#a less threatening bird than last time :^D

[monstermonger]

Little wren, far from home

[circeyoru]

{Demonic Companion} What if the lover is a killer?

This request can also be found in {Demonic Companion _ Part 2}

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@rl8002d

Why do I want the lover to actually be a murderer? 😭 my brain is confused.

😶 getting murdered by our "love" the betrayal! At least in Hell we'd have Alastor

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What if the Lover is a killer? 

Okay, this can go depending on when it’s found out and what type of killer the Lover is (like by directed targets). For the sake of easiness, I’ll call this person LK. from now on (stands for Lover -is a- Killer). Basically I’ll set Alastor to be the one to find out, since love is blind and you’re blind when you in love with LK, also to avoid more scenarios

When it’s found out:

Before you’re crushing on LK or got together — Alastor wouldn’t even know this person. Like LK? Who’s that. Oh, there’s a killer around, so he’ll be protecting you and telling you to be careful. He wouldn’t find the lover’s identity since he’s more focused on you and spending what little time he has with you on Earth

When you’re crushing on LK — Alastor’s in denial for feeling soft and romantic for you, but then he’s jealous that your attention went to another. He lost to a human? It started out as his pride being damaged and challenged, that’s why he went to investigate LK, nothing more, nothing less. But then he found fount this LK was much like him. He’d advise you, perhaps hint at LK’s dark secret, instead of telling you outright. He’s not jealous! But it does make him realize he actually treasures you more than what he led on

During your relationship with LK — Immediate red flags. Alastor wants to make sure you were safe and happy, now that you were not admoured at him, he wants what’s best for you and not in a toxic way. He sees that you really really loves this LK and LK seems to reciprocate back. He’d actually threaten LK since he was doomed to go to Hell, he’d have an eternity to torture LK when LK died if you were so much as hurt, physically, mentality, spirituality, and emotionally

Type of Killer:

Outsider Victims — LK’s killings are random, or are the victims. There’s no linkage and basically points to a serial killer. You wouldn’t be a potential victim since it could tie back to LK. So Alastor is more relaxed but still on edge all the same

Targetted Victims — Think of it as revenge type or with a specific goal in mind. As long as you aren’t on the list, Alastor will keep a hands off approach, but there is the possibility that if you accidentally get in LK’s way, LK might kill you and Alastor won’t have that

Lover Victims — LK’s killings are directed at easy prey. All the past lovers and close friends of LK somehow ended up dead one way or another and LK is still free as a bird. At that point, Alastor will do everything to break off your relationship with LK, no matter the time period stated above (assuming he knows about LK of course)

Now for the exact writing request!

What if you were killed by LK and ended up in Hell with Alastor? (this is on the assumption that Alastor didn’t know LK is a killer)

The last thing you remember was pain and a heartbreak. You remember tears running down your face and the disbelief of the entire situation. You couldn’t believe it. Your 3 year anniversary with LK was your death date. You thought you were going to spend a happy life with LK and Alastor would be watching over you like a guardian angel or demon

When you got to a place with so much red and creatures from fantasy and fiction. You knew you were in Hell. Alastor told you more tales than you can remember, he joked that you’d go to Heaven but you knew you’d go to Hell because you did a demon summoning when you were so so young. You had asked Alastor of his moments in Hell to prepare yourself and you were glad to have done so

“Happy Hotel… I need to go to Hazbin Hotel… I want to see Alastor…” You sobbed again, you didn’t even realize your demon form was more of a ghost than anything. You did love the paranormal after all. Your cries echoed as you floated your way to the hotel, unknowingly causing the demons around you to wither in agony until you were out of earshot. You left along a icy trail behind you while you looked for a way to the hotel

“Radio Demon. Do you know where the Radio Demon is?” You would ask some unlucky sinners and demons. They shiver in your presence while you remained unanswered. Most figured you had a bone to pick with him, wanting to take the title of Overlord. You didn’t realize they were sending you to an early grave since they thought you didn’t know Alastor’s reputation, so they pointed you in the right direction of the hotel

You knocked on the door, ignoring the way you appear, you honestly didn’t know how you looked. The only thing on your mind was that you needed Alastor’s companionship. You patiently waited until someone answered the door, by the looks of it, Charlie Morningstar, the Princess of Hell

“Hi, welcome—” 

She was promptly cut off as you leaned forward, “Radio Demon. Where is Alastor the Radio Demon?”

“What did he do this time.” A lady in so much grey, Vaggie, groaned as she moved away her spear to tap the ends against the floor. “Hey, if you want to cause trouble, can you do it outside of the hotel?”

You didn’t get a chance to explain yourself, though you heard of how many sinners and demons would look for Alastor to do battle in an attempt to gain power and attention. When you heard a voice through static and saw the demon in red, you rushed pass Charlie and Vaggie to hug Alastor by the waist. “Alastor!”

Everyone was having an internal panick attack when they saw you hug Alastor out of nowhere. They all knew you were going to die a painful death.

Alastor’s head tilted to the side as static grew painfully loud. “You are?”

“It’s me.” You tilted your head up to look at him, a frown on your face. “Did you forget?”

His eyes widened a bit in realization and recognition, he returned the hug as the static and darkness toned down. “Darling, Sweetheart, what are you doing down here? And look like this? What of your anniversary?”

Your grip on him tightened, tears flowed again. “I died. LK killed me. So… So… I woke up in Hell and went to find you at the hotel.” You buried your face in his torso as you tightened your hug, crying, “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t realize what LK was doing. I’m sorry.”

You didn’t even realize his growing murderous aura. The hotel members all stayed silent at the scene, a bit fearful of what Alastor would do if they interrupted the moment. Alastor had to control the urge to destroy the building or anything at the moment, he didn’t want to frighten you any further considering what you went through

“Fortunaturely, my darling, this LK fellow will destine for Hell after death. If you please, you can give LK a taste of revenge. How does that sound?” Poor attempt at comfort, the hotel members all thought. But when you cracked a chuckle, they were amazed and surprised

“You’re still terrible at comforting.” You smiled, letting Alastor wipe away your tears with his claws while you calmed down. “But thanks.” You looked away a bit guilty, “Still, I don’t think I want to see LK again… Especially in Hell. Who knows what LK’ll do.” You gasped, “LK would be more powerful than me! I need to hide, just in case—”

Alastor silenced you with a clawed finger in front of your face, “Shhh, my doe. You’re in Hell, not on Earth anymore.” His grin widened as he kneeled down, while you were smaller and shorter, it seemed to be in your demonic nature to float, much like a ghost would. He held your hand and kissed it, “We could be together anytime and anywhere without judgment.”

You remained hesitant. “But you’re an Overlord and you host the Hazbin Hotel. You were already too busy to visit before. I’ll be a burden… I don’t mind staying in hiding.”

“Nonsense! You shall not be subjected to such thoughts and plans. The hotel has plenty of room or you can stay with me! Nowhere is safer. I assure you.” Alastor smiled. The two of you turned to Charlie who immediately nodded her head to support Alastor’s claims. “See? Our dear princess is a kindhearted soul, she wouldn’t turn you away even if you begged!”

“As long as I’m not a bother.” You spoke softly, your smile returning

“Never, my dear.” Alastor got up, guiding you to the staring members that were watching the entire scene silently without so much as a peep. “Allow me to introduce to you, this is my human friend whom I’ve been visiting since forever! Due to some accident, death has come too early.”

You introduced yourself, bowing a bit as you greeted everything. “Hi there, I’ve heard a lot about you guys from Alastor. He’s quite talkative about the project to redeem demons.”

Alastor watched as the wayward souls warmed up to you as he expected quickly, formally introducing themselves and denying anything that would paint them in a bad light in your lovely eyes. When you giggled and laughed along, he knew you’d enjoy yourself

It was only after everyone turned in for the night and you were sleeping peacefully on his bed without sadness or reminsice of that soul, that he summoned his minions and he let out his wrathful order, “Keep an eye out for that no good lover and bring LK to me alive the moment LK falls.” The shadow minions all scattered, some even escaping to Earth if they could to spy on LK and his inevitable death. “That thing will serve as the perfect courting gift.”

Note: Okay, that's all for now. Cause I don't see any request, so I'll take it as my break until you guy send me some (〜^‿ ^)〜

Circe Y.

[lilspacewolfie]

You asked for headcanons and headcanons you shall receive (tho they are a bit chaotic)

So, there's this line in "After": He [Copia] felt like he was floating in dark waters with some great beast beneath him, making sure he didn’t sink too deep.

THIS LINE!!!

1) I love me a shapeshifter character and all the little different possibilities it entails

- a large beast with too many paws able to wrap itself around Copia

- a little rat keeping homeless Copia company

- a large gargoyle watching him from the rooftops and providing shelter from rain

- Lucifer accidentaly inspiring Cerberus or Jǫrmungandr or Quetzalcoatl or Hydra because someone saw him practicing shapeshifting

- maybe he turns into a harmless Cerberus every once in a while to play with various kids around the clergy and he tends to appear on days when there's broccoli or spinach for dinner so children can sneak him their meals

(In general I have a headcanon that Terzo was adored by the children arou d the Clergy and they, with the help of some adults and Primo and Secondo, made him the Cirice video, and then Terzo refused to have a professional one made)

- some flying form (flying snake à la chinese dragon? bird with multiple dark wings?) big enough to allow him to take Copia on a flight

- a rat again whenever he doesn't want to deal with Sister Imperator - he can hide under Copia's fancy hat (that I don't remember the name of) prompting clergy to make Ratatouille jokes

- if anyone ever threatens Copia the last thing they see is this blob of void so dark it seems to absorb light with too many limbs and teeth and eyea and wing and oh good god what even is that?! and Copia is well-aware of the blob behind him and knows better than to look at it, but to him it just radiates comfort

- in general some terrifying monster thingy (maybe for scaring evil sinners in hell) that would cause people to run away screaming and that actually scares Copia (he wasn't supposed to see it at all) and Terzo then feels super bad about it and tries to modify it to never frighten Copia again

Dammit I hit ask limit again...

Ahh anon you’re sort of of the ball with your thinking! I know my Lucifer can and does shapeshift, he’s been many people and things throughout his time but he does get tired from doing it.

Love the idea of Lucifer just spending a few years as various things. He’s tested humanity over the ages, observing and overseeing how humans have grown—all the ups and downs in their nature, the good bad and ugly of what it means to be human. He’s learned a lot from humanity, but that has its pros and cons!

He’s a bit more low-key and less obvious with his guidance of humans who need help as he wants to be as hands-off as possible. But you’re right about a few things that I won’t spoil! You’ll have to read 🫣😊

Once things are less clouded I’ll defo be able to flex my imagery muscles a bit more.

I also agree and headcanon that Terzo/Lucifer is great with kids! He understands their souls are young and feels he finds them to be more understanding than most adults. They’re very innocent and honest in their ways of thinking. I actually have a scene later in my fic (chapter 8) in which he interacts with the Siblings and kids!

As for the void blob… well… Heaven and Hell exist in my fic. And Lucifer does have a ‘true form’ so to speak 👀

I LOVED these! Thank you so much for sending them 🖤

[hamausagi]

YES IT IS LIKE THAT AND NOW I WANT ALL OF THEM FOR YOU TOO I AM EYES EMOJING U SO HARD RN

YAYAYAY I AM EYES EMOJING YOU TOO

What is your nickname?

i don't really have one these days, but i suppose jake or august are still two of my favorite names i go by ^^

When is your birthday?

10/21/03 <3

What was your longest relationship?

1 year and 2 months (ended) (thank god)

What is your favorite book?

six of crows - leigh bardugo !

What is something you're insecure about?

the way i speak LMAO i cringe so much hearing my own voice or hearing the things i say. i feel like im so socially awkward and i hate it so bad 😭😭😭

5 Male celebrity crushes

uhhhhhh i dont rlly keep up with celebs like at all anymore but i used to be literally head over heels for chris pine when i was younger HELP

5 Female celebrity crushes

ZENDAYA and maybe saorise ronan ???? (help me i dont rlly care abt celebs)

What is your dream job?

concept/character artist for a game company !!!! (and to make my own games) (which i am currently working on)

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment?

finding out about my dream college last september after literally never knowing about it prior (besides a friend making an offhand comment abt it in like. 2017 that i forgot abt), finishing a portfolio in less than 2 months, and getting accepted LMAO

What is a fact about you that nobody would believe?

i used to play indoor and outdoor soccer year round, my indoor team competed in a lot of big brackets for the state (i now play no sports and i can barely go up more than 2 flights of stairs or run more than a few meters without dying) (thank you asthma and anemia 💪)

What were your highs and lows for this last month?

highs: FINSHED MY FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE WAHOOOO passed all my classes 🔥 made some new friends :D (and regained some old)

lows: uhhhhh mental health struggles mostly

Where is somewhere you'd like to visit?

i reeeeeaaalllyyyy really wanna go to japan so bad. im literally japanese and ive never been there, and i have family there ive never met that i want to see

How do you de-stress?

sleeping, drawing, playing some games, bothering the bf, gams with friends (unless its helldivers) (then i am stressed more)

What are your favorite apps besides tumblr?

pinterest my beloved <3

Describe yourself in one sentence.

good intentions, but poor execution

What do you think makes you attractive?

uhhhhh i have big eyes, smallish waist ???? i really try and prioritize other people (help i rlly dont know how to answer this)

What is something you're really good at?

drawing :3

What is something you're really bad at?

cooking LOL (im trying to get better)

A time that you told a lie.

telling the kid in my prj group that it was okay after he apologized for being literally the worst group member i have ever worked with (he literally did NOTHING and almost cost us the project several times)

What's a totally random and useless fact that you know?

bearded dragons can puff their eyes out along with puffing their chins when they get scared or feel threatened (thanks to ron for scaring the absolute shit out of me one day) (i thought he was dying)

Who knows you the best?

either my bf or my irl best friend :3

What is your most prized possession?

a wooden box my dad mae me a really really long time ago. that or this little sterling silver flip flop necklace my grandpa gave me a few years before he died when i was a kid

What is your longest friendship?

with my irl bsf, been friends 13 years now

When did you first feel like an adult?

either when my dad finally started actually swearing when talking to me or when i changed my car's oil myself for the first time

Do you/ Have you played any sports?

played soccer for like 11 years and did archery for 5 :3

How are you feeling right now?

im really tired and my cramps are killing me 👍 but im chillin

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

night owl even tho i rlly wish i was an early bird so bad. no matter when i go to bed or how many hrs of sleep i get its so hard to wake up before 9 am bro

Do you believe in love at first sight?

for ocs? yes. irl? absolutely not

Favorite song lyrics right now?

literally loving all the lyrics in a feeling - whxami but more specifically i am thinking abt waiting room - phoebe bridgers "if you were a teacher, i would fail your class take it over and over til you noticed me if you were a waiting room, i would never see a doctor i would sit there with my first aid kit and bleed"

also saw a robin edit to espresso - sabrina carpenter and now my brain is IM WORKING LAAAAATEEEE CAUSE IM A SINGERRRRRRR

What does self care look like for you?

taking showers and making myself food. i hate actually taking showers but the post shower untainted clean feeling is so unmatched bro its the best

Describe yourself with 3 singers.

RONEN, wave to earth, and two door cinema club

What makes you nervous?

meeting friends of friends (meeting new people is fine but its scarier if someone i know is introducing me), going to people's houses that i don't know very well

What’s a pet peeve you have?

trying to talk to someone but getting dry ass responses or no response at all

What will always make you cry?

bro. those tiktoks that are like. "if you know yourself which one are you picking". oh my god. those destroy me so bad

What kind of first impression do you think you make on people?

i honestly have zero idea bro 😭😭 if im meeting people at school im probably a little overwhelming (im loud asf at school) but if like. im meeting my friends parents or my bfs friends. i am a ghost

[cocoapeaches]

merry-men

i. bill withers and earthquakes

When her head hit the end of the bunk bed roughly, it meant either of two things. A) a monster had decided to say hi in the middle of the night, trying against all odds to break through the barrier around camp or B) one of her siblings was seconds away from clashing two bronze plates near her ear as a 'wake-up' call. 

Emmie didn't know which was better.

A soft pillow was smothered against her face, and she was smacked with it twice. "Gods, get up, you snoring pig!" 

Emi blinked to clear her hazy vision. A multitude of groans rang out in the dark and the faint buzzing, like that of radio static, grew louder until she could distinctly recognize Lovely Day covered by her father playing in her mind. 

"Bill Withers?" Victoria shrieked. "That man has no taste! Zero, zip, nada!"

You are a daughter of Apollo, they said. It'd be fun, they said. 

See, that was the catch about having Mr. Sunshine as a dad, they did not have a choice to wake up with the Sun. Either that or bleeding from your ears. Most preferred the former.

Will had beaten Yan to the bathroom and peeked his head out with a toothbrush stuck in his mouth, mumbling, "Be grateful it wasn't a sonnet. I don't think I'll ever recover from the last one."

Ah, the one with the naked grandmas having bird poop for hair.

It was still dark when Emmie stepped outside, knowing full well that she would not get a chance to freshen up before all twelve of her siblings had. Pulling the zipper of her jumper down, she took a deep breath.

For all the chaos the campers created in broad daylight which lasted till a couple of hours into midnight, the quiet camp was eerie in a sense. No Hermes kids looking for trouble, no Aphrodite children tweaking the campers' appearances for the summer. Not even the Ares kids had energy to pick fights this early.

A chime from her wristwatch pulled her out of her trance. May Fifteenth aka beginning of stress month for Chiron and Mr. D. It marked the start of week when the handful of demigods who went home after summer's end started arriving. Year rounders like Emmie looked forward to the day, too, eagerly awaiting their friends, siblings and all sorts of gossips they carried with them. It was their only link to the outside world, especially for the less experienced fighters and the young ones—she was also lumped in that category—who were not allowed past the border.

The last time she had stepped outside was when Aunt Calliope had taken her to meet her newborn brother—her half-sibling. As if there weren't enough of those already.

Someone whistled behind her. "Your turn", Austin called out.

Kayla was yelling at a smirking Felicity, threatening the older girl with a strangely lavender shampoo bottle, when Emmie went back inside. "You did it! And don't you dare deny it, Felicity Jake! I see right through you. You purposefully went before me and swapped the shampoo with the dye!" Oh, yeah, Kayla's hair was blue instead of the normal ginger with green highlights.

Felicity sat on her bed, arms behind her to support her weight. "Oh, come on. Blue suits you. Alright, watch this. Everybody who agrees raise their hand up!" More than ten hands shot up. Kayla grumbled but didn't argue."

"Hey, who's in-charge of which cabin again?" Emmie asked. She took her bathrobe and the coconut-scented soap from the toiletry cabinet, stepping into the foggy shower.

Lee scrambled for his list that they referred to as their version of 'chore distribution'. "Let's see. . .Vic with the Aphrodite bunch, Jerry with Demeter, Ellis gets Hephaestus, Emmie you'll handle Hermes and Gracie gets Athena."

The remaining paled while the already chose ones cheered. "And I'm proud to introduce today's victims—Michael and Tessa. Apologies in advance, my dear siblings. You tackle the Ares kids."

Safe to say, the two had some choice words to hurl at their Head Counselor.

It was sort of an unspoken rule for the occupants of Cabin 7 to wake up the rest of the campers. Albeit without a choice, they woke with the Sun and some crazy sibling of Emmie's from possibly decades ago had decided to sentence them all to being human alarm clocks. Too tired to argue, having spent majority of the night flipping through a new find from the library—an adventure following a poorly mixed crew of six who attempted and succeeded in breaking into some super-jail for witches—Emmie walked up to the Hermes cabin without putting up much of a fight.

From there on, it was a routine job. She flipped over the 'Not you again!' doormat and dragged out the silver master-key. The lights were off when she managed to get in. For being children of the literal god of thieves, they weren't very good at countermeasures. Tiptoeing past the lengthy rows of snoring sleeping-bags, she took the vinyl she had carried and placed it on the player.

Gangnam Style blasted out.

"Who the fuck?!"

From her perch on the wooden dresser pushed against the far corner of the cabin, Emmie smirked. "Good morning to you too, cousins."

--------

"Morning, Emmie", Luke mussed up her hair as he exited the Hermes cabin with his siblings and too many unclaimed or children of minor gods and goddesses in tow. "Don't be late for practice later."

"Aye, captain." She smiled up at him, imitating a nymph. Her eyes were fixed on the two astonishingly similar individuals for not being twins. They caught her eye and gestured toward the secluded area behind the Zeus cabin. "Did you get it?" she asked once they were out of the others' earshot.

The Stolls smirked in unison and Travis fished out an obnoxious pink snow-globe from his pocket. "Top quality product. One smell and you'll be bleaching your nose for the rest of the week."

She shrugged, passing them a ten-dollar bill. When she went to pat her pocket, it was empty. Narrowing her gaze, she tried to snatch back her wallet only for Travis to hold it up higher. Curse him and his ridiculous height. If only she had a heckin' ladder. "Give it back boys."

"For another ten, sure", Connor replied, scouring through the worn-out leather item and dropped it in her hand. Emmie huffed, pocketing it and followed them to the dining pavilion.

Breakfast was always something everybody looked forward to. With the plates spawning every kind of food someone craved, the aroma mingled to form a mouth-watering scent.

Emmie slipped in to sit beside Kayla who was seated at the end of the table, opposite to Lee. The now bluenette quirked a brow but did not question her tardiness.

Their older brother, however, noticed. "And where have you been, Parker?"

Emmie hung her head and shoved a piece of bacon in her mouth after dumping her offering into the hearth alongside a quick prayer. "Tending to some business."

"What business?" Instead of letting the matter drop, he prodded further. "I don't suppose it's got something to do with the huge ball in your pocket?"

Victoria gasped, clamping her palms over Will's ears with mock exasperation. "Mind your tongue, Fletcher. There are kids present!"

Will snorted. "I'm seven, not stupid."

"I did not mean it like that!" Emmie cackled with the rest of her siblings while Victoria continued riling Lee up.

Finally, Michael sighed and tapped the tabletop thrice. "Alright, gutter rats. Some of us are trying to eat h—" He smiled, pursing his lips. Victoria giggled and all hell broke loose. Soon, everyone was guffawing, chuckling or laughing like a maniac. "Not a word."

Camp Half-Blood was like summer camp that lasted for a whole year. Naturally, teenagers with ADHD needed a lot more than food and familiar faces to keep them occupied. That's where the activities came into play. From climbing-walls with dual modes to simple old school arts and crafts, every day was filled to the brim with recreational activities.

The last time she tagged along to deliver strawberries to the local market, Emmie had experienced a massive culture shock. Most kids her age were glued to a screen for the better part of their day while she barely knew how to work one. Chiron claimed they were like magnets to monsters and demigods were better off without them.

First came 'Sword and Sheild' with Clarisse La Rue. Let's face it, Emmie sucked at it, and the big and daunting daughter of Aeres made sure to drill it into her head with "You cannot leave your left side vulnerable like that! ", "The shield is there for a reason, Parker, use it!" and "What part of 'dodge and hit' do you not understand?!"

Emmie worked best with a bow, even better if it was a crossbow. As such, archery with Chiron went nice and smooth. No hollering mentors and no threat of being hanged upside-down by her ankles looming over her.

By the time she had made it past horseback riding with the Demeter cabin, her arms felt ready to fall off. 

Luke greeted them with a large bone-like object that looked like it could very well belong to a megalodon as the sluggish swarm filed into the arena once more for Monster Assault Technique class. "Can anybody guess what today's topic is?"

Annabeth's arm was up in the air before Emmie could get herself seated in the very back of the class with Valentina. "That's an Ethiopian Drakon's tooth. They are known for their deadly claws and can be traced rather easily by their feeding habits."

Luke smiled, setting the tooth down on the low table with a missing led that he had snagged from the store. "Very good. Annabeth's right." The blonde daughter of Athena gave a pleased hum and Valentina chuckled. Apparently, her 'love senses' were acting up again.

"Today we'll be covering Ethiopian dragons. Now, our good ol' Director wants a five-page essay on this topic so I will humbly suggest that those who think being here is a waste of time, please pay attention. Clovis, buddy, your pillow should've stayed in your bed. Can someone sprinkle some water on his face? Yeah, thanks, Katie."

--------

Emmie had almost made it up to the Big House without drawing unwanted attention to herself. If only the Stolls has mentioned that the bomb needed a trigger and that being a drop of wine. And the only place one would keep alchohol - besides the infirmiry - amidst a bunch of impulsive teens was inside a cabinet in the baby blue HQ.

"Emmie? I thought lights out was an hour ago. What are you doing up?"

She jumped, clutching the front of her t-shirt. "And I hoped you would be asleep, Mister Chiron. But we don't always get what we want, do we?"

"Luke gave me a heads-up about the Stolls and Valentina dropped by earlier to reveal your scheme. Now, go back to bed."

Emmie sighed, clenching her fists. "Those two will get it in the morning."

Chiron smiled knowingly. "So will you. Expect extra tasks tomorrow. Off you go."

"Dang it!"

Before she made to leave, Emmie caught sight of the resident God of wine and lunacy who was sound asleep on the recliner, a goblet tipped over his stomach. "Mr. Chiron, can I head to the kitchens? I can do with a late-night snack."

He seemed to contemplate it. Big mistake, Mr. Chiron. "Yes but bed immediately after. I can barely deal with one sleep-deprived powerhouse, two is pushing it."

"Okay. Good night, Mr. Chiron."

Just as her hand grasped the doorknob, thunder rumbled in the distance, sending tremors through the ground.

Usually, the weather in camp was always pleasant. Therefore, when it came to sudden thunderstorms, it could only mean one thing.

Zeus was throwing another temper tantrum.

But judging by the look on Chiron's face, it was a lot deeper than that. She followed the Director out into the night.

"Did something hit the barrier?" Emmie asked as they hiked down the hill and towards the entrance. "What in Holy Hera is that!"

Down on the ground, a boy about her age was lying unconscious, one arm wrapped around Grover the satyr and the other clutching a huge bull's horn close to his chest. Chiron ran to them and pressed his fingers under the boy's nose. "Alive."

Emmie felt the sinking feeling dissipate before noticing the trail of blood that went down the boy's face. "We need to get them to the infirmary!" Chiron seemed to agree as he slung the two on his back effortlessly and away he went.

"Well, scoot." Chiron laid the raven-haired boy one of the beds while she took her place on a stool beside the bedframe. Drawing a long breath, she started a slow hymn to Apollo, hovering her hand over the boy's chest. Looking closely, it was no doubt he was a demigod - tanned skin with a fluff of jet black hair and sharp features. He was fairly good looking, better than half the camp's boys even.

But who's kid? Hopefully not Dad's, that would just be weird.

Soon, the wounds on the boy's face and arms began to glow faintly and disintegrated into mended skin.

Emmie looked up at the centaur who was totally lost in thought. "You're hiding something", she said. It came out stingier than she intended but Chiron's attention was gathered all the same. "Who is he?"

Chiron frowned but did not answer directly. "Emersyn, I want you to keep tonight's ordeal to yourself. If anybody asks, let me handle the talking." He paused to glance at the knocked-out ravenette. "He can turn out to be a crucial part in deciding where demigods stand today."

Well, geez. That was very informative.

Emmie had finished her healing and turned her stool to face Chiron. She had just registered the newbie demigod's spoil of war and couldn't help imagining how he had ripped it off. "That's Minotaur's horn. Did this kid really beat him?"

And got tossed around like fried rice in a wok, she guessed by his wounds.

"Likely. Can I take your word for it? That you will keep this between the two of us?"

That you will co-operate, went unsaid.

Emmie studied Chiron's features intently, noticing every frown line on his face. The man was as older as the camp itself and no doubt he had much to worry about. She decided against messing with him anymore.

Emmie disliked being stuck on a puzzle as much as she hated quick and breezy games. Perceus Jackson was the former in the category. After hushed agreements and exhausted goodbyes, Emmie stayed back in the infirmary, feeding nectar and ambrosia cubes to Grover before returning to the cabin. It would be morning in a little while anyway.

As she lay wide awake, twisting and turning in his sleeping bag and listening to the cicadas chirping outside, Emmie felt intrigued if anything.

Maybe this summer would not be as uneventful as the last. Perhaps she would annoy Clarisse into a re-match on the lava wall tomorrow.  

Maybe, maybe. . .there were endless possibilities.

[totiredtowrite]

Wolf In Sheeps Clothing

Warnings - Cursing because angry boy, reader being a cold mf, reader's clothes are described (but kind of vaguely so dw)

Note: I feel like I can hear the gif for some reason :D? Kind of self indulgent so reader is shorter than kyotani. Poor mad dog, always being put in his place by pretty boys. I'll have you know that I consult the wiki everytime I write something for character details by the way. (bragging shamelessly). Reader is also a second year and the student council president because this is fiction and I'm not sure if you have to be a third year hehe

this turned out longer than I thought it would, really popped off with this one

Male Reader

Kyotani Kentarou has a new enemy.

Whether or not you knew he though of you as an enemy didn't matter to him.

Suprisingly, it doesn't happen as often as some might think. His awful attitude and uncooperative nature ensures that he makes more enemies than friends, but most people are too afraid to approach him in order to become one of the two.

His new enemy?

You. (L/n) (y/n), Student Council President.

Kyotani never really though much of you. Not when you campaigned for the spot, (despite being in the second year), and not when you got the position. He's seen you, sure, you made that whole speech when you got the part and you oversaw detention sometimes.

Kyotani, (surprisingly), didn't get detention much. On the one time you oversaw the detention class when he was supposed to be there, he decided not to go.

So, overall, he hardly saw you at all. You were nothing but a passing thought in his mind when he heard people talking about you. He never expected to talk to you, much less consider you his worst enemy.

~~~

It really was a normal day for Kyotani. He woke up, took a shower, ate on his way to school, and slipped into class with his usual "fuck with me and you die" look on.

Practice was cancelled that day as the coach was out sick, so he didn't really have anything to do. Everything was all normal for him, right up until the end of the day. Kyotani was stalking through the hallways, the other second years moving out of his way and giving hushed whispers to their friends as they got ready to leave.

He was used to that, and even liked the feeling it gave him, knowing that these people were actually afraid of him. He was close to his locker when it happened.

He ran right into you, almost knocking you back. He glowered down at you, an angry spark in his eye that would have any other student running far away. You however, just stepped back to be clear of his general bubble, and looked up at him with a frown.

Truth be told, he had never really seen you up close. True he'd overheard some of his classmates talking about how 'intimidating' and 'handsome' you were, but Kentarou didn't expect to actually feel it coming off of you. He didn't expect to point out how attractive you were right off the bat.

The hard glisten in your eye faded as you scanned his face. You know this guy. Your expression changed from 'stone cold dictator' to 'unbothered student council president.'

Somehow feeling the tension, most of the students cleared out before either of you said a word.

"Kyotani Kentarou," you said, "Number 16 on our schools volleyball team. Infamous for your out of control aggression and prowess in your sport." You smirked at him quickly, straightening your blazer and standing up straight.

"The hell," he lifted his head to look down his nose at you, "why do you know me?"

You shrug. "I keep tabs on all the students I think are troublesome. Or interesting." He watched as you casually turned to your bag and pulled out a large binder. "You're on the first page, marked in red." you had a somewhat mocking tone in your voice, that coy smirk returning.

Kyotani growled, the noise sounding surprisingly like an animal. You were much more cocky up close. Cocky and aggravating. He moved closer to you so that your chests were almost touching while you put the binder away, and looked straight down at your face. "I can be much more troublesome," he said lowly.

You barked out a laugh. "Careful there Mad Dog." You advanced, causing Kyotani to step back. "Or I might just think you're threatening me," you continued to move forward. Kyotani took more steps back. The only way he could describe the feeling was like he was being herded like a sheep.

Another animalistic growl left his throat when his back hit the lockers. By now everyone had left, leaving just the two of you. "You aren't leaving a very good first impression on your president," you say dangerously, almost mocking your own title.

"Why do I need to leave a good impression on you," he muttered out. You didn't say anything and instead lifted your arm above his shoulder to slam it by his head. He recognized this feeling. Yet somehow, it felt all different.

Not once had the rumors spoken about the affect you had on people. You scanned his face again, those intimidating (e/c) eyes holding him steady in place. His breath hitched in his throat softly when you pulled your hand back to straighten his tie. "You don't," you said referring to his earlier question, eyes focused on his tie. "And you haven't."

You pulled away from him and stepped back, patting him on the shoulder before turning on your heel to head towards the doors. You turned your head just as you were about to leave, the blue grey light from the cloudy sky making you seem more threatening. "Take care, Mad Dog." You left the school building, leaving Kentarou breathing heavily and on guard at the lockers.

~~~

He really didn't expect that from you.

He had had a similar feeling, when Yahaba threw him into a wall and scolded him during the spring preliminary game against Karasuno. Similar, but not quite the same. It felt like you had him trapped. He still had your words replaying on repeat in his mind.

Those rumors he heard about you didn't do you any justice. He never heard anything about how easily you could make people feel... things. For once, he felt like he was the one being hunted. And oh boy did he not like that. All those times he'd seen you, he thought you looked like a regular goody two shoes who would report even the smallest wrongdoing to the teachers. He didn't expect a calculated, threatening boy who had a binder of 'troublemakers' and a heavy presence.

He didn't sleep more than 2 hours that night.

Maybe it was your eyes that were etched into his mind. Maybe it was your smooth voice, that look that made it seem like there was so much more under your surface.

So naturally he came to the conclusion that you were his rival.

He managed to avoid you all till the end of the week, Sunday rolling around like a saving grace. He didn't see you once for the rest of the week, but it still felt like you were watching him with those calculated eyes of yours. His shoulder still felt all weird and tingly from where you had touched him.

The weekend felt like an asylum to him, a feeling of safety and control returning to him when his older sister sent him out to go pick up some things from the store.

Kyotani had decided to cut through the park on his way back, but now he was quickly regretting his decision. It's not like he was afraid of you, he just thought that avoiding you would be the best option.

The last place he expected you to be was sitting in the park, staring out at the little man-made pond with a few birds at your feet. You had an overcoat on to compensate for the slightly chilly weather, a sweater visible underneath it. Your shoes were tapping the ground rhythmically.

You looked much less intimidating out of uniform. You had a neutral, content look on your face, cheek squished against your palm with your elbow resting on your knee. It was almost cute, he thought, if that was the right word for it.

"Are you just going to stand there forever," you turned your face towards him and regarded him with lidded eyes. "You can sit down you know."

He jumped, standing still for a second before slowly moving towards you. His guard up like a wall as memories of your last interaction replayed through his mind. His breath quickened ever so slightly, and his ears turned pink.

He slid into place on the bench next to you. You turned towards him again and smiled. He went bright red.

It was an actual smile. Not that cocky smirk, but a soft clad cute smile. You focused your attention back on to the pond.

"You live around here," Kyotani inquired gruffly.

You nodded. "I don't go out much. Usually cooped up in my room working on god knows what." You leaned back, draping your arms gracefully across the back of the bench. "Sorry about our little encounter, by the way. I must have come off way scary, right?" You gave him that soft smile again.

He looked away and hid his cheeks with his hand. "Like I'd be afraid of you," he muttered.

You hummed softly. A thought struck him. He regained his composure before speaking again. "You must have known that I live around here, right?"

You nodded wordlessly. "It was in your file."

Kyotani decided not to comment on how creepy that was, and instead muttered out a small "oh."

Neither of you said a word for a few moments.

"We really got off on the wrong foot, huh?" You turned your whole body towards him, watching his movements like a cat.

He just grunted.

You laughed a little bit, and extended your hand. "Why don't we start over. I'm (l/n) (y/n)."

Kyotani eyed your hand suspiciously before taking it. The tingly feeling returned, but this time it felt stronger as both your hands were bare. Your slightly smaller hand gripped his firmly, the slight size difference making Kyotani blush a bit.

You really weren't what he thought, were you? Even so, you were still his enemy. His cute, scary, calculated, calm enemy.

He doesn't even know what hit him.

[wolveria]

The Raven’s Hymn - Ch 4

Pairing: SCP-049 x Reader

Series Warnings (18+ only): Eventual smut, dubcon, slow burn, violence, horror, monsters, human experiments, dark with a happy ending

Chapter Summary: The Doctor is granted its wish.

AO3

Despite Dr. Puli’s protests that you didn’t “give in to the delusions of a dangerous entity,” you went to the medical wing and had a blood panel and physical completed.

The doctor read off the results to you, her voice clinical. You could barely process the words.

Abnormal blood work. White blood cell count too high. More tests would be needed, full body scans conducted to find where the illness had taken hold.

You moved through your life in a daze after that. Appointments were made, more exams performed, and then surgery was scheduled for the following week. They would have to be aggressive. Recovery would be long and painful.

You simply agreed to it all, unable to understand how this had happened. Dr. Puli was sympathetic, though you disliked the pity in his eyes, but were grateful that he gave you a sabbatical to focus on your health.

All you had left was to tidy up your work and finish a few things before you went on sick leave for the foreseeable future.

Your last task of the day should have filled you with dread, but it barely even registered in your mind past the barrier that seemed to exist now between you and the world. Every Euclid-class containment cell needed to be inspected and scanned frequently for any flaw in integrity. This was conducted by D-Class every 12 hours, an engineer once a week, and three times a week by assistants and researchers.

It took less than a few minutes, the handheld scanner did most of the work, and it was to prevent the possibility of any sort of containment breach. It was the reason Site-20 had never had an escaped SCP since its founding.

You were thinking of none of this as you entered 049’s cell. The SCP was safely contained within the inner containment cell, which only the D-Class scanned, so you weren’t concerned about the SCP itself. But you couldn’t stop thinking about its words. How could you not after its dire warnings and predictions?

It wasn’t unusual for 049 to claim someone had the Pestilence, in fact, that was fairly standard. But what if there was a grain of truth to its words? What if you had contracted this mysterious Pestilence, and the result of which would lead to everyone’s demise? Granted, that was a much different speech from its usual diatribe. Generally, it only threatened doom upon the infected person, but the SCP spoke of you as if you were a ticking-time bomb rather than a carrier of disease.

Despite its threats, 049 was a threat to no one, secured within the inner cell.

As if the universe had a cruel sense of humor, the magnetic bolt holding the inner door closed disengaged.

For a full second, you simply stood there. You couldn’t move, could barely breathe, the click of the lock and the slide of the door deafening in the silent room.

There was silence no longer. Soft but significant footfalls entered the room, and without a thought, without looking behind you, you bolted.

You hit the wall, coming to a hard stop with your shoulder braced against the concrete, and you dug your fingers into the plastic lid and pulled it upwards. You slammed the side of your fist against the red button labeled EMERGENCY.

Nothing happened.

No klaxons rang, no doors opened to reveal guards in vests carrying rifles. There was only you, and the dark presence behind you.

Jerking forward in a burst of panic, you rushed the door while yanking at the lanyard on your neck. You swiped your keycard across the electronic reader next to the door.

Nothing. Not even an angry buzzing noise to indicate you were denied access.

Only then, when the full weight of your situation crashed down on your shoulders, did you slowly turn around, back pressed to the wall.

SCP-049 stood tall in the middle of the empty room, head tilted like a curious bird. It spoke something in French, which was beyond your ability to translate, and then it spoke in soft English.

“Your mentor… has listened to reason?”

Its voice was metallic but smooth, like a chrome finishing. Death wrapped in a fine sheen.

“Or is this simply providence?” it continued when you didn’t speak. “No matter. It is quite fortunate you are here.”

Only when it took a step forward did you find your voice.

“Stay where you are, SCP-049. Don’t come any closer.”

The authority in your voice was undermined by the waver, the sheer terror thrumming in your chest. Your whole body was activity, trembling, beating, yearning to run. In contrast, the entity’s black boots were nearly silent as it took another step closer.

Despite its looming presence and its intimidating stature, its voice was different than before. It wasn’t rusty as it had been during the interview, nor was it menacing like your last encounter through the observation glass.

No, this time, it spoke with gentle quietness.

“I realize I perhaps frightened you with my actions. With my… sense of urgency. But you must understand, this is no typical prognosis,” it said. “Your treatment is of the utmost priority.”

It paused, raising its head to peer with narrowed eyes as it searched your features.

“You know, do you not? Just how unwell you are. Even now, it festers and spreads like a host of locusts.”

The situation shouldn’t have been able to grow more terrifying, and yet it had. Your voice cracked.

“I’m not sick.”

Another step closer, its grey eyes the same color as a tombstone.

“The stages are early, but this illness inside you will grow. It will conflagrate, consuming your flesh and bones until there is nothing left. Another victim of the Pestilence, though your death will signify something much worse.”

You hugged the wall as you moved further away from the SCP, and unfortunately, further from the door. Someone must have been looking through the cameras. Why weren’t they initiating a full lockdown of the room? Where were the guards?

Why was this happening?

“No,” you said, forcing your words to be calm. “No, I’ll be fine. They’ll biopsy the tissue and remove it. The Foundation has some of the best medical physicians in the world.”

The SCP followed your cautious retreat, its own steps unhurried. Slow. Stalking.

“Your men of science are blinded to the true nature of the Pestilence, as well as… other things.” It raised its head, the tilt of its “beak” nearly haughty. “I’m sure they will try their best, but…

Only I can save you.”

It darted forward, too quickly for you to react, and you were trapped against the wall in an instant. The SCP’s robed arms were on either side of you. Not touching, but obstacles you would never be able to pass.

You turned your head away, a scream trapped in your throat. All that escaped you were the soft whispers of your desperate pleas.

“Please, please don’t. Please don’t kill me.” The words were pointless, and yet the most important you’d ever spoken. “I don’t want to die.”

It hadn’t touched you yet, but once it did, you would be dead within the span of a heartbeat.

But instead, it lowered its mask close to your cheek, trying to meet your eye with your face turned away.

“Not… kill. Never kill,” it let out with a metallic hiss. “I will save you. You, above all others, must be cured.”

It raised a gloved hand toward your face. You were going to die. Considering your place of employment, it wasn’t a surprise it would end this way, but that didn’t mean you didn’t want to live so desperately you couldn’t breathe.

The hand hovered inches away. The SCP paused, its fingers almost touching your cheek, and then it changed course. It brushed the loose strands of hair from your face.

It touched you. The smooth leather of its glove grazed your temple, putting the hairs back in place behind your ear. It was a light touch, barely there, but more than enough to kill you.

And yet, you still breathed.

049 cupped your jaw with its leather glove, applying gentle pressure with its fingers as it turned your head. You complied, too stunned to resist, and stared up at its inhuman face.

Because of studies that had been conducted, the Foundation discovered the “mask” was actually made of keratin, like a bird’s beak. Its leather “clothing” was simply its skin, a thick hide that protected its otherwise human skeletal structure.

Even its eyes, pale grey and intelligent, seemed so human. And in that moment, they held a look of pure awe.

“Remarkable,” it whispered as it gripped your jaw tighter in its fingers. Not hard enough to hurt, but you were undeniably being held in restraint. Its touch was warmer than you expected, surprisingly soft as well.

I’m the first to feel the texture of its hands, you thought faintly.

The warmth didn’t stop where 049 was in physical contact; it spread. Down your neck, across your chest and arms, descending across your abdomen and thighs. It tingled your flesh, activating goosebumps wherever it went.

It felt… well, it felt goddamn incredible. Like you were experiencing a massive surge of dopamine, and you half-closed your eyes as the sensation spread over every inch of your body.

049 watched your expression with intense fascination.

“What a miraculous revelation,” it murmured to itself. “It was right before their eyes all this time, they were simply too blind to see. But I… I see.”

It was babbling words that made even less sense than usual, but at the moment, you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You barely reacted when it brough its other hand to your jaw, tilting your head upward so it could study your face more closely.

“A panacea for that which decays the world.”

More nonsense. Your eyes drifted closed.

“Thank you for this gift.”

Distantly, a voice shrieked in alarm, somewhere from the back of your mind. You should break free, or at least, pay attention to what it was saying and mentally documenting everything that was happening.

Instead, you pressed your cheek against the SCP’s hand, nuzzling it.

049 gave a small intake of air behind its mask. You simply wanted to chase that amazing, overwhelming sensation, and when it moved one glove upward to hesitantly, almost shyly, stroke your hair, you found yourself completely unbothered.

If anything, it heightened the pleasure tingling along your scalp, and you leaned into its soft touch.

The spell was broken as you caught the scent of lavender. Instead of sedating the SCP as it should have, it gripped you tightly and pulled you to its chest.

“No,” it growled as the containment doors opened and the sound of several heavy boots followed. “No, they can’t—they will not have you!”

Several sharp cracks rang out—even in your inebriated state you recognized the sound of tranquilizer guns—and the SCP staggered and began to slump to the ground, taking you with it.

Kneeling on the floor, trapped within the grasp of its deceptively strong embrace, something hard and stinging bit into the back of your shoulder.

The effect was almost immediate, and the last thing you saw were black robes as you collapsed into the SCP’s arms.

Next Chapter

[theramseyloft]

what have you found to be the best remedy for hens laying small and/or soft-shelled eggs? I work for a facility where the pigeons are only fed gamebird chow and small amounts of finch seed as treats. they're not even being offered grit. I'm sure this is somewhat to blame for the poor quality eggs, but all our veterinarian has recommended is getting the hens more sunlight to increase their vitamin D. unfortunately it seems like im the only staff member who has taken the slightest interest in our pigeons, so getting approval to get them on a higher quality diet is going to be difficult. what kind of changes would you suggest?

Ooof...

Oh, I have been looking at this one for weeks now while answering shorter, less energy/time consuming asks and had to keep putting off because there is SO much to unpack here that I was going to have to sit down and really take my time with this one.

Game bird crumble is designed for galliformes that need a higher percentage of animal protein than a chicken to really thrive.

Turkeys, Quail, Pheasants, guinea fowl, and peafowl, who are all omnivorious, but whose diets lean way more towards the insectivorous/carnivorous side.

Pigeons need 0% animal protein of any kind.

They are strict granivores.

It honestly sounds like this is a primarily poultry focused facility, and the pigeons are just getting what ever they keep on hand.

What are the pigeons even there for?

Pretty much no one takes pigeons to see a vet unless a valuable show bird or racer catches a novel disease that threatens to wipe out a flock that may have many thousands of dollars tied up in the stock.

Even then, breeders will kill anything that begins to look sick and go through hundreds of dollars of over the counter treatments for months before consulting a vet.

Usually as an absolute last resort once they get overwhelmed with the rate of spread an number of subsequent deaths, or the flock is of a breed so rare as to be functionally irreplaceable.

Many breeders of anything less than nearly irreplaceably rare will just let the entire flock die and start over with new stock with out ever consulting a vet.

So I can certainly excuse the vet for not having had the opportunity to learn how different pigeons dietary and environmental needs are from galliformes and parrots.

Get the birds on a good seed blend.

if Versele-Laga blends are too expensive, any varied wild bird seed blend with at least 5 different grains, legumes, and seeds smaller than black oil sunflower seeds will be infinitely better for the birds than game bird crumble.

Royal Wing Classic Mix is not a complete diet, but it's a good base that any small enough legume can be added to to balance it out.

Purina makes an excellent fully balanced pellet food that comes either formulated for breeding birds or racing birds.

Oystershell for calcium is an absolute must!

And I can guarantee those birds are mineral and vitamin deficient AF!

Start giving them the calcium in very small doses!

Birds that have been without too long will gorge, which can cause a blockage in their throat.

And a mineral block for horses (absolutely NOT crumbled!) will be the safest way to make sure they get salt and dietary minerals with out being able to fatally OD on the salt.

Their beaks can't crunch through anything. They can only scrape off a little at a time, and it takes so long off of a mineral brick that the need is satisfied long before they approach being at risk of ODing on salt.

Be prepared.

This change in diet WILL cause a population boom.

Healthy pigeons are EXTREMELY fertile!

[tsukishumai]

First Kiss - Tsukishima, Kageyama, Hinata, Yamaguchi (Karasuno First Year edition!)

Aoba Johsai Edition

It’s a little long, I have zero self control

Can you tell I love Tsukishima  (｡◕‿◕｡)

TSUKISHIMA - 

Before, you used to spend your days in school with your cousin, Yamaguchi, and his less-than-pleasant-but-ridiculously-good-looking best friend, Tsukishima.  

He was a jerk, to put it lightly, but hey, you can be a jerk too.

“Your hair looks like a damn bird’s nest, and your bow’s all crooked. Did anyone even teach you how to be a girl?” “Did anyone teach you not to be such an insufferable asshole?” “Do you even know what ‘insufferable’ means?” “Uh, yeah, it means Tsukishima Kei.”

Yamaguchi regrets ever introducing you two.

Things may have started like that, but it wasn’t long before the biting tone in Tsukishima’s words was replaced by something more playful, each remark followed by a smile. He started walking you to your classes, saving you a seat next to him during lunch, even going so far as to share music with you. (He’ll never show you the playlist he’s made of all the songs you’ve recommended.)

But that was before. Now, you were doing your best not to melt under Tsukishima’s heated gaze, paying no attention to the golden brown eyes that have followed you around for days.

The bell rang to signal the end of class, and you quickly gathered all your things, throwing them haphazardly into your bag, and running out before Tsukishima could get to your desk.

You got to your locker in record time, quickly changing out of your school shoes so you could start your trek home. Usually, you would wait for Yamaguchi and Tsukki to get out of practice but… this was better for you. 

“You’re avoiding me.”

You jumped at the voice that was suddenly right behind you, knowing exactly who would be there if you turned around, so you didn’t.

“Don’t you have volleyball practice?” “That’s beside the point.” “Avoiding you? I haven’t been –“ “I’m not a dumbass, so don’t play games with me. You’re avoiding me. Why?”

You gulped, gripping the school bag that hung off your shoulder until your knuckles turned white. You wanted to lie, but there’s no point. Tsukishima was always able to see right through you.

“I heard you tell Tadashi that you liked someone…” “… So?”

You tried to pretend that your heart didn’t just crumple up like a piece of paper. “SO! I didn’t want to ruin your chances; she might get the wrong idea if she sees us together all the time.”

He scoffed. “That is the single most idiotic thing I’ve seriously ever heard. Did you hit your head as a kid?”

You could feel your face turn red, anger beginning to bubble in your throat. You finally turn around to face Tsukishima, ready to give him a snarky comment. “No, YOU’RE the single most idiotic thing –“

The words died on your tongue, muffled by Tsukishima leaning down and pressing his own lips onto yours. 

He pulled back, and couldn’t help but smirk at your flushed appearance.

“I was talking about you. Stupid.”

KAGEYAMA –

You had always found it extremely fun to mess with Kageyama Tobio

The boy was a genius when it came to volleyball; but maybe that’s where his genius ends.

It didn’t escape your attention that he would get flustered every time you smiled at him, or that his friends would tease him whenever you walked by, or that it was him dropping off a juice box and melon bread on your desk every morning with a note that says “have a good day.”

You enjoyed it; the way you could make him short circuit just by giving him a hug, the crimson on his face when he catches your eye from the court, and the deer-in-headlights look he gave you when you confessed your feelings.

You were never one to make the first move, sometimes wondering why you did it for Karasuno’s genius setter, but you’re reminded when you feel the shiver in his body as you slide your hand into his, and you see the sweet look in his eyes when you ask him to walk you to class.

You didn’t mind that you had to initiate most of the affection if it meant you got to see the blush that Kageyama always tried to hide.

Today, you found yourself in the perfect position to mess with him. The two of you were having a movie night, and even though you shared the same blanket, Kageyama was sitting on the other end of the couch like a perfect gentleman.

“Tobio,” you whined, “I want to cuddle.”

You didn’t even give the poor guy a chance to reply before crawling from your side of the couch, and situating yourself on his lap, arms reaching up around him as you buried your face into his neck.

You could feel Kageyama’s entire body stiffen, steam practically beginning to come out of his ears. 

Laughter threatened to spill from your lips, so you decided you’ve done enough to the guy, and started to make your way off until you felt two strong arms snake around your waist.

You lifted your head to face Kageyama in surprise, but your breath was caught in your throat when you noticed the look he was giving you. 

It was like slow motion – Kageyama’s head lowered and your eyes fluttered close before you felt the velvety soft pressure of his lips against yours.

Omg d-did he just kiss you?!

Now it was your turn to be flustered. The corner of Kageyama’s mouth turned upwards ever so slightly, and his hold around you tightened, causing the pink tint of your cheeks to deepen into crimson. 

“Let’s stay like this for a while.”

HINATA –

Everything. Was. Going. Wrong.

This was not how Hinata imagined your first date together would go!

Do you have any idea how long Hinata has been waiting to ask you out? Ever since he met you at National’s last year, he’s been planning this day. 

You were beautiful, funny, and you could teach him (more than) a thing or two about volleyball? *Chef’s Kiss*

When you finally agreed to go on a date with him, he thought he was dreaming. He knew he had to make it the best date ever.

He definitely didn’t go to the bathroom six times the morning of.

There was a summer festival that weekend, and he figured it would be the perfect place to take you on your first date.

Ten minutes in, Hinata had spilled Kakigori all over his Yukata. He had been in the middle of beating himself up about it when you reached over and dabbed at the stain with a napkin, laughing at his clumsiness.

An hour in, Hinata had spent nearly all his money trying to win you a stuffed animal to no avail. (You got it yourself in one try.)

Two hours in, Hinata had accidentally stepped on your obi, ripping the delicate material. He wanted to die right then and there, but you insisted it was old, and you were planning to get a new one anyway.

Just as Hinata thought he would redeem himself by taking you on the Ferris wheel, he found out that he got motion sickness, and you ended up having to rub his back, while he fought the urge to hurl the whole time.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized once the two of you exited the metal death trap, sitting him on a bench, “I swear I had planned for this day to be much better.”

“What do you mean? I had a great time,” you said, and Hinata gave you a look that clearly said he didn’t believe you. You just laughed. “Hinata, when we first met, you threw up on my shoes. Today was a big improvement.”

He laughed. “Still – I wanted you to have a cooler memory of me.”  

“You don’t have to try so hard,” you giggled, “I came here because I like you.” 

Just then, the sky lit up with different colors of reds, greens, and blues; dancing together to create a pattern that illuminated your face in a way that made Hinata’s heart race.

You smiled then, sitting beside him on the bench and laying your head on his shoulder. “At least we have these fireworks.”

It was there, on a random bench under the glow of summer time, that you shared your first sweet kiss with Hinata Shoyo.

YAMAGUCHI -

 Enter Yamaguchi Tadashi; Captain of Karasuno Volleyball Club, Pinch Server, and all-around good guy.

He’d like to think he was a completely different person now; no longer the shy, timid first year that was stuck on the bench while his classmates shone on the court.

Now, he was in charge, and one needed to have all the confidence in the world if they had to keep his demon classmates in line.

But all that confidence just went down the drain whenever you were around.

“Good morning, Yamaguchi-kun!” “Oh, hey! Hi, yeah, it’s a good morning right? Aha, the homework last night was pretty hard, right? Haha..ha.”

“I watched your game last night, Yamaguchi-kun! You were amazing, I couldn’t take my eyes off you!” “Wha - Ah - Haha, that was nothing, just -  it was, uhm, the team they helped ahaha, I – Thank you?”

“Dude…” Tsukki would say, “What the hell just happened to you?”

Naturally, his friends got sick and tired of seeing him turn into a dumbass around you, so they decided to take matters into their own hands. 

Yamaguchi should have known what the boys were up to when they decided they wanted to throw a party after the game. As captain, he probably should have spoken against it, but he was also feeling pretty high from the win, and wanted to let loose. 

How they managed to trap him in this closet with you was beyond him. He thinks he heard the words “7 minutes in heaven” but the beers were making everything move too fast, and your proximity was more intoxicating than anything he drank that night.

You looked at him with glossy eyes, and he felt like he was drowning. More than a few minutes passed, neither of you moving. The tension was rising, and Yamaguchi didn’t want to make you feel like you had to do anything you didn’t want to.

“Y/N-san, you don’t have to –“ “Yamaguchi-kun, I like you.”

He froze, mouth hanging open. He watched as your gaze lowered, fiddling with your thumbs as you took a step back, and he instantly missed the closeness.

“I’m sorry, this was stupid. Tsukishima-san told me this would be a good idea, but I can see that I’m making you uncomfortable, I’m just going to –“

You felt Yamagachi’s warm hands on either side of your face, catching you off guard before he pulled you in and locked his lips onto yours. Your hands instantly moved up to wrap around his middle, and you lost yourself in the softness of his movements.

He pulled away, making a mental note to thank his idiot friends when you beamed up at him with a smile that blew him away. “I… I like you, too.”

A/N - This one is for @valiantrevolt​ !

[simplysimpingsimp]

Hey! This is the person who requested the sleeping recovery scenario. It turned out perfect!!! Your writing is literally amazing!!!

I hope you don't mind another request but I can't get the idea of Zenitsu's partner becoming a demon slayer because of him out of my head. I think a drabble would fit well so how about Zenitsu's reaction to his partner (still they/them) coming back from final selection only to find out that being by his side was the main reason they joined the corps.

Thank you in advance and don't make sure to take care of yourself!

Hiya again Anon!! Ahh I’m so glad you enjoyed your previous request and I’m so happy to hear another request from you <3 your kind words mean so much to me :,D I really like this prompt ! So you definitely shall have this !! As always I’m super sorry for any mistakes, I will gladly go back and fix them!!

🌻—————————————————————🌻

🌻𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚈𝚘𝚞

🌻𝚉𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚞 𝚡 𝙶𝚗!𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

🌻𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚜: 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢/𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖

🌻⚠︎︎⚠︎︎⚠︎︎𝚆𝙰𝚁𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚃𝚆: 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍⚠︎︎⚠︎︎⚠︎︎

🌻—————————————————————🌻

“Zenitsu,

Can you believe that it’s been nearly 2 years since we were last together? It’s almost time for me to go through the final selection! I know you’re probably screaming right now or even pacing around wherever you may be at the thought of me facing something dangerous but I feel like I could do it! I’ve been training under a man named Urokodaki Sakonji, Tanjiro might have told you about him before. Though he had some hesitations at the start, I think I won him over hehe! Anyway, I’ll be going through the final section in about a week. I know I’ll be okay, so don’t worry too hard about me, okay? I love you Zeni and I’ll see you soon, I promise.

Yours, Y/n.”

The fated week had passed since he had gotten the parchment with their name signed in the same fancy way they always did and the signature f/c ribbon that held the folds of the paper in a neat square and a small dried and pressed branch of wisteria together.

Zenitsu felt it in his heart that they had reached the wisteria surrounded location. For the next seven nights and days, he prayed for their safety and for them to just survive, hoping that they wouldn’t die attempting to be a hero to someone who wouldn’t do the same for them. When he would lay in bed, he caught himself gripping onto the ribbon attached to the parchment and the small wooden charm they gave him before they began their search for someone who could train them, murmuring all his wishes and prayers for them onto the material gifts as if they had any say in Y/n’s safety.

He knew he didn’t have to worry so hard yet he couldn’t help it. His heart yearned for their return and their loving embrace again, to be able to hear their heartbeat again, to make up for that lost time.

Every night he would be on the brink of tears as nightmare filled dreams invaded the usual happy dreams he had of a peaceful life with Y/n where they would frolic happily in fields of clover and daises and he would make them adorable crowns and jewelry from the cream toned clovers. Picturing their smiling face and that loving pink hue that painted their cheeks when they would look at him filled the void in his heart and arms.

His nightmares distorted that image, often portraying their face beaten and bloodied as they took their final breaths with a demon hovering above them preparing to devour them. In those dreams he would feel himself running towards them yet he never moved forward seemingly stuck in place, his arms desperately reaching out for them but he could never reach them. He’d wake up in cold sweats with a chill running down his spine, longingly looking to his side where Y/n would usually be.

Morning came, with the sun rising and the gentle coo of birds alerting passerbies of the morning sun and hour of the day.

Zenitsu anxiously paced the wooden home they had been staying in near Urokodaki’s home where Y/n would arrive if they survived.

His steps resounded against the looming silence and anxious atmosphere of the building as his hands gripped the parchment a crow had delivered him two weeks ago.

What if they didn’t come back? What if they had lost a battle? What if they were injured and no one helped them? What would he even do with himself knowing that he couldn’t save them? All were questions he asked himself repeatedly, sabotaging any glimmer of hope and calmness he had.

He had been told that only 6 came back from the final selection, but no one ever described who was among them. Panicked, he gripped his hair as he almost screamed from the sheer overwhelming thoughts filling his head of news of their death and the idea of never being able to hold them much less see them again.

“Calm down Zenitsu,” Tanjiro’s voice was soft as he placed a hand on his shoulder, “You know they’re a fighter. I’m sure they’ll be back soon.” Tanjiro’s smile was reassuring yet Zenitsu couldn’t help but worry.

“You’re right, you’re right, thank you Tanjiro..” the blond’s voice was soft as he returned a worried smile to Tanjiro.

“Let’s head over to Urokodaki-San’s, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind us waiting over there,” Tanjiro spoke as Zenitsu nodded with tears in his eyes.

᪥᪥

Exhausted, they trudged along the dirt path leading to Urokodaki’s home. Their sandaled feet dragged up dirt clouds that stained their f/c hakama pants. A white satchel around them carrying their new demon slayer uniform.

“So heavy..” they frowned lightly as they weakly gripped onto the strap of the satchel. It had been so long since they felt the level of exhaustion they felt.

Everything felt sore yet they were still proud of themselves for succeeding, having slayed over 7 demons during their stay and saving at least one person. The joy of being able to see Zenitsu and their friends again had kept them going.

“I’m almost there Zeni,” they whimpered out as they almost fell over due to the pain that coursed through their legs. Weakness in their steps as their vision almost blurred from extreme exhaustion, they hadn’t had a chance to rest at any point during their return back to Urokodaki’s home.

The door to Urokodaki’s home burst open, revealing Zenitsu’s crying face. Tears flowing down from his honey filled eyes, cheeks tainted a deep red as if he had been crying for hours.

“N/n!” He yelled out as he sprinted to their nearly collapsed form, his arms wide open and ready to embrace them.

A tired smile on their face as they used their last burst of energy to run into his arms, closing the gap between them. Y/n collapsed in his embrace, soft sobs coming from their lips and tears flowing down their cheeks, as Zenitsu cried with them.

Urokodaki and Tanjiro joining in on the hug after being called over by them. Zenitsu’s lips kissed all over their face after nuzzling his cheek on theirs.

His gentle honey gaze looking at the bandage wrapped across their forehead and their hand bandaged as well, a light pout on his lips.

Zenitsu carried them back to the house where he had been staying.

“Thank you for carrying me,” their voice soft and groggy from exhaustion as their arms lazily laced around his neck.

He soon reached the home, settling them down on an already prepared bed. Zenitsu quickly left to bring over the meal he worked so hard to prepare for them.

They giggled weakly at the sight of him preparing everything, “You’re so sweet. Thank you, Zeni,” they gently caressed the top of his head before he began to feed them and pamper them all around as Zenitsu would gush over how cool and amazing and adorable Y/n was.

Night slowly reached as the sky became a smokey purple and looming stringy clouds of dusty purple lingered. The stars twinkling overhead and glimmering in joy for their return with the moon watching over the home they rested in.

Zenitsu laid down beside them, his arm carefully wrapped around them for fear of injuring them further.

“Zeni?” Their voice soft and meek as they looked at his peaceful silent form.

His own gaze was on them, lovingly admiring every sight of their gentle expression and the bandages that were on them. Carefully he stroked their cheek as he hummed.

“Remember when two years ago when I told you that I wanted to join the demon slayer corp?”

He nodded, “Mhm,” he brought their body close to his, cuddling and embracing into their warmth.

“I told you that I wanted to join because I wanted to prove that I was strong. But..that’s not the truth. I wanted to join because I wanted to be by your side. I don’t want to be a burden following you guys around without providing anything other than cooking and stuff...and I don’t want you getting distracted from your missions to protect me,” their eyes began to tear up, “Those two years we spent apart felt like an eternity..but you were my motivation to keep pushing forward and bettering myself,” their hand laced with his, “I love you Zenitsu. I always want to be by your side, and I want to be able to protect you the same way you’ve protected me.”

Zenitsu watched them speak, hearing all their words and pulling the depth and meaning in their words. His eyes watered and he began to cry. His heart softened and pounded against his chest with love and admiration for them, trembling in the slightest from the overwhelming happiness he felt. Never had he felt so loved by anyone, the feeling of fortune and gratitude coursing through his veins in a euphoric manner — someone loved him enough to risk their life just to be by his side and to follow him on a life threatening journey for the sake of true love.

He felt so lucky that that someone was the love of his life, Y/n.

Carefully he pulled their body on top of his to hold them closer to his own. His hands gently caressing their sore back.

Gently they wiped away his tears, “I love you,” their smile was gentle and sweet as they pecked his lips delicately.

“I love you too Y/n. Thank you for wanting to be by my side, I always want to be with you too,” he kissed the top of her head, “I love you so very much. One day we’ll be married and we won’t have to slay demons anymore,” he laughed quietly before carefully placing a kiss on their forehead and a quick kiss on their lips. An embarrassed blush on both their faces.

Gentleness in the air filled their hearts with joy of being reunited after not being able to hold each other. His hands delicately ran through their hair as they softly giggled.

“I would like that. I love you Zeni,” they yawned before falling asleep.

A soft smile was on his face before his own eyes began to flutter.

“I love you too, N/n.”

ᴇɴᴅ

🌻—————————————————————🌻

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ sᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ғᴏʀ ʀᴇǫᴜᴇsᴛɪɴɢ <3 ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ

ʏᴏᴜ ғᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ! ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ғᴇᴇʟ ғʀᴇᴇ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ

ʀᴇǫᴜᴇsᴛs/ɪᴅᴇᴀs/ᴀsᴋs/ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ, ɪᴛ's ᴍᴜᴄʜ

ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ :ᴅ sᴇᴇ ʏᴀʟʟ sᴏᴏɴ <3

ᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ʀᴇǫᴜᴇsᴛs: 5

[justfangstvdto]

Open Coffin 2 | Chapter 06  “Klaustrophobic”

Disclaimer: This is a sequel! Find Part 1 here. For some context, I´d advise you to watch The Originals to understand some occurrences.

Chapter warnings: typical tvdverse violence, unanticipated fluff (lol), usual tinge of angst, all in all a breather chapter before shit goes down again

Word count: 4328

Tags & Author Note at the bottom. Feedback is my lifeblood and keeps the writing coming (eventually…lol)

There was something immediately threatening walking into the compound upon your arrival. Perhaps it was the certainty that Klaus would follow your every move, heeling like a loyal dog. It was a peculiar thing to be tied to someone you swore to destroy once before.There was something immediately threatening walking into the compound upon your arrival. Perhaps it was the certainty that Klaus would follow your every move, heeling like a loyal dog. It was a peculiar thing to be tied to someone you swore to destroy once before.

Perhaps what fueled this uneasiness more than the evil overlord himself, was the hybrid venom that was still clouding your mind as much as it clouded your vision. Back on the street, you swore you saw your mother hurry around a corner before you walked in, all thanks to Klaus´ gift. It was comforting really, blaming you losing your mind to an outside force.

But none of these things truly were to blame for the rush of doubt to the paranoid part of your brain. No, it was the building itself that had memories written in its stone walls. It knew too much.

The last time you were confined to a house like a bird in a cage was the summer of 1859 when smallpox was just discovered mere months before the neighbors got sick. You would sneak out anyway through an open window in the cellar when your father passed out from his first alcohol binge of the day, eagerly looking forward to roaming the fields and woods all by your lonesome.

But in the compound, there was no open cellar window. Trouble for him, sneaking out had always been one of your specialties.

Kaleb was still circling the building to find a parking space when you stood there clutching the bag of letters you grabbed from the small box of things that were your own. Without waiting for the welcome that would never come, you made your way to Kols' old room on the far end of the building. You truly could not wait to curl up in his room and feel so much closer to him. He had not spent too much time here, but it was his room regardless. His space.

You grabbed the door handle just in time for Klaus to walk out of his atelier behind you, holding a glass with his blood in his hands. You still had to be cured after all.

When you opened the door you were met with a totally different room than the one you knew. The bookshelves that used to line the entire adjacent room's walls, the rolls of spells and curses that he had displayed in cases, the artwork on the walls - it was gone. Packed up in boxes as he had never even existed.

Instead, there was a destroyed crib in the adjacent room where Kol used to read, a big wooden bed on the same spot where his bed used to be, and pictures on the bedside table where your picture used to hide under a stack of books back when he tried to hide you from his family. Judging from the clothes laid out on the bed, this was Hayley´s room now. You didn't blame her for it, she was just another prisoner. But the compound had so many rooms, why did they have to destroy Kol's? Could they care any less about him?

Klaus knew exactly what hurt he caused when you pushed past him with force, shooting him a glare. You grabbed the glass filled with his blood out of his hands before you headed to the room closest to the rooftop balcony you knew so well.

The room was longer than it was wide and had the same purple wallpaper on one of the walls as hung in Klaus's office and other rooms in the house. You had not been in this particular room before, but you knew it was next to Rebekah´s old room. Kol made you memorize the building early into your relationship in case something would happen while you were here. Even back then he was paranoid and rightfully so. Knowing the ins and outs of the building also made for a quick exit when Klaus daggered him in 1919.

A few minutes went by before Kaleb appeared in the same room after Klaus told him that this was the only room that had no construction underway.

Goodie. You had a roommate. No matter, you had not really slept in years so Kaleb could have the bed for himself.

What followed the next three days was nothing short of an interrogation on Klaus' part. He kept pressing and prodding to uncover some paranoid suspicion of your intentions. Not that you would blame him. You made alliances - albeit fake ones- with his mother. And you raised his gruesome father from the dead who was hellbent on killing him and almost succeeded in his endeavours. Almost was the keyword of course, because no matter how hard everyone tried, Klaus always came out alive.

Having your old friend and now sworn enemy, Mae there made this entire ordeal a test of patience. Especially now that she was an easily killable human due to another seemingly unexpected complication of the spell she used back then. Apparently draining an Original had not been enough power, after all, it demanded another sacrifice, one that took away the vampire curse to place a worse one on the recipient. And that was supposed to be you, until Kol intervened.

And for that, she will pay when the time was right. ----------------------------------------------------------

On day four, you found yourself out on the balcony, Ieaning on the outside of one of the railings, staring at your still unplayed voicemail from Stefan from a few days ago. You fled after another incident where you and Klaus were at each other's throats, unsurprisingly after you dared to question his authority over you. It turned out that you not only connected upon death but emotions too. And Klaus was nothing short of emotional, especially in the anger department. When he was angry it felt like a volcano bursting with lava that seethed and destroyed everything in its path. But there was something desperate underneath that bubbling anger. It almost felt like the search for a missing puzzle piece only to never find it. Knowing that it's there without ever holding it in your hands. Or perhaps like any living creature it was desperation to be seen for who you are not what you are.

If he wasn't such a nuisance you'd almost feel sorry for him. Then again, you're not the Poster child of temperance yourself, which, to no one's surprise, amplified both of your emotions even more.

You hovered over the messages play button, finally pressing it after promising yourself to not pack up everything and run to Stefan´ s aid like you had done so many times before. You held your phone to your ear to drown out the noise on the streets. A throat clearing was heard before you heard Stefan's voice.

"Hey uh... I wasn't myself when you called and I-" he paused when another distant voice interrupted him. Gone was the softer tone in his voice and was replaced with a more neutral tone, masking the previous genuine concern with a more careless demeanor "We need your help. Call me back, please."

“Oh and I'm alive by the way. Not that you would care.” Damon chimed in before he hung up. So he wasn't dead after all. Good that someone at least informed you, presumably weeks after he miraculously came back to life.

How very considerate.

The familiar knot of familiar disappointment roared to life in your stomach. How many times have you fallen for this in the past? Only to be sought out when they needed something. No apologies, no 'how are you' nothing. That was always how it went.

You squeezed the phone in your anger and it snapped in half. Good riddance. If they so desperately needed your help, they had to do a bit more than that.

You looked down at a group of people below you that headed down on Royal Street and a part of you just wished you could jump down there and disappear into the crowd with them. But then realization set in that you could never function in a group without being the odd one out. Not that you could even run far before Klaus caught up with you in his paranoid ways.

"Don't tell me you're breaking out without me?" Kaleb appeared next to you, his footsteps as light as the ones of a thief as he stepped outside into the cooling night air. A whiff of smoke still clung to his clothing from your failed attempts to sever the link with a Sanguinem Knot - a representational magic practice with a yarned knot drenched in yours and Klaus's blood. The yarn caught fire twice before it exploded into pieces the next time. Safe to say, all was going particularly well, as per usual.

"It's not breaking out if I come back." You replied,” I need to put some distance between me and that maniac or I might just impale myself to spare anyone the trouble."

“It’s a very nice cage, but a cage nonetheless.” He nodded. He understood, of course he did, "If it would be anyone but you I'd be tempted to encourage you."

" I think it's not even me he's pissed at. He and Elijah had a falling out before we got here.” You said, changing the topic.

“Did he say something?”

“He didn't have to. I know what being hurt by family looks like. Whatever it was, it cut him deep.”

Kaleb nodded but did not say anything. After a beat, Kaleb leaned over the railing sneaking a glimpse of the ground before turning to you "So where are we sneaking off to?" Your head snapped towards him. You were sure he would decline, but judging by the mischievous intentions glinting in his eyes, he was thrilled. It reminded you of Kol and his inclination to cause trouble. So much so, you had to do a double-take when you looked at Kaleb. The lines blurred the more you thought about it. Perhaps there was more to him than you knew. Or perhaps you saw Kol in every person you met because you missed him. Whatever it was you had no time to dwell on it.

"You sure you want to come with me? You'd have to jump" You reminded him. There was no way you could just walk through the door undetected.

"I'm sure you'd catch me, won't you? Besides, I'm always up for causing trouble."

“Let's go then.” You jumped ahead, safely landing on the floor before catching Kaleb when he followed. You ran off towards the west, just in time for the streetlights to illuminate and drive out the incoming darkness.

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

The streets were packed with people a few blocks from the compound. The sun was now swallowed whole by the darkness and people drunkenly arguing on the sidewalk, others shone their kitchen lights onto the streets and some wandered trying to find some kind of relief.

On the corner of Polymnia Street and St. Charles Avenue was a jazz bar buzzing with people, locals it seemed. Kaleb spotted the “grand new opening” sign above the swung-open double doors. You knew of course that it wasn't a grand new opening, it was simply a scheme to cover up that the owner never gets older no matter how many years pass. The coven that owns several establishments over the city and beyond took turns running one of them for a few years before they handed over their reigns and moved to another location. Like gypsies, they settled wherever the ravens led them.

Kaleb stopped in his tracks when you walked past the doors, nodding his head towards the inside

“Let's go in.” He said.

“I don't know.” You shook your head “We're still in the Quarter. I don't have a big fan club here. ”

“You can't hide in that house forever. Come on, you deserve a moment of fun.” He nagged, nodding his head along to the upbeat jazz that was oozing onto the streets. He ushered towards the crowd, beckoning you with a wiggle of his finger to come closer. It did not seem like he would let up until you joined him.

“Alright but we're not dancing.” You gave in, rolling your eyes when he raised his arms in victory.

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

To nobody's surprise, Kaleb had you on the dancefloor within the next song the band played. He was a good dancer despite towering over most of the people there. Once a slow song came on you awkwardly excused yourself to the bar, trying to avoid the rush of quilt that had already crept in. There was no need to complicate things over a head-scrambling slow song that could steal anyone's heart.

The bar was empty when you approached. The other people had already found a table around the edges of the room or were busy dancing in the center. You politely smiled at the bartender - a woman with bright orange-colored hair - before you took a seat, hoping she would be one of the barkeeps that could care less about idle chit chat.

“Hey give me some Southern up there, would you?” You said and she nodded, fishing a glass from the pile she had been cleaning when you came in. You shook your head when she asked for ice and thanked her when she placed the glass in front of you. You were relieved when she turned her back, but it quickly faded when she leaned in after getting another order ready.

“Seems like your boyfriend over there is quite the ladies' man.” She said and nodded towards the crowd. You turned and saw Kaleb swaying with an old woman who chewed his ear off about something he could care less about it seemed.

“He's not my boyfriend.” You shook your head.

“You sure? Cause I don't think he knows that” She nodded towards him directly once again. This time you caught his gaze which was boiling over with feelings he so clearly failed to hide. Why did he have to make everything so complicated?

"l-” You sighed. What would you even say to explain your situation? “He's one of those people you swear you met before.”

“Are you sure you havenˋt? This is New Orleans after all. You might have walked past him around here.”

You shook your head “I haven't been here in forever.”

“Oh yeah? What brought you back?”

A nosy bartender, great. Why is everyone so interested in everyone's life these days?

“Love.” You said, sipping on your drink before continuing “and business, even some danger. You know the usual Nola cocktail.” You figured it was best to keep it as vague as possible. You never knew who was listening.

She sighed with a heaviness that could only mean that she had the same experience. And she did. You chatted with her for a few minutes, about the new opening and about her relationship with a girl her family despises. The word coven almost slipped from her lips, before she replaced it with family. She was a witch in love with another one from a coven that waged war against each other. A tale as old as time. Coincidentally you had a run-in with her girlfriend's coven a few years ago and it was far from civilized. Thankfully she had no idea who you were.

She continued telling you about her girlfriend and you wondered how she could give out information so freely. At some point, you wanted to ask her if you could help smooth things over between them, but then you remembered you were the last person in this city to mess with witch business. Not after the countless covens, you meddled with over the last few years.

You remembered every deal you made and every drop of blood you shed in exchange for a spell or information to find witches that specified in necromancy or anything remotely close to it. And now you could not even wipe the slate clean with the death you thought you would experience when the nosebleeds began. Thinking of it, perhaps there was something in those documents that could help you break the link. You made a mental note checking them when you got back.

The remembrance of your deeds was swiftly dragged into reality when hushed whispers reached your ears from the left side of the room, near where most of the people were sitting. . Somebody hushed your name to somebody else and it spread like a wildfire. Finally, it reached the bartender and her eyes shot wide open.

Then silence.

"You're Y/N Salvatore?" She stepped back, her voice uneasy.

“No, don´t I'm not-” A mindless killer is what you wanted to say, but she already dismissed any positive inclination she had from your conversation and was heading towards the back room.

For a moment your mind spun out of control, wishing she would come back with an entourage so you could cross the line once again, cleaning out this whole place with little to no effort. What the hell was wrong with you?

You glared at the crowd the whispering emerged from and they grew still in an instant. Some looked away, others stood up and left when your eyes fell on them. Anger rose quickly despite knowing better and your knuckles grew white around the glass, snapping it in half before you could slap it on the counter, drawing blood from your palm.

Lovely. Another thing that broke into pieces. What was next, a skull? Judging from the red hot rage behind your eyelids the latter was a certain possibility. You had to get out of dodge or this would be a repetition of the poor souls you killed on a whim in New York.

Storming through the crowd, right past Kaleb and the old lady, you made your way outside before the anger would swallow you whole. How dare they disrupt a moment of peace? What makes them eligible to stand above you in judgment? They most likely never had to move the line they'd never cross out of the way, or do the unspeakable to right a wrong. Humans and their fragile understanding of moral discrepancies. What a pity or they might understand.

“Y/N!” Kaleb called from behind, his voice sounding like a shotgun in the night. You kept walking hoping he would just let you be, yet he sprinted behind you with his long legs making it easier for him to reach you quickly “What happened?” He touched your shoulder when he spoke. You snapped his hand away, ignoring the hurt in his eyes.

“What always happens.” You dismissed him, hoping he would let you be.

“What did they say? If anyone dared-” He threatened with venom on his lips.

“It's not them, it's me!” You said, hammering your flat hand on your chest for emphasis “I'm what they allow me to be by knowing one minuscule part of me. I never existed for myself. I'm never just me, and I hate it” As soon as you realized what you had said, you wanted to run. This was too much for anyone to witness, too much revealed too soon.

“That's not true.” Kaleb said, then shrugged when you gave him an unapologetic stare “It's not. And I can prove it. Follow me. “

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

Kaleb led you through a crowd of people staring at the walls lined with paintings on Jackson Square, before diving into a building with the words “Art museum” written on a sign. What on earth was he trying to prove in an art museum? That boy was nothing but peculiar sometimes.

He stopped after taking a turn towards a secluded area of the museum where portraits of well-known New Orleanians hung in golden frames. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw one of Marie Laveau the Voodoo Queen. You thanked her silently for keeping your letters safe in her gravestone all those years.

When you finally looked at the familiar facial lines on the portrait that was framed in gold, your heart stopped. It was a painting of you.

You stood in the center of a crowded, lavishly decorated room surrounded by golden shimmering candlelight. The crowd was blurred, colorless, and dull, with the only focus lying on you. You were wearing a radiant amaranth dress so long that it made you look like you were floating, while the reflecting golden details on the corset rising from the waistband gave you a regal appearance. The colors bled towards the floor and rushed outwards from where you were standing and outshone even the candlelight, as you stared straight ahead with a slight smile on your lips as if looking at someone in the distance. It was absolutely mesmerizing.

At second glance another striking feature stood out which made this entire thing even more peculiar. In the right corner was Klaus ́ s signature and the year 1919 scribbled in black paint. Kol must have asked him to paint it shortly after the party where you kissed for the first time.

Kaleb was watching your expression, seen through the corners of your eyes, a smile mirroring the one that was displaying on your lips. Then he leaned closer to not disturb the other people that were already gathering around you.

“You exist for thousands of people that see your painting here every day. “ He whispered into your ear “They see you for who you truly are.”

Tears swelled in your eyes which you failed to hide from Kaleb's glances. You wiped them away without care. This is how he saw you? And not only Kol but millions of people. How peculiar to be seen as something so striking, so fierce when you had not seen either of those things when you thought about yourself.

“I know you made terrible memories here, “ Kaleb continued “but there is more than just grief, terror, and prejudice in this city. There are stories here that could not have been told anywhere else. And your story is more than just being somebody's keeper. “

You didn't know if he was talking about Kol or your brothers but he was right. You spent decades either chasing after ways to get Kol back while also trying to mend whatever relationship was left with Stefan and Damon. Now you searched the ends of the earth for something to bring him back to life. Perhaps it was time to live for yourself too. To look beyond rescuing Kol and what your life would be like when he returns.

“Thank you for showing me this.” You said, still staring ahead. When his hand brushed yours after he sidestepped to let someone through the thick crowd, you looked down. His fingers were long and graceful. You wanted to reach out and touch them but that seemed too personal. What if he pulled back?

Instead you turned your head to where he was still standing slightly behind you. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, so much so you swore you could see his heart beating through the shirt he was wearing. He stood so close that his breath was now brushing up against your cheek, warming it with a slight breeze. Your eyes rested on his lips for a moment, taking in the slight bruising that was still riding up his skin from when he landed on the concrete flooring.

There it was again. That gravitational pull that etched you closer to him despite

What was it about him that made you feel this...magnetic? Whatever it was, it had to stop. You stepped back, glancing at the painting one more time before walking off, giving Kaleb the choice to follow or run if he so chooses.

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

You decided to drop the sneaking act when you arrived back at the compound. Klaus was perceptive and had spies all over the city. He was probably already waiting inside to yell at you some more.

And sure enough , he was waiting on one of the tables in the courtyard, like some sort of 'parent that sat in the dark waiting to turn the light on' cliché.

You ushered Kaleb behind you, shielding him from any attack that Klaus might already be playing out in his head. But just as with the fight in the swamp, the attack never came.

Kaleb went ahead to the bedroom with a nod of confirmation after he assessed the tension and decided to step out of the way.

Before Klaus could open his mouth you intercepted “I saw your painting of me. Thank you.” You said. As you ascended the stairs you could swear you could see a smile on his face, followed by a warmness that was spreading in your chest. He was happy you saw the painting despite sneaking out of the house. Wasn't that quite something?

Perhaps there was peace in the cards after all. Or perhaps the card will shift once again, as they tend to do when nobody is paying attention.

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

A/N: Well wasn't that somewhat relaxing, eh? But don't you worry, the next problem is just around the corner.let me know what you thought about this chapter and if you have any idea what could happen next!

Thank you for those who are reading this right no, knowing you are still here means the world.

Open Coffin Series Taglist: (message me if you want on or off this list!)

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[pl-panda]

The vines that bind us - Chapter 9

Chapter 1 || Previous || Next

------

She opened the window and picked a pencil. With deadly precision she tossed it. The wooden tool sailed through the air until it hit the binoculars and broke one side of them. She huffed and closed the window before pulling the curtains closed. How rude.

Jason cursed under his breath. Any other day he would probably avoid the projectile, but it caught him completely by surprise. By all accounts, it was physically impossible to use a pencil with such precision and force to destroy military-grade night-vision binoculars. At least the memory card was safe so he could give it to replacement later on for analysis.

Still in bad mood after having his gear ruined, Jason zipped to Dupain-Cheng’s window and gave a light knock. No response. Another knock. Still no response. Finally, after the third knock, the blinders opened and the window itself followed, revealing a very angry girl. Jason finally had a chance to get a better look at her. She did, in fact, have blue hair and now that he’d seen it close, he would bet half his paycheque that it was somehow a natural color. The purple too. She must have had her hair dyed for the first day of work. Her eyes were another part that he memorized. They were blue and iridescent green at the same time, giving a slight unnatural aura. Or maybe it was just that she looked ready to murder him.

“Are you done staring?” She asked, clearly annoyed. “You are not my type and much too old. And the stalker routine is plain creepy. Get lost old guy.”

She was about to close the window when he started speaking.

“I actually came to apologize. I did not ‘stalk’ you, thank you very much. I was just checking on you, miss. You do realize that you single-handedly kicked Riddler’s ass and got quite a bit of publicity.”

“Suuure. You do that for every brave citizen?” She asked with a raised eyebrow and a small grin. “You would be really short-staffed. I hope that overgrown furry does pay you for the overtime.” Any traces of amusement disappeared from her face. “Now get lost before I sic Chloe on you. She recently started dating Damian Wayne and the two seem to bond over ruining people. I’m sure you would make a decent target.” Without further ado, Mari closed the window and put the blinders back in place, completely cutting him off. 

Jason didn’t protest. He was too busy processing the fact that Demon Spawn apparently started dating someone. Oh, he would have so much fun teasing the little menace. 

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

When the motorbike entered the Batcave, Jason expected to meet perhaps the Replacement or Demon Spawn. He definitely did not expect to see the entire family sans B and Alfred. 

“Do you want to perhaps explain why dad received an angry call about ‘some idiot in red bucket’ stalking her through the window?” Barbara asked. frowning deeply. 

“Or at least why were you stalking her?” Dick added.

“Or where you hid my coffee?” Tim joined.

“Timothy!” Several of them shouted.

“What? It’s important!”

“Back to the matter at hand.” Dick turned back to Jason. “What exactly were you thinking?!” He screamed.

“Geez. You thought about joining some opera?”

“Tt. Answer the question.” Damian interrupted.

“That reminds me. Did you know Demon Spawn got himself a girlfriend?” Jason asked, trying to deflect. He really did not like how they jumped at him.

“Not… important.” Cass stared daggers at him. “Talk.”

“Fine!” he threw hands in the air. “I followed a hunch. And I was right. She is a meta!” He procured his destroyed binoculars. “There is no human way to destroy military-grade equipment like that with just a pencil.”

Tim picked it up and quickly tossed it onto the table nearby. A blue light scanned the products and the bat-computer started to display the scan plus introductory analysis.

“Well, he is right. There is no way that a simple pencil could destroy it.” He pressed some buttons and recording from the last seconds of the item’s life played. They could clearly see her throw a pencil at it and then everything went black. “Or I was wrong.” Tim started to do a series of calculations. 

“Bucket-head might be onto something. With her muscle mass, it would be impossible to throw a pen with enough force. Actually, it’s almost impossible to make that throw. Not with human muscle density…”

Barbara rolled over to him and the two started to work side by side. “But that’s also not probable since the body is not…” 

“She would probably…” 

“Plant fibers have a similar structure, but she would…” 

“Maybe… Unless she is not strong and instead…”

“Um… earth to nerd corner. Can you explain?”

“Jason might have hit the bullseye.” Tim grinned and several groans could’ve been heard. “She is definitely a meta. It still doesn’t explain why you stalked her.”

“Is that not reason enough?” Red Hood asked. He immediately regretted it when Duke stared daggers at him. 

“You do realize, that metahumans are not as rare as it was believed at the beginning?” Tim asked.

“What?”

“Roughly ten percent of humans are born with dormant meta-gene and the number is increasing each year. And about one in twenty people have an active meta-gene. They just don’t go around wrecking everything or don a cape and run around beating people.” Tim spoke in a matter-of-factly tone. 

“What?”

“Yeah. Eidetic memory, or perfect recall for our uneducated bucket-head,” Tim snickered while Jason grumbled.

“I hate that name.”

“I think it will stay for a while.” Stephanie was smiling. “She does have a way with nicknames. First an overgrown furry, then red Buckethead…” She was on the verge of laughing. “I wonder what she does next?”

“As I was saying,” Tim regained the control of the conversation, “eidetic memory is actually one of the earliest forms of registered active meta-ability.”

“What?”

“The gene tends to activate under extreme duress, but, as we learned, the definition of extreme duress varies from person to person.”

“So what? A guy afraid of failing an exam might accidentally unlock super memory?” Jason dismissed it.

“More like if someone lived in years under pressure and is about to crack.” Dick pointed. “I mean there was even this large awareness campaign about four years ago led by Beast Boy. Where were you?”

“Dead.” Jason deadpanned. “I was dead.”

“Oh… I guess you didn’t see Garfield’s movies then?” Steph asked, being the first to break through the heavy atmosphere.

“She is still a meta.” Jason tried to fight, but his arguments were wavering. 

“Which changes nothing. You will go to her tomorrow and apologize.” Tim said categorically. 

“Ugh! Fine. But I got one more interesting fact: Demon Spawn got himself a girlfriend.” He grinned and turned to Damian. Everyone followed his gaze.

“Tt. I have no idea what you are talking about Todd.” 

“That blonde! Charlie saw you two sitting and eating pastries together! She is the new intern!” Dick had a big fat smile on his face and his eyes were almost glittering. “Who is she? How did you two meet?”

“Blonde?” Tim suddenly paled considerably. “There is only one blonde intern. Please tell me you aren’t dating Chloe Bourgeoise of all people!” He squeaked.

Damian wanted to deny it further, but seeing the Replacement’s reaction he changed his mind. The grin that formed on his face was borderline malicious before turning back to the emotionless mask he wore every day. “Yes. She finally admitted that I was not at fault for the cake incident. She is actually tolerable now.” 

“What cake incident?” Steph asked, smelling some juicy story about her ex. That kind of story was the best.

“Tt. When we were at this gala in Paris two years ago, Replacement attacked me and we fell into the birthday cake.”

“It doesn’t sound…” Dick started, but Damian interrupted him.

“The cake had six levels and was about as tall as I am now. Mayor Bourgeoise was not happy that we ruined his precious princess’s birthday.”

“So that’s why we no longer go to Paris?”

“Tt. No. That’s because Jason almost trashed the Louvre.” 

“Right…” Tim mumbled while his eyes closed. In just a moment, he was snoring away on the chair.

“Damn. I thought it would work faster.” Barbara complained while peeling the near-invisible sticker away from his neck. 

-----

Thursday actually passed without any trouble for Marinette. The class finally got it through their collective single brain cell that she had the power to end their trip with two words. She was slowly getting the grip on the work and after some talk with Penny, where the woman practically forced Mari to listen to some additional advice. She was actually offended that the girl didn’t call her immediately. 

She did have to practically drag her barely conscious boss to a meeting in the afternoon, but he didn’t put up much of a fight after she gave him a Tikki Special Coffee. The small goddess giggled inside her pocket the entire time as the boy begged on his knees.

After work, she and Chloe went to the Gotham Zoological Garden. At first, she wanted to go to the Botanic Garden first, but their class was supposed to visit there after work, so the girls went to Zoo instead. Gotham had a much broader collection of birds than Paris did. And the less chance of running into their classmates, the better.

“...He did what?” Chloe asked louder than necessary, but nobody paid the two girls in smart outfits any attention.

“Yeah. But don’t worry. I gave him a piece of my mind.” Mari dismissed it.

“It’s still creepy.”

“I know. That’s why I sicced the police at him.”

“That’s my girl!” 

“Well, I threatened to send you and Damian after him, but I decided it would be too cruel.” She smiled. “Besides, I’ve seen that Red Buckethead is trending already.” She pulled out her phone and showed a post there was a picture of Red Hood next to a reversed red bucket.

FashionMari @QueenGoldie Someone in a red bucket was stalking me. I was torn between calling the police and criticizing their fashion choice. In the end, I did both. 

“Only you Goldie. Only you…”

--------

Friday was press conference day. For once, Mari woke up earlier and got dressed in record time. Chloe watched from the side-lines as the girl moved around like a tornado, preparing everything and triple-checking all arrangements. She changed outfits four times before finally the blonde grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to sit down. 

“Goldie! You know I love you and I would kill for you,” She started, “but if you don’t calm down I will tie you up and leave you here for the day.”

“But…!” Bluenette tried to protest, but Chloe cut her off.

“No buts. We are only sixteen. I for one came here to learn a bit and maybe meet someone. You are supposed to be learning. Nobody said anything about getting a full-time job.”

“The deal…”

“So what if they fire you?” Chloe raised her hands over her head. “Ridiculous! Utterly Ridiculous! You have Gabriel Agreste and Audrey Bourgeoise fighting over who will get you while Jagged Stone is willing to fly over half the world just to give your references in person. You run a very successful flower shop and even more successful boutique.”

“But…” She tried to muster a weak protest, but Chloe’s angry gaze made her wither. 

“I will not let you run yourself dry!” The blonde stated firmly. “So either you take a step back and breathe or I will call your uncle.”

“Not uncle Jagged! he already banned me from drinking coffee!”

“So you will behave?” Chloe asked with a smirk. 

“Fiiiinneee!” Mari couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Queenie. I needed this. I’m glad I have you as my friend. And sister.” 

“Well of course you needed me! Everyone needs me!” She huffed before her expression became more gentle and she pulled Mari into a hug. 

Downstairs the class was waiting for them. Probably they finally gathered the courage to confront her about Alya’s fate. The girl shouldn’t have lied while filing for promotion. Mari and Chloe stormed past them not even sparing them a glance. Outside, Adrien was already waiting inside the limousine with Gerard at the driver’s seat. 

“I’m glad your driver is finally here.”

“Me too!” The blond boy was practically beaming. “I’m free from Lila’s clutches.”

“Could you drop us at… No. 2 Twine Street?” Mari asked the gorilla, who only grunted in response.

“Um… We should be going to Wayne Tower.”

“Nope.” Mari popped the ‘p’. “You,” she pointed at Adrien, “are an intern in PR. I asked for you to be present at the press conference to help move stuff around and so on.” 

“And me?” Chloe asked. “If you expect me to…” 

“You’re there to support your boyfriend. He was the one that practically demanded that I get you there. He hates publicity.”

“Oh… Good then. Let’s go.”

“Boyfriend?” Adrien asked curiously. “You mean Wayne?”

“Yeah. Apparently Chloe found herself a partner in scheming.”

“I bet that their dates are filled with planning to take over the world.”

“We could’ve taken the world over by lunch if we wanted.” Chloe looked almost offended. “The question is what way would be the most suitable one.” 

All three of them broke into laughter as the car rode through the city of crime.

----

About fifteen minutes before the press conference was scheduled to start, Tim Drake was still not there. None of the Waynes were there in fact. She sent about fifteen angry messages to Mr. Drake and he was still not here, which only fueled her stress and anger. 

The press had no idea so far and they were eagerly awaiting whatever news the company wanted to present. She bit her lower lips. Chloe was on the phone, trying to reach her boyfriend.

“If that idiot doesn’t get here in the next ten minutes, I’m going to consider stabbing him.” 

“Damian?!” Chloe shouted into her phone. 

“Tt. What do you want?”

“First of all, that’s not how you talk to your girlfriend. Second of all, where in the world is your excuse of a brother?! Mari is an inch from going ballistic!”

“Tt. He’s asleep.” Damian answered in an impassionate tone.

Mari leaped over and wrestled the phone from Chloe. “You go to him right this moment or I swear to all that’s holy and…”

“I get it.” He interrupted her, showing signs of irritation. There were some static and the camera blurred for a moment from the fast motion. When it returned, she saw barely awake Tim Drake wearing blue onesies. 

“wah…”

“Get yourself cleaned up and into a suit in the next three minutes!” She shouted. God bless the soundproof backstage.

“Um… But I will never make…”

“I’m certain you have a great webcam somewhere in this big mansion of yours. Set it in the library and call me in the next few minutes. I so hope you were not supposed to be the model because gods help me…” She took a look at his terrified face. “Of course you were…” 

“In my defense…”

“Shut up. Get going!” She hanged up and turned to Adrien and Chloe, who were looking at her with a mixture of fear and awe. “What are you waiting for?!” She tossed a package to the boy. “You get dressed in the new product.” She pushed him outside and into the janitor’s closet on the other side. “And you’re coming with me!” She dragged Chloe toward the main room. The blonde was sent to the technics room to get the feed started while Mari stepped on the scene. The chatter died quickly and all reporters turned to her.

“Hi. Please forgive us for the slight delay. We have minor technical difficulties that are being solved as we speak. In the meantime, you are free to take the seats. The conference is about to start.” 

Behind her, a screen slowly descended. She saw Adrien leaning from the doors leading backstage and smiling at her. 

“Without further ado, I present you Tim Drake, CEO of Wayne Enterprises.”

The image of the teen with black hair appeared on the screen and he waved everyone. He was holding a red cup of coffee with black polka dots, the same Tikki summoned for him the first time. 

Satisfied with herself, Marinette allowed herself a moment of rest. The conference was going well and after a minute of silence for the dead in the recent attack, the presentation began. Adrien was a natural model so it all went great. Wayne Tech in co-operation with Gabriel brand was introducing a new line of ‘smart’ fabric that could withstand medium stress and was almost impossible to dirty or stain. She had to admit it was quite amazing. Apparently, it was partially how Mr. Agreste got her class internship. Granted, Adrien was not supposed to be the model but you don’t look a gifted horse in the mouth. 

Everything was going great until the doors to the room were kicked open and several goons barged in, followed by none other than Two-face. Everyone immediately fell onto the floor. Mari couldn’t help but sigh exasperatedly. Why did it have to go wrong at every turn?

Ignoring the terrified stares, she stormed toward the intruders. “Excuse me, sir?” She asked with an emotionless face.

“What?” The man looked clearly irritated.

“I don’t see your name on the guest list. Did you remember to call in advance?”

“Of course not! Do I look like…” The criminal was clearly angry. 

“Then I apologize, but I must ask you to leave now.” 

“Do you have any idea who I am?” Two-face pulled his gun.

“I’m sorry, sir, but if you are not on on the list, I can’t let you stay.” She said in an emotionless voice. Mari was honestly too tired to care at this point. Maybe at least the evening would be better.

“I’m not sure you get the situation, miss. I’m not here for the interviews. Everyone pull out your wallets and drop them in the sacks!” He shouted while his men started to walk around.

“Hm… That won’t do.” She said. After muttering something under her breath, Mari tossed her clipboard. The spinning board hit one of the mooks in the head, knocking him cold, before bouncing and hitting the next one. After that, it returned to her hand. 

That was enough for Two-Face. He aimed his gun at her, but she moved faster than he anticipated. Within seconds, she grabbed his wrist and pushed it up so he was aiming at the ceiling. She squeezed it hard enough to make him drop the gun right into her other waiting hand. The girl let go of his wrist and disassembled the gun into pieces in what could become record time. 

Now irritated, Mari grabbed Two-face by his tie and pulled him down until they were at the same eye-level. 

“I was trying to do it peacefully sir. I am now ordering you to leave. Otherwise, I will actually have to hurt you.” She leaned closer until she was able to whisper. “And don’t make mistakes, Dent. I can and will hurt you.” For a moment her eyes lost the blue coloring and became entirely iridescent green, glowing slightly. 

Harvey Dent rarely felt fear. His life was more often than not guided by the toss of a coin. Now though, he stared in the eyes of Poison Ivy, except ten times scarier. He was already afraid of that woman after she almost fed him to her ‘precious’.

“I… I am deeply sorry madame.” He spoke carefully. “Men! We are moving out. Leave the bags!” And with that, they were all gone. 

Most of the reporters gave Mari big applause. There was only one angry old man that stared daggers at the girl. 

“You let that scum go away!” He shouted. “He was a criminal.”

“Sir. You are free to go after him if that’s your wish. I’m at work and my job description never included chasing after criminals.”

“But… But…” 

“Anyway, we were in the middle of the press conference if I’m not mistaken.”

-------

NEXT

[bamfdaddio]

Giant-Size X-Men Abridged: 1975

The X-Men, those all-new, all-different mutants that have sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them, are a cultural juggernaut with a long, tangled history. Want to unravel this tapestry? Then read the Abridged X-Men!

(Giant-Size X-Men #1) - by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum.

“Okay, Dave, we want the new guys to look infinitely cooler than the old guys. Especially Beast. Fuck Beast.”

“Say no more.”

If you were Charles Xavier and you accidentally misplaced your team of misfit mutants (except for Beast, who has graduated to Avengerdom and isn’t even in this book), would you:

Call in a favor with the Avengers or the Fantastic Four to help you out?

Call your ex and ask him and his magnetic powers to come to your rescue?

Cut your losses and move on?

Travel the world to replace your boring wonderbread team with a bunch of spicier, kickassier mutants and forever rock the world?

The answer is obviously D. I am hyperventilating. At the end of this, I have to pick the best new character and I cannot. CANNOT.

See, we have so many options!

Option 1: A creepy adorable blue fuzzball who is hunted and persecuted for the way he looks. He also nearly gets straight up staked by an angry European mob, showing that this new iteration of the X-Men is a few shades darker than the last one. (I also feel that angry mobs happen a lot less in Europe than Marvel think they do, but hey.)

Kurt, baby? You know you can teleport yourself out of becoming a human shishkebab, right?

Option 2: A woman who is too good for you. And for me. For anyone, tbh. She can control the weather and step on me. She starts out as a goddess and it’s the accuratest.

Ororo Munroe is my religion.

Option 3: A Russian tin can man with a sweet, sweet heart. Soft boi in a hard shell.

Also featured as a very early cameo: llyana Rasputin in dashing Soviet fashion.

Option 4: An angry Canadian who has authority issues and claws.

Did you know? Wolverine was originally envisioned as an actual wolverine who was turned into a human being. I think we can all agree that this was the better option.

Option 5: An angry Native American who has authority issues and a very uninspiring power set. (Look, if your ‘super powers’ can feasibly be achieved by plenty of cardio and bringing along a well-trained labradoodle, I’m just not here for it.)

John Proudstar does tell Xavier to go suck a cactus. Ten points to Gryffindor!

This cast is rounded out by some returning faces:

An angry Japanese guy who has authority issues and fire powers.

An Irish ex-thief/also ex-cop with sonic powers.

Why is this group instantly more interesting than the OG5? Well, instead of five vaguely generic teenagers coming from sort of similar backgrounds (upstate New York, wealthy, white), we have a couple of older characters coming with wildly varying histories. Some of them even provide a proper through line for the ways mutants fit into society: Nightcrawler is hated and feared, Storm is revered, Wolverine has been recruited by the government and Colossus lives among humans, presumably hiding his powers.

But why has Charles X gathered all these mutants? Because the X-Men have vanished on this mysterious tropical island! All except for an amnesia-riddled Cyclops, who returned to the mansion to go get help! Even though he’s not sure how he escaped, exactly.

The new X-Men travel off, and in between their introductions and embarking on the plane, Sunfire threatens to leave the team about three times.

Sunfire, my man, you could've just stayed in Japan.

Important to note is that none of these mutants mesh well yet and, when they approach the island, Cyclops decides to pull a Fred and he splits up the team - precisely among the fault lines. Interestingly, none of these duos really get along: Sunfire, Wolverine and Thunderbird all have grumpy loner personalities, meaning they don’t play well with others. Sunfire manages to aggravate Kurt, who is possibly the easiest to get along with out of them all, and Wolverine, hilariously, has a really hard time with Bashee’s sonic shouting when Sean flies him down. But even Colossus and Storm, who will later end up one of the more powerful X-friendships, are unfamiliar, ill at ease in each other’s presence.

Anyway, odd shit keeps happening. The Blackbird Strato-Jet vanishes. Cyclops and Thunderbird deal with some stringly-strangly vines; Wolverine and Banshee fight with a giant crab, Colossus and Storm are threatened by a living avalanche and Sunfire and Nightcrawler get swarmed by ferocious birds. After these various altercations, each duo notices this huge temple (which wasn’t there before), almost as if some unseen force is leading them towards it.

At the temple, the new team reunites and there, they find the lost X-Men! And Angel promptly berates them for falling into this trap, because…

Who's been messing up everything? It was Krakoa all along!

Krakoa is a mutant island that feeds off of mutant energies and it released Cyclops because it thought it would bring back more mutant snacks. (Which evidently worked, seeing how Scott brought back Kurt and Piotr.)

The X-Men release the X-Men and together, they band together in awesome (and sometimes confusing) artwork to fight Krakoa.

Look, Angel's doing his best, okay?

In the end, mostly thanks to powerhouse Lorna, they launch the island INTO SPACE. And in the aftermath, Warren asks an important question:

Split into two teams/books and become instantly iconic? No? Not for another twenty years?

Best new character: Don’t make me do this.

Fine.

Okay. So, I don´t think I can judge these characters without taking into account what will happen to them in the future, so I won´t even try. While I love Wolverine and Colossus, two of my ever-favorites are Storm and Nightcrawler. Nightcrawler, because he represents the best of humanity: even though it would be so easy for him to hate mankind because of their prejudice and their hatred, he always chooses kindness, faith and optimism. Storm, because she is a queen and will become one of the most complex and well-written comic book superheroes: a goddess, a thief, a leader and one of the best female power fantasies ever.

I choose her. I always choose her.

Ugliest costume: None. I do want to note just how well the costumes are designed here: Storm’s tiara-and-cloak outfit is still iconic and Nightcrawler’s and Colossus’ looks are so good that they are still being used, decades later. Hats off to Cockrum.

What to read: This. It’s just good. The new team is leagues better than the old one and the twist that the villain is Krakoa holds up. Sure, it’s all still a little wordy and nobody ever bothers explaining what’s up with Sunfire wanting to leave every second, but it’s an excellent reboot and a milestone issue.

[e-vasong]

What's the five-doesn’t-get-stuck-in-the-future-but-things-turn-out-the-same AU like??

:D I waited until I’d watched season 2 to answer this because I wanted to see if it gave me more ideas (which it did...but I’ll put those in another post if people want so I don’t have to spoiler tag this one).  This AU was brainstormed with @smallerthanzer0​ a while back, and they deserve extra credit because they are the one who listened to me going “lmfao what if Five didn’t get stuck in the future and decided to try and get rid of their dad” and said: wait. eva.  THIS COULD BE GOOD.  

so basically.  in this verse:

 Five does not time travel at age 13 and leave his family behind. he considers it, just as in canon, but something stops him.  Outside interference, maybe, or just a niggling voice in his head that cautions him that the risk isn’t worth it.

What Five does do is snoop.  And what he finds is a journal in their father's study with damning notes on Vanya.

He confronts their father about it.  Reginald doesn’t take the challenge to his authority well.

Five is tired and hurting and at some point he realizes: their dad is never going to stop.  And then he thinks: but I could make him.

So Five starts making a plan.

A plan that, should it come to fruition, would knock the Apocalypse off-course entirely.  The Commission, already interested in Five for his abilities, decides that Five needs to be removed from the equation. 

 Notes start arriving for Five in strange places.  Telling him things no one could possibly know, making promises no one could possibly keep.  Warning of the end of all things.  

Five is no fool.  He crumples them up and throws them in the trash.

Then Ben dies on a mission

They’re 15, going on 16, and something goes wrong.  A mission gets all fucked up.  They think things are over, and then a gun goes off.  Ben’s body jerks.  There’s a spray of blood.  He stumbles, and then the beast comes tearing out.

 Run, Ben begs, and his siblings do, because there’s nothing else for them to do.  Not unless they want to die too.

 But Five can’t.  He promised.  He promised that he’d protect them.   And if he leaves Ben here…that means he’s already failed.  Blood is pouring from the bullet wound in Ben’s shoulder, dribbling down the corner of Ben’s mouth.  He’s hovering in the air, limp and unconscious.

Someone, Klaus maybe, makes a sickened noise and lunges for Ben.  But Luther stops him, catches him around the waist and bodily carries him out.

 Go, Five says, as his siblings make it to the door.  Allison is the last one out.  

Come on, come on, Five, she says, holding a hand out to him.  There’s tears trickling down her face, but she’s trying so hard to keep it together, and Five hates to break her heart any more.  He smiles at her.  

Sorry sis, he says, and slams the door in her face.

Ben’s tentacles are still violently attacking anything within reach; the only reason why Five is still in one piece is because Ben is unconscious and without Ben, the tentacles don’t seem to have eyes or any idea what to aim for.

 But it’s too late.  Five’s been doing this long enough to know when someone is fatally injured.

 But Five has one last trick to try.  And if it doesn’t work…well then.  At least he died giving it his best shot.

 Are you watching? He snarls at the ceiling.  Are you watching?  This is me saying yes.  The deal.  I’ll take your fucking deal, god damn it.

 His world goes hazy, and he doesn’t register the pinprick of pain until the drug is already rushing through his system.

 Huh, he thinks, and then passes out.

From outside, all that’s distinguishable is the sound of Ben’s body tearing itself apart.  Five yells, something inaudible, words swallowed by the din.  There’s a flash of light.  And all is quiet.  

 Ben's body disappears along with Five’s and no one knows what happened to them, except for the fact that they must certainly be dead.

OK I’m putting the rest under a read more because this is long and I don’t want to be rude lmfao.

The Commission wants Five to kill people, just like in canon.  And Ben is...well, the Commission works with time and reality.  They have uses for a boy who can open portals between dimensions, though none of them are very pleasant. 

 In return...Ben gets to live, and at the end of it all the Commission will let them retire with time, money, and the resources to do whatever they want to Reginald Hargreeves.  

(Neither of them buys that, of course.  They're both too valuable.  Five is habitually suspicious, and they both have their doubts about where that mystery bullet that hit Ben came from.  And of course, though Ben and Five don't know it yet, the Commission is killing two birds with one stone with this trick, because taking both of them out of the picture is key for making sure the scheduled apocalypse happens).

So Five kills people for the Commission; Ben becomes a test subject

And things are different, and in many ways they are the same

Five and the Commission are using each other—Five to save Ben and his siblings.  The Commission want to use Five’s powers, and they want to keep him from knocking the Apocalypse off track 

Five has to go hard and fast in this verse: he’s young, the Commission has less patience for his mistakes, and his coworkers are gunning for him because it is embarrassing to be out done by a 16-year old.  There’s no room for weakness or error.

He only ever allows himself moments of softness with Ben, because Ben…Ben needs it.  And isn’t that why Five is doing this?  Isn’t it why he does everything? To be what his siblings need and more?

Hazel hears about this new test subject they got in the labs.  sibling to the new recruit.  powers like they never saw before.  and Hazel meets Five, and...doesn't like the kid, really, but a kid is a kid and that already sits poorly with Hazel.  

But he has got to get a look at what they're cooking up in the labs, so he drops by the medical wing at one point.

And there's this kid laying in a hospital bed.  bandages wrapped around his chest--not as scrawny as Five, but somehow he just seems smaller. Warm eyes, a bright, real smile--so different from his brother already.  And so they get to talking

And Hazel talks to Ben, and Ben is...fuck, he's such a good kid.  And Five must be too, because Ben is always reading some book or another that he says Five snuck in for him. (Please don't tell, Ben says, wide-eyed.  Hazel crosses his heart, and starts bringing books by the dozen.  They trust him much more than they do Five, and they don't mind that Ben is reading, really.  They just worry that Five is scheming.)   

And at first, Hazel tries to convince himself that he's not going to do anything stupid (though--some part of him knows from day one that if Ben asked, really really asked for his help...Hazel would say yes).  But it gets harder.  The surgeries get more invasive, Five gets more desperate, Ben's skin gets sallower and his smiles get weaker.

Hazel spends a bunch of his free time in the medical wing, keeping Ben company when Five can't.  Reading to him, discussing theoretical physics with him.  Until one day he overhears something he shouldn't--plans for Ben.  Idk what.  Maybe they aren't fatal, maybe they're just painful.  Maybe it's the same as normal, but hearing about this child talked about like a science experiment to pull apart and discard is just too much.  And the next time Hazel and Five brush shoulders in the hall, Hazel grabs Five by the wrist.  Makes a big show of seeming mad.

And Five is watching him with cold, dangerous eyes. He's barely resisting the urge to break Hazel's arm and Hazel knows it.  But something must hold him back; Hazel hopes that Five knows that Hazel isn't faking caring about Ben.  That Hazel wouldn't just attack Five in the middle of a hallway.  He must, because he snaps back a couple times, leans into the banter with witty retorts rather than violence.  And then after all that posturing and threatening, Hazel says: "So I know you think you're hot shit around here, but you listen here.  If you ever talk that way to me again I'll...well," and then he leans down, whispers in Five's ear: "the Handler is going to be out of her office in two hours.  Get the key.  East hallway.  There's a collection of spare briefcases, last room on the left."

 And then he keeps walking.  Ben and Five are gone by that night, and the Commission launches a search mission right away.

They aim for October 1, 2008—the day their siblings are supposed to turn 19, which is the age Ben and Five are now.  They fuck up.  Five is distracted, maybe a patrol bursts through the door and opens fire.

They arrive on October 1, 2018, on their siblings’ 29th birthday.  The briefcase is smoking and sparking, a dozen bullets buried in the side of it.  It’s useless.  Five throws it in the trash.

The family is scattered and ten years older than they planned for.  Reginald Hargreeves is still alive.  The Commission is coming for Five and Ben.  The Apocalypse is looming.

Things are so very different than in canon, but in many ways they’re exactly the same.

Five and Ben take off on a quest to reunite their separated siblings.  Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, and Vanya now have two traumatized adolescent brothers to take care of.  It does wonders for group cohesion.

And there’s so much more, but this is ridiculously long already lmfao so I’ll leave off here unless people ask for more deets.  I just have a lot of feelings about this AU.

[kinglazrus]

Not Your Danny – Ch 5. Fresh Air

Previous | First | Next | FFN | AO3

Word count: 3075

Dani hesitates at the top of the stairs. The lab door, when closed, looks comically when compared to the rest of the house. Set halfway down the hall that bisects the house, from either end, the doorway appears normal. When you get closer, however, and the door itself comes into view, a smattering of warning signs greets your eyes. The yellow and black stripes, the deep red biohazard symbol, one bright green sign that just reads GHOSTS AHEAD!, are the only pops of colour against the off-white walls.

The signs draw the eye to a comical degree. They remind Dani of cheap Halloween decorations, slapped on the nearest empty surface in the hopes that more signs equal more scares.

It's not as funny when the door is open. Metal plating gleams along the walls, some of the seams between them crusted with dried ectoplasm. More stains litter the stairs, left by careless, unclean feet. Far below, the pristine white tiles of the lab floor are lit by a soft green glow.

She hasn't even entered the lab, but just a glimpse of the room below transports her back to Vlad's place in Wisconsin and that cold room where she spent hours alone. It was the worst before she learned how to go intangible, when she was stuck with nowhere to go. Vlad didn't have the time to go down to the lab every day, but when he could, he worked feverishly on making newer, better clones than her.

"Siblings for you," Vlad called them, but Dani knows the truth now. Replacements, since she hadn't been good enough for him.

So many times, Vlad made a clone that was almost stable, almost life-like, but they would die overnight. Dani could never take her eyes away from it, no matter how much it horrified her. Seeing other clones melt away to nothing, their skin sloughing off, muscle dripping from their bones until those, too, liquified into nothing.

If Vlad had known Danny was transgender, maybe he wouldn't have seen Dani as such a failure. He might have loved her properly—or at all.

She doesn't want to go down the stairs, not when such horrible memories are already clamouring for attention. But Maddie is down there, and it might be hours before she comes upstairs. Bracing herself against the wall, Dani leans forward on her toes and calls down. "Maddie?"

Although she can hear shuffling coming from below, she gets no answer.

"Maddie?" she says again, a little louder.

Still no answer.

Swallowing her nerves, Dani goes down the steps. She keeps her arms in, even as her legs shake and threaten to give out on her, she doesn't want to touch the walls. Her gaze doesn't stray from her feet, either, fixed firmly on where she is stepping. When she reaches the last stair, she squeezes her eyes shut.

It's fine. This isn't Vlad's lab. There might be some similarities, they aren't the same. Like her and Danny.

I am at Fenton Works. I am at home. I am at Fenton Works. She repeats the mantra over and over. Her heart doesn't stop pounding, but eventually, she has to look up or turn back around, and she doesn't want to give up now. Steeling herself, she looks up and opens her eyes.

It's not Vlad's lab.

Of course, it isn't. Dani knew that the whole time. Actually seeing it, however, fills her with relief. Instead of bubbling vats full of half-formed bodies, they have long counters full of inventions. Although the floors have a few scuffs and some noticeable burn marks, there are no dubious stains of questionable origin.

The only true similarity Dani can find is the specimen cabinet. Its glass doors reveal the rows upon rows of ectoplasmic samples hidden inside. The vials sit on labelled racks, sorted through some mysterious method Dan is not privy to.

One rack, near the front of the cabinet, is labelled PHANTOM, DANI. Out of the four vials, two are empty, the third is missing, and the fourth—her blood sample— is half-full. Looking around at all the weapons down here, Dani hopes her samples went to good use. The last thing she wants is one of these guns firing at her without warning.

Dani finds the missing vial with Maddie on the other side of the lab. Maddie sits at one of two desks, hers far neater than the other. The vial of ectoplasm, still capped, rests by Maddie's elbow. In front of her, a gun sprawls out in pieces. Maddie's head is lowered over the gun as she works on it.

"Maddie?" Dani asks.

Maddie takes a deep breath before looking up. She can't hide the slight widening of her eyes when she sees Dani's human face, but she doesn't flee, which is a vast improvement from last time. "Yes, dear?"

"Is it okay if I go out somewhere?"

"Of course. Where do you want to go?"

"Nowhere in particular. I haven't left the house since I got here."

"Really? That can't be right."

"It is." To be completely honest, Dani hadn't been sure if she was allowed to leave. The Fentons never laid out any ground rules for staying with them. Nor did they let her in on what a usual household day is like. After a week and a half, Dani has figured out more or less how things go, but only now does she realize that the Fentons never did anything to accommodate her.

Not that she knows what accommodations she needs, but it's odd, isn't it? Someone new moves in and they keep doing what they have always done.

"I didn't even notice," Maddie admits. "I'm so used to D—the kids doing whatever they want as long as they aren't out late. You don't need to ask us if you want to go somewhere." She leans back over the dismantled gun, grabbing a core piece with a dozen little wires sticking out of it. "Don't forget to text. And be home by curfew, young man."

—

Depends on when that is.

Maddie's mind fills in the automatic response, a perfect copy of Danny's usual snark. Several seconds pass before she realizes no one said it out loud. She glances up from her work and finds herself alone in the lab. Dani left without saying anything. The discovery cuts her deeper than it has any right to.

Maddie's parting remark runs through her head again. She gasps, finally registering what she said, and drops the barrel component in her hand.

She goes over her parting remark in her head and gasps. She didn't mean to say that. The words rose instinctively to her lips, spoken without any consideration of who she had been talking to. It was such a small thing, too; a meaningless ritual built between Danny and Maddie over the years.

"Be home by curfew," she would say.

"Depends on when that is," he would answer.

When was the last time she and Danny had this exchange? It only happened when he told her he was going out, which wasn't very often in recent years, but the instinct was still there. Maddie presses a hand against her eyes.

Danny's absence resonated throughout Fenton Works, but little moments like this cut deeper than they should. All their little rituals. Backwash soda. Small things Maddie didn't realize she would miss until they were gone. And at the centre of it all was Dani, subject to Maddie's moments of weakness, filling in that piece of her Danny took when he died, but not quite fitting.

Maybe this was a mistake.

"I'm sorry, Dani," she tells the empty lab.

—

It feels good to fly again. Sitting in the house with nothing to do, Dani was starting to get stir crazy. Finally getting some fresh air in her lungs and some wind in her hair does wonders to alleviate her mood. Not even Maddie's slip up in the lab can bring Dani down now, no matter how much thinking about it makes her skin prickle.

She soars far over the city, letting her instincts take over as the people below get smaller and smaller.

Amity Park airspace is perfect for flying. It sees so little traffic from planes, drones, or anything else like that. People in the area know to steer clear of the skies in case a ghost is about. Danny once told her that the airport actually diverts planes around the city if they're flying too low.

Not even birds like to be up here.

Dani relishes the feeling of wind buffeting her body. She lets her control slip, plummeting through the air. Spreading her arms, she guides her fall without the use of her powers, grinning wide against the roaring wind. She and Danny might not have liked all the same things, but they could certainly agree on this: there is nothing more amazing than flying.

A good hour passes with Dani in the air. She dips down toward the city a few times, swooping through the streets. The tall downtown buildings and fast-moving cars make a great obstacle course, especially when she flies at top speed.

"Is that Phantom?" someone shouts.

Dani has to stop and backtrack, flying by the voice so fast she almost doesn't hear it. Lounging in the air, she peers down at the sidewalk. "Someone called?"

A kid holding his mother's hand scowls. "You're not Phantom."

Dani sticks her tongue out at the brat. "Dani-with-an-I Phantom, thank you very much."

"I don't care. You're not Danny Phantom."

Dani's smile freezes in place. The brat, who can't be more than eight, makes a rude gesture over his shoulder as his mom pulls him away.

"Charming kid!" Dani shouts after them. The woman pulls her son along faster. Dani's expression goes flat. The brief exchange leaves a sour taste in her mouth and an ache in her chest. Flying right now doesn't seem fun anymore. She lowers herself to the street, ignoring the whispers around her, and transforms.

A few people gasp, but she ignores that, too. Who cares if they see her? The whole city already knows the truth about Danny. It wouldn't take a genius to reach the same conclusions about her.

Her hands go to the front of her shirt, seeking out her hoodie pocket. Belatedly, she remembers that she hasn't worn the hoodie in days. At night, she puts on the pyjamas Maddie bought for her, and in the morning she dons her new favourite shirt along with one of the several skirts Jazz gave her.

The first time Dani transformed from human to ghost wearing these clothes, she was worried they might disappear, or her hoodie and shorts would reappear. To her utter delight, no such thing happened. The skirt she wears now is a little long for her. She has it pulled up to her waist, with the star shirt tucked underneath, and rolled the waistband several times until the skirt rested around her knees. The soft fabric swishes about her legs, so much lighter than what she is used to.

Taking in her surroundings, Dani notes the big box stores around her. She recognizes the area, although she has only seen it from the air. The Amity Par Mall should be somewhere close by. Although Dani doesn't have any money for clothes, she could window shop and look at what's available. That should help lift her spirits.

—

The usual chatter blankets the mall food court. Beyond the tables, a kiosk for a local store advertises unique Danny Phantom merch. T-shirts, phone cases, and hats bearing Danny's iconic logo sit out on display. From her seat facing the kiosk, Sam can see water bottles shaped like the Fenton Thermos, plushies that vaguely resemble the local haunts, and even a few fake ecto-guns.

But the centrepiece of the display is a poster, unmistakably new. It features Danny twice over, as Phantom and Fenton, standing back-to-back with himself. The sight of it fills her with rage.

"How dare they." Sam seethes.

Seated across from her, Tucker nods. The soda cup in his hand crumples as his grip tightens. "Isn't that illegal, too? Using his likeness and all?"

"Absolutely. Especially since he's a minor."

"Was," Tucker corrects her, his voice soft.

"Right. Was." The memory of Danny's last moments flashes through her mind. Sam flinches, closing her eyes in an attempt to shut the image out. It doesn't work. The moment is all too vivid in her mind and she doesn't think it will ever fade.

Movies like to give heroes slow deaths, dramatic last words spoken with a final breath, the warmth of a loved one nearby. They make it so easy to forget that most of the time people don't get anything like that. Most of the time they drop, and they're gone.

Her hands feel sticky and warm, her throat hoarse.

The stunned silence of the street after it happened presses down on her.

"Looks like they have a website. I take care of that and you take care of the lawyers?" Tuck says.

Sam opens her eyes. She has to rub her hands together to remind her they're dry now, have been for weeks. Still, that doesn't stop her from picturing dried blood beneath her nails.

"Yeah," she says after a moment. "Sounds like a plan."

Whoever owns that kiosk is going to regret using their dead best friend for profit. Sam and Tucker will make them burn.

Sam's glare turns from the man working the kiosk to the shoppers browsing its wares. Her anger stretches to them, too, though not as much. She can't blame a child for wanting merch of their hero. Three of the five shoppers lingering around the stand are children, the oldest in her teens. Except instead of happily perusing the merch like her younger counterparts, this girl glares at the stand with nearly as much hatred as Sam.

Something about her is familiar, too. Sam can't see her profile in full, since the girl is angled away, but she can't shake the feeling that she's seen this girl before.

"Holy shit, is that Danielle?" Tucker asks.

Sam's eyes widen. He's right. Without the signature red and blue, Sam didn't recognize her. Dani's new outfit suits her, though. "Jazz said she saw Dani before the funeral. Where has she been?"

Sam stands up. Tucker rises with her, having the same idea. They dump their food trays at the garbage station and make a beeline for Dani.

"Danielle!" Tucker waves to the halfa, who turns at his shout.

Dani smiles when she sees them. "Hey!"

"Nice shirt." Tucker flicks Dani's collar. "About time someone put it to good use."

"Are you staying at Fenton Works?" Sam asks. Like Tucker, she recognizes the shirt and knows there's only one place Dani could have gotten it.

Dani kicks the floor with her heel, the sole of her shoes squeaking against the tiles. "Yeah. Jazz invited me to move in. It's... okay."

Over Dani's head, Sam and Tucker share a concerned look. They recognize that tone. It's one of the few things Dani and Danny have in common, at least that Sam has seen. Dani's voice dips at the end of her sentence, going low and flat. Jazz does it, too, sometimes. It's probably a Fenton thing more than it is a Danny and Dani thing.

"What's wrong?" Sam asks.

"Trouble adjusting, that's all. It's not a big deal." Dani shrugs.

Sam wants to question her further but lets the subject drop. It's fine if Dani wants to keep it to herself, although Sam prefers if she didn't. Either way, they aren't going to leave her like this.

"Doing some shopping?" Sam already knows the answer, though. Dani doesn't have a purse, or a wallet, or any money with her by the looks of it.

Dani confirms her suspicions. "Just looking."

"Cool. Can we look with you?" Tucker rests an arm on Dani's head, using her as a post for leaning. It works like a charm, drawing a half-hearted grumble and a small smile out of Dani. "We're here to people watch. And take care of assholes like this." Tucker nods toward the Phantom kiosk.

This time, Dani giggles. "Yeah, sure. We can take you to all the girl stores."

Tucker pales. "Wait, no. I change my mind."

"Too late!" Dani latches onto the arm resting on her head.

Sam quickly grabs Tucker's other arm until he's squished between the two girls, growing rapidly more distressed as they steer toward the closest store with a bright pink sign. These kinds of stores aren't Sam's thing, and she normally wouldn't be caught dead in one, but she can put up with it for a while if it keeps the smile on Dani's face.

—

Dani takes her bag from the store clerk with nothing short of reverence lighting her face. Even though she just watched the clerk pack it, Dani can't help but open the bag and peer inside at her new purchases: a skirt, a pair of shorts, and a handful of button-ups like the one she already wears.

Beside her, Sam slips her wallet back into her pocket.

"Have a nice day!" the clerk says.

"Thanks. You, too!" Tucker's hand settles on Dani's back, nudging her out of the store.

As soon as they exit, Dani spins and jumps at Sam. "Thank you so much!" When they went into the store, she didn't expect to find anything she liked, but everything inside was so different from what she found in Danny's closet. Especially the pastel colours.

"Consider it a welcome home present," Sam says. Her arm curls around Dani's back, squeezing her tightly.

"Group hug!" Tucker says before draping himself over both of them.

Dani's breath catches in her throat. When was the last time she touched someone like this? Sam and Tucker's arms surrounded her, their warmth making her skin tingle. For a second, she can't breathe, so overwhelmed by the contact that everything else ceases to exist.

Against her will, her shoulders start to shake. She clings to Sam and Tucker tighter, fists gripping the back of their shirts as she draws them closer. Tears welled in her eyes, rising from somewhere deep within her that she had been pushing down. Now, though, in the warmth of Sam and Tucker's embrace, Dani cries for the first time since Danny died.

Previous | Next

[lit-in-thy-heart]

For the ask game, the scene in marigolds where they rescue Gwaine from the rock and Merlin summons the fucking massive dragon and Pelleas helps them and Lancelot threatens to haunt him if he double crosses them 🤣🤣🤣 ICONIC

dfghjkl ah yes the scene that would have been lancelot clutching adoption papers had his hands not been full with gwaine 🤣

ngl the merlin shouting in the background was actually partially inspired by six days but obviously in a different context (and that scene is also one that springs to mind for you because i still can't, it legitimately had me in hysterics) but merlin screaming in the background whilst other people are trying to have a conversation is something i love :D

i feel like lance haunting people would just be him appearing when they're on the toilet or something and giving them a withering glare. he's not really the type to follow them around with unholy screams and i think that's very original of him

tysm for the ask!!! 💕💕

(the scene is under the cut)

In all Gwaine’s nightmares, it had been light when he had been about to drown. Clouds had formed a shield around him, preventing any rescue, and he had been helpless as the tide had gradually crept forward like a legion, struggling against bonds that he could see but not untie. This, somehow, was worse. The moonlight ricocheted off the water’s surface and refracted in numerous directions, illuminating patches of the sea that left Gwaine completely at a loss as to the vastness of it. Even though he knew dry land was close, the rock – now at a higher level than his head – obscured his view and, wherever he looked, it was all darkness and glimmering scales where the moonlight dipped its fingers into the sea. Wherever he looked, he was alone.

The cold was digging its nails into him and trying to draw blood but instead injecting fatigue and Gwaine, knowing nothing but the certainty of his fate, closed his eyes once more. He relaxed his muscles as his mouth became submerged in the water, diluted salt trickling into his parted lips, his nose only millimetres from joining it. At least Anselm wouldn’t be able to use him to control Merlin. At least he wouldn’t be able to fail Merlin and Lancelot again. At least it would all be over.

‘Gwaine! Gwaine!’

Apparently hearing the voices of the people you loved in your final moments wasn’t just a comforting myth, because Lancelot’s voice was piercing the rolling fog in Gwaine’s head quite successfully. It was odd that he could also hear Merlin roaring spells in the distance, too, because Gwaine didn’t really associate Merlin with violence. Merlin and his voice belonged to the tentative dawn and amongst the chorus of birds that came with it, belonged with the rustling leaves in a gentle breeze and the jewelled grass, not to the furious fire that could take apart whole armies. Just like Lancelot and his voice belonged to the stark sunset and the whispers of tendrils of clouds, belonged with the constellations that covered the heavens in a thin layer of protective dust and the bleeding colours of day, not to the agonised desperation that could cause the sky itself to fissure.

Still, any last thoughts of them brought Gwaine comfort.

There was a blunt shout from behind but Gwaine didn’t react, wanting nothing more than to sleep. His nose ducked below the surface and everything around him became muffled as his ears were cushioned by the water.

It might have been for minutes or years that Gwaine was suspended there, tethered to the rock, before he was hauled from the water with someone calling his name in a strangled voice between obscene swearing.

An arm was wrapped around Gwaine’s waist to support him as he instinctively tried to inhale and began coughing, his whole body convulsing in the attempt to dispel the water. After the threat had seemingly been combated, his legs gave way but he was caught before he could fall and drawn close to a hammering heart.

Gwaine could feel the next words stir within him, transmitted by the vibrations of his rescuer’s vocal cords, as he drifted to the fringes of consciousness. ‘Merlin! Merlin, I’ve got him!’ Something angular dropped onto the top of Gwaine’s head, movement grating against his scalp. ‘It’s okay, it’s okay. We’ve got you, you’re safe.’

‘Lance…’M’sorry…’

Lancelot, feeling Gwaine’s body go limp, rested him against the rock, hand fumbling for a pulse in panic. Glancing towards the shore, he could see that Merlin was gradually advancing, his face contorted with rage in the flashes of it Lancelot could catch as flares embedded themselves in bandits. Lancelot had seen Merlin use magic before, of course, but never so violently; from the moment they had broken from the cell, Merlin had been ruthless in the damage he had dealt. The streaks of fire penetrating the atmosphere provided Lancelot with a little visual aid and, satisfied that Gwaine was still breathing, he used his own body to prop up his partner, hands groping for the shackles.

Merlin was going to kill him for discarding his sling – if the pain in his shoulder didn’t kill him first – but Lancelot gritted his teeth and focused instead on trying to free Gwaine. Which, apparently, was going to be harder than he’d first thought. The waves were slapping against higher and higher points of Lancelot’s back and he pushed one leg between both of Gwaine’s to steady him further. His fingers clawed at the iron uselessly, trying to pull apart the cuffs around Gwaine’s wrists, but it was futile. Frantically, Lancelot turned his gaze back towards the shore and latched onto Merlin’s formidable figure, who was in the middle of throwing back the bandit posted to guard Gwaine, whom Lancelot had darted past in the darkness.

‘They’re chains,’ Lancelot cried out when Merlin was close enough, voice cracking, ‘chains, not rope. I can’t get them off.’

Merlin splashed through the water as quickly as he could, fingers grazing Lancelot’s as he examined the chains. There was an explosion of light as Merlin muttered an incantation and winced, his hand going to his chest. He brushed off the twinge and checked that the tether had been severed, glancing towards Lancelot. ‘We have to get him out of the water and get him warm.’

Lancelot was already in the process of doing so; he had laid Gwaine out on the rock once more and was angling his body to drape Gwaine over his uninjured shoulder.

‘Lance, no, your shoulder—’

‘I’ll be careful,’ Lancelot replied, straightening his posture and hooking his left arm around the backs of Gwaine’s knees. ‘Unless you have a better solution?’

‘I’ll take him.’

‘Over my dead body,’ was the sharp response. ‘You’re not meant to be lifting heavy objects and I’m pretty sure a human body comes under the category of “heavy objects”. Do you still have the cloak?’ Lancelot added as he began to wade back to shore, nervously keeping an eye on the castle’s silhouette.

Following the knight, Merlin untied the cloak from his waist. ‘I can do a drying spell,’ he offered. ‘I don’t know how much it will help, but anything is better than nothing, right?’

With a nod, Lancelot spun around when his boots made contact with dry land and watched Merlin place a hand on Gwaine’s exposed back. His eyes shone and, as they faded, he arranged the cloak over Gwaine’s form. Lancelot trapped the material between his hand and Gwaine’s legs, looking towards the castle again. ‘It’s not going to take them long to figure out where we’ve gone. And Gwaine took more blows than he can probably handle back in the throne room…’

Lancelot broke off before he added to his panic by recalling the images that had shot by only moments before – of Gwaine seemingly lifeless in the water, his slurred speech, his helplessness. This was the second time in just over a fortnight that Lancelot had felt his heart contract with terror at the sight of Gwaine’s lifeless form, but he was no less used to it. Stilling for a moment, Lancelot registered the faint sound of Gwaine breathing and relaxed slightly. They had to get him to Camelot.

Merlin’s hand was resting on his uninjured shoulder. ‘It’s alright. I’ve got an idea. We need to start moving towards the mainland.’

‘It’s not something stupid or dangerous, is it?’

‘Not for us,’ Merlin assured him, giving Lancelot’s shoulder a small squeeze. He kissed him gently before dropping a kiss in the midst of Gwaine’s now-dry hair. ‘We’re going to be okay. Start moving. I’ll catch up.’

Lights – pinpricks of bronze blood against the night sky – were eddying towards them from the direction of the castle. ‘Merlin—’

Merlin pushed his shoulder. ‘I’ll be fine. Go. Get Gwaine to safety.’

Hesitating momentarily, Lancelot started forwards as the lights behind them expanded. With his right arm hanging limply by his side, he contracted the muscles in his left arm to more firmly support Gwaine and glanced over his shoulder. Merlin had turned away and stood with his legs slightly apart, his head tilted towards the sky. The words that emerged from his mouth reached Lancelot clearly, but that didn’t help him decipher their meaning.

'O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!’

Although, picking up on the word ‘drakon’, Lancelot could hazard a guess as to what would be involved. Merlin repeated the phrase, more insistently this time, and the guttural quality to the syllables that stretched over Merlin’s tongue sent Lancelot’s skin erupting into goosebumps.

He turned his mouth towards Gwaine’s motionless body, the faint smile grazing the muscles concealed by the cloak. ‘Gwaine,’ he whispered, ‘you are going to kick yourself later for missing this.’ It might have been his imagination, but Gwaine seemed to shift slightly against him. ‘But don’t worry, my love, I’ll tell you all about it when you’re better.’ He paused before pressing a kiss to the cloak. ‘Rest well, now, my love, it’s all going to be fine, I promise you.’

Raising his head, Lancelot looked back at Merlin, who was still standing stubbornly in the place that he’d been left. He was also still shouting and didn’t notice a figure streak past until they were halfway towards Lancelot. Breaking off his call, Merlin fired a ball of flames at the figure but they swerved to the side and stumbled to a halt beside Lancelot, who had ceased all movement.

Reflexively, Lancelot reached down and removed the knife Gwaine had given him from his boot, biting down on his lip to avoid crying out, and held it out. ‘Don’t come any closer,’ he threatened.

‘Put the knife down, I’m here to help you.’

Still holding the knife, Lancelot squinted at the tangled hair. ‘You’re the one Gwaine had to fight. You were going to kill him.’

‘Anselm would have killed me.’ The bandit let out an impatient noise. ‘Look, I don’t know what batshit thing your friend is doing over there, but whatever it is, it’s only going to hold the others off for so long. And you can’t carry Gwaine by yourself.’

Desperately, Lancelot looked between the bandit and Merlin. Finally, he shoved the knife back in his boot. ‘Fine. But if you hand us over to Anselm, I will haunt you so hard—’

‘I’m not going to hand you over to Anselm. Gwaine told me to get out if I could, so I thought I’d take advantage of the chaos you caused. Give him here.’

With a grunt, Lancelot lowered Gwaine and draped one of his arms over his shoulder, motioning for the bandit to support the other side. ‘What’s your name?’

‘Pelleas.’

Lancelot took a step forward. ‘Right, Pelleas, we’re heading in the direction called as-far-the-fuck-away-from-here-as-possible. Merlin said he’d catch up with us, and I trust him—’

‘Merlin?’

Lancelot silently swore. ‘Did I say Merlin? I meant Will. Will said he’d catch up with us—’

‘Is that a dragon?’

Lifting his head, Lancelot watched as the stars were obscured by a large mass before a creature landed beside Merlin and was unable to conceal a smile. ‘A fucking massive dragon, I think.’

Pelleas frowned at him. ‘There’s a difference?’

‘Oh, yes.’ The smile on Lancelot’s face faded as a strong stream of fire issued from the dragon’s jaw, directed at the bandits approaching Merlin. ‘Thank you for your assistance, but we’ll be able to take it from here. And, if you want my advice, run as far away from here as fast as possible and don’t look back. And breathe a word about Mer—Will to anyone—’

‘I won’t,’ Pelleas hurriedly said. ‘I won’t.’ He ducked out from beneath Gwaine’s arm. ‘If—If Gwaine wakes, tell him I forgive him.’

With that, Pelleas melted into the darkness.

Lancelot tried not to think too hard about the ‘if’. Merlin was running towards them and Lancelot hoisted Gwaine up, their cheeks brushing together. ‘No pressure, my love, but it would be really helpful if you could wake up right about now. I’ve never had to mount a dragon before—’ Lancelot waited for an interjection in the form of a dick joke, but it didn’t come. ‘Well, not a real dragon, because Merlin’s magnificence doesn’t count.’ He paused again. ‘I can’t believe that I’m making dick jokes and you’re too unconscious to make note of it. Anyway, I’ve never had to mount a dragon before, let alone with an unconscious knight relying on me. So, if you could wake up…’

As he moved his ear to Gwaine’s mouth to check that breath was still hitting his cheek, weak words were shaped by the breeze. ‘’S’my method. Humour‘s a d’fense mech’nism.’

Lancelot drew his face away. ‘Yeah, well, you weren’t around to use it.’

‘Right here, ‘n’t I?’ Gwaine struggled to open his eyes: the lids flickered but remained steadfastly closed. ‘Right though. Mer’in does have a dr’gon dick.’

Laughing as tears collected in the corners of his eyes, Lancelot shook his head. ‘I can’t believe all it took was a dick joke to revive you.’ He pressed his lips to Gwaine’s forehead. ‘I fucking love you, you know that? And it’s all going to be okay. We’re going to get you back home and patched up and everything is going to be fine and no harm is ever going to come to you again and—’

‘Lance…’

Whatever Gwaine was about to say, though, was interrupted by Merlin’s arrival as he skidded to a halt in front of them, one hand on his chest with the other holding an orb of light. In the fragmented illumination, the corners of his mouth were twisted in pain and his breathless words were ragged. ‘Kil—Kilgharrah can take us to the woods just outside the citadel,’ he gasped out. ‘And he’s also helpfully offered to torch the place.’

‘Pelleas…’ murmured Gwaine.

Lancelot buried his mouth in Gwaine’s hairline. ‘Pelleas got out, my love, it’s alright. Save your strength.’ Catching the start of Pelleas’s name in Merlin’s tone, Lancelot cut him off softly. ‘Later, Merlin. There will be time then. What do we need to do?’

Sparing a moment to give Gwaine a tearful kiss, whose mouth flickered minutely in response, Merlin turned back towards Kilgharrah. ‘We just need to get on his back. We can—We can sort Gwaine out when we’re settled and secure.’

At the sound of his name, Gwaine finally managed to open his eyes. He was confronted with blazing fires and a very large shape a little way off and, blinking drowsily, he leaned closer into Lancelot. ‘’S’at the fuckin’ massive drag’n?’

‘Perhaps don’t call him that,’ Merlin fondly said, voice just carrying over Lancelot’s reminder of what he had just said to Gwaine. ‘His name is Kilgharrah and he is the last dragon.’