#a living breathing trashman if you will

[jaratedeguadalupe]

remus eats the fruit with the skin on, it's also his favorite part 

[cartoonfanaticmonsterrobotalien]

Solar Opposites: Mighty Solars The Movie Ch. 4

The scene then fades to a falling asteroid crash landing towards the ground, as the smoke clears it is revealed by a dark alien being known as Darkness.

Darkness: So this is Earth-4?

Darkness chuckles evilly as he approaches town. We then cut to Korvo and Terry cuddling. Korvo open his eyes slightly, smiles as he looks at his sleeping family. Suddenly, he notices the crystal glowing brighter.

Korvo: Huh?

Korvo then walks out of his bed as he picks up the crystal. Then, the crystal flows brighter as the scene fades to white. Then; as the light fade as Korvo finds himself in an neon aquamarine background. Korvo gasps.

Korvo: Whoa…

Korvo then looks and sees a crystal playing a video as he touches it and it plays a footage of Darkness about to wreck havoc on the city as he gasp. Korvo walks for a few minutes.

Korvo: How do I head back? I gotta warn everyone about that man-

Suddenly, Korvo finds an aquamarine light beam choosing him as he grows astonished

Korvo: Whoa…what is-

Korvo then bravely goes into the light as he floats and grows amazed by this. He then sees his town and remembers the words Janiz have to them when they were Replicants.

Janiz: voiceover Just remember one thing. True bravery come from the heart and from the people who stands by. Just remember, when you’re facing something big, you are not alone when you stand with others… never forget that…

Korvo smiles with tears in his eyes.

Korvo: to himself I never forget what you said Janiz… takes a deep breath and develops determination Let’s do this…

Korvo then closes his eyes as the beam shines brighter in aquamarine. As the light fades, Korvo finds himself back in his room but then notices he can’t see his fingers once he touches a window.

Korvo: What the hell?!

He then notices his feet gone. He the falls on the floor but then he gasp and covers his mouth so he won’t scream once he looked at a mirror. Korvo kept his mouth covered because he doesn’t want to wake up his family.

Korvo: Shit! How am I invisible?! How can I-

Korvo then gasp because he can still see, even invisible.

Korvo: H-how is this possible? The last time Terry and I turn invisible we were blind as bats

Then, he sees Darkness blasting a beam through a construction sight as people run for their lives. Korvo gasp and knows what he as to do now. Korvo looks at Terry.

Korvo: whispering Be back soon my love. kisses Terry on the forehead as Terry smiles in his sleep

Korvo then heads out the window and shuts after he made it out quietly as he runs to Darkness, but then suddenly starts flying.

Korvo: Woah!

Korvo then laughs after flying around and grows overjoyed by this, despite not seeing this.

Korvo: This is amazing!

Then, Korvo dodged a fireball as he lands on his feet and fist on the ground as he turns visible again and is revealed to be wearing some kind of super suit that looks like his old Trashman Blackhole suit.

Korvo/???: Woah!

The human and Earth-4 citizens gasp upon seeing this and grows amazed by this.

Randall: Whoa! Who is that guy?

Terry comes out and gasps.

Terry: Whoa. Who is that guy?

The scene then cuts back to Korvo bravely going up against Darkness.

Korvo/???: STAY AWAY FROM MY PLANET!

Darkness: laughs What makes you thinks you can-

Korvo then turns invisible as he kicks Darknes in the face..

Darkness: AH! YOU FUCKING-

Korvo then punches Darkness in the face as he gasp. Suddenly, Korvo notices a part of stainless fading because of the electricity. Korvo then looks up and sees nearby lightning station as he flies there while luring in Darkness as he follows Korvo.

Darkness: Get back here motherfucker!

Korvo then flies around and sees Dr. Weatherstone writing down in her clipboard as Korvo sees a switch in the station Weatherstone is at and gets an idea as he calls out to Weatherstone.

Korvo/???: You there! Switch lady!

Dr. Weatherstone: Yes?

Korvo/???: TURN ON THAT SWITCH! PLEASE! I HAVE AN IDEA!

Dr. Weatherstone: What?

Korvo/???: Trust me!

Weatherstone then gasp upon seeing Darkness and Korvo develops an invisible forcefield as blocks Darkness from using his powers to harm Korvo and it knocks him backwards. Korvo then gets ready to tell Dr. Weatherstone.

Korvo/???: NOW MA’AM! DO IT NOW!

Dr. Weatherstone then flips the switch as it electrocuted Darkness as he begins light up and disintegrates. The crowd cheers.

Darkness: NNNNNOOOOOOOO!

Darkness explodes in a big fiery light as Korvo sighs in relief.

Terry: Woah…

The town then cheer for Korvo as he then sees the resort and smiles as flies away. Everyone grows amazed as they wonder who he is. Dr. Weatherstone then came out and grows amazed.

Korvo/???: distant Woo-hoo!

Dr. Weatherstone: Who are you?

The scene then fades to Korvo flying back as he turns back to his normal self with his pajamas on and collapse on the bed snoring. Terry then comes in as he smiles at his husband and kiss him on the lips as Korvo wakes up and smiles.

Korvo: Hey darling… notices his vision is getting blurry

Terry: Hey, good morning.

Korvo then looks around and starts breathing in and out and screams.

Terry: Hey hey hey! What’s wrong?!

Korvo: I’M BLIND!

The family gasp in horror. The scene then cuts to an eye doctor checking on Korvo as he does a checkup on his eyes.

Eye Doctor: Well, thankfully, it’s nothing too bad.

Korvo: What do you mean?

The eye doctor holds up a chart

Eye Doctor: It turns your redness has been damage by some type of light. But, I’m afraid you’re gonna have to acquire contact for you to see.

Korvo: Oh. Okay…

The doctor gives Korvo contact glasses.

Eye Doctor: These should work.

Korvo puts them on as he looks around the place with these.

Korvo: Holy shit!

Eye Doctor: Thanks for our appointment. Let me know if anything goes wrong. Have a nice day. leaves

As the family walks out, Terry realizes he has something to say to Korvo.

Terry: Oh Korvo! You’re not gonna believe what I saw last night!

Korvo: blushes Oh, what is it?

Terry: I. Saw. Some kind of superhero. He was awesome! He saved our asses.

Korvo’s eyes widen as he gooblers

Korvo: Oh. That’s… amazing. Wish I got to meet him. So uh… laughs nervously Plans still on schedule for today?

Terry: Oh yes. Why?

Korvo sighs as he facepalms and apologizes.

Korvo: I am so sorry for this unfortunate event with my eyesight. I-

Terry kiss Korvo as he cheers up and smiles.

Terry: It’s okay. I still love you.

Korvo: Aw, and I love you too.

Korvo and Terry kiss again while Phoebe laughs and covers the kids’ eyes.

Jesse: Why do they do this every time?

Phoebe MacCarthy: Because, your dads love each other no matter what. It’s just showing true loving affection.

Terry and Korvo nods as they smile at each other lovingly.

Korvo: So, shall we resume our vacation?

Yumyulack: YEAH! LET’S! GOOOOOOO!

The family then resumes to their vacation as Korvo began to read a newspaper article while looking at the ocean. It reads, “Mysterious Superhero Alien Saves Lives at Midnight”. Korvo takes a deep breath and smiles as he walks up to Terry and kiss him as they look at the sunset.

Korvo: Isn’t it beautiful?

Terry: Yes. Yes it is.

Terry notices the newspaper.

Terry: Korvo, I don’t who these hero is. But wherever he is, he might be out there looking down at us, right Korvo?

Korvo: blushes while smiling Yeah.

Korvo and Terry then kiss again.

[killershrike]

Omggg it truly is a peak Frank moment. One the topic of Trashman, I have never been able to figure out if in the episode where Frank trains Dee to box, if they parodied Scary Movie or if Scary Movie parodied them. Always sunny is the longest running live action sitcom, so it's very possible that Scary Movie took it from them. In Scary Movie, the main female character punches another female boxer and the boxer falls to the ground and snaps her neck on the chair exactly like Always Sunny. Literally drives my autistic ass crazy not knowing which came first, classic chicken or the egg lmao

I don't want to spoil any of my favorite Frank moments, there are so many haha but just know he continues to grow more unhinged as the episodes go on. By the newest season he is straight up a feral little trash gobblin with every drug imaginable coursing through his veins. And it's truly magnificent to behold, I'm so happy you get to experience his downward spiral for the first time it's seriously like comedy that leaves me gasping for breath 😂😭

my new trans guy oc for my upcoming fic is named Dustin "Rabbit" Rose, and another nickname of his is Desert Rose which to a regular person probably sounds normal and fine but I'm hoping if you're an always sunny fan you know

[brandstifter-sys]

Kiss From A Rose

Word Count: 1469 (Ao3)

Pairing: Dukexiety

Rating: T

Warning: death mention

Hey look a fluffy song fic!

---

Some days the imagination was perfect with temperate weather and long sunsets. Remus' side was so full of wildlife of all shapes and sizes, from bats to dragons to ferrets to spiders. Virgil liked coming to this side, even if he wasn't exactly invited or welcome.

The grey castle sat on a seaside cliff, tall and imposing as it looked out to the ocean and over the kingdom. Virgil was wandering through the thinning forest closer to the base, taking in the cold air and barren trees under the overcast sky. If he were lucky, he would be able to get back to the warmth of his room without running into Remus. If he were really lucky, he would.

He neared the castle, crunching the long-dead leaves under his feet. It was bitter cold and he only had his hoodie for warmth. Virgil really shouldn't have come here and he knew that much. He scolded himself internally for daring to catch a glimpse of the duke. He didn't need to sneak around to see the side he used to call his best friend, but he wanted to see the Remus who wasn't performing. He wanted to see a pure Remus as he was, uncut by outside influence.

Yes, the duke was wild and bold around the others, but as Virge dodged a low-hanging branch, he couldn't help but think of the quiet, warm, loving duke who would rip off his fingers one by one for his friends and creations. He saw Remus playing with a three-headed dog, completely by accident, and he swore he was staring at a different side all together. It ignited some kind of kindling in Virgil's chest and he sought out more of those quiet moments.

The calm version of Remus was addicting, the rest of the time Virgil liked his company, even if he acted otherwise. He could lose himself in thought, picturing the trashman. Virgil did, choosing to focus on the man's variety of smiles that lit up his face and highlighted his cheek bones. He could get mesmerized by those giggles and adorable wiggles.

He didn't realize that he was at the castle door, knocking. He didn't come back from his trip into his thoughts when the gaudy oak door creaked open.

"Millie I told you, stay on Ro's side, I need to let it—Tickle-me Emo?" Remus grunted and stared at him as he shivered slightly.

"Sup?" Virgil winced and wrapped his arms around himself. He stared at Remus with wide eyes as snow gently fluttered to the ground and his hair. Just seeing the duke's face brought him warmth. He was as brilliant as the sun and as eerie as the fog—Virgil was weak to his charm.

"Get your sexy ass in here!"

Virgil gratefully followed Remus inside, passing through the stone hallways. As they neared the sitting room, Remus matched his pace with Virgil and wrapped his arm around the shivering side.

Virgil involuntarily leaned into the touch and drank in the duke's warmth. They entered the sitting room, where a fire was blazing and a cozy couch sat in front of it.

"Of all the days for a surprise visit, you really chose the worst one! It's the only day this month when I have to get snow to my ice dragons!" Remus fretted as he guided Virgil to sit down.

"Oops," Virgil mumbled in response. Remus pouted for a second before plopping down next to him.

"So why were you creeping around my side?" Remus asked with a smirk, "You know you're always welcome here so there's no need to sneak!"

"It's really stupid," Virge sighed, "I just wanted to see you but without your mask, or getting your attention."

"You wanted to see boring me? But that's boring! Why?"

"I like boring you," Virgil admitted, too tired to deny anything, "To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny. The you that I sneak around to catch a glimpse of makes me feel better and I crave that boost. Won't you tell me, is it healthy? I don't know if it is at this point."

"No. It's not healthy," Remus pouted, "You know you can tell me anything and everything. If you don't need the wild act you just have to tell me. I would love to have quiet time with you as much as any wacky hijinks. The important part is that it's just you. Because you're you."

"And that's the problem," Virgil said and curled his knees to his chest, "I'm me and that means I'm not gonna actually say anything until I'm backed in a corner. I'm a seed that won't sprout, Remus. I'm always running and hiding and—what are you doing?"

"You're funny, Virge," Remus chuckled and wrapped his arm around him again, "You're the restraint I lack and you make shy look sexy, and when you get to the last straw you get even sexier because you can take a lot before you snap! You're you, a flower that blooms in the ashes, the life after a storm."

Virgil looked at him, taking in the cozy hearth and his warmth pressing against the emo's side. That soft, knowing smile made his doubts and worries melt. Remus was just being honest and that was more than Virgil could ask for in that moment.

"There is so much a man can tell you, so much I can say. I'll keep it short and sweet for you, like a fresh corpse. After all this time, even though you left, you remain the source of my power, my pleasure, and my pain—like the burn from eating a ton of ghost peppers. I can't get enough of you, and maybe I knew you were creeping around here and I was waiting for the moment you cracked and told me that you love me and can't bear to go a day without seeing me."

"Remus—" Virgil breathed and leaned closer.

"I can wait for a long time too! I'm content with the fleeting glances and interactions—like catching a glimpse of a bright rose against the calm before the storm. A gentle kiss of hope that dies when you look away."

"Remus, shut up a sec," Virgil huffed and pressed his lips to the corner of the duke's mouth, "and let me tell you something."

"Listening," Remus gawked, fighting back a goofy, open-mouthed smile. Virgil's eyeshadow was changing to a bright violet.

"I think I'm in love with you. The more I get of you, the stranger it feels. And it's like tiny bats flying in my gut. I can't bear to lose what I have with you but I keep wanting more. And if you're willing to help me, I'm ready to take what I want."

"Is it a bad time to say that I am turned on? Because I am way too happy and my heart boner is spreading to my pants."

"It's a bad time for you to say anything."

"Then can I get a kiss from a rose on the grey? Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grey–and a little bit of mouth to mouth might be the only thing to keep me from waxing like a dying poet craving a dead man who still pulls on my heart strings!"

Remus was stunned, pulled down by the sash and into a desperate kiss. He shivered slightly and melted into the motions, wrapping his arms around Virgil and pulling him into his lap. Virgil purred and ran his fingers through Remus' hair, shifting to straddle him. He couldn't fight the rising giddiness in his chest or the way he craved more and more of those lips—or that he needed to breathe.

"Damn," Virgil breathed when they broke apart, "that's my new favorite way to shut you up."

"I've been kissed by a rose on the grey," Remus mumbled and looked into Virgil's eyes, "And if he doesn't kiss me again I am going to wax and rave like some gothic romantic poet about how much I adore him beyond life, beyond death, beyond whatever eternity could offer."

"How about you keep being you and I kiss you when the urge strikes?"

"I won't get through a single quatrain."

"Not at all," Virgil teased and grabbed his chin. Remus wiggled his mustache and placed a hand on his wrist.

"You are the blood in my veins that brings bile to my throat. You are a dream and my nightmare, the kind that I don't want to wake from or miss in my sleep. If I should fall,will it all go away? Will you haunt my waking hours after this, living and deceased?"

"As much as you haunt my blackened soul," Virgil mused before kissing him again.

[max-is-tired]

It’s Fine By Me (If You Never Leave)

Pairing: Dukexiety

Characters: Remus Sanders, Virgil Sanders

Words: 2.062

Warnings: Sympathetic Remus, swearing, crying, kissing

Notes: I... might be starting to grow lowkey in love with Dark Sides ships sdkjvnsjkfvn 

Anyway!! here is a new fic, not even a week after the last one I posted -miracles exist apparently. A big thank you to my boyfriend @afulldeckofaces for catching the mistakes that slipped past 3am me skvnsfjv you’re the best babe <3

I hope you guys like it!!

Commission me!!  Buy me a coffee!!  Join my Discord server!!

If you had told 15 years old Virgil that one day he would’ve fallen in love with none other than Remus Grimm, he would’ve probably ended up cracking a rib or two by laughing too much.

And yet, look at him now -19 years old ad head over hills for his best friend, who just happened to have had to move two towns over because of college.

God, feelings sucked.

Virgil groaned in frustration, letting his forehead hit the textbook lying open in front of him with a muffled thump.

He was tired. He was so. Fucking. Tired. Tired of college, tired of this stupid crush that kept stubbornly refusing to go away, tired of his stupid anxiety and tired of having to deal with all of this without his best friend by his side.

Yes, he was grumpy because he hadn’t seen Remus in more than a month, sue him.

As if sensing his worsening mood, his phone buzzed, breaking Virgil out of his thoughts. Letting out a series of annoyed grumbles and half-assed curses, Virgil snatched his phone from where it was lying on the desk, Remus’ wild grin staring back at him from the screen.

It was a photo they had taken that summer, just before Remus had had to leave for college. Roman had been the one taking it, the day Patton had decided to drag -for some more literally than others- their entire group out for some ice cream.

Remus had thrown his arm around Virgil’s shoulder, proudly showing off his chocolate mustache as the other fumbled with his cone to keep it from falling to the ground.

Virgil remembered glaring daggers at him for a total of two seconds before Remus’ waggling eyebrows did him in and sent him in a snickering fit.

Virgil remembered the weight of Remus’ arm around his shoulder, his warmth seeping through his shirt in a way that somehow, didn’t make him uncomfortable -he had never felt uncomfortable with Remus, not once, not even under the hot summer Florida weather in the middle of July.

He only saw that photo for the first time later that night, staring at Remus’ wide grin and sparkling green eyes as his heart hammered in his chest.

The realization had crashed over him like a tsunami, every thought in his head screeching to a halt as he slowly became more and more aware of the fact that he was very much in love with his best friend.

”Of course,” Virgil remembered thinking, staring at his phone with wide eyes, ”who else could it be?”

And boy if that thought alone hadn’t scared the living shit out of him.

For a moment, Virgil let his mind linger on the memory of that sunny afternoon, a soft smile stretching on his face.

Then, he swiped up and clicked on the notification.

”You up for a little chat?” read Remus’ message, followed by a string of random emojis Virgil didn’t even try to decipher -he knew it would probably be useless since they rarely made sense in the first place.

Virgil frowned, threw a considering glance at his textbook and the various papers still scattered on the desk and shrugged -it was not like he was getting anything done anyway.

“sure, why not”

Not even ten seconds later Virgil’s phone lit up with an incoming call, the first notes of My Immortal filling the room.

“Hey there Spider boy!” came Remus’ voice from the other side of the line.

Immediately, Virgil felt some of the tension leave his shoulders, relaxing back on his chair as he pushed himself away from the cluttered desk.

“Sup, Trashman,” he answered, not even bothering to fight down the tired grin tugging at his lips -Remus was not there to tease him about it anyway, so.

“Wow, don’t sound too excited to hear from me.”

Virgil snorted, his smile turning more and more genuine as the seconds passed.

“Fuck you.”

“Maybe later. But really, you sound like shit -everything alright? Are there some bones that I need to break?”

Virgil groaned, leaning back as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Now that he wasn’t panicking over his homework exhaustion was slamming down on him full-force, making it very hard for him to string together a coherent thought let alone think about filtering whatever shit was coming out of his mouth.

“It’s just… fucking everything, man. College is kicking my ass, my anxiety is kicking my ass and I’m just- I’m just tired, you know?”

From the other side of the line, Virgil heard Remus hiss in sympathy at his words.

“Yeah, shit, that sounds rough as hell.”

A beat of silence, and then-

“I can drive over and burn down your campus if you want. No college, no classes. Boom, airtight.”

Virgil couldn’t have stopped the amused snickers leaving his mouth even if he’d tried, shoulders shaking with his laughter as he fought to stifle it down.

“Thanks for the very tempting offer, but I think I’ll give it a pass for now.”

Then, he sighed, feeling his smile slip away as he stared at the ceiling, his sadness starting to creep up on him again. “... I miss you,” he whispered -he hadn’t exactly meant to say that out loud, but he had and now just couldn’t stop.

“I just- I miss our daily escapades and you sneaking into my room at the oddest hours of the day because you decided for some reason that simply using the front door was too mainstream.”

Virgil took in a ragged breath, distantly feeling his eyes start to sting with unshed tears.

“I miss being able to just call you when everything gets too much with the knowledge you’ll be knocking at my window in five minutes max. I miss having you physically by my side every day, I miss my best friend and I feel so fucking bad about it because you’re following your dreams and I’m proud of you, I really am but I also want you right here by my side and-”

Virgil audibly snapped his mouth shut, pressing a hand over his lips to stifle his sobs as tears streamed down his face out of his control.

“I’m sorry,” he whimpered, moving the phone away from his ear.

“Virgil-” Remu voice called, sounding worried and maybe a little desperate. but before he could say anything more, Virgil hung up, letting his room fall back into silence before throwing the phone somewhere on his bed.

Virgil bit down hard on his lip, but he could do nothing against the sobs that kept bubbling in his throat. One escaped, then another and soon Virgil could do nothing but curl up with his head hidden between his knees, yearning for the one person that could not help him the way he wanted him to.

+++

Virgil didn’t exactly remember when he fell asleep, his memory being somewhat hazy in-between the tears that seemed to never end and the way he kept feeling like something was trying to squeeze him to death from the inside-out.

What he did remember, however, was waking up to a very familiar sound -one he’d thought he wouldn’t get to hear again in quite some time.

Initially, during those few moments floating between dreams and awakening, when reality hasn’t quite set in yet and sleep still hangs heavily from your eyelids, Virgil had almost believed he was still dreaming, his own vain hopes playing cruel tricks to his brain.

But the seconds kept ticking and Virgil kept hearing the goddamn sound, so there were only two possible explanations -either someone was trying to break into his room, or-

Virgil bolted up, almost tumbling off the chair he had fallen asleep on -which, ouch- in his haste to get to the window.

And sure enough, there Remus was, with his signature manic grin as he waved at Virgil from the tree branch he was perched on.

Virgil stared, hands moving almost on their own as they went through the familiar motions of unlocking the window to let his best friend in.

“Thanks, it was starting to get chilly out!” Remus chirped, climbing in with practiced ease and plopping himself down on the bed.

“What the fuck,” Virgil answered, still trying to process what was going on.

“I- you- what???” Virgil felt like his brain was about to implode, his gaze flickering from Remus to the window and then back to Remus again.

“Dude, what the hell are you doing here? It’s fucking two am or something like that and you live like, three hours away!”

Remus shrugged, shuffling around so he could sit cross-legged in the middle of the bed.

“My best friend is hurting, why would I not come?”

“It’s the middle of the week, you have classes tomorrow,” Virgil weakly pointed out, starting to feel a little choked up with all the emotions coursing through him at once.

“It’s Thursday, or Friday morning is you wanna be accurate,” Remus easily countered. “I know for a fact that neither you nor I have anything important going on tomorrow and the weekend is class free, so I’m going to crash here until Monday morning since we both have afternoon classes. And no, this is not up to debate. It’s happening, Spider Boy.”

Virgil blinked, staring at him with wide eyes as his heart hammered in his chest.

There was a tingling sensation running through all of his body, electrifying in the best of ways. It felt like fire and ice and water altogether, filling him up and up until-

“I love you,” Virgil blurted out, unable to stop the words from tumbling out any longer.

Remus stared for a second before a dazzling grin took over his face.

“I love you too!” he chirped, grinning so wide Virgil distantly worried if it didn’t hurt to pull at the muscles that much.

“No, uh-” Virgil stuttered, all too aware of how flustered he probably looked at that moment.

He bit his lip, pondering his next course of action. He could still salvage this, just let it go and make Remus believe he meant it in a platonic way and nothing more, burying his feelings in the deepest and darkest corner of his heart. But on the other hand… did he really want to do that?

“I meant in a romantic way, Remus,” he finally admitted, looking everywhere but at his best friend, “I love you as in I want to be your boyfriend and kiss you and stuff.”

Silence fell, filling the room as Virgil kept carefully avoiding Remus’ eyes.

God, he’d ruined everything, didn’t he?

Then he saw a familiar hand reach out and grab a fistful of his hoodie, firmly tugging him forward before he could express his confusion.

Virgil let out a startled yelp, stumbling towards the bed until he found himself face-to-face with his best friend. Still grinning, Remus winked before leaning in, erasing the last few inches separating them as he kissed him square on the lips.

Virgil froze, eyes as wide as saucers as he tried to comprehend whatever the fuck was going on. But before he could do that, Remus pulled back, slowly letting his eyes slide open again as a small, soft smile tugged at the corner of his lips -it was such a strange expression to see on Remus’ face, but Virgil found that he didn’t mind it at all, as long as it was directed at him.

“I know what you meant,” Remus chuckled, pecking Virgil on the lips again for good measure, “and I love you too. Now, are you gonna actually get on the bed and cuddle or do I need to drag you under the covers myself?”

Virgil let out a startled snort, feeling like he was reeling from the last five minutes alone. Still, he dutifully climbed on the bed and flopped down, feeling his exhaustion start to creep back on him again.

Remus grinned, laying down beside Virgil and immediately cuddling as close as humanly possible.

“Comfy?” Virgil teased, moving his hand to gently card it through the other’s hair.

“Hush boyfriend, pillows don’t talk,” Remus grumbled, already halfway gone as he somehow snuggled even closer.

Virgil hummed, leaning down to leave a kiss in Remus’ hair.

Boyfriend, uh? Well, it did have a nice ring to it.

[marinaaniseed]

Garbage picker

Song: Garbage picker from the album If we can’t trust the doctors by Blanche

Summary: When the Grandmaster demands Scrapper 142′s greatest find, she gives it up. Unfortunately, that find is you.

Pairing: Neutral reader x Scrapper 142/Valkyrie

Length: 587 words

A/N: Mentions of physical & sexual abuse, forced prostitution, slavery. Approach ye with caution. See here for what this is all about.

***

Scrapper 142 is already propping up the bar when you arrive. You’re not keen on standing next to her, but that’s the only space available, and you really want a drink.

Of course, she knows it’s you, as soon as you creep into the space on her right, standing as far from her as the other patrons will allow.

“Y/N,” she says with a nod. “Surprised you can stand to be near me.”

“I can’t, but needs must,” you answer, flagging down the bartender. You don’t know what you’ve ordered, you just asked for the strongest drink there was. The scrapper waits until you turn to leave, before speaking again.

“I know you’re angry, but there was nothing I could do.”

“Really? You said that you loved me deeply, and I called you my queen… and then, then you just disappear, leaving me at the mercy of them,” you snarl. You need to get out of here quickly before you cause a scene. Speaking ill of the Grandmaster and his inner circle won’t end well for you.

“I did love you, do love you,” she says, downing her drink, and gesturing for two more.

“Then why?”

“They wanted you. I kept us both alive by giving you up.”

You want to lash out at her, tell her that you’d rather be dead than be a glorified whore, but you’ve been on Sakaar long enough to know that the way people end up dead here is not the way you want to go. Stupid fucking wormhole, dumping you here. At least the new guy, the one with the inky black hair, seems to be agreeable. Or, at the very least, less of an arsehole than the others. He doesn’t hit you, at least.

“You know what you’re doing is wrong, how do you even live with yourself?”

“I can’t,” she says simply, downing one of her fresh drinks. “I came here to drink, and to forget, and to die. Being a scrapper allows me to do that. I find a mountain of treasures, in other people’s trash, in the universe’s trash, but you’re still my greatest find.”

“Go fuck yourself,” you say, sucking in a sharp breath. “I am not the universe’s trash. That label goes solely to shitheads like you who -”

Your diatribe is interrupted by the point of a blade digging into your spine.

“Go on,” the scrapper jeers at you. Even she’s not stupid enough to actually hurt the Grandmaster’s favourite plaything. Or maybe she is, maybe she knows a way to kill you quickly. It doesn’t matter, either way, she’s wound you up enough that you do go on.

“Shitheads like you who earn their money by selling others into slavery,” you hiss. “Some way to treat your most precious treasure. You think you’re so fucking cool, being a scrapper. All you are is a garbage picker, you’re just a glorified trashman.”

The scrapper is impressed, she genuinely didn’t think you’d continue. She removes the blade from your back, side-eying you, waiting to check that you’re fully done. And waiting to compose herself. She knows you’re right, she can empathise, see why you’re angry. But she did what she had to do to keep you alive. Better to love you from afar, than have to mourn you, she thought. Though she was beginning to wonder if it was worth it.

“Okay, I admit it, I'm a garbage picker,” she says, raising a sardonic toast to you. “I guess that's why I picked you.”

[ask-abby-and-belle]

Happy Birthday Mod Scribble!

Good morning everyone! It’s Mod Scribble’s birthday today! Go send some love to the birthday girl~

While you all do that, here's a little present I wrote for Mod Scribble using her OC, Abby! Hope you enjoy it, Scribble!

The night was drawing near. Abigail hurried around the corner and down the street, tears streaming from her eyes. The sky was covered in huge gray clouds, hinting the possibility of rain. The whistling of the wind echoed throughout the neighborhood, but that was the last thing on Abby's mind. Abby's fists clenched as she bolted in the direction that would take her to Osomatsu's house. Step by step, her short legs drew her nearer and nearer to the home of her true love. But with each step, she began to wonder more and more if telling Oso how she truly felt about him was a good idea. What if he didn't take her seriously? What if he didn't return her feelings? Would he even dare look at her ever again? As these thoughts flooded her mind, Abby caught herself slowing down until she came to a complete halt. As she stood in place, trying to catch her breath, the wind pushed against her direction. She looked into the clouds and realized there was no way she could pull this off. How could she think- even for a second- that she could tell the love of her life how much she loved him? What the hell was her roommate thinking when she encouraged Abby to go to him? With her head hanging low, She turned around and began to head back home, the wind gently pushing her along the way. It was terribly cold out, but the thought of Osomatsu gave Abby a warm feeling. His dorky smile was always enough to brighten her day. His stupid laugh was obnoxious- but a good kind of obnoxious. And who could possibly forget about his upbeat, goofy personality? Nearly everything about him was amazing, in his own charming Osomatsu-like fashion. "...No." The tiny tsundere stopped dead in her tracks and lifted her head. She had already made it this far- there was no way she was going to stop here. She couldn't possibly wait to tell Osomatsu about her true feelings anymore; it was now or never, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be never. Quickly, Abby turned around and ran faster than ever to the Matsuno home. The wind was beginning to pick up, fighting her harder than before, but fuck it. With each footstep, she opposed the wind and where it wanted her to go. With each second, she was reaching closer and closer to her goal. It wasn't exactly easy, but Abby continued forward until she eventually caught sight of the door to the home of the Matsuno brothers. This is it, she thought to herself. No point in turning back now. Abby raced to the door and pounded her knuckle against it several times. "Osomatsu!" She called out, her voice shaking. "Get your stupid ass out here!" The door opened, and a highly concerned Choromatsu stood at the other side. "Abby?" He spoke to the tiny tsundere. "What-" "Choromatsu," Abby softly sqeaked between breaths, cutting off the green hooded Matsu. "Where.. the FUCk.. is Osomatsu?" "O-osomatsu?" Choromatsu could not be any more confused. "Why-" "WHERE?" She glared deeply into the frog boy's eyes, which sent a sudden chill down his spine. What the hell was going on? Choromatsu opened his mouth to speak, but no words escaped his mouth. "..." The only thing he could do was look at the girl in front of him, who was now starting to wrap her arms around her body from the weather. Snapping out of his daze, Choro helped the freezing tsundere inside, guided her to the living room, and handed her a blanket to warm her up. Abby wrapped the blanket around herself and sat down on the couch, thankful to be inside the warm, cozy home of the Matsus. "Is everything okay?" Choromatsu asked the tiny girl. "What happened with Osomatsu?" He exists, Abby mumbled under her breath, and it's tearing away at my heart. "Huh?" "I mean..." Abby diverted her attention away from Choro, holding a portion of the blanket close to her heart. "I just..." She looked back at Choromatsu, who gave her a gentle, reassuring smile. Abby huffed. "If you don't mind, I need to speak to him. Privately." Choromatsu respectfully nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "I'll.. get him for you." While Choromatsu made his way upstairs, Abby could hear the rest of the brothers making a huge racket. She was able to make out each of their voices individually, especially Osomatsu's. He had such a sweet and vibrant tone to him that complimented his dorky, trashy personality. It was the voice that she would soon have to hear personally. Before long, the upstairs racket began to settle. Within less time, the brothers were dead silent. Abby felt her heart pulsate as she knew what she had to do. Sure enough, Osomatsu was seen making his way downstairs. He was pulling off his signature dorky smile, but thanks to the tense atmosphere it was obvious that he was more nervous than he would admit. Abby stood up from the couch to face Osomatsu. Her fists were clenched, and her heart was beating faster than ever. Every second for her was a battle against the urge to give up and flee. "Abby-chan~" Osomatsu swooned. "You came all the way just to see m-" "Shh." The tiny woman silenced Osomatsu by placing her finger over his lips. He complied. "Listen," Abby stuttered as she struggled to find the right words. She nervously looked at the ground, then back at Oso, then back at the ground. "I... I'm..." Recollecting herself, she took a deep breath and faced Oso again. "Every time I look at you, every moment I'm reminded you exist, my heart skips a beat. Whenever I hear your voice, I shake over how fucking CUTE it is. And.. every moment I'm around you.." She placed her hands over her chest. "Every moment I'm around you my heart feels like a big ball of warmth that's ready to explode right out of my chest!" After realizing how tightly she was gripping onto her shirt, Abby straightened it out and cleared her throat. "And I keep thinking to myself, 'wow look at this amazing person! How could he ever love someone like me? Am I even good enough for him? What have I done to deserve such a cutie pie in my life?" Abby's eyes began to water. "Look, I know I haven't exactly been nice to you, but it's because I was scared. Scared of what would happen if I let myself become too attached to someone like you. But now.. with each passing minute- no, with each passing second, the pain of holding back these feelings is stronger than the fear of losing you. What I'm trying to say is..." Abby wiped away her tears and looked Oso dead in the eyes. "Osomatsu, I.. I'm in love with you!" The entire time, Osomatsu was watching in both surprise and awe, his cheeks completely pink. His hand was placed over his heart, completely moved by Abby's words. "Abby..." He spoke. Abby's heart began to sink as she feared what he would say next. "You..." Osomatsu's face faded into a bright smile. "You actually said it!" "Well..." Abby's cheeks turned red. "Well no shit I said it! Did you seriously not listen to any of it?" "Nono, that isn't it! It was.. just really touching to hear you say it!" "Hgg---" Abby felt a huge lump in her throat. Touching? Osomatsu found her words... touching? Flustered, she turned her head away from him. "Aww, don't be so shy about it~" Osomatsu teased. "To be completely honest.. I feel the same way about you." Abby turned to face Oso again, a soft look in her eyes. Osomatsu grabbed Abby's hands and gently grasped them in his own. "I've had deep feelings for you ever since the day we first met. I didn't want to say anything, mainly because I didn't know how you were going to take it." He let go of Abby's hands. "Besides," he joked, rubbing his nose, "what girl would ever want to date a useless piece of shit like me?" Abby glared deep into Osomatsu's eyes. "This girl, you big idiot." Osomatsu's cheeks turned a deep red. He couldn't believe this was happening. "Abby..." Osomatsu's voice carried a bit of nervousness, but was still just as sweet and dorky as ever. "...I love you." Abby's eyes began to water. But this time, they were tears of absolute joy. She rammed herself into Osomatsu's torso and hugged him tightly. Accepting the sudden hug attack, Osomatsu smiled and lovingly wrapped his arms around the tinier woman and hugged her in return. "I.. love you too," Abby squeaked between breaths. It had been such a long time since she last felt this happy in her life. She buried her face deep into Osomatsu's chest, smelling the lingering scent of cheap beer and oden in his sweater. It was a trashy kind of scent, but a good kind of trashy. It was the smell of the love of her life; the one she thought she'd never have a chance with. But now, here she was, embracing him, locked within his arms. ~~~~~~ Abby and Osomatsu both looked out the window. Night had already came, but thankfully the terrible weather from earlier was gone- At least for the most part. "Tonight was... nice." Abby's cheeks began to flush. " And as much as I don't want to go out in the dark, I really do have to head home." Osomatsu glared in the direction of the door. It was true that Abby didn't like the dark, let alone having to walk home at night. "I can take you home~," Osomatsu suggested, smirking like the piece of trash he is. "N-no! I mean..." Abby looked away in embarassment, realizing that breaking her old habits were going to be more of a challenge than expected. "...Yes." Grabbing the blanket used to warm Abby earlier, Osomatsu wrapped it around her's shoulders and led her out the door. Once outside, She clinged onto Osomatsu's arm, her cheek pressed against the sleeve of his sweater. Osomatsu chuckled, admiring how adorable his girlfriend was being. Abby chose to ignore the dumb dorky trashman and walked out into the streets with him. It was dark and cold, but with Osomatsu by her side, she felt much more at ease, and it was only going to get better from here on out. "FUCKING FINALLY!" Abby stopped dead in her tracks as she heard someone screaming from inside the Matsuno home. She glanced back at the house, and sure enough the other matsus were watching the couple from their bedroom window. Each of them were completely frozen, ridden with guilt. It's safe to assume they're fucking dead.

[tentacletea-blog]

Origins.

A glimpse into how everyone’s favourite trashman, Aaron, turned green…. Written by the fabulous @lamarcodon!       -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -            A brown haired human male in his thirties peered into an experiment chamber through bespectacled eyes. “Alright two-eighty-five, where’s my… Wow lil buddy, lookit you! You’re gettin’ so big! Look at you!”

            Inside, behind a clearsteel screen, a translucent green blob roughly the size of a basketball trundled around the chamber. It noticed him through the screen and approached, making happy little gurgles.

//////////

Some things were KNOWN: the darkening leaving the chamber meant it was time to stop SLEEPING and the sound of the door outside opening meant AARON was coming and AARON was the large SAFE creature who brought THINGS TO EAT and FUN GAMES and gentle touches and which all felt GOOD and AARON was a GOOD THING to KNOW.

//////////

            “Guess what Aaron’s got for you today?” the man said. He reached into his researcher’s knapsack and pulled out a container. “I brought you a surprise, that’s right!”

            The slimy little creature pressed itself against the screen. Aaron could see its face—a wide, frog-like mouth splitting the glistening gooey surface of the semi-solid creature, and six golden-green eyes blinking in unison at him. From its amorphic depths appeared a pair of stubby little arms with tiny little working hands, pushing on the screen as if to move it out of the way.

            “Haha hold on bro, I’ll getcha outta there… we’ll have some playtime after I feed you, ok? Gotta follow procedures.” Aaron opened the lid to the experiment’s chamber and dumped the thin plastic container inside.

//////////

AARON was the best thing to KNOW: when he came in from the OUTSIDE he brought TASTY things to EAT and never asked to SHARE them and never took them AWAY and sometimes those THINGS could MOVE and that just meant that first they had to STOP MOVING before they could be EATEN.

//////////

            A live rat spilled out and scurried around its new surroundings, eventually going over to sniff the little blob of green goo. Aaron watched it pull the rat into its mass headfirst. The rat panicked and shrieked loudly as it was sucked in. Soon it faded completely. The little blob let out a content-sounding belch as it swelled slightly with new mass.

            “Hehe. You were hungry, as usual… alright, c’mon out,” Aaron said. He opened the chamber again and lowered his arm down. The blob wriggled over, then started climbing up his arm. It flowed smoothly, undulating and rippling like the animate jelly-thing it was. It came to rest on Aaron’s shoulder and he laughed when it nuzzled up against his face.

            “Every time I pick you up these days, you’re heavier and heavier,” Aaron chuckled. “I’ll have to weigh you… lil porker…” He reached up and clasped the blobby creature in his hands, lifting it off his shoulders to cradle it like a puppy in his arms. “Think I been givin’ you too much live feed, I’ll have to bring you some fruits and vegetables next time, heh…” he carried the little creature to his workstation and set it down on the table.

            “You just wait there for a minute ok? Gotta make some notes…” and Aaron sat down at a swiveling chair, muttering under his breath as he typed. “Experiment number zero-zero-two-eight-five, growth is steady and rapid, eyes shining pretty bright today… arms and grasping appendages developing steadily after merging experiment last week…”

//////////

AARON and the other LARGE INEDIBLE CREATURES made many NOISES with their EATING HOLES. It was KNOWN that the holes were for EATING because it had been observed. The NOISES meant different things. Some NOISES described the creatures themselves, such as AARON.

There were even noise representing it: “TWO-EIGHT-FIVE.” Or sometimes, “TWO-EIGHTY-FIVE.” Or sometimes, “LITTLE BUDDY.” And very often, “BRO.”

//////////

            Aaron tapped a command into his keyboard and watched the blast screen opening, revealing a glorious view of the colorful nebula they were soaring through. “Look at that, bro. That view? That view is why I took this job. Right there.” He sighed, wistful. “Some people imagine waking up every morning to the sight of beaches or mountains or the forest, but me? I get to see something incredible like that, every day—hey don’t eat that!!”

//////////

Because AARON was so nice and brought THINGS TO EAT, it had no problem with AARON pulling the UNKNOWN THING out of its body. Apparently this was NOT a THING TO EAT, otherwise certainly AARON would have allowed it to be EATEN.

AARON had long appendages with which to grasp and lift. AARON picked it up. AARON put it in the MAZE.

//////////

            The maze was a series of walls covered with another viewing screen to prevent 285 from simply climbing over the walls—which it had done before. As a measure of intelligence, 285 had so far been observed constantly trying to figure out the easiest, most effortless way of solving problems. While some in society might have viewed that as a lazy trait, Aaron knew better.

            “You’re so damn smart,” Aaron said as he watched 285 in the maze: without moving from the starting point, the little creature stretched out a long tendril of itself in every possible direction, shrinking slightly the more mass it used. When an individual line of goop reached a dead end, it retracted all the way back into the blob’s body. Only when it found the exit did it start to shuffle its way through the maze.

            Last time there had been a food reward at the end, but 285 had simply grabbed it in a tendril, absorbed it, and then retracted all its mass without ever moving a centimeter into the maze. Aaron wanted it to actually work for its reward this time, so he held up another container to show the creature.

//////////

There was NOTHING TO EAT this time at the end of the MAZE and so it began to MOVE which it did not really want to do now that it had FIGURED OUT THE MAZE and there should have been SOMETHING TO EAT but up above, it was noticed that AARON held up the SHINY TUBE which always held SOMETHING TO EAT and so it needed to LEAVE the MAZE to get the THING TO EAT.

//////////

            As 285 left the maze, Aaron scooped it up and snuggled with it for a moment before opening the container. “Not only do you get bigger every day, but you get smarter too. I wonder what you’ll be like when you’re my size, haha…” he dumped a lemon onto 285’s squishy body. The fruit quickly sank in and was absorbed. 285 sang out a trilling, higher-pitched gurgle. A delighted sound, judging by past experiences.

            With 285 cuddled in his arms again, Aaron one-handed a few more notes with his keyboard. “285 now moves through maze when no reward is present at the end; still utilizes the ‘labyrinth-slash-breadcrumbs’ method from before…” he tickled 285 roughly where the little creature’s belly would have been, causing it to jiggle and bubble in delight. “I’ll have to make sure I stay smarter than you… gotta figure out a way to get you to solve the maze differently next time. Maybe some pressure plates or something… maybe some doors to figure out how to open.

            “Anyway,” Aaron said, stroking the creature’s ‘head,’ “how’d you like to maybe watch a movie or something? There’s some popcorn downstairs, I know how much you like—”

            <EMERGENCY,> said a rarely-heard AI voice over the ship’s intercom. <EMERGENCY. SOLAR FLARE IMPACT IMMINENT. SOLAR FLARE IMPACT IMMINENT.>

“Oh shit,” Aaron said. He hurried over to the experiment chambers and dumped 285 back in. “Sorry buddy, I gotta seal you up… Don’t worry… I’ll be back for you ok? Let’s just hope this isn’t a bad one.” He ran back to his keyboard and typed in his researcher’s code, locking down the workstation and sealing all chambers for preservation of the specimens within.

//////////

nonono nono AARON was now AFRAID it was known it had been seen what could make such a BIG and POWERFUL creature AFRAID what could make AARON the bringer of FOOD and gentle touches and fun games what could make AARON show FEAR why was everything going DARK it wasn’t time for SLEEPING what was that loud NOISE why was everything starting to SHAKE what did the large-creature-noise “FATAL” mean no no no no no no no nono nonononononononononononononononononononononono //////////

            Aaron flinched. He got to his feet as best he could. The entire ship was shaking violently, and just a few moments ago it had taken such a massive impact as to put him down on the ground, hard. His body throbbed with pain. “Fffffuck…” he grabbed the side of his desk and pulled himself upright.

            <EMERGENCY. SOLAR FLARE IMPACT HAS CAUSED FATAL DAMAGE TO CORE SHIP SYSTEMS. EMERGENCY. SOLAR FLARE IMPACT HAS CAUSED FATAL DAMAGE TO CORE SHIP SYSTEMS.>

Aaron’s heart truly started to pound. That was the LAST thing anyone on a ship so large as the Oberon wanted to hear. He pressed his thumb against the scanner at the door.

            It didn’t work. At that exact moment, the lights went off.

            “Fuck!” Aaron raced back over to his computer. He was locked in and the power was failing and the blast screen was open… he hurried to type in the command again and managed to get them to close just before his monitor flickered off.

            “Ok… ok…” Aaron took a deep breath. What to do when the ship was going down and you were locked in a room that hadn’t been designed to survive such scenarios. What to do…

            The environmental suit. That was his only choice.

            “THIS IS——-Ship’s captain speaking! Oberon has sustained massive damage and we are currently descending onto———ship is breaking up!!! Get yourselves to———IMMEDIATELY!!!”

Aaron already felt the temperature rising—the ship was about to fall into the atmosphere of a planet they’d been orbiting the past few days. It wasn’t a gas giant, thank heavens, so there was… well, there was a small chance he’d survive. He could put the suit on… maybe climb into one of the larger experiment chambers, which WERE designed to survive quite a bit of abuse…

            No, better idea. Aaron dragged the suit over to the one experiment chamber he could fit inside, tossed it in and climbed in after it.

//////////

DARK.

SHAKES.

HEAT.

VERY VERY LOUD.

NOTHING TO EAT. NO AARON.

DARK. VERY HOT.

VERY. VERY. LOUD. LOUD. LOUD.

LOUD METAL NOISES. LOUD RUMBLING NOISES. LOUD HUMAN NOISES.

SHAKING. SHAKING. SHAKING. DARK. LOUD. HOT.

//////////

Sizzles, sparks, darkness, a sudden HISS and a crack of light above, a place to climb to.

Where did AARON go?

He was nowhere to be seen. It looked for him, peering out into the light.

It saw the room differently than before. Everything was covered in BLACK SPOTS and there was FIRE burning there, and there, and over there. FIRE was hot. FIRE was to be avoided.

It climbed up, and then down, and scented the seared air. A familiar smell was about, a delicious sort of smell. It saw many broken things, pieces of things laying about. SMALLER things could be ENGULFED and EATEN, but they weren’t very tasty. It followed the scent. A strong smell, the smell of MEAT, cooked.

It climbed over hot surfaces to reach a bigger chamber, grumbling quietly as it lost mass from the heat. The seal was open, crooked, dented. It slipped its squishy body inside.

Six little eyes focused on the shape inside—not another experiment, but as it drew closer, the MEAT smell intensified, and then it realized that the shape

Was

AARON

Laying

Still

And from experience it knew that when

THINGS that COULD MOVE

Suddenly STOPPED MOVING ……

It climbed up onto the shape of AARON. He looked and smelled different. He looked darker and reddish and the brown stuff on top of his HEAD was gone and it sat on his slowly heaving CHEST and looked down at his still face.

Aaron’s EYES opened, a tiny bit. “Hey… bbbuuudddyy…” and even his voice was different, HISSING and RASPY and WRONG.

It reached to his face to touch and tickle and beg to move, to not stop moving and get up and walk around on his BIG LEGS and be a BIG THING again and not this meat-smelling thing laying on the ground because… because he would STOP.

And once a thing STOPPED, that thing was DEAD.

AARON was not supposed to be DEAD.

“You… survived…” Aaron wheezed.

It touched his face some more. If it touched him he would talk and not STOP.

Aaron’s shaky hand attempted to come up to touch it.

He failed.

“I’m… … … glad…”

…. ….

He was DYING he would be DEAD I have to save him!!!

It had never thought of itself as an ‘i.’ It had never thought of itself before, ever. It knew food and sensations and things that pleased it and how to make those things happen, usually at Aaron’s behest.

The concept of the self was completely new. It didn’t make sense, but somehow it did, but there was no time to ruminate on such things, as AARON was DYING and he needed to be SAVED and there was only one thing 285 could think to do but before it could do so, it would need to be bigger. A lot bigger. Closer to Aaron’s size than ever before. And to grow, meant to eat, and digest, and absorb, and get bigger and… smarter?

Not only do you get bigger every day, but you get smarter too. I wonder what you’ll be like when you’re my size, haha…

//////////

            285 rushed around the blackened workroom picking up and absorbing any small matter it could find. Another experiment had died in its cage. There was an empty can on the ground. There was a computer keyboard and a monitor and a mug, and they all were slurped up into 285’s watery green mass. The little blob grew and grew with each bite, with each additional selection of atoms absorbed into itself. It grew, bigger, bigger, BIGGER, until it was able to see over the top of the computer table, and then it slithered back to the cell Aaron had tried to take shelter in.

            He wasn’t moving. Only his chest rose up and down. Very, very… slowly.

            Growling and gurgling in a panic, 285 climbed on top of him again, touching his charred body, begging him to get up and be ALIVE…

            285 remembered the merging experiment, remembered what it felt like when a little monkey was placed into the cell with it and engulfed, but not absorbed.

            HE WAS DYING

            Would it work? Would Aaron simply get up and walk after being inside its body, like the monkey had? It was almost the opposite of consumption, almost like… sinking in, rather than engulfing and eating.

//////////

            There was no pain anymore.

            Aaron felt absolutely nothing. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t think anymore. He simply existed, and for how long? Who could say.

            But it would be over soon,

            And he was at least happy that his little friend hadn’t been burnt to a crisp in the crash,

            but

            In his final moments of breath

            Aaron Fastolf could only inhale once

            The breath was pushed out of him

            His eyes opened one last time

            He saw only green

            He felt only pain

            The pain was back

            It all came back

            He was burning again

            How could he burn twice

            It was fire before

            It was acid now

            All over again

            Deep in his head

            His eyes closed

            And still

            He saw

            Only

            Green

//////////

            Hacking and coughing, Aaron Fastolf sat upright in a jerky motion. He pounded his chest until he could properly inhale and exhale without gagging. He looked around.

            He was still in the experiment chamber.

            How did… wasn’t he just in his office? His workstation… was trashed. Aaron climbed out of the cell in tender movements. The memory of such fresh agony still prickled at his skin. What was that pain?

            Was he… was everything smaller? Where did…

            Aaron gasped as he thought of what had happened.

            He was trying to close the seal. The power had gone out.

            Something BANGED against the seal, hard, from above, and dented it, and frantically he’d tried to shut it again, only for the blazing heat to rush in and strike him down…

            And 285 was there?

            It was all blurred together, somehow, memories of waking up earlier, grabbing coffee, looking around his cell for anything else to eat, heading to his office, turning on his computer, sipping coffee, consuming a rat, the alarms of the ship, climbing out to find Aaron—

            No wait, what??

            Aaron stared down at himself. His researcher’s worksuit was torn, blackened, shredded… but his skin was whole underneath… what could have burnt his suit so badly but left his skin intact? The only light came from the fires burning low in various places around the room, but… but he could still see fairly good, if through a slightly hazy, almost greenish filter.

            Lights! He needed a light. The ship was toast, for sure, likely nothing powered working anymore, but there would be supplies. He headed out into the ship’s hallways and found an emergency supply kit on a wall.

            There were first aid supplies, which he somehow… didn’t need?

            And a flashlight. A bright white beam sliced through the darkness around him. Aaron sighed, then let out an odd-feeling BELCH that echoed against the metal hallways. He traversed the ship’s corridors for a few minutes, past a few broken cooling tubes, heading back to his personal cabin. It wasn’t far. Automatically he turned on the lightswitch, to no avail. Unlike the research station, his cabin was further into the ship’s hull, much more protected from the heat of re-entry. Some items had been scattered around, and some of them were broken, but there was no charring anywhere.

            Aaron checked his refrigerator. With no power, quite a few things would be spoiling soon, and he had no idea how long he’d been out, but he grabbed some promising looking items, like a pack of sausages, and put them on the table. His abdomen growled at him, almost as loud as his earlier burp, so he picked up the sausages and opened his mouth wide and shoveled the entire thing in…

            Plastic packaging and all…

“The fuck did I just do??” Aaron whispered out loud.

            His eyes widened as more memories hit him—burning in agony, letting Aaron pick him up, snuggling 285, typing on his keyboard, going to the bathroom this morning, running feelers to find the exit of the maze and climbing on top of Aaron’s chest to start engulfing him and attempting to merge—

            His footsteps loud in the silence of the wrecked ship, Aaron bolted for his closet and threw the door open and shone the flashlight on himself.

            He dropped it. He looked down at his hands, now illuminated by a real light source. He looked at his face. He reached up to feel his face.

            He’d turned green. A pale, pastel green. His skin felt like slick, soft putty. His hair wasn’t brown anymore, it was simply a darker shade of green. His eyes were green. The inside of his mouth was green, his tongue was a dull green…

            He opened his worksuit. It was all the way down—his chest, his belly, his legs, thighs, hips, penis, ass; he threw his jumpsuit aside and stood naked in his room and looked at his nude, green body.

            “I… 285… what the fuck??”

He could remember so much. His own memories. Other memories that he didn’t remember having before. Which one was he? Was he still a man?

            Was he still human?

Was he an ‘it’ now?

            Where did he begin, and the other end?

            Which. One. Was. He??

[gracebythegun]

Another shadow fell on him and even as he ducked and raised his hand he knew it was too late, if it was an iron or a toaster or something like that it would fracture his skull. If it was something bigger he'd be nothing but a grease-spot on the highway. The falling object struck his hand without hurting it in the slightest, bounced, and landed at his feet. He looked down at it with surprise, then with dawning wonder. 'Holy Shit,' he said. Sully bent over and picked up the baseball glove which had fallen from the sky, recognizing it at once even after all these years: the deep scratch down the last finger and the comically tangled knots in the rawhide laces of the webbing were as good as fingerprints. He looked on the side, where Bobby had written his name. It was still there, but the letters looked fresher than they should have, and the leather here looked frayed and faded and whipsawed, as if other names had been inked in the same spot and then erased. Closer to his face, the smell of the glove was both intoxicating and irresistible. Sully slipped it into his hand, and when he did something crackled beneath his little finger - a piece of paper shoved in there. He paid no attention. Instead he put the glove over his face, closed his eyes, and inhaled. Leather and neat's-foot-oil and sweat and grass. All the summers were there. The summer of 1960, for instance, when he came back from his week at camp to find everything changed - Bobby sullen, Carol distant and palely thoughtful (at least for awhile), and the cool old guy who'd lived on the third floor of Bobby's building - Ted - gone. Everything had changed...but it was still summer, he had still been eleven, and everything had still seemed... 'Eternal,' he murmured into the glove, and inhaled deeply of its aroma again as, nearby, a glass case filled with butterflies shattered on the roof of a bread-van and a stop-sign stuck, quivering, into the breakdown lane like a thrown spear. Sully remembered his Bo-lo Bouncer and his black Keds and the taste of Pez straight out of the gun, how the pieces of candy would hit the roof of your mouth and then ricochet onto your tongue; he remembered the way his catcher's mask felt when it sat on his face just right and the hisha-hisha-hisha of the lawn-sprinklers on Broad Street and how mad Mrs Conlan got if you walked too close to her precious flowers and Mrs Godlow at the Asher Empire wanting to see your birth certificate if she thought you were too big to be still under twelve and the poster of Brigitte Bardot (if she's trash I'd love to be the trashman) in her towel and playing guns and playing pass and playing Careers and making arm-farts in the back of Mrs Sweetser's fourth-grade classroom and - 'Hey American.' Only she said it Amellican and Sully knew who he was going to see even before he raised his head from Bobby's Alvin Dark-model glove. It was old mamasan, standing there between the crotchrocket, which had been crushed by a freezer (wrapped meat was spilling out of its shattered door in frosty blocks), and a Subaru with a lawn-flamingo punched through its roof. Old mamasan in her green pants and orange smock and red sneakers, old mamasan lit up like a bar-sign in hell. 'Hey American, you come me, I keep safe.' And she held out her arms. Sully walked toward her through the noisy hail of falling televisions and backyard pools and cartons of cigarettes and high-heeled shoes and a great big pole hairdryer and a pay telephone that hit and vomited a jackpot of quarters. He walked toward her with a feeling of relief, that feeling you get only when you are coming home. 'I keep safe.' Holding out her arms now. 'Poor boy, I keep safe.' Sully stepped into the dead circle of her embrace as people screamed and ran and all things American fell out of the sky, blitzing I-95 north of Bridgeport with their falling glitter. She put her arms around him. 'I keep safe,' she said, and Sully was in his car. Traffic was stopped all around him, four lanes of it. The radio was on, tuned to WKND. The Platters were singing 'Twilight Time' and Sully couldn't breathe. Nothing appeared to have fallen out of the sky, except for the traffic tie-up everything seemed to be in good order, but how could that be? How could it be when he still had Bobby Garfield's old baseball glove on his hand? 'I keep safe,' old mamasan was saying. 'Poor boy, poor American boy, I keep safe.' Sully wanted to smile at her. He wanted to tell her he was sorry, that some of them had at least meant well, but he had no air and he was very tired. He closed his eyes and tried to raise Bobby's glove one final time, get one final shallow whiff of that oily, summery smell, but it was too heavy.

Stephen King, Hearts in Atlantis