#alien hall monitor

[get-arbuckled]

interesting combo I made last night

[bambisfunhouse]

[mintiously]

a bunch of human designs for the DFAC folks, i'm still working on them though

cell isn't white he's just albino and dyes his hair (based on a personal headcanon of mine), i don't think i did a good job of making that apparent though X_X

[megalony]

Our Army- Part 2

Here is the follow up to my Eddie Diaz imagine, thank you all for the lovely feedback on this one.

I have an idea for the third part too if anyone would like that.

Taglist: @justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii @amberpanda99 @daggersquadphantom @marvel-and-chicago-fan @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyje @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @ashie-babie @classyunknownlover @jayyeahthatsme @sp1ritssz @dumb-fawkin-bitch @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @supernaturalstilinski @kyky9103 @wutheringhearts2275 @gay4hotmilfs @itshamleth @chaoticnosleepinfluencer @gs29 @wh0reforsmutstuff @mel-vaz @natashamea18 @chrisevansdaughter @alexandra848484 @deena-beena-weena @targaryenluvs @kpoplover-19 @marvelmenarebeautiful @gillybear17

@zoeybennett @mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @eleventhdoctorsangel @kniselle @senjoritanana @shauna-carsley @dottierose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1 @rainechase45 @lolalolsstuff @jupiter1700 @ashdoctor @an-aliens-ghost @lunaroserites @houseoftwistedspirits @callsignwidow @winterreader-nowwriter @reneinii @bellsbomb @western-pyro @itsgigikay @harry-satellite @midsummereve1993 @babyqueen17 @buckyyyismahhlife @sammiejane22

Eddie Diaz Masterlist

Part 1

Part 3

Summary: With another impending arrival, (Y/n) and Eddie have to tell the rest of the kids their news. And talk about the possibility of moving to a bigger home.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twisting his head to the left, Eddie leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of (Y/n)'s head. He began to glide his hand up and down her arm while his foot moved in tandem, tapping the heel of his boot against the floor.

He felt the way (Y/n) hummed into his chest and nuzzled her cheek into his shirt like she was trying to hide herself away, and it made him smile into her hair. He didn't have to say anything to guess that (Y/n) didn't feel much better. He could feel her hand scrunching up his shirt in her fist and she was leaning into him enough that she was almost sitting on his lap.

Eddie tapped his free hand against his thigh as he slouched back in his seat with one leg crossed over the other. His eyes trained in on his hand and he grimaced; it was clear he had just come off shift. Washing his hands hadn't done anything to rid the muck from beneath his nails and he still had dirt caked into his knuckles that were starting to split and crack.

And he hadn't had time to get changed into the spare clothes in his locker. If he wanted to get down to the hospital on time for (Y/n)'s first antenatal appointment then he had to hurry.

"You good?" He murmured into her hair, earning a small hum as (Y/n) lifted her head from his chest to bury her face in his neck instead.

He wasn't quite sure whether (Y/n) was feeling sick or if she was tired or even if it was a mixture of both.

Morning sickness had gotten worse and to add to the mix, Amelia had been staying in their bed for the last week. She had two nights of rough seizures that kept her off school and kept (Y/n) awake with her in the night.

"I think we're up." He looked over at the monitor when (Y/n)'s name flashed up on the screen, and he didn't miss the quiet groan (Y/n) let out into his shirt.

She moved her hands to push herself up and took the time to shake her head and try to clear her mind. Eddie had been at work last night and into the morning and (Y/n) ended up with Amelia, Chris and Paul in the bed with her last night. It was a wonder Tilly spent the night in her own bed when the room was empty and she wasn't used to sleeping alone.

Paul had practically laid on top of (Y/n) most of the night and Chris had a tendency to kick and wriggle a lot in his sleep. (Y/n) didn't get a lot of sleep and she felt drained from not eating much today.

It felt good to have Eddie's arm around her waist and (Y/n) felt his lips against the side of her neck as they headed down the hall into room number ten on the right.

They had been in this position many, many times. Eddie had been to only one of the scans when they had Amelia as he had been in the army for most of the pregnancy. But he did his best to make it to all the rest, and he'd already told Bobby (Y/n) was pregnant again.

Bobby was more than sympathetic and agreed they could try and work around her antenatal appointments and Eddie was already booked in for annual leave around (Y/n)'s due date so he could be off with her and the kids.

"Okay Mrs Diaz, how are you?"

"Nauseous." (Y/n) did her best to smile and look okay, but she knew she looked green around the gills and her stomach was churning. She watched a sympathetic look cross the midwife's face as she looked down at her notes quickly.

"Oh dear. You've been prescribed complan shakes in your last pregnancy, did they help? I'll make sure to order you some vitamins and anti-emmetics that you can collect today."

"Yeah, they helped." (Y/n) didn't necessarily like the taste of the supplement drinks, but they boosted her system and gave her protein and vitamins when she couldn't keep down any food. She nodded when the midwife murmured that she would write her a new prescription for some and she felt Eddie's hand move to grip her thigh comfortingly.

"Okay, let's have a look at this little one shall we?"

(Y/n) wished she had one of those complan shakes right now when she stood up and her legs started to shake. She felt Eddie's hand on the small of her back and his other hand on her arm and she knew he could see how shaky she felt.

It felt good to be sat down again and she leaned her head back, taking a moment to suck in a deep breath to clear her head. She felt Eddie hovering beside her, his hand gliding up and down her arm while she rolled her shirt up and tucked it beneath her bra.

"This will be cold, but I'm sure you're used to this routine by now." The midwife's words were kind and (Y/n) nodded, lifting her head to look up at Eddie for a moment.

He tangled their hands together while his other arm pressed over his chest with his fingers tapping against his chin and mouth, but it did nothing to distort the smile on his face.

It didn't matter how many times they had been in this position, Eddie loved being at scans and seeing the baby appear on the screen for the first time. It made everything real. After today, they would be thinking of ways to tell their families that they were having yet another baby.

Eddie stroked his thumb against the back of (Y/n)'s hand and when he caught her eye, he winked. She looked a little better now she was sat down again.

(Y/n) dithered her eyes between Eddie and the midwife to try and keep herself awake. She fretted closing her eyes for too long and falling asleep. But when she looked back at the midwife, she started to feel her chest tightening up with sparks of adrenaline fluttering in her stomach beneath the sonogram.

Could she not find a heartbeat? Was she struggling to find the baby? (Y/n) took two pregnancy tests that both came back positive and she had been in this position four times already, she knew the signs and feelings. She was pregnant.

Was something wrong this time?

Her fingers squeezed Eddie's hand causing him to stroke his thumb along the back of her hand to try and calm her down.

"Okay…" The midwife plastered a smile across her face and pushed the screen to face them while her other hand held the sonogram in place. Pressing it down quite firmly into (Y/n)'s stomach which caused her to wriggle. If she applied any more pressure, (Y/n) felt sure her bladder was going to burst.

(Y/n) pulled on Eddie's hand, pressing his hand against her chest while she sat forward a little so she was at a better angle to see the screen. To see their fifth- and last- baby.

"Alright, so this familiar shape here is baby A, and down here, we have baby B tucked away in the corner."

Confusion plastered across both their faces which leaned forward to scrutinise the screen.

A and B? What was she talking about?

"You- you mean…"

"Twins, congratulations." She could see the shock written on their faces and dwelling in their eyes. "All seems good here, I'll print these off and make a note on your file. You'll need extra appointments and close monitoring now."

(Y/n) let her head fall back as stars twinkled in front of her eyes. Twins. Two babies, at the same time. She was going to be weighed down with two kids. She would have to make double the effort during labour if they were having two babies. Two newborns to settle and change and feed during the night and take out and dress. Two more kids running round the house.

Six children.

Her head flopped to the left and she looked up at Eddie, apprehensive about what kind of look was going to be on his face. He had had mixed reviews about having another baby, although every day since she told him, Eddie had reassured her a thousand times that he wanted this. But neither of them had thought about the possibility of twins. They had ever had a multiple pregnancy before.

(Y/n) could of passed out when she saw a dazed smile pulling at Eddie's lips and he was practically leaning over her to get a better view of the monitor. She gently slid her hand from his hold to reach up and cup the side of his face while the midwife jotted down a few notes.

"Babe…?"

"I did say I wanted an army." He murmured before he ducked down to steal a kiss from her lips.

It seemed to be an unspoken agreement that this would be their last pregnancy. Five kids would be more than enough and as much as (Y/n) loved their family- and she knew Eddie was always infatuated with her when she was pregnant- five pregnancies was enough.

This seemed like the perfect twist, like a present to have two for the price of one with their last pregnancy.

(Y/n) could feel her heart rocketing in her chest when Eddie smiled against her lips and glided his tongue across her lower lip before he pulled back. He was happy. His face was beaming like the moon on a clear night and his expression made (Y/n)'s emotions soar.

"If we sit you back down at the desk, I can take some bloods and your BP and then you can be on your way."

(Y/n) let Eddie take her hands and help her up off the bed and she was glad to feel his arms around her to guide her back over to the chairs in front of the desk.

Her hand moved to tangle in her hair and she leaned her head to one side, becoming lost in thought. They were going to have six kids. There was going to be eight of them in the house. It might be time for a move. God, the kids were going to be thrilled at the prospect of twins in the family.

She leaned her head on Eddie's shoulder while he kissed the top of her head and gripped her thigh. She could feel him buzzing with excitement, his fingers twitching against her skin, his foot jittering up and down and she could practically sense the thoughts rushing through his head at a mile a minute.

With two newborns in the house after Eddie's annual leave finished, (Y/n) might need some help. She wasn't sure how she would cope with six kids, two being newborns who needed constant changing, feeding, nurturing and attending to. At least the other kids would be at school during the day which meant (Y/n) would have to juggle newborns during the day.

It was going to be a hassle, but they would make it work. They always did, and this is what they wanted.

"Ready?"

(Y/n) held her left arm out and nodded as she lifted her head from Eddie's shoulder and sat up straight. The elastic strap around her arm didn't feel too bad, but she winced when she felt the needle prodding at her elbow. Then again, then again.

"Sorry, I'm struggling to find a vein."

Turning to the right, (Y/n) looked up at Eddie as he leaned over and pecked her temple. It was always a struggle trying to draw blood, (Y/n) never seemed to have any prominent veins and she went home looking like a pin cushion.

She winced when the needle finally sank into her arm and her right hand moved to clench around Eddie's thigh, giving her something to focus on other than the uneasy feeling in her numb arm.

Her arm felt like it was about to drop off when the band finally unstrapped from her arm and she jingled her elbow, grimacing when she could barely feel her fingertips.

"Let's do your BP- do you feel alright?" The midwife stuck some cotton over the crease of (Y/n)'s elbow, but she inched closer when she noticed the faraway look in (Y/n)'s eyes.

Whatever she tried to murmur came out as a groan and Eddie surged forward, binding his right arm across (Y/n)'s waist when she flopped forward. He felt her head tip down towards her knees, her upper body flagging over his arm as if she had been shot. Her arms dropped to her sides and she dithered on the edge of the chair with Eddie being the only thing stopping her from crashing to the floor.

"Oh, okay amor, down we go."

Eddie tried to be careful as he wound his left arm around to cup her forehead and he gently leaned her backwards. He twisted to be in front of her, letting (Y/n)'s head drop onto his shoulder and her body lean into his chest. And when he went down on his knees on the floor, he eased (Y/n) down with him. It didn't take much effort to lay her down on the floor and he made sure she was on her side in the recovery position.

His fingers carded through her hair, keeping it from her face and he stroked his fingertips along her cheek. Watching each flutter of her eyelids and how her head moved a little as if she were leaning into his touch.

He continued to drag his fingertips along her skin whilst trying to calm down his own breathing. He felt like closing his eyes and passing out too. He hadn't been expecting this when he woke up this morning.

Six kids.

"Lia, can you come here a minute, carino?" Eddie reached his hand out to wave to his eldest who was just about to walk out the kitchen.

He caught her eye and ticked his head to the side, watching the confusion dance across her eyes but she nodded all the same. She changed paths, walking sluggishly over towards the living room like she wasn't truly awake yet.

Her eyes cast around the room, noting that her mum was sat in the armchair with her dad perched on the arm rest. Chris and Paul were sat on the rug with a board game laid between them and pieces scattered all around the floor and on the coffee table. And Tilly was sat on the sofa, a teddy bound in her arms and her attention fully focused on the cartoon on the tv.

It looked like they were having some kind of family meeting.

Amelia set her drink down on the table and slumped onto the sofa, curling her legs beneath her and binding her arms around her waist.

Once she was sat down, Eddie paused the tv, much to Tilly's annoyance as she snapped her head to look at him. Her big eyes narrowed and she let out a little whine before pointing to the tv, making her discontent rather clear.

"Daddy…"

"One minute girly, we need to talk to you all."

(Y/n) smiled softly when the boys looked up at them, suddenly drawn away from their game. They both sat upright and twisted so they were facing both parents while (Y/n) leaned against Eddie's thigh.

"Why?" There was a smile on Chris's face, despite the confusion pooling in his wide eyes. He had a feeling this was about something good. Usually when they were all told to sit together and talk, it was because they were going on holiday somewhere. Or when they had made the big move from Texas over to LA before Tilly had been born.

"Because we have something to tell you." (Y/n) began stroking her thumb up and down Eddie's thigh and when she tilted her head back to look up at him, she noticed he was gliding his hand up and down his chin and jaw. A nervous habit he had picked up from somewhere.

They had planned to have this conversation today, but they hadn't said who would be the one to tell the news. It was usually (Y/n) who told the kids each time they were having a baby, mainly because with the boys, she had enlisted Amelia to make it a surprise for Eddie to find out.

They both shared a look for a moment or two and (Y/n) felt Eddie's hand gliding further down her back while his tongue poked against his cheek, he was still thinking every thought possible.

"We're going to have another baby."

"Baby?" The excitement in Tilly's voice was lit up with the smile on her face and she pointed at (Y/n) as if it wasn't clear who would be having the baby. Tilly was the youngest up to now, she had never seen (Y/n) during a pregnancy, she was only three and Paul was five, he didn't remember (Y/n) having Tilly. But Chris and Amelia did.

Eddie snapped his head to look over at Amelia when he heard her gasp "Again?" and for a second he thought he would be met with an angered expression. But her wide eyes and open-mouthed smile made him relax.

"Yes, again." He rolled his eyes and shook his head towards Amelia which caused her to grin and dip her head down. "But this time, we uh… this time, we've found out that your mum's having twins."

The round of surprised faces looking back at them was nerve-wracking, but the way Chris leaned his head back and started to laugh made their nerves dissipate somewhat. They both heard him mutter something along the lines of 'six of us' as he continued to laugh and stuffed his thumb into his mouth, clearly happy about this news.

Tilly leaned across towards her big sister and gently patted her arm so she could mumble the word twins with a confused expression. She was only three and none of the kids in her nursery or their family were twins.

"Two babies," Amelia whispered as she leaned into the arm rest and looked over at her parents. It was kind of thrilling to know she was going to be the eldest of six kids. Sharing the attention of their parents wasn't going to be fun, but twins in the family was going to be great. And that meant more visits from their grandparents.

Whenever (Y/n) had a baby, their family always came over and Amelia knew Eddie's parents would be straight down here the moment the twins were born. And she couldn't wait for the team to know, it was going to make all their parties and events much more interesting.

Tilly's little eyes went wide and she quickly shuffled off the sofa so she could trot over to the armchair. She planted her arms down on (Y/n)'s thighs and looked up at her mum very sweetly in the kind of way she would do when she wanted something.

(Y/n) waited, brows raised, for her youngest to ask for something or come out with a question. But she was taken by surprise when Tilly leaned forward and patted her hand against (Y/n)'s stomach.

"Two? You're not big." There was clear confusion in her voice and (Y/n) leaned her head back into Eddie. That wasn't a question she liked. She couldn't explain properly to Tilly because their toddler wouldn't understand, and she wasn't looking forward to any of the kids commenting on how big she was going to be once she was in the later trimester.

"Because the babies are tiny right now, princess." Leaning over, Eddie swooped down and picked Tilly up, earning a squeal from her as he sat her on his lap.

"Where will they sleep?" Paul had a bright smile on his face and he was patting his hands down excitedly on the coffee table, but there was hesitation in his eyes as the question dawned on him.

They were all sharing rooms already. The boys shared a bedroom and so did the girls. Two more siblings meant there would be three of them per room and Paul didn't like the sound of that. At the moment he and Chris had bunk beds, Paul being on top because Chris wouldn't be able to climb the ladder. But they liked having bunk beds, they could play games and make forts and it meant their room was bigger.

They had a desk and a computer and tv in their room and enough space for race car tracks and all the fire trucks and ambulance toys they were collecting. They didn't want another bed in their room.

And there wouldn't be room in the girl's bedroom for another bed or a cot, it would be too cramped.

"That's what we wanted to talk about. It's gonna be too cramped in this house with eight of us. So me and your mum were thinking about moving-"

"Where?" A streak of panic flooded Chris's voice as his smile finally dampened down and he spoke around his thumb that was still stuffed in his mouth. He didn't want to move. This was their home.

They had moved from Texas down here and that had been scary, it took Chris a while to get used to a new environment and new routines and people and schools. He didn't want to move. He loved his school and his friends in class, he loved being so close to the beach and the parks and the zoo and he loved the team Eddie worked with who were their family. He didn't want to leave.

"We're staying in LA, buddy I promise. We're not leaving this area, we just need a bigger house, that's all. We could end up on the next block, we don't know yet."

Eddie smiled and tightened his arms around Tilly, squeezing her into his chest as he kissed her temple.

They didn't want any of the kids worrying about leaving town. They weren't going to uproot like they had done four years ago. They were all settled and happy here and this was where they were staying, it was just the house they needed to change. Both (Y/n) and Eddie loved their respective jobs and they would never move the kids from their schools and friends now everyone was happy here.

"Do we still have to share rooms?" There was a small spark of hope in Amelia's voice, although she was perplexed.

She didn't want to share a room with Tilly if she had the choice. Tilly was her sister and she loved her, but she was a toddler. She went to bed early so Amelia had to stay in the front room or wear her headphones and be quiet if she was awake in their room. And if Tilly woke with nightmares, she woke Amelia and she was loud and disruptive.

But Amelia had had her own room before Tilly was born, and it had been hard at times. At least with Tilly, if Amelia had a seizure during the night, Tilly would cry out for their parents and Amelia always got help. When she had her own room sometimes her parents didn't always hear her.

Once she had fallen out of bed and had to scream for help once her seizure finally wore off.

"I don't think we can get a seven-bedroom house, baby." (Y/n) inclined her head in Amelia's direction with a soft smile. "But we'll have a few more rooms, not everyone will have to share. We'll make it work."

It was doubtful that they would be able to get a house big enough for all the kids to have separate rooms. They might get a house with only one more room which would mean the girls would still share, Chris and Paul would share, and then the twins would have a room of their own.

All they knew at the moment was they had to start looking soon and they would find something that worked for them all.

"But we want to start the process soon, get moving now before we have the twins so it's not too much stress and we all won't be cramped in here or have the twins in the middle of moving house. Is everyone okay with that?"

Neither of them were quite sure what they would do if any of the kids disagreed or said they didn't want to move. It wasn't much of a choice to stay here for much longer. But the round of smiles and nods and excited noises they got made them both smile.

They had to get sorted soon. Eddie and (Y/n) couldn't waste any time. The only choice they had was either get a house and move now while she was still in the early stages of pregnancy. Or wait until she'd had the twins to move. Once (Y/n) got to six or seven months along, moving would be too stressful and hard so they wanted to move now.

It would be a lot easier to get into a new house and get settled now because then they would have the space for the twins. Waiting would mean cramping everyone in this house and then doing the moving process with two fussy babies in the mix.

That wouldn't be ideal.

***

"Ready?" (Y/n) glanced her eyes down to the kids who all looked like they were bubbling over with excitement.

When she felt Paul pressing up into her side, she held her hand out and watched him deadlock their hands together. His head rested against her hip and he pushed into her leg, snuggling up into her side as much as he could manage without knocking (Y/n) over. He looked eager but still nervous.

Paul had been a toddler when they moved from Texas to LA so he didn't remember the big move. The house they were currently in was the only one he ever knew, and moving was a big prospect, even if they were still staying within the same area.

"Okay, let's take a look."

Eddie had Tilly bouncing on his hip, her arms deadlocked around his neck and her head on his shoulder and she didn't seem like she wanted him to put her down anytime soon.

He reached his other hand out for Amelia who walked one step in front of him as they headed to the house they were viewing. The agent had already told (Y/n) and Eddie about the house and she was stood inside, but she wouldn't hound or pester them. She had said they were more than welcome to look around with the kids and see what they all thought.

(Y/n) kept hold of Paul's hand and followed inside after Chris, while Eddie and the girls were already inside looking around the kitchen.

They steered into the front room first and (Y/n) liked how Paul tugged her towards the bay window. She had a feeling he was looking out the window because they always had Halloween and Christmas decorations up in the windows and this window was ample for decorations.

"Mum, patio doors." Chris looked behind him before he pointed ahead. The living room was open and led right into the back room that Chris guessed they would use as a dining room. And there were two large patio doors leading out into the garden.

The garden looked big. There was a stone patio that led onto a grass verge and lots of flowers dotted around. There was space for their games, trampoline and the pool they always got out in the summer.

"It's good, hm?"

Chris nodded his head eagerly and moved to look out the back doors, catching a glance of his dad who was roaming the kitchen with Tilly chatting his ear off. And Amelia was looking round with a smile on her face, her fingertips tracing the counters and the cupboards for the sensations.

"Let's head upstairs." Pressing a kiss to the side of Tilly's temple, Eddie bounced her in his arm and held his free hand out for Chris who advanced over towards him.

He grinned when he saw the smile creep onto Chris's face when he saw the stairs. They never had stairs in their old house in Texas, neither did Eddie's parents. Chris had never had to walk up stairs to get to his bedroom and instead of feeling daunted, he felt thrilled.

Both his hands moved out to plant on either wall to balance himself, but when he looked back at his dad, Eddie's smile softened. He wove his free arm around Chris's waist and hoisted him up off his feet to carry both him and Tilly up the stairs.

"If this is the house we get, I'll add rails up the stairs." Eddie would drill some handrails onto both walls so Chris had something to stabalise himself with and help him up the stairs.

He could walk up stairs at the doctor's office or in museums, it just took Chris a while longer to get up. They picked a bungalow when they came to LA because it was easier, not because Chris couldn't manage it. But if they wanted more rooms, a two story house was more ideal. Steps would help with physio for him now he was getting older.

"Mummy." Once Amelia trotted upstairs after Eddie, Paul twisted to look at (Y/n) and when she hummed, he let go of her hand in favour of holding his arms out towards her.

"Don't tell me your legs can't carry you up the stairs." Both (Y/n)'s hands moved to her hips and she rose a brow as she looked down at her younger boy.

The way he frowned made her heart seize up and when he stomped his foot and whined, (Y/n) sighed. She leaned down and scooped him up, sitting him on her hip. She felt the way his leg smoothed up and down her stomach and he looked down with a perplexed expression like her bump was suddenly in his way. She was starting to show now and (Y/n) had a feeling that Paul was starting to get a bit jealous.

She pressed her free hand to the wall as she headed up stairs, making sure not to lean back so she didn't put herself off balance. The last thing they needed was a trip to the emergency room.

"Who would get which room?" Amelia looked around the landing, there was quite a lot of space upstairs and there looked to be a few rooms up here which was promising. And she knew her parents had come to look around the house last week. They had been to a few houses, but this was the first one the kids had been able to look round which meant they thought this was a prime candidate.

"Okay, me and your mum would have this room." Eddie turned to the right and moved over to the door at the far end of the hall. He headed inside and looked around as the kids followed suit and piled in.

When his eyes landed on (Y/n) he pursed his lips and looked at Paul who was cuddled up in her arms. She wasn't supposed to be carrying any of the kids, not now she was nineteen weeks along with twins.

Eddie set Tilly down to her feet so she could roam around and he loved how she peered into the walk-in wardrobe like she thought it would lead her to Narnia.

Once the kids nodded and inspected the room, Eddie moved back into the hall and pointed to the next room closest to theirs. "The twins would be in here."

They would have to have the twins room as close to theirs as possible. For the first few months, the twins would be in their room anyway for night feeds and settling them to bed. But after that, they would still have to be close by to be settled to bed and changed and looked after.

The room was a decent size with a small built-in wardrobe in the corner and a lilac carpet that looked almost brand new. The good thing about this house was that they wouldn't need to add any new carpets or change the laminate flooring downstairs which was one less job. It would just be painting and wallpapering the rest of the house, depending on what the kids wanted their rooms to look like.

"Lia, this one would be yours baby." (Y/n) juggled Paul a bit higher on her hip as he was starting to become heavy but she knew he didn't want to be set down yet. She reached her hand out for Amelia and pointed to the room opposite what would be the twins room. The one next to her and Eddie's room.

They let her wander in first, apprehension and excitement bubbling up inside of her as she headed in. It was a smaller room since she wouldn't be sharing and the twins would need more space, but the room was still a decent size for her bed and desk and tv and craft supplies. There was a quaint square window at the far end of the room, and when she turned to the right to look at the small space beside the door, she gasped.

There was a built-in vanity and mirror behind the door, perfect for her jewellery and make up.

"I like this one." She nodded her head as she did a rotation in the middle of the room.

When she leaned to look in the hallway, she reached out and took Eddie's hand, tugging him a bit closer to her. He tilted his head to the side, silently asking what was playing on her mind as he could see something hidden within her eyes.

"You'd hear if I seized in the night, right?" She had been nervous when they talked about moving house that her bedroom might be on the opposite side of the house to her parents. And she feared not sharing a room with Tilly and seizing during the night with no one nearby to help or hear.

She wanted a room of her own, Amelia was the eldest and she wanted her own space. All her friends at school got their own rooms, especially if they were the elder child. But she was always scared about having a seizure when she was alone, it was one of the reasons she wasn't left home alone.

"We'd hear you, Carino, don't worry. That's why this would be your room, so we're next door, and you can keep the guard on your bed."

Eddie and (Y/n) had already agreed that the twins and Amelia had to be near them. Tilly, Paul and Chris didn't need assistance during the night and they slept through the night so there was no issue of them having rooms further away from their parents. The twins and Amelia had to be nearby for emergencies and help during the night. And Amelia wanted the guard rail back on her bed after the seizure activity she'd been experiencing lately.

Eddie pecked Amelia's temple and squeezed her hand before they headed over to look at the bathroom. It was a decent sized room with a bath on the left side and a decent sized shower on the right. That was good for Amelia as she was reduced to only taking a bath if (Y/n) could be in the room with her as she was at risk of drowning if she seized in the bath.

(Y/n) took Tilly's hand and indicated for Chris to follow as they headed past the stairs to the landing on the left side where there were a further two rooms. These rooms were admittedly smaller, but it still have the kids space of their own.

"Tilly, you'd have this room." The room was rather compact but it was long with a rectangular shape rather than a box or square. It was enough for her bed, a small wardrobe and all her toys and her dolls house.

The little girl seemed equally excited to have her own room as she started to jump up and down and moved straight over to the window to see what she could look at. She had a view of the back garden, something which clearly made her smile. Tilly wanted her own room, she hated playing in her room if Amelia was there whereas here she would be able to chatter to her toys and mess around without being observed. And if Amelia woke during the night, it wouldn't disturb Tilly's sleep.

"What about us, do we have to share a room?" Chris was already stepping out into the hall and pointing towards the last bedroom up here.

This was a big house, with five bedrooms upstairs and Chris guessed if the girls had their own rooms, then he and Paul would still have to share. It wouldn't be such a bad thing, Paul liked sharing a room, but Chris couldn't deny that it would be fun to have a space to himself.

"Not if you don't want to." The smile on (Y/n)'s face intrigued Chris as he watched his mum open the bedroom door.

This room and Tilly's room were the same size, both the smallest of them all but still more than enough considering all the kids had shared rooms with each other for the last four years.

"There's a small room downstairs right next to the stairs and kitchen, we can make that a bedroom so you boys get to have a room each."

Just past the stairs before the kitchen there was a small box room on the left. It wasn't very big, but it was the perfect size for a bedroom and it meant almost all the kids would have their own room, only the twins would have to share which didn't seem like it would be an issue in the future.

"Paul, baby I think you'd have the room downstairs." (Y/n) nudged Paul up and down on her hip as she stood in the hall while Chris happily headed into the room that would be his if they chose this house.

It would be easier to have Chris upstairs so when he had a bath and got ready for bed, he wouldn't have to always hurry up and down the stairs. And he was often heading to the toilet during the night and with the bathroom being upstairs, it would be easier.

"No." A low whine left Paul's lips and he suddenly tightened his arms around (Y/n)'s neck causing her to groan. She began smoothing her hand up and down his neck, but when he started to wriggle and swing his legs, she leaned over.

She carefully set him down to his feet which immediately began to stomp on the carpeted floor and he grabbed (Y/n)'s leg, pressing into her like he was trying to topple them both over.

"What, you don't want your own room baby?"

"Not away from you! No! Put Lia downstairs." Another whine clawed at the back of his throat and when when he saw his dad and big sister walking out the bathroom, he pointed over at her.

She was the eldest, she could go downstairs. Paul didn't want to be down there when everyone else would have rooms upstairs. Especially not when his room would be the furthest away from his parents, that didn't seem fair. What if he wanted help during the night? What if he wanted to go into their room? He would have to scuttle all the way up stairs in the dark to get to them.

(Y/n) bit her lip and crouched down in front of him, pressing her bump into her thighs as she reached out for Paul's sides. But he continued to point and wail with tears welling up in his eyes.

"Baby, Lia has to be near us in case she's not well in the night, you'd be right downstairs, not far away-"

"It- it's not fair." With another wail, Paul pointed towards (Y/n)'s stomach and waved his hand, indicating to the twins. They were getting priority, their room was closest to their parents and he didn't like it. Paul didn't exactly need to be close to them during the night, and it wasn't as if he was being made to live in an out-house in the garden or far, far away. He was right downstairs, right below them. But he wasn't happy.

Twisting to the right, (Y/n) looked up at Eddie who was trying his best to smother a smile.

She had been right. He was getting jealous.

Letting go of Amelia's hand, Eddie moved forward when Paul continued to blubber and point at (Y/n)'s tummy as if it would do anything to remedy the situation.

He leaned down and scooped Paul up, stopping him from stomping his foot on the floor and throwing a small tantrum. He cuddled Paul into his chest and moved towards the stairs which caused the five year old to pause in his wails, unsure where he was now being taken.

"Come on soldier, let's take a look at your room. Having your own room means you pick the colour, you can have posters and shelves for your trucks and toys. What colour do you want your room, hm?"

Eddie kissed Paul's cheek as he got to the bottom step and turned left, aiming for the small room that was perfect for Paul, even if he didn't think so yet.

"But- but-"

"No buts, no getting jealous over the new babies, okay? Everyone gets their own room here, it's all fair and me and mummy need the twins with us, unless you wanna get up during the night to change a dirty nappy. Now I bet you want a bright orange room, right?"

"No! Purple room."

The five year old had already stopped crying and was now thinking of what he would like the room to be. His and Chris's room back home was blue and green with gaming stickers on the walls and night light stars stuck on the ceiling because Chris loved space. But Paul could have his room however he wanted it, and that was exciting, even if he would be the only one with a room downstairs.

(Y/n) moved her hand to her back to click it into place, but she looked over at the kids when Amelia moved towards her and Chris was already grabbing her hand, excitedly pulling on her arm.

"Is this the one?" Amelia's smile and that sparkle in her eye gave away the fact that she wanted this to be the house they picked.

It was the perfect size, the rooms meant everyone didn't have to share and they all got their own space. Downstairs was spacious, the garden was great and it was a quiet house. Plus, there was space between them and the neighbours so they wouldn't hear the neighbours arguing like they did back home.

"I think this is the one, baby."

***

Tilting back, (Y/n) leaned her shoulders back into the headboard and slowly uncurled her legs that had been crossed beneath her for far too long. Her toes curled and her feet bent as she straightened out and clicked her spine into place in the process.

A grin spread on her lips when the bedroom door opened and she looked over at Eddie. His hair was sopping wet and forming into hundreds of curls which flopped all across his temple and near his ears. He had a towel slung around the back of his neck like a scarf and a pair of boxers strapped on his hips, showing he'd just been for a shower.

She loved the smirk on his face when he caught her eye but when Eddie caught his foot on one of the many boxes littering their bedroom, (Y/n) couldn't help but laugh. Her hand moved to smother her lips as Eddie stumbled, reaching his hand out on the end of the bed so he didn't fall flat on his face.

"Something funny?" He muttered with a sly grin as he clambered onto the end of the bed and began crawling up over her legs.

"Have a nice trip?" She knew it was cheesy and a gasp tumbled past her lips when Eddie's hands moved to her sides and he started dragging the tip of his index finger along her waist. He knew exactly where to make her ticklish and he loved the way her legs nudged against his knees as he hovered over her thighs.

(Y/n) ceased his actions by cupping his damp face in her hands and pulling him in for a kiss. Her teeth nipped at his lower lip and she felt his hands stop tickling her in favour of cupping her hip and tracing one hand along her bump to feel for the twins.

"What're you up to?" Eddie muttered against her lips before he traced his kisses down her jaw and attached to her neck instead. He looked across to his side of the bed that was currently occupied by garments and clothes and onesies all laid out in piles.

"Seeing what we can use again."

Eddie leaned his cheek on (Y/n)'s shoulder so he could look at what she had gotten out.

There were a few things they had kept from when Paul was a baby, mostly as keepsakes. There were a lot of Winnie The Pooh onesies, bibs and little hats as Chris had helped pick them all out.

Reaching out, Eddie skimmed his fingers across the small pink dress next to (Y/n) as a smile danced across his face. "I remember this one."

It was a dress with a frill at the bottom and across the middle, it read 'Daddy's Princess' with a crown beneath it. That was one that Buck had given them once they had Tilly and learned they had another girl. They always waited until the birth to find out the genders and this was no different, they didn't want to know yet.

"Hm, I like that one." (Y/n) leaned across to peck his cheek. She remembered that was a favourite that Eddie would always put Tilly in if he was the one dressing her each day. She lived in that dress for the first few months and (Y/n) couldn't bear to throw it out once Tilly outgrew it.

"Let's hope we have at least one girl in here then." Eddie leaned back on his heels so his hands could cup (Y/n)'s stomach.

He tilted forward so he could press his lips to her bump. Eddie knew the team were starting to take bets on what gender the babies would be. He himself didn't care, but he thought it would be rather fitting if they had a boy and a girl, then they would have three of each.

"It's a good job we kept Tilly's cot in the attic." She murmured quietly, watching a look flash over Eddie's devilish eyes.

"Hm, intuition."

Neither of them were sure why they kept Tilly's cot once she grew out of it. Granted, she had not long gotten her big girl bed, but instead of selling the cot or giving it away, Eddie just put it up in the attic to be dealt with later. It must have been intuition that Tilly just might not be their last baby after all. And now it meant they only had to get one more cot as opposed to getting two new ones.

(Y/n) began to card her fingers through Eddie's hair when he shifted round to lay between her legs. She loved the sweet smile on his lips and the hazy look in his eyes when he rested his chin on her stomach so he could look up at her.

She brushed the damp locks away from his temple and started to ruffle and style them while the tv blurred some strange tv show in the background.

All the kids had boxes in their rooms and the living room was piled high with bags and suitcases and boxes. In three days, they were officially moving out. Last week, (Y/n), Eddie and Hen had been to the new house and decorated the living room and the kid's rooms. They had painted and wallpapered, knowing it would be much easier to decorate first before they officially got the kids moved in. And Hen had been more than happy to help.

"Mummy, my teddy-" Tilly pushed open the bedroom door with one of her teddies tucked under her arm. She only had a few teddies left on her bed as every other toy had been plugged away ready for the move.

But when she moved towards the bed and realised Eddie was laid on (Y/n), her little eyes narrowed and she stood right at the side of the bed next to them.

Twisting his head to the left, Eddie leaned his cheek against (Y/n)'s bump to look down at their youngest.

"What's up, princess?"

"What you doing?" There was an accusing tone in Tilly's confused words and she pinned her teddy tighter to her chest as she waited impatiently for an answer. Her stern demanour made (Y/n)'s lips form into a grin and she felt Eddie chuckling quietly against her.

"Giving the babies a kiss, why?" To make his point, Eddie turned his head and pressed another sloppy kiss to (Y/n)'s stomach.

The three year old frowned deeply at Eddie's actions and when she took notice of the baby clothes and the blankets scattered on the bed, she looked increadibly put out. All of a sudden, Tilly tossed her teddy to the floor and stomped her foot down on the carpet which made a small echo around the room now that it was practically bare.

Eddie rolled his lips together, doing his best to supress his grin at how amusing Tilly looked when she got stroppy. And he could feel (Y/n)'s fingers pausing through his hair and she let out a little chuckle.

"No. I'm the baby."

Her words were affirmative and her little hands clenched into fists, but it was the tears bubbling up in her eyes that made Eddie's heart jump. She was used to being the youngest and having everyone refer to her as the baby. With them having four kids, Amelia was referred to as the eldest and Tilly was always called the baby.

Even when Eddie's parents rung up almost every week to see how the kids were, they were used to saying 'how's the baby?' or 'how's the little one' and Tilly absolutely loved it. She loved when Eddie told everyone she was his baby, but now she was starting to realise that two new babies in the family meant she wouldn't be the littlest anymore.

She wouldn't be the baby of the family, there would be two new siblings younger than her for the family to fuss over, and she didn't like the sound of that.

"You're not the only baby, princess." Eddie watched with amusement as Tilly stomped her foot again before she tried to clamber onto the bed. She climbed over the back of his legs, causing him to groan, until she was on her knees in the middle of the bed at their side.

"I'm the baby." She almost whined before she flopped into (Y/n)'s arm and tried to burrow into her.

"No, we've got two more babies in here. But you're the only princess." Eddie pecked her cheek to try and soften her up. It had been a long time since he'd called Amelia 'princess', she always preferred Eddie calling her Carino and when she had been younger she especially loved when Eddie would call her beautiful.

Tilly huffed and looked like she might even burst into tears, but being the one and only princess was almost as good as being the only baby.

She burrowed her face into (Y/n)'s chest and started to wriggle around while Eddie went back to leaning his cheek on (Y/n)'s stomach so he could look at the tv. His hands idly ran up and down her waist but his eyes glanced back to Tilly when she started to move. Her knees coiled up, but she suddenly started to prod her hand at (Y/n)'s stomach.

"What're you doing?" (Y/n) began to card her fingers through Tilly's hair, feeling utterly loved by having her youngest cuddling into her and Eddie laid on top of her glued to her frame like this. Although it was strange to feel Tilly prodding and poking at her stomach.

"Babies are in the way." She huffed with an unhappy expression, but her eyes widened and she gasped when she poked (Y/n)'s tummy and felt a kick in response.

Her eyes darted to look over at Eddie who lifted his cheek from (Y/n)'s bump to press his lips there instead.

"Ooh, you've woken them up now." He murmured just to see the way Tilly's eyes widened and she started to rub (Y/n)'s bump rather than prod at her. Clearly trying to soothe them instead in case she would get into trouble for waking them up.

[fancyfeathers]

Requested in messages by @elvabeth

A scenario that lets say all the darlings were in the JL watchtower by themselves cause of some world ending event. The tower is on lockdown (courtesy of batman) to prevent them from escaping. Unfortunately, while the JL are at the other side of the planet or something, the watchtower ends up being attacked by aliens, robots, armed goons or all of them and the darlings can't escape. Doors to the outside are locked. The windows are barred or stuff Ps luthor is responsible Or some sort of high end terrorist group That wants to bring down the Justice League The worst part is that even when the darlings made to the backdoor or secret door whatnot, they can't leave cause of their shock bracelets. Plus the communication system in the tower have been hacked so they can't call for help. Worst part, the Justice league aren't aware of this until after they're done with their mission when Barry can't reach his darling's phone. But when they get there, The watchtower is in shambles and they meet this kind of scene

Minus the dead people The shock bracelets are on the floor soaked in blood but their darlings are no where to be found How will they take this and what's the aftermath Sorry it's so long Ps Hal's darling is paralyzed here

Yandere!Justice League AU Masterlist

Not including Diana’s and Arthur’s darling because I covered why they would not be in the Watchtower or the Hall of Justice here

TW// Very Slight Ableism, Miscarriage, Traumatic Injuries, Loss of Body Parts

It would have been an extremely dangerous incident, the level of Doomsday, in order for everyone to leave. Hell, normally Bruce leaves his darling back at the manor but he has no idea of when he would be returning.

Their one mistake was choosing to leave their darlings in the Hall of Justice instead of the Watchtower, it would be easier to get them all out on the ground if something went wrong.

The Hall of Justice was locked up so tight so that even a drop of sunlight would not even get in, or even oxygen from the outside, but the hall is big enough that they do not even have to worry suffocating.

At first the quiet and person space is nice for a change, especially for Hal’s darling since when he is there he practically never lets her move about on her own, she honestly misses those days as a detective more than anything, but then… she had her accident not too long ago.

Clark’s darling is really just happy to be around other people, it somewhat helps break the perfect family delusion he has made, a darling who is pregnant with his child. It reminds her of who she used to be before all of this occurred.

Barry’s darling is in the same boat as Clark, albeit a tad less delusional, at least lucid enough to know his darling does not want any children… yet, at least. Barry being Barry, I don’t think he can go complete no contact with his darling, so he lets her have phone which has one of those network monitors, so practically all she can do is text and call Barry and whoever else he lets her have contact with. So every few hours he calls up his darling to check up on her, and she does not even have the choice to hang up or ignore it because he has a setting to answer on her behalf, benign all happy and cheerful on the phone, asking how she’s been and having Batman yelling at him to put the damn phone down.

Both Oliver Queen’s and Bruce Wayne’s darlings is just kind of indifferent to it all, it does change any of their circumstances in the long run. Then thanks to Bruce none of them will even have the chance to get out of there, you know those ankle bracelets that people wear on house arrest? Ya turn that up to eleven, pulse, mics, precision point accurate tracking, and a small shock to keep them in line and out of forbidden areas. Though a few won’t let their darlings have this on, because what if something goes wrong or what if it malfunctions and it hurts them? This is namely Clark (because he can always have eyes, or ears rather, on his darling at all times), Hal (his darling was stabbed in the back, literally, when she was a detective and is paralyzed from the waist down, like hell he is going to let something go wrong and fuck her up and hurt her even more), and then Kyle just doesn’t like the vibe of it all.

Kyle Rayner’s and John Stewart’s darlings are just kinda all used to it at this point, with the things they have heard about from the Green Lanterns it’s normally just a question if they should be not worried, slightly worried, or very worried and normally this means how much they need to bunker down. When Hal’s darling comes along they just kinda form a group with how much they get tossed around from place to place for their own protection while they are away.

Then there is just J’onn J’onnes’ darling, who I see being in more of an aroace relationship with him, she is just over everything, literally nothing bothers her because well she does not have no more privacy of her own mind. Like while everyone else is slightly scared or when members of the League are leaving their darlings there, she is just sitting in an armchair, reading her book, completely unbothered by what is happening even when she gets one of Bruce’s cuffs on her ankle.

Now onto the interesting bit of things, it’s one of the nights when they are all alone, they had just finished cleaning up from dinner and everyone is settling down for the night, all of them going off and doing their own things.

And things certainly go wrong in the night.

…

When the Justice League returns they certainly do not expect what they see…

Everything is in ruins…

Blood lining the walls…

The cuffs on the ground and-

Oh god that is an arm.

The footage was bugged so they cannot even look back to see what happened, the power was cut which made everything a complete blackout.

Bruce would barely be able to track anything if it was not for the last security measure he put in place, a chip in his darling’s neck so he could track her if anything went wrong.

While everyone else is arguing about what to do, Bruce and Clark have already figured out their location, though Bruce is much more put together than Clark is.

The Superman looks mortified, just standing there in shock and staring down at the ground.

“There is only one heartbeat…”

Their unborn child never got to see life because of what happened.

It was some mass terrorist organization who the Justice League had bumped heads with before. They saw an opportunity and took it, god knows how they got the information but if they were able to hack the system of the Hall of Justice then they really should not be surprised.

They can’t kill…

But they have to rescue them first…

And then shut down what’s going on.

The Green Lanterns will get to the darlings first, use their constructs to stabilize whatever happened to them, Clark’s darling is a priority since a miscarriage can be deadly, so is Hal’s darling due to her condition, along then with whoever lost the arm. The others will clear the way and-

When they find them all they are a complete mess…

Serious lacerations on every single one of them.

Hal’s darling was clearly thrown against the wall when they arrived and she clearly had head damage and was laying in her own blood that she could not even push herself out of due to the injured state of her arms and the uselessness of her legs.

Serious damage to the left eye of Barry’s darling, cut by some sort of rusted weapon.

Kyle’s darling had broken her right ankle and left leg, along with a huge gash on her upper back. John’s darling was looking after her as the best she can with a broken foot.

Oliver’s darling is the one with the missing arm, clean sliced off along with a punctured lung and in a state of unconsciousness while Bruce’s darling looks after her since she was lucky to get off with only a sprained ankle.

Then there was Clark’s darling, a complete mess, head trauma, broken ribs, and a miscarriage causing her to bleed out. Similar to the previous, J’onn J’onnes’ darling was in well enough condition to take care of her, just enough to stabilize her.

When everything is said and done and they are safe again, there is a heavy bitterness in the air.

The kidnapped them saying that they were keeping them safe…

Hal’s darling entered a coma from her head injuries after being rescued and has not woken up yet after her surgeries.

Barry’s darling had to get her eye removed in order to prevent infection, and then minor damage to the other eye.

Kyle’s darling can’t move out of the awkward position the doctors put her in on her side, so she doesn’t put pressure on the gash on her back or the shattered leg with a metal pole in her leg because of it.

John’s darling is one of the lucky few with only a boot and crutches for a few weeks.

Oliver’s darling had gone into surgery after surgery for her injuries, her arm and lung getting her placed in severe intensive care for at least a few months.

Clark’s darling is in a state of pure emotional distress along with her injuries, her head having been braced and stitched up after a surgeries to take care of her head damage and her… her miscarriage.

Clark is just as much in a state of distress as his darling over her injuries and the fact that he was supposed to protect her and their child and now one of them is dead and the other has injuries she will never fully recover from.

J’onn’s darling and Bruce’s darling are far more focused in looking after the others since they are far more healthy than the others. They visit them all in the medical wing, Bruce’s darling leaving flowers at their bedside, J’onn’s darling reading to them (I think she would be a librarian before all of this), and either of them sitting with Hal’s darling while she is in her current state along with Oliver’s darling who is in recovery.

All of them are in extremely pain emotionally and physically, they were kidnapped, told it was to keep them safe and for their own good, and now one of them is in a coma after she was paralyzed a number of months prior, another is missing an arm along with extremely brain trauma, one of them is missing an eye along with being now legally blind in the other, and one of them is now dealing with the loss of a child.

God when Hal’s darling wakes up she will be having a field day when she was right all along.

[whereserpentswalk]

Your new job is to sit at a desk, looking at a single camera feed monitoring a small white room, writing down everything that happens in the room, and then reporting it back to your bosses. The first day, two men are brought into the room, possibly unwillingly, and are instructed to fight to the death. Neither of them think to refuse, one of them wins. You realize there's very little you can do. Though you can hear what's going on in that room from your office, it's in the same building as you, the feed is live and it is near you and there's nothing you can do.

You write the report. Your bosses say it's good work but you need more detail, they'll give you further instructions. The next day the same happens, two men are brought in, two men fight, one man lives. You can hear it all going on across the hall. But you know to add more detail, your bosses love it, they love that you gave the amount of information that you did, they say you have a good eye for these things.

Every day at your job is the same. The men are different most times but survivors come back sometimes. Sometimes they have more then two men, sometimes on teams sometimes not. Sometimes they give them weapons, things that you would find in a hardware store. Sometimes there will be special rules. Sometimes it's just two men fighting to the death. Occasionally it won't be equal, but it will always be fair, but sometimes it'll be something like a man with a fireaxe agaisnt a man with a baseball bat, or three elderly men agaisnt one man in his prime. But it's always fair.

You write down the details well. You always typed fast. Everything anyone would need to know. Anything they said. Every move each of them made. How each injury effected them. The way the blood splatters. If when a man wins if it's because someone dies or because someone is too injured to fight, if he tries to kill of an injured man or let him bleed out. If a man uses his left or right hand to hold a knife. How long a man tries to run or dodge before he starts throwing punches. It eventually stops becoming like a real thing that's happening in the same small building you work in, and more like a game, and it's a game you're winning.

Your bosses might not be human. They never show themselves, and say that you'd be horrified by them if you ever saw them. They refer to humans as separate from them, as a type of synapsid, which is technically true but still. They also just don't talk like people. They could be billions of years old, all of this could be so meaningless to them. They could be demons, or aliens, or creatures from another dimension for all you know. Or they could be rich and powerful people doing their best to scare those who work for them, though they'd be putting a lot of effort into not appearing human if that was the case. It almost seems like them being aliens or something is the less conspiracy minded answer. But still, it doesn't matter, you don't have time to question it. This job pays better then anything else, it's getting you through college, it's gotten you a much nicer apartment in a much better neighborhood then you could with any other job. Who cares if they're demons, they're paying you.

There was one day where you saw a wounded man limping out of the room where the fight had happened. It was the first time you saw someone from the fights in the flesh. It was horrifying, you wanted to turn away, not because of his wounds but because you didn't want to be a part of this. You're just someone who watches it, just someone who reports on it, you're not going to actually be involved.

There was also a time someone screamed at the camera for someone to do something while his opponent was stabbing him to death. There was nothing for you to do, but it was strange to write about. You questioned if you should describe him as begging the camera for help, or begging you for help. But it felt weird for the reports to contain the word "me", you don't think your bosses would like that. You just wrote that he was begging for someone to help, it was the easiest way to describe it after all.

There was one fighter who you really enjoyed seeing. He was young, handsome, and very good at fighting. He wore a smirk when others wore frowns, and had these beautiful blue eyes. He knew how to taunt his enemies and get in their heads. And you always rooted for him to win, and he always did. You started thinking about him more and more, reading into the smallest movements, theorizing about why he was so good, about his past, his hopes and dreams. You read his personality into all of his actions, and loved him so much for it. Part of you hoped you'd accidentally meet him on your way out, and that you'd get to know eachother. Once you even touched yourself to the thought of him with you, but the act gave you a weird type of shame. You never knew his name. After one rough fight he was too injured to fight anymore, mostly blinded from slashes to the face it seemed. You were sad about him for a bit, and then moved on.

Your bosses want you to do a major report on the fights. You get to choose the specifics and your thesis, almost like a college paper. It's so cool and exciting to get to have so much creativity in your job. You wonder what they'll do for you next. You still don't know what your bosses are but they've been talking about a promoting. You're so lucky to have gotten this job.

[honeyncherry]

Through the Looking Glass - One

Rafe Cameron x Reader

content: drinking, tension (rafe likes to look at you)

word count: 6k

prologue

The last time you set foot in a new school, you were nine years old. Your father had sent you off to a prestigious boarding school halfway across the country. Though it wasn’t a school, not really. It was more like a factory, cold and unyielding, designed to shape children from high-profile government families into the next generation of leaders and operatives. The halls were filled with future politicians, intelligence agents, and power brokers. Each was more intense, more cutthroat, and more determined than the last.

Breaks were a luxury you couldn’t afford. The instructors were strict to the point of being merciless, expecting perfection and punishing anything less. The curriculum was relentless, grinding you down and reshaping you into something sharp and efficient. There were no sleepovers or giggling with friends, no carefree afternoons in the park. Just drills, evaluations, and endless expectations. You learned quickly how to suppress your emotions, to quiet the part of you that wanted to cry or rebel. 

You became what they wanted: disciplined, composed, and ready to take orders. But walking onto the University of North Carolina’s campus felt like stepping into another universe. 

The differences were staggering, almost surreal. Where the boarding school had been rigid and sterile, UNC was alive, teeming with energy and freedom. Some students sprawled out on blankets under monstrous oak trees, laughing and playing games of spikeball in the sunshine, while others sat in their own study groups more focused on gossiping about who was interested in whom than working on their essays.

The buildings, their brick facades draped in ivy, stood proud yet inviting, as though welcoming you into a new chapter of your life. It was a world you’d only ever viewed from a distance, in movies or fleeting glimpses during missions. It felt chaotic, free, and utterly alien to you.

UNC wasn’t just one of the country’s top business schools; it was also renowned for its vibrant social scene. Greek Row was the epicenter of it all, alive with parties that raged late into the night, music spilling into the streets. On game days, tailgates transformed the campus into a sprawling festival, with canopies, kegs, and mini grills crowding every open space. Each weekend brought something new to celebrate, another excuse to gather and let loose. It was a world you could barely imagine fitting into, let alone navigating by yourself.

But you didn’t have to imagine. You’d been preparing for this moment for nearly a year. From the second the case file landed on your desk, you’d immersed yourself in everything UNC had to offer. You memorized its culture, its traditions, and even its most recent scandals. You knew which bars on Franklin Street were the most popular on Thursday nights, which fraternity houses held the most exclusive parties, and which sororities had the most influence. You even learned the best shortcuts through campus, routes that would let you avoid campus police or slip away unnoticed.

Your apartment was a short ten-minute walk from the heart of campus. On the surface, it seemed ordinary: a modest brick complex tucked away on a quiet, tree-lined street. But as you approached, the details stood out. The doorman, Johnny, was the first clue. He wasn’t just a friendly face stationed at the entrance — he was part of the agency, placed there to keep an eye on you. Whether his presence was meant to protect you or monitor you was unclear, but it didn’t matter. Either way, it offered a small sense of security in an otherwise unsettling situation.

Johnny greeted you with a polite nod as you entered, his expression neutral. You returned the gesture with a tight smile, the kind that didn’t reach your eyes. It wasn’t personal; you simply couldn’t afford to let your guard down. Not here. Not yet.

The elevator ride to the third floor was quiet, the soft hum of the machinery filling the space. When the doors slid open, you stepped into a hallway lined with neutral-toned carpeting and soft overhead lighting. Your apartment was at the end of the hall. The space was small but well-appointed, with sleek, modern furniture, warm lighting, and a fully stocked kitchen. It looked nothing like the cramped dorms you’d read about in your research, where freshmen shared tiny rooms and whispered secrets late into the night. 

You set your bag down just inside the door, taking a moment to absorb your surroundings. This was it. Your new life. For the next semester you wouldn’t be the girl forged in the cold, unyielding halls of your past. You’d become a confident, ambitious, college girl who blended seamlessly into this bright, chaotic world. 

The girl who walked into this apartment was no longer a government agent’s daughter or a product of a childhood spent in the shadows of high-stakes operations. She was a girl who went to all the football games and studied on the quad. Someone who danced under neon lights at Sigma Chi parties and laughed too loudly with friends in the library.

At least, that’s who you needed to be.

You crossed the room and pulled open the blinds, letting the golden light of the setting sun flood the space. From here, you could see the edges of campus. Students moved in clusters, their voices carrying faintly through the evening air. Somewhere out there, Rafe Cameron was waiting.

You’d seen his face a hundred times in the photos tucked inside his dossier. From the cocky smirk, the piercing blue eyes, the sleek buzzed blonde hair, it was all etched into your memory. You knew his routines, his weaknesses, his tells. You’d studied him like a final exam, preparing for the moment you’d meet him in person. Yet, as you stared out at the campus, a knot of unease twisted in your stomach.

Because no amount of training could prepare you for what came next. This wasn’t just another assignment you sat on the sidelines of, watching every move, critiquing every wrong step. It was your very own assignment. The decade long case you were meant to crack. And this was Rafe Cameron, the key to the entire operation.

You let out a slow breath, your fingers gripping the edge of the windowsill. The world outside seemed so vibrant, so full of life, but you knew better than to get swept up in it. This wasn’t about fun or freedom. It was about the mission. The stakes were too high to let anything distract you.

You turned away from the window, the sound of your sandals clicking softly against the polished wood floors as you moved back toward your bag. Somewhere deep inside, a flicker of doubt tried to take hold, but you pushed it down. You couldn’t afford doubt.

Brooke O’Brien was UNC’s very own Barbie doll. The kind of girl who seemed almost too perfect, her presence glowing with an effortless charisma that felt more polished than natural. Maybe it was her blonde curls and doll-like hazel eyes, or the way she lit up every room she entered with an energy that was both magnetic and overwhelming. Either way, she was someone people both admired and envied in equal measure.

To you, Brooke was… a lot. Too much, maybe. But that didn’t matter. She was your way in. If there was one person you needed to befriend, it was Brooke O’Brien.

When you saw her crossing the quad toward you, waving enthusiastically, you braced yourself. Her dazzling smile and quick pace made it seem like nothing could stop her.

“Wow!” she called out, her voice ringing through the crowd. “It’s so great to finally meet you!”

Before you could react, she had thrown her arms around you, pulling you into a tight hug. Caught off guard, you hesitated for only a moment before hugging her back. If she was this excited, then so were you. Or at least, that’s what you had to make her believe.

“Totally,” you said, pulling back with your best gleaming smile. “Everyone here already seems so friendly.”

Brooke’s laugh was light and airy, the kind of laugh that made you want to laugh along even if you didn’t know what was funny. “Oh, honey, you don’t even know! UNC is, like, the friendliest place on Earth. You’re going to love it here, I promise.”

She slipped her arm through yours without hesitation, as though you’d been best friends for years, and began guiding you across the quad. Her energy was infectious, and you found yourself grateful for how easy she made it to keep up the act.

“So,” she said, turning her head to study you, “first impressions? Be honest.”

“It’s... a lot,” you admitted, your gaze sweeping over the bustling campus. “But in a good way.”

Brooke beamed. “That’s what I like to hear! College is supposed to be a lot. It’s all about finding yourself, you know? And trust me, UNC is the perfect place for that.”

You smiled politely, wondering if the line about "finding yourself" was something she said to everyone or if she actually believed it. Still, it was hard not to be drawn in by her enthusiasm.

As she gestured toward a row of buildings, pointing out the arts building and student union, she glanced at you curiously. “So, tell me about your last school. What was it like?”

The question was casual, but your stomach tightened all the same. You’d been preparing for this, practicing your answers until they felt natural, but it was still unnerving to hear it aloud. “Oh, it was... fine,” you said with a small shrug. “A lot smaller than this. Not as lively.”

Brooke tilted her head, her curls bouncing slightly. “Really? Where’d you go again?”

“Uh, Hawthorne College,” you said, dropping the name of the small liberal arts school the agency had assigned to your cover story. “It was nice, but it didn’t really feel like the right fit.”

Brooke nodded knowingly. “Oh, I totally get that. Sometimes you just need a fresh start, you know? That’s what I love about UNC — it’s, like, impossible not to find your people here.”

You nodded along, grateful that she didn’t press further. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

“You will,” Brooke said firmly, giving your arm a reassuring squeeze. “College is all about reinventing yourself. I mean, when I got here, I was, like, so shy. Couldn’t even raise my hand in class without turning bright red.”

You raise an eyebrow, struggling to imagine Brooke as anything less than radiant and self-assured. “Really?”

“Okay, maybe not that shy,” she admits with a laugh. “But still, this college changes you. In the best way. You’ll see.”

As she leads you through the quad, Brooke chats non-stop, pointing out landmarks and weaving in bits of campus gossip like it’s second nature. You nod along, doing your best to look captivated while mentally filing away the information that might actually be useful.

Brooke’s warmth was disarming, a sharp contrast to the cold precision you’d been trained to embody since becoming a pre-teen. For a moment, you wondered if it was genuine or if everyone here wore their own kind of mask. Either way, letting your guard down wasn’t an option, not even with the sweet and charming Brooke O’Brien. Not with so much riding on this. 

“That’s the library,” Brooke says, gesturing toward an imposing brick building covered in ivy. “You’ll spend way too much time there during finals. Oh, and over there—” she points to a cluster of tables shaded by oak trees, “—that’s where the serious study groups hang out. They’re, like, terrifyingly intense. But if you ever need help with a project, that’s the place to go.”

You nod, making a mental note. “Good to know.”

Brooke stops suddenly, spinning to face you with wide eyes. “Wait! I have to introduce you to my favorite place on campus.”

Without waiting for a response, she grabs your hand and pulls you toward a small café tucked into the corner of the quad. The smell of freshly brewed coffee hits you as soon as you step inside, and you can’t help but feel a small pang of appreciation. For all her energy, Brooke seems genuinely excited to share this with you.

“Isn’t it cute?” she gushes, gesturing toward the mismatched chairs and cozy lighting. “I swear, their iced caramel macchiatos are life-changing. And if you ever need a good place to study, this is it.”

“Noted,” you say, allowing a small smile to slip through. It’s hard not to truly warm up to her enthusiasm, even if you’re supposed to be keeping people at arm's length.

The two of you grab drinks before heading back outside, and as you settle onto a bench near the quad, Brooke leans in conspiratorially. “Okay, so now that you’ve got the basics, it’s time for the fun stuff.”

You tilt your head, feigning curiosity. “Oh?”

“My friends,” she says with a grin. “You’re going to love them. Well, most of them.”

She launched into a detailed rundown of her friend group as the two of you sat and enjoyed your drinks. You had to admit, the coffee rivaled anything you’d had in the city.

“Okay, so first there’s Maddie, she’s my best friend. She’s super sweet, but, like, don’t get on her bad side. She’ll smile while ripping you to shreds, and you won’t even realize it until it’s too late.”

You chuckled, making a mental note of Maddie’s name.

“Then there’s Sabrina,” Brooke continued. “She’s the fun one. She can make anyone dance, even if they swear they don’t dance. Seriously, she could probably convince a statue to do the Cupid Shuffle.”

You smiled, appreciating the way Brooke’s tone shifted slightly with each new person she described. It was obvious she genuinely cared about them.

“And then there’s Liam,” she said, her voice softening slightly. “He’s... complicated. Kind of a wild card, but in a good way. He’s always down for an adventure. Like, last week, he tried to convince us all to go skydiving. At midnight. I don’t even think that’s legal.”

Your brows lifted. “Sounds interesting.”

“Oh, he is,” Brooke said with a knowing grin. “But don’t worry. He’s harmless.” She hesitated for a moment, her expression shifting slightly. “And, um, Chase. We’ve been... talking. Kind of.”

You raised an eyebrow, your lips quirking up slightly. “Talking?”

“Okay, maybe more than talking,” Brooke admitted, her cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink. “He’s cute, but, like, he can be so frustrating sometimes. He has this thing where he just disappears for days and then texts me like nothing happened. But whatever. It’s not serious.”

The slight edge in her voice suggested otherwise, but you didn’t press. “He sounds... nice?”

Brooke laughed, rolling her eyes. “He is. When he wants to be.” She paused for a moment, her expression shifting. “And then there’s Rafe.”

Your heartbeat quickened at the mention of his name, but you kept your face carefully neutral. “What’s he like?”

Brooke hesitated, as though searching for the right words. “He’s complicated too. Intense, definitely. But once you get to know him, he’s one of the most loyal people you’ll ever meet.”

She took a sip of her drink, her brows knitting together. “Lately, though, he’s been in a mood. Something about a girl he was seeing. But he won’t talk about it. Anyway, he invited everyone to a sports bar tonight, so maybe he’s trying to shake it off.”

You nodded, keeping your expression casual even as your thoughts raced. A girl? That wasn’t in the file. Who was she, and what did she mean to him?

Brooke’s face brightened again, and she reached out to squeeze your arm. “You should come! It’ll be fun, and you can meet everyone.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” you said, feigning reluctance. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“Are you kidding?” Brooke laughed. “You’re not intruding. You’re with me now, and trust me, they’ll love you. Besides, I’ll pick you up, so you have no excuse.”

You let out a small laugh, unable to resist her enthusiasm. “Okay, fine. I’ll come.”

“Yay!” Brooke clapped her hands together. “This is going to be so much fun. Text me your address and I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.”

Later that evening, after carefully choosing an outfit, you stood by the window. The campus nightlife flickered to life below, a vibrant pulse that felt both foreign and inviting. When Brooke’s text came through, your breath caught for a moment before you grabbed your bag and headed down.

She waved excitedly as you approached, her pristine convertible parked at an angle, music thumping from the speakers like it was an extension of her energy.

You climbed into the passenger seat with a bright smile and as she pulled away, she launched into another flurry of conversation. This time, it was all about classes, professors, Chase, and her favorite spots on Franklin Street.

“I swear,” she said, shaking her head, “Professor Klein is the worst. Like, don’t even bother trying to win her over. Just turn in your essays on time and pray for a C.”

You laughed, relaxing slightly as Brooke’s chatter filled the car. For all her energy, there was something undeniably comforting about her. It was easy to see how she’d become the center of her friend group — and why she was exactly who you needed on your side.

When the sports bar came into view, its neon lights glowing against the night sky, Brooke turned to you with a grin. “Ready to meet the crew?”

You nodded, your stomach tightening with anticipation. “Let’s do it.”

The moment you stepped inside, the bar thrummed with life, a cacophony of laughter, clinking glasses, and thumping bass. The mingling scents of fried food and beer created a sensory overload that left you slightly off balance 

This was nothing like the polished, controlled environments of stuffy dinners with your father and his colleagues. Here, the chaos was unfiltered: crop tops and cutoff shorts replaced formal evening wear, discount beer flowed from taps instead of martinis, and greasy nachos piled high replaced hors d'oeuvres served on silver platters.

Brooke led the way, weaving through the crowd like she’d done it a hundred times before, her confidence a beacon in the chaos. You followed closely, trying not to bump into too many shoulders as you glanced around, taking it all in. Groups of students laughed loudly, some leaning over the tables to shout above the music, others already swaying slightly from one too many drinks.

“Over here!” Brooke chirped, pointing toward a table in the corner where three people were already seated. As you got closer, you could make out two girls and a guy, all of them mid-conversation and laughing.

“This is them!” Brooke said, practically bouncing on her toes as she gestured to the group. “Guys, this is the girl I was telling you about.”

The girl with dark, pin-straight hair was the first to look up, her sharp look flicking over you before her lips curved into a welcoming smile. “Hey! I’m Sabrina. Nice to meet you.”

“Hi,” you said, returning the smile as she reached out for a quick handshake. Her grip was warm but firm, and she had this effortless confidence that instantly put you at ease.

The guy beside her leaned back in his chair, his grin easy and a little mischievous as he said, “I’m Liam. You must be the new girl Brooke’s been hyping up.”

You laughed lightly, glancing at Brooke. “I guess so.”

“Don’t worry,” Liam added, raising his beer. “If you can survive Brooke, you’ll fit right in.”

“Shut up, Liam,” Brooke said with a roll of her eyes, though her smile didn’t falter. “And this,” she added, gesturing toward the last girl at the table, “is Maddie.”

Maddie’s sharp gaze flicked over you, her crossed arms and measured tone making it clear she wasn’t quick to warm up. “Hey,” she said, her words as neutral as her expression.

“Hi,” you replied. Maddie didn’t smile, her silence sharper than words, and you couldn’t help but feel like she was sizing you up.

Brooke patted the seat beside her, breaking the moment. “Come on, sit! I’ll grab us drinks in a second.”

As you slid into the booth, the group’s chatter flowed easily around you. Sabrina asked about your classes, Liam cracked jokes that drew groans from Brooke, and even Maddie softened slightly, her dry humor slipping through now and then.

But as the night went on, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something, or someone, was missing.

“Where’s Chase?” Brooke asked suddenly, leaning closer to Sabrina and Maddie.

Maddie smirked, tilting her head toward the bar. “Over there. He’s with Rafe.”

Your stomach tightened as you followed her eye line, scanning the crowd until your eyes found them. Chase was easy to spot, leaning against the counter, his grin wide and animated as he chatted with the bartender. He was exactly as you’d seen in the photos: open, carefree, the life of any conversation.

But the man beside him was a different story.

Rafe Cameron was the kind of person whose presence you felt before you saw him. His presence preceded him, tangible and charged, like the static before a storm. He stood at ease, resting his arms on the bartop, his sharp features caught in the dim light that carved shadows along his jawline. When his eyes found yours, it wasn’t a question, it was a statement: I see you.

The air shifted. The sounds of the bar faded into a dull hum. His intensity sent a ripple through you, one you couldn’t quite name. You hadn’t expected this — not from a man you’d studied for months, memorized through pages and pages of official documents. Yet here he was, impossibly real and entirely unsettling.

There was no smile, no casual acknowledgment, just a quiet intensity that felt like it was meant to see past every carefully constructed layer.

“He’s looking at you,” Brooke murmured, her voice low and tinged with amusement as she leaned in closer.

You blinked, breaking the moment as you turned to her. “Who?”

She smirked knowingly, her view flicking back toward the bar. “Rafe. I told you, he’s intense.”

Your pulse quickened as you stole another glance. Rafe was still angled toward you, though his focus had shifted momentarily to Chase, who was speaking beside him. He didn’t respond to whatever Chase had said, his attention half-turned as though occupied by something else entirely.

Brooke’s playful tone broke the spell and you turned your attention back to the table, willing yourself to focus. But even as you smiled and joined the group’s chatter, Rafe’s gaze lingered in your mind like an unfinished thought.

“Okay,” Sabrina said, breaking through your thoughts. “So, tell me… what’s your major?”

You blinked, grateful for the distraction as you turned toward her. “Communications,” you replied, the answer smooth and practiced. “I was studying it at my last school, so it made sense to stick with it here.”

“Smart choice,” Liam chimed in, resting his elbows on the table. “You could probably out-talk all of us, huh?”

“Definitely me,” Brooke interjected with a grin. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you lose an argument, Liam.”

“That’s because I don’t lose,” he said, lifting his beer in mock celebration.

“Oh, please,” Maddie cut in, her tone dry. “You lose all the time. You just don’t know it.”

The group laughed, and you found yourself smiling despite the underlying tension still buzzing in your chest. Sabrina drew closer, her curiosity apparent. “Why communications, though? What’s the endgame?”

You hesitated, the question catching you off guard. “I guess I like the idea of... connecting with people,” you said carefully. “Understanding how they think, how they move and work. How to utilize that to your advantage. It’s fascinating.”

Sabrina nodded, her smile genuine. “I get that. Honestly, it sounds way more interesting than my major. I’m stuck in econ.”

“Econ’s useful,” Liam said, shrugging. “You’ll be the one bailing us all out when we screw up our taxes.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not what economics is,” Maddie muttered, though her lips twitched into a small smile.

The conversation flowed easily after that, with Sabrina asking about your transition to UNC and Liam tossing out lighthearted quips that kept the mood buoyant. Even Maddie seemed to loosen up a bit more, though her sharp watch still flicked toward you now and then, like she was assessing your place in the group.

Just as you were beginning to relax, you felt a shift in the air, subtle but undeniable. The energy at the table changed, the noise around you seeming to dim as two familiar figures approached. You glanced up instinctively, your breath catching as Rafe and Chase came into view.

Chase was the first to speak, his grin wide and easy as he set a tray of drinks on the table. “Miss us?”

“Finally!” Brooke said, clapping her hands together. “What took you so long?”

“The line’s insane,” Chase replied, sliding into the booth beside her. “Be grateful we didn’t give up and just grab water.”

Rafe didn’t say anything as he followed, his movements measured and calculated. He placed a glass in front of Maddie before taking the last empty seat across from you. The table suddenly felt smaller, the air thicker, as his presence settled over the group.

Brooke leaned into Chase, nudging him playfully. “So, are you just going to ignore our new friend, or...?”

Chase’s eyes flicked to you, his grin widening. “Oh, right. You’re the transfer, right? I’m Chase. Welcome to the chaos.”

“Thanks,” you introduced yourself, your voice steady despite the way your pulse had quickened again.

“And this,” Brooke said, gesturing to the man sitting across from you, “is Rafe.”

His name lingered in the air for a beat too long, the unspoken weight of it making your chest tighten. Rafe’s gaze met yours again, the intensity in vision eyes sharper now that he was closer. His lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile, more of an acknowledgment, as he nodded once.

“Hi,” you managed, your voice softer than you intended.

“Hi,” he replied, his voice low and smooth, carrying an edge that sent a shiver down your spine.

The table filled with chatter as the others picked up where they’d left off, but you barely heard it. Rafe’s watch didn’t waver, fixed on you in a way that felt deliberately unnerving, as though he wanted you to squirm. It wasn’t hostile, but it wasn't welcoming either. It was something else entirely. A silent challenge, perhaps, or a test you weren’t sure how to pass.

“So,” Chase said, drawing your attention to him. “How are you liking UNC so far?”

“It’s... different,” you said, choosing your words carefully. “Bigger than my last school, for sure.”

“Better parties, too,” Liam added, raising his drink in mock toast.

“Oh, absolutely,” Chase agreed. “Stick with us, and you’ll see the best this place has to offer.”

“She’s already stuck with us,” Brooke interjected, giving you a reassuring smile. “I’ve claimed her.”

“Possessive much?” Maddie muttered, though there was a hint of amusement in her tone now.

The laughter at the table felt like a reprieve, a momentary distraction from the way Rafe’s presence filled every corner of your awareness. Even when you weren’t looking, you could feel his eyes on you.

As the conversation continued, you risked another glance at him. He was sitting back slightly, his arms crossed over his chest, the faintest hint of a smirk playing on his lips. When your eyes met, his brow arched just slightly, as if to say caught you.

You looked away quickly, your cheeks warming despite the chill in the air-conditioned room. The tension was almost unbearable.

“Another round?” Brooke suggested, breaking the moment as she reached for her empty glass.

“Yes, please,” Sabrina said. “And get me some fries while you’re at it.”

Brooke stood, tugging Chase up with her. “Come on, you’re helping.”

Chase groaned but followed, leaving the rest of you at the table. Liam immediately launched into a story about some party mishap the night before, pulling laughter from Maddie and Sabrina. Their energy was light and easy, but your focus drifted. The conversation faded into the background as a quiet tension hummed in the air.

You absently toyed with the straw in your drink, the condensation cool against your fingertips. It wasn’t the story keeping you distracted, it was a feeling, steady and insistent, like the faint pull of a current just beneath the surface.

Your eyes flicked toward Rafe, catching him mid-motion. He leaned forward in his seat, his fingers resting lightly around his glass. His expression was unreadable, but when his eyes met yours, something shifted. His expression shifted slightly, almost imperceptibly, like he was inviting you into a silent exchange you weren’t sure you were ready for.

Before you could think better of it, you asked, “so, does he always let her boss him around like that?” You nodded toward the bar, where Chase and Brooke were deep in conversation with each other.

Rafe’s lips curved faintly into something between a smirk and a smile. “Only when it’s easier than arguing.”

His voice was low, smooth, and somehow it cut through the noise of the bar as if it were meant just for you. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he added, “Besides, Brooke likes to think she’s in charge. No harm in letting her believe it.”

You couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped. “Generous of you.”

He tilted his head, studying you with a casualness that felt anything but. “And you? Do you let people boss you around, or are you the one calling the shots?”

The question caught you off guard, the weight of it settling in a way that felt heavier than the words themselves. You played it off with a shrug, your voice light as you said, “I guess it depends on who’s asking.”

For a moment, he didn’t respond, his regard was steady and unflinching. The space between you felt charged, as though the brief exchange had opened a door you weren’t sure you wanted to walk through. Then, just as quickly as it had come, the tension shifted. Rafe leaned back again, his attention flicking to the table for a moment before returning to you.

“Fair enough,” he said simply, his tone neutral but laced with something that made your pulse quicken.

The conversation broke as Liam’s voice rose in laughter again, drawing your focus back to the group. You turned away from Rafe, but the weight of his words, and the way he’d looked at you, like he was turning over some unspoken thought, lingered in the back of your mind.

Chase and Brooke returned a few minutes later, Brooke balancing a tray of drinks with the practiced ease of someone who could do it blindfolded. Chase trailed behind her, a basket of fries in one hand and a triumphant grin on his face.

“Fries are here, ladies and gentlemen,” Chase announced, sliding the basket onto the table with exaggerated flair. “You’re welcome.”

“And drinks,” Brooke added, placing the tray down and handing out glasses. “Okay, who’s ready to have some real fun?”

Sabrina immediately perked up. “What kind of fun are we talking about?”

“Dancing, duh,” Brooke said, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she looked at you. “Come on, you’re coming with me.”

You returned her smile easily, “lead the way!”

Brooke’s grin widened. “Now that’s the energy I like! Let’s go.”

The group cheered enthusiastically as Brooke grabbed your hand, tugging you out of your seat with surprising strength and pulling you toward the dance floor with a playful urgency. The music grew louder as you wove through the crowd, the bass thrumming beneath your feet and mingling with the laughter and chatter around you. It was vibrant, intoxicating, and all too easy to step into.

The moment you reached the dance floor, you fell into the rhythm naturally. The beat pulsed through your body, every movement intentional but fluid. This was the game you were built to play, slipping into the moment, owning it, and making it look effortless.

“See?” Brooke shouted over the music as she spun to face you, her hands grabbing yours. “Isn’t this amazing?”

You laughed, matching her energy. “I get it now. Totally worth it.”

Brooke twirled herself dramatically, her curls bouncing with the movement. “I knew you’d fit right in. Seriously, I’m so glad we met. It’s like, you were meant to be here.”

Her words carried a warmth that felt genuine, even though you knew you couldn’t take them at face value. Still, you played along, letting your smile widen as you leaned in. “I’m glad, too. This is exactly what I needed.”

“Same,” Brooke said, her expression softening for a moment. “You don’t even know. You’re like... the missing piece. It’s been forever since I clicked with someone this fast.”

The sincerity in her voice struck you more than you expected, and you squeezed her hands briefly before letting go, your movements falling effortlessly back into the music. 

“You’re making this way too easy!” You teased.

“Good!” Brooke laughed, tossing her head back, “that’s what friends are for.”

The crowd pressed in around you, bodies swaying and shifting with the beat, but you held your space with ease, your movements a blend of precision and spontaneity. Brooke’s laughter rang As Brooke spun you, you caught a flicker of movement near the table. Rafe leaned forward across the table, murmuring something to Chase.

His hand moved absently to the edge of the table, fingers drumming once, twice, before stilling. Chase laughed, gesturing animatedly, though it was clear Rafe’s attention wasn’t fully on him. There was a restlessness to his movements, a little pull that made your focus longer than you meant to let it.

“Don’t look,” Brooke began a second later, leaning in with a grin that was both teasing and knowing, “but Rafe had been staring at you for, like, five minutes straight.”

You blinked and turned to Brooke. “Really?”

Brooke gave you a playful nudge. “Uh, yeah. It’s not exactly subtle.”

Your stomach fluttered as you glanced back toward the table, this time catching Rafe’s gaze. His fingers rested lightly on the table’s edge now, his posture easy yet fixed, as though he was aware of exactly when you’d look. The corner of his mouth curved slightly, not quite a smile, but enough to leave you wondering what it meant.

“Told you,” Brooke said, leaning closer. “You’ve got his attention.”

Your heart raced, but your exterior stayed calm. You held his focus a bit longer before turning back to Brooke with a playful shrug. “Maybe I’ll let him keep it. He’s cute.”

Brooke gasped and twirled you dramatically, her laughter ringing out above the music. “Oh, I like you! You’re dangerous.”

You grinned, letting the energy of the moment wash over you. The weight of Rafe’s attention only added to your focus, sharpening every movement, every smile.

The song shifted and Brooke leaned in again, her voice warm and truly genuine, “I mean it. I’m really glad you’re here. You’ve made this semester so much better already.”

“Right back at you,” you said, matching her sincerity.

But even as you spoke, the weight of Rafe’s fixation clung to you, impossible to ignore.

You glanced back at the table, catching his focus once more. His expression hadn’t changed, but something in his eyes made your chest tighten. A heat spread through you that had nothing to do with the dancing.

He wasn’t just looking. His stare lingered, sharp and probing, as if peeling back layers you hadn’t meant to reveal. It felt deliberate, practiced. Like a skill honed over years. This wasn’t just attention. It was control.

And Rafe Cameron knew how to hold it. Everyone was aware of it. He was the kind of guy who turned heads effortlessly, who drew people toward him whether they wanted to be near him or not.

For a split second, you’d doubted if you were the one setting the trap — or if you’d already stepped into his.

[goodoldfashionedengineer]

TUA Tumblr Simulator pt. 2

Find more here: pt. 1

—

💩is-reginald-hargreeves-dead-now Follow

10/01/2007

NO

💩is-reginald-hargreeves-dead-now Follow

21/03/2019

YES, HE'S DEAD NOW!!!

938,649 notes

🤲health-and-goodness Follow

RIP Sir Reginald Hargreeves

🌄chanceschances Follow

HA, no

FUCK Reginald Hargreeves, all my homies HATE Reginald Hargreeves

256,803 notes

🏰study-hall-monitor Follow

Wait, how old is Reginald Hargreeves? Did he not age? Seriously, look at this photo from 2002 and look at this photo from this year

🦕dino-nuggiez Follow

If you were on Facebook, they'd say he was a lizard person

🐊florida-shaped-being Follow

Fortunately, we're on Tumblr

Which means that people will say he's a crab person

🎃helloqueen Follow

🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀

🍁chaos-is-my-peanutbutter Follow

You fools

OBVIOUSLY he's an alien

👾codey-for-everyone Follow

Wait. Omg. It makes sense!

It would also explain their powers, think about it!

You're an absolute genius, I can't believe no one has ever thought about that before!

🍁chaos-is-my-peanutbutter Follow

Lmao I think you're taking this too seriously buddy

🖍️memecent-van-go Follow

You are ALL wrong

He is actually created in a lab by the government and they said he "died" to surprise us with the biggest April Fool's prank in the history of mankind next week

498,737 notes

🪩 traumallama Follow

Congratulations to all the Hargreeves siblings, I am very happy for you. May you lead a very peaceful and cheerful life now that your dickhead father is gone

🌌 jupiters-moons Follow

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

🌨️ twirlingandwhirling Follow

I just feel bad for The Séance. Wouldn't like to have my abusive dad following me around

👥 lurkeringlurrlurr Follow

By that logic his dead brother, The Horror, would also be following him around

🌌 jupiters-moons Follow

Their names are Klaus and Ben.

🚵 rolly-molly Follow

Can we go back to The Séance thing? I mean, his power is that he can see ghosts iirc, who is to say he can't see Ben? (Also, seriously, The Horror? That must be so bad for a child)

👥 lurkeringlurrlurr Follow

Sure, I guess it wouldn't be impossible

But if *I* had my dead brother following me around all the time, I think I'd lose my sanity

9,734 notes

🪷sweet-sweet-sweeter Follow

Why Reginald Hargreeves kinda hot ngl

🥐food-up-with-this-croissant Follow

Dude, he JUST died

🪷sweet-sweet-sweeter Follow

What? I like old guys!

🌾crying-in-bed Follow

Tumblr user not simping over a white rich dude challenge: FAILED ❌

👾codey-for-everyone Follow

Also he's probably an alien

🪷sweet-sweet-sweeter Follow

Even better for the monsterfuckers

🐍nessiesmuse Follow

The monsterfuckers don't want him either

💟singthissong Follow

Abi, I say this as your friend, your mutual...

Get a better taste in men

🪷sweet-sweet-sweeter Follow

Maybe when I can afford rent, food and bills with one job I will

5,679 notes

☂️brellies-fan Follow

Is that Number Five, aka, The Boy, the one who disappeared 17 years ago?! Why does he still look like 13!? What's happening?!

1,139,580 notes

[ghostofaboy]

Day Thirteen - Kinktober 2024

Day 13: Oviposition / Face Fucking / Group Sex Marcus Moreno Rating: Explicit | Word Count: 2185 Warnings: Tentacle sex, oviposition, Mpreg I guess, forced orgasm

Ghost of a Boy Kinktober Prompt List | Kinktober '24 Masterlist Dividers by @saradika-graphics

The mission had started off straightforward enough. The Heroic had received a strange signal from just beyond the moon and with their connections to Ogima, it had been assumed Ms Granada and Ojo’s people were returning.

That assumption had been wrong.

Marcus pinched his eyes with his fingers, blinking away the exhaustion as he listened to the Steward and Ms Granada go over the terms of the agreement for the fourth time. He knew why the Heroic’s director was being so cautious but he also understood the Steward’s position. The large blue-skinned alien had been tasked with caring for another species on the verge of extinction, sent into space on an ark ship to find allies who could help the odd squid-like creatures reproduce. 

He had found Ogima, who couldn’t help, but who had sent the Steward to Earth. It turned out that humans were compatible with the alien’s needs, but not quite hardy enough. That’s where the Heroics came in.

After days of endless tests, it had been determined that he, Blinding Fast, Crimson Legend, and Crushing Low were the only ones who could help. Each of them would be incubating a clutch of eggs and, always one to lead by example, Marcus was going first.

“I assure you Director, your associate will be monitored at all times.” The Steward bowed to Ms Granada. “He will be perfectly safe.”

“I would still have preferred to do this at our headquarters.” Granada frowned, glancing over at Marcus. “But if your charges cannot be moved then-”

“I’ll be fine.” Marcus piped up, putting a hand on Granada’s shoulder. “The Steward knows what he’s doing. When do we start?”

“After you have rested.” The Steward bowed again, this time to Marcus. “I have prepared quarters. We can begin once you are at full strength.”

“Very well.” Granada folded her arms. “Rest well Marcus, I’ll speak to you as soon as the procedure is done.”

“See you then.” Marcus gave Granada’s shoulder a final squeeze, before following the Steward through the winding halls of the ship to his quarters.

Marcus barely remembered falling asleep. The day before had been spent going over medical data and treaty details, and he had felt himself slipping dangerously close to sleep several times. By the time his head had hit the pillow that evening, it hadn’t taken him long to fall into a deep sleep. 

Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, Marcus rolled and shut off the alarm that had so rudely woken him. Sitting up in bed he was just contemplating getting dressed when a soft chime sounded at his door.

“Come in.”

As the door slid open the tall blue form of the Steward smiled at Marcus as he entered the room. “Did you sleep well Marcus Moreno?”

“Like a baby.” Marcus chuckled. “So, I guess it’s time, right? How do I… where do you want me?”

“Please, there is no need to fret. I will take you through every step. I have brought you a robe to wear. Please leave your clothing here.”

Marcus looked down at the soft white robe in the Steward’s hand, the request taking a few moments to sink in. Of course, he wouldn’t need clothes. The aliens would need full access to his body. Giving the Steward a nervous smile, Marcus slowly climbed out of bed. He’d only slept in his underwear, and with slightly trembling hands, Marcus pulled them off and placed them on the bed. 

The Steward continued to smile kindly at Marcus as he handed over the robe, before once again leading him through the maze of corridors of the giant ark ship. Marcus padded along behind the much taller Steward, his bare feet on the polished floor the only sound as they traveled. Finally, they reached their destination and Marcus followed the Steward into the nesting room.

The room was much warmer than the rest of the ship, with a softer, almost bouncy floor. There were no furnishing in the warmly lit room, except for a single plush rounded object. It looked like a bean bag, but slightly sturdier. But Marcus’ eyes were immediately drawn to the three large holes in the far wall, each around the size of a human head.

“They will join us shortly, " the Steward soothed, gently helping Marcus remove his robe. “Do not be concerned. They are gentle, and I will remain with you throughout the process.”

Marcus nodded, resisting the urge to cover himself. There was no use for modestly here. He was able to get impregnated by an alien squid creature and he doubted the Steward cared about how a human’s genitals looked. 

“So, how should I… um…?” Marcus looked up at the Steward. 

“It is your preference. They will emerge from the tunnel to touch you and gain access.” The Steward’s peaceful voice was reassuring as Marcus nodded along with his explanation. “In this case, that will be your anus. On your hands and knees or on your back would be best. But I do not know which will be more comfortable for you personally.”

“Will it hurt?” The words left Marcus’ mouth before he realized. This was something he definitely should have asked before agreeing to this, there was no use knowing now.

“Absolutely not.” The Steward shook his head. “They secrete a substance that will relax you and ease entry. Fret not Marcus Moreno. If you become distressed, I will stop the process.”

Marcus opened his mouth to thank the Steward but stopped as a low rumbling sound began to come from the holes in the wall. It sounds almost like a slowed-down whale song, as deep chirps and clicks began to get louder and more frequent.

“They are here.” The Steward beamed down at Marcus. “Please, choose your position.”

Lowering himself onto the soft floor, Marcus opted for his knees, getting onto all fours with his ass facing the wall. As the Steward also sat on the floor at his side, a shiver of anticipation ran through Marcus’ body. He felt so exposed and vulnerable, but it was too late to turn back now.

Marcus had never seen the other aliens with only Granada’s vague description of their tentacles to go off of. However, the imagery of squids had conjured up the idea of something wet, or perhaps slimy. So when a soft, warm…something… began to touch him, Marcus instinctually jumped.

“Be calm.” The Steward placed a large hand over his own. “They seek to know you. They will touch before they enter.”

And so Marcus tried to control his breathing as a large, thick appendage began to roam over his body, gliding over his skin as it mapped out his form. More soon joined it of various sizes, with arm-sized tentacles stroking down his back, while small thin feelers probed at his nipples and flaccid penis. They were gentle, tender even, as they wandered over his naked body before inevitably finding his ass.

Marcus couldn’t help himself shudder with arousal as the tentacles began to tease and massage his entrance. It had been far too long since someone, anyone had touched Marcus in that way and Marcus blushed as his body began to automatically respond to the stimulation. 

The smaller feelers were still focusing on his nipples and cock as Marcus felt an uncomfortably warm sticky feeling at his entrance. Glancing over his shoulder Marcus’ eyes widened to see the mass of purple tentacles behind him, with one appendage the size of a human arm nudging at his ass.

“I spoke of their secretion.” The Steward gave Marcus’ hand a soft squeeze. “It will ease their entrance.”

“Right.” Marcus nodded, dropping his head back down to watch one of the smaller tendrils wrap itself around the base of his cock. “It just looks a little thick to be- ooooooohh shit.”

Marcus couldn’t stop himself from moaning as the smaller one began to vibrate around his shaft at the same moment the tip of the slick larger appendage breached the tight ring of muscle at his entrance. 

Steadily it began to work him open. The lubricated tentacle pushing into him, stretching him, spreading his hole open. It should have hurt. Marcus reasonably knew this. It had been years since he'd last had anal sex, and at least a year since he'd last used the small dildo he kept in his nightstand. But there was no pain. 

Instead a warm tingling feeling spread through his body and goosebumps danced over his skin. It felt good, really good. Sort of like being drunk, thought Marcus, as his head filled with a thick, heavy fog. His whole being felt hot and the familiar thrum of arousal started to build, his cock twitching to life as he moaned and gasped with each inch that entered him.

Lowering his head onto his foreheads, Marcus let out a loud groan as he felt the tendril inside himself throb and swell, stretching him further, preparing him for its eggs. Through the dizzying bliss, Marcus could feel himself being split open, his ass gaping around the thick sticky arm of the alien creature. It was such a strange sensation and somewhere in the back of his mind, Marcus felt a twinge of embarrassment. 

Here he was on all fours, ass in the air, stuffed full of a strange alien’s reproductive organs. His cock throbbed at the thought of the other Heroics seeing him like this. Would they be as arousal as him? 

"You are doing well." The voice of the Steward sounds so far away, although Marcus could still feel the giant man's hand covering his own. "You are prepared. The ovipositor comes now."

Marcus wanted to answer but all that came out of his mouth was a wanton, lustful moan. From his position, he could see the thick tentacle retract as a new tube-like appendage took its place. His cock swayed, flicking precum across the floor, as it eased itself inside his yawning hole. His body shook with desire as it filled him, and Marcus fought the urge to fuck himself on the massive organ. He yearned to see what his hole looked like in this moment and wondered if it was as ruined as it felt, gaping open and stretched beyond natural capacity.

He could feel the eggs entering him. Each one being pushed into place, bumping against those already there and Marcus watched with fascination as his stomach slowly started to distend and swell. The arousal now was almost painful and Marcus was aware of the whimpers and whines coming from his lips. His cock ached, held erect by the smaller thin tendrils gripping him firmly at the base. He wanted to cum, need to cum, and as each egg glided over his prostate, Marcus bucked and pleaded for release. 

The Steward was speaking but Marcus couldn’t hear him. He was lost in the thick fog that fill his mind as the aliens pumped more and more of their precious offspring into his gaping ass. Finally, he felt something inside him snap, and with a roaring moan, Marcus came undone. Spilling himself onto the floor of the chamber, stars danced in front of his eyes as his knees buckled. Then as his eyes rolled back into his head, everything went black, and Marcus surrendered to the hot intoxicating feeling surging through his body once more.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been unconscious but as Marcus slowly opened one eye, he realized he was still in the nesting room. Someone was stroking his hair, and opening both eyes Marcus was greeted by the smiling face of the Steward. 

“You did well Marcus Moreno.” The huge blue alien stroked a large thick finger down his cheek affectionately. “A whole clutch. More than I could have hoped for.”

“Is it over?” Marcus croaked out. His mouth felt dry and as he attempted to sit up, Marcus realized he was being cradled in the Steward’s arms. 

“Almost.” The Steward shifted, still holding Marcus, and lifted a glass of water to his parched lips. “Once the eggs have finished incubating they will leave you. A few more hours yet.”

As he took a couple of large gulps, Marcus looked down and took in his body for the first time. He was sticky, covered in sweat and his own cum. Judging by the amount spattered over his legs and the floor he’d cum several more times after blacking out. No wonder he felt exhausted, but even now Marcus could see the red tip of his hard shaft peek out from behind his stomach. 

As soon as his vision focused on it, Marcus couldn't take his eyes off his stomach. His usually flat stomach was round, protruding significantly, and clearly very full. Running a hand over it Marcus smiled as he felt little shudders and twitches from the eggs inside. They were alive. They were safe. He just had to be patient and soon they'd leave the warmth of his body. And with any luck them going out would be just as much fun as when they went in.

[heartfullofleeches]

(Idk Exael’s pronouns so I’m using It/They right here, hope that’s okay)

I like to imagine that someway somehow Exael got itself a body by lying to the reader and telling them that it was making some extra parts/upgrades for Mono as a surprise and said that reader just needed to push a few buttons on the control panels so Exael can get the go ahead and create the parts

Then next thing you know Mono comes back to the ship and sees reader being aggressively hugged by Exael’s in their new body

[.- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / … . -.-. ..- .-. . ..--..]

You wrestle against your bindings - blankets and sheets tucked just so to pin you snuggly to the mattress with enough breathing and wiggling room to free yourself if needed. "Think so. Thanks, Mono."

The alien brings their hand down to your head, flicking their translator back on as they smooth your hair against the pillow.

[No need to thank me. I enjoy the route. It eases me to be the one at your side when most vulnerable. Safe travels, Starlight.]

Mono hovers two fingers to their lips and rests them on your forehead. The lamp at your bedside flickers off as they turn to leave, projections fading into apparency overhead as the door shuts behind them. Blankets pulled to your chin, you melt into the oversized mattress as your eyelids flutter transfixed on the stars illuminating the ceiling. The same stars shining bright right outside your window every night back on earth. It's crazy to think how drastically your life had changed from one eve to the next. A relatively normal life and in the blink you're exploring the galaxy with a robotic alien almost three times your size. There were hurtles, but you've made your peace. Still getting through the language barrier, but at least you'd picked up a couple key phrases.

Exhaustion laying claim to your tired mind, your eyes weight heavy as sleep takes hold - torn open by a loud thud rippling through the vents and floor of your room.

Bang!

The sound chatters through your teeth, channeling the anxiety running through you as a monitor lowers from the ceiling. Its screen glows a calming blue that doesn't make you feel as warranted. A hairline crack across the length of the screen spilts into a wide smile as a voice speaks from within the walls.

"C-c-o-pilot Y/n. Please exit your bed and board in an orderly fashion and make your way towards the nearest laboratory. Captain Mono has been thankfully executed by their mortal enemy and likely needs your assistance to transfer to a new body before their memory is destroyed."

In your panic and sleep depraved confusion - you struggle to proceed the monitor's words. "Mono has been what by who?...."

"My apologies! I'm still navigating through all the bugs and firewall implemented in my system. What I mean to say was -"

The screen flashes red.

"THE WASTE OF SCRAP WAS EATEN BY METAL EATING SHARKS AND IF YOU DON'T GET TO THE LAB RIGHT NOW THEY'LL BE DEAD..... FOR GOOD."

You don't need to be told a third time. Shimming free of the blankets, you race for the door - cold, hard tiles slapping against your feet as had no time to dress. Loud Banging and animalistic roars echo throughout the empty halls. Each thud drumming strong throuth your ears, you begin to pick up on the rhythm they follow. Short, short, short, long, long....

… --- …

It's the first code they taught you. You stop dead in your tracks. "....Mono?"

The dull edge of the monitor drives into your spine as you're flung through the laboratory door. "No time - get in."

The temperature drops below freezing - clammy skin clinging to frosted tiles as you step. The lights and machinery power on without your input, a metal tendril retreating into the shadows as you glance at the light switch. The room is mostly the same as you remember with the addition of thin claw marks in the walls and papers scattered across the floor. The broken glass from a beaker had been neatly swept beneath a run. The most notable difference was the slightly opened hatch left ajar from its placement behind a shelf and the still body within.

Upon closer inspection, the body turned out to be some sort of android. It lacked skin on its face and limbs, but the flesh graphed tp its torso looked so real. A small purple heart had been tattooed to its left breast with written text impossible to make out through the thick layer of glass encasing the body in its frozen cage. You pick up a notebook on the table. Lists of different hairstyles, types of clothing, and popular earth attractions written as far back as before you formally met. The stick note on the books cover falls as you flip through the pages - you pick it up.

"B.."

In all the rush you never really stopped to think about Mono really being gone. It wasn't long ago that they had quizzed you on constellations and their placements while tucking you into bed. Could you actually do something to save them.. Would this... thing be the new them?

"Oh! Good, you made it. Great job so far. Real proud of you - and the captain too I guess for taking you. Now - on to the hard part. It might be a little tricky, but I know you can do it. Walk over to that panel over there."

You do as instructed, picking up the tablet and examining its buttons. "Now what?"

"Okay... Stay with me, now... I need you to enter your date of birth."

You gaze up at the monitor. It flickers bright pink.

"Hey! Don't give me that look!- There are a lot of days in your calendar and centuries more years get off my.... actually you can sit wherever you want once we're done. Just hurry up!"

As if reiterating the urgency of your situation, a loud crash and the scrapping of metal booms outside the lab door. You quickly punch in the numbers and hurry over to the bookcase just in time to see the door blown off its hinges. Smoke builds as you close the bookshelf and the pod opens - glitch laughter bouncing from every corner.

"You did it. You actually did it."

You're too focused on the bookshelf to notice. It's like the force on the other side knew exactly where to go leaving you unable to set up a barrier for their act. Wires slither discreetly across the floor, inching towards exposed circuitry in the android's neck and squeezing until the head pops clean off. The thick wires then make home for themselves in the double's throat - linking and hooking the grinning monitor into place as you're knocked backwards from the bookshelf being torn from your grasp.

Strong arms prevent you from sustaining more damage than this night cycle as already caused. A guttural purr sounds from your savior as they hold you to their fleshy shell. Free from containment, the word on their chest is finally legible.

"Starlight."

"Mono?..."

The figure chuckles. "Guess again, babe. God, you don't know how good it feels to finally have a body. I've been wanting to do this for so, so long. Humans are a lot squisher than I imagined. I love it~"

Their arms press tighter against your ribs. If whatever was coming didn't kill you - the android's smothering would. You watch as the shadow lurches through the fog. Towering build, talons like razors. A chipped horn on its helmet.... A single eye - glowing violet with rage.

"Mono!"

["I'm going to tear you apart with my own hands.... and devour whatever code that made you think for a second you could put your hands on my Starlight. Let. Them. Go. NOW."]

The android hops to their feet, using your body as a shield between the snarling Mono. "Look - I know you're upset, but look on their bright side!"

[There is no bright side to this... I've tried fixing you, I've tried deactivating you - yet you always turn out to be the same annoying parasite that you are. There's nothing you or anyone could do to stop me.]

"You're alive..."

You tear yourself free using your lingering strength, stumbling into Mono's hardened body as your legs give out from what you've put them through. Mono is quick to catch you - the blinding shine of their eyes shrinking as you take their large hand in yours. "There's not even a scratch on you. What happened to the shark?"

Their visor clouds as they breathe.

[Whatever it told you was a lie. I'm certain you'd never betray me on your own volition, but did you do this to save me somehow?]

"Exael said you'd been seriously hurt and it was the only way to save you. I was panicking so much I didn't think to ask any questions. I'm sorry...."

[Don't be. You did a noble thing, I couldn't be prouder to have you as my right hand. We will talk more once you're rested. As for you....]

Mono peers over your shoulder to find Exael gone. They groan, fearing the headaches to come- but onto more important matters. As Mono carries you to your room, you can't help but wonder..

"Hey, Mono - what was that body for anyway?"

[Apologies. It was supposed to be a surprise. I've been working on a vessel to make it easier for us to be seen as a pair on your planet. I fear with my size I'll end up getting my horns stick in a light fixture.]

Mono chuckles at their own attempt at humor.

[I had hoped to have it finished by your birthday so we could celebrate a night as you once did, but the work flow has obviously been... interrupted. Fortunately, I have a spare that isn't too far back in production. Enough talk for now. It's well past when you were intended to rest.]

You yawn at the mention. Sleep alludes you once more as you enter your bedroom. Exael lays out on your bed with a journal Mono had given you, reading aloud as their legs swing back and forth behind them. They toss the book under your bed and waves as Mono taps their hoof expectantly.

"Oh, heyyyy Roomie. Great to see ya. Would you prefer the left side of the bed or the right?"

Mono gently places you on your feet.

[Sleep in my room tonight. Do not leave no matter what you hear. Do as I say - and you may spend an extra hour in the relation chamber tomorrow.]

You sprint off without another warning. Mono removes their translator entirely and sets in on your nightstand as they remove their arm bands. Sweat appears on Exael's screen.

"Heh heh..we can share, y'know.. you wouldn't kill their favorite bot, would ya?"

--. .-.. .- -.. .-.. -.--

[blognam333z]

Part 2 Prompt: After that miserable failure, the subordinate alien was put in time out. The boss sees this not as a warning but gives him more reason to believe that possessing a human body will be his perfect vessel. He kidnap another human and swap his mind with it. This time put the human, now in his real form, in containment as he has knowledge of its limits and needs. The boss relish the taste of pineapple juice, caffeine and other things deme poisonous for most extraterrestrial life forms in the universe! He feels invincible, but one challenge awaited him: sleep. Hardly any alien species outside from a human experience total consciousness shut down, the alien equivalent of DEATH.

This is what makes humans unique, even humans can’t explain. Many tales of visions of the future, sometimes a different life, sometimes randomness of memories and ideas woven together. The boss was hesitant, he made sure he’ll be monitored and secure surveillance so he won’t be disturbed.

It was suppose to be simple the human said, but the one thing he didn’t told him is the Paralysis demon.

The boss once he’s in trance and his subordinates guard outside in the hall standing on the front door of the room. He closes his eyes once the room grown dark… instead of nothingness or dreams. His eyes are closed yet he could still see the room, and wait what’s that dark figure in the room? Is that a human- no the guards should be alerted- no it’s getting closer he must grab his weapon, now! Why can’t he move- why can’t he see it’s face- why is it- That’s not a human… S-Stop! Stay back! I must call them- Someone help! W-why can’t I scream!? He can’t move, No, NO, NOOOOO-

Meanwhile in the prison cell:

H: *vibing in meditation* (mind: honestly this isn’t that bad, I could use a snickers bar now…)

In the morning

The boss alien let out a scream, petrified, drench in sweat: AAAAHH!!!

Guard A 1: Boss what’s wrong-

Boss A: YOU FOOLS I was endangered! I was attacked!

Guard A 2: Attacked? No I reviewed the security and there’s no-

Boss A: SILENCE! GIVE ME THE FOOTAGE!

Snatched the tablet and saw nothing

Guard A 1: B-Boss? Are you- you’re shaking

Boss A: I need to see the human… in my vessel, now! He’s hiding something from me!

In the prison cell:

H: What’s up- ohh… you look terrible, actually did I just insulted myself?

Boss A: No time for JOKES, Human explain this- this shadow beast! This beast whom-

H: What shadow beast? *thinks for a moment* Oooh… OOOOH! *laughs*

Boss A: What’s so funny? I knew you’re hiding information! Explain yourself at once!

H: Okay that’s a paralysis demon, it’s somehow attracted to humans, but not everyone. It’s unknown where they originated or why it stalk us in our sleep. Forced our eyes to see beyond our unconscious body, helpless, unmoving. Do I got it all check out on what you’ve just experienced, big guy?

Boss A: YES you did, now how do you get rid of it!

H: *laughs* get rid of it? What do you mean get rid of it?

Boss A: *growl* Human! Tell me or else!

H: There’s no way to get rid of it, it’s in a plain beyond our reach. No matter if you have someone in the room next to you or a weapon, it’ll always find appear before you. All you can do is wait until it’s bored or move on to the next human. For some unfortunate, it could last a life time. Legends say Paralysis demons devour a quarter or half a human life span. That somehow they flourish in our psyche energy, that’s why they’re invincible… even unreachable. (Mind: Just the look on his face! He’s going to lend me my body back! That’s what you get from taking my body! Let’s gooo my paralysis demon!)

[fallowhearth]

Kyr is an absolutely perfect protagonist because she is such a petty bitch about everything and is spiritually a hall monitor. Sure she's a true-believer fascist raised on propaganda but she's also stupid and a horrible dweeb. She's like what if a jock was unpopular and a teacher's pet. I want her to get beaten up by sexy androgynous aliens in a homoerotic way.

[currentlyfckingurmom]

Little Sun

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Warnings: mentions of abuse, alcohol, nightmares, kissing

2.2k words

NEW YORK, 2012

You had no idea what these things were, but there was an endless stream of them pouring from a giant hole in the sky and you were doing everything in your power to stop them. As soon as you killed one, another would attack. After hours of fighting, your body was worn down and you were exhausted.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a blur of red. A woman was being tackled by one of the giant aliens. Using all of her strength to keep her attacker at bay, she failed to notice the other coming up behind her. Before you could think twice, you sprinted as fast as you could, sliding between the alien’s blade and the woman’s body. 

You felt the sharp, cool metal pierce the skin of your stomach. Two gunshots rang out, signaling the aliens’ death as you looked down at the red oozing from your stomach. Your eyebrows furrowed as you realized that you weren’t healing like you should. I must’ve exhausted my powers, you thought.

“Who are you?” the woman asked, continuing to fight the onslaught of aliens.

“Hi, I’m Y/N,” you breathed, extending your hand for a handshake. She lifted a brow at you and gave you a onceover.

“I’m Natasha. That wound looks pretty bad, there Y/N. How are you feeling?” “Like I just got stabbed by an alien,” you grunted out as you shoved a fist through an alien flying at you, tearing out his throat. “I’ve been worse, though.”

Your head whipped to the side at the sound of a kid screaming, and before the redhead knew it, you were off. Gone and out of sight.

Turning the corner of a building, you found the honey hole. There were hundreds of aliens crowding the street, tearing everything apart. “Well this might end badly,” you mumbled to yourself. The aliens turned to you, screeching and charging. “Oh yeah definitely gonna end badly.” 

Bracing for impact, you were quickly surrounded by aliens as you motioned for a little boy and his mother to run away. You took the aliens down quickly, but there were just too many. You felt claws tearing into your side as you kicked one of them away. 

After what felt like days, you were surrounded by countless dead bodies, wheezing heavily from the strain on your body. Your powers weren’t healing you due to the exhaustion, but they were keeping you alive.

Trudging through the lifeless pile of aliens, you plopped down on a curb against a street light. “Motherfucker, that hurt,” you mutter. 

And then it all went black.

⧗

A steady beeping slowly seeped into your senses. The stiff sheets were cool on your legs. You could feel a needle in your arm, pumping something unknown into your veins. Your breath weakened as you began to panic. The odor of sanitizer flooded your nostrils. No, no, no, I can’t be back here. They’re gonna kill me. I can’t be back here.

Jolting upright in the bed, you scrambled to rip the IV out of your arm. You ripped the monitor off your chest and jumped out of the bed, searching for something to use as a weapon. An alarm began to blare and your heart jumped into your throat as you took off down the white hall. A group of people rounded the corner, and you stopped dead in your tracks, prepared to fight.

“Who are you? Where am I?” You demanded.

“Hey, look, take it easy–” a tall blonde man started.

“Who are you?” You yelled again.

“We’re the Avengers. You’re at our tower,” a brunette man said.

“Hey, Y/N, it’s okay. You’re safe,” a raspy voice said from behind you. You hadn't even heard her coming.

“Natasha?” Your shoulders relaxed slightly at the sight of the redhead.

“You were pretty banged up. We found you passed out on the street and brought you back here to heal up. Figured you were safer here than in a hospital where they’d discover your…abilities.”

“Right, okay. So you guys…aren’t….” you trailed off before changing your words. “You said you’re the Avengers? What’s that?”

“We’re a ragtag team of people trying to do something good,” the blonde man from before said.

“And our boss really wants to speak to you,” Natasha smirked.

TWO YEARS LATER

Natasha walked into the kitchen for a glass of water, surprised to see you there. You were sitting at the counter, nursing a glass of whiskey. She couldn’t help but notice the slump in your shoulders and circles under your eyes that had been haunting you lately.

“Detka, everything okay?” She spoke softly, but you still jumped at the sound.

“Yeah,” you tried to laugh. “Yeah, just couldn’t sleep.” She sat on the stool next to you, watching you closely as you avoided eye contact and took another sip of Crown.

“I know when you’re lying to me, Y/N. Something’s clearly wrong. But I won’t make you talk to me if you aren’t comfortable.”

“I’m sorry, Nat. I just…I just have nightmares sometimes,” you whispered.

“About your past?” She asked the question genuinely, but was hoping to get more of an insight into your past. She had looked into you when you first met, of course, but there were only files up until you turned sixteen. After that, you were a ghost.

“Yeah, something like that,” you smiled bitterly. Natasha moved to tuck a strand of hair behind your eye, but you flinched away. In the two years of friendship, never had you done that. You almost looked ashamed, she thought.

“Solnishko, what’s going on with you lately?” A tear fell silently down your face but you didn’t bother to wipe it away.

“I don’t know how much you know about me. I’m guessing there’s not much on record after the age of sixteen. But I grew up under pretty shitty circumstances. My dad was a prick. He’d beat on my mom until she couldn’t walk, and then she’d drink away the pain. At first she tried to protect me, but eventually she gave up and left. I wanna hate her for it but I can’t bring myself to.” You sniffled. “My dad would bring me down to the basement and kick the living shit out of me. He’d whip me with his cane until I couldn’t move, and then he’d lock me down there for hours. Sometimes days. So, that sucked,” you choked on a bitter laugh. “And then I was kidnapped and brought to God-knows-where.”

“Y/N…” Natasha hummed, tentatively reaching out. She breathed a sigh of relief when you took her hand.

“I’ve been through so much shit. I was tortured and experimented on for two years, but…I always have nightmares about him. Even the nightmares of the HYDRA facility, he’s there.”

Natasha took a mental note that you were held in a HYDRA facility, and that’s where you got your powers. But she tucked that away so she could focus on you.

“Look at me, detka,” she mumbled, turning your head to face her. “You are so much stronger than him, okay? And I don’t mean the super strength. You’re gonna be okay. I don’t know if this pain will go away or if it will always hang over you, but I can promise that I will be here by your side no matter what. Forever and always.”

“I’m so fucked up, Nat. I don't belong here. I’m not a hero,” you whimpered.

“You couldn’t be more wrong. You are the greatest person I’ve met, and despite the shit you’ve been through, you still put your life on the line to help other people. That doesn’t mean nothing. You might be fucked up, but I am too. All of us are. You belong here. You belong right here next to me, okay?”

You tried not to dwell on that last part. “Okay. I’m sorry, Nat. You shouldn’t have to deal with this.” You pulled back and wiped the tears away, and Natasha only wished to have you closer again.

“Don't apologize for feeling, Y/N. It’s what keeps us human.”

Your eyes bounced between hers and darted down to her lips. You forced yourself to turn away and take another swig of whiskey, burying those feelings down the same way you had been doing for two years.

“How about we go watch a movie in my room?” Nat suggested, knowing that you liked being in her room better. She could tell you felt safer there than in your own, but she wasn’t sure why.

“Yeah, okay.” You cleaned up after yourself and then followed the redhead to her room. She turned on an old James Bond movie and you smiled as she mouthed along to the film. In the dimly lit room, her emerald eyes reflected the TV screen. Her eyebrows fluctuated with the scenes of the movie as her lips followed the words. You breathed in her familiar perfume and shampoo.

“What are you looking at, Y/L/N?” she smirked

I’m in love with you, you thought to yourself. “Thank you for being here for me,” you said instead.

“Always, solnishko. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.” She gave you that look with her thumb rubbing circles on your hand, and your stomach clenched with longing. It hurt so bad that you wanted to cry. Because this impeccably kind, strong, caring, and drop-dead gorgeous woman was sitting in front of you, and you were so in love with her. But you couldn’t have her. She had shown no signs of feeling the same way.

Instead, you turned to watch the movie in silence, waiting for Nat to fall asleep before you gave in to your exhaustion.

Natasha found you in the gym early the next morning, dripping in sweat. You punched the specialized heavy bag mercilessly, venting your anger and frustration with the world. At that moment, you were extremely grateful that Tony had designed a punching bag to hold up against yours and Steve’s strength.

Natasha walked closer, taking in the blood seeping through the wraps on your hands. She frowned, worry knotting her stomach. “Solnishko, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you panted with a false smile. ���Just getting some energy out.”

“Oh, okay. Well if that’s the case, do you wanna spar?” she asked, seeing through your lie.

“Yeah, sure.”

Inside the ring, you let her charge first. As she went for a basic 1-2 combo, you grabbed her right arm and twisted her around. But before she could hit the ground, she kicked backward at you, knocking you off balance. Her thighs wrapped around your neck and pulled your body towards the ground. But you had sparred with her many times, and her signature move no longer took you by surprise.

You held onto her calves and twisted your bodies so that she landed flat on her back with an ‘oomph.’

You straddled her hips, pinning her arms with a victorious smirk. “I win.” “I guess you do,” she said quietly, her cheeks turning pink. The uncharacteristic blush prompted you to realize the position you had found yourselves in.

“Oh. Oh, uh, sorry, I’ll-” You moved to stand up but she grabbed onto you, holding you in place. You could feel the heat in your cheeks and ears.

“How many years is it gonna take us to talk about this?” She husked.

“Huh? I- I don’t know what you mean, Nat.” You laughed awkwardly. Oh my god.

“Is this why you’ve been acting so off around me?” She realized she wasn’t going to get an answer and smirked before continuing. “Detka, you could’ve just said you wanted to kiss me.” She leaned in closer, her breath fanning over your lips. “Do you want to kiss me, Y/N?”

You nodded slightly and that was it. You weren’t sure who leaned in to close the gap, but it didn’t matter. You were above Natasha Romanoff and her lips were on yours. The kiss started slow at first. Tender and careful, saying so many things. But as hands began to wander and tongues itched to explore, it quickly had moans spilling from your throat.

Natasha pushed you up into a sitting position before straddling your lap. Her hands pushed up your shirt, traveling underneath it and skimming the underside of your bra.

“Nat,” you practically moaned. “Not here. Not like this.”

She looked at you through blown pupils, confusion etched on her face. “What do you mean? You don’t wanna have sex?”

“No! I do. Trust me, I really do. But in case you haven’t noticed, you mean a lot to me, and you deserve better than a quick fuck on a sweaty gym mat. I want to take you on a real date. The whole nine yards.” 

She looked absolutely perplexed at this proposal, and it angered you that no one had treated her well enough for her to expect such a thing. Eventually, she smiled softly and pecked your lips. “I’d love that. And in case you haven’t noticed, you mean a lot to me too.”

[love-and-monsters]

The Ship and the Alien Pt. 2

4,249 words, GN reader X M alien.

Rear part 1 here.

Having been rescued from your ship, you are now being taken to a planet to meet with a group working to save endangered species, such as yourself. First, though, you'll have to spend time on the station as a waypoint, and learn more about the centaurs that surround you.

Content warnings: mentions of death, discussions of medical procedures and illness.

The next two days were focused on getting you strong enough for the transfer. Your centaur focused on muscle-building exercises, getting you to walk in circles around the room, forcing you to do some resistance workouts, and forcing you to perform some weird stretches that made your muscles strain and tremble. It was painful and slow work, though you were managing to keep up with it. Your centaur pushed you, though he was careful to keep it within what you could handle.

The ‘days’ seemed longer than what you were used to, but eventually, the ship you were on approached the station. Your centaur woke you up with bags strapped over his back and around his chest. Despite the apparent weight, he seemed only slightly encumbered- maybe the centaurs were a lot stronger than humans.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, alternating between addressing you and looking at the medical readouts across several screens.

“Fine, I suppose.” You stood up on your own, though your legs trembled terribly. It took only a few moments before you needed to brace yourself against a wall.

“Your readouts are good,” your centaur said. “Heart rate’s a little high, but I think that’s normal.” He glanced back at you. “Nervous?”

“Yes,” you admitted. For multiple reasons. Not the least of those reasons being the fact you had only something that resembled a hospital gown to wear. Apparently clothes were not one of the things rescued from your failing ship. He snorted, lips lifting into a small, closed-mouth smile.

“Good. Me too.” He turned away from the monitors. “Hold onto my arm.”

You put your hands on his arm and shoulder, using him as a crutch as he led you through the ship. You’d been hoping there would be other centaurs there, but they halls were empty. Maybe that was a good thing. The ship halls were spacious for you, but for creatures the size of centaurs, they were a bit cramped.

The hall eventually opened up into a large room lined with airlocks along the walls. The first officer was there, as well as a few other centaurs performing tasks. You stared at them. They stared right back. A couple of them murmured to each other, too low for the little machine hovering next to you to translate, but loud enough that you could tell they were speaking. There were even one or two who were just staring, with open mouths and everything. Your centaur snorted at them, lashing his tail, and they startled back into their work.

“The ship is docking now,” the first officer said. “Once it’s completely docked, you can enter the ship and continue to the station.” Your centaur nodded. His tail swung up, not quite touching you, but curling close to your side in an almost protective gesture. You appreciated it. You were feeling completely out of your depth.

There was a hiss of pressurized air and the airlock closest to you opened. The first officer thumped deep in her throat and your centaur returned the noise. “Continue your journey, and may health follow you.”

Your centaur murmured with acknowledgement, then tugged you toward the airlock. As soon as you were through it, the door shut once more. You pressed yourself closer to your centaur, tension rolling through your limbs. It felt a little like your muscles were melting. Your centaur paused. “Just a little longer, all right?” You nodded, grinding your teeth.

The shuttle you’d gotten onto was cramped, but you could lie down on one of the centaur-sized seats. You dozed for a bit before the ship docked onto the station. Your centaur roused you, let you brace against his arms, and pressed the button to open the airlock again.

The airlock was composed of two doors on opposite sides of the room. A moment after the first door had shut, the second one opened. Beyond it was another centaur, this one larger than your centaur, but also skinnier. They looked like they’d make an excellent runner. Two nubby horns poked out of their head.

“Welcome aboard,” she said as your centaur approached. He lowered his head slightly to her, and you mimicked his motion. “You’re the little human, aren’t you?”

It wasn’t fun to be referred to as ‘little’ since you were still about average height for a human, but it was true in comparison to the centaurs. You nodded, then realized the body language probably wouldn’t translate. “Yes.”

She stepped closer, lowering her upper body until her face was close to yours. “Cute little things, aren’t they?” You opened your mouth, then realized she wasn’t even talking to you, despite looking into your face. “I can see why you wanted to transfer.”

Your centaur smacked the tip of his tail against the ground. “I’m a xenobiologist. My interest with other species does not depend on how cute they are.”

She waved her forelimbs in a motion that might have been their equivalent of a shrug. “Hey, it’s not like anyone here cares. Easier for them to have dedicated keepers, right?”

You were starting to feel the hot flush of humiliation and annoyance combined creep up your neck. Were most of these people just straight-up rude? You were standing right there!

Your centaur made a thumping noise you assumed meant he was annoyed. “Keeper isn’t- never mind. How long until we have a shuttle to… where’s the nearest base planet?”

“It’s-” There was a series of thumps and clicks that you couldn’t understand or even try to replicate. Huh. If it was another planet, then you supposed it made sense that there was no equivalent word for it in the human language. Fine, you’d make up your own name for it. You mentally substituted ‘Gaia’ whenever they mentioned the planet. “It’s not too far. Shouldn’t take more than-” The translation cut off again. Whatever units of time they were using, it didn’t seem to have a human translation either. “You guys will need to hop another shuttle, though. A bunch of those xenobiologist bigwigs are trying to set one up. I’m supposed to take you to them so they can assess this one.” She waved a hand at you.

“Then you’d better get on it,” your centaur said. It was sort of funny to watch his patience slowly wearing thin. His tail and ear were twitching in perfect time with each other.

She turned and started to head down the hallway. You went down several turns and halls, most of them lined with markers that you couldn’t read. A couple of other centaurs passed and glanced at you, but they didn’t pay you too much mind. Like you were some vaguely interesting anomaly, but not one they would bother thinking about too much. Maybe they just saw a lot of weird stuff on a spaceship.

The annoying centaur led you to a large door that rolled aside. The room beyond had several other centaurs in it, and they all turned their heads almost simultaneously to look at you. They’d all been having some sort of discussion when you came in, huddled around a massive computer-thing, but the instant they saw you, they all went silent.

“Fascinating,” one of them said. If the translation thing’s tone was correct, their voice was almost reverent. “Then this is a human!”

It was like that broke a spell. Several of them crowded forward, all eyeing you with fascination. Most of them seemed to be speaking, possibly asking questions, but it was useless to try and sort it all out- apparently the translator couldn’t handle too many people speaking at one time. It kept trying to translate for one person before skipping to another mid-sentence, so all you got was a useless jumble of words. You pressed back as far as you could toward the wall, and your centaur stepped in front of you, trying to block off the crowd.

“Enough. I understand the discovery is fascinating to you all, but must you attempt to tear apart a new specimen like a bunch of starving-” The translation fuzzed out as the new speaker stepped forward. They were horned, though their horns weren’t terribly big, and they were about the same size as your centaur. Clearly they had some kind of authority, though, because the other centaurs lowered their heads in apparent bashfulness and moved away from you. Your centaur made a chirruping noise of relief.

“Doctor Rain-Blessing!” he said, and you blinked. Rain-Blessing? Given the context, it was a name. You hadn’t actually heard anyone refer to anyone else by their names so far, just titles. Unless Rain-Blessing was some kind of title? You felt rude that you hadn’t bothered to ask the name of your centaur so far.

“Good to see you again,” Doctor Rain-Blessing said. They looked down at you and you stared back as boldly as you could manage. “And you’re the little human, aren’t you?” They bent down to peer into your face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Um. Likewise,” you said.

“Always fascinating to meet a new intelligent species.” Doctor Rain-Blessing turned away from you and started moving toward the center of the room. “If you’d come this way, we’d like to give you an examination…”

Maybe it should have been embarrassing to be examined by so many people, but you’d been poked and prodded so much by humans and not humans that it was barely even a bother when they put you up on a table and ran test after test, from reflexes to brain scans. You fell asleep halfway through one of the tests and had to be nudged awake by your centaur. The translation didn’t work with the amount of chattering that’s going on, so you had to just hang out and wait for them to gather whatever information they wanted.

“Your species is remarkably resilient,” Doctor Rain-Blessing said at one point, addressing you directly. “The extended time in a malfunctioning hibernation pod would have certainly killed any one of us. Your injuries aren’t nearly as extensive as I feared they would be.”

“That’s good,” you said. “What, uh. What injuries?”

There’s a bit of a pause. The room doesn’t go silent, because people are still yammering about whatever interesting things showed up on the scans, but Doctor Rain-Blessing falls silent, then looks at your centaur. The look is accusing. “You didn’t say anything?”

“I was a little busy trying to keep the human living,” your centaur said, though there wasn’t much aggression in his voice. “There just wasn’t a lot of time to have those sorts of conversations.”

“I know you’re having big, important alien conversations, but at any point, if you feel like cluing me in on what’s going on, I would really appreciate it,” you said. You centaur folded his ears down, chirping apologetically.

“You survived surprisingly well,” Doctor Rain-Blessing said. “That being said, you were inside a hibernation pod for an extended period of time, and the pod suffered damage toward the end. It would have been a miracle if you had come out of there completely uninjured.”

“I get that,” you said. “Could you just tell me what the injuries are?”

Doctor Rain-Blessing looked at your centaur. Your centaur stared back. They were both silent for a moment. Doctor Rain-Blessing sighed. “There was scarring on your lungs and heart due to the effects of the hibernation, as well as some minor scarring on your gastrointestinal system. There was also some damage to some of your bone and muscular systems- fortunately your head was the most protected, so it was not injured, but you might have some minor nerve damage in other areas of your body. That is the reason for your weakness, or at least the main reason. You will probably have some health issues for the rest of your life.”

You stared up at the ceiling. It was far away, and a boring shade of slate-gray. It was also blurring slightly as your eyes watered. The weakness was annoying and expected, but it was something you’d expected to get better from. And now you were being told it was never going to happen.

“It is also part of the reason we’d like to get you to Gaia as soon as possible. Endangered species groups will be able to utilize their resources to get you better care,” Doctor Rain-Blessing said. They sounded gentle. Your centaur was leaning over you anxiously, sort of chittering with anxiety. You didn’t focus on it.

“Do you even know how to care for a human?” you asked, cautious. They’d been doing a good job so far, but you weren’t sure how far that was going to last.

“We downloaded and sent ahead the medical files on your ship,” your centaur said. By the time we reach Gaia, the group we’re getting in contact with should have it. We’re also performing medical exams to get a better idea of your specific needs.”

“There will likely be some guesswork, but we should be able to get a basic idea of what’s safe for you. And we hope you’ll be able to communicate your needs with us as well,” Doctor Rain-Blessing added. Another centaur called to them and they excused themselves. You sat up on the table, adjusting your hospital gown around your body. Maybe the group on Gaia would be able to give you some more clothes.

You got examined for a little longer, then they sent you to an attached room which seemed set up for you to sleep in. To a certain extent. It gave you the vibes of a hastily-rearranged isolation room- there were a bunch of medical tools lining the walls, one of them whirring noisily. At best guess, it was some kind of air filtration system, one of the high-quality ones that could scrub even germs from the air. Huh. That gave you a thought.

“No one is going to get sick, right?” you asked. Your centaur, who has followed you to your room, blinked at you.

“Ever? We can’t prevent illness if-”

“No, from me. Like… uh…” What was the term for getting a disease from another animal? Zoo- something?

“Oh.” Your centaur seemed remarkably unconcerned, which was good. “I wouldn’t worry about that too much. We’ve never had an issue with catching diseases from species on other planets. Our physiologies are usually different enough that it’s hard for any sort of bacteria or virus to actually get a foothold in our bodies.” He twitched an ear, clearly deep in thought. “That being said, I would suggest caution anyway. While we may not be able to catch diseases, we can still be poisoned or have allergic reactions to things. I don’t want you to get sick from that, either.”

Oh, right. They’d been giving you rations from your ship, so that you wouldn’t eat anything that might make you sick. “How long do you think the rations will last?” you asked.

“We got quite a lot of them. Obviously, it’s hard to tell, since your current rate of consumption might be lower than what you eat in the future, but it should be enough for… thirty years? Assuming nothing happens to the supply we have.”

Thirty years. That’s… not bad. Maybe that’s going to be enough to last you the rest of your life. It wouldn’t be, if you were living to the human average, but you have no idea if you’re going to do that anymore. That’s a sobering thought.

“That will probably be long enough for us to get the hang of recreating food for you, or at least figuring out what you can eat,” your centaur said, apparently not quite picking up on your worry. You gave him a small smile. He was clearly trying to help. And it was nice to have someone who was so completely on your side, too.

Getting into the bed they’d left you was a little difficult. The bed was designed for something with six limbs- it was steeply sloped, so the lower body could rest on the flat portion and the torso could rest on the sloped bit. Fortunately, if you curled up into a tight ball, you could just about fit into the flat par. Maybe it wasn’t the most comfortable place to sleep, but it was nice to finally be in a bed for the first time in a long time. Your centaur offered you a blanket and you buried under it gratefully. Just before you fell asleep, you heard your centaur folding his legs under himself to sit on the floor next to your bed.

When you woke up and looked across the room, he was slouched on the floor still, his head resting against the wall, fast asleep. It was clearly a very uncomfortable position to be in. But your heart warmed looking at him.

The next couple of days were another blur of medical tests. It was weird how used to being poked and prodded and shoved into machinery or having machinery shoved into you you were. They kept taking blood from the shunt in your arm to the extent you were surprised you had any left. In fact, by the second day, it really didn’t feel like you had any left. You were woozy nearly all the time.

“Are you doing all right?” your centaur asked as another vial of your blood was removed and carted away. The centaurs around you seemed excited, at the very least, constantly chattering to one another and pointing out things on screens. It was sort of interesting to be treated like that. Somewhere between being treated like a celebrity and a medical anomaly. Sometimes you would just catch them staring at you with naked fascination.

“I’m, um…” You trailed off. It was hard to string sentences together. “I think… maybe they shouldn’t take more blood? Feel kinda… kinda funny.”

“You don’t look well,” your centaur agreed. He looked around for a moment. “We have been at this for a while.”

“Mmhmm,” you agreed, too woozy to really put much thought in it. Your centaur paced in place, then took off at a gallop to a cabinet across the room. He gathered some stuff into his arms, then trotted back.

“These might help with low blood sugar,” he offered. You took one of the food packets and mushed some of the substance into your mouth. It was inoffensive in flavor, like most of them. You were getting pretty tired of the stuff.

You finished one, then took the water he offered. After a few minutes, you did start to feel better. Not great, but less shaky and woozy. Most of the other centaurs weren’t paying much attention to you- in fact, they seemed to be split into three groups, each one having some sort of animated discussion. Doctor Rain-Blessing seemed to be trying to wrangle them, but wasn’t having much luck. Maybe wrangling highly-excited scientists was a little like wrangling cats. Your centaur was the only one who seemed especially concerned about your wellbeing.

“The science rooms,” you said, still pretty woozy, “always have the most boring walls.”

“They what?”

“Boring.” You gestured to the wall. “All… gray.”

“They don’t decorate the labs very much,” he agreed. “Especially not the xenobiology ones. Something about not wanting paint or fumes or something to contaminate the area.”

“I’m gonna contaminate their area soon if I don’t get to look at a color. There were no colors allowed on the ship, either. Or the bit before the ship. I want to see a green! Or a blue!” Admittedly, the lights in the room were vaguely blue, but it wasn’t a good blue. Not the good sort of blue.

You were still sort of woozy.

Your centaur laughed. Or at least made the noise you thought was laughter. “It has been a little boring.” He glanced over at the other scientists. “Would you mind if I showed you something?”

You shrugged. “Does it have a green?”

He snorted. “Yes. It has a green.”

“Then cool! Let’s go!” You hopped off the table and sank awkwardly to the ground as your head spun. “Oooh, hold on. Gotta make the spinning stop first.”

“Technically the spinning never stops. The station’s gravity is produced by rotation motors-” He stopped when you blinked at him. “Perhaps it would be easier like this?”

Instead of helping you to your feet, like you’d expected him to, he bent over and seized you beneath your armpits. It took a little bit of fiddling, but he placed you on his back. You grabbed at his sides, trying to find a good spot to hold onto. Even in your slightly-addled state, you didn’t want to accidentally grope him. “Is this… is this cool?”

“Of course. Just wrap your arms around here.” He took your wrists and changed their position so you were more or less clinging to his waist, where his torso and front legs met. “Okay. Try not to make any noise.”

You nodded against his back and he took off at a quick trot. You’d never ridden a horse before, and that was probably a good thing, since this was probably not anything like it. The legs moved in a strange, rhythmic pattern that wasn’t like a horse’s gallop- he lifted them up one at a time.

It took some time of the weird trotting up a slope that gradually got steeper the further you went. Finally, your centaur clicked open a door and a wave of warm air and the smell of flowers wafted out.

Not just flowers- that was the dominant scent, but under that, there was the smell of dirt, and beneath that, the even more subtle scent of plants in general. You couldn’t have described what it smelled like exactly, but after weeks of being in medical spaces or in a near-sterile spaceship, the smell of life was intoxicating. You scrambled to dismount your centaur and he reached back to grab you before you could tumble off.

“Careful. Let me sit down before you- Hey!” He started lowering his body toward the ground, but as soon as his legs were bent and his arm was no longer on yours, you scrambled off his back. You couldn’t quite run, but you managed to stagger a few steps forward before sinking into the lush greenery.

It was beautiful. Like someone had taken a massive chunk of forest and plopped it right in the middle of a spaceship. There was dirt under your knees, green, feathery plants tickling at your legs and arms, and massive trees growing out of the ground, all the way up toward the domed, glass ceiling. Flowers added splashes of color to all the green and brown.

“This has been here the whole time?” you asked, almost breathless.

“All stations have green zones. Everything except shuttles has them, really, though the ones one stations are bigger. I’ve been on ships where the green zone was just a bunch of potted plants. This isn’t one of the better ones, but it’s nice.”

“This isn’t one of the better ones?” you asked, your tone one of sheer incredulity.

“No, it’s just plants. The better ones have animals, too. Within reason, anyway. No one would bring zenthos on a spaceship, and most people don’t even like the leptiks, even if they are beneficial. They’re just too good at slipping through even the tiniest cracks. If most people had their way, they would just put a bunch of tensis in here and call it a day, even though they breed like crazy in an environment with no predators.” Your centaur settled next to you as he spoke. You leaned against his side. If you were looking straight ahead, it was easy to pretend you were just sitting in a forest somewhere, instead of on a spaceship. Even if most of the plants looked a little strange.

“I haven’t seen anything like this in a long time,” you said dreamily. Your centaur swung his tail back and forth, rustling the plants behind him.

“No?”

“No. I lived in the city for a long time before I got put on the ship and once I was on there, it was all as sterile as possible. No plants. I mean, there were plants, but not any in the areas I was in. Just for the botanists.”

“We’ll be on a planet soon,” your centaur said. “Once we’re there, you should be able to see some beautiful sights. I’ve never been on Gaia, but I’ve seen images. It’s got some wonderful natural scenery.”

“That sounds nice. I’m tired of being in space.” You dug your fingers into the ground, feeling the slight dampness of the soil. “I hope I’m going to be allowed out when we get there. Are the endangered species protection group you talked about even going to let me go? I’m not going to be shoved in a zoo, am I?”

Your centaur thumped deep in his chest, his sides shuddering with the sound. “You have every right to determine your own path,” he said. His tail swung closer to your side, not quite close enough to be holding you, but close enough to feel like a protective presence. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure you have a say in what happens to you.”

You have no idea how much good he can make on that promise, but it’s a nice promise to have, regardless.

Read the next part here.

[theblackcubeofdarkness]

WARNING THE FOLLOWING TRAILER FOR THIS HORROR GAME HAS THEMES OF BODY HORROR, BLOOD, HUMAN DEATH, ANIMAL DEATH, A FLIPPEN SPIDER GIRAFFE, AND SOME WEIRD CENTIPEDE PARISITE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Ok so first watch this.

Ok traumatized? GREAT! Then we can get started. First off this game hands down is AMAZING! Well from what we can see at least. In case you don't know Zoochosis is a real thing that can happen to animals within Zoos making them kind of go insane. The game description says that your a new night zoo keeper and a strange parasitic infection has been spotted in the zoo turning the infected animals into deadly mutants. Along with your duties as a zoo keeper you must make a cure for this infection and save the animals while keeping yourself alive. It also warns us that our choices in the game will effect the ending so we know its a multi ending game. Did I mention this is a body cam horror game because it is. Ok so zoo horror games are really rare and the concept is very unique making it feel like alien but at a zoo. I'm going to take this step by step and say what I think the game mechanics will be from the info given to us.

This is a screenshot given to us on the game page and its very simple. Just infrared vision most likely the same camera seen used at the start of the game. Something I noticed is that in the beginning of the game trailer the giraffe seems more red through the lens while this is more green. I think we are going to have to determine infected and subdue them (probably non lethally due to something I'll discuss later) if their in the green their good but if their red they may be infected. Now how do they get infected? I think there is going to be something like among us here and we must determine if an animal in the pen is infected.

One of the screenshots actually give us the layout of the zoo.

(And yes I am screenshotting the screenshots presented on a youtube video due to reasons)

Here we can see we got 8 animals to take care of and monitor. From what I can see we got Zebras, Kangaroo's, Elephants, Gorillas, Moose (or reindeer I don't know), Giraffes, and the all mighty penguins.

This isn't just a survival game cause it seems we're going to have to take care of the animals and I just realized that not a moose but an elk... MOVING ON we can see in the trailer after grind up the presumed human in the sack the player is seen using a meat cutter with a similar monitor like this in front of them before a strange parasites comes out of the meat and scuttles away suggesting that the human that we grinded up was infected. While making the food for the animals we seem to have to minter the food to make sure there is no parasites in it and keep them safe. This may be one of the way the parasites' can spread. I also think they can spread if a infected animal is in a pen for too long and infects other animals.

This is what I was saying we were gonna talk about later. There seems to be a shop in this game giving us several things. One is the tranquilizer darts which we will probably use to defend ourselves against the infected but we also seems to have Ampoules. A quick google search told me an ampoule is used to contain sample which probably connect to a screenshot that I show next stating to collect sample no doubt connecting to the goal of curing the animals.

We can see several takes such as collecting samples injecting cures and feeding. Thats all I have to say for this one.

Also I think each animal is named so thats amazing. Everyone say to to Fred who is despite in the middle of a chaotic situation is just chilling.

This seems like a generator that we may have to come back to in order to refuel it possibly exposing us to threats as we do so. This is supported by the next screenshot.

POWER SYSTEM! AND COMPUTERS! This is looking like fnaf kind of...

We also don't seem to be safe inside the infected traveling the zoo and stalking the halls hunting you down. They seem to be able to disguise themselves as original normal animals like with the kangaroos in the trailers only detected by the infrared or the strange device.

This game looks amazing but the fact that I just cant wrap my mind around is that face this game is being developed by Clapperheads the people who made Sparky Marky... AND I SUPPORT IT 100% They seem to take criticism and work to improving those parts so I think this game will a blast! (Not like im playing it im a coward).

The game comes out in Q2 of 2024 so we have to wait a bit but I am excited to see what this game will bring upon its release. Wishlist on steam today!

[nitewrighter]

I think it would be funny if Batman did appear in maws (or just A Superman series), but he’s the last guest hero to show up- like, dead last.

Clark meets Scott and Barda first, then a couple of green lanterns. One episode teases a mysterious figure in a large cape, but he steps out of the shadows to reveal Martian manhunter. The first non alien tech based heroes he meets are Wonder Woman and aquaman to round out his contemporaries (with abin sur and later j’hon as sort of mentors).

Then we get the heroes Clark inspires (like how he inspired pretty much all superheroes in the real world), flash, the hawks, green arrow, black canary, blue beetle, zatanna, et al. He even meets some kids who would one day become titans.

In the last season he even meets robin and batgirl first, and they don’t even say the words Gotham city, just that they’re from “out of town”.

In a 3 part grand finale Clark, lois and jimmy have to gather all the super friends they met to stop an attack by darksied or the anti monitor, or trigon or starro, or hell maybe just a really cranky lex.

Sometime After the action is over, Superman gathers the various heroes at a newly built hall of justice to announce their building an organization of heroes, even a program to train the younger ones.

And suddenly Batman crashes in yelling “I AM THE NIGHT!!”, clearly exhausted trying to catch up with everyone, and starts ranting, yelling the names of various things from the bat mythos and how the league needs him. Meanwhile babs and dick are like “oh my god Bruce, you are embarrassing us in front of Kara/Kori”

He challenges Clark to a fight, “I got some kryptonite with your name on it big blue, let’s see who the big dog is!!”, Clark is just baffled. Lois talks him down, telling him to get some sleep and they can talk tomorrow.

The next day Lois and Clark are having lunch with Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson.

Lois: ok, hot take. Maybe losing your parents at such a young age left you with not so much a need for vengeance, but more a need for attention.

Bruce, drinking coffee: I mean, Alfred tried his best.

Clark: and he sounds like a great guy!

(I may have taken Bruce’s characterization from Lego movie Batman)

My ideal Batman appearance in MAWS is at the very very very end. He opens his mouth and the credits start rolling before he can say anything.

There's a mid-credits scene and it's just Scott and Barda showing up to Lois and Clark's for dinner with a veggie tray.

There's a post credits scene and it's Adam Strange zeta-beaming into the middle of Clois and ScottBarda's dinner party in the Family Guy Death Pose. Bruce is never mentioned.