolded, Hawks stepped forward, a grim determination etched on his face. Clutching his axe and dagger, he circled Endeavor with predatory precision. The rhythmic sound of his boots on the wooden planks echoed through the bay, creating an eerie cadence that intensified the chilling atmosphere.

Positioning himself behind Endeavor, Hawks loomed like a shadow, a silent harbinger of the impending judgment. The air crackled with tension, and the onlookers, unable to tear their eyes away, awaited the next grim chapter in the unfolding saga of Skjaldvargr.

Hawks nodded at his people, and they made Endeavor lean forward by pulling on the ropes tied to the earl’s wrists.

Hawks, grinning widely like a madman, started by making a deep, vertical incision along the earl's spine. This incision severed the skin, muscle, and connective tissues, exposing the underlying bones and organs.

Endeavor, bound and exposed to the merciless fate of the Blood Eagle, fought vehemently against the primal urge to scream. His muscles tensed, and every fiber of his being rebelled against the excruciating pain inflicted upon him. The raspy growls emanating from his throat served as a testament to his struggle, a warrior's battle cry against the agony that threatened to consume him.

In the midst of this macabre spectacle, Endeavor clung to the ancient belief that only by maintaining composure during such a brutal punishment could a warrior secure passage to Valhalla. His jaw clenched, and his eyes, filled with a mixture of pain and defiance, bore witness to the unfathomable ordeal, as tears rolled down his cheeks.

As the executioner continued the harrowing process, Endeavor's resolve was tested in the crucible of suffering. The groans that escaped him carried not only the weight of agony but also a silent determination to prove his mettle in the face of an unimaginable horror. 

Your tears flowed unabated, soaking into the fabric of Natsuo's shirt as you sobbed, the weight of grief and horror pressing heavily on your heart. 

Natsuo, too, couldn't contain the surge of emotions that gripped him, and tears welled up in his eyes, silently streaming down his cheeks.

The two of you, connected by shared sorrow, clung to one another in a world suddenly bereft of hope. 

Despite the absence of a genuine father-son bond with his own father, Natsuo understood the pain of loss, and his tears mirrored your own. "Father," the man whispered, barely moving his lips. "May Odin guide your spirit to the hallowed halls of Valhalla..."

With the earl's spine exposed, Takami proceeded to cut through the ribs, detaching them from the spine. This macabre act created the framework for what resembled "wings." Hawks then reached into Endeavor's chest cavity, pulling out the man's lungs through the opening created by the removal of the ribs. This grotesque act gave the victim the appearance of wings, completing the horrifying visual metaphor.

Hawks stood amidst the aftermath, his once-vibrant attire now drenched in the deep crimson hue of blood. From his tousled hair down to his boots, every inch of him was painted in the somber shades of scarlet, a testament to the brutal task he had undertaken.

The metallic scent of iron lingered in the air around him, an olfactory testament to the visceral reality of the harrowing act.

Hawks, his visage marred by the grotesque tableau before him, grinned like a man possessed, a maniacal glint in his eyes. His gaze, like a predator reveling in the aftermath of a successful hunt, fixated on Shoto, the new earl, who observed the scene with an unsettling amusement.

In his final moments, Endeavor, the once-mighty earl, summoned the strength to lift his head, a haunting defiance in his gaze. As the life ebbed away from him, he whispered words of reunion to a love lost in the annals of time. "Rei... Love.... I'm coming to you..." With those parting breaths, his head succumbed to the inevitable, lolling to the side.

Amidst the horror, you struggled to contain the surge of emotions, your tears choking your throat as you witnessed the cruel end meted out to the man who was once a father figure. 

Shoto, now the legal earl, approached the lifeless form, a twisted rite of passage in the unforgiving realm. Sizing up the head of his father, he coldly declared, "The earl is dead!"

As Hawks chanted, "Long live the earl!" with an eerie enthusiasm, the guards compelled the onlookers to repeat the grim proclamation, the echoes of submission punctuating the air heavy with the scent of iron and death.

The settlement, now under the shadow of a new ruler, braced itself for the changes that were bound to come.

Shoto's subtle gesture summoned Hawks closer, their exchange shrouded in whispered words. 

As the blonde-haired man stepped back, he bellowed your name, a chilling summons that cut through the heavy air, freezing the blood in your veins. “Y/N!”

Natsuo, understanding the impending darkness, tightened his grip on your hand, silently pleading for you to resist the ominous call. His subtle head shake conveyed the urgency to stay away, to avoid the perilous path that beckoned. But the relentless echo of your name persisted, a haunting melody drawing you towards an inevitable confrontation.

With tear-streaked cheeks, you met Natsuo's gaze once more, finding solace in his silent plea. Gathering what remained of your resolve, you wiped away the evidence of your anguish and, with a determined stride, pushed through the crowd. The last thing you needed was the cold, unyielding grasp of guards dragging you to Shoto against your will.

As you approached Shoto, the air became charged with an eerie tension. His eyes, adorned with a sinister gleam, followed your every step. 

The crowd, still subdued by the recent events, parted to make way for your reluctant journey.

Hawks, positioned next to Shoto, continued to observe with a sinister grin, aware that the unfolding scene held a profound significance in the new earl's machinations. 

Shoto, crowned with skulls and adorned in the spoils of victory, waited for you with a calculated calmness.

You stood before Shoto, a pawn caught in the web of a power play.

With a wicked smile, Shoto leaned in, whispering words that clawed at the edges of your sanity. "Y/N, it seems your fate is entwined with ours now. You will play a crucial role in the future of Skjaldvargr."

Your frown deepened as you couldn't comprehend the unsettling thoughts swirling in Shoto's mind. With a hint of trepidation, you dared to voice the question that lingered on your lips, "What do you have in mind?"

Shoto, feigning sweetness, leaned in with a twisted smile. "Now that Touya is no more, it falls upon me to decide your fate, Y/N. A bereft girl, left in the aftermath of such a tragedy. But fear not, for I have plans for you."

Terror gripped your heart as Shoto unveiled his intentions. "From this moment forth, you'll no longer revel in the freedom bestowed upon you by my deceased brother. Instead, you shall become my concubine, and I expect you to bear me an heir."

A quiet but resolute "No" escaped your lips as you resisted the notion, unwilling to surrender your autonomy.

Shoto, undeterred, grasped your chin, pulling you closer. "Don't resist, dollface. Make a scene, and I'll orchestrate another blood eagle tonight. If you refuse, Hawks will have the honor of ending Natsuo's life, the last person standing by your side."

His words echoed with a cruel certainty, leaving you with a chilling realization that your fate was no longer your own. A solitary tear traced a path down your cheek, a silent testament to the anguish that gripped your soul. 

Shoto, reveling in the display of vulnerability, leaned forward, capturing the tear with the tip of his tongue. He licked it off, savoring the taste of your despair before whispering into your ear. "If I were you, I'd be obedient. There's no one left to protect you, and you're going to be mine, whether you want it or not."

"Why me?" you dared to question, your voice carrying a defiant edge.

Shoto's grin widened. "I've had my share of Viking women. A Christian girl, even a prudish one, is said to be particularly naughty in the alcove." The lecherous implications of his words hung heavily in the air, accentuating the grim reality that now lay before you.

Your stomach twisted in knots as Shoto's words reverberated in the air. 

"Y/N, from now on, is considered my concubine," Shoto declared with a tone that brooked no argument. "Anyone going against me or her will face the doom immediately. And one last thing, all the warriors who supported my father shall be executed by dawn. Consider this night your last with your families. Satisfy yourselves with your women and put your kids to sleep for the final time. Don't even think about running away, as my envoys will find you wherever you hide."

He took your palm in his, a cruel possession that marked the beginning of your tragic fate. Before you left, Shoto's gaze shifted to Hawks. "Make sure Natsuo is locked in his room in the Great Hall. Tomorrow, I'll decide his fate."

"Of course, my lord," Hawks nodded obediently, the cold determination in his eyes betraying the allegiance he now held to Shoto.

As the thralls followed Shoto's orders, you found yourself in a bath, the warm water doing little to comfort your tormented soul. You let your tears fall freely, their silent streams mingling with the water around you. The echoes of your life's upheavals played in your mind like a haunting melody, each note a reminder of the tragedy that seemed to follow you relentlessly. How swiftly your life had changed, once under the control of Touya's unpredictable whims, and now, bound by Shoto's ruthless will.

You longed to scream, to cry out against the unfairness of it all. Shoto, a young man scarcely older than you, had become the architect of your misery. You despised him, and yet, the thought of begging for mercy from this vicious ruler crossed your mind. The temptation to ask him to end your misery with the swift swing of his axe haunted your thoughts.

However, a greater fear gripped your heart — the threat to Natsuo. Shoto's warning echoed in your mind, and you couldn't bear the thought of allowing harm to befall the one person who had consistently shown you kindness and support. You resolved to endure, to strategize, to find a way to protect Natsuo from the impending darkness that Shoto had cast upon your life.

After the bath, you were presented with the finest nightgown, a garment crafted from snow-white silk that draped elegantly around you. The thralls, with delicate hands, brushed and arranged your hair as you sat in front of a mirror, contemplating your reflection. The mirror seemed to reflect not just your physical appearance but also the weight of the burden now resting on your shoulders.

Assisted by the thralls and guided by the guards, you were led to the chamber that once belonged to earl Endeavor. As the thick doors swung open, the opulence of the room overwhelmed your senses. The chamber was vast, with a massive fireplace positioned on the opposite wall, providing warmth and a flickering dance of flames.

To the left of the entrance stood a colossal bed, adorned with a thick mattress and furs, supported by two sturdy columns at its head. The bed itself was a work of art, crafted from field maple. On the opposite side of the room, a table with two chairs and a closet adorned with a mirror completed the ensemble of wealth and luxury. It was a stark contrast to the grim fate that had befallen the former occupant of this room.

As you took in the grandeur, a mix of emotions churned within you. The softness of the silk against your skin felt incongruent with the turmoil within your heart. The room, once a sanctuary for a now-fallen ruler, now served as a gilded cage for you, ensnared by circumstances beyond your control.

It took a moment before you realized that the door had closed behind you, leaving you alone in the opulent chamber — or so you thought. 

A smooth voice, belonging to the new earl, reached your ears as Shoto gracefully rose from a chair situated in the dimly lit corner of the room. He appeared to be occupied with polishing his axe. "Finally, I was growing impatient," he remarked, his voice devoid of any warmth or sympathy.

"Forgive me, my lord," the title felt foreign on your tongue as you addressed the man who now held power over your fate. The room, once a symbol of authority and now tainted by the dark events that had transpired, became the stage for a twisted power play that you found yourself unwillingly participating in.

Shoto placed the axe on the table and leisurely approached you, gently lifting your chin to meet his dual-colored eyes. "Don't be afraid, dollface. I'm not going to hurt you."

"You already did," you replied with defiance. "I know it was not an accident."

"You mean Touya? Oh, my little raven," he cooed, "of course it was an accident. Do you really think I'd let my beloved brother die?"

You snorted, and a tear rolled down your cheek.

"Shush, shush, no crying in here. You're too beautiful for sadness," he said, wiping your tear away with his thumb. "You'll have the life you deserved and which my poor older brother couldn't provide you with."

"He wouldn't lock me in a cage," you told him, and Shoto chuckled.

"A cage? Oh no, sweetheart, I'm not going to lock you in a cage. You're my concubine now, and a lot of privileges come with this title." His words dripped with a perverse sense of entitlement, sending a shiver down your spine as you realized the dark reality that awaited you in the clutches of the new earl.

Shoto gently traces his fingertips against your lips and neck, slowly moving them down your décolletage. Shoto circled you slowly, his movements reminiscent of a predator closing in on its prey. "I just expect you to be faithful to me, that's all I'm asking for. I want you to be a representative figure, shining like a gem by my side. And I want you to bear me a child, an outright heir of pure blood," he declared.

"But my blood isn't pure. I'm not a pagan like you. Won't it make your child unworthy?" you growled, attempting to sway his unsettling conviction. However, your efforts seemed in vain as his long, thin fingers slipped under the fabric of your nightgown on your shoulders, slowly sliding the attire off.

"Don't worry your pretty little head. Before you give birth, you're going to be a Viking woman. I'll make sure of that," he said, licking his lips as he watched the thin material falling slowly to the floor.

In your initial instinct, you attempted to cover yourself with your hands. However, Shoto effortlessly seized both your wrists in one hand, securing them behind your back. Resting his chin on your shoulder, he used his spare hand to move a lock of your Y/H/C hair off your shoulder. "Don't. I want to see all of you. You were more willing to undress for my older brother. I still don't know why. Did he force you into his bed? No normal woman ever would, so he was fortunate to experience the mellowness of a woman's body before he died. His life was nothing but a failure."

That was enough. Provoked by Shoto's words laced with sarcasm, you swiftly turned and slapped his scarred cheek with all your might, pulling your hands free from his grasp. "Don't you dare," you warned. "For what you did, you will never reach your beloved Valhalla. Even your gods don't accept vile men into their chambers."

Seemingly anticipating this move, the man firmly grasped you by the throat and effortlessly threw you onto the bed. Before you could react, his weight pinned you down on the mattress. "You're so brisk and valorous; I like that," he grunted, pushing his knee between your legs, parting your thighs enough for him to settle between them. "Haven't you learned yet? You're with me or against me. And trust me, I couldn't care less about your pathetic life. So, it's better to act like a good, obedient girl for your lord."

That night unfolded in a torrent of pain, tears, and degradation. Despite your attempts to resist, to twist and turn, they proved futile. Shoto pursued his desires, stripping away your innocence. His touch, both cruel and frigid, felt akin to a scalding iron on your skin - a stark contrast from what Touya had once offered.

As Shoto slumbered peacefully at your side, content and spent from the unrelenting hours of asserting his dominance over your body, you lay by him, curled into a small, trembling ball. Silent tears traced pathways across your face, and with every slightest movement, you would gag yourself, feeling the haunting presence of his seed seeping out of you. A genuine desire for death welled within your soul.

"Forgive me, Touya... Forgive me," you whispered, your plea hanging in the heavy air before exhaustion enveloped you, guiding you into an uneasy slumber.

heathen wolves: @queenkhepri @indignant-alpaca @misafiryanki @roast-toast @within-eyesight @crystalwolfblog @haseki-huricihan @violet-forgetmenot @dagger-dragger @smartspot @alientobe @zero-sugar-null @peter-sommer @thedancingparrot @dearsunaa @greaterheart

[nomsfaultau]

Hybrid AU in exile week where avian instincts can take over to a degree that is almost horrific, erasing someone’s personality and rationality when they’re panicking. First part here.

Philza flinches. He doesn’t understand why Tommy is suddenly shouting at him for supposedly exploiting his instincts. But he does understand the way Tommy’s wings puff up, bracing to be hit, and it makes Philza freeze as he watches his hatchling throw open the door and storm out of his life. 

“Would it make you more comfortable if I remove your feathers?” 

Tommy stumbles slightly at the threshold, then scoffs, throwing a glare over his shoulder. “As if you would. It’s too convenient to force my instincts to feel safe around you.” That would explain why Tommy isn’t looking at him. Philza can’t breathe. His chick doesn’t feel safe?

Tommy is confused and wary when Philza removes the hatchling’s feathers and hands them back. It only grows as Philza asks if he wants the ones woven into the nest removed as well. The fact he’s at a loss as to why someone would respect his boundaries hurts almost as much as ripping out where Tommy’s feathers mark him as part of the flock. 

But he does it, since that’s what Tommy needs to feel safe, even if Tommy is suspicious of his attempts. Horrifically, he discovers almost every act of affection was interpreted as manipulation, especially the parental ones. Philza winces as Tommy declares he wants to self-preen from now on, decrying the bonding experience as nothing more than manipulation. 

But- hadn’t Tommy liked it? Philza isn’t stupid, he’s figured it would hit close to memories of his abuser. That’s why he’d been so careful to frequently ask if he wanted to stop. But Tommy had coo’d back every time, asking him to keep petting his wings long past the point they were tidy. Like he wanted to stay in Philza’s arms forever. That’s why Philza asked to make their flock official, he’d thought… Tommy had seemed so happy…

Philza feels confused, and awful, and worried. “You know you can let me know when I’m making you uncomfortable, right mate? You can always tell me to stop and I will.”

Tommy doesn’t believe him then. 

But slowly he starts to, tentatively testing the waters over the weeks and waiting with bated breath to be punished for it. As if it’s such an overreach to demand the basic bodily autonomy of people asking permission before showing physical affection. As time passes, he rejects it more and more, growing comfortable asserting his own wants. Philza aches with the desire to tuck his chick under wing, but swallows the increasing distance. It’s good that Tommy feels safe refusing what Philza wants. He’s healing. Philza’s empty arms must be a good thing. 

And naturally, he becomes a little turd with it once he feels safe enough, but Philza can’t exactly resend the promise and so ends up being forced to just stand there while a zombie attacks him since “swinging that sword around makes me uncomfortable Phil, I thought you said this was a safe place.” But Tommy’s delighted laughter makes up for it, even if Philza forces him to replace the golden apples he wasted to survive. He doesn’t mind the little pranks.

But something in Philza panics when Tommy finally abandons the nest to sleep in a bed. He can’t sleep at night, tormented by the keen awareness his nest is empty. Instincts howl to find his chick, because no matter how he fights it that doesn’t change the imprinting. Verging on falling prey to parental instincts and dragging the boy to the safety of the nest, Philza sneaks out the front door and slumps against it. He can’t break that trust, he just can’t. But neither can he sleep with an empty nest. 

His movement sends a few dogs barking, and it isn’t long before Techno looms over him in the cloak of midnight. Philza holds himself a little tighter. “My nest is empty,” he says hoarsely. Techno lurches to action, till assured Tommy is perfectly safe. “He doesn’t want to be my hatchling. It hurt him too deeply last time.” And yet his instincts care not, crying in panic. Philza buries his face in the knees drawn to his chest. 

“Would you be able to sleep if something else filled the nest? Like, could the instincts tell the difference?” Philza has no idea, but as exhausted as he is he’s willing to try. Or, till Techno volunteers himself, because Philza really doesn’t want to make his instincts Techno’s problem. Techno shrugs. “Probably a lot less awkward for me than it is Tommy, given how long we’ve known each other. Might as well try.” Not that Techno cares to be viewed as a piglet, but his feelings were bruised when the broody Philza categorized him as a threat. “We’re a flock, aren’t we?” 

“Always.” So Techno burrows into the nest, rooting it up till Philza’s feathers ruffle disapprovingly. They’re different, and Techno likes it that way, but the dozens of little instances where their instincts misalign get under his fur sometimes, like a wedge between them. But they both refuse to let it stop them. The hesitance is drowned in a yawn, and Philza nestles over him. It’s a reassuring pressure, reminding Techno of the sounder he long aged out of. Soft feathers wrap around him, and after a few sleepy coos, Philza drifts off, finally assured that his nest is barren no more. Techno smiles, glad he could help his friend. He wraps an arm around Philza’s feathered back, and likewise accepts the embrace of slumber. 

Next>

[bilehwit]

Hi, another ask kinda indirectly related to the Bilehwit AU

But what are some of your personal headcannons about the bishops, that may or may not be in this au but as a personal interpretation of their character?

+ Who's your fav Bishop(excluding Narinder for now) ?

Favourite has to be Kallamar - gay coward??? Me coded fr fr.

That being said, I somehow always write more about Shamura???

But headcanons!

Kallamar:

🐙My man has a skin tone for gold, and he lets it be known by wearing enough to be heard janglin' a mile away.

🐙He has never once in his life done that! (He has done it 1 billion times, but he must appear better than thou.)

🐙Scared of Shamura when they're not lucid.

🐙Once drunk Leshy under the table only to then get decimated by Heket.

🐙Many spouses, does not like sexual activity. In my eyes he's asexual but a hopeless romantic.

🐙Will stop whole processions to look at bacterial growths on the floor.

🐙East Asian - South Korean, modern day would be a K-Pop beauty influencer.

Leshy:

🌱 Is Chaotic, but not in a fun way, more in a "Oh my God 3 people are dead" way.

🌱Used to biting to show affection.

🌱Cries when he's angry.

🌱Wants Shamura to be proud (they are.)

🌱Turns spouses into Witnesses. Also doesnt know what a spouse is/is for.

🌱Is the most physically violent.

🌱Ate scraps of metal on a dare (digested with no problems.)

🌱Russian.

Heket:

🐸Hates mushrooms (shockingly).

🐸Bought a cowboy hat.

🐸Likes to garden and cook but hates washing up.

🐸Says shit like "four score and twelve moons ago" to piss off Kallamar.

🐸Likes writing on Papyrus.

🐸Egyptian and will complain about heat.

🐸Lesbiab. Lesbaen. WOMAN LIKER.

🐸Tells you to go fuck yourself if you compliment her looks.

Shamura:

🕷When lucid, talks about the good old days.

🕷Most crimes committed as a mortal.

🕷Writes nursery rhymes for their followers.

🕷Used to have dancing rituals to gather sin - now can barely twitch their legs to a beat.

🕷"Oh, thank you Leshy- sorry, Narinder." "I'm Kallamar." "That's what I said." - common occurrence even before.

🕷Wants a pet so so bad. Do not give them one.

🕷Attracted to people with long hair and excellent grammar.

🕷Once did a kickflip so bad they had to kill the elderly congregation watching them.

🕷Tanzanian and speaks swahili when angry.

Narinder:

🪦Likes to bite Kallamar ("I can't help it, cats love fish." "I AM NOT EVEN CLASSIFIED AS A FISH." "You could be.")

🪦Indian, but spent so long in Purgatory he can no longer handle flavourful foods. At least at the start.

🪦Didn't realise Bilehwit had an ACTUAL CRUSH on him and thought they were like. Just that devoted. Pious. That's why they never took a lover.

🪦Cat baths when no one looks - gotta look constantly refined.

🪦Uses his third eye to scare people, namely children.

🪦I Would Never pt, except he definitely is still doing it while you watch.

🪦Finds children hilarious (to torment).

🪦Best dancer, worst singer of the Bishops. Can play music very well though.

🪦First time in Bilehwit's tent, he paid no attention because they were arguing. Then snuck in later to actually see the place.

And that's all my headcanons!

[ohbo-ohno]

i had an idea watching blair witch project, but imagine an au where soap, gaz and reader here some old legend about a forest and decide to go camping to explore around.

and when its night and they get creeped out and are shouting and talking, they don’t know there’s a cabin they hadn’t noticed and ghost, who has been retired and decides to just mess with them a bunch, but when he sees them he just wants to take them, especially since he feels so lonely since being retired.

so he decides if he takes them one by one each night, he knows he can not only successfully tale them but also scare the shit out of them.

idk if this is good i just had an idea lol

i gotta be real, ghostgaz doesn't do much for me so (but poly141 does) so the exclusion of price here throws me off, but i love the vibes

i love the "one character is tormenting/getting ready to torment the other and they don't even know" trope in horror. one of my favorite scenes to write ever was all of soap's inner monologue in dlmliyh chap 1. getting to describe how he'd been plotting to betray her from the beginning, how he didn't even really feel guilty... i loved it

you could do smth fun with that & blair with au based on the theory that the guys in the movie were actually just fucking with the main girl and lured her out there to murder her! like soap and gaz playing at comforting her, meanwhile when she's huddled so close to kyle at night johnny is out spreading fake bones around their tent to scare her the next morning

maybe Actual Evil Entity Ghost realizes what they're doing and is like "oh it would be so fucking funny to turn the tables on them". manages to get gaz and soap to turn on each other, both of them becoming convinced that all the pranks they definitely didn't agree on are being pulled by the other

idk... maybe the idea is like, ghost is a manic spirit who drives people insane in the woods. johnny and gaz kill each other, you die from exposure to the elements, and he gets to keep the three of you safe in his forest forever (and let johnny and gaz fuck with new campers)

[ilikemicrowaves]

How often with there be updates on ur au?

I don't really have a planned schedule but the next part will probably be out by tomorrow or atleast somewhere during the week

[moonstruckme]

Hi!! I was wondering if you could write (any length you’d like) Remus smut where reader is just so so desperate for him and he’s such a soft Dom🫶🏻 if not please just disregard this🫶🏻

Hi, thank you for requesting! Honestly unsure if this qualifies as full smut, but I hope you like it

cw: smut mdni, dom/sub dynamic

modern au

Remus Lupin x fem!reader ♡ 688 words

You’re hovering by the door. You think you’re being quiet, but Remus can hear the floorboards creaking as you shift from foot to foot. 

Reluctantly, he tears his attention from his story. “Something the matter, dove?” 

Your eyes widen. As if you’d never in a million years have expected to attract his notice. Remus might roll his eyes if it weren’t so cute. 

“No,” you say quickly. “Everything’s fine, just miss you.” 

He gives you a small smile. “Sorry, I won’t be much longer. You know how it is, though, I can’t just stop in the middle of a chapter or I’ll have trouble getting back in the flow next time.” 

“Right, I know.” You rub your lips together. “I’m not trying to rush you.” 

“Just a few more minutes, honey.” 

“Okay.” 

There’s a moment of silence, but Remus lets it sit, sensing you have more to say. 

He’s right. “Can I sit by you while you work?” your voice is tentative. “I’ll be quiet.” 

He chuckles. “Yeah, course you can.” 

You go eagerly to his feet, resting your cheek against his leg. “Thanks,” you mumble. 

Remus manages to type with one hand so he can stroke your head while he works. He’s nearly done with his chapter when he feels movement against his thigh. He looks down. You’re nuzzling your cheek against the rough material of his pants with glazed-over eyes, teeth working into your bottom lip. He thinks he sees your thighs shifting against each other under your skirt.

“Baby.”

The word sounds dipped in honey, and yet you look up like you’re in trouble. 

“Sorry,” you say, lifting your face from his leg. 

“It’s alright,” he says gently. “I didn’t realize you were feeling so needy, honey. Wanna sit on my lap and keep yourself busy while I finish up?” 

A smile splits your face, and Remus chuckles when you scramble up. He sets a hand on your waist as you straddle his leg, your skirt fanned out around you.

“Just take it easy, alright? I’m almost done, I’ll take care of you in a minute.” 

You nod happily. “Thanks, Rem.” 

“Course.” 

Remus tries to focus on the story as he types, but it’s not easy. You work yourself up in record time, fingers digging into his shoulders and lips turning red and raw as your hips move under his hand. He can feel the heat of you through his pantleg. 

The words are far from perfect, but it’s a relief when he finishes. You look up when his laptop shuts with a click. Your eyes brighten. 

“You having fun, dove?” 

“Mhm.” 

“Yeah?” Remus lets his voice stretch out low and sultry, reaching up to run his thumb over your bottom lip. It’s wet and swollen, pliable to his touch. Your eyelids droop and you grind your hips harder into his thigh. “You’ve been such a good girl for me.” 

You flush a pretty pink but can’t repress your smile at the praise. Remus kisses you slowly, paying special attention to that tormented bottom lip. He soothes his tongue over the bite marks you’ve made, stroking your hip from bum to waist with his hand. 

“Why’re you embarrassed?” 

“I’m not embarrassed.” 

“No?” He kisses the supple skin underneath your jaw, pressing his lips to your racing pulse. “You’re blushing like mad, dove.” 

You fluster, setting your hands on his face and ducking away from him. “Remus,” you whine. “You’re being mean.” 

He grins, almost sheepish but not quite. “You’re right, honey, I’m sorry. You’re just too cute like this.” 

“You said you’d take care of me,” you remind him. “I was good for you.” 

“You were,” he agrees, bestowing a far kinder kiss to the corner of your lips. “You’re always my good girl, hm?” 

You gasp as his hand slips under your skirt, fingers flattening over your panties. They’re soaked. He hooks a finger in the fabric to pull it aside, keeping his eyes on yours while he prods experimentally at your warmth. 

You make a quiet whimpering sound. Remus kisses you placatingly. 

“You always get what you want in the end, don’t you?”

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 397 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

1 まったく気が滅入るぜ‼︎ まったくきがめいるぜ‼︎ mattaku ki ga meiru ze!! ”How absolutely depressing!!"

2 50も半ばを超えて 50もなかばをこえて 50 mo nakaba wo koete "I'm more than halfway through 50,"

tagline 1 躍動‼︎アーマードオールマイト‼︎ やくどう‼︎アーマードオールマイト‼︎ yakudou!! AAMAADO OORU MAITO!! Vibrant!! Armored All Might!!

3 幼気な青年をなぶるってのぁ‼︎ いたいけなせいねんをなぶるってのぁ‼︎ itaike na seinen wo naburu tte noa!! "and I'm tormenting a helpless young man!!"

tagline 2 No.397　ゴミ拾い　　堀越耕平 ナンバー397 ゴミひろい　　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 397 GOMI hiroi   Horikoshi Kouhei No. 397 Picking up trash  Kouhei Horikoshi

4 貴様はOFAを手に入れる為"激しい怒り"を宿した きさまはオール・フォー・ワンをてにいれるため"はげしいいかり"をやどした kisama wa OORU FOO WAN wo te ni ireru tame "hageshii ikari" wo yadoshita For the sake of getting your hands on One For All, you [chose to] harbor a fierce rage.

5 そこに付け入る そこにつけいる soko ni tsukeiru I'm taking advantage of that.

6 それのみがこの戦いを唯一成立させる！ それのみがこのたたかいをゆいいつせいりつさせる！ sore nomi ga kono tatakai wo yuiitsu seiritsu saseru! That alone is what makes this battle work!

1 私と貴様の縁!!! わたしときさまのえにし!!! watashi to kisama no enishi!!! That connection between you and me!!!

2 魔王が��いて呆れるぜ！ まおうがきいてあきれるぜ！ maou ga kiite akireru ze! "The Demon King will be shocked to hear!"

3 "無個性"でも戦れる程度とは‼︎ "むこせい"でもやれるていどとは‼︎ "mukosei" demo yareru teido to wa!! "The degree to which one can fight even when quirkless!!"

4-5 私から目が離せないくらい夢中にさせてやるよ‼︎ わたしからめがはなせないくらいむちゅうにさせてやるよ‼︎ watashi kara me ga hanasenai kurai muchuu ni sasete yaru yo!! I'll make you obsessed until you can't take your eyes off me!!

6 「発条化」＋「膂力増強」＋「押し出し」＋「鋲突」　「ダークボール」＋「光塵」 「バネか」＋「りょりょくぞうきょう」＋「おしだし」＋「びょうとつ」　「ダークボール」＋「こうじん」 「BANE ka」＋「ryoryoku zoukyou」＋「oshidashi」＋「byoutotsu」　「DAAKU BOORU」＋「koujin」 Springlike Limbs + Strength Enhancer + Air Cannon + Rivet Stab + Dark Ball + Light Dust

1 ボゴオ BOGOO Sound effect: BASH

1 …雑に組んだな…！ …ざつにくんだな…！ ...zatsu ni kunda na...! "...So sloppily combined...!"

2 ユーティリティマントオートガード"黒影" ユーティリティマントオートガード"ダークシャドウ" YUUTIRITI MANTO OOTO GAADO "DAAKU SHADOU" Utility Cloak Auto-Guard "Dark Shadow"

3 煽りが効いてる証拠 あおりがきいてるしょうこ aori ga kiiteru shouko It's proof my provocations are effective.

4 喋れ喋れ煽り続けろ俊典‼︎ しゃべれしゃべれあおりつづけろとしのり‼︎ shabere shabere aori tsudzukero Toshinori!! Keep on talking and fanning the flames, Toshinori!!

5 マント損壊 マントそんかい MANTO sonkai "Mantle damage:"

6 左上腕骨・鎖骨粉砕 ひだりじょうわんこつ・さこつふんさい hidarijou wankotsu ・ sakotsu funsai "Upper-left arm, clavicle smashed."

7 動作補助MAX‼︎ どうさほじょマックス‼︎ dousa hojo MAKKUSU!! "Operation assistance to max!!"

8 "戦えている"？何を勘違いしている…？ "たたかえている"？なにをかんちがいしている…？ "tatakaete iru"? nani wo kanchigai shite iru...? "'We're fighting'? What are you misunderstanding...?"

1 出涸らしのゴミクズが でがらしのゴミクズが degarashi no GOMIKUZU ga "You're washed-out garbage."

2 ゴミ袋を被ったら気が大きくなったか？ ゴミぶくろをかぶったらきがおおきくなったか？ GOMI bukuro wo kabuttara ki ga ookiku natta ka? "When you put on that garbage bag, did it make you feel uninhibited?"

3 あ？ a? "Huh?"

4 壊れて失うだけだ こわれてうしなうだけだ kowarete ushinau dake da "It'll only break apart and you'll lose it."

5 道具は それは sore (kanji: dougu) wa "That (read as: tool)"

6 限界を超えない げんかいをこえない genkai wo koenai "will not surpass its limits."

7 くれぐれも頼り過ぎることのないようにな くれぐれもたよりすぎることのないようにな kuregure mo tayori sugiru koto no nai you ni na Please don't rely on it too much.

8 アイテムを失ったら力が発揮できない アイテムをうしなったらちからがはっきできない AITEMU wo ushinattara chikara ga hakki dekinai If you lose your item, you won't be able to demonstrate your power.

9 そんなヒーローを私は多く見てきた そんなヒーローをわたしはおおくみてきた sonna HIIROO wo watashi wa ooku mite kita I've seen many heroes like that.

10 気が合うね親友… きがあうねしんゆう… ki ga au ne shinyuu... "We do get along, huh, my close friend..."

1 なんだ？少年 なんだ？しょうねん nanda? shounen What? Young man,

2 その棒切れ一本で勝つつもりだったのか？ そのぼうきれいっぽんでかつつもりだったのか？ sono boukire ippon de katsu tsumori datta no ka? were you planning to win with that one stick?

1 君の時間稼ぎに釣られたんじゃない きみのじかんかせぎにつられたんじゃない kimi no jikan kasegi ni tsuraretanja nai "I wasn't lured by you to buy time."

2 ゴミ拾いできる程ゆとりがあるんだよ僕には!!! ゴミひろいできるほどゆとりがあるんだよぼくには!!! GOMI hiroi dekiru hodo yutori ga arunda yo boku ni wa!!! "I have the leeway to be able to take out the trash!!!"

3 取り繕ってんじゃないよみっともない‼︎ とりつくろってんじゃないよみっともない‼︎ toritsukurottenja nai yo mittomonai!! "You're not keeping up appearances, you're [just] unseemly!!"

tagline 咆哮‼︎ ほうこう‼︎ houkou!! A roar!!

[gepardling]

night-time rendezvous w/ gepard .

desc. : I arise from my hiatus much like a vampire in deathrest. The prologue for a halloween special tht no1 asked for, but i desperately needed 2 write ft. vampire landaus yippeeeee i went 2 deep on the lore besties pls idm if any1 submits asks or reqs around this AU bc i absolutely ADORE it nd didn't get 2 include all of it in da story. May be edited a lil post-release bc i didn't want 2 upload 2 late :( ( wc : 869 )

tags / cw : sfw, but mentions of blood, injury and vampirism, gn!reader, (they/them used), vampire!AU for the Landaus, reader is a human, this is slightly cliché but I LOVE MY CLICHES, proofread but lore may change

index : prologue, part 1, part 2

— Day 0

In the quiet depths of the night, Gepard, a revenant of countless millennia, stood outside his family's ancient villa nestled deep within the dark woods. He had roamed the world for eons, yet he had never been able to silence the heavy guilt that accompanied each sip of blood. The moon hung low in the sky as he grappled with the eternal hunger and remorse that were part of his existence. That's when a lost and injured traveler, you, stumbled upon his secluded refuge. Gepard was the first to find you, a wounded soul, seeking shelter in the heart of his ancestral home.

The scent of iron filled Gepard's nostrils, and a familiar angst gripped the pit of his stomach. He knew that his family, resting in crypts beneath the villa, would be acutely aware of the presence of fresh blood nearby. He couldn't avoid the hunger that was inherent in his nature, but he could control it. As he ventured out to investigate, he saw you – a weary traveler who had unknowingly stumbled into the heart of his family's domain. Gepard's eyes, centuries old and burdened with the weight of guilt, bore into yours. He hesitated for a moment, torn between his hunger and the realization that he couldn't bring harm to another soul.

With a voice that carried a mixture of both weariness and kindness, he said, "You've entered a place not meant for travelers. This is my family's home, and we're... different." Gepard longed to protect you from the danger lurking within the villa's shadows. "You should leave," he urged, although his words were tinged with reluctance. "It's not safe here for you."

"I can't walk anymore," you managed to utter, your hand clinging to the cut on your arm. The throbbing ache in your skull pounded relentlessly, causing your vision to waver in and out of darkness, much like the ebb and flow of the moon itself.

Gepard's expression shifted from concern to one of distress. He swiftly closed the distance between you, his centuries-old instincts warring with his desire to protect you. He knelt beside you, his hand hovering over your injury. "I'm...I can't let you get hurt," he whispered to himself. His own struggle with the hunger that raged within him was a torment he had lived with for centuries, but he couldn't bear to see you suffer. 

Tentatively, he extended his hand, offering you the kind of help he had never given to anyone in all his millennia. "Let me help you," he said softly, his deep voice laced with an undertone of sadness. "I can offer you shelter for the day, but after that, you must leave. This place is not meant for the living. My family..." He trailed off, the anguish evident in his eyes as he contemplated what lay ahead.

"Your... Family?" You whispered back, your mind too cloudy to make any assumptions as the pain nearly buckled your knees. The swiftness with which he scooped you up into his arms was abnormal, but you lacked the energy to resist it now. The ache in your legs still throbbed, but the pressure of his arms provided a strange sort of comfort. As he moved through the grand villa, the ancient architecture around you seemed to whisper secrets of centuries long past.

"My family," he replied, his voice a low murmur, "are not the type to welcome guests, especially those who are alive." His tone conveyed the gravity of the situation. "But I'll tend to your wounds first, and then you must leave. Quickly."

You couldn't see much of his face as you faded in and out of consciousness, but there was a quiet desperation in his eyes. Despite his almost supernatural abilities and formidable appearance, he carried you with a gentleness that spoke of deeper feelings he was unable to fully express. Gepard laid you down on a plush surface, one that seemed foreign to him, but he knew humans preferred the comfort. As you lay on the comfortable bed, the cool linen soothing your feverish skin, consciousness became a distant shore that you could barely see. He knew he had to be swift, for his kindred would soon sense the foreign essence of a human in their midst. The room around you was adorned with antique tapestries, and faint moonlight filtered through heavy drapes. Gepard's emotions churned within him, a complex blend of guilt, empathy, and fear.

Gepard's fingers worked skillfully, tending to your wounds, and he tried to stifle the rising urgency within him. As he changed the blood-stained sheets and bandaged your injuries, he couldn't help but glance towards your still form. His family's presence loomed like a storm on the horizon, and he knew he was running out of time. He sat by your bedside, locked in a silent vigil, hoping that you would awaken before the inevitable. The scent of your blood clung to the room, an indelible mark of your presence, and he knew he couldn't completely erase it. The minutes ticked by, each one heavier than the last, as he awaited the moment when you would open your eyes and, hopefully, escape the impending chaos that threatened to consume them both.

dis may or may not end up being liiiike 3 ~ 4 pts long bc oooooppss i rlly like vampires srry nd i like having geppie as a vamp who doesn't like 2 drink blood nd he does become kinda toxic later (ooc? what's that?? i firmly believe i can make it work) WAIT UNTIL U SEE SERVAL OOOOHHH MY GOD ANGST CENTRAL

[bloo-the-dragon]

Crippled Canary & the Carrion Crow

A gift for @bitterkarmaa / @sinistershepherd for their Karma's Bitter SAMS au! I had an idea for Rays and KC so i wrote this up rq, hope you enjoy!

(Also on AO3!)

Rays was never one to question his life choices which was a funny thing really, when one took into account his life prior to being here. But then that old life had been all he knew, and had accepted as just being the way it was no matter how cruelly he was treated.

Never occured to Rays that in another world entirely he'd be loved and cared for, looked after and not tormented or thrown about like a ragdoll or a plaything, a toy like that owned by a careless child.

It was a life beyond his imagination, a concept that seemed so alien and so impossible that even whe he found himself stepping onto floors made of soft blue instead of hard golden marble he thought he was dreaming or perhaps he had died and this was the afterlife.

He hadn't believed heaven to be real, but in that fleeting moment he had.

But Rays was going off track here with his thoughts.

Because right now he was standing frozen to the spot in the middle of the lost and found area that lay below the theatre of the pizzaplex he now called home, the sounds of glitching vocalisers and heavy thuds of footsteps ringing loudly in his audio receptors just beyond the doorway.

The scarred yellow animatronic had absolutely no clue what it was. A monster of somekind? He had seen plenty of those. But whatever this was, was unlike anything he had heard before and that scared him even more. And what made it worse was the fact it sounded like there was multiple of them.

His damaged rays twitched in an almost attempt to pull in, but Rays grabbed hold of them to prevent them doing so. Not only did it hurt but he was well aware of the noise they would make and he did not want to draw whatever was outside in here.

And that is where his current questioning of life came in. It was very early morning. Stupidly early really. While Ray's internal clock was all but shot, he had memorised the time anyway so he knew it to be around four in the morning.

He had woken up around three, an hour prior and was unable to go back to sleep. He had considered finding Eclipse and staying with him, but he had bothered him enough as of late and he especially didn't want to disturb him this time knowing full well the dark orange and black animatronic would be asleep this time.

So Rays decided to go and visit the lost and found area. Alone.

It was not the first time. In fact he had memorised the route after Eclipse took him down there a number of times and so he started going by himself. It was scary at first for sure but the route and area had grown familiar now so he felt little fear going down by himself.

Until now that is.

The sounds outside continued, but they started to fade a little as whatever it, they were moved further away. Rays released a skirt he had been holding back into the pile and slowly stood up his mind racing with options on what to do, and it took all his willpower to not simply panic and run as fast as he could back up to the theatre. He had no idea how fast the thing was afterall.

So he waited, and stood very still listening. He was good at that. A learned skill picked up when his old master was in a sour mood. The sounds of metal creaking and glitched vocals combined with the heavy thud thud thud of footsteps were still present but growing more distant.

Finding a spark of courage upon seeing a potential escape slot, Rays very tentatively moved and crept over to the doorway leading out. The door was left partly open still and thankfully made no noise as Rays carefully pushed it open a little more to peek outside.

There was no sign of anything, no monsterous amalgamation, no scary eyes in the dark. He could see not too far away the endo skeletons that hung from their racks limp and unmoving. Rays shuddered at the sight of them. They always unnerved him.

But it seemed he had his timeslot, so he swiftly but silently as he could slipped out of the room, not daring to close the door all the way as to not risk the click of it shutting draw any attention to his location. Instead Rays left it pushed just to, before briskly moving across the room and toward the stairs.

But it only took the smallest movement in the corner of Rays eye accompanied by a loud screech of metal on metal for any and all self control to evaporate from Rays body altogether as the last thread of his nerves finally snapped. He bolted.

This proved to be a mistake as whatever was behind him let out a garbled noise of static and a high pitch shriek that made Ray's head hurt enough to almost make him stop. But he pushed through the pain and continued his desperate dash up the stairs.

However the yellow animatronic had only made it up one flight, before turning and instantly colliding with something big. Rays let out a small yelp and he fell back clutching his face and head with small whine, dazed and sore as the impact flared up old scars.

But he was not given much time to process as whatever he ran into suddenly moved and instantly Rays was back on the adrenaline fueled panic, scrambling back as far as he could before his back hit the wall.

Realising he was trapped, Rays could only stare in horror as the tall being turned toward him, a pair of eerie red eyes staring down at him. For a brief fleeting moment Rays thought that it was Moon, as he noticed a familiar pattern of stars on blue fabric that the being appeared to be clothed in.

Hope flared and Rays almost called out in relief. But it faded as quickly as it came as Rays realised just how off this 'Moon' looked. For one it was far too tall, with a grin that was way too sharp for comfort.

Now Moon had sharp teeth sure, in fact they all did it was a built in feature for all their models to be able to switch between sharp and blunt teeth, but only a few chose to keep them in constant. Bloodmoon and Eclipse were the prime examples.

But this… thing whatever it was did not look normal. The teeth were jagged and crooked, the smile stretched too wide even for a robot. Its arms that hung loosely by its sides were long and gangly with claws at the end of its equally long fingers.

One of its pant legs was ripped too, exposing a hocked leg beneath, and the robotic look of it was the only confirmation Rays got that this was indeed another robot. Or at least it looked like one. For all Rays knew, it could be an eldritch being. And he had seen plenty of those.

But this was nothing like what Rays had seen before, a creature that looked so familiar and yet so horrifyingly different. And he had seen many horrors. Many that on any other day he would say were even scarier than this, but right now this truly was the most terrifying thing Rays had seen in a long time.

The way it looked, and the way it stood… It was like looking at a walking corpse. A zombie.

Staring up at it with full blown eyes, Rays sat frozen on the spot unable to look away. The thing, undead robot, whatever it was, tilted it's head with a small click as it regarded the trembling yellow animatronic before it.

Then it moved, a slight shudder running through its frame as it took a step closer to Rays who like a deer in the headlights remained almost completely still, a faint tremor running through his entire body being the only movement he made.

The creature extended a clawed hand toward him, and Rays instinctively flinched and shut his eyes tightly, awaiting the all too familiar feeling of claws running across his face, digging fresh grooves and reopening the old ones.

But there was no pain. Instead what followed was a surreal but still - albeit more new - familiar feeling of something very gently running across the top of his head, caressing his battered rays. Rays' risked opening a single eye, and then the other because he couldn't really see well with just one.

The moon lookalike had kneeled down with an arm extended and it was… petting him? Rays still terrified looked up at its face, and saw that it looked almost… confused? Unsure? It was hard to tell given the low lighting and the soft glow of the red eyes partially obscuring its features but…

It wasn't hurting him. It was being gentle. Safe? Was it a friend?

Rays shuddered as the nerves eased slightly and he leaned into the gentle touch. He was still scared, and very confused but. It wasn't trying to hurt him. Maybe it was friendly afterall. Eclipse certainly looked scary at times, a lot of the time actually but he was still kind to him, showed him patience. The way this robot petted him was a lot like how Eclipse would too.

The sounds of metal screeching and loud footsteps snapped Rays out of his thoughts and his panic flared up in full once again. He gasped and flinched, the tall robot before him also flinching but not making a sound, other than a sharp snap as its head turned quickly in a full 180 degrees.

The creature released a low gutteral growl and Rays immedietely shrank back, unable to hold back a terrified whimper. The eldritch looking robot seemed to pause, and it turned around to regard Rays for a moment before it's voicebox released an odd noise, a weird warbled chirrup of some kind and it extended both its hands toward him.

Still locked into a state of panic, Rays could only stare helplessly as he found himself scooped up into the large pair of arms and tucked against a large cold chest. Then it moved and Rays experienced the very jarring sensation of being carried, oh wait he was being carried.

Had… had anyone actually carried him before?

A whirlwind of emotion and conflictions swam within Rays, his mind growing exhausted from the panic. But memories from a time long long ago were quickly beginning to surface, having been buried for well over a century.

A distant one, one from perhaps his earliest days of existence came to the front of his addled mind. A young ai stumbling onto the ground, having just been freshly made and still figuring how how to use the body it had been given.

Shaking from the cold marble ground, with so many limbs and digits to control, so much to process. The light around them was so bright it burned their new eyes. They had never seen light before and it hurt. Everyhing had been too much, and so they curled up into a shivering ball wanting it all to stop.

And then. They were lifted from the cold hard ground, a rough but gentle hand running across their head and soft words they could not yet understand but latched onto anyways soothing their overstimulated mind, easing the burden of thought. A darkened chest provided an escape from the burning light, and the warmth driving away the chill that had gripped their new form.

Safe. it.. they… he.. she… was safe.

Rays felt like they were floating, their head filled with soft cotton and pillows that insulated his mind and her body surrounded by warmth. He had never felt so at peace before. He wanted this to last forever.

But the call of the waking land tugged at the edge of his mind, drawing him out from the soft paradise he was in. He let out a soft whine, but a hand on his head gave a small gentle rub followed by a small mumble from someone who sounded like they were still mostly asleep.

Rays cracked open his eyes, finding his face to be resting against a dark coloured side. A glance up confirmed it to be Eclipse who was indeed still asleep, his arm wrapped securely around Rays and holding him close.

Rays blinked, his memory foggy from sleepiness. Where…? Wasn't he in the theatre? Below it? Or was it all a dream? He recalled briefly glowing red eyes, and large gangly claws. But funny enough the memory did not spark any fear. He couldn't recall the face of whoever or whatever it was.

Maybe his sleep addled mind was showing him a weird amalgamation of Bloodmoon and Moon. Certainly bore a striking resemblance to at least one of the two.

Well it didn't matter. Rays was still tired and the warmth and reassurance of not being alone, being safe and secure was lulling him back to sleep. He did not fight it, and instead allowed himself to slip back into the land of soft pillows.

Unseen by the now peacefully sleeping yellow robot and Eclipse who held him secure, a large form slipped quietly out of the room, closing the door with a soft click.

~~~

Author's Note: The endos were up looking for beans. They found one (but papa kc said no beans for you go back to bed)

[xxmia0wm4yh3mxx]

GLOOZE

(Chapter: One)

_______________________

A poorly written fic with bad grammer about my fluffy shipkid comfort au i made cuz because of one oc

Also Rogerg and My Able are here

And Queenie is alive Fuck it

Ships: Showtime, BunnyDoll, abstragedy, Checkmates

TW: Child trauma , bullying

___________________________________________

Pomni was roaming the corridors of the Tent, she stopped and saw The cast members gathered around in a circle, looking at something on the floor

Zooble: Ew what is that thing?

Gangle: It kinda looks like a giant booger...

Jax: Why are we staring at this thing? This is like, the least weird thing here

Kinger: Look! Look! Its moving! its Alive!

Pomni tilted her head and walked over

Pomni: What are you all doing?

Queenie turned her head to Pomni

Queenie: Pomni, Dearie! You're close to Caine, do you know what this is?

She walked over and joined the circle, on the floor was a big green splat on the floor, It like Jello in process of rotting only it was pulsating gently like a slime mold

Pomni: wah- what is this?

Kinger: we don't really know, do think its edible?

Jax: I dunno, you should Try it

Ragatha: No, No you shouldn't! You dont know what it is

Pomni: Its probably nothing, maybe I should go ask Caine-

Gangle: Look! Its moving again!

The Splat Was pulling itself together and forming a small piller, The top of it Swelled bigger and bigger like bubble, until it stood atop of a thin neck connecting it to the body, the body slouched due to the weight of the bulbous head

Everyone was staring at it with awe as the slime took form of a vaguely humanoid shape, A single, Big, Bright Orange Eye opened

???: Wah- huh?- What the- where- where am I?

The voice of a young boy came out of the slimes mouth, his one eye shooting across the room and then staring quietly the cast members, The slime meekishly backed up form the cast members

???: w-whats going on?!

His voice was shivering with anxiety and confusion

Pomni: Oh my God thats kid!

She rushed over to the Boy, his breath audibly becoming heavy

Pomni: Are you okay?! Look, I-I know this is Scary but-

She was Cut off when The Child started Screaming like a Banshee

???: WHAT THE (BLOINK!) ARE YOU PEOPLE?! WHAT AM I?! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!

The Child slinked away and splated on the floor, he quickly pulled Himself Up and slithered away, Yelling like he was being murdered

The other Circus members trying to calm him down and catch him, He crashed into a trash bin and a weird looking Muppet thing with fly wings and antenna spilled out and crashed on the floor

Rogerg: GAH- WHAT THE (HONK)?!

The muppet and the slime just stared at eachother for bit before the fly puppet thing started shouting at the top of his lungs

Rogerg: CAAAAAIINE!! THEIRS A GIANT BOOGER IS TORMENTING MY LIFE GET IT OOOUUUTTT!!!! GET IT OOUUUUUUTTTT!!!

The Slime leaped over the trash can, his body compacted into a sphere and started Bouncing all over the Circus, the Child screaming while he controllably spurng around the tent

Caine: Did Someone Called for me?!

Caine looked at the slimeball darting across the room and he grabbed him by the back of the neck, his gooey body went limp like a kitten, He sat him down on the floor, patting his head

Caine: Their you go! All better!

The boy was just silent, breathing quietly the confusion and fear still plastered on his face

Caine: You alright son? You look you've seen a ghost!

The Boy: .....Am.... Am I Dead? Because this doesn't look like heaven or Hell...

Caine chuckled and put his hand on his shoulder

Caine: No my Slimy friend! You certainly not Dead but digitally reborn! You my boy have entered A Digital world of Endless Fun and Adventure!!

The Boy perked up alittle

The boy: ....Adventure? Like... Dragons and Zombies?

Caine: Thats certainly a possibility!!

The Boy: That Sounds Sick!!

The Child's body bounced up and down, the confusion on his face turned into wonder and excitement

Caine was taken aback alittle about how Excited he was, usually new humans panicked and screamed at him when He explained the Digital world, but he was excited and even happy about His predicament

Caine: it certainly is "sick" my Boy! Let me show you around town!

He picks him up by his back againn and teleported him outside and told him all about the Grounds

The Boy: WOW! A free Carnival! They never let me in Carnivals! Awesome!

Caine: Now Thats the spirit son!! So glad you like it!

Caine teleported them back to the tent, and sat the Boy down next to the rest of the cast

They Boy: This place is epic!! I never wanna Leave!!

Caine: Love the enthusiasm Son! Im sure you'll have a great time!

The Boy: Yeah! I gotta go tell everyone about this place! There all gonna be so Jealous!!

The Boy sprinted to the door before stoping in his tracks coming to a terrifying realization

Where did he live? Where was everyone else? What was His name again? He didn't even remember what His face even looked like

He shuttered, Everything he knew was erased, his body became dead still, terror frozen on her face

He slowly turned his face back to the Ringmaster

The Boy: How..... How... Do I... Leave?

Everyone was uncomfortably silent and looking around, Jax tried to say something but Ragatha Shut him up

Pomni: Um.... Now don't freak out... but We... There isn't.... We don't Actually know....

The Boy: What Do you mean Dude?! I'm stuck here forever?!

Jax: Well yeah pretty much

Ragatha: Jax!

Jax: What? He was going to find out eventually!

The Boy was just Quiet, His pupil retracted and His mouth went agap, He started hyperventilating

The Boy: I CAN’T LEAVE?! I CAN’T GO BACK HOME?!

His Gelatinous body starting shivering which looked a bit like jiggling, his eye started watering, His breath starting coming out in shaky spruts

Pomni: Hey! Hey! It'll be okay! ...Just ...Try to... um...

Ragatha: Think Positive! Its really not so bad here!...

The Child's crying became more profuse The cast tried to comfort him, embedding the tragic reality into His Head

Caine Quietly: Not again...

Caine looked the Child With sympathy, This ALWAYS happens whenever a new human eneters and never knew what to do to help them, Only it was worse this time because It was a Child, an innocent Child who was probably missing his Parents, his friends...

Wait... Friends... Pals... Caine got an idea

Caine: WELP! Son, you certainly got yourself into a pretty psychology damaging predicament, Which means theres only One thing to do!!

The Child looked up at him, Tears still in his eyes and Cast trying to comfort him

The Boy: .....What?

Caine: Social Therapy!!

The Boy: *sniff* what?...

Caine Took his baton and summoned a closed stage curtain

Caine: I give you.... Your Psychological Aid Liaisons!!

The Curtain opened and reveled 6 younger looking cast members

Caine: Your P.A.LS!!

The Boy looked at Caine confused and then the Pals, One who was a Black Chess piece like one of the Cast members, randomly fell on his face, The Boy looks back at Caine perplexed

Caine: Thats Right! These Googly Little Guardians are here to Bring you Endless Comfort and tranquility in Your lowest points in Life! Not To mention Tons and Tons Of Fun!

The Boy: ...What?

Before The Boy could question futher a Pal ran up to him, They were Brightly colorful like the circus they were in and made of Random shapes and parts, they could hardly run due to their fragile, lopsided body, They Shook his slimey with their ribbony one

Niku: Afternoon! My name is Niku, What a wonderful day it is such a swell person such as you!

The Boy: um... Okay-

A Rabbit Ragdoll, covered in Patches, bumped into Niku, toppling them over and smashing into pieces

Patchricia: Nice to meet'cha New friend! Cupcake?

She offered him a cupcake shaped like a bunny

The Boy: Um... I-Im good

Patchricia: suit yaself!

She ate the cupcake herself, two Chess pieces wearing Pink and Blue robes walked up Him and curtsyed

Princessa: A Pleased im sure, My Name is Princessa and this my Brother Princely

Princely: Hello! I like how green you are! Im certain we will be good friends!

Princely Extended his floating hand to him, The Boy slinked away in response, Princessa it and moved Her brother out of His way

Next, A Pal with Soma cube for a Head and one green eye went up to him, their calm and professional demeanor a contrast to the cutesy sailor suit they were wearing

Qwerty: Greetings, My name is Qwerty, I am here to assist with any inquiries or tasks you may have, Please let me know how I can be of service

Their monotonous and flat voice was unsettling to him, almost creepy sounding

The Boy: Uh-huh sure...

Qwerty: Alright then

They walked away and joined the Pals Who were helping Niku put them selves back together and adding new parts to them

Patchricia: sorry bout that, I got too excited

Nikus voiced changed to one androgynous to more high pitched and feminine

Niku: *Sniffle* oh no no no its all my fwault!!

Qwerty: unreasonable reason, Patchricia was the one who pushed you

The boy just stared at the absolute absurdity of the Artificial "Intelligences" that were supposed to help him

Ragtha: Isn't this great! Look at the new friends you have!

The Boy just stared with a dumbfounded face

Caine: One... Two... Three... wait, Wheres-

M' ere!

A little tooth-headed Boy wearing orange suspenders and a striped shirt ran up to the Ringmaster with Chocolate sauce all over his face

Caine: Ah! Enock! There you are Son!

Enock: I made a Chocolate foutain In the Bafroom!

Caine: Thats great champ! Say, why don't you go say to our new friend!

Enock: New Friend?! Well Hotdog! I love New friends!

Enock looked over to The slime Boy, He was bouncing up and down with Excitement, the Boy looked at him like he had two heads instead of a tooth one

Enock ran over as fast he could, and hugged and shaked him as hard as could, Squishing His Gooey body against him

Enock: HI! My names Enock!! I like to Sing and Dance and wear suspenders with my pants... Hey that Ryhmed!! Do you like it here?! I love it here! We can love it here together! Golly Gosh! You sure are Green! Like broccoli! I dont like broccoli, But I like YOU! Also your eye is my favorite color! And!... and...

Enock noticed The Boy was absolutely terrified by his over excitement so he went quiet as everyone else

Qwerty: ...I believe you have frightened him Enock

Enock: ....im sorry...

He looked down on the floor ashamed and sad he screwed up at an introduction so badly

Pomni and Caine looked at their child sympathetically, They hated seeing him so upset

Pomni: Hey um.. Enock.. why don't you go show your New friend Around the Tent?

Caine: Great Idea Love! Enock! Go show our little green friend The Magic of The Circus!

Enock: Really!? Hotdog!!

He jumped in the air with excitement

Patchricia: aw c'mon! Why does HE getta do it!?

Ragatha: PATCHRICIA!

Patchricia: I'm Sorry!

Later Enock was walking with The Boy through the Halls of the circus and they came to a colorful door with the words 'The Learning Room' in puffy, bold letters on it,

He opened the door to show a cartoony classroom with a alphabet puzzle carpet, circle tables spread across the area, arts and crafts covered the walls and storty books on the shelves and Big chalkboard with random doodles and phrases on it

Enock: Dishisda School room! We learn lossa things here! Like scince, Engrish, maff, arts, and Gramma! imma... not very good at dat last one... or tha others... ebendo.. My uncle is the teacher... and my dad is literally god... But das Okay! Because- Hey where'd ja go?

The Boy wasn't listening to Him, He was Staring into the affirmation mirror at his own reflection, a disconcert and absolute disturbed expression looking staring back at him

The Boy: This.... This... Isn't my face... I don't look like this...

Enock tilted his head

Enock: wattdiya mean? Weren't you Born slimy?

The Boy: ..... I don't know... I... I try to remember my face... my name...

His voice became shaky

The Boy: But... But its like it never existed in the first place...

Enock: Nothing?! Na' even your friends?... or your family? An all the People who love you?....

The Boy's voice hitches and Started tearing up...

The Boy: No... I- I don't...

Enock's demeanor quickly went from happy to one of sorrow

Enock: I.... I... *gasp* I know! You wanna A hug? Dey always make everything better!

He went up to him, arms outstretched to hug the distressed Boy, But The boy slid away from Enock's kind gesture

The Boy: N-no!

He had a bothersome manner like Enock was doing something absurd or wrong, Enock put his arms down embarrassed and twiddling his nonexistent fingers

Enock: well... Do you... Do you wanna go play with other pals with me?

The Boy: .....Sure

Later, Enock took The Boy to the Pal's Clubhouse, Inside they were all sitting in a circle sharing Cookies and Chips and talking with eachother

Patchricia: So I Ended up accidentally spilling the batter all over my dress and I, like, literally Jumped six feet in the air! Now, I know it was just batter, but it was like, in that weird goop phase that I hate, Like, Slimy things are just gross and I hate them

The Boy gave Patchricia a dirty look

Patchricia: Oh! um... No offense to you of course! Im sure you're very nice and clean!

Princessa: Tch! I really don't get your obsession with everything having to be sparkly clean all the time, gosh you're so dramatic!

Patchricia: Oh really? If you're so chill bout Dirty things, why don't I go dump Trash all over your perfect, clean, sparkly room?

Princessa: oh Nonono! Please dont do that!

Niku: I Find trash quite exhilarating experience! I get to discover all sorts of new bits and pieces and rebirth them into parts! And I also I can be in the presence of My Uncle!

Princly: Oh yeah Uncle Rogerg Is awesome! Hes so sweet and nice!

Patchricia: Oh yeah! Like, I wouldn't touch him without a towl but hes awesome!

Everybody started talking about how they love Uncle Rogerg, confuseing the Boy

The Boy: wait... you're not talking about the weird Muppet thing that lives in the trash are you?

Niku: Tehe! No silly im talking about my Uncle Rogerg! He's a felt marionette that lives in the garbage

The Boy was looking at them all weird when he noticed the absence of someone

The Boy: hey, wheres the Blockhead?

Princessa: Qwerty has a Special Curriculum, apparently, their learning how to make new worlds and people!

Princely: oh Yeah! They're like the smartest person ever!

Patchricia: They can pretty much do anything

Princessa: A true Renaissanceman in the humble package of an Everyman

Enock: They are also my cousin! Didja know that?!

He shook the Boy a little

Niku: That is true Enock, but you certainly act opposite!

Patchricia: I know right? Its like your not even related at all

Enock slowly quieted down, The boy tilted his head to look at him, he looked like something distressing him was on his mind

The Boy: So... what do you guys do all day exactly?

Niku: were all here to make people happy and help them when feeling distressed

Princely: that or were at school

Patchricia: or playing minigames

The Boy: okay, cool... so what do the Adults do? Do they have Jobs? Or do they wander around aimlessly too?

Enock: OH! OH! My Dad makes them all cool adventures that they can go everyday! Hes really REALLY cool and make Cool worlds and People and Makes everybody happy! And someday Imma learn ta make em Too someday! And- And- And- When I do, imma make all sorts of cool things and make everybody happy!! And- And- And- An- An- An- ima Make all sorta kewl things like A diner Run by Talking dinosaurs and make Magic hotdogs!! And then imma make a magic Moose that tells your the darkest desires and Birds that throw up more birds and giant skeleton hands that pick up you and takes you to nirvana! or giraffes that are actually snakes!-

Enock started endlessly rambling about random weird things, he was talking so fast it started sounding like absoulte gibberish and started shaking his hands and stomping his feet

When he calmed down, He noticed everyone was looking at him like he was deranged, especially The Boy

The Boy: ....dude...What is wrong with you?

Enock meekly hid his face in his knees

Niku: So... Adventures! They're funnest!

Princessa: You know yesterday, Father told about me that they explored a Cave full of gemstones, He told me it was Magical! I wish I was there with him

The Boy: what? Can't you?

Patchricia: No, Mr. Caine said their to dangerous for us, we do get to do other things instead though

The Boy: well... im not one of you guys, so can I go?

Princely: Well im sure you figure out when Mr. Caine announces the next one tomorrow

Enock: OH! OH! You're gonna love my Dad! He's like the coolest ever!! You're gonna love him! He tells Me all sorts of smart things!

Enock started grabbed The Boy and playfully shaking him faster and faster

Enock: Like- Like- Why We should never pay taxes! Or How bathing in toothpaste is actually good for you, and it also feels nice because its minty! I like the Mango flavored one because I like mangos! Did you know Mangos and cashews are cousins? Thats because cashews come from a fru-

Enock accidentally pushed the boy onto the floor, splattering him all over the other Pals

The Boy: OW!- *Splat!*

Patchricia: EW! EW! EW! EWWWW!! ENOCK YOU CLUTZ!!

Princely: Enock, Why'd you do that?!

Enock looked absolutely humiliated, and grabbed his long eyestalks on the sides of head and covered his face and left the club house, leaving The boy a splat on the floor

At night, The boy found a little playmat to use as a blanket, He was trying to get comfy but everytime he tried to relax he oozed out of the blanket not to mention a jelly body wasn't exactly comfortable for him, He hated this body that wasn't his, he hated this place that wasn't his home, he hated all the weird and annoying people in this Dumb, stupid Circus, He just wanted to go home but he couldn't even fathom what 'home' even felt like, did he ever? Will he ever know? He curled himself underneath the blanket which he oozed out of

The Boy: Ugh! This place sucks (CAR HORN)!

Enock: How'd you dodat with your mouth?

Great, The Crazy Clown boy was back, it COULD get worse than this

Enock: Wire you sleeping onda floor?

The Boy: Go Screw yourself freak! You're making everything worse!

Instead of screwing off he sat down on the floor and scouched himslef closer to him

Enock: 何が問題なの?

The Boy: Stop! Just Stop! Everything here is so freaking weird! I just... I just wanna go home, But I dont even now what home is! I dont even remember what normal feels like and YOU being a total weirdo freakazoid IS. NOT. HELPING. So go AWAY!

The Boy: Ugh, can my life get any worse??

Enock: Do You... wanna A hug? Dey always make everything better!

He extended his arms to hug him, but he slithered away from him, His gelatinous body literally boiling and bubbling like a angry Cat hissing at a puppy, but Enock's arms were still extended

Enock: C'mon! It'll help!

The boys body sizzled louder, making the blanket burn off his body

Enock: ... pretty please?

Pomni far away: Ennie! Its Time for Bed!

Enock hesitated to leave for a bit, before sprinting away to his room, The boy continued helplessly to try to get comfortable on the hard floor, He felt his eye start to water and he started to weep, he didn't know why he was here, or what this place even his he just wanted to go home,

but... did he know even know home was?

END OF CHAPTER 1

Part 2

[grandlinedreams]

any moments of fluff or happiness in the ‘come back wrong’ au? anything that makes all of it worth it to law or confirms to him he made the right decision?

Bc I've tormented y'all with enough angst for rn, have some fluff ㅡ

The first time After that you cuddle into him in bed, Law stills. He can feel the tentative curl of your hand in his shirt, the low creak of springs as you inch closer.

He moves slowly to face you, catches the gleam of your eyes in the dim glow of the lamp on his desk, still on ㅡ and for the first time in a very long time, you look like you.

"Cold," you mumble, but you're always cold these days. No amount of blankets will change that ㅡ but Law does his best not to think about that as he lets you curl into him.

He's selfish, he knows ㅡ but it's hard to care about that, the repercussions and hurt of it all when you're acting like Before. He presses his lips to your forehead, lets himself think of nothing but you, the way you smell ㅡ no longer of the cold metal of an autopsy table and graveyard dirt. You smell like clean linen and old books ㅡ like you.

"I love you," he murmurs. He doesn't push you to say it back, doesn't expect you to ㅡ you don't have to.

You nestle closer, press cold lips just above the steady beat of his heart. "I love you too."